#OnTheBigScreen: Scandal, stalkers, sex and live theatre

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House

This political drama is based on a true story of the most famous anonymous man in American history; Mark Felt, the FBI second-in-command who was the 'deep throat' whistleblower in the 1970s Watergate scandal.

Felt shows us Watergate as we’ve never seen it before, flipping the perspective from the journalists in All the President’s Men to a view from the highest offices of power; an extraordinary window into a government in turmoil. The story of far-reaching White House corruption, of which the Watergate break-in was only a lone example.

Writer/director Peter Landesman was hired to write the screenplay for Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House in 2005 before he had directed any movies when he was known as an award-winning investigative journalist and war correspondent.

The Strangers: Prey at Night

An ordinary, gripe-filled family excursion soon becomes their worst nightmare come to life when three eerily disguised assailants emerge from the darkness to indiscriminately terrorise unsuspecting, innocent individuals going about their business.

“It is inspired by Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers, from 10 years ago with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman,” explains director Johannes Roberts, who directed the film from a screenplay by Bryan Bertino and Ben Ketai.

“I’m a huge fan of the first movie and what Bryan did as a director. With this film, the movie centres on a family bringing their daughter to boarding school. It is a family struggling to connect and on the verge of falling apart. On their journey, they stop-off at trailer park to stay overnight. As they begin to settle in for the night, a menacing presence appears in the form of three masked strangers, who intend to hunt and lethally harm them one-by-one, and now the family must rely on each other to survive. It is pretty dark and gruesome.”

Early Man

A new prehistoric comedy adventure from four-time Academy Award-winning director Nick Park and Aardman, the creators Of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun The Sheep, which took eight years to reach the big screen.

Shot in Aardman’s own distinctive style, the film will take audiences on an extraordinary journey into an exciting new world, unleashing an unforgettable tribe of unique and funny new characters voiced by an all-star British cast.

Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures roamed the earth, this fun adventure tells the story of courageous caveman hero Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his best friend Hognob, as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy, Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), and his Bronze Age City to save their home.

Blockers

With her directorial debut, director Kay Cannon has created a timely coming-of-age comedy that takes one of the most relatable rites of passages and hilariously upends a long-held double standard. One of only a handful of women ever to direct an R-rated comedy for a big studio, Cannon shares a story about that one milestone none of us ever forget.

When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. As non-stop helicoptering struggles with awkwardly letting go, the well-meaning trio shares in the raucous comedy that accompanies their kids’ biggest step into adulthood.

Julius Caesar

Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau brings you first-run screenings of Julius Caesar nationwide from 21 April 2018 as part of National Theatre Live. Considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history, Julius Caesar’s dramatic death inspired one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Now Tony and Olivier award-winning director Nicholas Hytner’s acclaimed production, filmed live in London, brings audiences worldwide an immersive promenade staging of Shakespeare’s political thriller.

Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the educated élite lead by Brutus and Cassius conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital while Mark Antony attempts to bring Rome back under control after the conspirators’ defeat.

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