Weapons

Kids may be little, but in Weapons, they’re absolutely terrifying. In the quiet town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, 17 elementary schoolers vanish overnight, after mysteriously waking at 2.17 a.m., sprinting Naruto-style into the darkness, and never returning.

Only one child, Alex (Cary Christopher), remains — and every adult wants answers. Among them: his shaken teacher Justine (Julia Garner), the frazzled principal (Benedict Wong), grief-stricken father Archer (Josh Brolin), small-town cop Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), and even local burglar James (Austin Abrams). What made the kids run? And who — or what — is really pulling the strings?

Director Zach Cregger (Barbarian) weaves horror, mystery, and a surprising streak of dark comedy through a shifting, Rashomon-like narrative. Fans of twisty, multi-perspective thrillers like Vantage Point or Hoodwinked! will relish decoding every clue, right up to the film’s bloody, jaw-dropping reveal.

Materialists

Celine Song, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Past Lives, returns with a playful, modern love triangle. This time, it’s tangled up in money issues and messy millennial dating realities.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a successful matchmaker who ironically hasn’t found her own match (an “eternal bachelorette” as the film calls it). But things get interesting at a client’s wedding, where she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), a charming, suspiciously wealthy “unicorn” who feels almost too good to be true. Also in the mix is her old flame John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor working the event as a waiter.

Soon, Lucy becomes the target instead of the Cupid, torn between a glittering fantasy and a familiar flame. Marvel fans will get a kick out of watching Captain America and Mister Fantastic battle for Madame Web’s heart — but Song grounds the glossy premise with witty insights on financial compatibility and the tug-of-war between idealism and practicality when dating in your 30s.

Ballerina

In the John Wick universe, everyone fears the Baba Yaga, but this assassin isn’t running from him. She’s following in his footsteps. Ballerina spotlights Eve (Ana de Armas), a Ruska Roma enforcer whose lethal grace and quiet rage fuel her stylish, vengeance-soaked odyssey.

Eve’s path brings her face-to-face with Wick-world icons, including the regal New York Continental owner Winston (Ian McShane), the ever-reliable concierge Charon (the late Lance Reddick in his final appearance), and, of course, the legend, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) himself.

Director Len Wiseman teams up with producer Chad Stahelski to deliver everything fans crave: balletic gunfights, crunching hand-to-hand showdowns, and high-speed vehicular carnage — all culminating in a breathtaking battle set in a secluded Alpine village entirely populated by assassins. It’s John Wick energy with its own fierce, feminine fire. 

Sinners

American history gets a supernatural twist as Black Panther director Ryan Coogler sinks his fangs into the horror genre, reuniting with Michael B. Jordan for a bold, blues-soaked vampire tale.

Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film stars Jordan in the dual roles of twin brothers Smoke and Stack. The siblings return home after years in the Chicago Mafia to open a juke joint, only to find their opening night gate-crashed by sharp-toothed, blood-guzzling undead creatures led by Jack O’Connell.

Critics raved: Rolling Stone hailed Coogler for “swinging wide beyond franchise fare”, while Variety called it “the first Oscar movie of 2025”. With its hypnotic style, electric performances, and Ludwig Göransson’s sultry blues score, Sinners bites hard and lingers.

Black Bag

Marriage counselling meets espionage in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag, which fuses relationship drama and spy thriller elements. Michael Fassbender plays George Woodhouse, a British agent hunting a digital weapon — until his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) becomes the prime suspect. 

Pierce Brosnan commands as the duo’s formidable boss Arthur Stieglitz, while Soderbergh keeps the tension simmering through dinner parties, therapy sessions, and lie-detector tests. Slick, stylish, and laced with dark humour, Black Bag proves the most dangerous secrets are the personal ones. 

A Complete Unknown

“How does it feel … to be without a home, like a complete unknown?” That is the question posed in the 1965 song “Like A Rolling Stone” by legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. 
 
Now, audiences everywhere have an idea of how it feels, with director James Mangold’s (Ford v Ferrari) vibrant biopic about the icon’s electric transformation in ’60s New York. 
 
The rather well-known Timothée Chalamet stars as the musical legend in A Complete Unknown, which charts Dylan’s rise from folk hero to rock rebel. The film builds to his infamous 1965 Newport Folk Festival set, when he shocked purists by switching from his traditional acoustic folk style to playing an electric guitar. With Elle Fanning as muse Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, this rhythm-and-rhyme odyssey earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. 

Warfare

Co-directed by Civil War’s Alex Garland and Navy SEAL veteran Ray Mendoza, Warfare drops viewers into an inspired-by-true-events, boots-on-the-ground siege in Ramadi. Its real-time unfolding lends the film a heightened sense of immersion.

Based on Mendoza’s experiences during the Iraq War, this gritty re-enactment follows Alpha One platoon as they take over and defend a house in Ramadi from enemy combatants. Rising stars Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, and Will Poulter play members of the platoon.

Critics have hailed Warfare as one of A24’s grittiest triumphs: The Guardian called it “visceral filmmaking that makes you smell the dust and fear”. Relentless, suspenseful, and impossible to look away from.

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Based on director James Griffiths’ short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, this bittersweet British comedy-drama finds estranged folk duo Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) reuniting for one last private gig — for their only fan, a lonely lottery winner (Tim Key). Alas, their reunion is anything but harmonious.

What follows is an intimate, funny look at lost love, regret, and the music that binds us. With rave reviews and a 96% on the Tomatometer, The Ballad of Wallis Island hits all the right notes — tender, affecting, and quietly profound. 

Companion

Part Her, part Terminator, Drew Hancock’s stylish sci-fi thriller starts as a cabin-in-the-woods drama and spirals into a thriller about identity crisis. 
 
Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid), are off for a weekend getaway with friends. When the house owner, Sergey (Rupert Friend), attempts to assault Iris, she kills him in self-defence, unleashing a secret that turns reality inside-out for her.

Critics praised the movie’s dark humour and neon-bright flair — The Wall Street Journal called it “one of the most skilfully constructed horror films of the decade”.