This week: big films, big names, plenty of drama, and more than a few laughs. Brilliant!
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Opening today:
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FOXCATCHER……FILM OF THE WEEK
USA | 134 minutes | Drama
Director: Bennett Miller (Moneyball, Capote)
Cast: Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave
The real-life story of an Olympic wrestling champion Mark Schultz, who saw a way out from his more celebrated wrestling brother’s shadow and a life of poverty when he was summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics – but du Pont’s motives pushed Mark to the very edge.
Saw this at Cannes. Loved it. Even Carell’s giant prosthetic nose didn’t put me off.
Distributor: Sony Pictures
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LAND HO!
Iceland, USA | 95 minutes | Comedy
Directors: Aaron Katz (Cold Weather, Quiet City), Martha Stephens (Pilgrim Song, Passenger Pigeons)
Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Lynn Nelson
Two ex-brothers-in-law take a road trip across Iceland, hoping to reclaim their youth.
Hope I’m having that much fun at 60+.
Distributor: Unknown
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MORTDECAI
USA | 107 minutes | Action, Comedy
Director: David Koepp (Secret Window, Ghost Town)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Olivia Munn, Ewan McGregor, Aubrey Plaza, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Jeff Goldblum, Oliver Platt
Debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai must traverse the globe in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.
Despite being a huge Johnny Depp fan, this looks terrible. I hope I’m proved wrong.
Distributor: Roadshow Distribution
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PROJECT ALMANAC
USA | 106 minutes | Sci-Fi
Director: Dean Israelite (debut feature)
Cast: Jonny Weston, Amy Landecker, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Ginny Gardner, Sir Maejor, Patrick Johnson, Gary Grubbs, Allen Evangelista, Gary Weeks
A brilliant high school student and his friends uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger.
Time-travel films are more miss than hit, but they’re awesome when they hit. Will this be one of the lucky few to get it right?
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
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WILD
USA | 115 minutes | Biography, Drama
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club, Cafe de Flore)
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Gaby Hoffmann, Laura Dern, Michiel Huisman, Charles Baker, Kevin Rankin
After her life spirals out of control, a divorcee walks 1,800kms across America to find herself again.
Witherspoon is always a great watch. I’m hoping this lives up to the hype.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
