Photo: © Paramount Pictures
This Week At The Kino: January 13
Unlike last week, this Thursday’s new releases have all managed to keep their theatrical windows and there’s something for everyone: a slasher sequel that delivers the gory goods, a fantastic directorial debut centered on the porn industry, and an Oscar-touted fable about a doomed royal.
Photo: © Paramount Pictures
What a relief it is to report that this fifth chapter in the Scream franchise does not tarnish the good Scream name. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, the duo behind the excellent Ready Or Not, this 2022 chapter delivers the slasher goods in a fun, inventive and at times impressively gruesome fashion. While occasionally a tad repetitive, it’s well worth seeing and should satisfy fans of the series. Read on.
Photo: Weltkino
This debut feature from Swedish writer-director Ninja Thyberg’s is my pick of the week. It’s a thought-provoking, sexually explicit and frequently funny exploration of the porn world that reverses the male gaze and penetrates the industry from different angles. Read my full review here.
I had the *cough* pleasure of interviewing Ninja Thyberg, who spoke to me about her layered examination of a stigmatised world and how she strived to show the real people behind the stereotypes. Read the full interview.
Photo: Courtesy of Pablo Larra
Spencer is Pablo Larraín’s unconventional psychological fable that follows the late Diana Spencer (Kristen Stewart) over the course of a three-day Christmas stay at the royal Sandringham estate. It’s an odd beast that is, for better and for worse, surprising. Many believe that it’s heading for awards glory… I have my reservations. Read on.
There we have it. Keep safe and enjoy your screenings.
Lamb is out this week (Photo credit: A24)
Welcome back and happy 2022 to you all!
The release slate for the month of January is starting to look a little lean, as several films have been pushed back at the last minute… Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers and the stunning What Do We See When We Look At The Sky? are two early casualties of Omicron, and let’s hope that they get new release dates sharpish.
That said, this first week of January is a simple one to guide you through: there’s one must-see and one must-avoid. Let’s start things off by accentuating the positive…
Lamb is the film of the week (photo credit: A24)
Lamb is the debut film by Icelandic filmmaker Valdimar Jóhannsson, about a couple, Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), who adopt a child that’s woollier than your average bundle of joy… It’s a strange and moody fable that walks a tightrope between atmospheric body-horror inflected chiller and deadpan comedy. It also shares some interesting parallels with last year’s Cannes winner, Titane. Read on to find out more, and long live the new woolly flesh!
The King’s Man is the flop of the week (photo credit: MARV)
After nine proposed release dates and two years since its original November 2019 release date, we get this third chapter in the Kingsman franchise, The King’s Man. Matthew Vaughn’s prequel is a tonally muddled and mediocre affair that really should have gone directly to streaming or DVD. Here’s why.
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS
City Hall is screening at this year’s Unknown Pleasures film festival.
On the events front, head to Unknown Pleasures festival, which is well under way at Arsenal and lasts until Jan 19. The 12th edition of the American Independent Film Festival presents a selection of current independent films from the US, with a focus on socio-political tensions told from an autobiographical perspective. From Mona Fastvold’s award-winning The World To Come to Skinner Myers’ debut film The Sleeping Negro and Frederick Wiseman’s City Hall, here are our recommendations for the festival.
There we have it. Great to have you back and happy screenings!
