The celebrities of the moment graced the BAFTAs red carpet last Sunday. As predicted, Sir Sam Mendes’ 1917 triumphed across the board, picking up seven awards including Best Direction, Cinematography, and Best Overall Film. This season’s success continued for Brad Pitt, Renée Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix and Laura Dern as they all won in their respective categories. Michael Ward won the coveted ‘Rising Star’ award for this year, following in the footsteps of Tom Holland and James McAvoy, among others.
Meanwhile, the new cinematic releases keep on coming, with February bringing a host of new films. The latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, starring Johnny Flynn and Anya Taylor-Joy, is set for release on Valentine’s Day. Another adaptation, this time of H.G Wells’ 1933 novel The Invisible Man will also be released at the end of the month. Its spin-off Invisible Woman, directed by and starring Elizabeth Banks, is also reportedly in production. The latest instalment of the Harley Quinn saga, Birds of Prey sees Margot Robbie reprise her Suicide Squad role, this time as the lead. Closer to home, Liam Neeson’s latest film Ordinary Love is set for release on 11th February. Starring alongside Lesley Manville, the film has already received many 5-star reviews and a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
On Netflix, February sees the release of the highly anticipated second season of Narcos: Mexico. Season four of Better Call Saul and season two of Altered Carbon are also set for release this month. The end of January brought the long-awaited adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Thriller The Stranger, starring Richard Armitage (of The Hobbit fame) and Irish actors Dervla Kirwan and Stephen Rea. Finally, the end of the month sees the release of the sequel of the popular Netflix rom-com To All The Boys I’ve Ever Loved Before- PS. I Still Love You.
Gemma Farrell – Film & TV Writer
