Saturday 1 April
Sexy Beast
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
UK, Spain, 2000
Genre: Crime, Drama
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane
What's it about?
Ray Winstone is an ex-con forced out of retirement by an old foe (Ben Kingsley), and sent back to London from sunny Spain for one last job. Quintessential tough guy Winstone is brilliant as he matches wits with Kingsley, whose turn as a convincing psycho earned him an Oscar nomination. Add to that some brilliantly filthy, almost poetic dialogues, and you've got yourself a must-see British crime classic. Directed by Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin).
[link title="Sexy Beast Review" url="node/3514"]
Watch interview with John Scott, editor of 'Sexy Beast'
Watch interview with John Scott, editor of 'Sexy Beast'
Gangster No. 1
10:10pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
UK, 2000
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Director: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany, David Thewlis
What's it about?
British acting legend Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) stars in this brutal thriller as a veteran gangster looking back on his life of crime in the swinging '60s. We follow him as he recalls his rise to prominence as a youngster (played by Paul Bettany, A Beautiful Mind) under the watchful eye of a ruthless gang boss, dubbed 'The Butcher of Mayfair'. But the young protégé's admiration gives way to jealousy for his master's power and his beautiful lover, which will lead to a vicious, Shakespearean betrayal.
Source: SBS Movies
Saturday 8 April
Starred Up
9:30pm, SBS VICELAND
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
MA15+
UK, 2013
Genre: Drama
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend
What's it about?
Brilliant bad guy Ben Mendelsohn brings his best to this gritty prison drama by the director of Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water. But it's the young Jack O'Connell (Money Monster) who steals the show with an explosive performance as Eric, a troubled and violent teenager who has just been 'starred up', i.e. transferred to an adult prison. There, he comes across his estranged dad, Neville (Mendelsohn), whom he hasn't seen since he was five, and who will teach him how to survive jail.
[link title="Starred Up Review " url="node/17890"]
McVicar
11:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
UK, 1980
Genre: Crime, Drama
Director: Tom Clegg
Starring: Roger Daltrey, Adam Faith, Cheryl Campbell
What's it about?
The Who singer Roger Daltrey transitioned to acting career with Tommy, and has over 30 film credits to his name. In McVicar, a film he also co-produced, and scored, he plays John McVicar, '60s bank robber and Brit Public Enemy #1. Based on John McVicar's autobiography, the film follows his capture, and cunning plans to escape a high security prison when lumped with a 23-year sentence.
Saturday 15 April
Dom Hemingway
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
MA15+
UK, 2013
Genre: Crime, Comedy, Drama
Director: Richard Shepard
Starring: Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Emilia Clarke
What's it about?
Jude Law (coming to SBS soon in The Young Pope) goes all out as the foul-mouthed, ageing safe-cracker Dom Hemingway in this geezer caper in the spirit of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Freshly released from a 12-year stint in prison, Dom seeks payback and a chance to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke).
[link title="Jude Law on the challenge of playing outrageous ex-con 'Dom Hemingway'" url="node/1835"]
Source: SBS Movies
Wild Bill
10:15pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
UK, 2011
Genre: Drama
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Sammy Williams
What's it about?
We can also find a touch of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in actor/director Dexter Fletcher's brash and gritty council estate western (Fletcher actually appeared in Ritchie's movie). Charlie Creed-Miles gives a fine performance as the main character, who when he returns home after eight years in prison, finds that his two sons have been abandoned by their mother. With the threat of social services looming, Bill reluctantly agrees to play dad, but when he is finally starting to enjoy his new role and carve a path towards redemption, things take a turn for the worse.
Saturday 22 April
The Look of Love
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
UK, 2013
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Tamsin Egerton, Imogen Poots
What's it about?
This entertaining biopic marks the fourth collaboration of Michael Winterbottom and Steve Coogan, who first worked together on 24 Hour Party People, and more recently on the popular series/film franchise The Trip. In The Look of Love, Steve Coogan plays British adult magazine publisher and entrepreneur Paul Raymond, who once held the title of the Richest Man in Britain, and whose personal life was as scandalous as his shows. Raymond’s notorious journey to success began during London swinging '60s, when he opened a groundbreaking gentlemen’s nightclub.
[link title="The Look of Love Review" url="node/6227"]
Source: SBS Movies
Sightseers
MA15+
UK, 2012
Genre: Comedy
Director: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Dan Charles
What's it about?
Sightseers is a wickedly funny black comedy by indie director Ben Wheatley, responsible for the adaptation of J. G. Ballard's sci-fi book High-Rise with Tom Hiddleston, and the upcoming Free Fire, much talked about earlier this year at Sundance). It follows new couple Chris and Tina (comedians Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, who also wrote the script together with Wheatley's wife, Amy Jump) on a caravan holiday together in Yorkshire. Events soon conspire against the couple and their fledgling romance morphs into something else: a strange and sociopathic crime spree. A hilarious and gruesome film about letting loose.
[link title="Sightseers: Ben Wheatley interview" url="node/1181"]
[link title="Sightseers Review" url="node/6040"]
Friday 28 April (no movie on Saturday due to Sport: A-League Semi Final #1)
Locke
8:30pm, SBS VICELAND
MA15+
UK, USA, 2013
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson
What's it about?
Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) plays a family man and construction manager, juggling a series of crises over the course of a single car trip. Hardy is fascinating to watch as he tries to keep his eyes on the road and his hands upon the wheel as his life threatens to unravel, in real time and via speakerphone. A riveting drama by writer/director Steven Knight (who wrote David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises).
[link title="Locke: An existential road movie in which nothing and everything happens" url="node/16540"]
[link title="2014 Sydney Film Festival: Locke - Interview" url="node/17826"]
[link title="Locke Review" url="node/17894"]
The Rise
10:05pm, SBS VICELAND
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
MA15+
UK, 2012
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Crime
Director: Rowan Athale
Starring: Luke Treadaway, Vanessa Kirby, Timothy Spall, Matthew Lewis
What's it about?
This engaging heist movie will keep you on your toes. It stars Luke Treadaway (Unbroken) as Harvey, a young man recently released from prison for a crime he didn't commit. With the help of his three best friends (including Iwan Rheon, aka Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones), Harvey plots to rob the local drug kingpin who framed him. The Rise also stars the excellent Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner) as the detective in charge of Harvey's case.
Source: SBS Movies
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