From a long-awaited standalone film about Marvel’s darkest anti-hero to the first man to set his foot onto the surface of another astronomical body, the upcoming weeks have a variety of interesting movies to pick and choose from, including the return of one of film history’s most iconic bad guys.
4 October: Bad Times at the El Royale
Seven strangers – including an aging criminal masquerading as a priest, a singer, a Southern criminal, a vacuum cleaner salesman, a cult leader and his impressionable follower, and a concierge – meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. A stylish mixture of the Cabin in the Woods and Identity, Bad Times at the El Roxale promises a star-studded rollercoaster ride of excitement and thrills.
Dir.: Drew Goddard Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges
4 October: Venom
Following a scandal, journalist Eddie Brock attempts to revive his career by investigating the Life Foundation, led by the genius inventor Carlton drake, but comes into contact with an alien symbiote that bonds with Brock, giving him superpowers as long as they share the same body. The blessing, however, also comes with a curse, in the form of a horrific alter-ego, named Venom. The two have to work together in order to save everything that is dear to Brock.
Dir.: Ruben Fleischer Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
16-22 October: Spanish Film Week: Summer 1993
Between 16 and 22 October, Uránia National Film Theatre will once again give place to the Spanish Film Week, presenting a fine collection of contemporary movies from the Iberian peninsula. Our pick is Carla Simón’s newest tearjerker, a movie focusing on one summer in the life of the recently orphaned Frida. After her mother’s death, the six-year-old girl is sent to her uncle’s family to live with them in the countryside. But Frida finds it hard to forget her mother and adapt to her new life.
Dir.: Carla Simón Stars: Laia Artigas, Paula Rubles, Bruna Cusí
17 October: First Man
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award-winning smash, Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years between 1961 and 1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost on Armstrong and on the nation of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
Dir.: Damien Chazelle Stars: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler
25 October: Halloween
Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago in Haddonfield, Illinois. The movie is a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 cult horror film, which means that it ignores previous entries in the franchise.
Dir.: David Gordon Green Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Will Patton
