Thursday, 16th June 2016 

NB: 1 week earlier than previously advertised.

"TESTAMENT of YOUTH (UK 2014) 

"Stunningly good, desperately moving"

Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir of Vera Brittain, which has become a classic testimony of the Great War from a woman's point of view.  A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again.  It is a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.

STARRING: Alice Vikander ("Ex Machina" and patrons may remember her from "A Royal Affair". Kit Harrington, (Game of Thrones).

Language: English

Running Time: 129 minutes

Classification: PG 13+

Director:  David Heyman, the Director who gave us "The Boy in Striped Pyjamas"

WHEN: Please note the Change of Date Now 1 week earlier Thursday 16th June 2016

STOP PRESS: 
REELS is delighted to welcome KATNOOK ESTATES of Coonawarra who will launch the first of many of our regional wine tastings for members. Our thanks to Michelle and Wayne Stehbens of Katnook for their generous support.

Doors open at 6:30pm lights go down and we screen at 7pm.  

"FAR FROM MEN" Our next film to be seen at the SRHT on Thursday 19th May

(France - 2014 release)

"Unravels in spectacular landscapes as an exploration of moral dilemmas, in the guise of a Western" Margaret Pomeranz.

Based on a novel by Albert Camus, this masterful, breathtakingly shot drama bears all the hallmarks of a classic frontier western carrying strong contemporary resonances.

Far From Men (FFM) features a career best performance from the multi-talented Viggo Mortensen and a superb original soundtrack from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

A gripping tale of morality and friendship set in 1954 during the Algerian War, against an unforgiving mountainous landscape.

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Reda Kateb
Genre: Art House & International Drama (Part drama, adventure, western & history)
IMDb rating:7.3
Running time: 109 minutes
Director: David Oelhoffen
 When: Thursday 19th May 2016 - Doors to the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre open at 6;30 for pre movie nibbles and drinks.  Then the bells will ring, lights go down and film screens at 7pm.

Our Next Movie is "TRASH" (Brazil 2014)

Thursday 21st April 2016

"Action packed, thought provoking and funny."

Nothing to do with Andy Warhol’s movie from 1970.  

This is a fast-moving and likable children’s adventure with a fiercely grown up angle, mainly because the kids involved have had to grow up quickly. 

Trash follows three Rio teenagers who spend their time picking through litter in the hope of finding useful waste. One day they discover a wallet whose contents will bring them into conflict with the brutal local police force as they find themselves unlikely whistle blowers in a city rife with corruption. Who do they turn to?  I doubt it will be the police.

Starring:  Martin Sheen, Mara Rooney

Genre:  Crime/Adventure/Drama

Running Time:  114 minutes

Language: Portuguese English

Director: Stephen Daldry (Slumdog Millionaire, Billy Elliot, The Reader, The Hours.

Screening at  the Sir Robert Helpmann  Theatre (SRHT), Mount Gambier.

Thursday 21st April  2016 SRHT doors open: 6:30pm Screens at 7pm

Love is in the Air with our St Valentine's Day Special

A SPANISH AFFAIR

"Ochos Apellidos Vascos"

Thursday 18th February at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, Mount Gambier

Doors open at 6:30

Ochos screens at 7pm.

The Plot: 

Rafa has never left his native Seville, Andalusia until he meets a Basque girl who resists his moves.  Against his friends advice he follows her to her home in Euskadi and then it starts to get complicated.  Rafa's attempts to impersonate a full blooded Basque only compound his self inflicted entanglement.

Seen by over 2 million people in the fortnight following its release in Spain. This comedic tale mischievously pokes fun at cultural differences as it tracks a young southerner who tenaciously seeks to win the heart of a spirited Basque girl.

A Spanish Affair fast became a must see in Spain and it will be a sure fire audience pleaser for Reels fans and romantics.

Genre: Comedy
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish, Basque
Running time: 98 minutes
Director: Emilio Martinez-Lazara
Starring: Dani Rovira, Clara Logo

TWO FILMS, ONE NIGHT - A REELS FILM SOCIETY DOUBLE BILL TO LAUNCH 2016

Thursday 21st January 2016

Reels Film Society opens their 2016 season of International cinema  with a rare offering, a double bill.  Not just 1 award winning film, but 2 for the price of 1!

THE MAFIA ONLY KILLS IN SUMMER (Italy 2015)

This film was inspired by real events and is a black comedy about 20 years of history of Sicily from 1970s to 1990s, mocking mafia bosses and restoring the generosity of the heroes of antimafia. 
An original film, entertaining and well executed.  No pun intended!
The overall result is a winsome film that is filled with romance, dark humour and wistful nostalgia.

Starring and Directed by "Pif" Pierfrancesco Diliberto.
Rating: IMDb 7.2
Running time: 89 minutes

Film Number 2:  

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (Belgium 2013)

Sandra, (Marion Cotillard) a young Belgian mother discovers that her workmates have opted for a significant pay bonus, in exchange for her dismissal.  She has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so she can keep her job.

Starring Marion Cotillard
Genre: Drama
Running time: 95 minutes
Ratings: IMDb 7.4  Margaret and David of ABC's At The Movies 4 stars and 4.5 stars respectively.

THE ROCKET - Thursday 17th December 2015

The Rocket (2013) directed by Australia's Kim Mordaunt is set in the rarely seen tribal mountains of Laos, this movie is gripping, yet heart warming cinema in the vein of The Motorcycle Diaries, Slumdog Millionaire, with a touch of Little Miss Sunshine.

The Rocket was awarded Best Narrative, Best Actor and the Audience Winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, New York.

Three months after its release the Lao People's Democratic Republic banned The Rocket from its few cinemas.

"A feel-good success crafted with care, Kim Mordaunt's story  set  in Laos is a heartfelt audience pleaser while remaining sensitive toward its subjects"

Genre: Drama

Running time: 96 minutes

Ratings: IMDb-7.4

Rotten Tomatoes - 98% approval rating!

To quote: James Brown, this is a "I Feel Good" movie.  So good, so good.

WADJDA (Saudi Arabia 2013) Thursday 19th November

Wadjda, a startling assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced.

An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.

Five years in the making, Wadjda was shot on location in the streets of the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. 

Starring: Wadd Abdullah, Reem Abdullah
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Running time: 98 minutes
Classification: PG

Critical acclaim:
IMDb: 7.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%!
Metacritic: 8.1

"By any standards, this [is] a fine, moving film and essential viewing for anyone who cares about contempary cinema" David Stratton