Each week FILMCLUB’s experts in film pick a selection of their favourite cinema releases for young kids to teens, under the age of 18.
This week is a quiet week for family films, but there’s still a great film to see in Nenette!
Missed a previous week? Then click here for more releases.
Click here for more film news, interviews and updates.
Eleanor’s Secret
Cert: U
FILMCLUB recommended age Rating: 5+
Running Time: 73 mins
Year Produced: 2009
Director: Dominique Monfery
Cast: Paul Bandey (voice), Pascal Berger (voice), Joanne Farrell (voice)
In this sweet animated adventure, Nat, who can’t read, gets a strange gift. It’s a room full of books.
But not just any books. These are the original versions of all the great stories – and the characters in them come to life.
If the books leave the room, the stories in them will disappear forever. And Nat’s parents want to sell the books.
His battle to protect them is the start of an amazing series of events. This is a lovely looking animation with a story that will really make you want to read for the fun of it.
Like this? Try: The Neverending Story, Bedtime Stories, Howl’s Magic Castle, The Princess Bride, Inkheart
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Rango
Cert: PG
FILMCLUB recommended age Rating: 7+
Running Time: 107 mins
Year Produced: 2011
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Johnny Depp (voice); Isla Fisher (voice); Timothy Olyphant (voice); Abigail Breslin (voice); Bill Nighy (voice); Alfred Molina (voice); Ned Beatty (voice); Harry Dean Stanton (voice); Ray Winstone (voice)
A chameleon with an identity crisis embarks on a hilarious journey of self-discovery in this energetic, computer-animated comedy.
Johnny Depp provides the voice for the confused family pet, Rango, who accidentally ends up in the Wild West-style town of Dirt – a lawless outpost populated by enjoyably outrageous critters.
Suddenly, after dreaming of being noticed all his life, the actually less-than-brave lizard finds himself hailed as the townsfolk’s last hope and talked into becoming the new sheriff.
It’s a role Rango’s forced to play with the utmost vigour to appear convincing; until a series of action-packed encounters gradually transform him into the hero he always wanted to be.
Boasting fantastic, candy-coloured visuals and top-notch casting, this character-driven twist on the Spaghetti Western is a surreal laugh riot.
Like this? Try: A Bug’s Life; An American Tail – Fievel Goes West; Back to the Future Part III , A Kid In King Arthur’s Court, Blazing Saddles
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The Adjustment Bureau
Cert: 12A
FILMCLUB recommended age Rating: 11+
Running Time: 106 mins
Year Produced: 2011
Director: George Nolfi
Cast: Matt Damon; Emily Blunt; Terence Stamp; Anthony Mackie; John Slattery; Michael Kelly; Anthony Ruivivar
Unseen forces control human destiny in this slick and suspenseful thriller.
Loosely based on a short story by celebrated sci-fi author Philip K Dick, it sees US congressman David Norris’s world turned upside-down by a chance meeting with ballet dancer, Elise.
He falls for her immediately, but when he tries to take things further, mysterious agents dramatically step in to prevent the romance.
The men belong to the sinister ‘Adjustment Bureau’, which works to ensure that every person’s life follows a pre-ordained path – a master plan that dictates that David and Elise must stay apart.
However, David is reluctant to abandon the only woman he’s ever loved, forcing him into agonizing decisions when he learns exactly what fate holds for him.
Like this? Try: Minority Report, Blade Runner, Alphaville, Renaissance, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
The Tempest
Cert: PG
FILMCLUB recommended age Rating: 11+
Running Time: 110 mins
Year Produced: 2010
Director: Julie Taymor
Cast: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Ben Whishaw, Russell Brand
What may have been Shakespeare’s last play is also one of his most mystical, and has attracted some unusual film treatments.
This new version turns the male sorcerer Prospero into a woman, Prospera (Helen Mirren), and uses CGI to show us the magic.
The story remains the same – a ship is wrecked off a mysterious island and the survivors have unsettling encounters with the few inhabitants, not knowing that one of them is responsible for the disaster.
If you have found Shakespeare hard to get into, the special effects and Russell Brand clowning around might help – but if you love the words or know this as a quiet, mournful play, this loud movie might get in the way.
Like this? Try: Forbidden Planet, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Wizard Of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, Spirited Away
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The African Queen
Cert: U
FILMCLUB recommended age Rating: 9+
Running Time: 109 mins
Year Produced: 1951
Director: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Bob Hope, Peter Bull
The film that finally gave Humphrey Bogart an Oscar, director John Huston’s The African Queen effortlessly blends comedy and adventure as Bogart’s boozy riverboat captain bickers with the prim and proper Katharine Hepburn on a trip down the Ulonga-Bora in order to sabotage a German ship.
Based on the 1935 novel by C.S. Forester, the making of the film was famously troubled, but the results are magnificent fun.
Like this? Try: Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romancing the Stone, The Lady from Shanghai, The Mummy, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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About FILMCLUB
FILMCLUB is a nationwide education charity and experts in film for young people. The initiative offers access to thousands of popular and classic films from around the world for young people and teachers to watch and discuss in their school film clubs.
Visit www.filmclub.org for more information.