ODEON Cinema
piazza Strozzi 2, tel. 055/295051
www.odeonfirenze.com
September 11–17
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
A million miles from Cassius’s caution in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, these young underling lovers from a cancer support group come to the screen via John Green’s popular novel. Perhaps fortunately, the teenagers are played by relative unknowns, which lends some credibility to an unashamed tearjerker. Tragic and inspirational for some, manipulative and sentimental to others. ‘The film works on only one level, but so completely on that level that the rest doesn’t seem to matter’ (The Guardian). ‘A wise, warm, funny and touching romantic drama’ (Washington Post). ‘Though it is a tragic love story, it is also a perfect and irresistible fantasy’ (New York Times).
September 18–21
THE GIVER
‘In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy Jonas is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the “real” world.’ As the Receiver of Memory, he is illuminated about the darkness beneath. Young-adult fare along the lines of Snowpiercer but less engaging. ‘Despite a truly pained performance from Jeff Bridges and a beautifully imagined, three-dimensional futuristic world, The Giver, in wanting to connect itself to more recent YA franchises, sacrifices subtlety, inference and power’ (RogerEbert.com). ‘What’s so unfunny about peace, love and understanding? Plenty, it turns out. But for much of the movie, viewers will be asking themselves where the conflict is. And, by extension, the drama’ (Wall Street Journal). ‘In the end, it taketh—your time, patience and faith in newly imagined dystopias—more than it giveth’ (New York Times).
Dates may be subject to change. For up-to-date details and show times, see the websites stated below.
September 22–24
THE RAILWAY MAN
The dramatic story of British officer Eric Lomax, prisoner of the Japanese in Thailand/Burma in World War II, and his struggle to come to terms years after the event with his still-living torturer. ‘The Railway Man is an impressively crafted, skillfully acted, highly absorbing journey into a dark corner of world history’ (Los Angeles Times). ‘Colin Firth smoulders as the PTSD-riddled veteran (played in flashbacks by War Horse‘s Jeremy Irvine), and Nicole Kidman cries dutifully as his wife—but they’re both derailed by the movie’s tidy emotional resolutions’ (Entertainment Weekly). ‘The Railway Man is well-acted and handsomely produced, but its honorable intentions are not matched with sustained emotional impact or psychological suspense’ (Hollywood Reporter).
September 25–30, October 1–8 (not October 6)
LUCY
‘The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%.’ Lucy, accidentally caught in a dark drug deal, avenges her captors by transforming herself into a merciless warrior using more of her brain power than is customary for humans. Luc Besson’s cool sci-fi action thriller works its captivating premise to the full. ‘It’s gleefully bold, visually adventurous, often funny, strikingly concise—the whole heart-pounding tale is over in 90 minutes—and 100% entertaining’ (Wall Street Journal). ‘Scarlett Johansson is ideally cast as a rapidly evolving kick-ass hero in Lucy, a stylish action thriller that is equal parts dazzling and ludicrous’ (USA Today). ‘Lucy plays more like a big dumb superhero flick than sci-fi’ (Hollywood Reporter).
September 29, 9pm
DURAN DURAN UNSTAGED
Featuring the band’s live concert at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, part of their All You Need Is Now World Tour, heterodox director David Lynch has layered pre-fabricated footage over the live footage of the band in concert to produce a visually fascinating montage of sound and image that will please diehard fans as well as the unconverted. ‘David is a visionary artist, his work is always surprising and beautifully strange—so it was a surreal dream collaboration for us to work with him and to become the subjects of one of his films. When we first discussed the notion of working together, we bonded over a shared desire to create a truly unique live film. I felt confident we could rely upon David to conjure up something stylish, experimental, handmade and innovative. He surpassed all of our wildest expectations’ (Nick Rhodes). ‘We are all very proud to have worked in partnership with the legendary David Lynch on this project. It was a tremendously rewarding and exhilarating experience’ (Simon Le Bon).
