Back again after Sunderland Shorts Film Festival!
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…
Frantz (12A) (2016) (BBC iPlayer)
Francois Ozon’s moving drama serves as a warning from history. Anna is a bereft young German woman whose fiancé, Frantz, was killed in the trenches of World War I. Adrien, a French veteran of the war, makes a mysterious appearance in her town, placing flowers on Frantz’s grave. As Adrien’s presence is met with resistance by the small community still reeling from Germany’s defeat, Anna gradually becomes closer to this handsome and haunted stranger, and learns of his link with Frantz….
The Harder They Fall (15) (2021) (Netflix)
Jeymes Samuel’s rip-roaring western is a stylish ride through the genre starring Jonathan Majors as outlaw Nat Love, who discovers that his enemy Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) is being released from prison. Rounding up his gang to track Rufus down and seek revenge, the scene is set for a game of cat and mouse. Also starring Zazie Beetz, Edi Gathegi, Regina King and LaKeith Stanfield, The Harder They Fall is unadulterated entertainment!
Picnic At Hanging Rock (PG) (1975) (All 4)
Peter Weir’s enigmatic and unsettling masterpiece of Australian cinema is the 1900s-set story of Miranda (Anne Lambert), who attends a girls boarding school. One Valentine’s Day, the school’s typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It’s not until the end of the day that the teachers realise the girls, and one of their teachers have disappeared mysteriously into the wilderness….
Heat (15) (1995) (Amazon Prime)
Michael Mann’s electric 1995 thriller grabbed the headlines through its infamous coffee shop scene, which united Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino onscreen for the first time. However, Heat is so much more: a story of career-criminal Neil McCauley (De Niro), planning one last big heist before he escapes from his life of crime. Wrestling with his disparate crew (including Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) and his burgeoning romance with new love Eady (Amy Brennerman). Meanwhile Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is on McCauley’s tail, and dealing with the chaos in his own personal life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). As the pair collide, they realise a grudging respect for one another….
We’d love to hear what you think of the films we recommend – let us know!
See you next week,
Chris & Jonny
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