Author: James Partridge

International trailer for Palme d’Or winning ‘Dheepan’

Posted by | Jan 14, 2016 |

Director Jacques Audiard surprised a lot of people at Cannes last year when his crime drama Dheepan took out the Palme d’Or. But those who’ve seen A Prophet and Rust and Bone shouldn’t be surprised – Audiard is a master of his craft. Dheepan was my second favourite film of Cannes, behind the stunning Son of Saul, and I can’t wait to see it again when it hits our screens – at a yet-to-be determined date. In the meantime, we can all enjoy the international trailer which has just been released online. In the film, a former Sri Lankan Tamil warrior flees to France along with a young woman and a little girl. They pretend to be a family and settle in a Parisian housing estate, where he works as the caretaker. But the daily violence of the estate begins to open old wounds and soon Dheepan must call on his past to protect those he cares about. It’s an absolute gem and this trailer which gives you a good feel for just how intimate and intense this film is, without giving too much away. . . DHEEPAN France | Crime, Drama To escape the civil war in Sri Lanka, a former soldier, a young woman and a little girl pose as a family. They end up settling in a housing project outside Paris. They barely know one another,...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 14 January

Posted by | Jan 14, 2016 |

As the Oscar race heats up, we get to see some of the contenders – this week it’s The Big Short. Also out this week, wacky Asian action film Detective Chinatown, big budget teen sci-fi in The Fifth Wave, cute Aussie family flick Oddball, and the third Ip Man installment – featuring Mike Tyson! Check out all the trailers here… . Opening today: . THE BIG SHORT……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 131 minutes | Drama, Biography Director: Adam McKay (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, The Other Guys, Step Brothers) Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Tracy Letts, Finn Wittrock, Hamish Linklater The true story of four outsiders who predicted the global economic meltdown. No one believed them, so they came up with their own get-rich-quick scheme – betting against the American banks. Although the trailer didn’t get me racing to box office, the cast and story did. Fingers crossed this lives up to the hype. Distributor: Paramount Pictures . DETECTIVE CHINATOWN China | 136 minutes | Action, Comedy Director: Sichen Cheng (Beijing Love Story) Cast: Baoqiang Wang, Haoran Liu, Tong Lia A man – rejected from police college – and his energetic cousin suddenly become the main suspects in a bizarre murder case. With only seven days to clear their names, the pair must dodge police and find the real criminals before it’s...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 7 January

Posted by | Jan 7, 2016 |

Iñárritu, DiCaprio and Hardy – how could The Revenant not be FOTW? But if the intense drama isn’t your speed, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are here to bring the laughs with Sisters. Check out all the films released today… . Opening today: . THE REVENANT……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 156 minutes | Adventure, Drama Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel, Biutiful, Amores perros) Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson, Paul Anderson Deep in the uncharted wilds of the American West, fur trapper Hugh Glass is severely injured and left for dead by a traitorous member of his team. With sheer will as his only weapon, Glass must navigate a hostile environment, a brutal winter, and warring Native American tribes in a quest to survive and exact vengeance. Gritty, intense and powerful. Can’t wait! Distributor: 20th Century Fox . DEVIL AND ANGEL China | 124 minutes | Comedy Director: Deng Chao (The Breakup Guru) Cast: Deng Chao, Sun Li, Liang Chao Two very different personalities team up to become rather good debt collectors in this Mandarin-language comedy. Despite no English subtitles on the trailer, this looks pretty entertaining. https://youtu.be/nNa_rGWMEiw Distributor: Unknown . SISTERS USA | 118 minutes | Comedy Director: Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Santino Fontana, Maya Rudolph, John Leguizamo Two middle-aged sisters attempt to throw one last house party...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 1 January

Posted by | Jan 1, 2016 |

Happy New Year film fans! There’s a lot to look forward to in 2016, but let’s start with the three big films released today. Our first FOTW for 2016, Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie, will stir fond childhood memories; while the Point Break remake offers us another opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane. Not to be outdone, we also have Pixar’s latest animated gem, The Good Dinosaur, to enjoy. Check out all the trailers right here… . Opening today: . SNOOPY AND CHARLIE BROWN: THE PEANUTS MOVIE……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 93 minutes | Animation, Comedy, Family Director: Steve Martino (Horton Hears a Who!, Ice Age: Continental Drift) Cast: Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, AJ Tecce, Noah Johnston, Venus Schultheis, Alexander Garfin Beloved comic strip characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and Co return to the big screen. When a sweet red-headed girl arrives in the neighbourhood, Charlie attempts to re-invent himself in order to win her heart – with help from his best pal Snoopy. With a script written by Charles M. Schulz’s son and grandson, this promises to be everything you’d hope it would be. Distributor: 20th Century Fox . POINT BREAK USA | 113 minutes | Action, Drama Director: Ericson Core (Invincible) Cast: Ray Winstone, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Édgar Ramírez, Tobias Santelmann, Bojesse Christopher, Judah Lewis An FBI agent infiltrates...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 26 December

Posted by | Dec 26, 2015 |

Shake off that Christmas Day food coma by heading down to your local cinema to enjoy one of the six films released today. There’s plenty on offer: from fun for the kids, with the latest Alvin and the Chipmunks caper, to entertaining adult comedy and drama starring the likes of Will Farrell, Mark Walberg, Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Lawrence! FOTW was a tough call. See all the trailers here… . Opening today: . TRUMBO…..FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 124 minutes | Biography, Drama Director: Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Fockers) Cast: Bryan Cranston, Elle Fanning, Helen Mirren, Alan Tudyk, Diane Lane, Louis C.K., John Goodman, Stephen Root, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Michael Stuhlbarg, Dean O’Gorman Biopic of writer Dalton Trumbo: from novelist, to Hollywood’s highest paid writer, to his subsequent blacklisting after refusing to name names in the 1940s Communist witch hunt. Cranston leads a cracking cast. A must for film fanatics, like myself. Distributor: eOne . ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP USA | 92 minutes | Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family Director: Walt Becker (Old Dogs, Wild Hogs) Cast: Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Bella Thorne, Jason Lee,, Christina Applegate, Anna Faris Alvin, Simon and Theodore hit the road to prevent Dave from proposing to his girlfriend. If you liked the others … you’ll probably...

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