Combat the onset of cold weather by grabbing some popcorn and heading to the cinema for a taste of the great range of releases this week. Not only do we have the remastering of Battles of the Coronel and Falkland Islands to commemorate the start of WWI, but a Bjork concert film, Gia Coppola’s directing debut Palo Alto, Robert Downey Jr. in The Judge and a manga adaptation.
The Best of Me is the latest adaptation from Nicholas Sparks, author of The Notebook. As we would all expect from Sparks, the film is a heart-wrenching love story that begins with two childhood sweethearts, Dawson and Amanda, and centres around them being reunited as adults, looking back over their past. Don’t attempt to watch this one without a packet of tissues at the ready!
To coincide with the commemoration of the outbreak of WWI, the BFI have remastered Battles of the Coronel and Falkland Islands as part of the London Film Festival. The film is a dramatic reconstruction of two of the most renowned battles of the First World War, and was previously hailed as one of the greats of British silent film. The showing of the film is set to be an epic homage and remembrance of those who fought in the war.
Bjork: Biopihilia Live is far from a standard live concert film. Directed by Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland, the film captures the more human side of the Icelandic artist throughout her 2013 concert at Alexandra Palace. Featuring elaborate visuals from global designers, it is clear that her performance is more than just that; it is an exhibition of art, too.
Inspired by the manga written and illustrated by Yano Toboso, Black Butler is the live action adaptation of his work of the same name. Seeking to avenge her parents’ deaths, an orphan summons the demonic butler of the house to aid her at the price of her soul. The narrative unfolds as a story of revenge, featuring horrifying scenes of mummifying and human trafficking along the way.
Cathedrals of Culture sees director Wim Wenders uniting six acclaimed filmmakers in the study of six iconic buildings around the globe; the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Library of Russia, Norway’s Halden Prison, the Salk Institute of California, the Oslo Opera House and Paris’s Centre Pompidou. The documentary film exhibits how each of these buildings reflects the world’s cultures and aspirations.
CITIZENFOUR found itself after Laura Poitras had spent several years working on a documentary centring on the abuse of national security post-9/11. This work was interrupted when Poitras began receiving emails from a man signing as ‘CITIZEN FOUR’ and threatening to blow the cover of intelligence agencies working on the programme. What we receive in CITIZENFOUR is a real-life thriller as Poitras meets the illusive man, later named as Edward Snowden.
This week sees Robert Downey Jr starring alongside Robert Duvall in a Warner Brothers mystery-drama. The Judge follows big city lawyer Hank Palmer who is called back to his family home when his father, the town judge, is put on trial for murder.
Another debut release this week from Elaine Constantine; set in 1970’s America, Northern Soul is an uplifting drama about two friends in their discovery of black American soul music. Starring Steve Coogan and Misfits actor, Antonia Thomas, Northern Soul will hit the big screen this Friday.
Palo Alto is an alternative romantic drama directed by Gia Coppola and starring Emma Roberts and James Franco. April, the innocent class virgin is torn between illicit flirtation with a soccer coach and her unrequited crush on the rebellious Teddy. As various high school parties blur into one, April and Teddy find themselves amidst scenes of escalating chaos.
My Name is Hmmm, this debut feature from French fashion designer Agnes B is a topical film about the escape of 11-year-old Celine from her abusive father. Escaping her traumatic predicament in the back of a freight truck, Celine strikes an unlikely friendship with the driver as she travels with him across the country.
The turtles are back and in 3D! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return to the big screen this week in an action-packed adventure which sees the quad of fighting mutants take on the evil Shredder from the sewers of New York City.
United We Fall is a mockumentary written and directed by Gary Sinyor about a group of ex-Manchester United players: overpaid, homophobic and racist, who get the chance to redeem themselves as heroes and make football history, only if they can win three games straight.
