7 brilliant new films to watch in cinema and streaming in September
September arrives with plenty of great movies to watch both at home and on the big screen. Take your pick from two of the year’s biggest action blockbusters, Sir Ken Branagh’s true story of his Belfast childhood or Ralph, Tilda and Idris reminding us why they’re the best in the business. Happy viewing!
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Top Gun: Maverick (buy on all major platforms)
Category: Action
Naval aviator Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is now seeing out his twilight years as a military test pilot but after unsurprisingly annoying the top brass, he’s told he has to train a bunch of new ‘Top Gun’ academy graduates for a dangerous mission. And among them is a face Maverick knows all too well.
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Combining romance (Jennifer Connolly plays Penny, one of Maverick’s flames), eye-watering aerial action and plenty of alpha-male friction, Top Gun: Maverick is a masterful balancing act. Not many stars could so seamlessly produce a follow-up to a classic after thirty-five years, resulting in something that’s arguably even better than the original, but then Tom Cruise is no ordinary star. No wonder it’s the biggest film of 2022.
The Forgiven (cinemas)
Category: Drama
Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes star as husband-and-wife Jo and David, travelling through Morocco to get to a friend’s party when they’re involved in a car accident out in the desert that colours the whole weekend in unexpected ways. Whilst all the cast are on form - especially Matt Smith as a dashing party host - this is really Ralph’s film. We see David go from being an arrogant hard-drinker to someone stripped back to basics by a tragedy - all portrayed with surgical precision by the British star. Add in some stunning visuals and moral debates and this is one deliciously rich experience.
Thor: Love & Thunder (Disney+ from 8th September)
Category: Superhero
There are several things going on in the Norse god’s fourth solo movie outing. For starters, the man mountain (again played by Chris Hemsworth) is searching for meaning in his life. Secondly, Dr Jane Foster (the great Natalie Portman) is back and suddenly feels a strange connection to Thor’s hammer (no sniggering).
Then there’s Christian Bale making his Marvel movie debut as the delightfully named Gorr the God Butcher. Needless to say he is suitably terrifying. Throw in a lot of big-name cameos, a lot of Guns n Roses on the soundtrack, some giant goats, Hemsworth in the buff, Russell Crowe doing a crazy turn as Zeus and the Guardians of the Galaxy and you get something trippy, funny, spectacular and emotional. It’s a whole lot of movie.
Three Thousand Years of Longing (cinemas)
Category: Fantasy
Myths and magic are very much at the heart of this engagingly oddball romance, with Tilda Swinton playing a scholar of naratology - the study of stories - who unleashes a genie (Idris Elba) from an antique bottle she buys in an Istanbul market. What follows poses a simple question: what happens when a professor of fairytales becomes involved in a real-life one? Difficult to categorise and unashamedly literary, Three Thousand Years of Longing is a beautifully made, intriguing adult folk story idea if you’re in the mood for something strange and surprising.
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I Came By (Netflix)
Category: Thriller
Whilst this British crime drama is by no means a masterpiece it does boast a great - and unexpected - star performance in it from Hugh Bonneville. Normally we see Hugh playing posh, jovial guys - think Downton, Paddington and W1A. But in I Came By he’s a sociopath, an outwardly respected judge called Sir Hector Blake who has some very nasty secrets. Enter George Mackay and Percelle Ascot as two Robin Hood-style vigilantes (and graffiti artists) who try to catch him out. Dodgy script aside, it’s good to see Hugh enjoying himself as such a wonderfully obnoxious bad guy.
Samaritan (Amazon Prime Video)
Category: Action
Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone gives his most interesting performance in years as former superhero Samaritan, a tough guy long-presumed dead but actually hiding out in a high-rise flat in the crime-ridden Granite City. When a young neighbour recognises Samaritan, the ageing warrior is reluctantly dragged back into business, fighting the baddies. Playing like a mix of The Karate Kid and Joker, this is an enjoyably grungy, lower-budget alternative to the glamour of Marvel. Ideal for older children and grown-up nostalgia seekers.
Belfast (Sky Cinema)
Category: Drama
Sir Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical tale of growing up in the Northern Irish capital focuses on nine year old Buddy (Jude Hill) and how his world changes radically during the city’s troubles in the summer of 1969.
Whilst this is absolutely about a turbulent time in the country’s history it’s also still hugely warm and nostalgic, balancing darker and lighter moments incredibly well. In fact it’s rare to see a film so full of laughter, music, friendship and family. Catriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan play Buddy’s parents but it’s Dame Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds as his grandparents who will steal your heart.
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