Wow! Every film released today could have been our FOTW – Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nymphomaniac, The Deadly Ponies Gang, The Selfish Giant, and Tracks.
But we had to choose one…
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Opening today:
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THE SELFISH GIANT……FILM OF THE WEEK
UK | 93 minutes | Drama
Director: Clio Barnard (The Arbor)
Cast: Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Lorraine Ashbourne, Ian Burfield, Steve Evets, Siobhan Finneran, Ralph Ineson, Rebecca Manley, Rhys McCoy, Elliott Tittensor, Mohammed Ali
Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s beloved children’s story, two young boys growing up in an impoverished town are taken under the wing of a scrap merchant-turned-copper thief.
Saw this at NZIFF and it’s a powerful, emotional piece.
Distributor: Rialto
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CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
USA | 136 minutes | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (You, Me and Dupree, TV’s Community and Arrested Development)
Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Hayley Atwell, Cobie Smulders, Robert Redford, Emily VanCamp, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Toby Jones, Frank Grillo
Set two years after The Avengers, Cap and Black Widow team up to expose a global conspiracy and take down the assassin sent to silence them.
I’m loving its political thriller aspirations and it’s received very good reviews.
Distributor: Walt Disney
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NYMPHOMANIAC
Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium, UK | 241 minutes | Drama
Director: Lars von Trier (Melancholia, Antichrist, Dogville, Dancer in the Dark)
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacey Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater, Connie Nielsen, Willem Dafoe, Jesper Christensen, Jens Albinus, Nicolas Bro, Udo Kier, Shanti Roney, Hugo Speer, Uma Thurman
A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac recounts her erotic experiences to the man who saved her after a beating.
If you love von Trier, this will not disappoint. And Volumes 1 & 2 are combined, so you get to enjoy four hours of von Trier’s special brand of cinema.
(Warning: Trailer for over 18 only)
Distributor: Madman/Transmission
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THE DEADLY PONIES GANG
New Zealand | 74 minutes | Documentary
Director: Zoe McIntosh (Lost in Wonderland)
Cast: Clint Rarm, Dwayne Sission, Kody Rowe, Sophie Musgrove, The Rhymestone Cowboy
Follow the “awesome pony-riding gang of two” – besties Clint and Dwayne – and their adventures in rural West Auckland.
The Kiwi hit from last year’s NZIFF returns on general release. Was gutted to miss it last time around.
Distributor: Unknown
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TRACKS
Australia | 113 minutes | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Director: John Curran (Stone, The Painted Veil, We Don’t Live Here Anymore)
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver, Emma Booth, Jessica Tovey, Rainer Bock, Melanie Zanetti, Robert Coleby
In 1977, a young woman undertook a perilous solo trek across 2,700+ miles of Aussie outback. Her only motivation: to reach the Indian Ocean.
Heard very little about this, but it looks great.
Distributor: Madman
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So did we choose well? Will you be watching all of these?
