Kursk
M
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, 2018
Genre: War, Drama, History, Thriller, Action
Language: English
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux, Peter Simonischek, August Diehl, Max von Sydow, Colin Firth
What's it about?
Barents Sea, 12 August 2000. During a Russian naval exercise, and after suffering a serious accident, the K-141 Kursk submarine sinks with 118 crew members on board. While the few sailors who are still alive barely manage to survive, their families push for accurate information and a British officer struggles to obtain from the Russian government a permit to attempt a rescue before it is too late. But general incompetence are against all their efforts. Featuring Academy Award winner Colin Firth and international favourites Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux and August Diehl.
Molly's Game
M
USA, 2017
Genre: Crime, Drama
Language: English
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd
What's it about?
Starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, Molly's Game is the thrilling true story of Molly Bloom (Chastain), the mastermind behind the world's most exclusive and glamorous poker empire whose players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. When she is arrested in the middle of the night by FBI agents wielding automatic weapons, she turns to criminal defence lawyer, Charlie Jaffey (Elba), who learned that there was more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe. Academy Award winning writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) delivers a quick-witted, fiery directorial debut with this riveting portrait of a smart, talented woman who gambled everything, won big, then lost it all.
The Wife
M
Sweden, UK, USA, 2018
Genre: Drama
Language: English, Swedish
Director: Bjorn Runge
Starring: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons, Harry Lloyd, Annie Starke, Elizabeth McGovern
What's it about?
As her husband Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, in honour of his acclaimed and prolific body of work, Joan ruminates over shared compromises, secrets and betrayals. Glenn Close won a slew of awards for her role as Joan Castleman, and the supporting cast include some other famous faces including Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons and Elizabeth McGovern.
Wildlife
M
USA, 2018
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Paul Dano
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Ed Oxenbould, Zoe Colletti, Bill Camp, Travis W Bruyer, Tom Huston Orr, Darryl Cox, Ginger Gilmartin, Michael Gibbons, Mollie Milligan
What's it about?
Famous faces are in front of and behind the camera in this drama. Paul Dano directs Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal in a story of changing family dynamics in the 1960s. 14-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry – a housewife and a golf pro – in a small town in Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job (and his sense of purpose) he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves.
Little Woods
M
USA, 2019
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Western
Language: English
Director: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale
What's it about?
Little Woods, North Dakota, a fracking boomtown well beyond its prime. Ollie (Tessa Thompson) is trying to survive the last few days of her probation after getting caught illegally running prescription pills over the Canadian border. But when her mother dies, she is thrust back into the life of her estranged sister Deb (Lily James), who is facing her own crisis with an unplanned pregnancy and a deadbeat ex. The two find they have one week to settle the mortgage on their mother's house or face foreclosure. Mamma Mia and by the hammer of Thor we have two new famous faces in this neo western, with Lily James and Tessa Thompson.
Out of the Furnace
MA15+
USA, 2014
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe, Casey Affleck, Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker
What's it about?
Many a famous face who need no introduction star in this thriller from Scott Cooper (writer and director of Crazy Heart). Steelworker Russell Baze (Christian Bale) works a dead-end job and holds tight to his sense of family, duty and loyalty. Rodney Baze (Casey Affleck), Russell's brother, returns home after serving in Iraq and, with his debts piling up, becomes entangled with a vicious crime lord. Soon afterward, Rodney disappears mysteriously. The police fail to solve the case, so Russell – feeling he has little left to lose – puts his life on the line to bring his brother home.
[link title="Out of the Furnace Review " url="node/14720"]
Our Idiot Brother
M
USA, 2011
Genre: Comedy
Language: English
Director: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Rashida Jones, Paul Rudd, Emily Mortimer, Adam Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Steve Coogan, Zooey Deschanel
What's it about?
It's a who's who of comedy in Our Idiot Brother, and it bears repeating: Kathryn Hahn. Ned Rochlin (Paul Rudd) chooses to look for the good in every situation and the best in everyone he meets, which often puts him at odds with the world around him – especially his family. After all, what can you say about a guy who is easily tricked into selling pot to a uniformed police officer? Upon being released from jail, Ned excitedly returns to the organic farm he shares with his girlfriend, Janet (Hahn), to find that she has thrown him out, and more importantly won't give up custody of his beloved dog. Without a house, a job or a clue about how to get his dog back, Ned seeks shelter with his begrudging family.
[link title="Our Idiot Brother Review" url="node/5673"]
Under the Skin
MA15+
UK, 2014
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Language: English
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Scarlett Johansson
What's it about?
From visionary director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) comes a stunning career transformation, a masterpiece of existential science fiction that journeys to the heart of what it means to be human, extra-terrestrial or something in between. An alien in the guise of a woman (Scarlett Johansson) prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey – unsuspecting men who fall under her spell. The victims are then stripped and consumed. However, existence in all its complexity begins to change the alien visitor.
Based on the novel by Michel Faber (The Crimson Petal and the White), Under The Skin examines human experience from the perspective of an unforgettable heroine who grows too comfortable in her borrowed skin, until she is abducted into humanity with devastating results.
[link title="Under the Skin Review" url="node/3635"]
[link title="Under The Skin Review" url="node/6308"]
[link title="Under the Skin: Scarlett Johansson & Jonathan Glazer interview " url="node/17190"]
Source: SBS Movies
The Man Who Knew Infinity
PG
UK, 2016
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Matthew Brown
Starring: Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel, Toby Jones, Stephen Fry
What's it about?
Growing up in poverty in Madras, India, Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) earns admittance to Cambridge University during WWI where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor, G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) (who also becomes an unlikely friend). The film is a portrait of a genius under pressure, Ramanujan endured scathing racial prejudice while doing ground-breaking work at Cambridge University in the early 20th century. A delightful and moving film that is filled with strong performances and an all-star UK cast, it brings to life a genius long overdue for recognition. We're patiently waiting to see Dev Patel in upcoming film The Green Knight.
The Family
MA15+
USA, 2014
Genre: Comedy
Language: English
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer
What's it about?
I don't know if we can get more famous when it comes to actors than Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer who star in this action-filled dark comedy. After snitching on the mob, a Mafia boss and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a sleepy town in France, but their insistence on resorting to their old habits places them in danger from vengeful cronies.
Regression
MA15+
Spain, 2016
Genre: Thriller
Language: English
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis
What's it about?
Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson and David Thewlis star in this thriller written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar (The Others, The Sea Inside). Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner (Hawke) investigates the case of young Angela (Watson), who accuses her father, John Gray (David Dencik), of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr Raines (Thewlis) is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.
Hot Summer Nights
MA15+
USA, 2018
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Elijah Bynum
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, Alex Roe, William Fichtner
What's it about?
Starring a new famous face, Timothée Chalamet, this neo-noir coming-of-age drama is set in Cape Cod over one scorching summer. A fun and stylised thriller, it follows Daniel (Chalamet), a teenager who gets in over his head dealing drugs with the neighbourhood rebel while pursuing his new partner's enigmatic sister.
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