Amsterdam Film Show | November 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody disappoints our local reviewer, David Swatling debut, but Rami Malek, playing Freddie Mercury, does not. The November 2018 edition of the Amsterdam Film Show is here.

Watch the video, read the blog notes or find links in our Pinterest board below. The AFS is also broadcast on TV and on our radio station.

FILM FESTIVALS & SPECIAL SCREENINGS

2-11 Nov | Leiden International Film Festival | @ Leiden cinemas obvs

This is a great little film festvial with lots of quirky choices and early screenings of films yet to go on general release, American indie films particularly but also some foreign films, eg the popular Japanese film, Shoplifters (with English subtitles). Several screenings are already sold out so book your tickets quickly. The Amsterdam Film Club (https://www.meetup.com/Amsterdam-Film-Club/) will be going to see Sorry to Bother You on Sat 10 Nov (19:00). It may not go on general release in NL, it can’t find a distributor, which is shocking as it’s had great reviews, it’s original and the main actor Lakeith Stanfield is always impressive. RSVP on meetup.com if you want to join us (but make sure to book your own ticket in advance.) Cineville card holders can go free but you still need to book. And OK we’re not loving the website, but don’t let that put you off. Well worth the short train ride from Amsterdam, and Leiden is a lovely town to visit. #outoftown

14-25 Nov | IDFA | all around town

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam takes over nearly all the cinema screens in the city. The festival attracts documentary professionals from all over the world, but it’s also incredibly popular with the general public so be warned: screenings are often sold out. @CathyCentral “On my wish-list to see is Genesis 2.0 which follows some modern day Indiana Jones-types trekking through the hazards of Siberian islands to excavate woolly mammoth tusks, and they might also end up helping a group of biologists with their cloning ambitions.”

NEW CINEMA RELEASES

“Here’s the highlights from the film releases in Amsterdam this month.”

FROM 1 NOV  

Bohemian Rhapsody | Dir: Bryan Singer | with Rami Malek | Perhaps a band biopic rather than your normal biopic, this film charts the rise of rock band, Queen up until their “legendary set” at 1985’s Live Aid concert. See @DavidSwatling’s review in the video above (7/10). 

My Foolish Heart (NL) | DRAMA | Amsterdam, 1988 and a police detective is investigating the mysterious death of jazz legend, Chet Baker. His exploration of the trumpet player’s last days takes him on a dark, musical journey. @CathyCentral says “I’d totally watch this on TV, but at 1 hour  22 minutes, I’m not sure about the big screen.” You? 

Halloween | HORROR | Dir: David Gordon Green | w Jamie Lee Curtis | A sequel to the 1978 John Carpenter horror classic, a middle aged Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago (IMBD) | It’s breaking records and making a lot of money and we’re pretty sure Amsterdam will also contribute to their success.

FROM 8 NOV

Overlord | MORE HORROR | Director: Julius Avery | Producer J. J. Abrams | with a cast of up-and-coming actors | The story of two American soldiers behind enemy lines on D-Day. Plus zombies | Leigh Monson of Birth.Movies.Death says: “Overlord is a loud, intense, Nazi-punching good time.”

FROM 15 NOV

Destination Wedding | COMEDY | w Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves | Two anti-social wedding guests meet on the flight there, and come to hate each other as much as they hate the bride and groom. There’s not a lot of love for this from the critics of Rotten Tomatoes, but if you’re a loyal fan of Ryder and Reeves, who cares? 

The Kindergarten Teacher | DRAMA-THRILLER | Dir: Sara Colangelo | w Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gael García Bernal | A remake of a recent Israeli film of the same name, in which, a teacher becomes obsessed by a child prodigy in her poetry class | Expect awards nominations for Gyllenhaal’s performance in this, but heads up, too, for a new female director, Sara Colangelo.

Suspiria | FANTASY HORROR REMAKE  | Dir: Luca Guadagnino (of Call Me By Your Name) | w Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton + | Dark times at a famous dance company | @CathyCentral says :”Just the voices freak me out, tbh.”

FROM 22 NOV

Widows | CRIME THRILLER | Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) | co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) | w Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya | Four widowed women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities decide take back control (IMDB paraphrased).  Basically Viola Davis is not here to mess around.

The Wife | DRAMA | Dir: Björn Runge | w Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater | With her husband about to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, his wife takes stock. This may sound a little boring to some but then you add Glenn Close into the mix and …

Mary Shelley | Dir: Haifaa Al-Mansour| w Elle Fanning | Period drama about the author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley.

FROM 29 NOV

Beautiful Boy | Dir: Felix van Groeningen | w Steve Carell, Maura Tierney, Timothée Chalamet | The extreme cycles of addiction, treatment, recovery, relapse, it’s all here in this intimate family drama. Based on the real life memoirs of a father and son. | Steve Carell can really do sensitive (Crazy Stupid Love  & Hope Springs). And Chalamet, well we know David Swatling’s a big fan.

 

And remember, we’ve now started the Amsterdam Film Club, to go with the Amsterdam Film Show. Join up to see films together at a local cinema and join in the discussions.

Find us on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Amsterdam-Film-Club

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1499148403561897/