Starring Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) as Rain – a young woman every bit as capable as Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley from the original – and David Jonsson as android Andy, the film features plenty of surprises from Álvarez, who truly understands what makes the Alien franchise tick. Read our ranking of every Alien film released to date
Alien: Romulus opens in cinemas today.
2. Pilot
This Korean movie is a cross-dressing comedy that is also sharp and tactful – the writers have identified where its premise might be deemed problematic and have tackled those issues head on.
Jo Jung-suk (Hospital Playlist) stars as a celebrity pilot who, after disgracing himself with a drunken, sexist outburst, looks to revive his career by pretending to be a woman to work for a rival airline.
Pilot is less a tale of deception than one of upending the status quo and highlighting a gender imbalance that persists even in an era of supposedly unprecedented progressiveness. That it is also hilarious throughout only helps lift the film to greater heights. Read our full review
Pilot opens in cinemas today.
3. Dead Talents Society
In this supernatural comedy from Taiwanese director John Hsu Han-chiang (Detention), spirits must prove themselves worthy of becoming ghosts through a rigorous selection process of auditions and contests, and avoid being condemned to eternal damnation.
For one newly deceased young woman, played by Gingle Wang Ching and known only as The Rookie, this comes as quite a shock and is a far cry from the eternal rest she expected to find on the other side.
While rarely conjuring any genuine scares, Dead Talents Society is a wildly imaginative, frequently hilarious and shamelessly feel-good tale of teamwork, friendship, self-belief and finding your true purpose – where death is not the be all and end all, but just the first step towards living your best life. Read our full review
Dead Talents Society opens in cinemas today.
4. The Moon Thieves
Three of the most popular members of the Cantopop boy band Mirror lend their star powers to The Moon Thieves, a by-the-numbers heist thriller which nevertheless engages with its playful storytelling, slick visuals and casually charismatic performances.
While Mirror’s Anson Lo Hon-ting (It Remains), Edan Lui Cheuk-on (Chilli Laugh Story) and Keung To (Mama’s Affair) are the main draws of this Lunar New Year release, it is the deadpan delivery of co-stars Louis Cheung Kai-chung and Michael Ning that adds a welcome touch of levity to the largely self-serious proceeding.
Still, the movie makes for surprisingly fun viewing when it follows the protagonists as they prepare for, and then pull off, an audacious heist in Tokyo. Read our full review
The Moon Thieves will start streaming on Disney+ on August 16.
5. Romance in the House
There is nothing like having a roof over your head. But how much leeway would you give a bad partner who does at least ensure you keep your head dry? This is the question thrown up by the unusual family dynamic in this Korean romantic comedy drama.
Last seen in the second season of D.P., Ji Jin-hee plays Byeon Moo-jin, a man who appears in front of his ex-wife Geum Ae-yeon (Kim Ji-soo, High Class) and daughter Byeon Mi-rae (Son Na-eun, Agency) more than a decade after going bankrupt, getting a divorce – and then dying.
When he returns he is a billionaire, to everyone’s shock.
Romance in the House does not breathe new life into its familiar components but it offers a tidy package and is led by an engaging ensemble cast. Read our full preview
Romance in the House is streaming on Netflix.
Find this useful? Look out for our recommendations every Thursday online.
