FILM: Brixton Blog’s weekly round-up

By Ashley Clark

There’s a distinctly international flavour at the Ritzy this week with a batch of new releases showcasing some intriguing world cinema

New releases include:

Goodbye First Love – Mia Hansen-Love’s elegant drama chronicling the romance between Camille and Sullivan which begins during their adolescence and picks up after Sullivan’s 8-year absence from exploring the world.

Juan of the Dead – a fairly amusing Cuban horror/comedy from director Alejandro Brugues which takes an intriguingly satirical glance at the country’s political climate. It’s funny and innovative in places, but undermined by slack pacing and a nasty streak of homophobia

Monsieur Lazhar – A Canadian film nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2012 Oscars, Monsieur Lazhar is the immensely touching of a mysterious teacher whose honesty and compassion makes a huge impact on students.

Dinotasia – an absolutely bonkers-looking CGI/doc/trip-out about murderous dinosaurs (at least that’s how it looks from the trailer) narrated by the inimitable and suddenly ubiquitous Werner Herzong.

Continuing their runs this week: Kevin MacDonald’s exhaustive doc Marley, Whit Stillman’s divisive Damsels in Distress, and Joss Whedon’s superhero romp Avengers Assemble, among others.

In terms of rep cinema, there’s a cracking Sunday double bill of classic sci-fi, with Logan’s Run and Soylent Green. And on Friday (after a preview of Gareth Evans’ The Raid), a late night screening of John Woo’s brutally exciting 1992 film Hard Boiled.

All films showing at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval. Book tickets here.

Ashley Clark runs the film blog Permanent Plastic Helmet. You can follow it on Twitter @PPlasticHelmet and/or him @_ash_clark.