A legendary outlaw and an iconic monster return to the big screen this week.
1917 star George Mackay follows in Mick Jagger’s footsteps in True History of the Kelly Gang, while Elisabeth Moss faces off against The Invisible Man.
Elsewhere, Mark Ruffalo battles a powerful corporation in Dark Waters, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell bicker in Downhill, and Nicolas Cage stars in a very Nicolas Cage-sounding film indeed…
New releases
True History of the Kelly Gang
- Cert 18, 125 mins
- City Screen
- From Fri Feb 28
- More details
George Mackay takes the lead in this new portrayal of Australia’s notorious bushranger Ned Kelly.
Directed by Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel (who delivered a gritty take on Macbeth in 2015), it’s adapted from Peter Carey’s Booker Prize-winning novel, and follows its infamous antihero from childhood to the time leading up to his death.
Russell Crowe stars as Harry Power, a powerful influence on the young Kelly, while his complex relationship with his mother Ellen (Essie Davis, The Babadook) lies at the heart of the tale.
Impressive reviews suggest Kurzel’s film has certainly surpassed the little-loved 1970 Mick Jagger version, with Variety hailing it as a ‘thrilling new take on the legend (which) gives Kelly some glam-rock swagger without any need for stunt casting’.
Dark Waters
- Cert 12A, 126 mins
- City Screen, Everyman, Cineworld
- From Fri Feb 28
- More details
A Cincinatti lawyer is shocked to discover the deadly secrets behind one of the world’s largest corporations in this real-life drama starring Mark Ruffalo.
Ruffalo plays Rob Bilott, an attorney with a track record defending big chemical companies, who switches sides when he’s alerted to a growing number of unexplained deaths which have links to a chemical plant run by industry giants DuPont.
His crusade against the firm divides the community and puts his family and even his life at risk.
It’s a David and Goliath tale of the kind we’ve seen before, but the presence behind the camera of director Todd Haynes (Carol, Velvet Goldmine) should ensure this is something more than a standard procedural – while the top quality supporting cast includes Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins and Bill Pullman.
The Invisible Man
- Cert 15, 124 mins
- Vue York, Everyman, Cineworld
- From Fri Feb 28
- More details
Following her memorable turn in last year’s Us, Elisabeth Moss returns to the horror genre in this modern day take on H.G. Wells’ classic chiller.
Moss plays Cecilia Kass, a young woman who flees a violent, controlling relationship – only to learn that her ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) has committed suicide, leaving her $5 million in his will.
But with a clause that states she can’t receive the money if she’s deemed ‘mentally incompetent’, and a series of seemingly inexplicable and deadly events threatening Cecilia and her loved ones, it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems…
It’s been picking up plenty of positive reviews, perhaps not surprisingly given that the director is Leigh Wannell, who had an unexpected sleeper hit with his 2018 sci-fi action film Upgrade.
Other screenings
A near-death experience during an avalanche prompts some darkly comic soul-searching for married couple Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell in Downhill, showing at Everyman and Cineworld throughout the week.
Nicolas Cage in a cosmic sci-fi horror based on a H.P. Lovecraft short story? Sounds like a potential future cult classic – see for yourself when Color Out of Space shows at Everyman on Sat 29th and Mon 2nd this week.
There’s more culty goodness on offer at Everyman on Fri 28th, as their late-night dystopia season brings us Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys.
Entertainment of a more family-friendly nature can be found at Everyman, Vue and Cineworld on Sat 29th, with preview screenings of the promising-sounding new Pixar offering Onward ahead of its full release next week.
The same day sees City Screen show the first instalment in the much-loved How to Train Your Dragon series in their weekly Kids’ Club strand.
And finally, only a little late for LGBT History Month, City Screen have a showing of last year’s lesbian romance Tell It to the Bees on Weds 4th.
Starring Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger, the film follows the burgeoning relationship between two women in a village in postwar Scotland. It will be followed by a live Q&A with York author Fiona Shaw, on whose novel it is based.