Marvel unleashes Ultron this week to lay waste to the New Zealand box office. But there are some other great films out, like Leviathan and the re-release of Peter Weir‘s Gallipoli, that don’t deserve to get lost in the chaos.
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AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON……FILM OF THE WEEK
USA | 141 minutes | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Director: Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Serenity, Much Ado About Nothing)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle
When a villainous sentient robot is accidentally unleashed by Tony Stark, the Avengers must reassemble to stop him from wiping out everyone on Earth.
Loved the first film. Can’t imagine not loving this. In Joss we trust!
Distributor: Marvel
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LEVIATHAN
Russia | 142 minutes | Drama
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev (Vozvrashchenie, Elena)
Cast: Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Anna Ukolova, Kristina Pakarina, Roman Madyanov
In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man’s arrival brings further misfortune to Kolya and his family.
Was lucky enough to see this gripping Russian drama at Cannes last year…and loved it.
Distributor: Palace Films
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LUCKY THEM
USA | 97 minutes | Drama, Music
Director: Megan Griffiths (Eden, The Off Hours)
Cast: Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, Oliver Platt, Ryan Eggold, Nina Arianda, Ahna O’Reilly, Johnny Depp, Joanne Woodward
A rock journalist is assigned to track down her ex-boyfriend, a revered local musician who disappeared ten years prior.
A good “date night” option, with a great cast.
Distributor: Unknown
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TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
UK | 129 minutes | Biography, Drama, War
Director: James Kent (debut feature)
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Hayley Atwell, Dominic West, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Colin Morgan, Taron Egerton
A woman recalls coming of age during World War I.
Looks pretty good – and, no, I’m not talking about John Snow.
Distributor: Unknown
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Opening Saturday
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GALLIPOLI (1981)
Australia | 111 minutes | Drama, War
Director: Peter Weir (Master and Commander, The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society)
Cast: Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins, Charles Lathalu Yunipingu
Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.
Who wouldn’t want to see this classic in cinemas during the centenary celebrations?
Distributor: Paramount
