Previews: The Killing of a Sacred Deer Trailer, More!

Plenty to see in this week’s preview of coming attractions, including The Killing of a Sacred Deer trailer, Goodbye Christopher Robin, and more…

The Killing of a Sacred Deer Trailer

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is the latest film from Yorgos Lanthimos. Director Lanthimos follows The Lobster with this horror-thriller. The film stars Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, and Barry Keoghan. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is out in UK cinemas on 17th November 2017.

IT VR Experience

Adjust your headsets for this frightening journey into the world of IT. This VR experience gives a flavour of the film, which is based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel. It is pretty scary! Starring Bill Skarsgård, IT floats on to UK screens on 8th September 2017.

Goodbye Christopher Robin Poster

Here is the latest poster for the upcoming Goodbye Christopher Robin. The film is about the real life relationship between author A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the world of Winnie the Pooh. The film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, and Kelly Macdonald. Goodbye Christopher Robin is set for release on 29th September 2017.

Call Me By Your Name Trailer

Based on the novel of the same name, Call Me By Your Name is a drama from director Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash). The film is about an Italian-American teenager whose head is turned when a twenty-four year old intern comes to stay with his family for the summer. Starring Armie Hammer, Timothée Chamalet, and Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name hits UK screens on 27th October 2017.

The Death of Stalin Trailer

The Death of Stalin is the latest film from writer-director Armando Iannucci. The film is a dark comedy which takes place in the days after the collapse of Soviet leader Stalin. The film features an enviable cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Paddy Considine, and Andrea Riseborough. The Death of Stalin is out in UK cinemas on 20th October 2017.

Film Review: The Girl With All The Gifts

The Girl With All The Gifts is an atmospheric thriller that engages its audience. The film appeals with its tone, even if the plot is too conventional at times.

Helen is a teacher to students that are bound to wheelchairs and locked in cells – for the safety of the teachers and stuff. She strikes up a rapport with Melanie, a bright young girl. When an incident occurs at the base, Helen and Melanie have to fight for survival…

Based on Mike Carey’s novel (who also writes the screenplay), The Girl With All The Gifts functions as a dystopian thriller. The film is cold and atmospheric rather than a searing horror. Nonetheless, they are very effective moments of tension throughout the film. These are used sparingly, so the film feels like a moderate creep rather than a roller coaster.

Helen is a good protagonist in that she is not as hardened as characters that surround her. The relationship between Melanie and Helen is sweetly portrayed. Their scenes are the most genuine interactions throughout director Colm McCarthy’s film. The pair face threat from within as well as external.

The horror is obvious, what works is the way the film builds up to this. There is a distinct mood to the film which is maintained throughout. As the film progresses, some of the ideas attached to the theme run out of steam. The film falls into familiar trappings in the second half. The brief moments of dark humour in The Girl With All The Gifts work well. The ending of the film is satisfying in its realism.

Gemma Arteton offers a decent performance as Helen. She has good chemistry with Sennia Nanua’s Melanie. Paddy Considine and Glenn Close are perfectly adequate in supoort roles which are not really fleshed out.

The Girl With All The Gifts is an interesting watch, with some great ideas floating around. Although it keeps its strong tone, more could have been done with the narrative.

Film Review: Honour

Shan Khan’s Honour has a promising start, which makes way for an ill thought-out middle section and a risible conclusion.

Young Muslim Mona is targeted by her family after she plans to run away with her non-Muslim boyfriend. When matters get out of hand, the family enlist the services of a bounty hunter…

The subject of honour killings is an interesting one to tackle. It is a contemporary issue that has evaded the cinematic glare. Honour begins well enough. The initial set up grabs the audience’s attention as it is unclear where the film will go from there. The non-linear structure of Honour makes the timeline unclear, and offers a number of outcomes as a result.

With a fairly strong start, Honour could have built on this and offered a competent and socially aware thriller. However, writer-director Shan Khan eschews more plausible routes to take the film into the realms of the unconvincing. It is a shame, as the beginning of the film showed suitable potential.

Exactly what the film hoped to achieve is intangible. Given the subject area, it is suggestible that Khan should have dealt with it with a sense of brevity. Honour could have been a meaty investigative drama, but instead chooses a less believable chain of events. Paddy Considine’s character is unconvincing in his transformation. Meanwhile, there seems to be a number of more plausible routes that Mona would have taken given the dilemma of her situation. The final line in the film is truly terrible, given the weight it is supposed to carry.

Paddy Considine delivers a suitable enough performance, but his range deserves more than what he is given to work with. Aiysha Hart is also adequate, with none of the cast really shining in this production.

The serious facts before the end credits belie the fact that Honour is an overreaching thriller that misses its opportunity.

Film Review: Submarine

Richard Ayoade’s Submarine is a remarkably well-executed debut. A coming-of-age comedy drama, the film has more depth than many other teen movies that deal with similar issues.

Teenage schoolboy Oliver Tate is navigating the labyrinth of adolescence. His two main preoccupations are getting a girlfriend and ensuring his parents stay together following their marital woes…

Submarine boasts great writing from Ayoade. The film is frequently humorous, and at times poignant. Submarine has been carefully crafted; the characters are well thought out and situations are both relatable and quirky.

Part of the film’s success can be attributed to the fact that the characters are easy to empathise with. Protagonist Oliver is not the typical teenage lead. This immediately makes Submarine more interesting, distinguishing it from other films with a similar theme. Oliver has the same concerns as many teenage boys. Yet his approach to these concerns is markedly different. The film opens with Oliver hypothesising about the affect his premature death would have. This includes a dream-like sequence which depicts the whole school in mourning. The set piece is bizarre, but also endearing. Oliver’s grandiose approach is amusing, but this does not detract from identifying with the teenager. It is easy to see why the issues in Oliver’s life are so critical to him.

The characters in Submarine retain a sense of believability because they are flawed. None of the characters are perfect, yet it is easier to empathise with some over the others. In keeping with these naturalistic portrayals, there are no good or bad characters, per se. Even Graham, who is envisioned as the enemy by Oliver, is not depicted as being entirely bad. Graham, like the rest of the characters, is a shade of grey.

Submarine features a number of references to film. Some of these nod to other movies, while others are more self-reflexive. At one point Oliver expresses a wish to be followed by a documentary film team, and the camera obeys his direction. While this is amusing, it also indicates an awareness of the cinematic process.

Performances are great in Submarine. Craig Roberts really embodies the character of Oliver, while Paddy Considine is wonderfully ludicrous as Graham. It is Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor who really stand out as Jill and Lloyd, however. Their deadpan performances inject a considerable amount of humour into the film.

Set as a three-chapter piece, the film does lose its way a little in the second part but recovers quickly. Overall, Submarine is a memorable tale.