Chris & Jonny’s Film (in the) House Watch List
Friday 11th September 2020
Whilst the world is on pause and your Filmhouse Sunderland visits aren’t possible, we’re keeping the independent cinema flag flying with our new weekly watch lists from Chris & Jonny, the people behind the project.
Each Friday, we’ll post a list of four films that are currently available across BBC iPlayer, All4, Netflix and Amazon Prime that we think you should seek out.
This week’s selection is…
Citizen Kane (U) (1941) (BBC iPlayer)
Can it really be almost 80 years since Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane was released?
Written, produced and directed by a man of only 25 years of age and incredibly influential in every area of production and design to this day, Citizen Kane is forever relevant. If you haven’t yet seen it, watch it now and you’ll see a film modern in structure and with a gobsmacking performance at its heart. Welles propels the character of publishing magnate Kane forward through decades, as the story of his life is slowly uncovered by reporters desperate to find the meaning of his final word – “Rosebud.”
Mary and The Witch’s Flower (U) (2017) (All 4)
Featuring the voices of Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent, this beautiful animation for all the family comes from Oscar nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi – animator on Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s the story of Mary, a young girl who discovers a flower that grants magical powers for just one night. Living in the country with her great Aunt and bored, when she discovers the titular flower in a nearby forest she is whisked off to a mysterious school of magic. However, the school has a dark secret… A beautiful story of a young girl trying to find her place, Mary and The Witch’s Flower is endlessly inventive and stunning to watch.
The Shiny Shrimps (15) (2019) (Netflix)
A HUGE hit in its native France, this gallic comedy will leave you with a big smile on your face! When French swimming champion Matthias makes a homophobic remark on national TV it puts his promising career at risk. To make amends, he is made coach of The Shiny Shrimps, an amateur and unmotivated gay swimming team who are hoping to get to the gay games in Croatia. Can Matthias motivate the team – and what will they teach him? Deftly avoiding stereotypes, and with much to say on inclusivity issues, The Shiny Shrimps is wonderful, inspirational and exuberant fun. Do not miss!
Booksmart (15) (2019) (Amazon Prime)
Olivia Wilde’s fast and funny comedy is a true delight. Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Holly (Beanie Feldstein) are two high schoolers just about to graduate and head off to college. Academic superstars, the best friends suddenly realise that their pursuit of grades has had a major impact on the amount of fun they’ve had. Should they have worked less and played more? Determined to catch up with their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night. Warm and hilarious, Booksmart is terrific fun, and puts a great new spin on the coming of age film.
We’d love to hear what you think of the films we recommend – let us know!
See you next week,
Chris & Jonny