Author: James Partridge

Cinema Release Round-Up: 8 May

Posted by | May 8, 2014 |

If you want drama…we’ve got drama. If you want laughs…prepare to chuckle. If you want scares…Boo!!! . Opening today: . BELLE……FILM OF THE WEEK UK | 104 minutes | Drama, History Director: Amma Asante (A Way of Life) Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Matthew Goode, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Tom Felton, James Norton, Sarah Gadon, Sam Reid In 18th-century Britain, a Navel Admiral with an illegitimate mixed-race daughter is bound to cause a still. But when he returns to sea, his well-bred family must raise the child as an aristocrat even though they aren’t that happy to do so. Period drama fans will love this…and so might the rest of us. Distributor: Roadshow . CHEF USA | 114 minutes | Comedy Director: Jon Favreau (Cowboys and Aliens, Iron Man) Cast: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Amy Sedaris, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Garry Shandling After a bad review a talented chef quits his job at a high-end restaurant to launch a food truck and reignite his passion for food. I’m sure this will be as sentimental as it gets, but it looks fun and it’s a great vehicle for Favreau. Distributor: StudioCanal . BAD NEIGHBOURS USA | 97 minutes | Comedy Director: Nicholas Stroller (The Five-Year Engagement, Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) Cast: Seth Rogan, Rose Byrne,...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 1 May

Posted by | May 1, 2014 |

This exciting and eclectic week brings us bohemian vampires, singing Scots, a virtual Johnny Depp, and every single Star Wars film. May the 4th be with you. . Opening today: . ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE Germany, UK, USA, France, Cyprus | 123 minutes | Drama Director: Jim Jarmusch (The Limits of Control, Ghost Dog, Broken Flowers, Dead Man) Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, Anton Yelchin, Jeffery Wright Vampire lovers Adam and Eve fill their nights with music and literature while living half a world apart. When Adam spirals into despair and their very existence is threatened, Eve joins Adam to pull him out of his funk and, together, savour what life has left. Saw this at NZIFF and it’s a breath of fresh air for the genre. Twihards will be disappointed. Distributor: Madman . SUNSHINE ON LEITH UK | 100 minutes | Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance Director: Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill) Cast: Kevin Guthrie, George MacKay, Jane Horrocks, Peter Mullan, Antonia Thomas, Freya Mavor Based on hit stage show, two best mates return from military service; their experience intensifying the lads’ desire to live life to the fullest. So one falls head-over-heels in love and the other plans to propose to his girlfriend. Throw in a family celebration, a troubling family secret, and a bunch of pop hits you know and (possibly) love, and you...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 24 April

Posted by | Apr 24, 2014 |

This week: our friendly neighbourhood web-slinger swoops in for another epic adventure. But will this action-packed, multi-villian sequel help or hurt the rebooted franchise? . Opening today: . THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 142 minutes | Action, Adventure, Comic Adaptation, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Director: Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, (500) Days of Summer) Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field, Martin Sheen, Chris Cooper, Chris Zylka It’s not easy being Spider-Man. In this sequel he must fight a trio of enemies hell-bent on his destruction and all with one thing in common: Oscorp. I enjoyed, but was underwhelmed, by the first film. Can the sequel step things up a notch? Or will multiple enemies bring the franchise to its knees, just like 2007’s Spiderman 3? Distributor: Sony Pictures . HALF OF A YELLOW SUN Nigeria, UK | 111 minutes | Drama Director: Biyi Bandele (debut feature) Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Joseph Mawle, John Boyega Sisters return home to 1960s Nigeria, where they soon diverge on different paths. As civil war breaks out, political events loom larger than their differences as they join the fight to establish an independent republic. Looks like some powerful viewing. Great cast too. Distributor: CM Releasing . Will you be hitting the cinema this...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 17 April

Posted by | Apr 17, 2014 |

It’s pretty hard to go past a movie made of LEGO, but there are a couple of other films out this week that look very well put together – Like Father Like Son and The Invisible Woman. . Opening today: . THE LEGO MOVIE……FILM OF THE WEEK USA, Australia | 100 minutes | Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family Directors: Phil Lord & Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) Cast: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freema, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Will Arnett, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Shaquille O’Neal, Jake Johnson, Dave Franco, Will Forte After finding a mysterious object everyman (or should the be everyLegoman) Emmert is prophesied to be the one to free LEGOkind from the crazed dictator President Business. On his quest he meets an incredible array of characters from the LEGO universe and a discovers the mystical realm of Middle Zealand. What’s not to love!?! The childhood memories are flooding back…and I haven’t even seen it yet! Distributor: Roadshow . LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Japan | 120 minutes | Drama Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (I Wish, Still Walking, After Life) Cast: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki, Lily Franky, Jun Fubuki, Shôgen Hwang, Kirin Kiki, Jun Kunimura, Megumi Morisaki, Isao Natsuyagi, Keita Ninomiya, Hiroshi Ohkôchi A dedicated father and devoted mother discover that their 6-year-old son is not actually their...

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