12 YEARS A SLAVE (15)

WHO’S IN IT?

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), Michael Fassbender (Prometheus), Lupita Nyong’o (film debut), Sarah Paulson (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness), Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Paul Dano (Prisoners), Adepero Oduye (Pariah), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Garret Dillahunt (No Country For Old Men), Scoot McNairy (Argo), Taran Killam (The Heat), Chris Chalk (The Newsroom), Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Steve McQueen (Shame), director, producer; John Ridley (Red Tails), writer; Dede Gardner (The Tree of Life), Anthony Katagas (The Big Wedding), Jeremy Kleiner (World War Z), Arnon Milchan (Jumper), Brad Pitt (Moneyball) and Bill Pohlad (Into The Wild), producers; Hans Zimmer (Inception), composer; Sean Bobbitt (The Place Beyond The Pines), cinematographer; Joe Walker (Harry Brown), editor

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The harrowing true story of Solomon Northup (Ejiofor), a free black man in 1841 who is kidnapped and sold into slavery wherein he experiences more than a decade’s worth of severe cruelty from his peers and white masters, most notably the sadistic Edwin Epps (Fassbender)…

IN ONE SENTENCE, WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?

This is the Oscar contender we’ve all been waiting for, and for good reason; never shying away from the horrific truths of American slavery thanks to powerhouse directing and exceptional performances all round, 12 Years A Slave is a cinematic experience not seen in a generation.

WHEN’S IT OUT?

FRIDAY 10TH JANUARY 2014

Search from over ten years of movies here:

Other recent reviews:

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (dir. Gore Verbinski)

A man from the future recruits a group of heroes for a battle against AI…

Wasteman (dir. Cal McMau)

A prisoner finds his freedom threatened with the arrival of a new cellmate…

The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)

In 1977 Brazil, a widower is targeted by the country’s dictatorship…

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (dir. Mary Bronstein)

A pressured woman deals with life as it comes crashing down on her…

“Wuthering Heights” (dir. Emerald Fennell)

The tragic romance between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff…

Whistle (dir. Corin Hardy)

A group of teens face the supernatural consequences after coming across an ancient artifact…

Crime 101 (dir. Bart Layton)

A career thief is drawn into a dangerous new score…

100 Nights of Hero (dir. Julia Jackman)

A devoted maid attempts to salvage an uncomfortable situation for her lady…

Goat (dir. Tyree Dillihay)

A small goat fulfils his dream of becoming a sports hero…

Optimized by Optimole