#OnTheBigScreen: Midsommar, Crawl and The Best of Enemies

The Current War

An epic story about the man who invented the 20^th century.

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse – the greatest inventors of the industrial age – engage in a battle of technology and ideas that will determine whose electrical system will power the new century.

Backed by JP Morgan, Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan. But Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), aided by Nikola Tesla, sees fatal flaws in Edison’s direct current design. Westinghouse and Tesla bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current.

This historical drama is directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl) and written by Michael Mitnick.

Read more here.

Midsommar

From the visionary mind of Ari Aster (Hereditary), comes this dread-soaked cinematic fairy tale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight.

Aster explores a journey into the heart of darkness as an American couple, Dani and Christian (Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor), find themselves unexpectedly drawn into the world of a mysterious and dangerous primaeval cult during a vacation getaway with their friends in a bucolic, hidden Swedish village.

What begins as a carefree summer adventure in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing.

Read more here.

The Best of Enemies

The true story of the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater (Taraji P Henson), an outspoken civil rights activist, and CP Ellis (Sam Rockwell), a local Ku Klux Klan leader.

During the racially charged summer of 1971, Atwater and Ellis come together to co-chair a community summit on the desegregation of schools in Durham, NC. The ensuing debate and battle soon lead to surprising revelations that change both of their lives forever.

Directed and written by Robin Bissell. It is based on the book The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson.

Read more here.

Crawl

When a massive hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley (Kaya Scodelario) ignores the evacuation orders to search for her missing father, Dave. After finding him gravely injured in their family home, the two of them become trapped by the rapidly encroaching floodwaters.

With the storm strengthening, Haley and Dave discover an even greater threat than the rising water level – a relentless attack from a pack of gigantic alligators.

Disaster horror film directed by Alexandre Aja from a screenplay by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen.

Small Island

A must-see for theatre fans, Small Island, the 2019 season of National Theatre Live continues to bring the best of British theatre to the big screen. Directed by National Theatre artistic director Rufus Norris, the play has won high praise and five-star reviews from the critics.

Andrea Levy’s epic Orange Prize-winning novel bursts to new life on the National Theatre stage, where a company of 40 tells a story which journeys from Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948.

Showing at Cinema Nouveau in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town and Gateway Commercial in KwaZulu-Natal on 27, 28 and 31 July and 1 August 2019 for four screenings only.

Read more about the latest and upcoming film releases: writingstudio.co.za/lets-go-to-the-movies