NEW TO STREAM
ORDINARY LOVE (12)
HHHHH JOAN (Lesley Manville, pictured) and husband Tom (Liam Neeson) have slowly come to terms with the death of their daughter.
They have settled into a routine under a cloud of grief. The couple make regular pilgrimages to the grave and walk side by side along a busy road to keep fit.
In the shower after one stroll, Joan feels a lump in her left breast and makes an urgent appointment at the local hospital, where she is diagnosed with cancer.
Joan begins treatment in earnest, relying on Tom to drive her to and from appointments as clumps of hair fall out and her body weathers crashing waves of nausea and exhaustion.
The couple’s marriage feels the strain and Tom struggles to articulate his feelings of impotency.
Ordinary Love is an intimate drama based on a script by Northern Irish playwright Owen McCafferty, which unfolds without directorial fanfare, coolly observing Joan and Tom as they contend with mortality.
■ Available on Amazon Video/BT TV Store/ iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services.
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (12)
HHHHH ACTION-PACKED sequel to director Jake Kasdan’s 2017 rumble in the jungle.
Spencer (Alex Wolff ) tinkers with the Jumanji video game cartridge and is magically transported back to the jungle. Former classmate Bethany (Madison Iseman) encourages Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) and Martha (Morgan Turner) to rally to Spencer’s aid, however, before the teenagers can select their familiar avatars, Spencer’s crotchety grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and his estranged pal Milo (Danny Glover) are sucked into the game.
The old timers adopt the guises of strapping archaeologist Dr Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson, pictured) and scaredy-cat zoologist Franklin Finbar (Kevin Hart) respectively.
Fridge inhabits cartographer Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black) while Martha revisits acrobatic warrior Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan).
Aided by a “small and crafty” avatar called Ming (Awkwafina), the discombobulated players must locate Spencer and Bethany and then steal a priceless jewel to secure their freedom.
■ Available on Amazon Video/BT TV Store/ iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, and from April 13 on DVD/Blu-ray.
BLACK CHRISTMAS (15)
HHHHH REMAKE of the bloodthirsty 1974 Canadian horror film.
As the Christmas holidays beckon, students of Hawthorne College prepare to leave for home, blissfully unaware that a hooded figure roams the campus with murderous intentions.
Student Riley (Imogen Poots, pictured), a member of the Mu Kappa Epsilon sorority, draws strength from her sisters Helena (Madeleine Adams), Jesse (Brittany O’Grady), Kris (Aleyse Shannon) and Marty (Lily Donoghue) in her darkest hour. Three years ago, she was sexually assaulted by fraternity president Brian Huntley (Ryan McIntyre) but the college administration didn’t believe her story.
Now, she is preparing for a talent show with the rest of the sorority, to be performed in front of members of Brian’s frat house.
Following a defiant performance, the girls become targets for a diabolical killer.
■ Available on Amazon Video/BT TV Store/ iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, and from April 20 on DVD.