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Cinema is back baby!
Fresh from attending a mid-week preview of screening of Barbie which was packed full of men and women in shockingly fabulous shades of luminescent pink, and hearing tales of subsequent sold-out nights of Barbie and Oppenheimer – released on the same day in a phenomenon known as Barbenheimer – I am excited about what lies ahead for cinemas!
True there’s a strike on the USA where writers and actors are doing the good work in seeking to get fair recompense for all their brilliantly creative hard work, and yes, COVID did change the way people view movies BUT if this last week has shown anything, it’s that people love the communal sharing of movies and that hopefully these two films will kick off a resurgence in people flocking to the movies.
There is a streaming outlier in this selection of trailers, but mostly the films are cinema-bound first which augurs well for a future full of popcorn, dimming lights and glorious escape from the rigours of the outside world, if only for a couple of hours …
(courtesy IMP Awards)
SNAPSHOT
APORIA: 1) An expression of real or pretended doubt or uncertainty. 2) A logical impasse or contradiction. Since losing her husband Mal (Edi Gathegi) in an awful drunk-driving incident, Sophie (Judy Greer) has struggled to manage crippling grief, a full-time job, and the demands of parenting her devastated teenage daughter (Faithe Herman). When her husband’s best friend Jabir (Payman Maadi), a former physicist, reveals that he has been building a time-bending machine that could restore her former life, Sophie will be faced with an impossible choice—and unforeseeable consequences. Aporia is both written and directed by American producer / filmmaker Jared Moshe, director of the films Dead Man’s Burden and The Ballad of Lefty Brown previously. It’s produced by Neda Armian and T. Justin Ross. Developed by Bad Robot. (courtesy First Showing)
Aporia opens in select US cinemas on 11 August after premiering at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival on 27 July.
(courtesy IMP Awards)
SNAPSHOT
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. From writer/director Julio Torres comes a surreal adventure through the equally treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system. Problemista is both written and directed by young Salvadorian actor / comic / filmmaker Julio Torres, making his feature directorial debut after writing for Saturday Night Live for years and creating the Los Espookys series for HBO Max. Produced by Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, and Julio Torres. (courtesy First Showing)
Following its premiere at SXSW Film Festival earlier this year, Problemista will open in select US cinemas on 4 August.
(courtesy IMP Awards)
SNAPSHOT
Jules follows Milton (Ben Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.” Things become even more complicated when his neighbors (Harriet Sansom Harris & Jane Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors find meaning and connection later in life – thanks to this unlikely stranger. Jules is directed by the American producer / filmmaker Marc Turtletaub, an indie film producer and director of Gods Behaving Badly and Puzzle previously. The screenplay is written by Gavin Steckler. It’s produced by Debbie Liebling, Andy Daly, Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub, and Marc Turletaub. (courtesy First Showing)
Following its premiere at the 2023 Sonoma Film Festival, Jules on 10 August in Australia and on 11 August in the United States.
SNAPSHOT
100,000 daily flights around the world. 6 million travelers. One connection. After missing her flight from New York to London, Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson) meets Oliver (Ben Hardy) in a chance encounter at the airport that sparks an instant connection. A long night on the plane together passes in the blink of an eye but upon landing at Heathrow, the pair are separated, and finding each other again in the chaos seems impossible. Will fate intervene to transform these seat mates into soul mates? Love at First Sight is directed by English filmmaker Vanessa Caswill, making her first feature film after many short films and directing TV episodes of Thirteen, Little Women, and Gold Digger previously. The screenplay is written by Katie Lovejoy (of To All the Boys: Always and Forever); based on the novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. It’s produced by Matt Kaplan; co-produced by Aubrey Bendix. (courtesy First Showing)
Love at First Sight premieres on 15 September on Netflix.
SNAPSHOT
The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to go on a family trip to tropical Jamaica. As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined. Migration is directed by French cartoonist / animation filmmaker Benjamin Renner, director of the films Ernest & Celestine and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales previously. The screenplay is written by Mike White (School of Rock, Nacho Libre, Beatriz at Dinner, The Emoji Movie, Pitch Perfect 3, White Lotus). It’s produced by Christopher Meledandri. (courtesy First Showing)
Migration opens in USA on 22 December and Australia on 26 December.