I hope you’ve been enjoying all the wonderful Oscar nominated and winning documentaries, comedies, dramas and biographies Rialto Channel has been playing throughout March as part of Rialto Channel’s Oscar’s Collection.
We've one more week to go, and there's plenty to enjoy...
I hope you’ve been enjoying all the wonderful Oscar nominated and winning documentaries, comedies, dramas and biographies Rialto Channel has been playing throughout March as part of Rialto Channel’s Oscar’s Collection.
We've one more week to go, and there's plenty to enjoy. Here are a few highlights:
A Separation
Starring: Payman Maadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat
Directed by: Asghar Farhadi
Screening: Tuesday 26th March, 8.30pm
There was absolutely no doubt A Separation would make the top of my Best of 2012 list. This extraordinary, unpredictable film, and 2012 winner of Best Foreign Language Film, is from one of the rising stars of world cinema, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. The tale of a family in crisis; Farhadi presents a sharply observed and taut drama about the complex nature of relationships in modern day Iran - a wife trying to divorce her husband because he won’t leave Iran and his father, a daughter who remains so her mother will stay, and a homecare worker who sends the family reeling. There’s no judgment from Farhadi, just wonderfully observed commentary on gender, moral codes and tradition in contemporary Iran.
Undefeated
Starring: Bill Courtney, O.C. Brown, Montrail 'Money' Brown
Directed by: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
Screening: Thursday 28th March, 8.30pm
There’s little better than an emotional underdog story, and they don’t get much more heart wrenching than Oscar winning documentary Undefeated. What begins as an unassuming film about a low socio-economic Memphis high school’s football team, trying to win the first playoff game in the school’s history, slowly builds into an epic journey of hope. It doesn’t matter what you think of gridiron, it’s more than likely you’ll get a little tearful at a film that unashamedly reminds us of the importance of giving, and believing that change is possible.
The Iron Lady
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent & Richard E. Grant
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Screening: Saturday 30th March, 8.30pm
Watching Meryl Streep at work is the best thing about The Iron Lady, so it’s no surprise she took home the Oscar for Best Actress - and Best Makeup! The screenplay was written by Abi Morgan (who co-wrote Shame and wrote Brick Lane), and follows an elderly Thatcher as she copes with the death of her beloved Denis (Broadbent). Thatcher reminisces about her rise to power, from Conservative MP to leader of the party, and ultimately the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It’s a personal and intimate portrayal of a contentious woman, led by the flawless Streep and her capable cast mates.