The Hundred-Foot Journey (open Aug 28)
In this comedy-drama, Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary genius who’s forced to relocate from India to France. His father’s opening of an Indian restaurant is greatly opposed by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), the widowed owner of an upscale French establishment. It’s up to Hassan to foster some inter-cultural understanding, all whilst (predictably) falling in love with Mallory’s gorgeous sous chef. Cue the food porn!
The Swimmers (opens Aug 28)
There’s no guilty pleasure like watching Thai horror films, even though they’re often oh-so -self-indulgent. The Swimmers centers on two rival swimmers, one of whom discovers his girlfriend has killed herself at the bottom of a pool. Whilst the plot doesn’t seem to give much to scream about, the film is directed by Sophon Sakdaphisit, who’s known for horror hit Ladda Land. So indulge away, but don’t freak out the next time you take a dip.
Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Inferno (Opens Aug 28)
This action film is inspired by a best-selling manga-series by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Taking place during the early Meiji period in Japan, it features a legendary swordsman who is called to fight against a disaffected former samurai. Like all Samurai flicks, expect tons of blood, gore and slow-mo action sequences.
Riki Oh: The Story of Riki (Aug 29, 8:30pm)
Everybody’s kung fu fighting in this Hong Kong martial arts film, presented by Scum Cinema and The Arts House. Hold on to your breath as protagonist Riki attempts to battle his way out of a futuristic prison cell, with only his deft fighting skills to protect him from the fearsome “Gang of four”. Be warned though – there’s a ton of brutal and highly sensationalized violence, so don’t enter the theatre on a full stomach.
Utter 2014 (Sep 1, 7:30pm)
A pre-festival event for the Singapore Writer’s Festival, Utter 2014 celebrates the diversity of Singapore literature through several short films. Hoping to reach out to a wider audience, the selections of films revolve around the theme of everyday life in Singapore, which isn’t always pretty or picture-perfect. Going Home is a poignant piece about an elderly man confronted with the harsh realities of aging, whilst Tin Kosong (Empty Cans) features an odd-job worker whose livelihood is dependent on collecting tins.
