January's new film releases brings a vibrant mix of genres

2 January

Kiss of the Spider Woman is a lush, emotionally charged musical drama set in an Argentine prison during the Dirty War, where a political dissident and a gay cellmate forge an unlikely bond.

The film follows Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser imprisoned for indecency, and Valentín Arregui (Diego Luna), a political dissident jailed for his revolutionary activities.

Molina, flamboyant and imaginative, retells the plot of his favourite Hollywood musical starring diva Aurora (Jennifer Lopez), using fantasy as a means of survival and connection. Written and directed by Bill Condon. Read more.

Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass is the first fully computer-animated feature-length film of the Tom and Jerry Franchise. Our favourite cat and mouse duo are off to a brand new time-travelling adventure. In the bustling heart of Manhattan, street-smart Jerry, has developed an obsession with brand-new civilisations, sneaks into the Metropolitan Museum’s blockbuster exhibition featuring the mythical “Astral Compass.” Hot on his tail is our ever-persistent Tom, the museum’s newest security guard, who will do anything to stop Jerry from entering the Museum. Read more.

The sports drama Marty Supreme is less about ping pong itself than about the compulsive drive of a man who believes he is destined for greatness. It captures the manic energy of a man who believes he can spin his way out of any predicament, whether on the ping pong table or in life. Safdie’s film, with its chaotic style, eclectic cast, and career defining performance from Timothée Chalamet, inspired by American table tennis player Marty Reisman. Read more.

9 January

Rental Family is a comedy-drama directed by Hikari, starring Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vanderploeg, an American actor living in Japan who stumbles into the unusual world of “rental families,” a real phenomenon in Japanese society where agencies provide actors to play relatives, friends, or partners for clients in need. Read more.

Greenland 2: Migration is an upcoming post-apocalyptic survival thriller directed by Ric Roman Waugh and written by Chris Sparling and Mitchell LaFortune. The sequel to Greenland (2020), the film stars Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin reprising their roles. Five years after the Clarke interstellar comet decimated most of Earth, the Garrity family must leave the safety of the Greenland bunker and embark on a perilous journey across the wasteland of Europe to find a new home. Read more.

16 January

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a post-apocalyptic horror directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland. Taking place after the events of the previous film, the story follows Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a former GP who memorialises victims of the epidemic, and teenager Spike (Alfie Williams) is drawn into the orbit of Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Crystal’s gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus turns survival into ritualised violence. Read more.

The psychological thriller Nuremberg is a historical drama based on the 2013 book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai. In Nuremberg, US Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) seeks to carry out an assignment to investigate the personalities and monitor the mental status of Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) and other high-ranking Nazis in preparation for and during the Nuremberg trials. Read more.

23 January

In the sci-fi thriller Mercy, Detective Chris Raven (played by Chris Pratt) is accused of murdering his wife and must prove his innocence before Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), an advanced AI system he once championed. With only 90 minutes to clear his name, Raven’s trial becomes a desperate race against time, a confrontation not only with the facts of his case but with the very system he helped create.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle it’s one of the most anticipated science fiction thrillers of the decade, a film that combines the urgency of courtroom drama with the speculative imagination of near-future dystopia. Read more.

Dead Man’s Wire is a historical crime film directed by Gus Van Sant. Inspired by the real-life 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis involving Tony Kiritsis, the film dramatises one of the most shocking and televised crimes of the era.

Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Kiritsis is central to this balance, capturing both the manic volatility and the tragic vulnerability of the character. Dacre Montgomery plays Richard Hall, the hostage whose quiet endurance contrasts with Kiritsis’s explosive energy, while Al Pacino portrays M.L. Hall, the mortgage company owner whose absence during the crisis underscores the impersonal nature of corporate power. Read more.

The animated Charlie The Wonderdog follows Danny, a timid young boy who imagines fantastical adventures with his dog. When Charlie is taken by extraterrestrials and gifted extraordinary powers, he returns as “Charlie the Wonderdog,” a canine superhero beloved by the world — except for Puddy, the evil cat next door. Together, Danny and Charlie must rise to the challenge of saving humanity from Puddy’s diabolical schemes, proving that true heroi sm lies not in strength alone but in courage, kindness, and loyalty. Read more.

30 January

Hamnet is a historical drama co-edited and directed by Chloé Zhao, who co-wrote the screenplay with Maggie O’Farrell, based on the 2020 titular novel by O’Farrell.

The film follows the relationship between Agnes and William Shakespeare, and the impact of the tragic death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet on their lives, leading to the creation of William’s play Hamlet.

It stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William. It tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet. Read more.

Shelter is an action-thriller directed by Ric Roman Waugh from a screenplay by Ward Parry. It stars Jason Statham.

In a remote coastal sanctuary, Mason (Statham) rescues a young girl from drowning during a violent storm. But this act of compassion sets off a chain of deadly consequences—forcing him to face a darker past and fight to protect what remains of his life. Read more.

Send Help is a black comedy/psychological thriller directed by Sam Raimi and stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as co-workers who become the sole survivors of a plane crash while on a business trip. Stranded on a deserted island, they have to work together to survive, which becomes a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. Read more.

Primate is a horror film directed and co-written by Johannes Roberts. Atropical vacation spirals into horror when a family’s adopted chimpanzee, Ben, is bitten by a rabid animal and begins to exhibit violent, uncontrollable behaviour. What begins as a story of companionship quickly devolves into a nightmare of survival, as the family must confront the creature they once considered kin. Read more.

Read more about the latest and upcoming film releases.