Yes, you could chuckle at memes on Twitter while a worthy-but-dull documentary plays on the TV in the corner.

Or, just sometimes, you could free yourself from the banality of the living room, pick up tickets for the movies, and get lost in a story you've never been told before.

It can be expensive, it can be inconvenient. But even when the film is of questionable quality, the cinema will always be a special experience that a night on the sofa cannot equal. The darkness, the anticipation, the sound system shaking you to your bones. Motes of dust in the projector's light. Nothing can beat it.

Here are five films playing at a cinema near you this week.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

A tearjerker based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Rachel Joyce, this film stars Jim Broadbent as the titular Harold who lives a life without purpose until he learns an old friend is dying. He vows that in walking across England to see her, his journey can keep her alive. Kevin Maher in The Times described it as “immediately one of the great movies about ageing and regret”. Showing at cinemas across the area.

Russell Crowe plays a real-life exorcist in the film. (Image: PA)

The Pope's Exorcist

It's been several weeks since the release of this title, so there won't be many chances left to catch it on the big screen. A heavily bearded Russell Crowe stars as real-life figure Father Gabriele Amorth, a priest who acted as chief exorcist of the Vatican. He apparently performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime, so he was no slouch when it comes to expelling demons from their human hosts. Showing at the Vue Carlisle on Tuesday, May 16 at 5pm. Certificate 15.

Return to Seoul

A twenty-five-year-old French woman returns to Korea - the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple - for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn. Described by top critic Mark Kermode as a 'mesmerising tale of identity and alienation', the film stars Park Ji-min who, despite having no prior acting experience, delivers a performance described as 'an astonishing transformative feat'. Certificate 15. Playing at cinemas including the Parkway Workington.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Those with children may consider this brightly-coloured confection based on the legendary Nintendo computer game. A Brooklyn plumber named Mario travels through the Mushroom Kingdom with a princess named Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad to find Mario's brother, Luigi, and to save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser. Certificate PG. Showing at cinemas across the area.

A scene from the Super Mario film (Image: PA)

Fast X

'The end of the road begins' goes the tagline for this, the latest in the Fast & Furious franchise. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa are all on the cast list, alongside Charlize Theron and Brie Larson. It's released on Friday, May 19, with multiple showings at cinemas across the area. Certificate 12A.