Cinema That Dares

The Essential Must-See U.S. Tough Guy Cinema

Keeping It In The Family

The Pass – Best of British

The Best of Greta Gerwig Films

Salma Hayek’s Best films

5 Matthias Schoenaerts Films You Need To Watch

Top Ten Wartime Romances

The backdrop of war has often provided an epic setting for some of the greatest romances in cinematic history, as audiences’ appetite for tragic love stories shows no sign of abating. To celebrate the release of Testament of Youth, out now on digital platform and on Blu-ray and DVD from 25th May 2015, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment, we take a look at some of the greatest wartime romances to hit the screen... tissues at the ready!

Testament of Youth (2014)

Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), irrepressible, intelligent and free-minded, overcomes the prejudices of her family and hometown to win a scholarship to Oxford. With everything to live for, she falls in love with her brother’s close friend Roland Leighton (Kit Harington) as they go to University to pursue their literary dreams. But the First World War is looming and as the boys leave for the front Vera realises she cannot sit idly by as her peers fight for their country, so volunteers as a nurse. Both Vikander and Harington bring a wonderful playfulness to their initial courtship (with brilliant comedic support from Joanna Scanlan as their chaperone), and as the war separates them evolve this chemistry into something utterly moving.

Cold Mountain (2003)

This critically acclaimed wartime epic tells the story of Confederate soldier Inman (Jude Law) who undertakes a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina, in order to reunite with his sweetheart, Ada (Nicole Kidman), the woman he left behind to fight in the Civil War. Along the way, he meets a long line of interesting characters, all the while avoiding the soldiers tasked with hunting deserters. Parallel to his story is Ada’s, as she struggles to learn the ropes of managing her deceased father's farm with help from the scatty, no-nonsense Ruby (an Oscar-winning turn from Renée Zellweger), all the while fantasising about the return of her lost love. Kidman and Law spend hardly any screen time together, yet their brilliant, yearning performances more than make up for this to illustrate their desperation and longing to reunite.

Birdsong (2012)

This BBC mini-series based on Sebastian Faulk’s novel recounts the life and times of Stephen Wraysford (Eddie Redmayne). An English soldier fighting in the trenches of Northern France during WWI, he is continually haunted by the memories of the French Isabelle (Clémence Poésy), a married woman he had an affair with 6 years previously. Redmayne and Poésy are perfectly cast as the impetuous lovers, while the backdrop of a balmy summer in provincial France perfectly captures the claustrophobia and repression of their predicament.

Atonement (2007)

This heartbreaking wartime drama based on Ian McEwan’s bestselling novel boasts a stellar cast, including Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saiorse Ronan, Benedict Cumberbatch and Vanessa Redgrave. When the budding romance between Cecilia Tallis (Knightley) and Robbie Turner (McAvoy) is cut brutally short following a lie told by Bryony Tallis (Ronan), the repercussions span several decades. After choosing the army over prison, Robbie is stationed at Dunkirk, while Cecilia takes a role as a nurse in London. Knightley provides a masterfully reserved turn as the stoic Cecilia, while McAvoy’s take on the morally upstanding, innocent and fundamentally kind Robbie is completely heartbreaking – and special mention must be given to Wright’s masterful tackling of the novel’s twist ending.

Casablanca (1942)

This classic WWII drama, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart as former lovers Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, takes place in unoccupied Casablanca and is responsible for one of the most mis-quoted movie lines of all time. When the Nazi Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) goes above and beyond to appease him- including detaining Czechoslovak underground leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Lazslo’s partner is Ilsa, who ran out on Blaine in Paris and left him completely embittered. But when it transpires that her reasons were honourable, the pair hatch a plan to run off together again, and pick up where they left off...

The English Patient (1996)

Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this multi-award winning epic based on Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed romance set against the backdrop of WWII. In a field hospital in Italy, nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck. Hana determines mid evacuation that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. Slowly, she begins to piece together the patient's story told in flashbacks. She discovers that her charge is in fact the Hungarian Count Laszlo Almásy (Ralph Fiennes) –who while mapping unchartered territory in North Africa, was thrown together with English couple Geoffrey (Colin Firth) and Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott-Thomas) resulting in an affair which lead him to betray not only his friend, but his country.

The End of the Affair (1955)

Adapted by Lenore Coffee from Graham Greene’s novel, this classic stars Van Johnson as Maurice Bendrix, the clandestine lover of married Sarah Miles (Deborah Kerr). When Maurice disappears during the London blitz, Sarah is overwhelmed with guilt, feeling that her unfaithfulness has led to Maurice to be placed in danger. In a fit of desperation she prays for his safe return, promising to end the affair if only his life is spared... and the rest is in the title. Featuring wonderfully emotionally complex performances from all the leads, the film is also notable for a standout performance from John Mills, as the private detective hired by Sarah’s husband Henry (Peter Cushing) to keep tabs on her whereabouts. 

Gone with the Wind (1939)

One of the most beloved movies of all time, and winner of ten Academy Awards, including for Hattie McDaniel’s and Vivien Leigh’s performances, Gone with the Wind follows the life of spoiled, pampered Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara (Leigh). After discovering a former beau is engaged, Scarlett’s behaviour leads her straight into the arms of the wayward Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), the black sheep of a wealthy Charleston family, who is instantly fascinated by the spirited, self-absorbed Scarlett. The movie’s action continues, through the American Civil War, the burning of Atlanta, Scarlett’s journey from riches to poverty, and three marriages, all the way to the now-classic closing line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Life is Beautiful (1997)

This stunning tragicomedy was directed by Roberto Benigni and also garnered him a best leading actor Academy Award. Set in 1939, Benigni plays Jewish-Italian Guido Orefice working as a waiter to fund his plans to open a bookshop. When he meets a school teacher named Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), his effervescent humour ultimately sweeps her off her feet. On the fifth birthday of their son Giosué (Giorgio Cantarini), World War II is in full force, and since they are Jewish, the Germans take away Guido and Giosué to a labour camp. Wanting to be with her family, Dora insists she goes too, but is taken to the women's side of the camp. In an attempt to protect Giosué from the horror of their situation and ensure they are not separated, Guido tells him that they are playing a game, in which he can win points by staying out of sight of the guards. The first to win 1000 points wins a real tank. Guido's primary goal is to keep Giosué safe at all cost, while he desperately tries to find out a way to get his family out of the camp and keep the Germans at bay before they discover Giosué.

Shining Through (1992)

David Seltzer's adaptation of Susan Issacs' novel is set during WWII, and stars Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas as work colleagues who ultimately become lovers. When Linda Voss (Griffith) applies for a job with international lawyer Ed Leland (Douglas), he hires her immediately upon discovering she is fluent in German. He’s an undercover OSS officer in need of a German translator, but when America enters the war, he abandons his practice to become a full-time spy. Meanwhile Linda travels to Berlin to infiltrate the Nazis and find out more about "a bomb that can fly by itself" ... as well as desperately searching for the whereabouts of her Jewish relatives.

Testament of Youth is available now  on digital platforms  and on Blu-ray and DVD from 25th May 2015, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

MUBI Selects - Friday 24th April 2015

The weekend is over, time to relax, wind down after the hard slog of the week.Refuel your brain with sophistication andour latest selection of  MUBI Selects.

In our latest weekly 'Mubi Selects' we've teamed with MUBI the purveyors of great cinema online curating a great selection of cult, classic, independent, and award-winning movies. It's an international community discovering wonderful intelligent thought provoking films MUBI is your passport to those great films.

MUBI unleash great new films every week and in our MUBI Selects we've picked  a selection of those great movies  help you enjoy that lazy weekend you desire...

I Love Beijing (2000)| Ning Ying

Asia and China especially have delivered some intriguing filmmakers Ning Ying is one of the '5th Generation' however she hasn't attracted the fame that other 5th generation like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. She is more modest but some say more naturalistic visionary of her country finding the bleakness, the hope and the toll of modernisation of China.Its a tale of wandering Beijing Taxi driver who drives the streets adrift aimlessly adrift looking for women like Beijing looking for its identity as tradition fades, future uncertain. I love Beijing may have not aged well but captures the emptiness of life in that decade.


Youth Of The Beast (1963) | Seijun Suzuki

He's was given the boilerplate of action but gave the world satire pop-art gangster films, Seijun Suzuki helped mould the 'Yakuza' movie.Japanese New Wave? Possibly,brutality that came with the urban myth of the Yakuza can be seen here but you feel it was a production made under constant state of agitation. Youth Of The Beast tells the tale of a mysterious stranger who muscles his way into rival gangs in The Tokyo underworld which is now overan with violence. Flamboyant, absurd,hallucinatory, trademark Suzuki.


The Conformist (1970) | Bernardo Bertolucci

Masterpiece is the first thing anyone says when someone mentions The Conformist.It's Italian filmmaking goes French New Wave in the perfect example of wartorn Italy and the power of ideology. As a weak man becomes a patsy of fascism sent out to assassinate is old teacher a now political dissident. Beautiful cinematography a style that would inspire many great films that followed this from Godfather to Blade Runner.


Why not give up on those expensive chain coffees once a while, to enjoy the weekend and every day great films at MUBI? click below to get more info on the other fantastic films on offer...

MUBI Selects - Friday 10th April 2015

It's the weekend again which only mean its time for relaxation, wind down after the hard slog of the week.Refuel your brain with sophistication and MUBI Selects.

In our latest weekly 'Mubi Selects' we've teamed with MUBI the purveyors of great cinema online curating a great selection of cult, classic, independent, and award-winning movies. It's an international community discovering wonderful intelligent thought provoking films MUBI is your passport to those great films.

MUBI unleash great new films every week and in our MUBI Selects we've picked  a selection of those great movies  help you enjoy that lazy weekend you desire...

Cold Fish (2015)| Sion Sono

"Be Man (or woman)!" welcome to the macabre world of Japanese auteur Sion Sono, a cold calculated dive into dysfunctional families, sociopathic serial killers and a man at breaking point. Expect the unexpected when dealing with Sono films what may start as a tropical fish owener been taking over by a local fish entrepeneur slowly becomes something more.In the words of MUNI themseleves Cold Fish is “grand gestures, narrative hyperboles, positively vulgar symbolism—apocalypse 24/7… Full-throttle hysteria splashed with choice colours in eye-poppingly garish hues.” This is one for Saturday late night accompanied by your favourite adult beverage.


Comic Book Confidential (1989) | Ron Mann

Roy Mann's Altman documentary is currently doing the rounds at selected UK Cinemas we go back 26 years to his pulpy documentary on quintessential element of American pop and counter-culture. Wacky Baccy, comic books as Man examines the underrated art of comic books, the pulpy media that now sources the most popular genres on our big screens today. It may not have many names that are in the industry today but an nostalgic look back at the industry which the artists and write where the celebs rather than the stories and characters they created.


Cherry Blossoms (2008) | Doris Dörrie

When you learn film theory at University or college you learn about the great masters of cinema and Doris Dörrie's film is inspired by the masterful Yasujiro Ozu.We all get old one day that is why our elders tells us to grab life by horns embrace it, however rarely do we a film about growing old. Cherry Blossoms is that film a moving tale that delivers with clarity and compassion a story of a griefing husband who loses his wife to a terminal illness. When she's gone he realises he did not sournd her with a lot of affection, sometimes the realisation comes too late but in her final days he cherishes her dreams. It's also a story to remind you not to forget about yourself in grieving times.


Involuntary (2008) | Rube Ostlund

Opening today in UK Cinemas Ruben Ostlund's Force Majeure what better way to kick off the weekend by looking back to one of his earlier films, a cunningly comedic film set in Sweden nearly Summer minor indiscretions and misbehavior abound, Leffe is been a prankster showing off, a teacher doesn't know how to draw the line when dealing with fellow teachers. Teenage girls take sexy pictures but one ends up drunk found by a stranger. It's a film that will hit the bone with many people at how mundane this film is, a humourous look at how our Nordic cousins attempt to deal with everyday situations.



Why not give up on those expensive chain coffees once a while, to enjoy the weekend and every day great films at MUBI? click below to get more info on the other fantastic films on offer...

MUBI Selects - Friday 3rd April 2015

It's time to relax as the Easter weekend  has arrived 2(or 3) days of relaxation, it's time for bliss and  chill out after the hard slog of the week.It's time to refuel your brain with sophistication and MUBI Selects.

In our latest weekly 'Mubi Selects' we've teamed with MUBI the purveyors of great cinema online curating a great selection of cult, classic, independent, and award-winning movies. It's an international community discovering wonderful intelligent thought provoking films MUBI is your passport to those great films.

MUBI unleash great new films every week and in our MUBI Selects we've picked  a selection of those great movies  help you enjoy that lazy weekend you desire...

Code 46 (2003) | Michael Winterbottom

Winterbottom has been an unpredictable filmmaker since day one, you don't know what version will turn up and that's what makes him an exciting director. Code 46 maybe been called an 'Futuristic Brief Ecounter', the dystopian totalitarian society that hits the bone. The love story is simple a story one that is doomed thanks genetic incompatibility.A cold story backed by a mesmerizing performance by Samantha Morton.


Reprise (2006) | Joachim Trier

The directorial feature debut for Joachim Trier (nephew of  Lars Von Trier) a film that gained critical acclaim around the festival circuit. Joachim has developed a style which is satirical drenched in realism , truly poetic blessed with  beautifully framed cinematography. Reprise is call to arms for all ambitious writers struggling in a fun character study of the writers and the pitfuls they face.


F For Fake (1973) | Orson Welles

"Are you watching carefully?" Orson Welles who he was and what he did needs no explanation he was a legend in hos own right, a film auteur on every level. F For Fake showcases Welles as the perfect master of ceremonies. Welles is a magician and the journey he takes us on is like the magic's slight of hand , part documentary, part essay, a playful journey that exposes the fakers. Let the legend that's Orson Welles frauds, fakes, and hoaxes.


Let Me In (2010) | Matt Reeves

Last Week we selected Let The Right One In and like many great European/Non English films they get the now expected Hollywood remake.Skeptics jump on every inevitable remakes however Reeves created a version that's comfortably adapted into American way of life , the South West to be precise.Let Me In is an story of a bullied young boy  who befriends a young girl who becomes his neighbour and just happens to be a vampire


Why not give up on those expensive chain coffoees once a wee, toenjoy the weekend and every day great films at MUBI? click below to get more info on the other fantastic films on offer...

Mubi Selects - Friday 13th March 2015

Something for the Weekend? The weekend is now upon us as many cinephiles worldwide head to their local cinema to watch the latest releases. However sometimes you just want to get the weekend papers and have a lazy weekend watch something on the box or online and our new weekly section we may just have your answer.

In our new weekly post 'Mubi Selects' we've teamed with MUBI the purveyors of great cinema online curating a great selection of cult, classic, independent, and award-winning movies. It's an international community discovering wonderful intelligent thought provoking films MUBI is your passport to those great films.

MUBI unleash great new films every week and in our MUBI Selects we'll deliver a taster with our weekly picks of what's playing and help you enjoy that lazy weekend you desire...

Hiroshima Mon Amour

Alain Resnais a cornerstone of French New Wave cinema with his landmark 1959  starring Emmanuelle Riva Eiji Okada star as a French woman and Japanese man  engage in a brief, intense affair set in post war  Hiroshima, Japan Their impels the couple  to exorcise their own scarred memories of love and suffering. A beautiful, slow paced film ideal for that lazy Sunday afternoon

Planet Terror

If your looking for that nonsensical brainless escapism Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror will do the trick. Zombies, gore and hot girl's with machine gun leg Planet Terror will deliver that B-Movie exploitation with a capital B. Thanks to a nerve escaping accident thanks to a remote U.S military turning those effected by the gas into flesh eating zombies

Deathproof

If your going to watch Planet Terror you have to watch Deathproof. This an continuation second part of Grindhouse Project this time Quentin Tarrantino in the director's chair with a homage the car action exploitation films of the 1960s and 1970s. Like many Tarrantino films the platform for comeback performances, this time Kurt Russell when a DJ offers  an opportunity for her friends to unwind but when night fall heads turn,

Chico&Rita

When it comes to adult and animation it can be a hard sell but over the years there's been a number of great animations that prove animation is for all and Chico & Rita is one of those films. Fernando Trueba's film captures magic and sounds of Cuba, a melancholic, vibrant journey of a young piano player with big dreams who falls in love with a beautiful singer Rita, a love story set during the pre-Cuban revolution.

Undertow

David Gordon Green maybe unfortunately maybe known by mainstream film fans for his  certain Stoner comedy, however there was a life in independent film. In 2004 Undertow starring Jamie Bell in a gritty Southern gothic noir-ish film based around a family untouched by time. When the arrival of their violent greedy uncle arrives on the scene a tragic event forces the brothers go on the run with the uncle on the pursuit.


For a price of a coffee from one of those chains what better way to enjoy the weekend and every day great films at MUBI? click below to get more info on the other fantastic films on offer...

THE TOP FILM SCORES BY ALEXANDRE DESPLAT

Alexandre Desplat is without question one of the most prolific composers in contemporary film. The 53-year-old Frenchman has composed for over 100 films since 1985 when he began contributing to small movies in his home country. Desplat composed the dark yet beautiful score for Syriana in 2005, and this remarkable musical feat cemented his place as one of the most in demand composers in the business. To celebrate the home entertainment release of THE IMITATION GAME arriving on Blu-ray™, DVD and digital platforms on 9th March 2015, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL, this feature will take a look at Alexandre Desplat's top film scores.


THE IMITATION GAME (2014)

Desplat had a very limited period of time to compose music reflecting the brilliant mind of Alan Turing. Desplat knew that a big-orchestra approach was out of the question—if not just for time’s sake, it was also too outsized for a story reflecting the unique mind of one man. Realizing that the visuals of the film would never be able to depict the process of Turing’s brain, Desplat decided to make that the focus of his music, paying homage to the godfather of computers by using machines to randomly layer multiple piano tracks over each other. The result is a an extremely atmospheric score to go along with one of the films of the year.

The Tree of Life (2001)

Terrence Malick's controversial masterpiece took nearly thirty years to come to the big screen, and with such a heavy burden of expectation, the film needed an equally bold musical score. Desplat delivered such a score in a typically emphatic fashion. His music is one of the film’s great binding forces, gifting Malick the cohesion that he often has difficulty establishing on his own.

The Fantastic Mr Fox (2009)

Beautifully whimsical, touching and bright, Desplat shows his versatility by creating a score that is clearly out of his comfort zone but no less incredible for Wes Anderson’s critically acclaimed The Fantastic Mr Fox. Desplat produces a resonantly beautiful sense of homecoming that speaks to the titular wild animal’s belief that everything will turn out alright in the end so long as his family survives in one piece


Birth (2004)

Even divorced from the setting of the film for which it was commissioned, Desplat’s score for Birth has the feel of a chilly afternoon somewhere north of 66th St. These pieces are some of the composer's most luxurious work—so garlanded with deep drums and dancing flutes that they genuinely begin to take on the feel of the wealthy characters onscreen. The recurring theme is a touch off-kilter, the perfect disequilibrium for a movie about an affluent Manhattan widow who starts to believe that her dead husband has been reincarnated in the body of a young boy.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Wes Anderson teams up with Desplat time after time due to the almost telepathic connection they have when working on a score for one of Anderson's films. Desplat's natural ability to capture Anderson’s movie worlds in just a couple of notes was critical to the filmmaker’s decision to move into the world of moviemaking where the uniquely quirky ideas he had in his head were finally allowed to be brought to the big screen. The Grand Budapest Hotel's music feels true to the films setting in a historically volatile period, its organ blasts and harpsichord tunes resounding with the call for a great adventure.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

This subtle yet beautiful score – another Oscar nominated piece from Alexandre Desplat – went a long way in providing the audience with the freedom to really experience escapism at its very best. The light and subtle tones used throughout added another layer of mystique and beauty to a film that would change cinema forever.

A Prophet(2009)

A Prophet is the masterpiece from Jacques Audiard, and composing a suitably gritty yet beautiful score was always going to be a near impossible feat. As you would come to expect from Desplat, he scored an elegant selection of music to provide the perfect backdrop to this Academy Award winning film.


THE IMITATION GAME arrives on Blu-ray™, DVD and digital platforms on 9th March 2015, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL

Sporting movies – fun facts

Top Ten Scandi Thrillers

Television in particular has seen a particular boom in successful Scandinavian shows making their way into homes of audiences here in the UK, but let it not be forgotten that cinema has had a fair bit of Scandinavian content trickling through for quite some time now, with many names in the Hollywood spotlight (Refn, Mikkelsen, Rapace, Coster-Waldau, etc.). With the Blu-ray and DVD release of Pioneer arriving on 4th August 2014 from Arrow Films, we take a look at the ten best examples of the Scandi thriller.

Pusher (1996)

Before Drive and Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn made Pusher, a Danish crime thriller which launched his ensuing career. The film follows drug dealer Frank (Kim Bodnia) who grows increasingly more desperate when a botched drug deal leaves him with a large debt owed to a ruthless drug lord. Many have deemed Pusher the first Danish-language gangster film.

The Hunters (1996)

This 1996 Swedish thriller follows a police officer who moves back to his hometown in Norrland where he starts working on a long-running case of reindeer poaching only to discover his brother’s involvement. Going down in history as one of the biggest box office hits in Sweden, talks of an American remake were scuppered when director Kjell Sundvall decided he didn’t like the idea of translating events of the film to cowboys poaching horses in the Nevada desert. A sequel - False Trail - starring character actor Peter Stormare followed in 2011

Pusher II (2004)

Nicolas Winding Refn returned to this universe in sequel Pusher II, which instead follows Frank’s sidekick Tonny (an early role for Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen) in the same fictional Copenhagen underworld depicted in the first film. Refn reused many stylistic flourishes which he featured in the first enhancing the thriller aspect more so in this sequel.

The Millennium Trilogy (2009)

Adapted from Stieg Larsson’s posthumously published trio of hugely-acclaimed novels, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was brought to life by director Niels Arden Oplev , whilst both The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest were helmed by Daniel Alfredson. The films are led by former journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) at the centre of an unlikely love story set to the backdrop of an extremely bleak Sweden in which the two of them uncover unspeakable horrors of men victimising women.

Easy Money (2010)

This Swedish thriller from director Daniel Espinosa stars Joel Kinnaman (2014’s RoboCop)as Johan Westlund, a poor man living a double life in the upper class areas of Stockholm. Upon meeting a wealthy female, he is lured into the world of organised crime turning to drug dealing in order to sustain his luxurious lifestyle. A Hollywood remake is due to be released, with Zac Efron filling Kinnaman’s shoes in the lead role.

In a Better World (2010)

Susanne Bier’s acclaimed Academy-Award winning Danish drama thriller follows two Danish families whose lives cross paths leaving loneliness and sorrow in its wake. Starring Mikael Persbrandt alongside Trine Dyrholm and Ulrich Thomsen, the film flits from small-town Denmark to an African refugee camp throughout.

Headhunters (2011)

Norwegian action thriller Headhunters is based on Jo Nesbø’s novel of the same name, and stars Aksel Hennie and Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the lead roles. The film follows a successful headhunter whop risks everything in order to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary, and successfully merges thriller with comedy. The film boasts the statistic of being the highest-grossing Norwegian film of all time.

A Hijacking (2012)

Tobias Lindholm’s Danish thriller (which he both wrote and directed) alternates between events occurring on a hijacked ship and those happening in the shipping company’s office back in Denmark. Many threw praise on the film’s ability to avert ‘conventional thrills’ steering the film into the direction of critical acclaim.

Pioneer (2014)

The Norwegian thriller Pioneer follows Petter, a professional offshore diver during the 70s, tasked with laying the first petroleum pipe in the North Sea. Following a tragic accident during a test dive, he discovers that his superiors are attempting to put a smokescreen on the true events and that his life is at stake. This well-received conspiracy embraces the claustrophobic nature of the setting to deliver something altogether more thrilling.


Fancy winning Pioneer on DVD? Over at our main site The Peoples movies you can win a copy on DVD, enter here (link opens new page)

Pioneer is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 4th August 2014 from Arrow Films

The Rise of Felicity Jones

Steve McQueen Retrospective

Films set in Lisbon

After The Night (Ate Ver A Luz) is a striking indie gangster story set in the gritty slums of Lisbon and is out in UK cinemas and VoD from the 25th April.

A visually striking film, it accurately shows Lisbon’s diverse culture, people and surroundings and climbs inside the world of Lisbon’s Creole slums.

We take a look back at a cinematic history of films set in Lisbon…

AFTER THE NIGHT (Ate Ver Luz; 2013; Basil Da Cunha)
An outcast living a solitary nocturnal life with an iguana named Dragon as his only friend, Sombra wanders around in the Creole slums of Lisbon as he is looking for cash to pay back the local gang boss. Dragged into an armed robbery, he runs away and is chased until the early hours of the day.


After The Night is out in cinemas and VoD from the 25th April (watch at I-Tunes)

A TALKING PICTURE (Um Filme Falado; 2004; Manoel de Oliveira)

For some thought-provoking, for others dull – this movie reveals the encounters of a mother and daughter on a Mediterranean cruise. John Malkovich is the captain.

IN VANDA'S ROOM (No Quarto da Vanda; 2000; Pedro Costa)

This award-winning, warts-and-all documentary/fiction provides a close-up of the lives of Cape Verdean slum dwellers and drug addicts in Lisbon’s deprived Fontainhas district.

THE LETTER (A Carta; 1999; Manoel de Oliveira)

Passion, futile love, adultery, tragedy, piety… It's all in this Oliveira classic that won the Jury prize at Cannes.

THE NINTH GATE (1999; Roman Polanski)

Stars Jonny Depp as a rare book dealer seeking out a supernatural demon text. In the course of his travels around Europe through France and Spain, to track down the authentic copy of the book for his client, he visits Sintra in Portugal. It's a picturesque area of Portugal just outside Lisbon with plenty of atmospheric hilltop palaces and castles.
Depp visits Chalet Biester with its turreted outline tucked into lush green woodland exuding mystery.

BONES (Ossos; 1997; Pedro Costa)

A grim and gripping tale of life in the slums on the outskirts of Lisbon, dealing with poverty, suicide and the struggle of love and death.

LISBON STORY (Viagem a Lisboa; 1994; Wim Wenders)

Inventive and beautifully photographed, this German drama follows director Monrow on his quest to finish a silent film in Lisbon. Stars Portuguese band Madredeus and a cameo by Manoel de Oliveira.

THE WINTER IN LISBON (El Invierno en Lisboa; 1992; Jose Antonio Zorrilla)

This crime drama is about a disillusioned US jazz pianist who fl ees to Lisbon where he befriends an artist. The film stars famous trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie.


After The Night is out in cinemas and on VoD from the 25th April

Conspiracy Theory Feature (Pioneer)

Jonathan Glazer’s Top Five Most Notable Works