You cant say Union Films don’t accommodate for everyone and this week just goes to show, we cover all bases. We begin the week with Moonrise Kingdom on Tuesday and it’s your classic Wes Anderson movie. Followed by Snow Flower and the Secret Fan on Wednesday as Phoenix’s world cinema screening. To top it all off, we’ve got The Lucky One and Men in Black 3 on Sunday for the Zac Efron and Will Smith (or even Tommy Lee Jones) fans respectively.
Tuesday 16th October at 7pm: Moonrise Kingdom:
If you’re after an indie comedy film to start off your week, then Moonrise Kingdom won’t disappoint. It tells the emotional tale of two young lovers who flee their small town, causing a local search party, led by the Sheriff (Bruce Willis) and the girl’s parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), to try and bring them back. Combining Wes Anderson’s mix of dry humour and flawed characters, it’s no surprise that it’s one of his best yet. Nominated for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and with a cast list featuring Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Harvey Keitel, as well as those already mentioned, this film is not to be missed if you’re a fan of the genre or the director.
Wednesday 17th October at 7:30pm: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan:
Based on the 2005 novel by Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a historical drama film about the friendship of two girls in 19th century China, who develop their own secret code in order to contend with the cultural norms imposed on women at the time. Focussing on the nature of a “laotong” relationship about sworn sisters, the film gives the book a contemporary spin by adding the parallel friendship of two girls in modern-day Shanghai. Following the stories of these two sets of friends, director Wayne Wang shifts among moods, tones and visual styles to represent the different time-frames and relationships, leaving us with an extremely visually appealing film.
Sunday 21st October at 5:00pm: The Lucky One:
The Lucky One is your typical war-time romantic drama. Based on the Nicholas Spark’s novel and starring newcomer Taylor Schilling in the female lead, opposite fan-favourite Zac Efron, the film is all about love and luck. U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (played by Efron) had only one thing keeping him alive whilst on duty in Iraq; a photo of a woman he hadn’t even met. Upon his return he found out her name and where she lived, and accepted a job to help with the running of her kennels. Romance starts to develop between the two and this gives Logan the hope that he girl is more than just his good luck charm. Winning three Teen Choice awards – two of those for Efron’s performance alone – if you’re a fan of Sparks’ other work like A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John and more, or have a teen-crush on Zac Efron, you’ll probably weep at this one too.
Sunday 21st October at 8:00pm: Men in Black 3:
Men in Black 3 is comedy and action in equal measure. With Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprising their famous roles as Agent J and K, this film follows all the classic Men in Black themes: aliens, time-travel and, of course, saving the world. Agent J travels back in time to MIB’s early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history. Josh Brolin plays the younger Agent K, reducing Tommy Lee Jones’ role to a smaller one, but it still has all the chemistry you’d want from the two agent leads. Featuring cameos from Lady Gaga, Tim Burton and Bill Gates, all in alien form, this film doesn’t take itself too seriously. Though, what it does do is live up to the franchise’s name and deliver a brilliant sci-fi comedy.
Whatever your genre preferences, surely for any of you this week, Union Films is the place to be with our oddball mix of showings.
