Happy New Year, everyone! 2023 is going to be a hell of a year, and not just because of all the amazing films due to come out over the next twelve months – this year marks the 10^th anniversary of Film Feeder, and some very big changes are on the horizon! For starters, we’ve got a brand-new approach to our weekly previews:

• All the new releases are now collected into a single, easily accessible page (saving you from having to jump from one to the other every time!)

• Major re-releases of classic films will be included on this list for the first time, offering audiences a chance to be aware of their presence amongst the weekly offerings

• Instead of just one reason to get excited for each film, we now have FIVE – just to show how much we’re really excited about each and every new film that comes out, whether it’s in cinemas, on streaming, or any other platform!

This week kicks off this new format in exciting fashion, with films that feature plenty of Hollywood A-listers from Tom Hanks to Christian Bale, some underground festival favourites, and the return of an influential Japanese masterpiece…

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: A Man Called Otto (dir. Marc Forster)

CAST: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Mike Birbiglia

CREW: Marc Forster, director; David Magee, writer; Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Fredrik Wikström and Rita Wilson, producers; Thomas Newman, composer; Matthias Koenigswieser, cinematographer; Matt Chessé, editor

PLOT: Otto Anderson (Hanks), a grumpy and anti-social retired widower, constantly finds his plans to put an end to his miserable life rudely interrupted by his new neighbours, including the very pregnant Marisol (Treviño) with whom he develops an unlikely bond with…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Tom Hanks, officially Hollywood’s Nicest Man©, takes on a far less nicer role than we’re used to seeing from him

• It’s an English-language remake of the Oscar-nominated Swedish film A Man Called Ove, itself based on Fredrik Backman’s novel of the same name

• Director Marc Forster and writer David Magee, who previously struck gold together with the J.M. Barrie biopic Finding Neverland, reunite for another light-hearted drama

• Thomas Newman, the legendary composer of modern classics like American Beauty and Finding Nemo, provides the musical score

• Despite the somewhat dark subject matter, it promises a feel-good vibe that may just brighten your January blues!

A Man Called Otto is showing in cinemas from Friday 6^th January 2023

WHAT ELSE IS COMING OUT THIS WEEK?

Till (dir. Chinonye Chukwu)

CAST: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, Riger Guenveur Smith

CREW: Chinonye Chukwu, director, writer; Keith Beauchamp and Michael Reilly, writers, producers; Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine and Frederick Zollo, producers; Abel Korzeniowski, composer; Bobby Bukowski, cinematographer; Ron Patane, editor

PLOT: In 1955, young African-American boy Emmett Till (Hall) is brutally murdered by white supremacists in Mississippi, after being accused of whistling at white woman Carolyn Bryant (Bennett). In the wake of his murder, Emmett’s mother Mamie Till (Deadwyler) becomes a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The devastating murder of Emmett Till, which became a tragic milestone in the Civil Rights Movement, is the focus of this quietly moving historical drama

• Danielle Deadwyler, a stand-out in Jeymes Samuel’s cool-as-hell Western The Harder They Fall, is gaining serious awards buzz for her powerful lead turn as Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till

• It is the third, and by far the most prolific yet, feature from director and co-writer Chinonye Chukwu, who previously won acclaim for her death row drama Clemency, starring BAFTA-nominee Alfre Woodard

• There’s great supporting talent both in front of and behind the camera, from actors like Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett and former Doctor Who companion Tosin Cole, to 007’s very own Barbara Broccoli and Whoopi Goldberg (who also features in the film) as producers

• With racial discrimination, prejudice and civil rights all once again dominant in the news, this is an important story to see and hear in today’s world

Till is showing in cinemas from Friday 6^th January 2023

The Pale Blue Eye (dir. Scott Cooper)

CAST: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall, Robert Duvall, Hadley Robinson, Joey Brooks, Brennan Keel Cook, Gideon Glick, Fred Hechinger, Matt Helm, Steven Maier, Charlie Tahan

CREW: Scott Cooper, director, writer, producer; Christian Bale, John Lesher and Tyler Thompson, producers; Howard Shore, composer; Masanobu Takayanagi, cinematographer; Dylan Tichenor, editor

PLOT: In 1830, world-weary detective Augustus Landor (Bale) is hired to investigate a series of brutal murders at the snowy New York fort of the United States Military Academy. Mystified by the soldiers’ unusual code of silence, Landor recruits young cadet Edgar Allan Poe (Melling) to dive deeper into the conspiracy…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Christian Bale reunites with filmmaker Scott Cooper for the third time after headlining both his dark thriller Out of the Furnace and his brutal Western Hostiles

• It’s something of a passion project for Cooper, who’s been developing this adaptation of the Louis Bayard novel for more than a decade

• There are ties to real-life history, most notably the inclusion of famed gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe as a supporting character, played here by Harry Potter veteran Harry Melling

• Fans of dark detective mysteries will find plenty to ogle at, from the sinister and moodily-lit atmosphere to the unpredictable plot with lots of disturbing twists

• Bale and Melling are supported by a great ensemble cast, including towering character actors like Toby Jones and Timothy Spall, and screen legends like Robert Duvall and Gillian Anderson

The Pale Blue Eye is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 6^th January 2023 (it is currently playing in cinemas)

The Enforcer (dir. Richard Hughes)

CAST: Antonio Banderas, Kate Bosworth, Mojean Aria, Alexis Ren, Zolee Griggs, 2 Chainz, Mark Smith, Luke Bouchier, Aaron Cohen, Kika Georgiou, Kostas Sommer, Christos Vasilopoulos, Vivian Milkova

CREW: Richard Hughes, director; W. Peter Iliff, writer; Natalie Burn, Jeffrey Greenstein, Yariv Lerner, Robert Van Norden, Les Weldon and Jonathan Yunger, producers; Giorgio Giampà, composer; Callan Green, cinematographer; Damian F. Gomez and Mattias Morheden, editors

PLOT: Cuda (Banderas), a top enforcer for the Miami mob, discovers that young drifter Billie (Griggs), whom he has befriended, has become embedded in a sinister trafficking scheme at the bequest of his boss Estelle (Bosworth). Now, he must risk everything he has built for himself in order to rescue Billie from her fate…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Antonio Banderas goes full Liam Neeson in an action-thriller lead role where he shines as a true anti-hero

• It’s the directorial debut of short filmmaker Richard Hughes, whose older brother Patrick has helmed recent action hits like The Expendables 3 and The Hitman’s Bodyguard

• It’s been described as a high-octane blend of Man on Fire and John Wick, which in and of itself is pretty awesome

• Kate Bosworth gets to slither into a full-on villain performance, as femme fatale mob boss Estelle

• Rapper 2 Chainz makes his feature acting debut here in a small but memorable role

The Enforcer is showing in cinemas from Friday 6^th January 2023

Piggy (dir. Carlota Pereda)

CAST: Laura Galán, Richard Holmes, Carmen Machi, Claudia Salas, Irene Ferreiro, Camille Aguilar, José Pastor, Pilar Castro, Julián Valcárcel, Fernando Delgado-Hierro, Chema del Barco

CREW: Carlota Pereda, director, writer; Merry Colomer and David Atlan Jackson, producers; Olivier Arson, composer; Rita Noriega, cinematographer; David Pelegrín, editor

PLOT: Sara (Galán) is a teen girl who is constantly bullied by her peers for her size. Later, she witnesses her bullies being kidnapped by a mysterious man (Holmes), and her response triggers a haunting chain reaction throughout her town…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The film is a feature expansion of Spanish filmmaker Carlota Pereda’s award-winning 2018 short of the same name

• It has been shocking audiences at numerous festivals, from Sundance to FrightFest

• Young actor Laura Galán delivers a captivating psychological lead performance

• Fat-shamers get their just desserts within the film’s poignant social commentary on bullying and vengeance

• While it is set in Spain and made by Spanish filmmakers, the film is also a French co-production with the country’s prolific Backup Studios partially funding the production

Piggy is showing in cinemas from Friday 6^th January 2023

Alcarràs (dir. Carla Simón)

CAST: Jordi Pujol Dolcet, Anna Otin, Xènia Roset, Albert Bosch, Ainet Jounou, Josep Abad, Montse Oró, Carles Cabós, Berta Pipó

CREW: Carla Simón, director, writer; Arnau Vilaró, writer; Tono Folguera, Sergi Moreno, Stefan Schmitz and María Zamora, producers; Andrea Koch, composer; Daniela Cajías, cinematographer; Ana Pfaff, editor

PLOT: A family of peach farmers living on a large Catalonian estate find themselves facing uncertain times when the landowner suddenly dies and his heir decides to sell the land…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón puts the emphasis on family for her sophomore feature, after the well-received Summer 1993

• It’s been selected as Spain’s official entry for the International Feature Film Oscar at next year’s ceremony

• Regardless of whether or not it scores the nomination, it’s already a winner – it received the coveted Golden Bear award at last year’s Berlin Film Festival, becoming the first Catalan-language film to do so

• The cast is made up almost entirely of non-professional actors, ensuring a much more realistic and naturalist vibe

• Based on some early reviews, it looks to be an emotional rollercoaster that transcends its language into universality

Alcarràs is showing in cinemas from Friday 6^th January 2023 (it will be streaming exclusively on MUBI from Friday 24^th February 2023)

Rashomon (dir. Akira Kurosawa) [RE-RELEASE]

CAST: Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, Noriko Honma, Daisuke Katō

CREW: Akira Kurosawa, director, writer, editor; Shinobu Hashimoto, writer; Minoru Jingo, producer; Fumio Hayasaka, composer; Kazuo Miyagawa, cinematographer

PLOT: In ancient Japan, a terrible crime occurs – a noblewoman (Kyō) is raped by the bandit Tajōmaru (Mifune), and her samurai husband (Mori) is killed. However, when the case is brought to court, four separate versions of the events come to light, casting doubt on what the actual truth may be…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Akira Kurosawa’s influential 1950 masterpiece returns to cinemas as part of the BFI’s new season celebrating the work of the legendary Japanese auteur

• It is widely considered to be the film that put Japanese cinema on the map, and led to the introduction of the competitive Best International Feature Film Oscar

• The film is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made, with filmmakers like Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman and John Huston citing it as one of their favourite movies

• Its unique storytelling method inspired a popular cinematic device known as “the Rashomon effect”, which offers several different perspectives of a single event

• This is a rare opportunity to see a real international classic on the big screen, so make sure you seek it out wherever it may be available

Rashomon is showing in cinemas from Friday 6^th January 2023

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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