The first week of October sees a dozen films being released on Friday alone. With features ranging from a teenage zombie comedy to a Bollywood adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (not to mention the release of Fincher’s Gone Girl); this week is a huge one for cinema. These releases happily coincide with our return to university, so escape the beginning of term blues and treat yourself to a cinema trip.
Soul Boys of the Western Wild kick-starts the film releases of this week. The documentary follows the rise and fall of 80s new wave band, Spandau Ballet. Featuring backstage footage from the band’s tours and previously unseen material from their archive, the film is set to be a must for Spandau Ballet fans.
After the death of Zach Orfman’s girlfriend, Beth, a strange turn of events and a hole in the ground lead to her return to life. Life After Beth sees the comical struggle of Beth coming to terms with her new-found taste for human flesh, expanding the ever-growing genre dubbed the ‘zombie comedy’.
Bang Bang! is officially marked as the Bollywood remake of Hollywood’s Knight and Day (2010, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz). It follows Rajveer Nanda, a spy trying to clear his name with the help of his romantic interest in the film.
Haider will be the second Bollywood release this week. The adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the third instalment in director Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy, following Maqbool (2003) and Omkara (2006). Against the backdrop of modern-day Kashmir, Haider reimagines Shakespeare’s well-known play whilst keeping true the themes of family betrayal so important to the narrative.
Dolphin Tale 2 is the sequel to 2011’s Dolphin Tale, the story of a rescued dolphin named Winter. The second instalment delivers the struggle to keep Winter alive after the passing of her surrogate mother. Keepers plan to reintroduce her to a newly rescued dolphin in hope that the company will help save Winter.
Dracula Untold is the latest reinvention of the Dracula story, fusing vampire mythology with the legend of Vlad the Impaler. Gary Shore’s film develops the creation of one of literature’s most infamous monsters, centring on Vlad Tepes as a tragic hero whilst he strives to protect his family and kingdom from dark forces.
Draft Day sees Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner), the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, as he faces tough decisions with the dreams of hundreds of NFL hopefuls in his hands, and must decide what he is willing to sacrifice as draft day approaches.
Gone Girl is undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited film to be released this week. With its screenplay by Gillian Flynn, the author of the book on which it is based, Gone Girl is a mystery thriller that unfolds after the disappearance of the protagonist’s (Ben Affleck) wife, and finds itself at the heart of intense media circulation. The film is said to purposefully deviate from Flynn’s 2012 novel, being structured differently as the mystery manifests. Gone Girl is the stand-out film of the week.
The Great Train Robbery – A Tale of Two Thieves is one for the historians amongst you (as well as budding mastermind criminals). This documentary, directed by Chris Long (The Mentalist), is set to reveal the elusive instigator of the great 1963 heist which saw 15 men make away with today’s equivalent of £45million.
Le Jour se Lève (or Daybreak) is a 1939 French film directed by the notorious Marcel Carnél. This crime/romantic drama recounts an intensely intimate tale of romance, deception and murder.
Luna follows a couple’s grief subsequent to the loss of their baby. Dave Mckean once again brings to the big screen an un-categorical projection of reality colliding with the fantastical. This unsettling fabrication of an unborn child’s life will be sure to stay with you long into the night.
Still The Enemy Within, winner of Sheffield’s DocFest Audience Award, details the events of the 1984-85 British Miners’ Strike. Witness this historical event through the eyes of the British public with exclusive personal accounts of one of the most life-changing events in British history.
Violette, a fictionalized biopic on French novelist Violette Leduc. Violette, portrayed by French actor Emmanuelle Devos, determines to abolish the sexual taboos confining women’s literature. This is a true tale of ambition, rejection and forbidden love.
Tony Benn: Will And Testament is a documentary on Tony Benn, the longest serving Labour MP. Through the collaborative use of photographs, film archives and interviews, Skip Kite constructs a deeply personal view of the life and labour of this national treasure.
Withnail & I hits the cinema this week as a rerelease of the 1987 comedy-drama starring Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann. Unemployed actors Withnail and Marwood attempt to escape their misfortunes by taking a holiday in the country with Uncle Monty who turns out to be slightly more than hospitable.
You And The Night, a French sex comedy directed by Yann Gonzalez. A night of sexual fantasy commences when a young couple and their transvestite maid call on The Bitch, The Star, The Stud and The Teen for some evening entertainment.
