James R | On 13, Sep 2015

Not getting your art house fix from Netflix? Wish there were more indie films on Amazon Prime? Every week, we round up the new releases on MUBI, a subscription VOD service that hand-picks films from around the world and adds one a day, with each film available to stream or download for a month. (Current titles include Boyz n the Hood and The Mist.)

Here’s what’s new and coming soon to MUBI UK this week:

Superbad – Sunday 6th September

MUBI rounds off its back-to-school weekender (Les Diaboliques, Half Nelson) with Greg Mottola’s likeable slacker comedy about two friends in high school, who try to get booze to hold a party. Male-driven and shallow, it’s the performances from Jonah Hill and Michael Cera (plus Seth Rogen and Bill Hader as two cops) that bring laughs.

Lil’ Quinquin – Episode 1 – Monday 7th September

Originally released in its native France as a four-part miniseries but put into cinemas in the UK as an uncut 200-minute film, Bruno Dumont’s P’tit Quinquin is almost too bizarre to describe. It’s like Spike Milligan rewrote Broadchurch and spliced it into a Ken Loach-esque social realist drama. Enjoy it in its original form with the first of four episodes (the rest are on the way to MUBI later this month). Read our full review.

A L’Aventure – Tuesday 8th September

Eroticism and philosophy don’t always go hand in hand, but you can find them both in Jean-Claude Brisseau’s 2008 drama about a young woman in search of the ultimate orgasm.

The Land of Hope – Wednesday 9th September

With Tokyo Tribe recently appearing on MUBI, it’s the perfect time to get acquainted with more of Sion Sono’s back catalogue. Here, he examines the impact of a nuclear power station explosion and earthquake upon a fictional Japanese village.

Only Angels Have Wings – Thursday 10th September

An air freight company trying to win an important contract by risking the pilots’ lives hardly sounds like gripping cinema – until you add Howard Hawks and Cary Grant into the mix.

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion – Friday 11th September

One of Woody Allen’s weakest films? Revisit the 2001 comedy on MUBI to see whether the tale of an insurance expert and efficiency consultant hypnotised into stealing jewels can make you chuckle.

Serpico – Saturday 12th September

The incomparable Sidney Lumet began an unofficial trilogy examining corruption in the New York police with this true-life tale of Frank Serpico, an office who exposed one of the force’s biggest bent-cop scandals. Al Pacino is on stellar form.

Mission: Impossible – Sunday 13th September

With Rogue Nation blowing the doors of cinemas, go back to the start of the Mission: Impossible franchise with the first 1996 feature film. From the opening embassy break-in to the central computer-hanging set piece, Brian De Palma’s low-key outing is the closest the series has felt to the original TV show, while the use of familiar characters turned a smart blockbuster into a gripping look at a world of deception and distrust.

Lil’ Quinquin – E2 – Monday 14th September

Bruno Dumont’s The French miniseries continues with the second episode (the other two are on the way to MUBI later this month). Read our full review.

The Beauty and the Beast – Thursday 17th September

It’s hard not to think of Disney when you heard the words “Beauty and the Beast”, but years before the Disney animation came Jean Cocteau’s stunning take on the tale. Landmark stuff and a must-see for fantasy fans.

Margot at the Wedding – Friday 18th September

After the sublime The Squid and the Whale, Noah Baumbach returned with Margot at the Wedding, another intimate insight into dysfunctional family life. It follows Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is about to marry Malcolm (Jack Black in a rare serious turn). Witnessing their knot tying is her estranged sibling, Margot (Nicole Kidman), separated from her spouse (John Turturro) and mother of one. While recent triumph Frances Ha was winningly warm, sympathy has often been a rare commodity in Noah’s universe and Margot at the Wedding is a textbook example – everyone is detestable. The sniping escalates as the cast play off each other with superb sincerity. If you can stomach the awkwardness, this is a compelling car crash to witness.

Funny Face – Saturday 19th September

How do you improve a musical by George Gershwin? Get Fred Astaire to reprise his role on screen, then hire Audrey Hepburn to star opposite him. Stanley Donen’s 1957 musical, about a fashion photographer who takes over a book store to use for a shoot – only to fall for the owner.

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