Author: James Partridge

Cinema Release Round-Up: 11 February

Posted by | Feb 11, 2016 |

Finally Ryan Reynolds gets his shot at superhero redemption! For effort alone, Deadpool deserves to be our FOTW. Oscar contender Carol would beg to differ and the return of Derek Zoolander will try to Blue Steel the box office – a terrible pun worthy of the man himself. Wanna see the trailers? Check ’em all out here…. . Opening today: . DEADPOOL……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 108 minutes | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Thriller Director: Tim Miller (debut feature) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Rachel Sheen The origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Love everything about the promo for this film. I know it’ll deliver. Distributor: 20th Century Fox . CAROL UK, USA | 118 minutes | Drama Director: Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven, I’m Not There, Velvet Goldmine) Cast: Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Cory Michael Smith, Carrie Brownstein Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds find themselves in the throes of love. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 4 February

Posted by | Feb 4, 2016 |

It’s not often we have joint FOTW winners, but with Anomalisa and Room opening today we just couldn’t decide between them! What’s even more remarkable, the other two films opening today – Steve Jobs and The Finest Hours – would have taken FOTW at any other time. We think you should see all four. Check out the trailers here… . Opening today: . ANOMALISA……CO-FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 91 minutes | Animation, Comedy, Drama Director: Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson (debut feature) Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Thewlis, Tom Noonan A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary. The day I choose to leave the country…this opens! Will definitely watch it the day I get back. Distributor: Paramount . ROOM……CO-FILM OF THE WEEK Ireland | 118 minutes | Drama Director: Lenny Abrahamson (Frank, What Richard Did) Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, William H. Macy After five-year-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery: the outside world. I repeat: “The day I choose to leave the country…this opens! Will definitely watch it the day I get back.” It’s going to be a busy day! Distributor: Roadshow . STEVE JOBS USA | 122 minutes | Drama, Biography Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, 127 Hours)...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 28 January

Posted by | Jan 28, 2016 |

Two Oscar nominated films open this week – Spotlight and The Danish Girl – alongside the raunchy comedy Dirty Grandpa, staring Zac Efron and Robert De Niro Watch all the trailers right here… . Opening today: . SPOTLIGHT……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 128 minutes | Thriller, Biography Director: Tom McCarthy (Win Win, The Visitor, The Station Agent) Cast: Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery, Billy Crudup, Brian d’Arcy James, Gene Amoroso The true story of the Boston Globe journalists who investigated allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, uncovering and exposing a decade-long cover-up that spans the world. I’ve heard good things and it looks pretty gripping. Distributor: eOne . DIRTY GRANDPA USA | 102 minutes | Comedy Director: Dan Mazer (I Give It a Year) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Julianne Hough, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Mantzoukas, Dermot Mulroney, Zoey Deutch Right before his wedding, an uptight guy is tricked into driving his grandfather, a lecherous former Army Lieutenant-Colonel, to Florida for spring break. I’m really worried about this one…but it could have its moments. Distributor: eOne . THE DANISH GIRL USA, UK | 120 minutes | Drama, Biography Director: Tom Hooper (Les Misérables, The King’s Speech) Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Ben Whishaw, Sebastian Koch, Amber Heard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Adrian Schiller A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 21 January

Posted by | Jan 21, 2016 |

Tarantino brings film back to the big screen this week, with his new latest masterwork: The Hateful Eight. But a much lauded period piece of a very different kind, Brooklyn, will give Quentin a run for his money. Check out the trailers for these two films right here… . Opening today: . THE HATEFUL EIGHT……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 168 minutes | Western Director: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs) Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, Zoë Bell, Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Channing Tatum, Demian Bichir In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters. Everything points to yet another Tarantino classic. Distributor: Roadshow . BROOKLYN Ireland, UK, Canada | 112 minutes | Drama, Romance Director: John Crowley (Closed Circuit, Boy A) Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent A young Irish immigrant heads to New York City, where the initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. This looks worthy of its three Oscar nominations. Distributor: Transmission /...

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Review: ‘The Revenant’

Posted by | Jan 17, 2016 |

Watching a film that’s had a huge amount of hype can be a curse. More often than not it doesn’t live up to expectations, and requires a second viewing for you to really appreciate if it’s great or not. Not so with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant, which is clearly a masterwork from the first screening – one that will no doubt garner him his second Best Film Oscar in two years – along with a best actor nod for Leonardo DiCaprio. The story itself is a fairly simple one: in snow-covered 1820’s Montana, a frontiersman on a fur trapping expedition, with his half-breed Indian son, is left for dead by his own team after being mauled by a bear. Somehow surviving his ordeal, he journeys to seek revenge on the man who killed his son before his eyes before buring him alive in a frozen forest, against orders. But the beauty of this film is in it’s simplicity, the script places you firmly in the characters’ world – making you stand in the blood-soaked snow alongside with them. You can thank Inarritu for this, as both writer and director he pushed cast and crew to the very limit. Prior to release there was word of just how difficult the shoot it was, and that is laid bare on the screen. The film is all the better for it...

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