The Last Elvis
M
Argentina, 2012
Director: Armando Bo
Starring: John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez
What's it about?
Director Armando Bo, who won an Oscar for his screenplay on Alejandro G. Iñárritu's , cast first-time actor and real-life Elvis impersonator John McInerny for his compelling portrait of a man whose delusion affects his relationship with his family. A decision which paid off thanks to a remarkable performance by McInerny as Gutierrez, a star impersonator by night, but who must contend by day with a dead-end factory job and an ex-wife who worries about how his obsessive behaviour affects their young daughter, Lisa Marie. A tragic accident soon forces him to grapple with his responsibilities.
Source: SBS Movies
Quartet
M
UK, 2012
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Starring: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay
What's it about?
Star actor Dustin Hoffman successfully tries his hand at directing with this humourous and heartwarming story, carried out by fantastic performances by his four actors: Maggie Smith as an eccentric diva, Tom Courtenay as her ex-husband, Billy Connolly as a lustful baritone, and Pauline Collins as the scatter-brained object of his desire. The four seniors, once a world-famous quartet, decide to get together for a one-off concert at their retirement home, but the reunion sees dirty little secrets emerge from the past, which threatens the fragile equilibrium of the group.
[link title="Quartet: Pauline Collins interview" url="node/1182"]
Source: SBS Movies
Sister Smile
PG
Belgium, 2009
Director: Stijn Coninx
Starring: Cecile de France, Marie Kremer, Chris Lomme
What's it about?
Cécile de France () gives a riveting performance in this biopic about the rise and fall of Belgian nun Jeanine Deckers, who as a young woman struggling with her sexuality, found refuge at the convent, where she entertained her sisters, then the local community, by playing the guitar. Deckers then rose to fame as The Singing Nun aka Sister Smile after scoring a chart-topping hit song entitled "Dominique" in 1963. But her life came spiralling down after the hit and although she tried to pursue an alternative career, her financial woes lead her and her partner to commit suicide in the early '80s.
[link title="Sister Smile review" url="node/4868"]
Pure
MA15+
Sweden, 2009
Director: Lisa Langseth
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Samuel Fröler, Josephine Bauer
What's it about?
Catch Oscar winner Alicia Vikander () in one of her early roles as Katarina, a high school drop-out, ex-prostitute and the daughter of a suicidal alcoholic, who starts hoping for a better life when she bluffs her way into a receptionist job at the Gothenburg Symphony. But when an affair blooms with the orchestra’s callous but charismatic conductor, Katarina is led into perilous territory and left more exposed than ever. An exploration of class and culture through emotion and contrast.
Source: SBS Movies
As It Is In Heaven
M
Sweden, 2004
Director: Kay Pollak
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Frida Hallgren, Lennart Jähkel
What's it about?
A 2005 Foreign Language Oscar nominee, As It Is in Heaven won hearts the world over (particularly in Australia, where it ran for two years at Sydney's Hayden Orpheum) with the story of a successful conductor who, after suffering from a massive heart failure on stage, puts his career on hold and goes back to live in his childhood village. There, the small local choir asks him if he can provide professional training, which he does - reluctantly. From that moment nothing in the village is the same again. The choir develops and grows, and the conductor makes both friends and enemies, and finds love.
Source: SBS Movies
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
M
France, 2005
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup, Linh Dan Pham
What's it about?
In this adrenaline-fuelled drama directed by Jacques Audiard (), Tom (Romain Duris, excellent in a darker role) works as a real estate debt collector for his father Robert (the always formidable Niels Arestrup). The work involves violence and he hates the life, wishing he could be more like his late mother, who was a concert pianist. When offered a piano audition, he starts to practice again, and is coached by a beautiful Chinese teacher, who doesn't speak a word of French. Just when Tom's life seems to be turning around, Robert asks him for one last sordid favour, that involves the Russian Mafia.
[link title="Why You Should Watch: The Beat That My Heart Skipped" url="node/25167"]
[link title="Watch The Movie Show original ★★★★ review" url="node/2744"]
Source: SBS Movies
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
MA15+
UK, 2010
Director: Mat Whitecross
Starring: Andy Serkis, Clifford Samuel, Tom Hughes
What's it about?
A 2010 biographical comedy film about English new wave musician Ian Dury, named after one of his songs, spanning from his childhood plagued by bullying and during which he contracted polio, to his rise to fame with the band The Blockheads and his continuing personal battle with the disability. A great music biopic that should appeal to all punk and new wave lovers, it was nominated for a British Academy Film Award for the impressive performance of Andy Serkis.
The Band's Visit
PG
Israel, 2007
Director: Eran Kolirin
Starring: Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri, Sasson Gabai
What's it about?
This warm, heartfelt movie about love, loneliness and cultural differences stars the late Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz in one of her most popular roles. It follows the members of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, led by the repressed Tawfiq, who after taking the wrong bus on their way to a cultural event, wind up on the doorstep of Dina, a free-spirited cafe owner in a remote Israel village. After informing them they will be stuck there until the next morning, Dina offers to put them up for the night, with help from other villagers. The night passes quietly enough, but with some profound exchanges and secrets confessed.
[link title="The Band's Visit review" url="node/4487"]
[link title="Dinner and a Movie: The Band's Visit" url="node/47043"]
Source: SBS Movies
Four Minutes
MA15+
Germany, 2006
Director: Chris Kraus
Starring: Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig
What's it about?
This stunning, award-winning drama depicts the intense relationship between two opposed women, with a common passion: music. Monica Bleibtreu (the mother of German movie star ) plays an elderly piano teacher, Traude, who takes on an immensely gifted but troubled student at the women's prison where she has taught since the Second World War. The student, Jenny, is a violent sociopath who initially resists the 80-year-old's help, but soon realises their union could help her reach her potential.
Source: SBS Movies
Swing
PG
France, 2002
Director: Tony Gatlif
Starring: Tchavolo Schmitt, Lou Rech, Oscar Copp
What's it about?
This beautiful film by Tony Gatlif () is not only a showcase for gypsy music, which he's celebrated in many of his movies, but a story of discovery, friendship and love. It follows Max, a 10-year old boy, who stays with his grandmother in the Alsace region of France during the summer holidays. After meeting a young gypsy girl named Swing, he starts sneaking out more and more often to visit the neighbouring community of Manouche gypsies. A fan of the gypsy jazz musician Django Reinhardt, Max trades his Walkman for a guitar and takes music lessons from one of the gypsies, Miraldo.
[link title="Watch The Movie Show original ★★★★ ½ review" url="node/3260"]
