Courtyard Cinema – Top new films to watch in lockdown

We’ve put together some of our favourite recently released films to watch whilst in isolation, whilst The Courtyard Cinema is closed. These are mostly films that we recently screened at Courtyard Cinema, or that we would have been screened since the closure.

Although the magic of watching a film on the big screen, in a collective setting, is difficult to beat, there is plenty of opportunity to recreate cinema viewing from home.

Now on to our top recommended films to give you Cinema Vibes at home! With all the big studios, Amazon Prime, Netflix and Disney competing for your custom, there is also an excellent choice of independent film on Mubi, BFI Player and Curzon Home Cinema.

Misbehaviour (12A)

Available to rent on Amazon, YouTube & Sky Store.

Due to screen at The Courtyard Cinema in April, Misbehaviour moved to an online release. Feel-good British Cinema starring Keira Knightley, where a group of women hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.


System Crasher (15)

Available to Rent from Curzon or BFI Player.

Premiered at Borderlines Film Festival, System Crasher is an intensive drama about a pre-pubescent girl who actually crashes Germany’s child and welfare system whilst on her quest for love and security.


EMA

Available on MUBI free for a limited time. Courtyard customers get 3months free trial.

Pablo Larraín (Jackie) returns with a dazzling, intoxicating look at sex, power, family and chaos in modern-day Chile. With an electrifying score by Nicolas Jaar, Ema is a whirlwind of no-holds-barred anarchy, anchored by searing turns from rising star Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal.


The Call of the Wild

Available on Disney+

Cancelled at The Courtyard Cinema in April, Call of the Wild is adapted from the beloved literary classic. Buck is a big-hearted dog whose domestic life gets turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home. As the newest rookie on a mail-delivery dog sled team, Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime as he ultimately finds his true place in the world. CGI leaves a bit to be desired, but a nice afternoon watch nonetheless!


Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Available on Mubi (with a 30 day free trial), Curzon and Amazon. 

Portrait of a Lady on Fire was premiered in Hereford as part of The Courtyard’s French Film Festival in November, this fantastic film still brought in audiences in March at Borderlines Film Festival. It has since been top of the Indie Charts for at-home streaming.

Céline Sciamma (Tomboy) turns the male gaze over its head to present its female version: a feminist tale of lesbian desire, aching romanticism, and creative collaboration. The result is an instant classic, glistening with sumptuous images and an unforgettable duo: Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant.


The Gentlemen

Available to rent on YouTube, Amazon and Google

Just missing it’s debut at The Courtyard Cinema, The Gentlemen follows American expat Mickey Pearson who built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business forever it triggers plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him. It may not win writer-director Guy Ritchie many new converts, but for those already attuned to the filmmaker’s brash wavelength, The Gentlemen stands tall.


The Two Popes

Available to watch on Netflix

We were due to show The Two Popes on the big screen at The Courtyard Cinema in April, and before cancellation, ticket sales were strong – which shows nothing beats that cinema experience! Regardless, you should watch this absorbing drama, led by outstanding performances from its well-matched leads.


Emma

Available to purchase on Amazon and YouTube. 

It’s screenings at The Courtyard were cut short, but it’s now available online! Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending, is reimagined in this delicious new film adaptation of Emma.


And Then We Danced

Available to rent on Curzon, BFI Player, YouTube and Amazon

A huge hit at Borderlines Film Festival, And Then We Danced is a vibrant and intense love story set in the dynamic but ultra-conservative world of traditional Georgian dance. Radical choreography, queer resistance and national identity combine in Levan Akin’s sophisticated and rich drama about a young performer fighting to express himself on and off the dancefloor.


Mr Jones

Available to rent on Curzon and BFI Player.

Due to screen at Courtyard Cinema in May, James Norton stars as Welsh journalist Gareth Jones whose 1930s visit to Soviet Ukraine uncovered the truth of Stalin’s state-sponsored famine and reputedly inspired George Orwell’s Animal Farm.


The Truth

Released exclusively on Curzon Home Cinema.

For his first feature set outside Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda unites French screen legends Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche in a powerful and emotional story of family conflicts.

You can also see some of Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s earlier works on CurzonShopliftersI WishOur Little SisterLike Father Like SonThe Third Murder and After the Storm.

Let us know what you’ve watched, and recommend any new film finds!