Matchmaking, horror at the lighthouse and a new take on The Invisible Man, yes, the March 2020 edition of the Amsterdam Film Show is here. @CathyCentral and Ruth Wilson recommend some recent movie releases and look forward to some of the movies hitting Amsterdam this month. (Show notes below).

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Show notes & links

LATE LAST MONTH RELEASES

The Gentlemen | Director: Guy Ritchie | Writers: Guy Ritchie + | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farell, Hugh Grant | 18 | 1h 53min | ACTION | 20 FEB, RELEASED IN NL | “An American expat tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.” IMDB

System Crasher (aka Systemsprenger) | Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Writer: Nora Fingscheidt | Stars: Helena Zengel, Albrecht Schuch, Gabriela Maria Schmeide | 12 | 1h 58min | Drama | 27 FEB, RELEASED IN NL | “On her wild quest for love, 9-year-old Benni’s untamed energy drives everyone around her to despair.” IMDB

Like a Boss | Director: Miguel Arteta | Writers: Sam Pitman (screenplay by), Adam Cole-Kelly (screenplay by) | Stars: Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne, Salma Hayek | 15 | 1h 23min | COMEDY | “Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together.” IMDB

REVIEWS

Emma | Director: Autumn de Wilde | Writers: Eleanor Catton (screenplay by), Jane Austen (based on the novel by) | Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy | U | 2h 5min | PERIOD COMEDY-DRAMA | RELEASED 27 FEB IN NL | “In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.” IMDB

► Listen back to hear what Ruth and Cathy thought of the film.

The Lighthouse | Director: Robert Eggers | Writers: Robert Eggers, Max Eggers | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe | 15 | 1h 49min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror | RELEASED 27 FEB IN NL | “Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.” IMDB

 

NEW CINEMA RELEASES

Here’s our highlights from the rest of the film releases in Amsterdam this month.

4 MARCH

Onward (OV) | Director: Dan Scanlon | Writers: Dan Scanlon + | Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus | U | 1h 42min | FAMILY ANIMATION PIXAR | “Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there [and to try and bring their deceased dad back for the day]. IMDB

5 MARCH

The Invisible Man | Director: Leigh Whannell | Writers: Leigh Whannell + | Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer | 15 | 2h 4min | HORROR THRILLER | | “When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.” IMDB

Guns Akimbo | Director-Scr: Jason Lei Howden | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Rhys Darby | 16 | 1h 35min | Action, Comedy | “A guy relies on his newly-acquired gladiator skills to save his ex-girlfriend from kidnappers.” IMDB

Richard Jewell | Director: Clint Eastwood | Writers: Billy Ray, Marie Brenner + | Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley | 15 | 2h 11min | DRAMA | “American security guard Richard Jewell saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.” IMDB

Mrs. Lowry and Son | Director: Adrian Noble
Writer: Martyn Hesford | Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Spall, Stephen Lord | PG | 1h 31min | BIOPIC | “A portrait of the artist L.S. Lowry and the relationship with his mother, who tries to dissuade him from pursuing his passion.” IMDB

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL SCREENINGS

4-8 March @ Studio K/ Rialto
Cinemasia Film festival (thanks Susannah Snellen for the tip)
Love this one. Not just Korean films, though there are a few. https://cinemasia.nl/en/

Cathy’s tips:
Fagara (2019) | Director: Heiward Mak | Writer: Heiward Mak
Stars: Sammi Cheng, Megan Lai, Xiaofeng Li | Hua jiao zhi wei (original title) | 1h 58min | “After her father died, a Hong Kong girl discovers she has two hitherto unknown sisters, one in Taiwan and one in China. To settle her father’s debt, she must reunite with them…” IMDB

Bumi Manusia | Director: Hanung Bramantyo | Writers: Pramoedya Ananta Toer (novel), Salman Aristo | Stars: Iqbaal Dhiafakhri Ramadhan, Mawar Eva de Jongh, Sha Ine Febriyanti | 3h 1min | HISTORIC DRAMA | Indonesia | “A native Javanese boy and a mixed-Dutch girl fall in love during the early 20th-century colonial turbulence in Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).” IMDB

Sat 14 March
William Shatner + The Wrath of Khan
@ RAI Theater, Amsterdam, tickets from about 30 euros +

SMALL SCREEN 

Don’t have time to go to the cinema? Here’s some recommendations for home viewing …

Better Call Saul | season 5 is now on Netflix. Good reviews for cinematography as well.

West World | series 3 trailer was recently released. It will be available to watch on certain Ziggo cable subscriptions from 15 March. Now staring Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and the good news is Maeve (Thandie Newton) is still alive and features in the new season. They are out of the park and in the world of the humans, and Dolores looks like she’s here to cause a lot of trouble.