MAY 2017 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA 179Experience
Enjoy a fresh batch of films, including a modern western,
a coming-of-age drama and a tale of forbidden love.Wo rd s ERIN FREE/FILMINK.COM.AUNEW RELEASES
A
ustralians are no strangers
to the Oscars, with local stars
like Cate Blanchett and Geofrey
Rush garnering Academy Award nods
throughout their careers. This year set
a new record of 13 nominations going
towards Aussie titles. One of those was
for the extraordinary romantic drama
Tanna, our first Oscar nominee for Best
Foreign Language Film.
Director’s Bentley Dean and Martin
Butler shot this tale of forbidden love
on the Vanuatu island of Tanna, which
is told by the Yakel tribe, one of the
region’s last traditional communities.
“[They’re] big on oratory skills,”
says Dean. “You gain kudos in the
community based on how good
you are as a storyteller.”
Also on board isJasper Jones, the
confronting tale of a young Australian
boy drawn into a dark murder mystery.
Meanwhile, Ruby Rose joins daredevil
Vin Diesel for xXx: Return Of Xander Cage.It’s not just about the Aussies this
month: Hidden Figures tells of the female
African-American mathematicians who
helped launch NASA’s first successful
space missions, Live By Night follows
a group of gangsters in prohibition-era
Florida and Jessica Chastain is a fierce
lobbyist inMiss Sloane.
For action movie bufs, there’s Mark
Wahlberg’s latest role as a cop in pursuit
of the Boston Marathon bombers in
Patriots Day. While drama fiends can
see Michael Keaton putting McDonalds
on the map as Ray Kroc inThe Founder
and Jef Bridges hunting down robbers
in the neo-westernHell Or High Water.
For the kids, a young boy’s life
changes whenA Monster Calls, while
Ice Cube entertains the grown-ups
by throwing down against Charlie Day
inFist Fight,and Chris Pratt finds love
with Jennifer Lawrence inPassengers.
There’s something for all types of
film lovers on board this month.A DOCO ABOUT DAVID
STRATTON? FIVE STARS!
“There are always good films,”
famed At The Movies co-host
David Stratton tells FilmInk.
“But there are so many awful
films too.” Unsurprisingly, the
documentary David Stratton:
A Cinematic Life is far from
woeful. The esteemed British-
born film critic speaks of his
arrival in Australia and his
journalistic career with clips
and commentary on the Aussie
movies that made him fall in
love with his adopted home.KEANU’S MATRIX CONNECTION
One of Keanu Reeves’ most well-known films The Matrix (1999) is a cult classic that was well ahead of its time.
Fiteen years later, the actor received an action upgrade with crime-thriller John Wick (2014). The film’s newly
released sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, features connections to his career-defining role — its director, Chad
Stahelski, worked as a stuntman on The Matrix, and it sees Reeves and Laurence Fishburne reunited as co-stars.Entertainment Hack:
Resume Playback
Didn’t finish your movie? Just
tap on the ‘My Media Viewed’
button to pick up exactly
where you let of.My Media