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Film guide: Four movies not to miss this weekend

Looking for a great film to get stuck into this weekend? Look no further than the following gems that debut in Australian cinemas this week.

Begin Again

Director: John Carney
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, Catherine Keener, Mos Def, Ceelo Green
Duration: 104 mins
Rating: M – Coarse language
Release Date: 7 August, 2014

Why should you see it: Some films just have charm and this is one of them. It’s hard not to compare this to the gorgeous 2007 Irish film Once, but Begin Again has talent in its own right.  It’s also lovely to see Keira Knightly back in such good form. Begin Again sees her playing Greta, a musician who has recently broken up with her rocker boyfriend (Maroon 5’s Adam Levine). When a washed-up record producer (the very grungy Mark Ruffalo) hears her playing on the streets of New York, their lives take completely unexpected turns.

Still Life

Director: Uberto Pasolini
Cast: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Andrew Buchan
Duration: 92 mins
Rating: M – Coarse language and themes

Stephen A. Russell for thelowdownunder says: “When it comes to the publicity campaign, promoting a quietly reflective film about a local council pen-pusher who arranges funerals and attempts to find the next of kin for those unfortunate souls who die alone might seem a particularly hard sell, but from the outset there’s a luminescent heart to writer/director Uberto Pasolini’s affecting examination of the human spirit.”

Guardians of the Galaxy

Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Benicio Del Toro, Karen Gillan, Laura Haddock, John C. Reilly, Michael Rooker, Djimon Hounsou, Glenn Close
Rating: M
Release Date: 7 August, 2014

Stephen A. Russell for thelowdownunder.com says: ” Riotously fun space operatics. Forget The Avengers, this is Marvel’s finest team-up. The plot, as with most of these things, is pretty ridiculous, but it doesn’t matter. The comedy gold, which includes a running Kevin Bacon/Footloose joke, and the mates-against-all-odds larks here has a ring of the old Star Wars to it, and the orgy of CGI on show is rather marvellous, unlike the dead behind the eyes Star Wars prequels. It’s just such a pretty explosion of colourful aliens, richly detailed worlds and magnificent space battles. Throw in tunes like Hooked On A Feeling and Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan, as Gamora’s seriously aggro sister Nebula, and you have a recipe for a mighty fine, 1970s-era pulp sci-fi space opera. Then there’s the fun cameos from Benicio Del Toro and Glenn Close trying to outdo each other in the big hair stakes.”

And So It Goes

Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: Diane Keaton, Michael Douglas
Duration: 94 mins
Rating: M – Sexual references
Release Date: 7 August, 2014

Why you should see it: A tough sell during a stellar weekend of new releases, And So It Goes should have some spark but struggles to reach the heights of films like Something’s Gotta Give and Bucket List. Still, fans of Keaton and Douglas will surely enjoy an easy film.

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