Even though The Blitz lasted a little over eight months, the indiscriminate nature of the bombs that fell on London during that time struck terror into the hearts of its citizens. The bombs indiscriminately killed men, women and children and the UK government began a program to send the children (sans parents) to points North for their safety.

Young George played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan is a precocious child from a mixed-race couple. The now single-parent mother Rita is played by Saoirse Ronan. They live in a flat along with her grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller). When the time comes for George to be sent away for his safety, Rita’s world turns upside down.

The matter-of-factness that director/writer Steve McQueen brings to the screen emphasizes the actions of the human participants and Ronan and Heffernan deliver. McQueen uses the human cost of the bombings to supercharge the emotions of normal people in harrowing times. These raw human emotions on full display make this film an unforgettable experience.
Rob Hudson

The 2024 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival returns to cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Byron Bay and for the first time, Ballarat, this November with a star-studded line up. The specially curated program features tender dramas, action packed thrillers, comedy, documentaries and retrospectives, starring some of Britain’s most well-known faces including Saoirse Ronan, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Tim Roth.

Blitz Screening Times
Palace Barracks Brisbane
Saturday 16th November – 3:40pm
Sunday 17th November – 5:50pm

Palace James St Cinema
Sunday 17th November – 4:20pm
www.britishfilmfestival.com.au

The Patriarch of the family, Fritz Von Erich was a wrestler with a successful career, but it never reached the heights he thought due. This caused him to over-invest in his children’s lives and forced them to be myopic in seeing their future. This led to self-induced tragedy as well as accidental.

As horrific as the happenings in the film are, they are downplayed and the actual truth is even more sad. This kind of work places large demands on its actors and Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Zac Efron are fully invested. Efron is startling in his transformation and the rest of the cast put in exemplary work.

Equal parts powerful and devastating, The Iron Claw shines a light on the dynamics of parental overreach. In this case, the boys didn’t have a chance. The Von Erich family have been described as professional wrestling royalty but their lives still spun out of control and those events form a cautionary tale of incredible tragedy and sadness.
Rob Hudson
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The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.

Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

Starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, with Holt McCallany and Lily James. Only in cinemas from January 18.
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When American writer/zoologist Delia Owens’ debut novel solo nine-teen million copies and topped The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers List a film version was inevitable. The book follows the life and times of Kya Clark played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Cold Feet and Ear Of The Worlds). Her life is one filled with extreme hardship.

As the youngest member of a family led by an abusive father played with believable ferocity by Garret Dillahunt, she has to endure all of her loved ones leaving the toxic environment. She stays with their father and suffers the physical and mental isolation until he too leaves their shack home located out in the marsh lands. Forced to raise herself until her teens she is shy but very intelligent.

Her interface with the outside world is minimal and most people try to take advantage of her including a boy named Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson). He is the small town’s star athlete and comes from a known family. Their relationship become adversarial and when he turns up dead she is charged with the murder. Through backstory during the trial we discover more details about her life and relationship with Chase. This film is a treat for both fans of the book and those new to the story, Where the Crawdads Sing speaks of one woman’s strength against insurmountable odds and her ultimate victory.

Rob Hudson
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When world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theatre underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.

Starring Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, Harris Dickinson, Charlie Cooper, Shirley Henderson, Lucian Msamati, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Pearl Chanda, Paul Chahidi, Sian Clifford, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Tim Key, Ania Marson and David Oyelowo, and will be released in Australian Cinemas September 29!

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Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumours of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.

Where the Crawdads Sing stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) as “Kya Clark,” Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects) as “Tate Walker,” Harris Dickinson (The King’s Man) as “Chase Andrews,” Michael Hyatt (Snowfall) as “Mabel,” Sterling Macer, Jr. (Double Down) as “Jumpin’,” and David Strathairn (Nomadland) as “Tom Milton.” Olivia Newman (First Match) directs the screenplay by Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) based upon the novel by Delia Owens. The 3000 Pictures film is being produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter.

Where the Crawdads Sing will be released in Australian cinemas July 14!

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This edition, a prequel is set in the early days of the twentieth century, it starts with the Second Boer War and then fast forwards to World War One. Its main focus is that of Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) and his house staff that consists of Shola (Djimon Hounsou) and Polly Wilkins (Gemma Arterton). The two are trusted and very capable.

Unlike the two previous films Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingman: The Golden Circle, this chapter is almost entirely gadget-free and focuses on the protagonists that end up being the early members of the agency. It also has a lot of fun with historical figures like Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) and King George, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Tsar Nicholas (all played by Tom Hollander). Ifans’ take on Rasputin is, particularly over the top.

The movie misses the chance to introduce some funky steampunk weapons and hardware but makes up for it by utilising the same hyper-real look and feel of the first two films. This one also tugs the heartstrings in a way the first two did not with their cartoon approach to the storytelling. This should handily restart the franchise from its inception on.

Rob Hudson
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Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in “The King’s Man,” in a story that follows one man who must race against time to stop a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gathering to plot a war to wipe out millions.

“The King’s Man” is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance. Matthew Vaughn, David Reid and Adam Bohling are the producers, and Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons, Stephen Marks, Claudia Vaughn and Ralph Fiennes serve as executive producers. “The King’s Man” is based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, and the story is by Matthew Vaughn and the screenplay is by Matthew Vaughn & Karl Gajdusek. “The King’s Man” opens in Australian cinemas January 6, 2022.
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As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in “The King’s Man.” “The King’s Man” is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.

Matthew Vaughn, David Reid and Adam Bohling are the producers, and Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons, Stephen Marks, Claudia Vaughn and Ralph Fiennes serve as executive producers. “The King’s Man” is based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, and the story is by Matthew Vaughn and the screenplay is by Matthew Vaughn & Karl Gajdusek.

“The King’s Man” releases in Australian cinemas on January 1, 2022.

www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudiosAUNZ

Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in “The King’s Man”.

“The King’s Man” is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.

Matthew Vaughn, David Reid and Adam Bohling are the producers, and Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons, Stephen Marks, Claudia Vaughn and Ralph Fiennes serve as executive producers. “The King‘s Man” is based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, and the story is by Matthew Vaughn and the screenplay is by Matthew Vaughn & Karl Gajdusek.

“The King’s Man” will be released in Australian cinemas January 1, 2022!
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