New Cinema Releases 14/02/2020
Prepared by Daniel B Miller
The following films and Live Events are released this week:
365 Days
Director: Barbara Bialowas
Starring: Michele Morrone, Anna Maria Sieklucka, Bronislaw Wroclawski, Otar Saralidze, Magdalena Lamparska, Natasza Urbanska
A Paris Education
Director: Jean-Paul Civeyrac
Starring: Adranic Manet, Diane Rouxel
Locations: Under 25
Emma
Director: Autumn De Wilde
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Rupert Graves, Gemma Whelan, Amber Anderson, Tanya Reynolds, Connor Swindells
Locations: 300+
First Love
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Masataka Kubota, Sakurako Kanishi, Shota Sometani, Becky Rabone
Locations: under 25
Director: Jerry Zucker
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Original UK Release Date: 1990
Locations: 25+
Director: Ciaran Cassidy
Starring: Lars Vilks, Jamie Paulin Ramirez, Colleen LaRose
Locations: Under 25
Director: Jeff Fowler
Starring: James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Jim Carrey
Locations: 100+
Director: Guillaume Ivernel
Locations: 100+
Sufna
Director: Jagdeep Sidhu
Starring: Jasmin Bajwa, Balwinder Bullet, Mintu Kapa, Seema Kaushal
The Lost Boys (4K)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrmann, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman
When Lambs Become Lions
Director: Jon Kasbe
Documentary Feature Film
The Call Of The Wild
Director: Chris Sanders
Starring: Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford
Locations: 300+
This week we’ll find a selection of brand new features, two animated films and two classics on digitally restored prints in 4K.
A Paris Education (Jean-Paul Civeyrac, 2018) is a French drama, that follows the lives of Parisian students, as they study film, discuss politics, quote poetry and engage in intimate relationships. Described by the critics as a contemporary feature with elements of the late ’60s, with politics, passion and debauchery at its forefront. It features some of the best new acting talent to come out of France in recent years. It will appeal to all true cinephiles, as its protagonists argue about film directors and classic films, and make friendships based on their picture house experiences.
365 days ( 365 Dni, Barbara Bialowas, 2020) is a Polish erotic thriller, based on the best-selling novel of the same name from author Blanka Lipinksa. It generated a high level of controversy for its portrayal of women also dividing the critics and audiences alike. It is on a limited release in the UK.
Emma (Autumn De Wilde, 2020) is a comedy/drama directed by Autumn De Wilde and written by Eleanor Catton. It is based on the 1815 novel of the same name by Jane Austen. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn and Bill Nighy. Critics have described it an as amiable, genial and interestingly unassuming new adaptation of Austen’s Regency classic. Anya Taylor-Joy has been praised for her unsettling performance, with eerily unblinking gaze radiating the aura of calculating and predatory. Emma offers a stunningly crafted and uproarious adaptation of Austen’s novel, with gorgeous costumes and delightfully charming performances, and will be a true weekend delight for all period drama fans.
First Love (Takashi Miike, 2019) is a Japanese–British crime thriller feature directed by Takashi Miike. It was premiered in Directors Fortnight during the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Its story revolves around Leo, a young boxer, who meets Monica, a call girl and addict who has become involved in a drug-smuggling scheme. Over one night in Tokyo, the two are pursued by a corrupt cop, a yakuza and a female assassin sent by the Chinese Triads. IFRR described it as a blood-spattered, nostalgic love letter to the 1990s. First Love is most reminiscent of Miike’s Black Society trilogy, but with a contemporary twist. With the usual absurd ingredients – rolling heads, black humour and always-screaming Yakuza – add a dash of romance and you are ready for this explosive ride. This is the 103rd feature film by this Japanese genre master.
Jihad Jane (Ciaran Cassidy, 2020) is a documentary that explores the lives of Colleen LaRose and Jamie Paul Ramirez, convicted terrorists, who were involved in a plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist. It is made with sensitivity by Irish film-maker Ciarán Cassidy, offering us an in-depth study of the two women and LaRose’s childhood that was scarred by horrific abuse. It is on a limited UK release.
When Lambs Become Lions (Jon Kasbe, 2018) is is a documentary that examines the Kenyan ivory-hunting racket through the eyes of poacher and protector alike. Director Jon Kasbe followed the subjects of this film over a three-year period, gaining an extraordinary level of access and trust on both sides of the ideological and ethical spectrum as he became part of their everyday lives. The result is a rare and visually arresting look through the perspectives and motives of the people at the epicenter of the conservation divide. It has been widely praised by the critics and it won several festival rewards that included Mountainfilm and Tribeca.
The Call of the Wild (Chris Sanders, 2020) is an adventure film based on the Jack London 1903 novel of the same name and Twentieth Century Pictures’ previous 1935 film adaptation. The film is directed by Chris Sanders, in his live-action directorial debut, written by Michael Green, and stars Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford and Colin Woodell. With its stunning scenery, many action sequences and Ford in the lead it will attract every Jack London fan.
Spycies (Guillaume Ivernell, Zhyi Zhang, 2019) this animated film is a Chinese-French co-production, and similar to Zootropolis its setting is in an animal republic whose citizens have curbed their dietary requirements to live in harmony with one another. Critics described it as an intriguing combination of James Bond spy gadgets, manic characters coupled with some superhero-ish action sequences that will be entertaining all viewers.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Jeff Fowler, 2020) is a 2020 adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise published by Sega. The film is directed by Jeff Fowler, in his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It stars Ben Schwartz as the voice of the title character and Jim Carrey as Doctor Robotnik, as well as James Marsden and Tika Sumpter. In the film, Sonic teams-up with a local town sheriff named Tom to escape the government and defeat the evil Dr.Robotnik, who wants to steal Sonic’s powers for his robotics. It received positive reviews indicating that the character’s ongoing cat-and-mouse game is entertaining and that the passionate fans of Sega will find plenty of enjoyable references to Sonic’s colourful history.
Two classic films are re-released this week and presented on new digital restoration 4K prints:
Ghost (Jerry Zucker, 1999) is a 1990 American melodramatic romantic fantasy film directed by Jerry Zucker, written by Bruce Joel Rubin, and starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwin, and Rick Aviles. The plot centres on a young woman in jeopardy (Moore), the ghost of her murdered lover (Swayze), and a reluctant psychic (Goldberg) who assists him in saving her. Ghost is one of the most popular melodramas of all times. Critics described it as a top feature that offers viewers a poignant romance while blending elements of comedy, horror, and mystery, all adding up to one of the greatest hits of that era.
The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987) is a horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffery Boam. Janice Fischer and James Jeremias wrote the film’s story. The film’s ensemble cast includes Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes. The film is about two brothers who move to California to a beach town and end up fighting a gang of young vampires. The title is a reference to the Lost Boys in J.M.Barrie’s stories about Peter Pan and Neverland, who, like the vampires, never grow up. Critics described it as a film that brilliantly portrays vampirism as a metaphor for the kind of mythic male bonding that resists growing up, commitment, especially marriage.
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