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Fantasia International Film Festival · 2017

Fantasia International Film Festival 2017

Feature Slate

Short film reviews are marked in itallics

Programme

151 films · 66 reviews

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68 Kill

Review preview for 68 Kill

On the one level, 68 Kill is pure pulp trash, harking back to director Trent Haaga's Troma roots. On the other, it's brilliantly done.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A sewage worker is sweet talked by his glamorous girlfriend into robbing her sugar daddy, but nothing goes to plan.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Trent Haaga; Writer: Trent Haaga, Bryan Smith; Stars: Matthew Gray Gubler, AnnaLynne McCord, Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson)

78/52 (Hitchcock's Shower Scene 78/52)

Review preview for 78/52

Essential viewing for anyone with an interest in the craft of filmmaking.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A documentary about the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Alexandre O Philippe; Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, Guillermo del Toro, Danny Elfman, Leigh Whannell, Peter Bogdanovich, Oz Perkins, Neil Marshall, Karyn Kusama, Bret Easton Ellis, Richard Stanley, Walter Murch, Mali Elfman, Fred Raskin, Josh C Waller)

Atomic Blonde

Review preview for Atomic Blonde

The pace squeezes your windpipe; the action pulverises your senses; the plot double crosses your preconception

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent.

(Country: USA; Year: 2017; Director: David Leitch; Writer: Kurt Johnstad, based on the graphic novel by Antony Johnston; Stars: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, John Goodman, James Faulkner, Roland Møller, Sofia Boutella, Bill Skarsgård, Daniel Hargrave, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson)

Attraction (Prityazhenie)

Review preview for Attraction

Fedor Bonarchuk blends blockbuster stylings with a cultural critique which, he has said, he considers to have present day relevance far beyond Russia's borders.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
The teenage daughter of a military chief bonds with an alien after his spacecraft is shot down.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2017; Director: Fedor Bondarchuk; Writer: Oleg Malovichko, Andrey Zolotarev; Stars: Irina Starshenbaum, Alexander Petrov, Rinal Mukhametov, Oleg Menshikov, Sergey Garmash, Nikita Kukushkin, Lyudmila Maksakova, Aleksey Maslodudov, Evgeniy Mikheev, Darya Rudenok, Evgeniy Sangadzhiev, Igor Serebryanyy, Tatyana Shitova, Nikita Tarasov)

Abu (Father)

The filmmaker, who is gay, examines his troubled relationship with his devout Muslim father.

(Country: Japan, Canada, Thailand, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia; Year: 2017; Director: Arshad Khan; Writer: Arshad Khan, Arshad Khan)

Almost Coming, Almost Dying (Kumo man)

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Toshimasa Kobayashi; Writer: Manabu Nakagawa, Hiroyuki Abe; Stars: Mitsuru Hirata, Shunya Itabashi, Hanaka Kiki, Ayumi Kinoshita, Gentle Kubota, Kyô Nagai, Misoo Nô, Ayano Ohkubo, Hiroo Ohtaka, Chizuru Oki, Tadashi Sakata, Ryôko Tateishi, Teru)

Animals (Tiere)

Review preview for Animals

The puzzles here are of the sort intended to be enjoyed for their twists and turns rather than their resolution.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Reality starts to shift after a couple take a break to try to rebuild their marriage.

(Country: Switzerland, Austria, Poland; Year: 2017; Director: Greg Zglinski; Writer: Jörg Kalt, Greg Zglinski; Stars: Birgit Minichmayr, Philipp Hochmair, Mona Petri, Mehdi Nebbou, Michael Ostrowski)

Another WolfCop

The town is threatened by shapeshifters.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2016; Director: Lowell Dean; Writer: Lowell Dean; Stars: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Laura Abramsen, Kevin Allardyce, Yannick Bisson, Michael Cleland, Jessica Hinkson, Devery Jacobs, Jerry Kuch, Joel Mamchur, Serena Miller, Chris Schaefer, Andrea Solski, Jennifer Thorp)

Assholes

Adah and Aaron are literally Assholes.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Peter Vack; Writer: Peter Vack; Stars: Peter Vack, Eileen Dietz, Betsey Brown, James Augustus Lee, Ron Brown, Richard Mark Jordan, Jack Dunphy, Catherine Bo-Eun Song, Patrick Labella, Jane Brown)

Aztec Revenge

A legendary luchador faces trouble when the head of a vengenful Aztec chief is resurrected on a college campus.

(Year: 2015; Director: Aaron Crozier; Writer: Jeffrey Uhlmann; Stars: Mil Máscaras, Kurt Mirtsching, Kirsten Olson, Jeffrey Uhlmann, Robert Nolan Clark, Christopher Gould, Mollie Baxley, Rory Carroll, Jason Wayne Christian, Andy Cohen, Michael Derr, Michael Derr, Daniel Flynn, T.J. Graven, Jay D. Henderson)

Bad Black

Multiple tales of vengeance.

(Country: Uganda; Year: 2016; Director: Nabwana IGG; Writer: Alan Hofmanis, Nabwana IGG; Stars: Nalwanga Gloria, Alan Hofmanis, Bisaso Dauda, Bukenya Charles, Kizito Robert)

Bad Genius

A genius student who makes cash from helping classmates cheat on tests embarks on her biggest plan yet.

(Country: Thailand; Year: 2017; Director: Nattawut Poonpiriya; Writer: Tanida Hantaweewatana, Vasudhorn Piyaromna, Nattawut Poonpiriya; Stars: Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Eisaya Hosuwan, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Chanon Santinatornkul, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Sarinrat Thomas, Ego Mikitas, Pasin Kuansataporn, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Kanjana Vinaipanid, Yuthapong Varanukrohchoke, Nopawat Likitwong, Vittawin Veeravidhayanant, Suwijak Mahatthanachotwanich, Narwin Rathlertkarn)

Bastard Swordsman (Tian can bian)

Can silkworm style defeat the Invinicble Clan?

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 1983; Director: Chin-Ku Lu; Writer: Kuo-yuen Chang, Chin-Ku Lu, Ying Wong; Stars: Norman Chu, Tony Liu, Yung Wang, Leanne Lau, Alex Man, Ching-Ching Yeung, Szu-Chia Chen, Kuan-Chung Ku, Meng Lo, Feng Kuan, Qiu Yuen, Tak Yuen, Li Wang, Wilson Tong, Siu-Kwan Lau)

Bitch

Review preview for Bitch

A tight little film that could have been disastrous if mishandled.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A woman snaps under crushing life pressures and assumes the psyche of a vicious dog. Her philandering, absentee husband is forced to become reacquainted with his four children and sister-in-law as they attempt to keep the family together during this bizarre crisis.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Marianna Palka; Writer: Marianna Palka; Stars: Jaime King, Jason Ritter, Brighton Sharbino, Eric Edelstein, Caroline Aaron, Marianna Palka, Roger Guenveur Smith, Bill Smitrovich, Sol Rodriguez, Rio Mangini, Jason Maybaum, Ren Hanami, Kingston Foster)

Blood Heist

A group of Hollywood hopefuls botch a robbery.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Jenna Cavelle; Writer: Jenna Cavelle, Amber Coney, Jay Davis; Stars: James Franco, James McMenamin, Edy Ganem, Michelle Macedo, Carlito Olivero, Melissa Macedo, Chelsea Lopez, Shakira Barrera, Carly Tamborski, John D. Hickman, Jack Norman, Nick Pirrmann, Terrance Huff, Dakota Love, Natasha Phillips)

Blood On Wheels

Biker rape-revenge.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Melanie Aitkenhead)

The Blue Man (Eternal Evil)

Trouble brews for a commercials director when he learns to astrally project.

(Country: Canada, US; Year: 1985; Director: George Mihalka; Writer: Robert Geoffrion; Stars: Winston Rekert, Karen Black, John Novak, Patty Talbot, Vlasta Vrana, Andrew Bednarski, Bronwen Booth, Tom Rack, Joanne Côté, Philip Spensley, Ron Lea, Len Watt, Michael Sinelnikoff, Lois Maxwell, Anthony Sherwood)

Boyka: Undisputed IV

The fighter questions his life after an accidental death in the ring.

(Country: Bulgaria; Year: 2016; Director: Todor Chapkanov; Writer: Boaz Davidson, David N White; Stars: Scott Adkins, Teodora Duhovnikova, Alon Aboutboul, Julian Vergov, Brahim Achabbakhe, Paul Chahidi, Petio Petkov, Valentin Ganev, Vlado Mihailov, Martyn Ford, Vladimir Kolev, Hristo Petkov, Boris Pankin, Bashar Rahal, Emilien De Falco)

Brigsby Bear

Review preview for Brigsby Bear

Saturday Night Live regular Mooney, who has a twinkly mischievousness and comic timing reminiscent of a young Gene Wilder, plays James as naive, but never stupid.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children's TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James's life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Dave McCary; Writer: Kevin Costello, Kevin Costello, Kyle Mooney, Kyle Mooney; Stars: Kyle Mooney, Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins)

Broken Sword Hero

A man who was bullied as a child is taught Muay Thai by a master.

(Country: Thailand; Year: 2017; Director: Bin Bunluerit; Stars: Buakaw Banchamek, Phutharit Prombandal)

Bushwick

Review preview for Bushwick

Pulls no punches as it takes viewers on a terrifying ride through once-familiar territory turned utterly alien.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A young woman teams up with a military veteran to try and survive when insurgents bring war to the streets of New York City.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion; Writer: Nick Damici, Graham Reznick; Stars: Brittany Snow, Dave Bautista, Arturo Castro, Christian Navarro, Angelic Zambrana, Jeff Lima, Patrick M. Walsh, Quincy Chad, Jay Hieron, Jeremie Harris, Alex Breaux, Ludovic Coutaud, Adrian Matilla, Justin L. Wilson, Myra Lucretia Taylor)

Cold Hell

A kickboxing taxi driver becomes a serial killer's target after witnessing him at work.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky; Stars: Violetta Schurawlow, Tobias Moretti, Robert Palfrader)

Colossal

Review preview for Colossal

Vigalondo's film is very funny in places but the characters are undercooked.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A going-nowhere party girl discovers a mysterious connection between herself and a giant monster wreaking havoc on the other side of the globe.

(Country: Canada, Spain; Year: 2016; Director: Nacho Vigalondo; Writer: Nacho Vigalondo; Stars: Anne Hathaway, Dan Stevens, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Agam Darshi, Hannah Cheramy, Rukiya Bernard, Sarah Surh, Miho Suzuki, Christine Lee)

Confidential Assignment (Gongjo)

A South Korean detective has to team up with a North Korean counterpart to track down a crime gang.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2017; Director: Sung-hoon Kim; Stars: Hyun Bin, Hae-jin Yoo, Yoona, Young-nam Jang, Ju-hyuk Kim, Dong-hwi Lee, Hae-yeong Lee)

Dan Dream

In 80s Denmark, a man bets he can make an electric car.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2017; Director: Jesper Rofelt; Writer: Casper Christensen, Frank Hvam; Stars: Frank Hvam, Peter Gantzler, Casper Christensen, Jakob Ulrik Lohmann, Niclas Vessel Kølpin, Mia Lyhne, Magnus Millang, Kristian Fjord, Lars Hjortshøj, Jakob B. Engmann, Margrethe Koytu, Stine Schrøder Jensen, Dawn Wall, Louisa Yaa Aisin, Jelina Moumou Meyer)

Darkland (Underverden)

A successful doctor becomes a masked warrior bent on vengeance at night.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2017; Director: Fenar Ahmad; Writer: Fenar Ahmad, Adam August; Stars: Dar Salim, Stine Fischer Christensen, Ali Sivandi, Dulfi Al-Jabouri, Jakob Ulrik Lohmann, Roland Møller, B. Branco, Anis Alobaidi, Brian Siva, Hamza Al-Jabouri, Amany Turk, Marianne Mortensen, Joen Højerslev, Christopher Læssø, Dya Josefine Hauch)

A Day (Ha-roo, Haru)

A man finds himself suffering repeated deja vu about the fate of his daughter.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2017; Director: Sun-ho Cho; Writer: Sun-ho Cho; Stars: Myung-min Kim, Yo-han Byeon, Hye-Sun Shin, Eun-hyung Jo, Hee-Jung Han, Ji Kyu Im, Yuha Lee, Jae-Myeong Yoo)

Dead Man Tells His Own Tale (El Muerto Cuenta su Historia)

A man who is addicted to women becomes enslaved to a sisterhood of Celtic goddesses.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2016; Director: Fabián Forte; Writer: Nicolás Britos, Fabián Forte; Stars: Diego Gentile, Mariana Anghileri, Emilia Attías, Damián Dreizik, Mikko Aromaa, Marina Cohen, Lautaro Delgado, Fiorela Duranda, Chucho Fernandez, Tamara Garzón, Pablo Guisa Koestinger, Carolina Molinari, Berta Muñiz, Pipi Onetto, Pipi Onetto)

Dead Shack

Review preview for Dead Shack

It's hard to demand too much finesse from a film centred on characters who lack all traces of it, and who are great fun to be with anyway.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A group of teens on a weekend getaway at a secluded cabin in the woods soon find themselves fighting off a serious threat to their lives. Not only that they must save their hard-partying parents from a predatory neighbour.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Peter Ricq; Writer: Phil Ivanusic, Davila LeBlanc, Peter Ricq; Stars: Lauren Holly, Valerie Tian, Donavon Stinson, Lizzie Boys, June B Wilde)

Death Line (Raw Meat)

Review preview for Death Line

Could be a treat for discerning genre fans.

Paul Griffiths · 3 out of 5
Cult horror re-emerges after 30 years down the tube.

(Country: UK; Year: 1972; Director: Gary Sherman; Writer: Ceri Jones; Stars: Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd, Sharon Gurney, Hugh Armstrong, June Turner, Clive Swift, James Cossins, Christopher Lee)

Death Note: Light Up The New World (Desu Nôto: Light Up The New World)

The book - and the murders - are back.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Shinsuke Sato; Writer: Takeshi Obata, Tsugumi Ohba; Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Noémie Nakai, Masaki Suda, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Erika Toda, Masahiro Higashide, Mina Fujii, Sergey Kuvaev, Rina Kawaei)

Death Warrior (Ölüm savasçisi)

Ninjas, monster frogs and zombies.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 1984; Director: Cüneyt Arkin, Çetin Inanç; Writer: Cüneyt Arkin, Çetin Inanç; Stars: Cüneyt Arkin, Osman Betin, Funda Firat, Kemal Özkan, Kadir Kök, Nejat Gürçen, Hüseyin Peyda, Orhan Günsiray, Necla Fide, Füsun Uçar)

Deliver Us (Libera Nos)

Review preview for Deliver Us

Di Giacomo treats us to some beautifully framed shots which provide a sense of the awe such environments must evoke in believers, but then gets in close, almost tabloid style, to capture the pleas of impassioned supplicants.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Documentary about the practice of exorcism and how it fits in the modern world.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2016; Director: Federica Di Giacomo; Writer: Andrea Osvaldo Sanguigni, Federica Di Giacomo)

Don't Ever Change

Review preview for Don't Ever Change

Indy favourite Mosley is on top form as the overreaching fan, who doesn't quite know what he's getting into, and Williams' ability to switch emotions in a heartbeat is a treat to watch.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A woman's fan has an unusual request.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Don Swaynos; Writer: Don Swaynos; Stars: Cyndi Williams, Heather Kafka, Frank Mosley)

Short

Double Barrel (Iratta Kuzhal)

A gang war is sparked after a man tries to sell two precious stones that are only worth a fortune when they are together.

(Country: India; Year: 2015; Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery; Writer: Lijo Jose Pellissery; Stars: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Arya, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sunny Wayne, Vijay Babu, Isha Sharvani, Anil Murali, Swathi Reddy, Tharikida Sabu, Sherrin Varghese, Manu, Rachana Narayanankutty, Parvathy Menon, Asif Ali)

DRIB

Review preview for DRIB

Its exploration of the tension between the real and the fake is timely and important.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
The inside story of an energy drink marketing ploy gone wrong.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2017; Director: Kristoffer Borgli; Writer: Kristoffer Borgli; Stars: Amir Asgharnejad, Brett Gelman, Adam Pearson, Annie Hamilton, Verona Blue, Hugo Armstrong, Dean Chekvala, Roy Abramsohn, Y.J. Gold, Joe Hartzler, Scarlett Redmond, Alexandra Marzella, John Zacchino, Kashuna Perfected, Maurice Williams)

The Endless

Review preview for The Endless

The proportion of films opening with HP Lovecraft quotes that manage to live up to the visionary writer's work verges on the infinitesimal, but The Endless is one of the special ones.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Years after escaping a cult as teenagers, brothers Aaron and Justin return to their former home after receiving a mysterious message. While Aaron is quickly drawn back into the fold, Justin remains uneasy.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead; Writer: Justin Benson; Stars: Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, Lew Temple, Emily Montague, Justin Benson, James Jordan, Ric Sarabia, Kira Powell, Aaron Moorhead, Shane Brady, Peter Cilella, Vinny Curran, David Lawson Jr., Glen Roberts)

Expo 67 Mission Impossible

Documentary about the Montreal world fair.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Michel Barbeau, Guylaine Maroist, Eric Ruel; Writer: Michel Barbeau, Guylaine Maroist, Eric Ruel)

Extraordinary Mission

A cop goes undercover to break open a drug trafficking syndicate.

(Country: China; Year: 2017; Director: Alan Mak, Anthony Pun; Writer: Felix Chong; Stars: Yihong Duan, Xuan Huang, Yueting Lang, Jiadong Xing, Feng Zu)

Fabricated City

A gamer is framed for murder and enlists the help of his gaming pals to try to prove his innocence.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2017; Director: Park Kwang-Hyun ; Stars: Ji Chang-wook, Shim Eun-kyung, Ahn Jae-hong, Kim Sang-ho, Oh Jeong-se, Kahlid Elijah Tapia)

Fashionista

Review preview for Fashionista

Fuller is absorbing in the central role, really giving it her all.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A woman who uses clothes as an emotional crutch discovers her life isn't as ideal as she thought.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Simon Rumley; Writer: Simon Rumley; Stars: Amanda Fuller, Ethan Embry, Eric Balfour, Alex Assoe, Alexandria DeBerry)

The Final Master

A Wing Chun master becomes embroiled in local power dynamics when he tries to open up his own school.

(Country: China; Year: 2015; Director: Haofeng Xu; Writer: Haofeng Xu, Haofeng Xu; Stars: Fan Liao, Jia Song, Wenli Jiang, Shih-Chieh King, Yang Song, Madina Memet, Jue Huang, Aoyue Zhang, Ma Jun, Kuan Tai Chen, Xin Xin Xiong, Leon Dai, Jirong Qiu, Bo Li, Jiahao Zou)

Free And Easy

When a travelling soap salesman arrives in a desolate Chinese town, a crime occurs, and sets the strange residents against each other with tragicomic results.

(Country: China; Year: 2016; Director: Jun Geng; Writer: Jun Geng, Yuhua Feng, Bing Liu ; Stars: Gang Xu, Zhiyong Zhang, Baohe Xue, Benshan Gu, Xun Zhang)

Friendly Beast (O Animal Cordial)

When a cafe is raided, the law of the jungle starts to apply as the workers struggle to survive.

(Country: Brazil; Director: Gabriela Amaral; Writer: Gabriela Amaral; Stars: Murilo Benício, Luciana Paes, Irandhir Santos, Camila Morgado, Jiddu Pinheiro, Ernani Moraes, Humberto Carrão, Ariclenes Barroso, Eduardo Gomes, Thais Aguiar, Diego Avelino)

Fritz Lang (Fritz Lang - Der andere in uns)

Review preview for Fritz Lang

Maugg illustrates his own command of the Expressionist form.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Unconventional biopic sees the director become obsessed with a serial killer.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2016; Director: Gordian Maugg; Writer: Gordian Maugg, Alexander Häusser; Stars: Heino Ferch, Thomas Thieme, Samuel Finzi, Johanna Gastdorf, Lisa Friederich, Michael Mendl, Jens Kipper, Philipp Baltus, Maximilian von Pufendorf, Lena Münchow, Rainer Galke, Winfried Küppers, Alexander Häusser, Alice Gruia, Sabine Karpa)

Geek Girls

Documentary about the women in the shadows of geek culture.

(Country: US, Japan, Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Gina Haraszti; Writer: Gina Haraszti; Stars: Anita Sengupta)

Genocidal Organ (Gyakusatsu kikan)

After a nuclear holocaust, the world becomes genocidal.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Shûkô Murase; Writer: Project Itoh, Shûkô Murase; Stars: Yuki Kaji, Akio Ôtsuka, Yûichi Nakamura, Takahiro Sakurai, Kaito Ishikawa, Sanae Kobayashi, Satoshi Mikami)

Game Of Death

Review preview for Game Of Death

As with most of the best games, the concept is simple; the genius is in the execution.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Seven millenials discover an obscure electronic board game and decide to test their wits against it. When it tells them they need to kill 24 people in the next 24 hours, mayhem ensues.

(Country: Canada, US, France; Year: 2017; Director: Sebastien Landry, Laurence Morais-Lagace; Writer: Edouard H Bond, Philip Kalin-Hajdu, Sebastien Landry, Laurence Morais-Lagace; Stars: Sam Earle, Victoria Diamond, Emelia Hellman, Catherine Saindon, Nick Serino)

Good Time

Review preview for Good Time

The Safdies invest their own knowledge of their home turf to give it all a frenetic and authentic sense of urgency.

Richard Mowe · 3.5 out of 5
Crime caper sees a bank robber try to evade capture.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Benny Safdie, Joshua Safdie; Writer: Ronald Bronstein, Joshua Safdie; Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert Pattinson, Barkhad Abdi, Ben Safdie, Taliah Webster, Marcos A. Gonzalez, Cliff Moylan, Rose Gregorio, Shaun Rey, Souleymane Sy Savane, Buddy Duress, Phil Cappadora, Mahadeo Shivraj, Ratnesh Dubey, Jibril Goodman, Laurence Blum)

A Ghost Story

Review preview for A Ghost Story

Reveals just enough in the sparse dialogue and long silences to keep us intrigued.

Richard Mowe · 3 out of 5
This is the story of a ghost and the house he haunts.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: David Lowery; Writer: David Lowery; Stars: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Rob Zabrecky, Will Oldham, Liz Franke, Sonia Acevedo)

Gintama

A young samurai struggles to survive in a feudal Tokyo taken over by aliens.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Yûichi Fukuda; Writer: Hideaki Sorachi, Yûichi Fukuda; Stars: Shun Oguri, Masami Nagasawa, Yûya Yagira, Kôichi Yamadera, Masaki Suda, Masaki Okada, Hirofumi Arai, Ryô Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Akari Hayami, Tsuyoshi Muro, Kankurô Nakamura, Ken Yasuda, Nanao, Tsuyoshi Dômoto)

God Of War (Dang kou feng yun)

Ming dynasty China is the setting for a clash between pirates and imperial forces.

(Country: Hong Kong, China; Year: 2017; Director: Gordon Chan; Writer: Frankie Tam, Maria Wong, MengZhang Wu; Stars: Wenzhuo Zhao, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Yasuaki Kurata, Regina Wan, Keisuke Koide, Timmy Hung, Ryu Kohata, Junxiao Liu, Michael Tong, Ban Wang, Yue Wu)

Going To Brazil (Galère Au Brésil)

Four childhood friends reunite for a wedding in Rio, only to find themselves on the run.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Patrick Mille; Writer: Sabrina Amara, Julien Lambroschini, Patrick Mille; Stars: Vanessa Guide, Alison Wheeler, Margot Bancilhon, Philippine Stindel, Patrick Mille, Chico Díaz, Joseph Malerba, )

Gurgaon

Crime thriller, based on toxic sibling rivalry.

(Country: India; Year: 2017; Director: Shanker Raman; Writer: Vipin Bhati, Shanker Raman, Sourabh Ratnu, Yogi Singha; Stars: Akshay Oberoi, Pankaj Tripathy, Aamir Bashir, Ragini Khanna, Shalini Vatsa, Srinivas Sunderrajan, Anna Ador, Ashish Verma, Arjun Fauzdar)

Happy End

Review preview for Happy End

Repeated viewings also reveal the beautiful circularity of the film that begins at more than one end.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A black comedy animation about death with a happy ending.

(Country: Czech Republic; Year: 2016; Director: Jan Saska; Writer: Jan Saska)

Short

The H-Man (Bijo to ekitai ningen)

The atomic bomb creates a radioactive man who can turn people into slime

(Country: Japan; Year: 1958; Director: Ishirô Honda; Writer: Takeshi Kimura, Hideo Unagami; Stars: Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Akihiko Hirata, Eitarô Ozawa, Koreya Senda, Makoto Satô, Hisaya Itô, Machiko Kitagawa, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Naomi Shiraishi, Kô Mishima, Yoshifumi Tajima, Tetsu Nakamura, Haruya Katô, Ayumi Sonoda)

The Honor Farm

Trouble brews on prom night.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Karen Skloss; Writer: Jay Tonne Jr, Jasmine Skloss Harrison, Karen Skloss; Stars: Olivia Grace Applegate, Louis Hunter, Dora Madison, Liam Aiken, Katie Folger, Mackenzie Astin, Will Brittain, Samuel Davis, Jonny Mars, Josephine McAdam, Christina Parrish, Michael Eric Reid)

House Of The Disappeared (Si-Gan-Wi-Ui Jib)

A woman returns to the house where her family died to try to solve the enigma of their deaths.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2017; Director: Dae-wung Lim; Writer: Jae-hyun Jang; Stars: Do-bin Baek, Jae-yoon Jo, Yunjin Kim, Han-wi Lee, Jun-Myeon Park, Taecyeon, In-yeong Yu)

Indiana

Two paranormal investigators find themselves questioning their careers on a fateful summers day.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Toni Comas; Writer: Toni Comas, Charlie Williams; Stars: Gabe Fazio, Bradford West, Stuart Rudin, Noah McCarty-Slaughter, Sophie Auster, Suzanne DiDonna, Kadah Binkley, John D Carver, Vanessa Gally, Moli Hall, Dave O'Brien, Joann White, Lec Zorn)

Innocent Curse (Kodomo tsukai)

After abused children go missing and reappear, only for their abusers to die, a reporter goes in search of the truth.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Takashi Shimizu; Writer: Brazily Anne Yamada, Takashi Shimizu; Stars: Daiki Arioka, Hyunri, Mugi Kadowaki, Aoba Kawai, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Haruto Nakano, Maharu Nemoto, Naomi Nishida, Hiroyuki Onoe, Atsuko Sudô, James Sutherland, Hideaki Takizawa, Momoko Tanabe, Takashi Yamanaka, Asahi Yoshida)

It's Alive

A mutant baby has an appetite to kill.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Josef Rusnak; Writer: Larry Cohen, Paul Sopocy, James Portolese, Larry Cohen; Stars: Bijou Phillips, James Murray, Raphaël Coleman, Owen Teale, Ty Glaser, Oliver Coopersmith, Ioan Lov, Jack Ellis, Skye Bennett, Arkie Reece, Todd Jensen, Marianne Stanicheva, Alexis Bergemann, Michal Yannai, Gergana Bouzukova)

Jailbreak

A police officer escorting a prisoner finds himself caught up in a prison riot.

(Country: Cambodia; Year: 2017; Director: Jimmy Henderson; Writer: Jimmy Henderson, Michael Hodgson; Stars: Celine Tran, Jean-Paul Ly, Laurent Plancel, Sok Visal, Tharoth Sam, Chiva Pech, Dara Our, Kong Ka Chan, Lida Duch, Sisowath Siriwudd, Rous Mony, Dy Sonita, Savin Phillip, Sovann Rapha, Tara Vy)

Japanese Girls Never Die (Haruko Azumi Is Missing, Azumi Haruko Wa Yukue Fumei)

Review preview for Japanese Girls Never Die

The film is full of sharp little observations that retain the power of surprise, or discomfit in subtle ways.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Graffiti artists daub a town with a woman's missing poster after she disappears and a gang of vicious teen girls roams the streets.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Daigo Matsui; Writer: Mariko Yamauchi, Misaki Setoyama; Stars: Yû Aoi, Mitsuki Takahata, Shôno Hayama, Taiga, Kanon Hanakage, Huey Ishizaki, Ryo Kase, Akiko Kikuchi, Tomiyuki Kunihiro, Motoki Ochiai, Serina, Maho Yamada, Yûrei Yanagi)

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable (JoJo no kimyô na bôken: Daiyamondo wa kudakenai - dai-isshô)

A teenager with super-powers takes on a serial killer.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Takashi Miike; Writer: Hirohiko Araki, Itaru Era; Stars: Nana Komatsu, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Jun Kunimura, Yûsuke Iseya, Mackenyu, Takayuki Yamada, Masaki Okada, Kento Yamazaki, Arisa Mizuki)

Junk Head

Stop-motion science fiction.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Takahide Hori; Writer: Takahide Hori; Stars: Takahide Hori)

Karmina (O Mistério de Karmina)

A vampire flees her castle after running out on her arranged marriage.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1996; Director: Gabriel Pelletier; Writer: Ann Burke, Yves Pelletier, Andrée Pelletier, Gabriel Pelletier, Ann Burke, Yves Pelletier; Stars: Isabelle Cyr, Robert Brouillette, Yves Pelletier, France Castel, Gildor Roy, Raymond Cloutier, Sylvie Potvin, Diane Lavallée, Mario Saint-Amand, Pierre Chagnon, Alexis Martin, Mireille Thibault, Jean-Guy Bouchard, Guy-Daniel Tremblay, André Gauthier)

KEDi

Review preview for KEDi

Torun, who spent much of her childhood in the city, lets us get supremely close to seven exquisitely different felines.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
A documentary following seven different cats through the streets of Istanbul.

(Country: Turkey, US; Year: 2016; Director: Ceyda Torun; Stars: Bülent Üstün, Mine Sogut, Elif Nursad Atalay, Sari, Bengü, Aslan Parçasi, Psikopat, Deniz, Gamsiz, Duman)

Killing Ground

Review preview for Killing Ground

What Power does differently is to deny us the usual sources of comfort.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A young couple camping in the woods find an abandoned tent and then a lost toddler.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2016; Director: Damien Power; Writer: Damien Power; Stars: Harriet Dyer, Aaron Pedersen, Stephen Hunter, Tiarnie Coupland, Ian Meadows, Maya Stange, Mitzi Ruhlmann, Aaron Glenane, Julian Garner, Tara Jade Borg, Michael Knott, Mark Gadaleta, Jackie Dettmer, Matthew Dettmer, Liam Parkes)

Kills On Wheels (Tiszta Szívvel)

Review preview for Kills On Wheels

Kills On Wheels is a brutal and brutally funny thriller.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Two disabled lads get together with an ex-fireman and form a gang of hired assassins.

(Country: Hungary; Year: 2016; Director: Attila Till; Writer: Attila Till; Stars: Szabolcs Thuróczy, Zoltán Fenyvesi, Ádám Fekete, Mónika Balsai, Lídia Danis, Dusán Vitanovics, Björn Freiberg, Dr. Gödeny György)

King Cohen

The true story of writer, producer, director, creator and all-around maverick, Larry Cohen.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Steve Mitchell; Stars: Martin Scorsese, JJ Abrams, John Landis, Joe Dante, Rick Baker)

L'Ange Et La Femme

Love story between a woman who is brutally murdered and the angel who resurrects her.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1977; Director: Gilles Carle; Writer: Gilles Carle; Stars: Carole Laure, Lewis Furey, Jean Comptois, Joe Elsnor, Conrad Peterson, Stephen J. Roth, Stephen Lack, Pierre Giard, Stefan Wohl, David Caissey, Réal Belzé-Belval, J. Léo Gagnon, Jeanne Gagnon, David Shimo, Georges Lévesque)

The Laplace's Demon

Review preview for The Laplace's Demon

Played out as a grand, Fifties style Italian melodrama, the film is anything but dry.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A team of scientists find themselves caught up in a deadly game of chance - in which they may have no chance.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2017; Director: Giordano Giulivi; Writer: Silvano Bertolin, Ferdinando D'Urbano, Duccio Giulivi, Duccio Giulivi, Giordano Giulivi, Giordano Giulivi; Stars: Ferdinando D'Urbano, Walter Smorti, Alessandro Zonfrilli, Carlotta Mazzoncini, Silvano Bertolin, Simone Moscato, Duccio Giulivi, Simone Valeri)

Let There Be Light

Review preview for Let There Be Light

A solid introduction to the subject and a useful update on the state of play for those already familiar with the work.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Documentary about scientists working to create a star on Earth.

(Country: US, France, Canada, Italy, Switzerland; Year: 2017; Director: Mila Aung-Thwin, Van Royko; Writer: Mila Aung-Thwin)

Liberation Day

Review preview for Liberation Day

There’s a strange voyeurism to the film, especially given the isolated nature of North Korea.

Luke Shaw · 4 out of 5
The story of Laibach's visit to North Korea.

(Country: Latvia, Norway, North Korea, Slovenia; Year: 2016; Director: Ugis Olte, Morten Traavik; Writer: Morten Traavik; Stars: Boris Benko, Tomaz Cubej, Milan Fras)

The Little Hours

Review preview for The Little Hours

The piecemeal nature of Giovanni Boccaccio’s source material only adds to the sketch show feel, with as many moments missing the mark as hitting it.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
When a runaway slave takes shelter at a convent, sexual shenanigans ensue.

(Country: US, Italy; Year: 2017; Director: Jeff Baena; Writer: Jeff Baena; Stars: Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Nick Offerman, Jon Gabrus, Adam Pally, Lauren Weedman, Paul Weitz, Paul Reiser)

Love And Other Cults (Kemonomichi)

Review preview for Love And Other Cults

Itô is impressive in the lead, attracting sympathy but not too much pity.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A girl who once lived in a cult commune falls in with gang of delinquents.

(Country: UK, Japan, Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Eiji Uchida; Writer: Eiji Uchida; Stars: Sairi Itô, Kenta Suga, Kaito Yoshimura, Hidenobu Abera, Antony, Matthew Chozick, Denden, Tomoko Hayakawa, Leona Hirota, Ryô Ikeda, Hanae Kan, Nanami Kawakami, Yoshimasa Kondô, Katsuya Maiguma, Kana Matsumoto)

Lowlife

When a simple organ-harvesting caper goes awry, a twist of fate unites three of society’s forgotten and ignored to unite in an attempt to save a pregnant woman from a gruesome fate.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Ryan Prows; Stars: Nicki Micheaux, Ricardo Adam Zarate, Jon Oswald, Shaye Ogbonna, Santana Dempsey)

Lu Over The Wall (Yoake tsugeru Rû no uta)

Review preview for Lu Over The Wall

There's no doubt youngsters will enjoy the trippy and exuberant visuals of this film.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A teenage musician attracts the attentions of a mermaid.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Masaaki Yuasa; Writer: Reiko Yoshida, Masaaki Yuasa; Stars: Kanon Tani, Shôta Shimoda, Shin'ichi Shinohara, Akira Emoto, Minako Kotobuki, Soma Saito)

Made In Hong Kong (Xiang Gang Zhi Zao)

Review preview for Made In Hong Kong

Fruit Chan directs at full tilt, creating a miasma of imagery that pollutes the senses.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 2 out of 5
Post-colonial Hong Kong, as seen through the eyes of street punk.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 1997; Director: Fruit Chan; Writer: Fruit Chan; Stars: Kitfong Lam, Sam Lee, Wenders Li, Amy Tam, Ka-Chuen Tam, Neiky Yim Hui-Chi)

Le Manoir

Friends celebrating New Year in a remote mansion begin to panic after finding one of their number brutally murdered.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Tony T Datis)

The Man Who Laughs

A disfigured young man who makes his living as a circus freak seeks revenge on those behind his father's murder.

(Country: US; Year: 1928; Director: Paul Leni)

The Man Who Saved The World

Two space fighters crash land on a planet inhabited only by women, are forced to become gladiators, and must battle a thousand year old wizard to save their homeworld.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 1982; Director: Çetin Inanç)

Meatball Machine Kodoku (Kodoku: Mîtobôru Mashin, Kodoku: Meatball Machine)

A 50-yea-old debt collector learns that he has cancer and only three months to live. But then there are those pesky aliens, who might shorten the time even more by turning him into a cyborg, and he’s not the only one.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura)

M.F.A.

Review preview for M.F.A.

Noelle's transformation from mouse to maniac is also hard to swallow, even with Eastwood's hard sell.

Amber Wilkinson · 2 out of 5
A woman who is raped goes on a rampage of vengeance.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Natalia Leite; Writer: Leah McKendrick; Stars: Francesca Eastwood, Leah McKendrick, Clifton Collins Jr, Peter Vack)

Mayhem

Review preview for Mayhem

The scenes of conflict are well handled; it's actually hard to depict completely untrained, inexperienced people attacking each other in a realistic way, and director Joe Lynch achieves this without ever compromising on the fun of it all.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A lawyer betrayed by a colleague fights his way up the building to try and see the boss while it's under quarantine due to a virus that makes everybody lose their inhibitions.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Joe Lynch; Writer: Matias Caruso; Stars: Steven Yuen, Samara Weaving, Steven Brand, Kerry Fox, Dallas Roberts)

Mohawk

Review preview for Mohawk

We are plunged straight into the emotional world of characters whose feelings for each other are as pertinent as their survival and combat skills.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Two members of the Mohawk people and their British lover are forced to flee into the woods when a group of vicious American renegades turns on them during the war of 1812.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Ted Geoghegan; Writer: Ted Geoghegan, Grady Hendrix; Stars: Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington, Eamon Farren, Justin Rain, Jon Huber, Robert Longstreet, Noah Segan, Ian Colletti, Sheri Foster, Jack Gwaltney, Guy Gane, David La Haye, Wayne W. Johnson, Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington)

My Friend Dahmer

Review preview for My Friend Dahmer

This is a sudden and astonishing arrival for an adult actor.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Before Jeffrey Dahmer became one of the most notorious serial killers of all time, he was a teenage loner.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Marc Meyers; Writer: Marc Meyers, based on the graphic novel by Derf Backderf; Stars: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser, Dallas Roberts, Jack DeVillers, Cameron McKendry, Christopher Mele, Harrison Holzer, Miles Robbins, Tommy Nelson, Liam Koeth,)

The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (Mogura no uta: Hong Kong kyôsô-kyoku )

An undercover cop heads on a crazy adventure involving a Yakuza boss and his daughter.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Takashi Miike; Writer: Noboru Takahashi, Kankurô Kudô; Stars: Tôma Ikuta, Eita, Tsubasa Honda, Nanao, Arata Furuta, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Ken'ichi Endô, Riisa Naka, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Yûsuke Kamiji, Allan Cook, Kôichi Iwaki, Sarutoki Minagawa)

Money's Money

Review preview for Money's Money

A taut little thriller in which most of the rules whereby the young thieves understood the world are broken, and a few cinematic conventions experience a similar fate.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Petty criminals pursuing a rumoured briefcase full of cash find themselves in hot water when they accidentally witness the suicide of a government minister.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Géla Babluani; Writer: Géla Babluani; Stars: Georges Babluani, Benoît Magimel)

Mon Mon Mon Monsters!

An initially sweet boy finds himself losing his moral compass as he gets involved with a vicious teenage gang.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2017; Director: Giddens Ko)

Most Beautiful Island

A Spanish immigrant in Aerica is tempted by the prospect of easy money.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Ana Asensio)

Mumon: The Land Of Stealth

A ninja master faces off against a powerful warlord.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura, Jun Kunimura)

Museum

A rogue detective recently abandoned by his family tries to hunt down a frog-headed serial killer in the streets of Tokyo.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Keishi Otomo)

My Life As A Courgette (Ma Vie De Courgette)

Review preview for My Life As A Courgette

The script has a heartfelt carefulness but it is never preachy, with 'naughty' conversations about the home's teacher's willy exploding likely to have pre-adolescents (and adults who well remember these sorts of conversations) hooting with laughter.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Stop-motion story of a boy, who is sent to a group home for orphans after the death of his mum.

(Country: Switzerland, France; Year: 2016; Director: Claude Barras; Writer: Gilles Paris, Morgan Navarro, Céline Sciamma, Germano Zullo; Stars: Voices of: Michel Vuillermoz, Natacha Koutchoumov, Paulin Jaccoud, Brigitte Rosset, Adrien Barazzone, Véronique Montel, Monica Budde, Anne-Laure Brasey, Estelle Hennard, Jean-Claude Issenmann, Sixtine Murat, Raul Ribera, Elliot Sanchez, Gaspard Schlatter, Lou Wick)

Napping Princess

Review preview for Napping Princess

There is much to like here: plenty of action, dazzling animation and a score that backs up the action without being intrusive.

Jane Fae · 3 out of 5
A sleepy girl's dreams of life as a princess with the power to bring the inanimate to life begin to intrude on the real world.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Kenji Kamiyama; Writer: Kenji Kamiyama; Stars: Mitsuki Takahata, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Yôsuke Eguchi, Doug Erholtz, Arata Furuta, Rie Kugimiya, Tomoya Maeno, Chris Niosi, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Brina Palencia, Risa Shimizu, Wataru Takagi, Hideki Takahashi, Lex Wutas)

Night Is Short, Walk On Girl

Review preview for Night Is Short, Walk On Girl

Do not go looking for logical narrative in this wild assortment of larger than life characters.

Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
A college student tries to work out how to approach the girl of his dreams on a wild night full of strange events.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Masaaki Yuasa; Writer: Makoto Ueda, based on the novel by Tomohiko Morimi; Stars: Gen Hoshino, Kana Hanazawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Ryûji Akiyama, Kazuya Nakai, Yûko Kaida, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Seiko Niizuma, Jun'ichi Suwabe, Aoi Yûki, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mugihito, Ryûichi Abe, Kentarô Kokado)

The Night Watchmen

Things go horribly wrong when a group of security guards is charged with looking after the corpse of a famous clown - a corpse with ideas of its own.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Mitchell Altieri)

The Night Of The Virgin (La Noche Del Virgen)

Review preview for The Night Of The Virgin

The strongest scene is the first one, where Sebastián shows us what he can do as a filmmaker when not distracted by a commitment to going over the top.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
One New Year's Eve party, Nico, a naive 20-year-old, sets out ready to lose his virginity at all costs. In the middle of the party, his gaze crosses Medea, a cunning and attractive mature woman.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2016; Director: Roberto San Sebastián; Writer: Guillermo Guerrero; Stars: Javier Bódalo, Miriam Martín, Víctor Amilibia, Ignatius Farray, Rocío Suárez, Javi Alaiza)

November

Review preview for November

Sarnet doesn't lack imagination and the unsettling mood that pervades the action is maintained throughout.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
A peasant girl's unrequited love plays out against a backdrop of pagan ritual and myth.

(Country: Estonia, Netherlands, Poland; Year: 2017; Director: Rainer Sarnet; Writer: Rainer Sarnet, based on the novel by Andrus Kivirahk; Stars: Rea Lest, Jörgen Liik, Arvo Kukumägi, Katariina Unt, Taavi Eelmaa, Heino Kalm, Meelis Rämmeld, Dieter Laser, Jette Loona Hermanis, Jaan Tooming, Klara Eighorn, Ene Pappel, Ernst Lillemets, Sepa Tom, Tiina Keeman)

Origami

A specialist in Japanese art is introduced to his latent talent for time travel.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Patrick Demers)

Overdrive

Two car thieves who specialise in luxury vehicles get on the wrong side of a mobster and promise that if he lets them live they'll steal his rival's treasured Ferrari.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Antonio Negret)

Patti Cake$

Review preview for Patti Cake$

This film has plenty of hustle even though it sometimes lacks flow.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A New Jersey kid dreams of making it as a rapper.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Geremy Jasper; Writer: Geremy Jasper; Stars: Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, Cathy Moriarty, McCaul Lombardi, Wass Stevens)

La Petite Aurore, L'Enfant Martyre

A 12 year old girl is abused by her cruel stepmother.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1952; Director: Jan-Yves Bigras)

Plan B

Three martial arts experts are drawn into a dangerous assassination plot in Berlin's gangland, where their exploits also start attracting police attention.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Ufuk Genç · Michael Popescu)

Poor Agnes

Review preview for Poor Agnes

Keenly observational and darkly erotic, Poor Agnes is a complex tale full of telling details.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A sadistic serial killer and the private detective she holds prisoner form an unlikely bond.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Navin Ramaswaran; Writer: James Gordon Ross; Stars: Lora Burke, Amy Marie Wallace, Robert Notman, Will Conlon, Rodney Dwira, Kate Alice Phillips, Stan Alto, Dennis Austin, Philip Contardo) , Trailer

Pork Pie

A novelist who left his bride at the alter, a young car thief and an animal rights activist journey through the wilds of New Zealand together in search of redemption.

(Country: New Zealand; Year: 2017; Director: Matt Murphy)

Prey

A lion stalks the streets of Amsterdam looking for delicious humans.

(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2017; Director: Dick Maas)

Le Problème D'Infiltration

The orderly life of a plastic surgeon begins to deteriorate when one of his patients threatens to sue him.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Robert Morin)

Punk Fu Zombie

Review preview for Punk Fu Zombie

This is not a film made with the expectation of a polished result.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
An independent Quebec is infested by zombies and only the son of its dubious hero leader can unite the ninjas, punks and rat people whose skills might save it.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Gabriel Claveau; Writer: Philippe Beaulieu-Poulin, Gabriel Claveau, Jerome Cloutier, Dany Foster; Stars: Stéphane Messier, Xavier Dumontier, Tommy Gaudet, Caroline Dansereau-Loiselle, Jonathan Simon, Luke Doucet, Raoul Castonguay, Charles André-Jacques, Christian Charbonneau, Mariève Cazabon, Stéphane Genest, Maëlle Auclair, Caroline Labelle, Yanic Dansereau-Loiselle, Alexandre Fortier)

Q: The Winged Serpent

Review preview for Q: The Winged Serpent

The scale of what Cohen achieved with his monster on a low budget remains impressive to this day.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Quetzalcoatl moves to New York City and takes up residence atop the Chrysler Building.

(Country: US; Year: 1982; Director: Larry Cohen; Writer: Larry Cohen; Stars: Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree, James Dixon, Malachy McCourt, Fred J. Scollay, Peter Hock, Ron Cey, Mary Louise Weller, Bruce Carradine, John Capodice, Tony Page, Larkin Ford, Larry Pine)

Radius

Review preview for Radius

Writer Caroline Labrèche and co-director Steeve Léonard use science fiction framing to invite viewers along on a journey that will take them somewhere very different.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
After a car crash a man is left with no memory... and discovers the horrible truth: anyone who comes within a 50-foot radius of him dies instantly.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Caroline Labrèche, Steeve Léonard; Writer: Caroline Labrèche, Steeve Léonard; Stars: Diego Klattenhoff, Charlotte Sullivan, Brett Donahue, Nazariy Demkowicz,Terry Ray)

Rafales

A radio host offers himself as a hostage to a robber desperate to secure the release of his brother, hoping to get the story of a lifetime.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1990; Director: André Melançon)

Rage (Ikari)

A murder case erodes trust in a small fishing village.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Lee Sang-il ; Writer: Shûichi Yoshida, Lee Sang-il , Shûichi Yoshida; Stars: Ken Watanabe, Hikari Mitsushima, Mirai Moriyama, Aoi Miyazaki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Gô Ayano, Suzu Hirose, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Kirin Kiki, Masaki Okada, Eri Fukatsu, Takahiro Miura, Pierre Taki, Chizuru Ikewaki, Akira Emoto)

Replace

Review preview for Replace

Tim Peter Kuhn's cinematography and Franco Tortora and Tom Batoy’s dramatic score combine to create a sense of disorientation, of psychological disintegration.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Afflicted with a dermatological disease that causes her skin to crumble away, Kira discovers that she can replace that skin with the skin of other women.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Norbert Keil; Writer: Norbert Keil, Richard Stanley, Scarlett Amaris; Stars: Barbara Crampton, Rebecca Forsythe, Lucie Aron, Sean Knopp, Adnan Maral)

Ron Goossens, Low-Budget Stuntman

Review preview for Ron Goossens, Low-Budget Stuntman

There's an innocence abour Ron even when he is at his most obnoxious, and his dogged spirit in the face of persistent injuries, seemingly endless humiliations and Angela upping the ante is endearing.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A failed stunt makes Ron an internet celebrity overnight, but his girlfriend still doesn't fancy him. The only thing that could change that, she says, is if he sleeps with a famous actress.

(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2017; Director: Steffen Haars, Flip Van Der Kuil; Writer: Steffen Haars, Flip Van der Kuil; Stars: Tim Haars, Bo Maerten, Michiel Romeyn, Henry van Loon, Thomas Acda, Don Alphonso, Jos Bakker, Pieter Bouwman, Dennie Christian, Steef Cuijpers, Karsten de Vreugd, Tygo Gernandt, Nick Golterman, Steffen Haars, Bert Hana)

Santo Contre Les Momies De Guanajuato

Two wrestlers must defend a city from deonic mummies that have risen to life due to anancient pact made with the Devil.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 1970; Director: Federico Curiel)

Savage Dog

A former IRA man forced to compete in fights while a prisoner in Indonesia finds he can't escape even after his release.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Jesse V Johnson)

The Senior Class

Review preview for The Senior Class

A bitter antidote to traditional teen films.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Too shy to approach the girl of his dreams, an art student creates a comic about his feelings for her instead.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2016; Director: Hong Deok-Pyo; Stars: Kang Jin-ah, Lee Joo-seung)

Sequence Break

Review preview for Sequence Break

The incursion of something otherworldly into our hero's life takes place slowly, making it all the more unsettling.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A reclusive video arcade technician encounters strange metaphysical forces that result in bizarre bio-mechanical mutations when a new console appears in his shop.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Graham Skipper; Writer: Graham Skipper; Stars: Chase Williamson, Fabianne Therese, Audrey Wasilewski, Lisa Long, Lyle Kanouse)

Le Serpent Au Mille Coupures

A wounded gunman hides out in a farmhouse, taking a family hostage, as the police and a dangerous assassin hunt him down.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Eric Valette)

The Sheriff In Town

A former cop turned restaurant owner is suspicious when a former adversary comes to town claiming to have changed his ways.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2018; Director: Kim Hyung-Joo)

Shinjuku Swan II

When adult entertainment agency Burst tries to expand, a new turf war develops.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Sion Sono)

Simon Les Nuages

A boy leads his friends on an adventure through a dreamland with pirates and dinosaurs.

(Country: Canada; Year: 1990; Director: Roger Cantin)

Split

A former bowling champion takes on a young, autistic protege.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2016; Director: Choi Kook-Hee)

Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira)

Review preview for Shin Godzilla

There's certainly a giant monster, there's definitely some degree of rampaging.

Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
Japan is plunged into chaos upon the appearance of a giant monster.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2016; Director: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi; Writer: Hideaki Anno; Stars: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara)

Shock Wave

Review preview for Shock Wave

With a set-up and title like this, it's obvious from the outset that Yau isn't going to let the emergency services wrap things up neatly and go home for a nice cup of tea.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An explosives expert has to overcome a series of challenges in order to save the lives of hundreds of people trapped in a tunnel by a crazed bomber with a personal grudge.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2017; Director: Herman Yau; Writer: Erica Lee, Herman Yau; Stars: Andy Lau, Wu Jiang, Jia Song)

Spoor (Pokot)

Review preview for Spoor

It has the ungainly but attractive ambience of an old fairy tale being passed down through the generations, becoming more and more embellished on each retelling.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
An elderly woman is convinced she knows what lies behind a spate of mysterious crimes... but nobody will believe her.

(Country: Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia; Year: 2017; Director: Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik; Writer: Agnieszka Holland, Stepán Hulík, Olga Tokarczuk; Stars: Agnieszka Mandat-Grabka, Wiktor Zborowski, Jakub Gierszal, Patrycja Volny, Miroslav Krobot, Borys Szyc, Tomasz Kot, Andrzej Grabowski, Katarzyna Herman, Marcin Bosak, Andrzej Konopka, Sebastian Pawlak, Katarzyna Skarzanka, Monika Anna Wojtyllo, David Ali Hamade)

Suspiria (Dario Argento's Suspiria)

Review preview for Suspiria

Those who doubt the artistic potential of the horror genre should be nailed down and made to watch this.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
A young ballet dancer uncovers a sinister conspiracy in this masterpiece of surrealist horror.

(Country: Italy; Year: 1977; Director: Dario Argento; Writer: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi; Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Alida Valli, Udo Kier)

S.U.M.1

Review preview for S.U.M.1

Having been told little about the nature of the enemy, SUM1 jumps at every unfamiliar sound or movement, and we are invited to do likewise.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A young soldier who has never left the safety of the militarised underground warrens before is assigned to a solitary lookout post in the forest where the silence begins to scare him and prompts rumination about the real nature of the enemy.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Christian Pasquariello; Writer: Christian Pasquariello, Gabrielle Pfeiffer; Stars: Iwan Rheon, André Hennicke)

Super Dark Times

Teenagers Zach and Josh have been best friends their whole lives, but when a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the secret drives a wedge between them and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Kevin Phillips; Writer: Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski; Stars: Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Max Talisman, Sawyer Barth, Amy Hargreaves, Adea Lennox, Ethan Botwick, Philip H. Ashley, Justin Rose, Kortnee Simmons, Samantha Jones, Anni Krueger, Jeffrey Alan Solomon, Bettina Skye)

A Taxi Driver

Review preview for A Taxi Driver

Song is superb in the central role, taking his character through an emotional arc that would be a challenge for any actor, but never less than convincing.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A taxi driver burdened by debt agrees to take a journalist to a city under quarantine, without really understanding what he's getting into.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2017; Director: Jang Hoon; Writer: Jang Hoon; Stars: Kang-ho Song, Thomas Kretschmann, Hae-jin Yoo, Jun-yeol Ryu, Hyuk-kwon Park, Gwi-hwa Choi, Daniel Joey Albright)

Teiichi: Battle Of The Supreme High

A student at an elite high school is willing to do anything to get to the top.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Akira Nagai)

Terreur 404

An anthology of films about how technology can create nightmares.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Sébastien Diaz)

A Thousand Junkies

Three heroin addicts crisscross Los Angeles in search of relief in this comedy balanced on the fine line between reliance and dependence.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Tommy Swerdlow; Writer: TJ Bowen, Tommy Swerdlow; Stars: TJ Bowen, Blake Heron, Bill Pullman, Steven Weber, Dinarte de Freitas)

Tiger Girl

Margarete’s life is turned upside down when tough girl Tiger appears and starts saving her from pushy men... but things soon turn criminal.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Jakob Lass; Writer: Jakob Lass, Eva-Maria Reimer, Ines Schiller, Nicholas Woche; Stars: Ella Rumpf, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Enno Trebs, Orce Feldschau, Benjamin Lutzke, Franz Rogowski, Ulrik Bruchholz, Lana Cooper, Robert Gwisdek, Robert Maaser, Joshua Grothe, Eskindir Tesfay, Lucas Englander, Kristin Suckow, Franziska Arnold)

Tilt

Review preview for Tilt

Alexander Alexandrov's grimy cinematography shows us the dirt and the grit we have come to associate with working class Americans going off the rails, and applies it to well cared for suburban homes and cityscapes usually pictured as glamorous.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A documentary filmmaker whose wife is pregnant starts to lose his grip.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Kasra Farahani; Writer: Kasra Farahani, Jason O'Leary; Stars: Joseph Cross, C.S. Lee, Kelvin Yu, Alexia Rasmussen, Jessy Hodges, Junes Zahdi, Billy Khoury, Michael Zakhar, Micheal Zakhar, Kyle Koromaldi)

Tokyo Ghoul

Review preview for Tokyo Ghoul

With its combination of rather sweet teenage angst and extremely gory action scenes, the film serves its natural audience well but is unlikely to reach far beyond that.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Following an organ transplant, a shy young man becomes a half-ghoul and beins to crave human flesh.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Kentaro Hagiwara; Stars: Masataka Kubota, Fumika Shimizu, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Hiyori Sakurada, Yû Aoi)

Tokyo Idols

Review preview for Tokyo Idols

Miyake takes a thorough approach to her subject, showing both the fan-side and the opinion of those who make money from the industry, all the while probing at the psychological drivers fuelling the craze.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Exploration of the J-pop teenage girl band phenomenon.

(Country: UK, Japan, Canada; Year: 2017; Director: Kyoko Miyake; Writer: Kyoko Miyake)

The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always The Densest Shade Of Blue (Yozora wa itsudemo saikô mitsudo no aoiro da)

Is the moon really only this blue in Tokyo and why doesn’t anyone else see it? Shinji and Mika would both say they’re strange and chance brings them together again and again.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Yûya Ishii; Writer: Tahi Saihate, Yûya Ishii; Stars: Ryûhei Matsuda, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Mikako Ichikawa, Takahiro Miura, Paul Magsign, Ryô Satô, Shizuka Ishibashi, Tetsuji Tanaka)

Tom Of Finland

Review preview for Tom Of Finland

Although much of Laaksonen's work was hardcore, Karukoski doesn't seek to 'shock' audiences with outrageousness, instead gracefully zoning in on the man and his life to celebrate his both his bravery and his art.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Portrait of the Finnish artist famous for his homoerotic work.

(Country: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, US; Year: 2017; Director: Dome Karukoski; Writer: Noam Andrews, Aleksi Bardy, Aleksi Bardy, Aleksi Bardy, Mark Alton Brown, Dome Karukoski, Susanna Luoto, Kauko Röyhkä, Mia Ylönen; Stars: Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Jakob Oftebro, Werner Daehn, Jimmy Shaw, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Seumas F. Sargent, Jan Böhme, Kari Hietalahti, Taisto Oksanen, Georg Kroneis, Niklas Hogner, Siim Maaten, Roy Saaristo)

Town In A Lake (Matangtubig)

Review preview for Town In A Lake

Between its central mystery and its assault on the senses, Town In A Lake is a film that sets out to consume the viewer.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When a teenage girl is found murdered, a search begins. A local father who saw her and a friend approached there by strangers wonders whether or not he should speak up.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2015; Director: Jet Leyco; Writer: Brian Gonzales; Stars: Amante Pulido, Lance Raymundo, Shielbert Manuel, Therese Malvar, Maria Veronica Santiago)

Tragedy Girls

Review preview for Tragedy Girls

Loud, colourful, facetious and painstakingly shallow, Tragedy Girls perfectly captures the high school movie vibe.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
High school seniors McKayla and Sadie are obsessed with their social media presence as authorities on crime - the only trouble is, they're the hands-on type.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Tyler MacIntyre; Writer: Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre, Justin Olson; Stars: Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Hutcherson, Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Terminator 2: Judgment Day Special Edition, Terminator 2, T2, Terminator 2 Judgment Day)

Review preview for Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2 is a wonderful sequel, dramatically satisfying and a fine entertainment.

Scott Macdonald · 4 out of 5
A Terminator robot comes back in time to protect a boy from another, more advanced killer robot.

(Country: US; Year: 1991; Director: James Cameron; Writer: James Cameron, William Wisher; Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, S Epatha Merkerson, Castulo Guerra, Danny Cooksey, Jenette Goldstein, Xander Berkeley)

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets

Review preview for Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets

A film that from its outset immerses you totally in the world of city Alpha, as well as the humans and aliens that throng its crowded streets.

Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
Two special operatives go on a mission to Alpha, where species from across the galaxy meet to share knowledge, and where an evil force is gathering its strength.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Luc Besson; Writer: Luc Besson, basic on the comic book by Pierre Christin, Jean-Claude Mézières; Stars: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Sam Spruell, Alain Chabat, Rutger Hauer, Peter Hudson, Xavier Giannoli, Louis Leterrier, Eric Rochant, Benoît Jacquot)

Vampire Cleanup Department (Gao geung jing dou fu)

A secret vampire-busting team tackles the living dead in Hong Kong.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2017; Director: Sin-Hang Chiu, Pak-Wing Yan; Stars: Siu-Ho Chin, Hok-chi Chiu, Babyjohn Choi, Min Chen Lin, Meng Lo, Richard Ng, Susan Yam-Yam Shaw, Cheung-Yan Yuen)

The Villainess

Review preview for The Villainess

A must-see film for action fans.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Sook-hee is a trained assassin who was born to kill. Now she works as a theatre actress and secret agent of the South Korean intelligence services.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2017; Director: Jung Byung-gil; Writer: Jung Byung-gil; Stars: Ok-bin Kim, Jun Sung, Seo-hyung Kim, Seo-hyung Kim , Ha-kyun Shin)

Le Viol Du Vampire

A psychoanalyst encounters two sisters who insist they are 200 year old vampires.

(Country: France; Year: 1968; Director: Jean Rollin)

What A Wonderful Family! 2

A family tries to convicne grandpa to stop driving, but he's ready to reclaim his youth.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2017; Director: Yôji Yamada)

Wild Blood

As violence breaks out everywhere, a war veteran hides out in the bush and plots to defeat the old enemy who is after his blood.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 1983; Director: Çetin Inanç)

Wu Kong

An origin story for the legendary Monkey King.

(Country: China; Year: 2017; Director: Derek Kwok)

You Only Live Once

A con man who makes his living by filming people and then blackmailing them accidentally films a murder which incriminates a diplomat, and has to go into hiding.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2017; Director: Federico Cueva)