Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep headlines the week’s line-up; which also features the big screen adaptation of a Stephen Sondheim fairytale musical, the third Taken outing, a Mexican box office hit, and the return of the Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas.
What film’s your pick?
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Opening today:
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WINTER SLEEP……FILM OF THE WEEK
Turkey, France, Germany | 196 minutes | Drama
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)
Cast: Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sözen, Demet Akbag, Ayberk Pekcan, Serhat Mustafa Kiliç, Nejat Isler
Aydin runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal, with whom he has a stormy relationship, and his sister Necla, who is suffering from her recent divorce. As winter sets in, the hotel becomes a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities.
It won Cannes. It’s a very good film. But the slow pacing and 196 minute run-time means it’s not for everyone.
Distributor: Rialto Distribution
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DUMB AND DUMBER TO
USA | 109 minutes | Comedy
Directors: Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber, Me, Myself & Irene, There’s Something About Mary)
Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Laurie Holden, Paul Blackthorne, Rob Riggle
20 years after the loveable dimwits had on their first epic adventure, Harry and Llyod set out in search of one of their long lost children in the hope of gaining a new kidney.
Like the original, this will be so bad…but so good.
Distributor: United International Pictures
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INTO THE WOODS
USA | 125 minutes | Family, Fantasy, Musical
Director: Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Chicago)
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Lucy Punch, Christine Baranski, Tracey Ullman, James Corden
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales, to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
With a great cast, this promises to be a lot of fun.
Distributor: Disney
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TAKEN 3
France | 109 minutes | Action, Thriller
Director: Olivier Megaton (Taken 2, Colombiana)
Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Jon Gries, Forest Whitaker, Leland Orser, Alexander Wraith, Jonny Weston
After reconciling with his ex-wife, Bryan Mills has her “taken” from him when she’s brutally murdered. Framed for the crime, Mills must once again use his “particular set of skills” to find the true killer and clear his name.
Outing 1: Brilliant. Outing 2: Not so good. Hopefully the third film brings back the thrills.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
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THE NOBLE FAMILY
Mexico | 108 minutes | Comedy
Director: Gary Alazraki (debut feature)
Cast: Gonzalo Vega, Karla Souza, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Juan Pablo Gil, Ianis Guerrero, Carlos Gascón
Three spoiled children are cut off from their family fortune and forced to do the unthinkable … get a job.
One of Mexico’s highest grossing films gets a welcome New Zealand release.
Distributor: Potential Films
