Top Picks
Military Wives (Opening Night)The life of a military wife can be thankless. Separated from loved ones, their suffering and sacrifice go unnoticed while they live with the dread of a fateful knock on the door. But Kate finds freedom in song and persuades a ragtag group of women on the base to form the Military Wives Choir. Finding their voice together, the misfit choir put two fingers up to stuffy military tradition, anti-war protestors and their own personal differences. As friendships flourish, even the sceptical rebel and rocker Lisa is transformed by the choir’s friendship, humour and courage.
Grace and Edward have been married thirty-three years. When their son Jamie comes home to visit them in the fading seaside town where he grew up, Edward makes the shocking announcement that he intends to leave Grace. As the lives of the family unit begin to unravel through stages of shock, disbelief and anger, Jamie desperately tries to save the situation, while Grace is forced to face the possibility of spending the rest of her life alone.
Ricky is a former construction worker in Newcastle, who lost both his building work and his chance of a mortgage after the economic crash of 2008. Easily impassioned, with a liking for the drink, he is nevertheless proudly hardworking and loves his two kids and wife Abby, an overworked contract nurse, and in-home carer. When Ricky takes a golden opportunity to buy a van, start his own business, and become a freelance deliveryman, things don’t quite work out as planned, and his already dire situation takes a turn for the worse. As the impossible demands of the job edge him further into debt and push his family’s relationship to the brink of collapse, we can only watch as his and Abby’s hopes turn from to confusion and despair.
Mick Travis is a determined young man. Starting off as a coffee salesman, Mick is soon promoted within his company. But then a series of bizarre obstacles occur, all threatening Mick’s trajectory toward success. As Mick becomes smitten with the gorgeous Patricia, he winds up working for her father, the sinister executive Sir James Burgess, where things progressively get stranger.
In 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of the richest men in Russia, began a ten-year sentence for tax evasion. Many believed his downfall was challenging the newly elected president Vladimir Putin. During his decade in a Siberian prison, Khodorkovsky became a world-famous dissident. Today, exiled in London, he continues to battle Putin’s 19-year hold on power. With this exquisite cinematic portrait of Khodorkovsky, prolific documentarian Alex Gibney utilises more than 20 hours of interviews with the man himself, as well as conversations with Khodorkovsky’s friends and enemies.
It’s 2003, and British and American politicians are pressing the case for the invasion of Iraq. British intelligence specialist Katharine Gun is a secret service employee who receives a memo from the NSA with a shocking directive: The United States is enlisting Britain’s help in collecting compromising information on UN Security Council members to blackmail them into voting in favour of invading Iraq. Aware of the potential explosive repercussions of this illegal directive, Gun is unable to stand by and watch the world be rushed into war, becoming a reluctant heroine who risks it all in trying to prevent a war and save the lives of thousands.
Rupert and Jan are an English couple in their late 60s living in the south of England. They still receive their milk from a milkman every day, their rural cottage is alive with chickens, sheep and cats, and their family car is a hand-me-down 1936 Rolls Royce. After being invited to a human rights conference in India, they decide to turn the trip into an epic adventure. Shipping their beloved Rolls Royce across to the sub-continent, they embark upon an ambitious 5000-mile, six-month journey from Mumbai to Dhakar battling local officials, dodging tribal conflicts and dining with maharajahs.
Based on Alan Bennett’s acclaimed play, The Madness of King George takes a dark-humoured look at the mental decline of King George III of England. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the time. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales plots to take the throne from the King, whom many blame for the loss of the colonies. However, the prime minister and his wife Queen Charlotte are determined to prevent such a betrayal.
Laura and John are a grieving couple whose young daughter has died in a tragic freak accident. When John accepts a commission to restore an ancient church, the couple travel to Venice, where they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be clairvoyant and informs them that their daughter is trying to contact them and warn them of danger. Initially, John dismisses their claims, but soon after starts to experience mysterious sightings and frightening encounters himself.
☆☆☆☆☆ BBC
☆☆☆☆☆ Cine Vue
☆☆☆☆☆ Eye For Film
The Queen follows the relationship between Prime Minister Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth in the wake of the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Newly appointed Blair finds himself at odds with the Queen over her reluctance to publicly mourn the princess, and increasing pressure from the heartbroken British public, who view her silence as cold and heartless.
Professor James Murray took on the daunting challenge of creating the most comprehensive dictionary ever developed, but predicted that it would take him and his team over a century to compile all known definitions. However, by “crowdsourcing” the work and enlisting definitions from people all over the world, the dictionary could be accomplished in mere decades. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee led by Professor Murray, discovered that an American Civil War veteran Dr. W.C. Minor had submitted more than ten thousand words. But when the committee insisted on honouring him, a shocking truth came to light that no one could have ever predicted.
When Louis Mazzini’s mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, she was disowned by her aristocratic family for marrying beneath her station. Consequently, Louis was also cut off from the lineage, shunned and made to pay for his mother’s choice. After the family refuses to let her be buried in the family mausoleum, it is the last straw for Louis. He decides to avenge his mother’s death by attempting to murder the eight relatives who stand between himself and the family fortune. But when Louis finds himself torn between his long-time love and the widow of one of his victims, his plans go awry.
☆☆☆☆☆ BBC
☆☆☆☆☆ Eye For Film
The Good Liar (Closing Night)Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets the wealthy widow Betty McLeish on an internet dating site. Initially to Roy, Betty is nothing more than a lottery prize, but as she opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her. Matters become even more complicated when Betty’s grandson shows scepticism toward his grandmother’s latest companion. Eventually, what should be a cut-and-dry swindle for Roy turns into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
☆☆☆☆☆ IMDB
Sure to be a sellout is a new adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel The Personal History of David Copperfield, an unlikely project for writer-director Armando Ianucci (Veep, The Death of Stalin). Hailed as a fresh take on a classic, the film stars Dev Patel in the title role, Tilda Swinton as the formidable Betsy Trotwood, Peter Capaldi as the lovable Mr Micawber and Ben Whishaw as the oily Uriah Heep.
The stars of The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, reunite to play the pilots of a balloon attempting to break a record in The Aeronauts. Love a bit of Bill Nighy? The dapper cult star plays opposite Annette Bening in Hope Gap, about rebuilding a life in the wake of a marriage breakdown, reservoir electrician is one of my favorite Indie films too.
Thanks – making me want to check it out!