Thursday, January 29, 2015

Trailer: Black Sea

Give me a solid old-school adventure like Black Sea over your latest effects-pumped Marvel superhero epic any day. Directed by Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland), this submarine flick is a rarity these days: a mid-budget action-thriller emphasising performances and strong character work, hinging on a tense real-world/working-class type scenario. Jude Law's accent is a bit suspect, but the film has received some encouraging reviews so far: Empire says it's a "superbly shot men-on-a-mission thriller with chest-tightening tension and a striking contemporary resonance", and Time Out London: "its blend of old-fashioned storytelling values and zeitgeisty relevance make it a worthy addition to sub-aquatic cinema's nerve-juddering legacy." We're looking to secure a couple of screenings in March - fingers crossed! In the meantime, get your palms clammy with the trailer below:

Friday, January 9, 2015

Trailer: Big Game

Finnish director Jalmari Helander's debut film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was a terrifically twisted yuletide adventure, combining decidedly offbeat humour and a glossy, commercial sheen into a fun little romp. His follow-up Big Game appears to take this sensibility one step further into action-blockbuster realm, with an awesomely ridiculous plot about a young hunter (Rare Exports' Onni Tommila) who rescues the President of the United States (Samuel Jackson!) after Air Force One is shot down. Containing elements of everything from Cliffhanger to Home Alone, Big Game looks like rip-roaring tongue-in-cheek entertainment, a project that could definitely catapult Helander into the Hollywood big leagues.