TNTW Round-Up - 17.01.2025
Don't know what to watch? Don't worry, I got you covered.
Or just watch David Lynch. That’s all you should be doing this weekend.
TNTW is short for “There’s Nothing To Watch”. A statement I hardly and wholeheartedly disagree. Because, I beg your pardon, it’s bullshit. They just don’t know where to look or don’t look at all. It’s a round-up of premieres for a given week on streaming platforms (both international and for Poland) and in cinemas. The big screen premies will only focus on Poland but quite a lot of them correspond with international releases so, you know, check it too. Occasionally, there’ll be a mention of one of the major film festivals and its programme and what to keep an eye on once the films from it are out for the rest of us mortals. There’ll also be a collection of some recommendations on streaming platforms. All of it gathered to the best of my ability.
It’s gonna be short. It’s gonna be brief. It’s gonna be fun. And it’s gonna be in your mailbox every Friday, just in time for the weekend extravaganza.
Premieres - Streaming
17-23.01
International
The Roshans - 17.01 - Netflix
Back in Action - 17.01 - Netflix (!)
Roy Wood Jr.: Lonely Flowers - 17.01 - Disney+
La liberación - 17.01 - Prime Video
Molly-Mae: Behind it All - 17.01 - Prime Video
Whiskey on the Rocks - 22.01 - Disney+
Prime Target - 22.01 - Apple TV+ (!)
Kiff: Loree of the Ring Light - 22.01 - Disney+
The Night Agent - S2 - 23.01 - Netflix
High Potential - 23.01- Disney+
Harlem - S3 - 23.01 - Prime Video
Poland
Orhpan - 17.01 - Netflix
The Score - 17.01 - Netflix
Rampage - 19.01 - Netflix
Also, Disney+ (international) just added Alien: Romulus & (international-ish) - A Dead Marriage (Martwe małżeństwo).
Max Poland - Nadal: King of Paris, Doc, The Curious Case of…,The Pursuit of Happiness, Babylon, White Building (ប៊ូឌីញ ស), and The Invisible Man.
Prime Video Poland - Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold (Kulej. Dwie strony medalu), Skoczkowie, The Magician (Ansiktet), Tintin and the Lake of Sharks (Tintin et le lac aux requins), The Why (to rent), and The Substance (to rent).
Check out my TikTok for a monthly collection of premieres.
Premieres - Cinema
Poland / International-ish
17.01
The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen) [Trailer / Letterboxd] - a historical psychological horror directed by Magnus von Horn (Sweat), very loosely based on the true story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye. The Danish entry for Best International Feature at the Oscars. Starring Vic Carmen Sonne (Godland) & Trine Dyrholm (The Celebration / Festen). Psst — Polish co-production with, e.g. cinematography by Michał Dymek (A Real Pain, EO). / Polish premiere. In Germany, UK & Ireland, it should still be in cinemas; Denmark - 23.01, Portugal - 13.02, France - 26.02, Spain - 21.03.
A Complete Unknown [Trailer / Letterboxd] - a bio drama about Bob Dylan directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line; Girl, Interrupted), based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald. Starring Timothée Chalamet,
Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) & Boyd Holbrook (Narcos). / Poland, UK & Ireland theatrical release. E.g. Australia, Czechia, Italy - 23.01; France - 29.01; Belgium - 19.02; Netherlands - 20.02; Brazil & Germany - 27.02.
Wolf Man [Trailer / Letterboxd] - a horror directed by Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man). A reboot of The Wolf Man (1941). Starring Christopher Abbott (Poor Things; Sanctuary), Julia Garner (The Perks of Being Wallflower; The Royal Hotel) & Sam Jaeger (The Eyes of Tammy Faye). / 15-end of January - worldwide premieres.
Other screenings, examples:
Multikino - Royal Opera: The Tales of Hoffmann (19.01), Birdman - 30 Years of Searchlight Pictures (20.01), The Apprentice (23.01).
Kino Nowe Horyzonty, Wrocław - Toni Erdmann - Tydzień Filmu Niemieckiego (17.01), Chłopi (17.01), La haine (18, 19 & 21.01), C'mon C'mon (20.01), All of Us Strangers (21.01), Sin City + wykład & dyskusja (21.01), Miguel Gomes Review (21-26.01), The Mission - DKF + prelekcja & spotkanie (22.01), The Substance (23.01).
Kinoteka, Warsaw - From Ground Zero (17.01), Pożegnanie jesieni - Mocne Nocne Granie (17.01), Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (19.01), Sztuka kochania + wideoprelekcja (21.01), NT Live: Vanya (22.01).
Najlepsze z najgorszych - Robot Monster (Łódź - 17.01, Gdynia - 22.01, Warszawa, Bydgoszcz, Katowice, Poznań, Kraków, Białystok - 23.01), Manos: The Hands of Fate (Wrocław - 22.01).
Pre-screenings of: Maria & The Brutalist - check your cinema’s schedule.
Streaming Gems
Netflix
(International) Filip
2022, dir. Michał Kwieciński, starring Eryk Kulm, Victor Meutelet, Caroline Hartig, Zoë Straub & Sandra Drzymalska.
During World War II, a Polish food server at a luxury German hotel tempts fate as he romances local women while hiding his Jewish identity.
(International) Closing Dynasty (Queenie)
2022, dir. Lloyd Lee Choi, starring Milinka Winata, Eleven Lee, Allen Chen & Maggie Law.
On a school day, a seven-year-old girl, Queenie, hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York City.
(International) Horse Girl
2020, dir. Jeff Baena, starring Alison Brie, Debby Ryan, John Reynolds, Molly Shannon & John Ortiz.
A socially awkward woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.
Disney+
(International-ish) Censor of Dreams (Le censeur des rêves)
2021, dir. Raphaël Rodriguez & Léo Berne, starring Damien Bonnard, Yôko Higashi, Sylvain Katan & Alexis Rodney.
Night after night The Censor and his team mould Yoko’s memories into fantastical dreams. Tonight nothing happens as planned.
Available on Criterion Channel in the US.
(International) Prom Dates
2024, dir. Kim O. Nguyen, starring Julia Lester, Antonia Gentry, Kenny Ridwan, JT Neal & Jordan Buhat.
Jess and Hannah made a pact at 13 to have the perfect senior prom. Despite the impending changes that college will bring over the next four years, the two are committed to honouring their prom pact. But with only 24 hours left before the big event, everything falls apart when they break up with each of their dates. Jess and Hannah are left with one night to find new dates and live out their middle-school fantasies.
Available on Hulu in the US.
(International-ish) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1992, dir. Fran Rubel Kuzui, starring Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry & Hilary Swank.
Blonde, bouncy Buffy is your typical high school cheerleader. But all that changes when a strange man informs her she’s been chosen by fate to kill vampires.
Prime Video
(International) Blow the Man Down
2019, dir. Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy, starring Morgan Saylor, Sophie Lowe, Margo Martindale & June Squibb.
While grieving for the loss of their mother, the Connolly sisters suddenly find they have a crime to cover up, leading them deep into the underbelly of their salty Maine fishing village.
(International) Encounter
2021, dir. Michael Pearce, starring Riz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Lucian-River Chauhan, Rory Cochrane, Aditya Geddada, Janina Gavankar & Misha Collins.
A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an unhuman threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
(International) Nanny
2022, dir. Nikyatu Jusu, starring Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls & Morgan Spector.
Aisha, a Senegalese immigrant who takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy white family in New York City, finds herself consumed by unsettling visions and a growing rage.
Max
(International) Maria Full of Grace (María, llena eres de gracia)
2004, dir. Joshua Marston, starring Catalina Sandino Moreno, Guilied Lopez, Yenny Paola Vega, Jhon Álex Toro, Virgina Ariza & Rodrigo Sánchez Borhorquez.
A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family.
(International) Gia
1998, dir. Michael Cristofer, starring Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Michael Cole, Kylie Travis, Scott Cohen & Faye Dunaway.
Gia Carangi meteorically rises to modeling fame in the late 1970s but becomes overconsumed by persistent loneliness and drug addiction.
(International) Dinner with Friend
2001, dir. Norman Jewison, starring Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Toni Collette & Greg Kinnear.
A husband and wife reevaluate their marriage after their closest friends, another couple decide to split up after twelve years.
Series of the week
The Pursuit of Love
2021, created by Emily Mortimer, starring Lily James, Emily Beecham, Andrew Scott, Dominic West, Shazad Latif, Freddie Fox & Emily Mortimer.
Set in Europe before World War II, the story follows the adventures of charismatic, fearless Linda Radlett and her best friend/cousin Fanny Logan. Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, each seeks out the ideal husband.
Based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Nancy Mitford. A bit campy, very fun, light-hearted adaptation with a light touch of Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Some love it, some despise it. But it is, nevertheless, charming and lovely look at with a great cast (although there should be even more scenes with Andrew Scott). Perhaps a bit too familiar but sometimes that’s all you need.
Available on Sky, Prime Video in the US, Max in Poland.
