Our top 5 film picks for September
BY READERS DIGEST
19th Sep 2017 Film & TV
We've selected five of the latest films out this month for you to watch. From East London based film Legend, to outer space for Ridley Scott's, The Martian.
Legend
The notorious Kray twins, who ruled London’s East End in the 1960s, were given the big-screen treatment in 1990, with the unlikely pairing of Gary and Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet portraying the gangster brothers.
This time round, the excellent Tom Hardy plays both the business-minded but brutal Reggie and the unpredictable, psychotic Ronnie. Much like previous gangster flicks such as The Godfather and Goodfellas, Legend excels at depicting a world of seedy glamour that can erupt without warning into violence. And like those earlier films, there are many supporting performances to savour, especially Christopher Eccleston as Detective Leonard “Nipper” Read and Emily Browning as Reggie’s disillusioned wife Frances.
Me Earl and the Dying Girl
The title encompasses the main players in this charming indie flick. “Me and Earl” (Thomas Mann and R J Cyler) are firm friends who make amateur versions of classic films, while the “dying girl” (Olivia Cooke) is a class-mate whom they befriend after learning that she’s suffering from cancer.
The tone switches—or lurches sometimes—from comedy to tragedy, but it tugs at the heartstrings.
Everest
The series of avalanches earlier this year highlighted the dangers associated with scaling the world’s highest mountain.
This all-star thriller, headed by Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin and Emily Watson, is based on the 1996 Everest disaster, focusing on the survival attempts of two expedition groups. Expect plenty of frost-bitten drama and vertigo-inducing 3D.
The Martian
Director Ridley Scott made his name with the futuristic classics Alien and Blade Runner, so this adaptation of Andy Weir’s sci-fi best-seller is highly anticipated. Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, an astronaut who draws on all his ingenuity to survive when he finds himself stranded on Mars. Kate Mara and Jessica Chastain also appear as two of his would-be rescuers.
A Walk in the Woods
Based on the 1998 memoir by Bill Bryson (played here by Robert Redford), this tells the story of Bryson’s attempt to hike the lengthy Appalachian Trail after returning to the US from Britain. But his plans are spoiled when he’s joined by his overbearing and under-prepared friend Stephen (Nick Nolte). Emma Thompson also stars.
