‘I Care A Lot’ is one of those dark crime comedy capers that thrives on schadenfreude. As much as we try to fight it, the darker side of human nature gives our mouths a little curl when just desserts are carried out.
‘Malcolm & Marie’ is a film from Sam Levinson, starring John David Washington and Zendaya. Levinson is the writer-director of ‘Euphoria’, a critically-acclaimed and award-winning TV series starring Zendaya.
‘Bliss’ is a film from writer-director Mike Cahill, who brought us the modest yet beautiful and slow-burning sci-fi romance drama, ‘Another Earth’. His latest effort stars Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek.
Sia is an Australian popstar whose thoughtful lyrics, emotive voice and catchy music’s rhythms have always been complemented by artful and surreal music videos. Her music has been used in soundtracks like ‘The Neon Demon’, yet it’s her directorial debut with which she unleashes 10 new songs to compel her venture into film-making.
‘The White Tiger’ is based on the book by Indian author Aravind Adiga. Starting much like the book does with an opening email turned monologue to the Chinese premier ahead of his visit to India, the mail sets the tone for the rest of the film.
‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood’ is directed by Marielle Heller and based on the true story of the unlikely real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Lloyd Vogel.
‘Sound of Metal’ is a coming-of-age music drama about a drummer who struggles to come to terms with hearing loss.
Best friends, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, were steadily climbing the corporate ladder of success. Building their income earning capacity, accumulating more material wealth and expanding their personal empires, they had bought into the American Dream.
‘Meisies Wat Fluit’ (Girls That Whistle) teases out a “friends with benefits” relationship within the dynamic of a couple who married too young, by taking a fly-on-the-wall approach to modern relationships, dating and marriage.
‘Riding with Sugar’ is an important coming-of-age drama, journeying with a refugee much like an African version of Oliver Twist. It’s actually much more than a drama, and blends an array of genres.
Zander Tyler, better known as Jack Parow is a rapper, who has become one with South African pop culture. Easily recognisable thanks to his over-sized caps, facial hair and loud outfits, he’s one of the few Afrikaans music artists to crack the international scene.
Spling is hosting a watch party turned movie night festival for ‘Jurassic Park’ on Saturday, November 28, at Go Drive In in Cape Town and online via Showmax from 6:30PM.
‘Rebecca’ tells the tale of Mrs De Winter, a young newlywed who finds herself out of her depth on an imposing family estate following a whirlwind romance. Try as it may, Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s novel is still superior.
‘I Am Greta’ serves as an experiential character study, starting with her solo effort and leading to her transatlantic voyage to attend climate conferences in New York City.
‘Toorbos’ can be interpreted from Afrikaans to English as “Dream Forest”, adapted from a Dalene Matthee novel of the same name set in and around Knysna. ‘Toorbos’ is written and directed by Rene van Rooyen.
‘Flatland’ is a sprawling and epic adventure crime western from writer-director, Jenna Cato Bass. Her films push cinematic boundaries and are never dull, starting with ‘Love the One You Love’, then ‘High Fantasy’ and now ‘Flatland’.
‘The Unfamiliar’ is a psychological horror just in time for Halloween from South African director Henk Pretorius. Locally, the versatile director is best known for his comedy films: ‘Bakgat’, ‘Leading Lady’ and ‘Fanie Fourie’s Lobola’.
The stay-at-home watch party concept is ideal for those who want to enjoy being terrified from the comfort of their couch.
‘Totally Under Control’ chronicles the Trump administration’s response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Through interviews with public health and inside political officials, the filmmakers contrast this discussion with South Korea’s much more effective response.
‘The Last Victims’ is a mystery drama thriller set in South Africa, directed by Maynard Kraak and starring Sean Cameron Michael and Kurt Egelhof. It centres around a former death squad member and a survivor.
‘Dust’ is a slow-burning dystopian crime drama thriller from writer-director, Pieter du Plessis. While a feature film debut as director, du Plessis has a spectrum of experience as a filmmaker and shows remarkable restraint.
‘Santana’ is an action thriller set in Angola, tracking two brothers who decide to take down the drug cartel linked to the death of their parents.
‘Anna’ is the latest film from prolific filmmaker, Luc Besson. A spy action thriller, it recalls his earlier films ‘La Femme Nikita’ and ‘The Professional’, echoing many of his trademark elements as a writer-director.
‘My Octopus Teacher’ is a nature documentary about a tender relationship between a man and an octopus. It’s actually quite difficult to talk about the film without it sounding a little bit funny.
It’s important to contextualise ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ within Charlie Kaufman’s film career because his previous work will serve as a guide as to whether this film is for you or not.
‘Da 5 Bloods’ is a Spike Lee joint. The story follows the surviving members of Da 5 Bloods, four African American war veterans, who return to Vietnam to recover the remains of their fallen squad leader and a buried fortune.
Beautiful yet broken, South Africa’s a democratic society on a journey of healing… struggling to overcome deep-seated economic inequalities 25 years after the first free and fair elections.
‘Project Power’ is a supernatural action thriller from the mind of Mattson Tomlin, a bold new Hollywood screenwriter who also co-wrote ‘The Batman’ with Matt Reeves.
‘Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-truth World’ is a documentary about the investigative work and team behind Bellingcat, an international media watchdog agency of citizen journalists.
This death knell for ‘Bell Pottinger’ is the crux of ‘Influence’, an incisive rise and fall documentary co-directed by journalists and directors, Richard Poplak and Diana Neille.