MARVEL studios unleashes its next great experimental flick this week, hoping that the Thunderbolts will capture new audiences in the same way the Guardians of the Galaxy did.
Taking a page from their competitor DC’s Suicide Squad films, the premise sees several of the supporting “anti-heroes” from previous Marvel films and television shows thrown together, to see if they can become an action-packed, banter-filled super-team.
Director Jacob Schreier comes from a music video background, and is quite a stylish visual filmmaker, even though his previous films have both been character-driven dramas.
With Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan functioning as the primaries in the team, David Harbour and Wyatt Russel get plenty of time to play things ridiculously large, with the rest of the cast relegated to quiet, stoic supporting roles, or villains such as the one played by Julia Louise-Dreyfuss.
Speaking of experiments, An Unfinished Film releases this week to cinemas playing international pictures.
From Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye, it is being called a “docufiction” film as it follows a film crew (the actual crew of the film playing semi-fictional roles) who plan to finish work on a movie they started 10 years prior.
Unfortunately, they begin by reuniting in Wuhan, 2020.
A fairly low-key and reflective piece, much of what the director wants to explore is the effect that COVID-19 had on the process of filmmaking itself.
Break out your pack of tissues for Tina as it is such a sweet film it will make you cry.
Anapela Polataivoa stars in this New Zealand production by Miki Magasiva as a woman griefstricken by the loss of her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes.
Seeking a new purpose, she takes a job at an upper-class private school, where she starts a choir and teaches the children valuable life-lessons along the way.
Think something like Mr Holland’s Opus – only with an infinitely more appealing leading character,
Also coming out of New Zealand is Forgive Us All, a post-apocalyptic drama in which a bereaved mother (Lily Sullivan) survives by hiding in a remote cabin, until a stranger comes looking for shelter.
Looking to pour a little humanity into an often action-oriented genre, the film is directed by Jordana Stott and features a supporting turn from Aussie Richard Roxburgh.
Ghost Trail is a taut little thriller/drama from France and purports to be based on a true story.
The story follows Hamid (played by Adam Bessa), a Syrian national who joins an organisation dedicated to hunting leaders of the oppressive regime across the world.
Hamid’s motivation is very personal though, as he seeks the man responsible for his torture in the notorious “Human Slaughterhouse”, Sednaya Prison.
For the highly literary-minded comes an adaptation of an esteemed 19th Century novel Uncle Silas in the Irish production Lies We Tell.
Maud (Agnes O’Casey) has just lost her father, inheriting his substantial fortune.
Unfortunately, she is only 16 and a woman, and as such is required to be placed in the care of her Uncle Silas (David Wilmot), who may not have her best interests at heart.
This is the kind of film that, years later, is referred to as the starting point of an impressive career.
The performances and craft in filmmaking is top notch, creating a tense and gripping thriller.
The Dumpling Queen is a rare little gem from China – a biopic of Zang Jianhe, the founder of a well-known food brand “Wanchai Ferry”.
A sort of rags-to-riches tale, Zang was abandoned by her husband and left with two daughters and a poor education.
Finding her feet selling home-made dumplings as a street vendor, she eventually builds an empire.
The cinematography and performances are just fine in this picture, if nothing special, and for audiences that don’t mind reading subtitles this could be an intriguing trip visit to the movies.
By Lindsay HALL
