#OnTheBigScreen: Monsters, love, and courage

The Shape Of Water

From the inspired mindscape of the master storyteller and visionary Guillermo del Toro – who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth, Cronos, and The Devil’s Backbone – comes another astounding and mind-blowing cinematic experience: The Shape Of Water. Del Toro casts an other-worldly spell with The Shape Of Water, merging the pathos and thrills of the classic monster movie tradition with shadowy film noir, then stirring in the heat of a love story like no other to explore the fantasies we all flirt with, the mysteries we can’t control and the monstrosities we must confront.

This other-worldly fairy tale is set against the backdrop of Cold War-era America circa 1962 where a lonely lab assistant (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation in the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, until the day her life changes forever when she discovers a secret classified experiment: a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank.

This mystery-shrouded amphibious being has not only been hauled up from the dark, watery depths but seems to have the fundamental adaptive qualities of water – taking on the psychic contours of every human he encounters, reflecting back both aggression and fathomless love.

Breathe

Producer Jonathan Cavendish had always believed that his father’s life story would be powerful material for a compelling film. His dream is now realised with the radiant and life-affirming film, based on the true story of his own parents and scripted by two-time Academy Award-nominated writer William Nicholson, and marking the feature directorial debut of Andy Serkis.

In 1957, Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) , a dashing, charismatic young Englishman, meets a beautiful woman named Diana Blacker (Claire Foy) and swiftly decides to marry her. He takes his new wife out to Kenya, where he works as a tea broker. But within months he is struck down by polio, which leaves him completely paralysed from the neck down, and dependent on a respirator to ‘breathe’ for him.

Against all advice, Robin’s wife Diana brings him home from the hospital where her devotion and witty determination transcends his disability. Together they refuse to be imprisoned by his suffering; dazzling others with their humour, courage and lust for life.

Megan Leavey

The true-life story of Megan Leavey, a young Marine corporal whose unique discipline and bond with a military combat dog saved many lives during her deployment in Iraq. Assigned to clean up the K-9 unit after a disciplinary hearing, Leavey starts to identify with Rex, a particularly aggressive dog that she trains. Over the course of their service, Megan and Rex complete more than 100 missions until an improvised explosive device injures both, putting their fates in jeopardy.

She returns to civilian life with a Purple Heart and a new mission: to reunite with her canine partner, officially classified as 'unadoptable' because of his combat-induced trauma. Encouraged by her father Bob (Bradley Whitford), Megan starts a campaign to raise awareness of her goal to adopt Rex, which gains the attention of Senator Chuck Schumer. Senator Schumer then assists Megan in the biggest fight of her life: to give Rex a loving home.

This biographical drama was directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and written by Pamela Gray, Annie Mumolo and Tim Lovestedt, and stars Kate Mara as the titular character, with Edie Falco, Common, Ramón Rodríguez and Tom Felton in supporting roles.

Insidious: The Last Key

The creative minds behind the hit Insidious trilogy return for Insidious: The Last Key and takes us back to the beginnings of the Insidious franchise.

In this supernatural thriller, which welcomes back franchise standout Lin Shaye as Dr Elise Rainier, the brilliant parapsychologist faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet: in her own family home.

Dr Elise Rainier - a brilliant psychic, clairvoyant and demonologist - has spent her life guiding innocents back into the light and thwarting creatures that have opened unholy doors into eternal darkness. As a child who could communicate with the dead, she accidentally unleashed something unspeakable into our world.

The film is written by co-creator Leigh Whannell, who wrote the trilogy and directed Insidious: Chapter 3. It is produced by Insidious regulars Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and co-creator James Wan and directed by series newcomer Adam Robitel.

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