Click each image to play the film in full at SBS On Demand. Please note that the films on this list expire at various times throughout April. (If there is no 'play' button, the film is no longer available).
Hostage of an Illusion
M
Argentina, 2012
Genre: Drama
Language: Spanish
Director: Eliseo Subiela
Starring: Daniel Fanego, Romina Ricci
What's it about?
Pablo (Daniel Fanego), an over-the-hill novelist, is haunted by the characters from his books, who are angry that he won’t continue to write their lives. When a former student, Laura (Romina Ricci), turns up on his doorstep soon after, the two fall into a passionate love affair. But when Laura starts showing signs of paranoia, Pablo questions whether she may in fact be one of his literary creations.
Blood Ties
MA15+
France, 2013
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Guillaume Canet
Starring: Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana
What's it about?
In 1970s Brooklyn, brothers Frank (Billy Crudup) and Chris (Clive Owen) could not be any more different. Frank is a cop, while Chris is heavily involved in organised crime. In the end, they are still brothers though their relationship is tested when Chris is convicted for murder. When Chris gets out of a long stint in prison, he vows to remain straight, support his estranged wife Monica (Marion Cotillard) and kids. Frank, on the other hand, is struggling with his job at the NYPD, his family, and to his old flame, Vanessa (Zoe Saldana). As Chris tries to keep it together, he falls for Natalie (Mila Kunis) and starts to return to his old criminal ways, jeopardising both his new life and Frank's.
Sharknado
MA15+
United States, 2013
Genre: Horror
Language: English
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Starring: Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, John Heard, Cassie Scerbo
What's it about?
A freak hurricane hits Los Angeles, causing man-eating sharks to be scooped up in tornadoes and flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Surfer and bar-owner Fin sets out with his friends Baz and Nova to rescue his estranged wife April and teenage daughter Claudia.
[link title="'Sharknado 2' creates feeding frenzy on Twitter" url="node/19152"]
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
M
United States of America, 2008
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Language: English
Director: Alex Gibney
Starring: Hunter S. Thompson
What's it about?
Gonzo is the film biography of a mythic American figure. The film is distinguished by its unprecedented cooperation of Thompson’s friends, family and estate. The filmmakers had access to hundreds of photographs and over 200 hours of audiotapes, home movies and documentary footage of the man. In addition, the estate granted unusual access to the work itself, allowing the film to quote from unpublished manuscripts, as well as the many letters, books and articles that Thompson produced. Ralph Steadman – the visionary artist whose ink-splattered drawings and paintings created a subversively iconic visual landscape for Thompson's words – also granted the filmmakers access to previously unpublished artworks and Polaroid's. The signature of the film, however, is its focus on Thompson’s work, particularly his most provocative and productive period from 1965 to 1975.
Arbitrage
MA15+
United States of America, 2012
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Nicholas Jarecki
Starring: Richard Gere, Tim Roth, Susan Sarandon, Josh Pais, Monica Raymund, Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta, William Friedkin, Bruce Altman, Chris Eigeman
What's it about?
A troubled hedge fund magnate (Richard Gere) desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help.
[link title="Wall Street scams get personal in 'Arbitrage'" url="node/1032"]
Sunshine on Leith
PG
United Kingdom, 2014
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
Language: English
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Paul Brannigan, George MacKay, Peter Mullan
What's it about?
Davy (Jason Flemyng) and Ally (Kevin Guthrie) return to Edinburgh after serving in the war in Afghanistan. Both struggle with the return to normal life. Based on the hit Scottish musicial and featuring music by The Proclaimers.
[link title="Sunshine on Leith review " url="node/17060"]
Man of Tai Chi
MA15+
United States of America, 2013
Genre: Action
Language: English
Director: Keanu Reeves
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Tiger Hu Chen, Karen Mok
What's it about?
A young martial artist's unparalleled Tai Chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club.
[link title="Man of Tai Chi: Keanu Reeves interview" url="node/1572"]
[link title="Man of Tai Chi Review" url="node/6251"]
The Equation of Love and Death
M
Hong Kong, China, 2008
Genre: Drama, Romance, Crime
Language: Mandarin
Director: Cao Baoping
Starring: Xun Zhou, Baoqiang Wang, Hanyu Zhang, Chao Deng, Yanhui Wang, Ning Wang
What's it about?
When a mysterious death occurs, the lives of five unexpected strangers are suddenly intertwined together. A drug trafficking crime is unveiled, and through the twist and turns of the investigation, their stories unravel, and a bizarre connection is gradually discovered between them.
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
M
United Kingdom, United States of America, 2008
Genre: documentary
Language: English, French, German
Director: Marina Zenovich
Starring: Istvan Bajzat, Steve Barshop, Marilyn Beck, Madeline Bessmer, Pierre-André Boutang, Andrew Braunsberg, Richard Brenneman, Michael M. Crain, Samantha Geimer, Jim Grodin, Roger Gunson, Gene Gutowski, Clive James, Hawk Koch, Hanna Landy, Daniel Melnick, Hans Mollinger, Claus Preute, Elliot Rittenband, Marlene Roden, Lorenzo Semple Jr., Fred Sidewater, Anthea Sylbert, Debra Tate, Diane Tschekaloff, Philip Vannatter, David Wells
What's it about?
Examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
Mud
M
Unites States of America, 2012
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Abbott Jr., Stuart Greer, Dalton Gray, Paul Sparks, Ray McKinnon, Joe Don Baker, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard
What's it about?
Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon star in this coming-of-age drama centered around two fourteen-year-old boys who encounter a mysterious fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi. Intrigued by this man, they enter into a pact to help him evade capture and reconnect with the love of his life. Though it is hard for the boys to discern truth from fiction when it comes to Mud, it isn't long until their small Arkansas town is besieged by a beautiful girl with a line of hunters in tow.
Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella
M
Spain, 2001
Genre: Action, Comedy
Language: Spanish
Director: Santiago Segura
Starring: Jose Luis Moreno, Tony Leblanc, Gabino Diego, Santiago Segura
What's it about?
Torrente (Santiago Segura) is forced to set up shop as a private investigator in Marbella, Spain after gambling all his possessions away, including his crocodile skin shoes. Together with his junkie partner Cuco (Gabino Diego), and a group of handicapped people that he recruits to exploit, Torrente uncovers a wicked scheme to fire two missiles at the city. But that is unless the mayor agrees to pay a ransom into a Swiss bank account.
