EZRA
Rating: M
Duration: 100 mins
Director: Tony Goldwyn
Cast: Bobby Cannavale, William A. Fitzgerald, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne
Genre: Comedy, drama
Opens: 1st August
Stand-up comic Max Bernal and his 11-year-old autistic son Ezra set off on a road trip in this vivid portrait of a family figuring out how to understand one another. Having recently blown up his career and his marriage, Max is living with his father Stan and is profoundly at odds with his soon-to-be ex-wife Jenna about how to address their son’s special needs. When Ezra is expelled from yet another school, Max makes the decision to take Ezra for a new life in LA, embarking on a cross-country odyssey. A great cast, the trailer plays really well, with a lot of heart, dealing with a difficult yet uplifting story.
BOOKWORM
Duration: 96 mins
Director: Ant Timpson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Nell Fisher, Michael Smiley, Morgana O’Reilly
Genre: Comedy, family, adventure
Opens: 29th August
Oh joy of all joys, a new quirky NZ comedy that looks, well, wicked…
12-year-old Mildred’s life is turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and her estranged, American father, magician Strawn Wise, comes to look after her. Hoping to entertain the bookish tween, Strawn takes Mildred camping in the notoriously rugged New Zealand wilderness, and the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding – a quest to find the mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
SKATEGOAT
Rating: MA15+ (Strong coarse language)
Duration: 85 mins
Director: Van Alpert
Cast: Leandre Sanders
Genre: Documentary
Opens: 15th August
Leandre Sanders was born in Venice Beach, LA, into a world of gangs and crime. The only thing that kept him out of trouble was his love of skateboarding. While his older brothers joined the family tradition of running with gangs, Leandre – dubbed Skategoat – spent most of his days and nights at Venice Beach skatepark with his younger brother Leontay. He was so talented and determined that, at the age of 11, he caught the eye of filmmaker Van Alpert. Over the next ten years, Van would document Leandre’s struggle to perfect his skateboarding and to survive.
BLINK TWICE
Director: Zoë Kravitz
Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Simon Rex, Alia Shawkat, Kyle MacLachlan, Adria Arjona, Christian Slater, Geena Davis
Genre: Drama, thriller
Opens: 22nd August
Look at that cast of 80s and 90s legends joining Channing – can’t wait! Frida, a young and clever waitress, has her eyes set on tech mogul Slater King. After skilfully maneuvering her way into King’s inner circle, she is invited to an intimate gathering on his private island. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne, and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s something terrifying hiding beneath the island’s lush facade. Directed by Zoë Kravitz, who might just be the coolest gal on the planet.
IT ENDS WITH US
Rating: M (Family violence and references to sexual violence)
Duration: 130 mins
Director: Justin Baldoni
Cast: Jenny Slate, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Hasan Minhaj
Genre: Drama, romance
Opens: 8th August
We really should see much more of Blake Lively. Here she plays Lily Bloom, with a complicated past, yet has always known the life she wants. With the name Bloom, she is destined to open a flower shop… which she does in Boston. She meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid and believes she may very well have found her soulmate. Soon, however, questions arise about their relationship, and to complicate matters her high school love interest, Atlas Corrigan, comes back into the picture, putting her relationship with Ryle in jeopardy. Based on the international best selling book.
