Author: James Partridge

Cinema Release Round-Up: 12 February

Posted by | Feb 12, 2015 |

A unique insight into what it’s like to be one of history’s biggest whistleblowers heads this weeks line-up; which also includes the big screen adaptation of a best-selling erotic novel – unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know the one I’m talking about. . Opening today: . CITIZENFOUR……FILM OF THE WEEK Germany, USA | 114 minutes | Documentary Director: Laura Poitras (The Oath, O’Say Can You See) Featuring: Edward Snowden, Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald The inside story of Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal. Looks riveting. We’ve never seen anything like this before. Distributor: Madman Films . FIFTY SHADES OF GREY USA | 125 minutes | Drama, Romance Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Eloise Mumford, Victor Rasuk, Luke Grimes, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Ora E.L. James’ hit mommy-porn novel, about the steamy relationship between a college graduate and a wealthy entrepreneur, gets the big screen treatment. Fans will likely have their tickets already. Hope it’s not a nasty cash-in. Distributor: Paramount Pictures . SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW China | 108 minutes | Drama, Romance Director: Xu Jinglei (Qin Mi Di Ren) Cast: Wang Likun, Wu Yifan, Zhang Chao, Re Yi Zha, Xu Jinglei Upon learning that her grandmother once lived in Prague, a Chinese student delves into her grandma’s life and discovers her own sense of self in the...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 5 February

Posted by | Feb 5, 2015 |

Some good looking films opening this week. FOTW is a close call between Kingsman: The Secret Service, Selma and The Theory of Everything. Which would you choose? . Opening today: . SELMA……FILM OF THE WEEK USA, UK | 128 minutes | Biography, Drama Director: Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere, I Will Follow) Cast: David Oyelowo, Giovanni Ribisi, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Tessa Thompson, Alessandro Nivola, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Cuba Gooding Jr. After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Martin Luther King heads to Selma, Alabama to make a stand against voting laws that continue to enforce racial segregation. Was lucky to see this at a special preview and absolutely loved it! Distributor: StudioCanal . KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE USA, UK | 118 minutes | Action, Comedy, Thriller Director: Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Stardust, Layer Cake) Cast: Colin Firth, Targon Egerton, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Mark Hamill, Sofia Boutella Eggsy, a council estate kid, discovers his deceased dad was part of a secret spy society when he himself is recruited as a potential Kingsman. Loved Kick-Ass, so this should be an absolute blast. Note: This is the US trailer. We get the film earlier than them – woohoo! Distributor: 20th Century Fox . ME, MYSELF AND MUM France, Belgium | 86 minutes | Comedy Director: Guillaume Gallienne (debut feature) Cast: Guillaume Gallienne, André...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 29 January

Posted by | Jan 29, 2015 |

This week: big films, big names, plenty of drama, and more than a few laughs. Brilliant! . Opening today: . 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 . 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 . 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...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 22 January

Posted by | Jan 22, 2015 |

You probably haven’t heard of the black comedy Force Majeure…but you should definitely go see it. My favourite film of 2014 and this week all of NZ gets to enjoy it! Joining this Scandinavian gem at the box office are Oscar hopefuls Still Alice and Unbroken, rom-com The Wedding Ringer, and A Thousand Times Good Night starring the brilliant Juliette Binoche. Check them all out here! . FORCE MAJEURE……FILM OF THE WEEK Sweden, Denmark, Norway | 118 minutes | Comedy, Drama Director: Ruben Östlund (Play, Involuntary) Cast: Brady Corbet, Kristofer Hivju, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Johannes Kuhnke, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren A family is shaken to the core on a skiing holiday after a near miss with an avalanche shows the father’s true colours. An absolute gem. Go see this! Distributor: Rialto Distribution . A THOUSAND TIMES GOOD NIGHT Norway, Ireland, Sweden | 117 minutes | Drama, War Director: Erik Poppe (Hawaii, Oslo) Cast: Juliette Binoche, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Chloë Annett, Larry Mullen Jr., Eve Macklin, Lauryn Canny, Denise McCormack A war photographer struggles to balance her work and family life. Another fine looking performance from Binoche – a big comeback year for her. . STILL ALICE USA | 101 minutes | Drama Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland (The Last of Robin Hood, Echo Park, L.A., The Fluffer) Cast: Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart,  Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Alec...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 15 January

Posted by | Jan 15, 2015 |

Oscar contenders Birdman and American Sniper open today. A 10/10 from our Kate makes Birdman a shoe-in for FOTW. But that’s not all. This week there’s also a Verdi opera, a big-budget Bollywood fantasy, and the tenth (yes, tenth!) and final Naruto movie. . Opening today: . BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)……FILM OF THE WEEK USA, France | 119 minutes | Comedy, Drama Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, Biutiful, 21 Grams) Cast: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough A washed-up actor – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself. Go see this film! Check out Kate’s 10/10 review – here. Distributor: 20th Century Fox . AMERICAN SNIPER USA | 134 minutes | Action, Biography, Drama, War Director: Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven, Mystic River) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman, Kyle Gallner, Luke Grimes, Sam Jaeger A Navy SEAL, and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, recounts his military career. Looks moving and gritty, with another powerhouse performance from Cooper. Distributor: Roadshow . Opening Friday: . I India | 160 minutes | Action, Fantasy, Romance Director: S. Shankar (Enthiran, Anniyan) Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, Amy Jackson, Upen Patel,...

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