Nocturnal Animals
Starting off as a book within a book (courtesy of the novel Tony And Susan by Austin Wright), this tale has now been adapted into a film within a film, or more accurately, a book within a film. If this all sounds complicated, it’s not. Amy Adams plays a put-upon woman whose ex-husband sends her the manuscript for his new novel and the film flits between her life – both present and past – and the book’s story, both of which have an intense Jake Gyllenhaal in common.
The novel provides the most engaging story, and tells of a kidnapping and subsequent revenge; but it draws parallels with the “real life” drama being told simultaneously. As this is fashion designer Tom Ford’s second film, it predictably looks beautiful in every frame, but the strong performances cause the actors not to be overshadowed by the cinematography. It’s a tad self-indulgent at times, but interest in the central conceit is thankfully never lost, so it remains engaging throughout. Although, of the two stories being told, one is infinitely more exciting than the other – a full-length adaptation of that might have been even better... In cinemas November 4
RECOMMENDED: Get 2-4-1 Tickets to the Black Star Season at the BFI
Supersonic
This new doc charts the rise of Oasis, culminating in the success and excess of their famous Knebworth gigs. The footage provides an unflinching look at the dynamics of the Gallagher brothers’ fiery relationship; from mild sibling rivalry to outright hostility. A montage of grainy home videos and
TV clips provide a backdrop to the brothers’ often very funny accounts – they both certainly have a way with (rude) words. It’s hilarious, sad and will particularly resonate with anyone who’s ever been struck down with a strong case of annoying brother syndrome – although you’d have to go a long way to match the one that unfortunately ended up bringing the band to its knees. Available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download now. Download on iTunes, buy or download on amazon.co.uk
The Accountant
In between popping his bat-ears on, Ben Affleck’s still on the warpath, but just in a slightly different way in this crime thriller. He plays an autistic accountant who essentially un-cooks books for dodgy enterprises. As you can probably predict, this isn’t exactly a safe or viable career choice, so things eventually go a tad awry and he needs more than a calculator for protection. Soon he’s locked, loaded and wiping the floor with bad guys courtesy of Indonesian martial art pencak silat – which you’ll know all about if you’ve ever seen The Raid. For a movie ostensibly about maths, this isn’t the GCSE revision you might have first thought. In cinemas November 4
Ghostbusters
It’s 2016, and things are moving further away from real life than ever before – the run-up to the release of this film proved that. It’s a reboot of the 1984 original, and this time around the Ghostbusters are women – as such, neck-beards the world over got their off-white briefs in a twist and railed against it hard. It was all unfounded, of course, as the film is a lot of fun, with two reliably brilliant performances by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy. It’s nothing new or radical, of course, but it’s still a bright, stupid film about big cartoonish ghosts. Available on digital download November 7 and DVD and Blu-ray November 21. Pre-order on amazon.co.uk
A Street Cat Named Bob
There’s a high chance that, at some point, you’ll have seen James Bowen with his cat, Bob, selling The Big Issue or busking in Covent Garden (note: James is the one playing the guitar). Perhaps not recently, though, seeing as James turned his life around thanks to his feline companion, who essentially saved his skin from homelessness and drug addiction when he started following him around and perching on his shoulders. James wrote a book about his remarkable experience and it’s now a film (like all books, eventually) starring Luke Treadaway (Attack The Block). It’s a heartwarming story and no matter how hard you try, it will make you cry because there’s a cute cat in it. Bring tissues. In cinemas November 4
