Riders of Justice (Splendid Film) – out now in kinos.
Things have slowed down a bit following last week’s packed release slate, and we urge you to get tickets for Dune and Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse, if you haven’t already.
That said, our top tip for new releases is the Danish action-comedy Riders of Justice, directed by Anders Thomas Jensen (Adam’s Apples, Men & Chicken) and starring the ever-wonderful Mads Mikkelsen. It’s a genre-splicing revenge thriller that takes some audacious left turns into absurdist comedy territory, and the strange end result is violent, funny and oddly sweet.
Also out this week is The Many Saints of Newark, Alan Taylor’s scattershot crime drama prequel to the HBO series The Sopranos. It follows the young Anthony growing up in New Jersey during the 1967 riots and how he becomes the mob boss we know and love, Tony Soprano. It’s a very weak companion piece to the series – read our full review for more, but suffice to say we don’t recommend booking a ticket for this one.
Writing With Fire (Black Ticket Films) – screening at the IndoGerman Filmweek.
On the events front this week, we’re getting a bit nostalgic for the 90s.
There’s a screening tonight of Oasis Knebworth 1996, a new documentary directed by Grammy winner Jake Scott, that features unseen archive footage from Britpop royalty Oasis’ record-breaking gigs, as well as fan accounts and backstage antics. The doc marks 25 years since the first night of the Knebworth shows – it’s out today and screening at Babylon Kreuzberg at 21:00.
We’re also excited about Mobile Kino’s screening of the director’s cut of Luc Besson’s Léon (The Professional), which takes place tomorrow night at Kiezkino Charlottenburg (20:00). Take your aglaonema (or should that be ‘ag-léon-ema’?) plants with you, and bring EVERYONE!!!
Elsewhere, you can still book tickets for the last few days of Berlin’s Human Rights Film Festival (which ends on September 25), as well as the Favourites Film Festival (ending on the 26th).
Our main tip is to head down to Babylon Kino for the 9th edition of the IndoGerman Filmweek, starting tonight and running until 29th. The opening film is Raaghir – The Wayfarers (tonight at 19:30), a beautifully shot story of how friendship gives you the tools to survive in times of crisis. This theme of survival and the solace and strength found within a sense of community is omnipresent throughout the lineup of films, which you can check out here.
We recommend you keep an eye out for the documentary selections, which includes Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s powerful and insightful doc Writing With Fire, which portrays the fearless Dalit women who run Khabar Lahariya, India’s only all-female news network, facing entrenched and hostile patriarchy as they fight for justice (screening on 24/09 at 20:15; 25/09 at 21:30; 28/09 at 21:30 – Thomas and Ghosh will be in attendance to present the film on the 24th). And whatever you do, don’t miss the concert this Saturday (18:30) with the celebrated 21-year-old Indian singer Maithili Thakur, who sings traditional folk music and cover songs in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and many more Indian languages and dialects.
That’s it from us this week – expect full coverage of the new James Bond film, which hits cinemas on the 30th – and as a cheeky preview, catch up on our interview with one of the Bond franchise’s key players, who took time out of his busy schedule for an exclusive one-on-one…
Happy screenings all.
