Movie of the week – A Girl at My Door
I can recommend three new releases this week, the best of the lot being Korean drama A Girl at My Door. Doona Bae, who most will know from her role in Netflix series Sense8, is outstanding as a police officer sent to a small fishing village following her role in a sex scandal in the big city. When she takes a young girl into her home to save her from the daily beatings from her alcoholic father, local tongues begin to wag, and she’s accused of having sinister intentions. Outstanding stuff!
A Walk in the Woods
Bill Bryson’s bestseller A Walk in the Woods gets adapted with Robert Redford as Bryson, setting off on the Appalachian trail with Nick Nolte as an estranged ex-alcoholic friend. There’s not a whole lot to it, but Redford and Nolte are a joy to watch. The real landscape of the film isn’t that of the Appalachians; rather, it’s the leathered faces of two screen greats.
Tangerines
Tangerines is a stagey but highly compelling drama set during the 1992 Abkhazian civil war that sees two rival wounded soldiers taken into the home of a fruit grower. The tension mounts as the men begin to recover, both planning to kill the other at the first chance.
Everest
If you plan to go see Everest, it may be best to leave at the point where its protagonists reach the summit of the titular mountain, as it’s all downhill after that. It’s a movie of two halves – one an involving and inspiring tale of human triumph, the other a dull, by the numbers disaster flick.
Horse Money
Horse Money is a challenge for all but the most committed of cinephiles. Taking place inside the mind of an aging Cape Verdean immigrant, it requires some familiarity with recent Portuguese history and is an arthouse flick with a capital A. The cinematography is quite spectacular though.
By Eric Hillis
