We’ve teamed up with the film and education programme, in-school club for kids, Into Film who will be helping us bring you the very latest film news, interviews and reviews every week.
New in Cinemas
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (PG)
Five years after his Viking village made peace with dragons and took to flying on their backs, Hiccup has grown into a young man set to succeed his father as chief. Still intent on thrilling adventures, he goes on travels with his dragon Toothless, discovering and mapping unexplored lands. But cultural friction is inevitable, and after discovering an ice cave that is home to hundreds of wild dragons Hiccup finds himself faced with a crazed conqueror intent on amassing a dragon army for battle. Hiccup determines to find a peaceful solution. This computer-animated fantasy sequel is just as charming, fun and vivid as the first instalment.
If you like this, why not try these other great films with similar themes?
Spirited away (PG, 2001), The Never Ending Story (U, 1984), The Princess Bride (PG, 1987), Pete’s Dragon (U, 1977), The Secret of Kells (PG, 2009)
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (12A)
Ten years after the previous film, humanity is all but wiped out by a deadly virus. Caesar and the other apes’ peaceful existence in the forest is threatened when they come into contact with a small group of human survivors. Before long, apes and humans are on the brink of war for supremacy of the planet. Bold, dark and hugely ambitious, this installment ramps up everything that made the 2011 prequel an audience and critical hit. The film’s blend of extensive location shooting with a vast army of apes – all created using motion-capture technology – makes this epic one of the most technologically pioneering films of our time.
If you like this, why not try these other great films with similar themes?
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (12A, 2011), Avatar (12, 2009), Cloverfield (15, 2008), Planet of the Apes (PG, 1968), AI: Artificial Intelligence (12, 2001)
New on DVD
The Book Thief (12)
A young girl’s passion for books helps her and the people she loves find a respite from the horrors of Nazi Germany in this moving drama that looks at the regime from a child’s viewpoint. Originally illiterate when she’s sent to live with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann in the late 1930s, spirited nine-year-old Liesel quickly learns to read, thanks to the kindly couple’s encouragement. Soon she’s obsessed with the written word and the escapism it can provide; a situation that intensifies after the Hubermanns take in a Jewish refugee and Liesel starts sharing stories with the increasingly imperilled man. Narrated by Death himself yet surprisingly life affirming, the film is based on a best-selling young adults’ novel.
If you like this, why not try these other great films with similar themes? The Diary of Anne Frank (U, 1959), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (12, 2008), Life is Beautiful (PG, 1997)
The Square (12)
This powerful Oscar-nominated documentary captures the ongoing tumult of revolution in Egypt since its initial eruption in 2011, when a huge mass of people gathered in Tahrir Square to demonstrate. They managed to oust unpopular long-time president Hosni Mubarak, only to see their gains hijacked and power seized by the corrupt Muslim Brotherhood, who had cut a deal with the army – bringing on another wave of huge popular protest and revolution to remove new president Mohammed Morsi. The stirring film is no exercise in dry politics, as awe-inspiring overhead shots show crowds swarming the city of Cairo, and the power of the people to enact change shows itself to be both high-risk and very real.
If you like this, why not try these other great films with similar themes? Amandla! – A Revolution in Four Part Harmony (12A, 2002)
To find out more about Into Film click here
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