All the movies releasing this weekend, January 23

The Turning (English): ‘Stranger Things’ star Finn Wolfhard is quickly establishing himself as the king of horror movies. He returns with this modern take on Henry James’ novella that was published in the 1800. It tells the story of a governess who, caring for two children at a remote estate, becomes convinced that the grounds are haunted. Mackenzie Davis also stars.

The Gentlemen (English): With top names including Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Grant, this UK-set film follows American expat Mickey Pearson (McConaughey) who built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business forever, it triggers plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.

The Last Full Measure (English) Based on a true story, this drama begins with the story of Vietnam War hero William H Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine), who personally saved more than sixty men during a rescue mission on April 11, 1966. Offered the chance to escape on the last helicopter out of a combat zone heavily under fire, he stayed behind to save more soldiers, losing his life in the process. Thirty-two years later, Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman seeks out the testimony of Army veterans who witnessed Pitsenbarger’s extraordinary valour, in order to request a Medal of Honour for Pitsenbarger. But amid this journey, he uncovers a high-level conspiracy inside the Pentagon.

Just Mercy (English): Nowithstanding the awards-season snubs of both Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx, they bring a powerful drama also based on a true story and the life of world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson. In the film, Stevenson (Jordan), after graduating from Harvard, had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most memorable cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence.

Panga (Hindi): Kangana Ranaut returns in her element to play a middle-class Indian woman who was once a kabaddi world champion, who makes a decision to come back to the sport. Now a wife and a mother, she’s fights stereotypes, ageism and her own family to achieve her goals. Richa Chadha and Neena Gupta also star.

Street Dancer (Hindi): Partly shot in Dubai, this coming-of-age story focuses on the lives of street dancers. Certified dancers Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor are paired again guided by choreographer and director Remo D’Souza. And hey, there’s a Prabhudeva cameo to watch out for too!

Shylock (Malayalam): Kerala superstar Mammootty reunites for the third time with director Ajai Vasudev in this masala flick. Mammootty plays a ruthless moneylender and gangster and he’s paired with Meena, who plays the female lead. Veteran Tamil actor Rajkiran also features.

Anjam Pathira (Malayalam): The always dependable Kunchacko Boban returns in this thriller. When a serial killer starts picking police officers as his victims, a clinical psychologist is tasked with nabbing the murderer. But time is quickly running out.

Disco Raja (Telugu): After a two-year gap, Telugu actor Ravi Teja makes a welcome return in this sci-fi film. He plays a scientist whose project is rejected by a medical body. Undaunted, he goes on the hunt for a financer who will help him continue his research, at any cost.

Al Nihaya — The End (Arabic): This Kuwaiti action film is about a man who’s wanted for a crime he didn’t commit, and a police officer who’s set to bring him down.

Toy Guardians (English): This cute animated film is about Mini Tiger and Teethless — two plushies — who decide to enter a video game and fight the cyber world when they realise that their owner is at risk from the video game.

Ne Zha (Tagalog): Dubbed in Tagalog, this Chinese manga film (with English subtitles) tells the story of Ne Zha who is destined to turn into a demon after a curse. But h sets out on a journey to break the curse and fight evil before he’s cursed forever.