What’s On – September 2020

This month’s movie releases is coming to you at a very strange time. Cinemas are mostly open now up and down the UK, though where I live (Jersey, in the Channel Islands) our one and only cinema is still closed (it’s part of a huge well-known chain that stretches across Great Britain, and yet, despite Jersey being very low on the virus scale, our branch remains closed… I’m frustrated, as many of us here are, but I will digress no longer). With the current situation, there are two things we are uncertain of: 1. Will cinemas have to close again in the near future, should a second wave hit, and 2. Movie release dates. They are still constantly changing, mostly being pushed back (meaning all below releases are very much subject to change). But, we remain as positive as can be, and, to that end, here is a roundup of what will hopefully be hitting screens this month (here’s also hoping our cinema in Jersey comes back to us very soon…).

The New Mutants (latest trailer that also includes opening scene)
The New Mutants (older trailer without opening scene) (4th)

It really feels like we’ve been waiting forever and a day for this movie. The trailer gives off a DC’s Suicide Squad vibe, but it’s by Marvel, so it’s likely to actually be good. With a pretty decent young cast, the MCU is giving us what is essentially a new generation of X-Men whilst also calling it the final installment in the X-Men movie franchise. That’s probably due to Disney’s acqusition of Fox, who owned the film rights to the X-Men side of Marvel. Originally meant to be the first of a trilogy, this will likely now round off the “Fox” side of things, leaving Disney/Marvel Studios to take the X-Men in a new direction. Despite all this, if you watch the trailer that has the first scene, it does look like we could be in for quite a ride… most reviews stateside are pretty middle-of-the-road, but it does look pretty fun and, dare I say it, a little scary.

Monsoon (25th)

Now, anyone who regularly reads my reviews may know that Henry Golding is an actor I’ve been keeping an eye on since his Hollywoof debut in Crazy Rich Asians. His movie career is still in its early stages, and his roles few and far between, but so far I have not been overly impressed. I fully believe he has potential, but his performances/characters thus far have either been so-so or less than. Monsoon looks like the film that will finally elevate Golding to proper leading-man status as well as proving his worth as a dramatic actor, rather than lumping him in as the attractive guy in a rom-com or opposite women who outshine him. The story itself also looks very interesting, especially considering the amount of migration that goes on these days, leaving many people, particularly young people, feeling displaced and not knowing where they belong. It could strike a chord with many people, and I look forward to watching Golding carry such a weighty film.

Bill & Ted Face the Music (23rd)

Ok, dudes, this one may not be for everyone, but if you’re a Bill & Ted fan, it will definitely be for you. Our two favourite metalheads from the late 80s/early 90s are back and, yes, they are older, but they have not lost any of their youthful charm. If you’ve never seen the first two movies, you may not really get Bill & Ted as characters (and Keanu Reeves’ non-action-man performance may shock and confuse you), but if you’re open-minded and keen for a giggle, this one could certainly be a fun way to while away an hour and a half. Go ahead and watch the first two movies too, you might surprise yourself.

Non-English Language Choice:

Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) (11th, Curzon Home Cinema)

(Warning: graphic descriptions ahead.)
If you don’t know who Bong Joon-ho is by now, I will assume you’ve been living under a rock for the past year. Director Bong is the genius behind the multiple-award-winning (including many Acadmey Awards, including Best Film) and record-breaking hit Parasite (as well as many other excellent movies). Memories of Murder is one of director Bong’s earliest films and was a huge hit in South Korea in 2003 (I’ve been trying to get ahold of an English-subbed copy in Europe for a very long time and it has been impossible). Based on a true story, it stars Song Kang-ho (a frequent collaborator of director Bong’s, including the leading man of Parasite) as a detective attempting to track down a serial rapist/murderer in 1986, the biggest criminal case in South Korea’s modern history (interesting side note: the perpetrator was arrested in 1993 for drugging, raping and killing his sister-in-law and sentenced to life in prison, but it wasn’t until 2019 and the presence of DNA evidence that he became a suspect and eventually confessed to the murders). Thanks to the recent power of Parasite, Curzon are doing us all a massive favour and releasing it on their home viewing service, so you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home.

Other September releases:

1st
Dreamkatcher

4th
Dream Horse
Les Misérables (note: NOT the musical)

7th
The 2nd
Two Heads Creek
Eminence Hill

10th
Break the Silence: The Movie

11th
Max Richter’s Sleep
Our Ladies
The Roads Not Taken

18th
Eternal Beauty
Malibu Road
White Riot

23rd
Enola Holmes (Netflix)

25th
23 Walks
Capital in the 21st Century
Miss Juneteenth
Rebuilding Paradise
Schemers

28th
Escape and Evasion