The Kings of Summer
MA 15+
United States of America, 2013
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Erin Moriarty, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie
What's it about?
A group of pre-teens escape to the woods where they build a makeshift house so they can be free from their parents and experience true freedom. A superb coming-of-age story that launched the career of director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who went on to direct the blockbuster Kong: Skull Island thanks to the goodwill of this film.
Critters
M
United States of America, 1986
Genre: Action, Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Billy Zane, Scott Grimes, Lin Shaye, Ethan Phillips, Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Jeremy Lawrence, Billy Green Bush, Nadine Van der Velde, Michael Lee Gogin, Art Frankel
What's it about?Fuzzy alien outlaws from outer space crash land in the quiet rural town of Grover’s Bend, Kansas. The fanged creatures have a taste for flesh and invade the Brown family farm looking for a meal. Don’t mistake this for a Gremlins rip-off (it was in development before Gizmo became popular), it’s a wild creature feature from the director of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
The Kid with a Bike
M
Italy, France, Belgium, 2011
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Director: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Starring: Cecile de France, Fabrizio Rongione, Thomas Doret, Jérémie Renier
What's it about?An orphaned 12-year-old boy befriends a woman while trying to locate his father. A beautiful film about childhood and the inevitability of discovering the disappointment of the adult world. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 it earned the Dardenne brothers (Two Days, One Night, Rust and Bone) the Grand Prix, the second most prestigious award at the festival.
[link title="The Kid with a Bike Review" url="node/5555"]
Yolngu Boy
M
Australia, 2001
Genre: Drama
Director: Stephen Johnson
Starring: Sean Mununggurr, John Sebastian Pilakui, Nathan Daniels
What's it about?Three indigenous boys from Arnhem Land are torn between their own culture and city life. A frenetic depiction of the lives of indigenous teenagers with a lot of brutal truths about trying to find a place in modern Australian society while trying to honour ancient traditions and heritage.
[link title="This & That: 'Walkabout', 'Yolngu Boy'" url="node/157311"][link title="Yolngu Boy review: A truly impressive film" url="node/3720"]
Ida
PG
Poland, 2014
Genre: Drama
Language: Polish
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Starring: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Joanna Kulig, Dawid Ogrodnik
What's it about?Tells the story of Anna, a young nun on the verge of taking her final vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of Nazi occupation of Poland. The first Polish film to win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is a stunner. Each frame of this film is beautifully composed, and the choice to shoot in black and white makes this tale of ghosts from the past haunting.
[link title="Ida Review " url="node/17240"]
Moonwalker
PG
USA, 1988
Genre: Fantasy, Music
Language: English
Director: Colin Chilvers, Jerry Kramer, Jim Blashfield
Starring: Joe Pesci, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Joe Pesci, Mick Jagger, Sean Lennon,
What's it about?
Michael Jackson’s music videos from the album ‘Bad’ are blended with short films to tell a very loose story about his battle with a drug dealer, Mr. Big (Joe Pesci). They don’t make films like Moonwalker anymore. It’s a relic of a time when a film could get made off the back of pure star power. Nothing makes sense, but it doesn’t need to because it’s a celebration of Michael Jackson at the peak of his success in the 1980s.
Long Way North
PG
France, Denmark, 2015
Genre: Animation, Family Drama
Language: English
Director: Rémi Chayé
Starring: Peter Hudson, Christa Theret, Feodor Atkine
What’s it about: A gorgeous animated adventure about Sasha, a young aristocratic girl growing up in Russia at the end of the 19th century who is arranged to be married. Sasha is anxious about the fate of her grandfather Oloukine, a renowned scientist and Arctic explorer who has yet to return from his latest expedition to conquer the North Pole. Sasha rebels and flees her home to go join her grandfather. Perfect if you’re keen on an alternative to mainstream animation.
Locke
MA15+
United Kingdom, 2013
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: [language]
Director: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson
What's it about?Ivan Locke’s (Tom Hardy) life collapses around him on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career during a series of phone calls he takes while driving. If you’ve dreamed of being stuck in a car with Tom Hardy then this is the film for you. The film takes place in real time with the camera focused on Hardy who gives one the best performances of his career so far.
[link title="Locke: An existential road movie in which nothing and everything happens" url="node/16540"][link title="Locke Review" url="node/17894"]
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