The Heiresses RT 100% IMDb 7.5 Members’ Choice
Paraguay 2017 drama 98 mins.
The 30 year relationship of a wealthy lesbian couple in their late 50s is threatened when they hit financial hard times, leading to drastic changes to their way of life and relationships.
Berlin Silver Bear winner, Paraguay’s entry for 2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Directed by Marcelo Martinessi.
“A superb first feature from Marcelo Martinessi, this entirely female-driven story is full of gentle wit and playful observations on the crumbling upper echelons of Paraguayan society” The Observer
Leave No Trace. RT 100% IMDb 7.4 Members’ Choice
USA drama 2018 109mins
A Veteran (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) live an alternative life ‘off the grid’ in the forests of Oregon. After a more conventional lifestyle is forced upon them, they try and return to the forest but their outlook on life has begun to diverge.
Directed by Debra Granik (who directed Jennifer Lawrence’s breakthrough “Winter’s Bone”)
“One of the best films of 2018 and promises to make a star of McKenzie … a travelogue across an ignored part of America that’s imbued with empathy …. confirms Granik as an essential creative force” The Atlantic
The Swimmer RT 100% IMDb 7.7
USA drama 1968 95 mins
A middle-aged ad man (Burt Lancaster) decides to travel home from his office by swimming across the suburban pools in between, leading to reflection on the various failures in his life. Prescient allegory of the American Dream, adapted from the novella by John Cheever.
Directed by Frank Perry (“Last Summer”)
“As do few movies, The Swimmer stays in the memory like an echo that never quite disappears.” NY Times.
The Rider RT 97% IMDb 7.5
USA western 2017 104 mins
A once rising star of the rodeo circuit finds his competition days ended by an accident, when he is left wondering what he has to live for. Based on a true story, using naturalistic methods and a non-professional cast.
Cannes CICAE award.
Directed by Chloe Zhao (“Songs My Brother Taught Me”).
“A small and deeply emotional tale set against the vast panorama of The West …. thoughtful and thought-provoking look at identity, aspiration and a precarious way of life” Empire Magazine
Some Like it Hot RT 96% IMDb 8.3
USA comedy 1959 122 mins.
After witnessing a Mafia murder, slick saxophone player Joe (Tony Curtis) and his long-suffering buddy, Jerry (Jack Lemmon), disguise themselves as women and join an all-female jazz band (including Marilyn Monroe) bound for Florida.
3 Golden Globes including Best Comedy.
Directed by Billy Wilder (“Sunset Boulevard”).
““Nobody’s perfect” is the last line. Wilder, Lemmon, Curtis and Monroe come pretty close.” The Guardian
The Apartment RT 94% IMDb 8.3
USA comedy/drama 1960 125 mins
An insurance worker (Jack Lemmon) lends his apartment to company bosses to use for extramarital affairs. Soon he must decide between the girl he loves (Shirley MacLaine) and his career.
5 Oscars including Best Picture.
Also directed by Billy Wilder.
“From such potentially edgy material Wilder and co-writer IAL Diamond sculpt an unforgettable romance.” Radio Times.
A Fantastic Woman RT 94% IMDb 7.2
Chile 2017 drama 104mins
Trans woman Marina (Daniela Vega) is a young waitress and aspiring singer. When her older partner dies she is treated with suspicion, and struggles for the right to be herself.
2018 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner.
Directed by Sebastian Lelio (“Gloria”).
“works as an extended scream against lazy assumptions and blinkered bigotry. But it is also light, funny, wry and inspiring.” Irish Times.
A Clockwork Orange RT 89% IMDb 8.3
U.K./USA 1971 drama/satire 136 mins
Darkly ironic dystopian nightmare dissecting the nature of violence, set in the near-future. Classical music-loving proto-punk teens Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and the “Droogs” spend their nights getting high at the Milkbar before embarking on violence. Adapted from Anthony Burgess’ novel.
Oscar-nominated.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick (“2001: A Space Odyssey).
“one of the most unsettling films in the whole of cinema.” London Evening Standard.
Boys Don’t Cry RT 88% IMDb 7.6
USA drama 1999 118 mins
Based on real events, powerful and tragic telling of the story of a young trans man (Hilary Swank) whose attempt to find a new life in Nebraska and love with a singer (Chloe Sevigny) is threatened when his secret becomes known.
Best Actress Oscar winner.
Directed by Kimberly Pierce (“Carrie” (2013))
“poignant and candid … a “Rebel Without a Cause” for these culturally diverse and complex times.” Variety.
Funny Cow RT 77% IMDb 6.5 Members’ Choice
U.K. drama 2017 103mins
Follows the changing fortunes of a female standup comic (Maxine Peake) working the male-dominated northern working men’s clubs of the 1970s, who draws on her troubled past for her standup material.
Directed by Adrian Shergold (“Persuasion”)
“Peake gives it a fierce, blazing energy….There is no moral, and in the mantra of Seinfeld, there is no hugging, no learning….just a hypnotically belligerent performance from Peake.” The Guardian.