There is always something more horrific about the stories from the Far Eastern theatre of World War II - and this one really does exhibit all too clearly the atrocities carried out on the POWs by their captors. Specifically, this feature concerns US Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini (a very much on-form Jack O'Connell) who is recognised by a soldier (Watanabe) who was previously a competitor athlete, and who is now tasked with guarding him. Vengeful, he now proceeds to make his erstwhile rival's life a living hell. We, as an audience, are spared little of the brutality and cruelty imposed on Zamperini - and on the prisoners in general - and though physically and emotionally exhausted, we find ourselves witnessing an astonishing demonstration of determination and pride in the face of this mounting adversity. Amongst a solid supporting cast - Domnhall Gleeson and Garrett Hedlund are great, but Angelina Jolie really has managed to elicit the best from her two lead men here with Miyavi, as Watanabe, superbly menacing, but in an almost pathetic fashion. It is quite a tough watch but certainly well put together and worth the effort.
The Cambridge Squatter tells the story of refugees, recently arrived in Brazil who, together with a group of low-income workers, occupy an old abandoned building in downtown São Paulo. Daily dramas, comical situations and different views on the world commingle with the threat of impending eviction.
The tangled affairs of George, Prince of Wales, leading to his illegal marriage to commoner Mrs. Fitzherbert. Also portrayed is the conflict between the future George IV and his father George III.
Gloria is set against the backdrop of a rural landscape slowly disappearing in modern Portugal. The small border town of Vila de Santiago, once a booming trade center for illegal trafficking, is about to become a ghost town, as a new motorway is to bypass the city and the railway station is being closed. Its stationmaster, Vincente, is preparing to retire. Many young people have moved out, leaving the children to be brought up by the elderly, including thirteen-year-old Glória and her friend Ivan. Glória's life suddenly changes with the arrival of Vincente's younger brother, Mauro, who has just come out of prison and has some old issues to settle. Mauro begins to charge around the station on his motorbike, while Glória's friendship with Ivan is put to test on account of her attraction to older Mauro.
A look at the life of French designer Yves Saint Laurent from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge.
Newly arrived to a remote desert town, Catherine and Matthew are tormented by a suspicion when their two teenage children mysteriously vanish.
As children, Leni and Lazar were best friends. When Lazar returns from extensive travels abroad for his father's funeral, Leni yearns to reconnect with her childhood soulmate but still feels the sting of their years of estrangement.
Ricardo Monteiro is a successful television producer specialising in reality shows. He is 45 years old and he has just received an award for the most popular television show of the year, when he receives an ultimatum from his 18-year-old daughter Leonor. If he does not come home that same evening to celebrate her birthday he will never see her again. Ricardo is distracted by business or other commitments and he is too late for the last flight home. When he returns next day the apartment is empty and Leonor is gone. At first Ricardo thinks that it is only a game, but there are no phone calls or messages and after a while he gets worried and starts looking for her. He discovers that she has quit school without telling him and that she has lost all contact with her old friends. She has become a complete stranger.
A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb.
Kaori is an intense kendo fighter who has been training since she was young. Sanae is a girl who has only participated in kendo casually, but somehow manages to beat Kaori in the final tournament of junior high school. Although Sanae doesn’t particularly care about it, Kaori holds a grudge, setting up a rivalry that bleeds over into high school.
A modern version of the classic Dickens tale, in which Eddie Scrooge is a mean loan shark who sees the error of his ways.