Author Archives: filmonsundayadmin

Love & Mercy

Love & Mercy presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer and songwriter. Set against the era-defining catalogue of The Beach Boys’ music, the film intimately examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of the icon whose success came at an extraordinary personal cost.  Paul Dano (War and Peace) and John Cusack convincingly portray the younger and older Brian Wilson.

Cert 12A – USA 2014
Director: Bill Pohlad – Running time: 121 minutes – Language: English
Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks

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Brooklyn

Brooklyn tells the moving story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. The novelty of her new life and love is soon disrupted by events at home and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives and men that exist within both. Sensitively adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Toibin’s bestselling novel, Brooklyn exudes a magnificence using sumptuous cinematography that at once feels both old and new.

Cert 12A – UK 2015
Director: John Crowley – Running time: 111 minutes – Language: English
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson

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‘Y Llyfrgell’ (The Library Suicides)

library-suicides_thumb_2016-17

When famous author Elana Wdig commits suicide, her twin daughters, librarians Nan and Ana are lost without her.  Elana’s final words suggest that her biographer Eben murdered her.  One night, the twins set off to avenge their mother’s death at the National Library of Wales, but are disrupted by night porter Dan, who is unwittingly caught up in the saga

Welsh with English subtitles

Amomalisa

Michael Stone is a depressed customer service guru who struggles to connect with others, until one day he meets a stranger – an extraordinary stranger called Lisa – who could be the cure for his negative outlook on life.  Anomalisa is a thought-provoking and tender animation about the often crushing dilemmas and challenges brought by midlife crisis in the modern world. The most human film of the year and it doesn’t star a single human.

Cert 15 – USA 2015
Director: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman – Running time: 96 minutes – Language: English
Cast: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh

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Timbuktu

timbuktuIn the dunes outside Timbuktu, Kidame, a cattle farmer, has built up a peaceful life with his wife, daughter and a young shepherd boy. Meanwhile, the Jihadis have taken over Timbuktu and are intent on imposing their version of Islam on its citizens where music, laughter, cigarettes, and even soccer have been banned.  Kidame’s isolation ends when a quarrel with a neighbour gets him embroiled in the perverted Jihadi justice system.  A cry from the heart about bigotry, arrogance and violence, Sissako’s film also seeks to understand the motivation behind those responsible for the oppression. Despite the sobering nature of the subject, Timbuktu revels in the joy of people, music and film, making this a witty, beautiful and highly memorable film.

Cert PG – France/Mauritania 2015
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako – Running time: 110 minutes – Language: French/Arabic
Cast: Ibraham Ahmed, Layla Walet Mohamed, Abel Jafri

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Dark Horse

dark-horseIn 2000, a group of working class people from a depressed mining community in South Wales conceived the idea of organising a syndicate to breed a racehorse: drinkers in the bar would get a share in return for a weekly £10 sub.  This is the true unlikely story of Dream Alliance, the racehorse raised on the local allotments who rose through the ranks to win the Welsh Grand National.  Director Osmond uses old amateur video footage and TV excerpts to emphasize the truly amazing feats of the horse and its owners. The clash of cultures when the villagers encounter the millionaire owners and race-goers provides some gentle comedy but the predominant theme is that of determination and perseverance against the odds.

Cert PG – UK 2015 – Director: Louise Osmond
Running time: 86 minutes – Language: English
Cast: Jan Vokes, Brian Vokes, Howard Davies

Seven Boxes

seven-boxesVíctor, a 17 year old wheelbarrow leader, dreams of becoming famous, often absorbed by the TV in the appliance store in the Municipal Market. He receives an unusual proposal, to carry 7 boxes of unknown content, in exchange for a torn half of a $ 100 bill. He will get the other half when he finishes the job. With a borrowed cell phone, the contractor uses to tell him the way, Víctor embarks on the journey. Crossing the eight blocks of the market seemed easy but things get complicated along the way. There is something in those boxes that starts a high-speed wheelbarrow chase in the secret and gloomy corridors of the market. This is a low-budget but inventive and tense crime thriller grounded in social realism.

Cert 15 – Paraguay 2014 – Director: Juan Carlos Maneglia
Running time: 100 minutes – Language: Spanish
Cast: Celsa Sebastian Franco, Victor Sosa

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What we Did on our Holiday

what-we-did-on-our-holidayDoug and Abi (David Tennant and Rosamund Pike) drive their three children to Scotland for Doug’s father’s seventy-fifth birthday.  Surrounded by relatives, the kids innocently reveal the secrets of their family life.  Grandfather Gordy (played by a perfectly cast Billy Connolly) has had enough of his two miserable sons and their wives but strikes up a charming friendship with his grandchildren and takes them off for an adventure with unforeseen consequences. This delightful British film, from the creators of Outnumbered, is all about the important things in life.

Cert PG – UK 2014 – Director: Andy Hamilton
Running time: 95 minutes – Language: English
Cast: David Tennant, Rosamund Pike,  Billy Connolly

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Pride

pridePride is inspired by an extraordinary true story. It’s the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers’ families. Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person. As the strike drags on, the two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union.

15 cert – UK 2014 – Director: Matthew Warchus
Running time: 119 minutes – Language: English
Cast: Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West

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Like Father Like Son

like-father-like-sonRyota is a successful Tokyo architect who works long hours to provide for his wife and six-year-old son, Keita. But when a blood test reveals Keita and another baby were switched at birth, two very different families are thrown together and forced to make a difficult decision. This is a subtle and perceptive examination of family life and the importance of nature and nurture.

PG cert – Japan 2013 – Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Running time: 121 minutes – Language: Japanese
Cast: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yoko Maki