Check out what's showing at cinemas across the region...

SONG SUNG BLUE CERT tbc (133 mins)
Released Thursday 1 January
Starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, Hudson Hensley, King Princess, Michael Imperiol
Directed by Craig Brewer 

Based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Kohs, Song Sung Blue stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina, a real-life Milwaukee husband & wife duo who performed as Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. 
The film follows the couple’s story from its late 80s beginnings, when Mike - a divorced and one-time alcoholic Vietnam veteran - meets hairdresser Claire at a Wisconsin State Fair concert... 
Theirs is an absorbing enough story, but the film’s real strength is its musical numbers, not only because of Diamond’s dazzling back catalogue but also on account of impressive performances by both of the leads. 

HAMNET CERT 12a (125 mins)
Released Friday 9 January
Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Joe Alwyn, Justine Mitchell, Emily Watson, David Wilmot
Directed by Chloé Zhao 

When it comes to ‘delivering the goods’ on screen, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are probably among the most trusted of modern-day Irish film actors. And their performances in this impressively impactful love story provide plenty of evidence as to why they’re held in such high regard.
Mescal plays William Shakespeare, Buckley his wife Agnes, in an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel from 2020. 
Set in England across the final two decades of the 16th century, Chloe Zhao’s critically acclaimed film charts the couple’s relationship - from heady days of romance and wedded bliss, to the death (from the plague) of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet - a tragic event which inspired Shakespeare to pen his most famous play of all: Hamlet.

RENTAL FAMILY CERT 12a (110 mins)
Released Friday 16 January
Starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto
Directed by Hikari 

A not-so-long-ago Oscar winner - for his portrayal of a reclusive and morbidly obese English teacher in The Whale - Brendan Fraser here stars as Phillip Vandarploeug, a struggling middle-aged American actor living in Tokyo who’s previously enjoyed significant success in a toothpaste commercial. 
After taking a series of minor acting roles, he’s offered the opportunity to work for Rental Family, a company which hires actors to play stand-in roles in clients’ lives. 
But before too long, Phillip finds himself making genuine connections that threaten to blur the line between performance and reality... 

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE CERT 15 (115 mins)
Released Friday 16 January
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Emma Laird, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry, Alfie Williams
Directed by Nia DaCosta 

The huge success of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later ensured that a third film in the post-apocalyptic horror series was always a possibility...
And 18 years after its predecessor, movie number three finally arrived last summer, with Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle reuniting with Oscar-nominated writer Alex Garland to present a terrifying ‘auteur horror’ story titled 28 Years Later.  
Now, the fourth installment - once again written by Garland - hits cinema screens. Shot back-to-back with last year’s release, and with Nia DaCosta taking over the directorial reins, The Bone Temple picks up the story after the events of 28 Years Later... 
As teenager Spike is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus, Dr Ian Kelson forms a new relationship - one which has potentially world-changing consequences... 

THE HISTORY OF SOUND CERT 15 (128 mins)
Released Friday 23 January
Starring Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor, Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson
Directed by Oliver Hermanus

When it comes to film releases, Paul Mescal is certainly having a busy month, not only starring in Hamnet (above) but also this period romance drama. 
In 1917, Lionel - a young, talented music student - meets David at the Boston Conservatory, where they bond over a deep love of folk music. Years later, Lionel receives a letter from David, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional songs. The unexpected reunion, ensuing love affair, and the music they collect and preserve, shape the course of Lionel’s life far beyond his own awareness...

SAIPAN CERT 15 (91 mins)
Released Friday 23 January
Starring Éanna Hardwicke, Steve Coogan, Peter McDonald, Alice Lowe, Jamie Beamish, Harriet Cains
Directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn

Football fans will probably be raising an eyebrow at the prospect of Steve Coogan as Mick McCarthy, wondering whether the Alan Partridge actor will have what it takes to play the blunt and Barnsley-born one-time Republic of Ireland player and manager. Coogan will certainly have his work cut out, no question - but then he did make a decent fist of playing Jimmy Savile a while back, so perhaps football-loving cinema-goers should brace themselves for a pleasant surprise. 
The film tells the story of the infamous confrontation between iconic Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane and his national team manager McCarthy during the Irish squad’s preparations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The feud remains, to this day, one of the most fractious fallings-out in the history of sport. 

IS THIS THING ON? CERT tbc (124 mins)
Released Friday 30 January
Starring Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Blake Kane, Calvin Knegten 
Directed by Bradley Cooper

As his marriage quietly unravels, Alex seeks new purpose on the New York comedy scene. Wife Tess, meanwhile, confronts the sacrifices she made for their family... 
With an amicable divorce pending, the couple is forced to navigate issues around co-parenting, identity, and the challenge of love taking on a new form...
Loosely based on the story of how Liverpool funnyman John Bishop stumbled into a career in comedy, Is This Thing On? is the third film to be directed by American Hustle actor Bradley Cooper, following on from Lady Gaga vehicle A Star Is Born in 2018 and Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro (2023). Much smaller in scale than its two predecessors, it’s nevertheless an absorbing, heartfelt and memorable entry, showcasing exceptionally strong performances from lead actors Will Arnett and Laura Dern while also providing further evidence of Cooper’s considerable talent as a director... 

SEND HELP CERT tbc 
Released Friday 30 January
Starring Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Xavier Samuel, Bruce Campbell, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Pang 
Directed by Sam Raimi

Survival horror thriller Send Help focuses on the fortunes of two colleagues, Linda Liddle and Bradley Preston, who become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. As they battle to overcome past grievances and work together to survive, tensions between them mount, leading to a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive...
“I found the two lead characters, Linda and Bradley, to be complex, human, and constantly at odds with each other in often conflicting situations,” director Sam Raimi told Entertainment Weekly, in talking about what attracted him to the project. “The pitch was outrageous and original, all the while tracking these two in their conflict as their power dynamic changed dramatically. 
“I knew right away that I wanted to direct this picture.”