In our new monthly feature, Coming Attractions, we preview the best upcoming films in cinemas and on home video. It’s your one-stop shop to choose your movie for the month ahead, and, with any luck, discover some new cinematic delights. Either way, your movie-watching is guaranteed to improve in quality by at least 60%*.
* Not actually a guarantee
Interstellar – Nov. 6
The long-awaited space exploration epic from Christopher Nolan arrives in cinemas this week, and we couldn’t be more excited to see the 169 minutes unfold before our eyes. Setting off on a mission right at the edge of modern scientific theories, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and the rest of Interstellar’s intrepid explorers set off into the unknown in a bid to save humanity. Aucklanders should seriously consider seeing the film in IMAX, which will be serving up the film in its 70mm format, but regardless of how it is being shown, expect Interstellar to cause plenty of rapturous responses as Nolan chases Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey into orbit – and beyond.
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Finding Vivian Meier – Nov. 6
If the expanses of space aren’t what you’re after, consider this insight into the private universe of outsider artist Vivian Maier. Intensely guarded of her privacy throughout her life, it was only upon Maier’s death that the scale of her work as a photographer was discovered – unbeknownst to anyone else, she had taken over 100,000 photographs while travelling the world during the 50s and 60s. Today, Maier is known as an artist first, a nanny second, and this documentary explores the remarkable story of a woman whose work has come to captivate collectors since its discovery.
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Nov. 20
Staving off our mourning of The Hunger Games series being finished by splitting the final installment into two films, this is nevertheless the beginning of the end, folks. And boy, does it look bleak based on the trailers we’ve seen to date. No longer the pawn of The Capitol’s dictatorship, Katniss Everdeen sets out to take ’em on in a showdown for the future of Panem. But if she thought the two Hunger Games she survived were brutal, Katniss should watch the latest trailer, in which dozens of civilians become collateral damage in a civil war that may overturn the future dystopia.
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John Wick – Nov. 27
OK, so John Wick is a silly name (as Dan Harmon and others have pointed out, you don’t ‘set off’ a wick, you just light it – it isn’t a bomb, despite the film’s tagline), and Keanu Reeves hasn’t had a kickass movie for a while. Still, what we’ve seen of John Wick has us excited as Mr. “Woah” reinvents himself as a former assassin off on a bloody revenge spree, spurred in part by the film’s baddies killing his dog. With the film at an astonishing 85% on Rotten Tomatoes after over 100 reviews, this looks like a more satisfying version of what The Equalizer or perhaps even The Expendables was out to achieve. The cast may not go as nuts as the latter, but you can’t discount the solidity of supporting players Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, Adrianne Palicki, Michael Nyqvist and Alfie Allen.
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Nightcrawler – Nov. 27
We can’t wait to see what you make of Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler – creepy, intense and emaciated, he sees a niche market on the streets of Los Angeles that’s perfect for a man with no scruples. Following Gyllenhaal into the world of crime scene journalism, where local news pays cash money for footage of violent crimes and accidents, prepare yourself for an industry with no ethics, and this crazy dude trying to outdo the competition in a line of work where “if it bleeds, it leads”.
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The Drop – Nov. 27
Uniformly excelling whenever onscreen individually, pairing Tom Hardy with the late, great James Gandolfini in this Brooklyn-set crime drama is pretty inspired casting. Almost as inspired as teaming Hardy up with a pitbull, as seen in a series of photos at the beginning of the year that set women’s hearts racing and their ovaries set to “explode”. Based on a story by Dennis Lehane (Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River), The Drop may leave his Boston stomping ground, but still focuses on blue-collar fellows trying to get ahead – and getting themselves stuck between the law and the Mob in the process.
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A Promise – Nov. 5
The basics: Romantic period drama set in pre-WWI Germany, chronicling a simmering love triangle between an ailing factory owner (Alan Rickman), his young bride (Rebecca Hall), and his protégé (Richard Madden). The first English-language film French filmmaker Patric Leconte, inspired by the novella Journey into the Past by Stefan Zweig (whose work also served as inspiration for The Grand Budapest Hotel).
The buzz: 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Despite decent performances, a promising dramatic set-up leads to little of real interest,” says Time Out. And the New York Times notes “The anguish of the lovers’ decade-long separation can’t be evoked in a matter of minutes…”
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The Babadook – Nov. 5
The basics: A hit at the NZ International Film Festival, and for festival audiences worldwide. Aussie horror stars Essie Davis (Matrix Revolutions) as a widowed mother trying to take care of her out of control six-year-old son, who becomes increasingly agitated with the belief that a pop-up book monster called The Babadook will kill them both.
The buzz: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Film.com says the film is “An impressively chilling exercise in old-school restraint,” while Variety says The Babadook “manages to deliver real, seat-grabbing jolts while also touching on more serious themes of loss, grief and other demons that can not be so easily vanquished”.
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Devil’s Knot – Nov. 12
The basics: Dramatisation of the notorious 1993 West Memphis murder of three small-town boys. In the rush for a scapegoat, police and prosecutors charge three innocent teenagers who – with a proclivity for black clothes and listening to Metallica – are cast as deviant satanic cultists. Stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth, and from acclaimed director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter).
The buzz: 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Takes a long time to tell us nothing we didn’t know,” says Time Out, adding it’s “A missed opportunity”. Hollywood Reporter, on the other hand, consider Devil’s Knot a “Compelling feature treatment of the much-documented scandal”.
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The Kill Team – Nov. 13
The basics: Documentary revealing the abuses carried out in Afghanistan’s Maywand District by a group of U.S. Army soldiers who dubbed themselves the “Kill Team” and relished in committing war crimes, including murder, against the civilian population. When 21-year-old infantryman Adam Winfield tried to alert the military with the help of his father, the powers-that-be didn’t want to know… Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.
The buzz: 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. “It’s a beautiful way to lose faith in humanity” according to the Washington Post, with Variety saying “This chilling war-is-hell expose [is] must-see viewing”.
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Monty Python Live (mostly) – Nov. 13
The basics: Live recording of the legendary Pythons’ 2014 final reunion show at the O2 Arena in London. John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin perform live on stage together for the first time since performing at the Hollywood Bowl in 1980.
The buzz: Not enough reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for a rating. Urban Cinefile says it is “at its best when it plies its trade in the thoroughfare of English absurdity and surrealism. This grand final show has some of that, but for me, not enough; too much padding, too much ‘in’ joking.” The Standard observes “Like most reunions, Monty Python Live (mostly) is good at reminding you how great these guys were, with ‘were’ being the key word.”
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Omar – Nov. 13
The basics: Border-crossing Arabic romance based around the Palestinian wall that separates Omar, a rebellious resistance fighter, from his love, Nadia. Special Jury Prize winner at Cannes 2013 and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2014 Oscars.
The buzz: 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Salon.com describes Omar as “A tender love story, a haunting tragedy and an expertly crafted thriller with flawed, damaged and not entirely likable characters”. NPR says “It’s the sort of film that feels so authentic that even knowing it’s a fiction, the morning after seeing it, I found myself scanning headlines to see if there were any new developments.”
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Oculus – Nov. 26
The basics: Modern TV sci-fi icons Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) and Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) star in this supernatural horror about a woman who can only exonerate her brother from murder charges by proving that an ancient mirror is haunted. A spiritual continuation on director Mike Flanagan’s award-winning short horror Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan.
The buzz: 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Los Angeles Times says “Less concerned with fake shocks and show-me violence than the grimly calibrated rotting of personalities, Oculus is one of the more intelligently nasty horror films in recent memory.” Variety reckons it “succeeds in keeping the viewer’s bearings unsettled as the helmer’s effective building of dread curdles into a series of narrative twists as dislocating as an Escher-drawn staircase.”
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Snowpiercer – Nov. 26
The basics: Futuristic sci-fi actioner from Joon-Ho Bong (The Host), starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and Ed Harris. In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on Earth, a class system evolves among the few survivors aboard the Snowpiercer – a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine. Based on French comic Le Transperceneige.
The buzz: 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Salon.com doesn’t pull any punches: “The best action film of 2014, and probably the best film, period.” Meanwhile, Slate notes “Snowpiercer seems to have been sent back to us from some distant alternate future where grandiose summer action movies can also be lovingly crafted, thematically ambitious works of art.”
The buck stops with us: “The utter strangeness of its overt conceit – a class system ordered from front to back – clicks with moments of inexplicable oddness (Chris Evans slips over a fish) and distinctively peculiar characters that relish in the bombast of its colourful script.” Liam Maguren, Flicks
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Locke – Nov. 27
The basics: The Oscar-nominated writer of Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises directs this minimalist thriller that takes place in a car, on a long evening drive. Stars Tom Hardy as a hard-working professional on the cusp of a major career boost. But on this night trip from Birmingham to London, an attempt to confront his past life may cost him dearly.
The buzz: 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Hollywood Reporter calls Locke “A virtuoso narrative and technical experiment that doesn’t stint on dramatic complexity or heart” and Variety says “An exceptional one-man show for Tom Hardy, this ingeniously executed study in cinematic minimalism has depth, beauty and poise”.
The buck stops with us: ” It could be performed by one actor, on a tiny stage, with a single chair. The pressure is entirely and utterly on that performer, and Hardy is simply incredible.” Giles Hardie, Flicks.co.nz
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Starred Up – Nov. 27
The basics: The BAFTA-winning director of Young Adam delivers this UK prison drama about an explosively violent teen who happens upon his father when transferred to an adult penitentiary. Stars Jack O’Connell (TV’s Skins), Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice) and Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom).
The buzz: 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. The New York Times says Starred Up “Turns the complicated dynamic between a young prisoner and his problematic mentor into a ferocious psychodrama that locks you in and refuses to let you go”. Fellow New Yorkers over at the Village Voice say of the film “As harrowing as some of the depicted incidents are – this is prison, after all – Mackenzie resists sensationalism, preferring to keep his sights on the human element. By the end, he’s worked a kind of alchemy.”
The buck stops with us: Yup, there’s a prison wing full of clichés, but, aided by razor-sharp performances from his cast, Young Adam director, David Mackenzie, delivers a raw, powerful, British prison drama.” Adam Fresco, Flicks.co.nz
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The ‘Burbs (1989)
The basics: Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern and Corey Feldman star in the horror comedy about an overstressed suburbanite and his militaristic neighbour who struggle to prove their paranoid theory that the new family in town is a front for a cannibalistic cult. Directed by Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), who brings every B-movie horror trick up his sleeve to infuse the American ‘burbs with dread.
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