JudyReleased on 4th October
Renée Zellweger, above, throws herself into the role of late-career Judy Garland with a performance that hits exactly the right balance between barnstorming showbiz trouper and fragile creature broken by Hollywood. It’s the late 1960s, and Garland is destitute with a professional reputation eroded by a lifetime of substance abuse. In a last-ditch attempt to provide security for her children, she accepts an extended booking in London. Punctuated with poignant flashbacks to Garland’s sparkling early years, the picture packs a considerable emotional punch.
The Day Shall ComeReleased on 11th October
Chris Morris follows his terrorism satire, Four Lions (2010), with an equally abrasive look at the dubious practices of US law-enforcement agencies. Moses (newcomer Marchánt Davis) is a harmless Miami preacher with a congregation of four and a collection of severe mental health issues. He becomes the focus of an FBI terrorist sting, which, by nefarious and outlandish means, tries to coax him into becoming a threat to national security. “Based on 100 true stories,” says Morris, the film is savagely funny but unexpectedly tragic.
Monos25th October
There’s not a frame in this extraordinary film that isn’t thrilling. Dangerous and beautiful, Monos feels like a Lord of the Flies scenario remade with a ragged band of Colombian child soldiers. The storytelling is as renegade as the gang of kids who live on an isolated mountain, guarding a prisoner and a cow. A stunning score by the British composer Mica Levi combines melodic birdsong with a skin-tingling sense of real horror. Magnificent.
Renée Zellweger, above, throws herself into the role of late-career Judy Garland with a performance that hits exactly the right balance between barnstorming showbiz trouper and fragile creature broken by Hollywood. It’s the late 1960s, and Garland is destitute with a professional reputation eroded by a lifetime of substance abuse. In a last-ditch attempt to provide security for her children, she accepts an extended booking in London. Punctuated with poignant flashbacks to Garland’s sparkling early years, the picture packs a considerable emotional punch.
The Day Shall ComeReleased on 11th October
Chris Morris follows his terrorism satire, Four Lions (2010), with an equally abrasive look at the dubious practices of US law-enforcement agencies. Moses (newcomer Marchánt Davis) is a harmless Miami preacher with a congregation of four and a collection of severe mental health issues. He becomes the focus of an FBI terrorist sting, which, by nefarious and outlandish means, tries to coax him into becoming a threat to national security. “Based on 100 true stories,” says Morris, the film is savagely funny but unexpectedly tragic.
Monos25th October
There’s not a frame in this extraordinary film that isn’t thrilling. Dangerous and beautiful, Monos feels like a Lord of the Flies scenario remade with a ragged band of Colombian child soldiers. The storytelling is as renegade as the gang of kids who live on an isolated mountain, guarding a prisoner and a cow. A stunning score by the British composer Mica Levi combines melodic birdsong with a skin-tingling sense of real horror. Magnificent.
