My National Gallery at Real Art Ways

Synopsis:

The National Gallery of London is one of the world’s greatest art galleries. It is full of masterpieces, an endless resource of history, an endless source of stories. But whose stories are told? Which art has the most impact and on whom? The power of great art lies in its ability to communicate with anyone, no matter their art historical knowledge, their background, their beliefs. This film gives voice to those who work at the gallery – from cleaner to curator, security guard to director – who identify the one artwork that means the most to them and why. An assortment of people from all walks of life who have a strong connection to the gallery make surprising choices of both well-known and lesser-known artworks. Finally, some well-known celebrities explain what they head for when they visit the gallery. These stories are used as a lens through which to explore the 200-year history of the National Gallery and what the future may hold for this spectacular space. About EXHIBITION ON SCREEN™: Working with all the world’s major international museums and galleries, EXHIBITION ON SCREEN™ creates films that offer a cinematic immersion into the world’s best-loved art, accompanied by insights from the world’s leading historians and art critics. Since launching in 2011, EXHIBITION ON SCREEN™ has released 22 films that have been shown in over 60 countries worldwide. EXHIBITION ON SCREEN™ is produced and distributed in the UK by award-winning filmmaker Phil Grabsky and his production company Seventh Art Productions. They have also created the Great Composers cinema series and the highly acclaimed ITV series Great Art.

“Thelma” is a totally pure delight that gives June Squibb a much-deserved leading role. Her and Roundtree are fabulously paired and Margolin’s script is breezy and sharp in equal measure.” – TheWrap

“It’s the balance of comedy and existential drama that truly elevates Thelma.” – Slant Magazine

Synopsis:

Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, THELMA puts a clever spin on movies like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency. In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business — despite what her daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg), or grandson Danny might believe. 98% on Rotten Tomatoes    

“What keeps the story sweet is the chemistry between Cannavale and Fitzgerald, who build a bond worth cherishing.” – NYT

Synopsis:

EZRA follows Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives. Directed by Tony Goldwyn, who also appears in the film alongside additional cast members Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg, EZRA is an endearing and often funny exploration of a family determined to find their way through life’s complexities with humor, compassion, and heart.    

“Madeleine is a showcase for its two leads; both are exceptional. So is the film, which gently reminds us to feel compassion for others since we never quite know where another person has been or where they might be going.” San Jose Mercury News “Line Renaud’s charm makes the present an increasingly welcoming place to return to.” – indieWire

Synopsis:

Madeleine, 92 years old, calls a taxi to take her to the retirement home where she will be living. Charles, a disillusioned driver with a tender heart, agrees to drive by the places that affected Madeleine’s life. Through the streets of Paris, her extraordinary past is revealed. They don’t know it yet, but they will forge a friendship during this drive that will change their lives forever. (In French with English subtitles) 94% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Lovely and lyrical yet haunting and heartbreaking…” – Chicago Sun Times “It’s a resolutely poetic, at times even golden-hued portrait of lives unafraid to hope amid growing despair.” – LA Times “Writer/director Minhal Baig’s ‘90s coming-of-age drama is one of realistic warmth, rumbling hopes and roadblocks jutting up in front of children whose very existence is defiant.” – Paste Magazine 93% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

In 1992 Chicago, as Michael Jordan solidifies himself as a champion, a story of two young legends in their own right begins. As wide-eyed and imaginative best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, their unbreakable bond is challenged when tragedy shakes their community just as they are learning to fly.  

“Mournful yet exuberant, “La Chimera” is a towering work of art presented with the unassuming invitation of a warming summer morning.” – LA Times “One of the pleasures of Rohrwacher’s filmmaking is the way she subtly blurs our sense of time. La Chimera is set in the 1980s, but it could be taking place 20 years earlier, or 20 years later.” – NPR Synopsis: Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. To find her, Arthur challenges the invisible, searches everywhere, goes inside the earth — in search of the door to the afterlife of which myths speak. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera. 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (In Italian with English subtitles)

“Consistently weird and frequently wonderful, Sasquatch Sunset uses its high-concept premise to consider a host of themes: collective living, coexistence with nature, longing stirred by seclusion.” – Boston Globe “It’s brilliantly filmed, constantly maintains our interest, boasts first-rate prosthetics, and is completely distinct from whatever else is found at the box office.” – Los Angeles Times

Synopsis:

In the misty forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches–possibly the last of their enigmatic kind–embark on an absurdist, epic, hilarious, and ultimately poignant journey over the course of one year. These shaggy and noble giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them. Starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, acclaimed directors David and Nathan Zellner (Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter) bring you the greatest Bigfoot story ever told.    

“Destined to be the biggest feel-good movies of the year.” – The Aisle Seat “Cabrini’s story is rather absorbing and the film offers a lushly mounted portrait of life in 1880s New York, when immigration was just as much of a contentious issue as it is today.” – Guardian  “Its visual splendor is matched by the strong moral convictions and absence of cynicism that characterized many movies of the 1940s, when Catholic heroes were all over the screen.” – Wall Street Journal “An engaging account of a woman whose faith and personality allowed her to make a difference in the face of astronomical odds.” – ReelViews 91% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

From Alejandro Monteverde, award-winning director of “Sound of Freedom”, comes the powerful epic of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City in 1889 and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society’s most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini uses her entrepreneurial mind to build an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.    

“Smart, cynical and at times devilishly funny, the film delivers a crackle of disruptive static to the demonic possession genre.” – Observer (UK) “A nasty and delicious, unapologetic pastiche with a flair for menace. I had a blast.” – New York Times ” It’s a gem on every level, and it’s already a contender for the best new horror film of 2024.” – AV Club  “A potent examination of the price of success.” – Austin Chronicle  “Absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.” – Stephen King 97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show ‘Night Owls’ that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. However, ratings for the show have plummeted since the tragic death of Jack’s beloved wife. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, on October 31st, 1977, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other–unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.    

“A remarkable World War II story told conventionally but elevated by a superb Anthony Hopkins.” – Time Out  “Serves as an urgent reminder of the importance of individual action at a time when the world refugee crisis is at a scale not seen since the Second World War.” – Variety  “Heartwarming.” – RogerEbert.com 

Synopsis:

Based on the book If It’s Not Impossible…: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton by Barbara Winton, One Life tells the incredible, emotional true story of Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton (Johnny Flynn), a young London broker who visits Prague in December 1938. In a race against time, Winton convinces Trevor Chadwick (Alex Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (Romola Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children before Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, Nicky (Anthony Hopkins) is haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England. It’s not until the BBC show “That’s Life!” re-introduces him to some of those he helped rescue that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he carried — all the while skyrocketing from anonymity to a national hero.    

“A thoroughly engaging war drama that’s more about people than about politics.” – Polygon “…manages to uncover an ugly yet necessary truth in the rubble of the old world.” – TheWrap “Civil War features jaw-dropping battles that rattle and hum, foregrounded by a bleak, devil-may-care desire to consume, report, forget, and remember — captured through a jarring poeticism.” – Screen International 

Synopsis:

From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.      

“Outstanding.” – NPR  “Ukrainian reporter Mstyslav Chernov has stitched together an almost overwhelming document of a city, and its people, dying over three brutal weeks.” – Time Out “A brave piece of frontline journalism.” – Little White Lies  “…gives you a sense of life during wartime that isn’t an abstraction, some distant thing happening to people thousands of miles away.” – Rolling Stone  “A relentless and truly important documentary.” – New York Times 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.

Winner Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.

     

“Japanese manga master Hayao Miyazaki, 83, came out of retirement for this hand-drawn beauty about his own life growing up in wartime. The Oscar for best animated feature belongs right here since Miyazaki’s unparalleled artistry shines out of every frame.” – ABC News  “…a literal work of art…you leave reminded that life can be wonderful, but only sometimes, and often in the most unlikely ways.” – Financial Times “A valuable new addition to this unique film-artist’s canon, about confronting a terrible sadness and finding a way to replace it with wonder and joy.” – Guardian “It’s gorgeous, ruminative, and mesmerizing, one of the best of 2023.” – RogerEbert.com 97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

Winner Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards.

     

“So rich and romantic, it will leave you woozy.” – TimeOut “You will swear that you can taste every shot.” – The Telegraph  “The Taste of Things feels like a return to the very best kind of comfort viewing, a work that nourishes the soul and whets the appetite but without the sprinkling of irony.” – Financial Times “One of 2023’s best films.” – The Boston Globe  97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Cook Eugenie and her boss Dodin grow fond of one another over 20 years, and their romance gives rise to dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit, he begins to cook for her.