November 2022 Movies
One Piece Film: Red (English)
Animation, Action, Adventure
Cast: Ama Lee (English version), Daniel Baugh (English version), Luci Christian(English version)
Director: Gorô Taniguchi
Rating: M
Synopsis:
Uta, the world’s greatest diva and whose voice is described as “otherworldly”, holds her first-ever live concert on the “Island of Music” Elegia. As the Straw Hats, pirates, Marines and fans from across the world watch on, she reveals herself for the first time.
Reviews:
“It’s not the movie that will convert non-believers into fans – it feels more like a lost episode than a cash grab for newcomers – but by heavily integrating itself with the main series and understanding the humor that makes it shine, Film: Red ranks at the top of One Piece’s features.” – Ziff Davis
“All in all, One Piece Film Red is a surprisingly deep and emotionally affecting movie. Even if you’ve never seen an episode of the TV show, the film gives you all you need to connect with the core of the film—i.e., Uta—and those who are important to her. The film itself explores themes of free will and suffering while delivering tons of action set to an absolutely amazing soundtrack. Just don’t expect to come out of it feeling good about the world.” – Anime News Network
Sissy
Comedy, Drama, Horror
Cast: Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti
Director: Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes
Rating: MA 15+
Synopsis:
After a decade, best friends Cecilia and Emma run into each other again. Cecilia goes with Emma for a hen’s weekend away. Finding herself stuck in a remote cabin with her high school bully, Cecilla (aka Sissy) develops a taste for revenge.
Reviews:
“Typically Australian in its sense of humour, Sissy is an endearing, shocking and colourful disasterpiece, with a lot of its fun deriving from being able to see the horrific car crash coming up ahead.” – Ghouls Magazine
“Gross and darkly funny without undermining the damaging thematics explored, Sissy takes the trusted genre scenario of being alone in a cabin in the woods and laces it with a queer, female-strong gaze, resulting in a homegrown effort that furthers Australia’s relationship with horror – a connection that is oft overlooked. You may not be able to believe everything you see online, but trust that Sissy – anchored by Dee’s wholly committed performance – is one such property worthy of your following.” – The AU Review
Armageddon Time
Drama
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta
Director: James Gray
Rating: M
Synopsis:
The 1980s. The film follows the story of 12-year-old Paul and his African-American friend John Crocker. A case of mischief finds the two boys concoct a risky scheme to escape their lives and run away to Florida.
Reviews:
“Armageddon Time is a movie that deserves to be seen and appreciated for its insight into the American Dream.” – Jwire
““Armageddon Time beautifully conveys the personal and political power of walking away from the institutions that privilege some and expel others and prioritizes family and real human connection over success, proper behavior, and obedience. It ultimately carries one of the strongest political messages there is — opt-out.” – Movieweb
Whina
Biography, Drama
Cast: Kali Kopae, Rena Owen, Miriama McDowell
Director: James Napier Robertson, Paula Whetu Jones
Rating: PG
Synopsis:
The historical biofilm follows the life of trailblazing Maori leader, Dame Whina Cooper, a woman who championed the rights of Maori whilst staying true to her heart and her beliefs.
Reviews:
“For a film of such intimacy, Whina feels like a film born for the big screen. The final twenty minutes, in particular, are moving beyond compare. It is as much a lesson from history as it is a profoundly intimate portrait of an individual, but rides both of these waves with grace and beauty to spare. It is a fitting tribute to such a significant figure of 20th-century Māori history.” – Outtake
“As viewers we are left with the understanding that this story is as contemporary to us now as it is to those on the screen. Archival footage is used well towards the end of the film to underline this idea and break the fourth wall in a purposeful way. The sight of thousands of people walking over the Auckland Harbour bridge—a news clip from 1975 that I have seen many times before—brought me to tears. It is a reminder, if one was needed, that all of this is very real, very recent and still very urgent.” – Flicks
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Action, Adventure, Drama
Cast: Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman
Director: Ryan Coogler
Rating: CTC
Synopsis:
Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death.
Reviews:
“Grief slows the pace of Ryan Coogler’s sequel but makes it more meaningful in the process.” – Wired
“The loss of Chadwick Boseman turns Black Panther: Wakanda Forever into one of Marvel’s most emotional films. And it’s left us floored.” – Den of Geek
The Sanctity of Space
Documentary, Sport
Cast: Renan Ozturk, Zack Smith, Freddie Wilkinson
Director: Renan Ozturk, Freddie Wilkinson
Rating: M
Synopsis:
Inspired by legendary explorer Brad Washburn’s photography, climbing friends Ozturk, Wilkinson, and Zack Smith traverse one of Alaska’s most difficult peaks, Moose’s Tooth massif.
Reviews:
“Despite the deaths of fellow mountaineers, neck-breaking accidents and financial struggles, their determination to scale the traverse is staggering in its unshakeable resilience. And amid perilous risks of avalanche and falling rocks, their enthusiasm has a childlike wonder that feels especially moving.” – The Guardian
“The Sanctity of Space” is a title that comes out of Aristotle and the citation is recited at the end. As film audiences move like migrating reindeer away from theatrical exhibition to streaming, it will no doubt grow tiresome to be told that you must see certain films on a big screen. So I won’t say it. But please do.” – Wall Street Journal
She Said
Drama
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson
Director: Maria Schrader
Rating: CTC
Synopsis:
A biographical film drama based on the book of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, two journalists from The New York Times who exposed sexual abuse allegations against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Reviews:
“Like the book, She Said imparts the mountain of turmoil, obstacles, dead-ends, relationships and uncertainty which undergird a single story – all the work and doubt and strength we cannot see at first. The half-decade of MeToo has been hazy stops and starts, necessarily messy; how satisfying, then, to see its origins clearly.” The Guardian
The Menu
Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Mark Mylod
Rating: CTC
Synopsis:
The film tells the story of a young couple who visits an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. A celebrity chef waits there with a lavish tasting menu and some shocking surprises.
Reviews:
“The upstairs downstairs class warfare is slight but stings enough; there are some bracing shocks that hit well and despite the acts of violence that start to pile up, the gore is more suggestive than savage: a horror film made for people who can’t usually stomach horror films.” – The Guardian
“The Menu is a hilariously wicked thriller about the world of high-end restaurants, featuring a stellar cast led by a phenomenal Ralph Fiennes, some of the most gorgeous food shots in recent film history, and accompanied by a delicious hors d’oeuvres sampling of commentary on the service industry, class warfare, and consumerism.” – IGN
Bones and All
Drama, Horror, Romance
Cast: David Gordon Green, Timothée Chalamet, Chloë Sevigny
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Rating: MA 15+
Synopsis:
A young woman learning to survive on the margins of society and a disenfranchised drifter meet. They embark on a thousand-mile journey that will take them through the back roads of America but only to be led back to their terrifying pasts and a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their differences.
Reviews:
“Guadagnino’s first US-set movie explores a beautifully toxic kind of hunger and, in the process, rewrites Godard’s formula for great cinema. Kiss kiss pang pang. Maren and Lee are the iconic duo of the year.” – Yahoo! Sports
“Bones And All is an extravagant and outrageous movie: scary, nasty and startling in its warped romantic idealism.”- The Guardian
Strange World
Animation, Action, Adventure
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (voice), Jaboukie Young-White (voice), Gabrielle Union (voice)
Director: Don Hall, Qui Nguyen(co-director)
Rating: CTC
Synopsis:
The Clades are a legendary family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission into uncharted and treacherous territory.
Reviews:
