Cinema releases by week

Directed by Tim Burton, Jerry Rees
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Mike Gabriel, Tim Burton, Joe Ranft, Harry Sabin
Rating48%

, 1h50
Directed by Barry Levinson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Timothy Daly, Ellen Barkin
Rating70%
Set in the northwest section of Baltimore, Maryland, during the last week of 1959, Diner tells the story of a circle of male friends – now in their early twenties – who reunite for the wedding of one of their group. The title refers to the Hilltop Diner that was located at Reisterstown Road and Rogers Avenue, Baltimore, their late-night hangout. However, the Hilltop had been converted into a liquor store, so the location in the film is in the Canton section of Baltimore. An element of the story includes the Baltimore Colts winning the 1959 NFL Championship Game. The semi-autobiographical film explores the changing relationships among these friends as they become adults through what is mostly a series of vignettes rather than a traditional narrative. Levinson encouraged improvisation among his cast to capture realistic camaraderie.

, 1h31
Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Horror comedy, Horror
Themes Comedy horror films, Jumeaux ou jumelles
Actors Jerry Butler, Frank Henenlotter
Rating62%
Duane Bradley arrives in New York City with a locked basket. After he gets a room at a cheap hotel, the contents of the basket are finally revealed: in it lives his deformed Siamese twin brother, Belial. Although conjoined at birth, the twins were surgically separated at an early age against their will, and Belial deeply resents being cut off from his normal-looking brother. As the twins seek revenge against the doctors responsible for their separation, Duane befriends a nurse, Sharon. Jealous, Belial attacks and kills her when he becomes frustrated with his inability to rape her. Enraged at his brother for his actions, Duane attempts to kill Belial, which results in the two brothers falling from a hotel window.

, 1h40
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Horror, Crime, Romance, Martial arts
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films, Serial killer films
Actors Chuck Norris, Ron Silver, Stephen Furst, Toni Kalem, William Finley, Steven Keats
Rating54%
In a small Texas town, a mentally ill John Kirby (Brian Libby) goes insane and kills two members of a family he was staying with. Sheriff Daniel "Dan" Stevens (Chuck Norris) and his deputy Charlie (Stephen Furst) respond and eventually arrest Kirby, but Kirby breaks out of the handcuffs, overpowers the other officers and grabs one of their revolvers, forcing the officers to open fire and shoot Kirby. Kirby suffers severe gunshot wounds and is near death.

, 1h37
Directed by Michael Pressman
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Political films
Actors Margot Kidder, Richard Pryor, Ronny Cox, Lynne Moody, Paul Benjamin, Ray Sharkey
Rating57%
Eddie Keller is a U.S. Army conscript private who was captured while deficating. He held in a POW Camp for years and due to his resistance to signing a confession to committing war crimesends up being one of the last POWs to be brought home from Vietnam. Keller endures several years of torture and deprivation at the hands of the Vietnamese Army. He finally relents to signing a "confession" admitting to war crimes to save the life of his cell mate.

, 1h40
Directed by Albert Pyun
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians
Actors Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Richard Lynch, Richard Moll, Simon MacCorkindale, Anthony De Longis
Rating55%
The film opens as King Cromwell (Richard Lynch) and his men land ashore of Tomb Island in search of Xusia of Delos (Richard Moll), a long-dead sorcerer who may be the key to overthrowing his rival King Richard, whose land of Ehdan is the richest in the world. Using one of Xusia's worshipers to awaken him, Cromwell convinces Xusia to join his cause. With the sorcerer's black magic at his command, Cromwell easily lays waste to Richard's formidable army.

, 1h29
Directed by Boaz Davidson
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror, Slasher
Themes Medical-themed films
Actors Barbi Benton, Judith Baldwin, Billy Jayne
Rating49%
In 1961, an unpopular boy named Harold leaves a Valentine's Day card at the home of Susan Jeremy. Susan and her friend David mock and crumple up the Valentine, prompting an enraged Harold to break into the house, and kill David by hanging him from a hatstand.

, 1h32
Directed by John Mackenzie
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Gangster films
Actors Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Eddie Constantine, Paul Freeman
Rating75%
Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins), an old-fashioned London gangster is aspiring to become a legitimate businessman, albeit with the financial support of the American mafia, with a plan to redevelop the (then-abandoned) London Docklands as a venue for a future Olympic Games. The storyline weaves together events and concerns of the late 1970s, including low-level political and police corruption, IRA gun-running, displacement of traditional British industry by property development, UK membership of the EEC, and the free-market economy.

, 2h8
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier, Jean Achache
Origin France
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Social science fiction
Themes Films about television, Films set in the future, La téléréalité, Political films, Dystopian films
Actors Romy Schneider, Harvey Keitel, Harry Dean Stanton, Thérèse Liotard, Caroline Langrishe, William Russell
Rating65%
The film is set in a future where death from illness has become extremely unusual. When Katherine Mortenhoe (Romy Schneider) is diagnosed as having an incurable disease, she becomes a celebrity and is besieged by journalists. The television company NTV (headed by Vincent Ferriman) offers her a large sum of money if she will allow her last days to be filmed and made into a reality television show – they have already spied on her as she is told of her diagnosis (her doctor is colluding with them) and prepared posters for the show which show her face (to her annoyance when she sees the posters on display before they have contacted her).

, 1h31
Directed by Harley Cokeliss
Origin Nouvelle zelande
Genres Science fiction, Action, Adventure
Themes Environmental films, Post-apocalyptic films, Films about religion, Films set in the future, Political films, Dystopian films, Disaster films
Actors Michael Beck, Bruno Lawrence, Annie McEnroe, John Bach, Mark Hadlow, John Ratzenberger
Rating50%
All remaining reserves of petroleum have finally run out; forcing people to ration the few remaining containers of gasoline left on the earth against mercenaries and warlords. Straker and his men (accompanied by his daughter Corlie - played by Annie McEnroe) find a vast supply of diesel fuel in a compound once thought to be radioactive. When Corlie refuses to execute the previous owners, she runs away from base camp. Hunter (Michael Beck), on his amazing (possibly ex-future-military) motorcycle, rescues the girl and takes her to his farm. After keeping her on the farm on a temporary basis, Hunter sends her off to live in a walled city (known in-film as Clearwater Farm) governed by a strict old-fashioned democracy (similar to the Quakers) where she is quickly accepted by the community. However, she is soon discovered by the mercenaries commanded by her father, Colonel Straker (James Wainwright), who moves to attack the Clearwater community. In the chaos that ensues, Corlie manages to escape back to Hunter's remote hideout. Straker terrorises the residents of Clearwater, taking their weapons, medicines, and other supplies and handing the women over to his men.

, 1h35
Directed by Bruce Paltrow
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romance
Actors Tim Matheson, Kate Capshaw, Edward Herrmann, John Glover, Joan Copeland, Susanna Dalton
Rating49%

, 1h59
Directed by Hugh Hudson
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Biography, Comedy-drama, Historical
Themes Films about religion, Sports films, Athletics films, Films about the Olympic Games, Films about Jews and Judaism, Children's films
Actors Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Ian Holm
Rating70%
In 1919, Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) enters the University of Cambridge, where he experiences anti-Semitism from the staff, but enjoys participating in the Gilbert and Sullivan club. He becomes the first person to ever complete the Trinity Great Court Run – running around the college courtyard in the time it takes for the clock to strike 12. Abrahams achieves an undefeated string of victories in various national running competitions. Although focused on his running, he falls in love with a leading Gilbert and Sullivan soprano, Sybil (Alice Krige).

, 1h58
Directed by Paul Schrader
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Erotic, Thriller, Fantastic, Fantasy, Horror, Erotic thriller
Themes Films about animals, Films about families, Films about sexuality, Erotic films, Erotic thriller films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr.
Rating61%
Irena Gallier travels to New Orleans to reconnect with her brother Paul. Both orphaned after their parents died, Irena has been in foster care her entire life. Paul, not so lucky, spent his childhood in and out of institutions and jail. They return to Paul's home where his Creole housekeeper Female (pronounced feh-MAH-leh) helps Irena settle into her brothers house.

Directed by Alfred Sole
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Horror
Actors Eileen Brennan, Phil Hartman, Judge Reinhold, Carol Kane, Paul Reubens, Candice Azzara
Rating52%
Somebody is killing cheerleaders at a camp, and a Royal Canadian Mountie named Cooper tries to solve the case.

Genres Comedy, Action, Adventure
Actors Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Scott Spiegel, Bridget Hoffman, Ted Raimi
Rating69%
Bruce Campbell plays an Indiana Jones-type explorer named Cleveland Smith, exploring a dark cave and avoiding oncoming boulders, evading chasing Indians and crossing the river in a canoe to escape them. When one of their spears springs a leak in his canoe, he jumps onto a rock that turns out to be a dinosaur, which he also escapes from, only to land in quicksand. When confronted by a nazi (Sam Raimi), Smith hooks his whip on a plane flying low, only to crash into a tree near a native camp, holding Smith's love interest Sally (Cheryl Guttridge) hostage. Smith scares some of the natives off with a ventriloquist dummy, fights off a swordsman and a giant native and finally saves Sally while retrieving a pair of pants known as the "Waders of the Lost Park". Smith falls off a cliff and Sally is captured by the nazi from before, but springs a trap in the process.

, 1h48
Directed by Jamaa Fanaka
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action
Themes Prison films, Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films
Actors Ernie Hudson, Glynn Turman, Tony Cox, Ren Woods, Mr. T, James Hawthorne
Rating44%
Martel "Too Sweet" Gordone earned his parole from jail by winning a prison boxing tournament. All Gordone wants to do is start a peaceful life, but a condition of his release is that he work for a boxing promoter. Gordone has no interest in boxing and wants to live with his sister and her husband who support his desire to start over. However, when some of his enemies from prison escape and kill his girlfriend, Gordone changes his plans and returns to the ring.

, 1h30
Genres Martial arts, Documentary, Martial arts
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films
Rating68%
Budo: The Art of Killing is a compilation of various gendai budō each demonstrated by famous Japanese martial artists from the late 1970s. The film treats its subject matter with deep respect and demonstrates a great reverence for both Budō and Japanese culture in general. The film begins with Hayashi Kunishiro reenacting seppuku, the ritualistic form of suicide practiced by Japanese samurai during Feudal Japan. This is followed by a demonstration of yabusame and footage of a samurai cavalry battle. The narrator then explains the connection between Budō and its universal symbol—the nihonto. After a demonstration of the effectiveness of the Japanese sword, the audience is shown the techniques developed by Okinawan farmers to combat the sword. Karate-do master Teruo Hayashi then demonstrates Okinawan weapon techniques. The film moves along with further footage of karate-do including makiwara training by Fujimoto (including the infamous shot of him striking a locomotive and chopping a beer bottle) and a demonstration of the nunchaku by Satoru Suzuki, a weapon made famous by Bruce Lee. The film moves to footage of traditional Judo training such as mat rolls, pole-hopping, bunny-hops, and practice of hip throws using rubber bands tied around trees. The film moves on to discuss naginata-do, a budō popular with female martial art practitioners in Japan. Aikido is then demonstrated by Gozo Shioda, the founder of Yoshinkan aikido interspersed with shots of leaves falling into a brook. To emphasize the film's theme of "mind and body are one in Budo" the viewer is shown Shinto practitioners fire walking. The film then shows training in a sumo stable with rikishi Takamiyama, where the training shown is both tough and cruel. Scenes of young people practicing kobudo on the beach follow the sumo demonstration as the narrator discusses the succession of Budō to younger generations. The film explains the importance of kata with Teruo Hayashi demonstrating more karate-do kumite. The narrator explains, "... karate training can be both severe and cruel, yet a sword can take away a life with one swing." The film shifts its focus to sword arts with demonstrations of iaido, tameshigiri and kendo by Shuji Matsushita and Tomoo Koide as the narrator discusses the fear instilled by the Japanese sword. The "limitless" connection between Zen Buddhism and Budō is discussed with Shuji Matsushita on the receiving end of a strike from an abbot's kyosaku while in zazen. This is followed by a highlight of the film in which Taizaburo Nakamura demonstrating various sword cuts including a shot filmed in slo-motion showing the shocking speed in which a Japanese sword can behead a man (1/100 of a second). Continuing with a focus on the sword, the film shows the art of traditional nihonto forging by swordsmith Amada Akitsugu, considered a national living treasure in Japan. Budo: The Art of Killing concludes with scenes of Noh as the narrator explains, "As long as the universal truths of heaven, the earth and man remain, the spirit of Budo shall endure.