Soul (opens Jul 17)
Yes, it may be about demonic possession, but this has a lot more going for it than most other cheesy Asian horror-thriller flicks; it was Taiwan’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards and later opened the Taipei International Film Festival. Joseph Chang plays the unfortunate sous chef who becomes possessed and Jimmy Wong his unhinged father. With its excessive violence and exceedingly odd characters, the film has drawn comparisons with cult TV drama series Twin Peaks.
Jersey Boys (opens Jul 17)
Clint Eastwood’s film tells the story of all-American harmonizing quartet The Four Seasons (yes, they who star in the Broadway musical of the same name). The movie charts the group’s progress, from humble beginnings as back-up vocalists to their eventual rise after a record producer gives them their big break, with plenty of drama along the way: infighting, financial debts, drug overdoses.
Bullhead (Jul 19, 7:30pm)
The Screening Room is showing the Oscar-nominated Belgian film to mark Belgian National Day (Jul 21). The plot revolves around Jacky Vanmarsenille, a steroid-consuming cattle farmer, who sinks into the shady world of the Flemish mafia. Everything comes to a head when a federal agent is killed, resulting in Jacky having to confront horrors from his childhood.
Moving Gods (Jul 20, 4pm)
The National Museum is screening this feature TV drama as part of this year’s HeritageFest. The short explores the mysterious, folkloric origins of the German girl shrine on Pulau Ubin and will be followed by a panel session with director Ho Choon Hiong and author November Tan. Register here.
O (Jul 21, 7.30pm)
Remember this 2001 Othello remake, starring turn-of-the-century dreamboats Julia Stiles and Josh Hartnett? This adaptation of the Shakespearean classic takes place in a high school (teenybopper Shakespeare was all the rage back then—recall Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet) and comes complete with basketball players duking it out over racism, love and betrayal. Register here.
