SEVEN FILMS TO SEE THIS WEEK
Manchester by the Sea Streaming on Netflix
All-star fare from Kenneth Lonergan, with a story by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, and starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams. The plot follows a man after his brother dies and he is entrusted with caring for his teenage nephew. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016, and went on to win Oscars for Best Actor for Affleck and Best Screenplay for Damon and Krasinski.
No Country for Old Men Monday, Paramount, 10pm
Many critics, including Roger Ebert, have called No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers’ greatest work. I’d hesitate to make such a bold statement when the duo’s catalogue includes gems such as Fargo, The Big
Lebowski and Barton Fink, but the pair rarely put out a dud, and this film is no exception. It’s at once a Western, a gothic drama and a suspenseful thriller. Javier Bardem became the first Spanish actor ever to pick up an Oscar for his role as hitman Anton Chigurh, on the tail of Josh Brolin’s hapless protagonist, who quickly learns that finding US$2million (Dh7.3m) in an abandoned briefcase isn’t always a dream come true. The feature also picked up Best Picture among its four Academy Awards.
Jackie Brown Tuesday, Paramount, 10pm
Jackie Brown is unique in the Quentin Tarantino canon – it’s the only time the director has ever made a movie adapted from someone else’s work, in this case Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch. Pam Grier stars as the titular flight stewardess, with a sideline in running dirty money between Mexico and the United States, the supporting cast includes Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda and Tarantino mainstay, Samuel L Jackson. What a truly heavyweight back-up crew. Jackson even lists the movie as his favourite Tarantino film, and he should know – he’s been in most of them.
Tully Wednesday, OSN Box Office 1, midnight and 2 am
This 2018 comedy-drama is directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, the pair’s fourth collaboration following Juno (2007),
Jennifer’s Body (2009), and Young Adult (2011). It stars Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, and Ron Livingston, and follows the friendship between a mother of three and her nanny. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from critics, in particular praising Theron and Davis’s performances and the film’s portrayal of parenthood.
The Mighty Celt Thursday, Sundance TV, 3.25pm
An entertaining and quirky drama set in Northern Ireland immediately after the end of the country’s long-running “Troubles”. Director Pearse Elliott gathers together an impressive cast including Gillian Anderson and Robert Carlyle for a story focused on greyhound racing in a Catholic community amid the lingering shadow of the years of violence. The film was well-received in Ireland, with Anderson winning an Irish Film and Television Academy Award for Best International Actress.
Outlaw King Netflix
Due out on Netflix this weekend, Scottish director David MacKenzie’s passion project stars Chris Pine as the legendary Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, who united Scotland in opposition to English occupation in the 13th and 14th centuries. The film opened the Toronto festival in September; however, critics weren’t too kind, particularly regarding the epic 137-minute run time. MacKenzie has since revealed that he submitted a rushed version of the film in order to make the opening slot, and has been back into the editing room to significantly recut the feature, including shaving 20 minutes off the bladdertesting run time. We’ll see how the new version holds up on Friday.
Guardians of the Galaxy Saturday, OSN Movies, 7.05am
The GotG franchise is currently in limbo following the sacking of writer/ director James Gunn over a tasteless joke on Twitter a decade ago, so while we wait to find out who, if anyone, will now look after the third instalment and how it might turn out, take the opportunity to enjoy the Guardians in the days when they were indisputably the irreverent, wise-cracking, snotty kids of the MCU stable (pictured below). Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper are the titular not-so-super heroes in Gunn’s big, brash barnstormer. It’s basically the tale of five Deadpools, but with less swearing.