New releases and coming soon to MUBI UK (5th August 2017)
David Farnor | On 05, Aug 2017
This week, MUBI takes us on holiday to South America, where it dives into the vibrant, surprising and unique cinema of Argentina. A new wave of Argentine film has brought a number of impressive independent filmmakers to our screens, while production company El Pampero Cine has rebelliously pushed boundaries in production, exhibition and more. Over the next month, MUBI will revisit Argentine cinema to showcase films that redefine low-budget filmmaking and couldn’t come from anywhere else. And, of course, MUBI continues its season of gems Direct from Locarno Film Festival.
What’s new, coming soon and leaving soon on the subscription streaming service? This is your weekly MUBI Digest:
This week on MUBI
Suddenly, Last Summer – 5th August
Elizabeth Taylor. Katharine Hepburn. Montgomery Clift. Joseph L. Mankiewicz brings Tennessee Williams’ scandalous play to life in this story of wealthy widow Violet Venable, whose only son dies while on vacation with his cousin, Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now, Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomised to cover up the truth.
Balnearios – 7th August
MUBI’s Argentine season kicks off with Balnearios, a 2002 gem that marks the inauguration of El Pampero’s work. The “documentary” profiles the titular Argentine bath resorts and the idea of cities dedicated exclusively to idleness, empty along the winter months and crowded in the summer.
Extraordinary Stories – 8th August
After Balnearios, MUBI’s Argentine season completes a double bill of Mariano Llinas’ work, with the film that saw him become a name overseas. The four-hour result entwines myriads of narratives and a celebration of storytelling, as three unconnected, voiceover-narrated tales each start off innocently enough and then veer into ever stranger, more fascinating realms – a tapestry imbued with the spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson and filtered through the sensibilities of Jorge Luis Borges and Thomas Pynchon.
The Truth – 9th August
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s La Verite follows Dominique Marceau, on trial for the murder of Gilbert Tellier. The counsels duel relentlessly, elaborating explanations for why the pretty, idle woman might have killed her boyfriend.
Impression of a War – 10th August
MUBI’s Locarno series resumes with 2015’s Silver Leopard winner. Colombia-born, France-based director Camilo Restrepo constructs a kaleidoscopic essay charting the multiple realities inhabiting images, entwining footage of different natures to question the process by which history is constructed.
The Human Surge – 11th August
MUBI’s Locarno season draws to a close with Eduardo Williams’ The Human Surge. Shot across three continents — and divided in three parts interlinked in unexpected ways — Williams’ enigmatic feature debut takes us on a visceral, stimulating journey to explore the ominous hyper-connectivity of today’s world.
Other new releases on MUBI
Lords of Dogtown
After the documentary profiling the seminal Zephyr Team of Californian skateboarders, MUBI inverts its board with Catherine Hardwicke’s fictionalised version of events. A classic in its own right, the electric cast is led by Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch.
Dogtown and Z-Boys
Using a mix of film that the Zephyr skateboard team (Z-Boys) shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk along with contemporary interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of skateboarding (and to a lesser extent surfing) culture.
The Passenger
An emotionally burnt out journalist (Jack Nicholson) attempts to escape his own existence by exchanging identities with a dead arms dealer. Shot on location by director Michelangelo Antonioni, the protagonist goes on a life-changing journey through Africa, Spain, Germany and England.
Casualties of War
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager. Brian de Palma’s 1989 war film was nominated for a Golden Globe for its score.
All The Cities of The North
MUBI begins its Direct from Locarno season with Dane Komljen’s 2016 drama. In the darkly wooded grounds and concrete boxes of what was once a Yugoslav resort complex, two men share an enigmatic, tender life. A stranger comes to town; things change, but how, what, and why remain ambiguous.
The Idea of a Lake
Milagros Mumenthaler’s Argentine film follows 35-year old Inès. A photographer, she is in an emotionally fragile phase and begins putting together a book of personal poems and photographs. Gradually, the process of bringing a book to fruition becomes a very personal and unfettered exploration of her past.
The Event
Using only existing black-and-white footage from the time, Sergei Loznitsa (Maidan, My Joy, In The Fog) turns his exquisite, investigative eye to the failed coup of August 1991 which lead to the dissolution of the USSR.
On the streets of Saint Petersburg people gather waiting for news, improvising blockades and anxiously hoping for change, in a film which shines a light on a country in continued political upheaval.
Damsels in Distress
Whit Stillman’s comedy is an acquired taste, but for those who have already acquired it, this is a delightfully witty, whimsical affair, featuring a new dance craze and Greta Gerwig on top form. Read our review.
Slack Bay
Masterful slapstick, political horror and bourgeois family drama combine in Bruno Dumont’s enjoyably unpredictable comedy. Read our full review
Zombieland
Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson are a comedy double act to die for in Ruben Fleischer’s horror comedy. Travelling across zombified America in search of safety – and a Twinkie – this is a warped, witty ride that unfolds at breakneck speed. Read our review
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Last chance to stream: Titles leaving MUBI soon
Scarred Hearts
Available until end of: 5th August
Symbol
Available until end of: 6th August
Scabbard Samurai
Available until end of: 7th August
Goto, Island of Love
Available until end of: 8th August
Immoral Tales
Available until end of: 9th August
Cries and Whispers
Available until end of: 10th August
From Here to Eternity
Available until end of: 11th August
The Rendez-vous of Deja-Vu
Available until end of: 12th August
Slack Bay
Available until end of: 13th August
Zombieland
Available until end of: 14th August