It’s-a us, Film Feeder! And as ever, we’re here to guide you through this momentous week of new film releases, as the countdown to Easter is officially underway! This week, we have sports shoe biopics, fantastical bureaucracies, and some commemorative anniversary re-releases – oh, and also the big-screen adventures of a certain Italian plumber…

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

• The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (dirs. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic)

CAST: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rigen, Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalo, Kevin Michael Richardson, Charles Martinet, Khary Payton, Eric Bauza

CREW: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (directors), Matthew Fogel (writer), Christopher Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto (producers), Brian Tyler (composer), Eric Osmond (editor)

PLOT: Plumber brothers Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day) find themselves in the Mushroom Kingdom, where they must team up with the likes of Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy), Toad (Key) and Donkey Kong (Rogen) to defeat the evil Bowser (Black) from taking over the world…

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is showing in cinemas from Wednesday 5^th April 2023

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WHAT’S SHOWING IN CINEMAS THIS WEEK?

Air (dir. Ben Affleck)

CAST: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, Matthew Maher, Tom Papa, Julius Tennon, Joel Gretsch, Gustaf Skarsgård, Barbara Sukowa, Jessica Green, Dan Bucatinsky

CREW: Ben Affleck (director, producer), Alex Convery (writer), Madison Ainley, Jason Michael Berman, Matt Damon, David Ellison, Peter Guber, Jordan Moldo, Jeff Robinov, Jesse Sisgold and Jon Weinbach (producers), Robert Richardson (cinematographer), William Goldenberg (editor)

PLOT: In 1984, Nike shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) develops a daring new partnership between the company’s fledging basketball division and rookie player Michael Jordan, leading to the invention of the Air Jordans which revolutionises the entire industry…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Ben Affleck returns to the director’s chair after seven years for this feel-good drama about the creation of a truly iconic pair of sneakers

2) Affleck also has a supporting role as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, with best bud Matt Damon leading as Sonny Vaccaro, the salesman who formed the legendary business deal with basketball superstar Michael Jordan

3) Jordan, rather interestingly, isn’t a character in this film – but he’s well represented by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon as his parents

4) Working from a script by first-time writer Alex Convery, director Affleck brings an audience-friendly sensibility to this real-life tale, just as he did with his Oscar-winning movie Argo

5) The film is co-produced by Amazon Studios (with Warner Bros handling international distribution), with plans for it to come direct to streaming after an extended theatrical window – a positive sign for exhibitors and streamers working together at long last!

Air is showing in cinemas from Wednesday 5^th April 2023

The Pope’s Exorcist (dir. Julius Avery)

CAST: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Franco Nero, Laurel Marsden, Cornell St. John, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Ralph Ineson

CREW: Julius Avery (director), Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos (writers), Doug Belgrad, Michael Patrick Kaczmarek and Jeff Katz (producers), Jed Kurzel (composer), Khalid Mohtaseb (cinematographer), Matt Evans (editor)

PLOT: Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe), the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, is called in to investigate the mysterious and terrifying possession of a young boy (DeSouza-Feighoney), and uncovers a disturbing secret that the Vatican has been hiding for centuries…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Russell Crowe goes for broke in this wild and heightened exorcism horror, in which he portrays the real-life Vatican figure Father Gabriele Amorth

2) Needless to say, a lot of the supernatural stuff on display here most likely didn’t happen in real life (think of it as The Conjuring but with more Catholic priests), although much of the material is lifted from Amorth’s numerous self-penned books

3) It’s directed by Julius Avery (of the gory WW2 horror Overlord and the recent Stallone superhero flick Samaritan), with a script co-written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, whose own directorial outing The Unholy could be seen as a spiritual companion to The Pope’s Exorcist

4) As if the star power of Crowe wasn’t enough, the original Django himself Franco Nero is cast as none other than the actual Pope!

5) There’s plenty of frights and scares, but also a respectful dive deep into this interesting figure’s life and career (which, again, probably didn’t have nearly as much outlandishness as in this film)

The Pope’s Exorcist is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Godland (dir. Hlynur Pálmason)

CAST: Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Jacob Lohmann, Vic Carmen Sonne, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Hilmar Guðjónsson

CREW: Hlynur Pálmason (director, writer), Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin, Katrin Pors and Anton Máni Svansson (producers), Alex Zhang Hungtai (composer), Maria von Hausswolff (cinematographer), Julius Krebs Damsbo (editor)

PLOT: In the late nineteenth century, young Danish priest Lucas (Hove) is sent to build a church on a remote settlement in Iceland. As he travels through the harsh and unforgiving Icelandic landscape, Lucas begins to lose sense of his own reality, as well as his mission and his faith…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason, previously known for festival hit A White, White Day, returns with his biggest production to date

2) His slow-burning historical drama is an international co-production between Denmark and Iceland, the latter being at one point in history part the former’s kingdom

3) Hostile tensions between the two countries are a major theme across this movie, with some relationships taking quite a sour turn because of their differences

4) Like Pálmason’s previous film, it has also been a critical favourite across multiple film festivals, including Cannes (where it screened in the Un Certain Regard program), Toronto and London

5) Comparisons will no doubt be made to Martin Scorsese’s similar historical epic Silence, but being compared to a film by a true cinema icon is surely a massive compliment!

Godland is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023 (and will also be available to rent exclusively on Curzon Home Cinema)

LOLA (dir. Andrew Legge)

CAST: Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini, Rory Fleck Byrne, Aaron Monaghan, Shaun Boylan

CREW: Andrew Legge (director, writer), Angeli Macfarlane (writer), Alan Maher and John Wallace (producers), Neil Hannon (composer), Oona Menges (cinematographer), Colin Campbell (editor)

PLOT: In 1941, sisters Martha (Appleton) and Thomasina (Martini) have created a machine named LOLA that allows them to intercept broadcasts from the future, allowing them to experience new phenomenon decades before they are even invented. However, with the Second World War raging in the background, the sisters decide to use it as a means to gather intelligence, which has world-shattering consequences…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) This intriguing British-Irish sci-fi develops a fresh new angle on the familiar time-travel concept

2) The film is a mixture of found-footage and stunningly recreated newsreels, shot primarily through a combination of 16mm Bolex and Arriflex cameras, and a 1930s Newman Sinclair 35mm wind-up camera, which together eerily replicate the footage of the time period

3) Actors Emma Appleton and Stefanie Martini share a unique chemistry as they discover new and exciting things from the future, albeit at a time-warping cost

4) Among their futuristic discoveries is the music of David Bowie and The Kinks, so you can expect a groovy soundtrack as well!

5) It goes by quick at a brisk 79 minutes, so whatever you may think of the film it at least doesn’t outstay its welcome

LOLA is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

The Outwaters (dir. Robbie Banfitch)

CAST: Robbie Banfitch, Angela Basolis, Scott Schamell, Michelle May, Leslie Ann Banfitch, Aro Caitlin, Christine Brown, Nancy Bujnowski

CREW: Robbie Banfitch (director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor), Salem Belladonna (composer)

PLOT: Friends Robbie (Banfitch), Angela (Basolis), Scott (Schamell) and Michelle (May) head into the Mojave Desert to shoot a music video, but they are soon haunted by mysterious sounds belonging to a malevolent force, which soon forces them on a terrifying journey…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) The found-footage horror sub-genre attempts a comeback with this chilling and psychedelic supernatural thriller

2) It is the brainchild of filmmaker Robbie Banfitch, who in addition to starring also wrote, produced, shot and edited the movie

3) The film has received acclaim at festivals around the world, with many complementing its genuinely creepy atmosphere

4) Set in the vast and potentially life-threatening Mojave Desert, there is great potential for a number of terrifying moments based on the harsh and dry landscapes alone

5) It may just be scary and trippy enough to become a contender for being this generation’s equivalent to The Blair Witch Project

The Outwaters is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Beautiful Disaster (dir. Roger Kumble)

CAST: Dylan Sprouse, Virginia Gardner, Austin North, Libe Barer, Neil Bishop, Micky Dartford, Jack Hesketh, Declan Laird, Trevor Von Uden, Brian Austin Green, Rob Estes

CREW: Roger Kumble (director, writer, producer), Mark Clayman, Jonathan Deckter and Brian Pitt (producers), Sam Ewing (composer), Joshua Reis (cinematographer), Matthew Rundell (editor)

PLOT: College freshman Abby Abernathy (Gardner) wants to focus on her studies and start a new life for herself, but when she meets campus playboy and underground fighter Travis “Mad Dog” Maddox (Sprouse), she sees everything that she wants to avoid in him. Travis soon makes a bet with her that they can be roommates for a month, but eventually they begin to find a connection with each other…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) The first book in author Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful series, which features three books and six spin-off novels, is adapted to win over a new generation of YA audiences (so long as they can get over the author’s problematic opinions)

2) Former Disney Channel star Dylan Sprouse plays the main heartthrob Travis “Mad Dog” Maddox next to Virginia Gardner’s explicitly named Abby Abernathy

3) Director Roger Kumble has formidable experience in romances with slightly darker edges, having previously made film like Cruel Intentions and fellow YA adaptation After We Collided

4) Although the trailer suggests a fairly light-hearted tone with some surprising charisma, be prepared for some unexpected turns that add greater mystery to these characters

5) Depending on the success of this film, there could well be future adaptations of the following books in this series, which would complete the story in its entirety

Beautiful Disaster is showing in cinemas from Tuesday 4^th April 2023 (and will be streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Friday 5th May 2023)

Ride On (dir. Larry Yang)

CAST: Jackie Chan, Haocun Liu, Qilin Guo, Jing Wu, Rongguang Yu, Xing Yu, Andy On, Yueting Lang, Joey Yung, Shenyang Xiao, Ailei Yu

CREW: Larry Yang (director, writer), Li Jie, Belle Lau, Yanming Liu, Yuan Nong and Tianfu Xu (producers), Ming Sun (cinematogtapher), editor TBA

PLOT: Lao Luo (Chan) is a washed-up stunt performer who, along with his trusty stunt horse Red Hare, struggles to find meaningful work. However, when they are targeted by debt collectors, their fight against them is captured on film and quickly goes viral, catapulting them to a new level of fame – but as Luo attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter Xiaobao (Liu), he comes to a decision regarding his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) The martial arts legend that is Jackie Chan takes on a lively new lead role that celebrates his extraordinary career in stunt performing

2) Chan is in good hands under the direction of Larry Yang, who is considered a rising star in the Chinese filmmaking circuit

3) Thanks to the extraordinary Oscars success of Everything Everywhere All At Once, including a win for Chan’s former Police Story co-star Michelle Yeoh, this movie helps feed the growing appetite for Asian-led film content

4) Chan shares great on-screen chemistry with a film-stealing horse that earns a great chunk of laughs

5) There’s lots of action, comedy, and of course impressive stunt work to please any and all audiences

Ride On is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Blue Bag Life (dirs. Alex Fry, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans and Lisa Selby)

CAST: Lisa Selby, Helen Selby, Elliot Murawski

CREW: Lisa Selby (director, writer), Alex Fry and Rebecca Lloyd-Evans (directors, editors), Josie Cole (writer), Natasha Dack-Ojumu (producer), Dana Wachs (composer)

PLOT: Artist Lisa Selby explores the world of drug addiction, and how it has severely impacted her life, following her estranged mother’s overdose and her partner’s incarceration after his relapse…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Along with co-directors Alex Fry and Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, artist Lisa Selby presents a deeply personal dive into the devastating effects of drug addiction, particularly on those who had to watch loved ones succumb to it

2) The film features a variety of footage, photos and materials that Selby has collected over the years, as well as interviews with people who knew her mother during her darkest moments

3) It emerged as an unexpected winner of the Audience Award prize at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, signalling that the documentary is a powerful favourite amongst viewers

4) For their film, Selby and her co-directors established a fair and non-hierarchal filmmaking system with their fellow collaborators, which ensured that every member of the crew was paid fairly and acknowledged as equal

5) Despite its bleak subject matter, the film offers a bright and optimistic message about overcoming the odds and making the tough decision to forgive those who may wronged in the past

Blue Bag Life is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Leonor Will Never Die (dir. Martika Ramirez Escobar)

CAST: Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon, Allan Bautista, Rea Molina, Ryan Eigenmann, John Paulo Rodriguez, Dido Dela Paz, Tami Monsod

CREW: Martika Ramirez Escobar (director, writer), Mario Cornejo and Monster Jimenez (producers), Alyana Cabral and Pan de Coco (composers), Carlos Mauricio (cinematographer), Lawrence S. Ang (editor)

PLOT: Leonor Reyes (Francisco), once a trailblazing figure in the Filipino action movie industry, is now struggling in her later years. When a falling television lands on her head, just as she’s revisiting an unfinished action script, Leonor falls into a coma, where the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred, and she is compelled to become the hero of her own story…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Straight from the Philippines, often regarded as a rich source for unexpected action-packed gems, comes this delightful ode to the art of filmmaking, as told from a unique perspective

2) Relatively unknown actor Sheila Francisco makes a momentous big-screen debut as an aging filmmaker compelled to right the wrongs of her once-promising career

3) Writer-director Martika Ramirez Escobar lovingly recreates many of the familiar tropes of Filipino action cinema, as well as the grainy film stock aesthetic that most of them were made with

4) Its eccentric and borderline weird journey into the soul offers great humour, compelling character drama, and some surprising action

5) It’s a bit like a less pretentious and self-indulgent Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, which should be relieving for anyone put off by that latest Iñárritu project

Leonor Will Never Die is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

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WHAT’S COMING TO STREAMING/ON-DEMAND THIS WEEK?

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (dir. Guy Ritchie)

CAST: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone, Hugh Grant, Peter Ferdinando, Eddie Marsan, Lourdes Faberes, Max Beesley, Bestemsu Özdemir, Kaan Urgancıoğlu, Antonio Bustorff

CREW: Guy Ritchie (director, writer, producer), Ivan Atkinson (writer, producer), Marn Davies (writer), Bill Block, Steven Chasman and Jason Statham (producers), Christopher Benstead (composer), Alan Stewart (cinematographer), James Herbert (editor)

PLOT: Orson Fortune (Statham) is a super-spy hired to lead a team of operatives on a mission to retrieve a dangerous weapon, before its current owner – billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds (Grant) – can sell it to the wrong people. In order to infiltrate Simmonds’s inner circle, Fortune and his teammates blackmail Danny Francesco (Hartnett), the Hollywood super-star and Simmonds’s favourite actor, into going undercover with them…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Guy Ritchie reunites with Jason Statham once more for a thrilling spy action-comedy that’s as close as we’ll ever get to a Statham-led Bond movie

2) Joining Ritchie on-screen is a strong ensemble of actors including Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes and Hugh Grant

3) It’s finally being released after a year on the backburner, due to both the collapse of original distributor STX Films and the ongoing war in Ukraine (the film’s villains are Ukrainian mobsters, which wouldn’t have been a good look had this movie been released last year as originally planned)

4) There’s plenty of high-octane action set-pieces, fight choreography, and energetic comedy that all have Ritchie’s stylistic stamp on them

5) Ritchie fans have plenty to look forward to this year, with not just this film but also the director’s war thriller The Covenant (also coming to Prime Video) and a rumoured debut for his television spin-off of The Gentlemen also coming in 2023

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Friday 7^th April 2023

Chupa (dir. Jonás Cuarón)

CAST: Evan Whitten, Demián Bichir, Christian Slater, Nickolas Verdugo, Ashley Ciarra, Cesar Miramontes

CREW: Jonás Cuarón (director, writer), Joe Barnathan, Sean Kennedy Moore, Marcus Rinehart and Tim Sexton (writers), Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe (producers), Carlos Rafael Rivera (composer), Nico Aguilar (cinematographer), Dan Zimmerman (editor)

PLOT: Alex (Whitten) is a shy 13-year-old who travels to Mexico to meet his extended family for the first time, including his grandfather Chava (Bichir) and young cousins Memo (Verdugo) and Luna (Ciarra). Soon, Alex discovers a young mythical chupacabra cub living under Chava’s shed, and begins to form a bond with it as he discovers its history with his family. However, the two of them are thrust onto a journey together when they try to avoid dangerous scientist Richard Quinn (Slater), who is hunting the fabled creature…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Jonás Cuarón, the son of multiple Oscar-winning auteur Alfonso Cuarón, dips his toes into family-friendly territory for the first time with this charming and magical tale

2) The fabled chupacabra, which is said to feast on the blood of livestock, is portrayed in a not-so-sinister light as a direct parallel to the much darker legends

3) There are meaty supporting roles for Christian Slater and Oscar-nominee Demián Bichir, who offer their own share of wisdom and menace to the story

4) Behind the camera, Cuarón has family movie legend Chris Columbus (the director of Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and the first two Harry Potter movies) by his side as a producer

5) There’s plenty of adventure and cutesiness for kids alike, as well as some emotional morals for the slightly older crowd to appreciate

Chupa is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 7^th April 2023

The Portable Door (dir. Jeffrey Walker)

CAST: Christoph Waltz, Sam Neill, Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Rachel House, Jessica De Gouw, Chris Pang, Damon Herriman, Christopher Sommers

CREW: Jeffrey Walker (director), Leon Ford (writer), Todd Fellman and Blanca Lista (producers), Benjamin Speed (composer), Don McAlpine (cinematographer), Geoff Lamb (editor)

PLOT: Paul (Gibson) and Sophie (Wilde) begin working as interns at the mysterious London firm of J.W. Wells & Co., where they soon discover that their employers – including the firm’s CEO Humphrey Wells (Waltz) and its middle manager Dennis Tanner (Neill) – are hiding a secret, magical agenda. When they come across an enchanted door that can transport them anywhere, Paul and Sophie embark on an adventure to uncover the firm’s true intentions…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Author Tom Holt’s fantasy book series, featuring the magical firm of J.W. Wells & Co. – whose origins can be traced back to the Gilbert & Sullivan opera The Sorcerer – is brought to incredibly theatrical life

2) The Jim Henson Company is behind the practical craftwork that has been put into creating this world, largely without the assistance of CGI (though there’ll definitely be some every now and then!)

3) Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill are on menacing form as the central bureaucratic villains, and are joined by other acting veterans like Miranda Otto, Rachel House and Damon Herriman

4) The various London exteriors and interiors would leave you in disbelief to know it was actually all shot in Australia

5) There’s more than a hint of Terry Gilliam’s eccentricity and Steven Spielberg’s whimsy in this enthralling and adventurous modern fantasy tale

The Portable Door is streaming exclusively on Sky Cinema from Friday 7^th April 2023

On a Wing and a Prayer (dir. Sean McNamara)

CAST: Dennis Quaid, Heather Graham, Jesse Metcalfe, Jessi Case, Rocky Myers, Anna Enger Ritch, Brandon Quinn, Rachael Markarian, Brett Rice, Selena Anduze, Wilbur Fitzgerald, James Healy Jr., Mark Rowe

CREW: Sean McNamara (director), Brian Egeston (writer), Autumn Bailey, Roma Downey and Karl Horstmann (producers), Brandon Roberts (composer), Christian Sebaldt (cinematographer), Jeff Canavan (editor)

PLOT: Doug White (Quaid) schedules a charter plane to transport him and his family to their destination, but when their pilot unexpectedly dies mid-flight, they must face the impossible and try to safely land the plane themselves…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Based on incredible real-life events, this inspirational faith-based disaster movie keeps things tense and uplifting at all times

2) The cast is led by the ever-watchable Dennis Quaid, who has strong support from the likes of Heather Graham and Jesse Metcalfe

3) Its strong, positive Christian morals give it a real sense of heart that pulls the viewer through all the drama

4) Despite the harrowing situation, there is an undying hope in humanity which gives it a life-affirming quality

5) Although it was removed from its original theatrical window after Amazon picked up distribution through its newly-acquired MGM, it’s a thrilling experience that can be watched on any screen

On a Wing and a Prayer is streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Friday 7^th April 2023

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WHAT’S RETURNING TO CINEMAS THIS WEEK?

Superman (dir. Richard Donner)

CAST: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Pennine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York, Marc McClure, Sarah Douglas, Harry Andrews, Jeff East, Diane Sherry

CREW: Richard Donner (director), Robert Benton, David Newman, Leslie Newman and Mario Puzo (writers), Pierre Spengler (producer), John Williams (composer), Geoffrey Unsworth (cinematographer), Stuart Baird and Michael Ellis (editor)

PLOT: When the planet Krypton faces imminent destruction, Jor-El (Brando) sends his only son Kal-El across the stars to live on Earth, where he is adopted by the Kents, Jonathan (Ford) and Martha (Thaxter), and raised as their son Clark. Years later, Clark (Reeve) discovers his superpowers, and puts them to use as the hero Superman in the city of Metropolis, where he disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter at the Daily Planet during the day, where he meets and falls for fellow journalist Lois Lane (Kidder). Soon, Clark/Superman faces off against villainous tycoon Lex Luthor (Hackman), who has a destructive plan for power…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) It’s hard to imagine that it’s been 45 years since we first believed a man could fly, but this anniversary re-release of the superhero classic confirms that surprising truth!

2) The film, directed by the late Richard Donner, is considered a pioneer of modern-day effects and technical wizardry, setting the bar for many of the superhero movies we see today

3) It turned Christopher Reeve into a star overnight, and furthered the profile of Hollywood A-listers Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando (who was famously paid a then-massive $3.7 million, plus top-billing and a percentage of the film’s box office gross, despite only having about ten minutes of screentime)

4) Brando isn’t the only surprising connection to The Godfather, for the script was co-written by Mario Puzo, who wrote the original novel and co-wrote the screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola’s cinema classic

5) Even though nearly fifty years have passed, it’s a film where the characters, effects and storytelling all not only hold up, but are practically timeless in their optimistic execution

Superman is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Top Hat (dir. Mark Sandrich)

CAST: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore

CREW: Mark Sandrich (director), Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor (writers), Pandro S. Berman (producer), David Abel (cinematographer), William Hamilton (editor)

PLOT: American showman Jerry Travers (Astaire) travels to London to work for bumbling producer Horace Hardwick (Horton). One night, while demonstrating his new dance moves in Horace’s hotel room, he unknowingly wakes up Dale Trenton (Rogers) on the floor below, but when she goes up to complain, the two of them immediately fall in love – the problem is, Dale thinks that Jerry is Horace…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) Returning to cinemas as part of the BFI’s new season dedicated to Ginger Rogers, Top Hat is considered to be the most famous vehicle for both her and the equally legendary Fred Astaire

2) The two starred in several successful films together across their careers, including Swing Time and Carefree, but it was Top Hat that truly catapulted them to movie stardom in the mid-1930s

3) It features some hugely funny screwball comedy, and a number of timeless song and dance numbers, including the famous number “Cheek to Cheek” which has shown up in things like The Green Mile and even The Boss Baby!

4) This is your chance to experience a real classic of musical cinema on the big screen, where the gorgeous visuals are made even better

5) Keep a close eye out for some then-unknown stars in uncredited bit parts, including Lucille Ball as a flower shop clerk!

Top Hat is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (dir. Terry Jones)

CAST: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terence Bayler, Carol Cleveland, Charles McKeown, Kenneth Colley, Neil Innes, John Young, Gwen Taylor, Sue Jones-Davies, Chris Langham, Andrew MacLachlan, Bernard McKenna, George Harrison, Spike Milligan

CREW: Terry Jones (director, writer), Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Michael Palin (writers), John Goldstone (producer), Geoffrey Burgon (composer), Peter Biziou (cinematographer), Julian Doyle (editor)

PLOT: A man named Brian (Chapman), born by the same stable on the same night as Jesus, grows up in an oppressed Roman city where he falls in with a group of rebels known as the People’s Front of Judea, and ends up being mistaken for the Messiah…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) The timeless Monty Python comedy classic skewers religion and blind faith in hilarious fashion, and you can experience it on the big screen once again in time for Easter weekend

2) It caused a major controversy upon its original release in 1979, with religious groups protesting its apparent blasphemy, and even being banned in countries like Ireland and Norway (prompting the rather brilliant tagline, “So funny, it was banned in Norway!”)

3) Nearly 45 years on, it is regarded as one of the greatest comedies of all time, and a high point for the Monty Python troupe with endlessly quotable scenes and some of their most out-there gags

4) The group originally struggled to acquire funding for the film, only to be saved by ex-Beatle George Harrison who put up a large chunk of his own money for them to actually make it (he can also be seen in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo)

5) You’ll be laughing, crying (from all the laughing), and singing heartily along to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, written by fellow Python Eric Idle specifically for this movie!

Monty Python’s Life of Brian is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

Three Colours: White (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski)

CAST: Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr, Aleksander Bardini, Grzegorz Warchoł, Cezary Harasimowicz, Jerzy Nowak, Jerzy Trela, Teresa Budzisz-Krzyżanowska

CREW: Krzysztof Kieślowski (director, writer), Krzysztof Piesiewicz (writer), Marin Karmitz (producer), Zbigniew Preisner (composer), Edward Klosinski (cinematographer), Urszula Lesiak (editor)

PLOT: After six months of marriage, Polish immigrant Karol (Zamachowski) is asked for a divorce from his French wife Dominique (Delpy), which causes him to lose his friends, his business, and his citizenship status. Left humiliated and forced to beg on the streets of Paris, Karol seeks to rebuild himself and exact revenge on his ex-wife…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

1) The second of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s infamous Three Colours trilogy is, like its companion entries Blue (out now) and Red (out next week), re-released in cinemas with a brand-new 4K restoration

2) It adopts a much lighter and more comedic tone than the other films in the trilogy, with this one being described as a venomous and vengeful battle of the sexes

3) Julie Delpy, who one year later would receive international stardom for her role in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, plays a complex figure who is much more than just the one-note acrimonious ex-wife character

4) As with the other Three Colours films, White is named after and thematically linked to the respective colour on the French flag, which here represents the French Revolutionary ideal of equality

5) Despite it receiving the least critical praise in the trilogy – though its 88% Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t something to truly complain about – it is a bittersweet and darkly funny comedy with plenty on its mind

Three Colours: White is showing in cinemas from Friday 7^th April 2023

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That’s about it for this week – thanks for joining us, and be sure to come back next week for a whole new set of movies to work up an appetite for!

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