New Cinema Releases 07/02/2020
Prepared by Daniel B Miller
The following films and Live Events are released this week
A Streetcar Named Desire
Director: Elia Kazan
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
Original UK Release Date: 1951
Director: Cathy Yan
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco
Locations: 300+
Starring: Patrick Schwarzenegger, Miles Robbins, Sasha Lane
Locations: 25+
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, John Cena, Harry Collett, Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Tom Holland, Carmel Laniado, Rami Malek, Kumail Nanjiani, Craig Robinson
Locations: 300+
Fando & Lis (4K Restoration)
Starring: Sergio Kleiner, Diana Mariscal
Malang – Unleash The Madness
Director: Mohit Suri
Starring: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Disha Patani
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Starring: James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi, Hyae Jin Chang, So-dam Park
Locations: 100+
Director: Andrew Rhymer, Jeff Chan
Starring: Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid
Underwater
Starring: Kristin Stewart, T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel
Locations: 300+
EVENT CINEMA:
Untitled National Amusements Anime
No details provided
EVENT CINEMA:
Kinky Boots
Director: Justin Kreutzmann
Starring: John Densmore, Robby Kreiger
Locations: 25+
This week is full of exciting features in our local cinemas…
Parasite (Bong Joon-ho, 2019) is a South Korean dark comedy thriller focused on class conflict and social inequality. This deeply political feature follows the members of a poor family who scheme to become employed by a wealthy family. Their intention is to infiltrate this household and then posing as highly qualified individuals. Through his distinctive directorial style with a highly recognisable auteur signature, Joon-ho delivers one of the best satires of recent years. Parasite impressed critics at various festivals last year, and at the 92nd Academy Awards, it made history. Parasite won four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. It became the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition, as well as the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. Unmissable, in short.
Mr Jones (Agnieszka Holland, 2019) The latest offering from one of the best living film directors, is a biographical thriller that follows the story of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones and his Soviet Union travels in 1933. His investigative works uncover the horrors of Holodomor, man-made famine in Ukraine, in which millions of citizens needlessly died. For anyone who loved her masterpieces, Europa Europa, In Darkness and Burning Bush this feature is going to be a real treat.
The Doors: Break On Through – A Celebration of Ray Manzarek (Justin Kreutzmann, 2018) is a documentary that celebrates the life and works of Ray Manzarek, the legendary co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors. It was filmed at the Fonda Theatre LA, and in a mixture of documentary and live show footage, we hear from the surviving band members and collaborators. Anyone familiar with their raw, uncompromising and highly political sounds will find the backstage anecdotes and reflections deeply illuminating. The film will be screened on 12th February, the day when Manzarek would have celebrated his 81st birthday.
Underwater (William Eubank, 2020) is a dark science fiction horror, that follows the trail of James Cameron’s Abyss, with its group of scientists at the bottom of the ocean. After an earthquake destroys their laboratory, the team led by Stewart unearth a group of deadly creatures that destroy everything in their path. Similar to the protagonists of Cuaron’s Gravity, they face a long battle for survival in which they are tested to the limits of their abilities. With Kristen Stewart in the lead and Bojan Bazelli behind the camera, Underwater provides us with plenty of thrilling moments, action and suspense from the deep.
Daniel Isn’t Real (Adam Egypt Mortimer, 2019) is a psychological horror, that received praise from critics after its festival appearances last year. It also features Patrick Schwarzenegger, Arnie’s son, in the lead role. Described as a stylishly crafted thriller, that has a daring take on the intersection of mental illness and creative inspiration. This intriguing concept in this film is said to be at its best when keeping the viewer fully off-balance.
Dolittle (Stephen Gaghan, 2020) also referred to as The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle is a fantasy adventure film. Based on a screenplay by Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, from a story by Thomas Shepherd. This is a reboot of the original Richard Fleisher’s Dr Doolitle. It is based on the titular character created by Hugh Lofting and inspired by The Voyages of Dr Doolittle, the second Doctor Dolittle book. Robert Downey Jr. is in the lead, alongside Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen in live-action roles. The voice cast is stellar and includes Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Feinnes, Selena Gomez, and Marion Cotillard. It promises to deliver plenty of animal action with true Hugh Lofting spirit in the wild.
Birds of Prey (and the fantabulous EmancipationOf One Harley Quinn) (Cathy Yan, 2020) is another superhero film based on the DC Comics Team Birds of Prey. This is the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe and a follow up to David Eyer’s Suicide Squad (2016). It was directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson, and stars Margot Robbie, Mary Elisabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong and Ewan McGregor. The film follows Harley Quinn as she joins forces with Helena Bertinelli, Dinah Lance, and Renee Montoya to save Cassandra Cain from Gotham City crime lord Black Mask. Birds of Prey is the first DCEU film and the second DC Films production to be rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. It has received praise from critics for its visual style, Yan’s direction, and the performances of Robbie and McGregor.
Plus One (Jeff Chan, Andrew Rhymer, 2019) is a romantic comedy, written, directed, and produced by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer in their directorial debuts. It stars Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Beck Bennett, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves and Ed Begley Jr. It won the Narrative Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. It has been well received by the critics, describing it as a feature that reinvigorates the rom-com with an entertaining outing. It is also elevated by well-matched leads and a story that embraces and transcends genre clichés.
There are two major restoration re-releases this week, and both are highly recommended to the fans of classic and archive cinema:
A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazan, 1951) is a drama, adapted from Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning 1947 play of the same name, and an all-time classic. It is presented this week in a brand new restoration print, offered and distributed by the British Film Institute. It tells the story of a southern belle, Blanche DuBois, who, after encountering a series of personal losses, leaves her aristocratic background seeking refuge with her sister and brother-in-law in a dilapidated New Orleans apartment building. Tennessee Williams collaborated with Oscar Sauk and Elia Kazan on the screenplay. Kazan, who directed the Broadway stage production, also directed the black and white film. Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden were all cast in their original Broadway roles. Although Jessica Tandy originated the role of Blanche DuBois on Broadway, Vivien Leigh, who had appeared in the London theatre production, was cast in the film adaptation for her charismatic star power. Upon release the film drew widespread praise from critics, describing it as a feature where the inner torments are seldom projected with such sensitivity and clarity on the big screen. Roger Ebert called it a great ensemble of the movies. This is a wonderful opportunity to see it again on the big screen, in a beautiful, painstakingly restored digital print.
Fando Y Lis (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1968) is a surrealist feature-length debut by Alejandro Jodorowsky. The film follows Fando (Sergio Klainer) and his disabled girlfriend Lis (Diana Mariscal) through a barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of the mythical city of Tar. On their journey they see many odd and profoundly disturbing characters and events. The narrative of the film leaves a lot to the audience’s interpretation, as the avant-garde and surreal nature in which the events of the film are presented. Jodorowsky wanted through his directorial debut to mimic the workings of the subconscious. The film premièred at the 1968 Acapulco film festival, and a full-scale riot broke out on its first night. It was later banned in Mexico. Roman Polanski (who was there with his wife Sharon Tate to promote his film Rosemary’s Baby) defended the film, stating that he defends any auteur’s right of expressing himself with complete liberty and that censorship in art and culture was just not acceptable. The film (cut by thirteen minutes) was later released in New York to generally negative reviews, with many critics comparing it unfavourably to Fellini Satyricon, which had recently opened. The film has received a 4K digital restoration and is re-released in UK cinemas by Abkco Films for a limited time commencing this week. This is a rare opportunity to see this cult classic on the big screen for the first time in over 50 years.
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