“UNIAN has prepared a traditional selection of movie releases this week – both in Ukrainian cinemas and online.”, — write: www.unian.ua
This week, the premieres of the documentary “Da Vinci” about the legendary Ukrainian military Dmytro Kotsyubail, the animated film “Transformers: The Beginning” about the birth of the eternal confrontation between Optimus Prime and Megatron, the next reboot of the comic about the half-demon superhero “Hellboy: The Humpback” and several other noteworthy novelties.
Moviegoers will also be delighted by retrospective screenings of the comedy drama “What’s in it for me?” 1984, which is considered the first international success of the iconic Pedro Almodovar – winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe, Goya, BAFTA and Cesar awards, one of the most recognizable Spanish directors, known for his unique style of creating controversial comedies and domestic dramas topics
Meanwhile, this year’s Toronto International Film Festival hit His Three Daughters, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne and Carrie Coon, will be available online on Netflix.
Read about all the movie news of the week in the UNIAN review.
- Da Vinci
- Transformers: The Beginning
- Hellboy: Hunchback
- Why do I need this?
- The talented Mr. Dog
- League of millionaires
- The Incredible Adventures of Harold Fry
- Brave Heroes: Storm Force
- His three daughters
Da VinciDa Vinci (Ukraine, 2024, documentary/war)
The film will tell the story of the outstanding Ukrainian warrior and freedom fighter Dmytro Kotsyubail, who, after going through all the dangers of the revolution on the Maidan, as an 18-year-old boy, went to the front to defend the country from the Russians. For nine years in the war, Dmytro became a legendary commander, who in his courage and dedication served as an example for many of his comrades.
“Our film aims not only to tell in detail the life story of the great warrior, but also to explore the evolution of his formation as a patriot and defender. With this film, we will also try to answer the questions that influenced Da Vinci’s formation and how the young man managed to create one of the most effective units at the front,” the authors of the film note.
In the film, his family, friends and brothers shared their memories of Da Vinci, who died in battle in March 2023, namely his mother Oksana Kotsyubailo, sister Maryana Kotsyubailo, the bride and the head of the medical service “ULF” of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion ” Alina Mykhaylova, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2021-2024) Valery Zaluzhny, commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion Serhiy Filimonov and other comrades who fought side by side with Dmytro first during the ATO, and then during full-scale Russian offensive.
The film was directed by Ukrainian director Volodymyr Sydko (“Vienna Coffee”, “Mission 200”).
Transformers: The BeginningTransformers One (USA, 2024, Fantasy/Action/Animation)
The new part of the cult story will tell about the origin of Cybertron – the homeland of the Autobots and Decepticons, and will also show the true origin of the eternal confrontation between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
In the original version, the main characters were voiced by such Hollywood stars as Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”, “Furiosa”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Eternal”, “High Speed Train”), Scarlett Johansson (“The Avengers”, “Translation Difficulty”), Laurence Fishburne (Matrix, John Wick franchises) and others.
The director of the cartoon was Josh Cooley (“Toy Story 4”, also the screenwriter of “Thoughts Inside Out”).
The world premiere of the film took place on September 13, 2024 and it received favorable reviews.
The film currently holds a 7.9 out of 10 score on IMDb, while it has a 91% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. At the same time, on Metacritic, film experts rated it 63 out of 100 points, which corresponds to the characteristic of “generally positive reviews”.
Hellboy: HunchbackHellboy: The Crooked Man (USA, UK, Germany, 2024, Horror/Action)
The events of another reboot of the cult comic about the half-demon superhero take place in the 1950s. Agent Hellboy and his partner from the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation and Protection return after the disruption of a mystical ritual that could be the beginning of the invasion of monsters from other dimensions into our world. Although the mission went well, at least by Hellboy’s standards, the heroes end up in a car wreck. Once in an abandoned village, they meet the Hunchback, who terrorizes the locals, collects their souls and subdues them.
This time, the role of Hellboy went to Jack Kesey (“Deadpool 2”, “The Killer”, the TV series “The Strain”). The film also starred Jefferson White (“The Uprising of the States”), Adeline Rudolph (the TV series “Riverdale”), Leah McNamara (the TV series “Vikings”) and others.
The film was directed by Brian Taylor (“Adrenaline”, “Adrenaline 2: High Voltage”, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”).
The world premiere of the film took place in June 2024 and reviews about it are quite modest. Yes, the film currently has a rating of 5.1 out of 10 on IMDb.
Why do I need this?¿Qué he hecho YO para meriter esto!! / What Have I Done to Deserve This? (Spain, 1984, comedy/drama)
The main character of the picture is a woman named Gloria. Her crazy life is filled with eccentric characters and events. One of her minor sons sleeps with grown men, and the other is a drug dealer. The woman constantly finds adventures: a cruel husband-taxi driver, an ungrateful stingy mother-in-law, a neighboring sex worker who pays Gloria to entertain exhibitionist clients. Accidental sex with a stranger, a corpse in the apartment… Why is she doing this?
The film “What do I need it for?” is considered the first international success of Pedro Almodóvar (“Parallel Mothers”, “Pain and Glory”, “The Skin I Live In”, “Torn Arms”) – winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe, Goya, BAFTA and “Cesar”. He is one of the most recognizable Spanish directors, known for his unique style of creating controversial comedies and dramas on everyday topics.
The film starred the stars who became the “faces” of Almodóvar’s cinematography: Carmen Maura (“Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”), Chus Lampreave (“Talk to Her”, “Torn Embraces”), Angel De Andres Lopez (“Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown breakdown”), Veronika Vorkie (“Kika”) and the director himself in a cameo role.
The film currently holds a 7.1 out of 10 rating on IMDb, while it has a 78% approval rating from critics and an 81% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
The talented Mr. DogRunt (Australia, 2024, family)
In the center of the plot are ten-year-old Annie and the Dog, who accidentally meet in the park and immediately take a sincere liking to each other. The dog becomes part of a large family that is on the verge of a financial crisis. He and the girl must make joint efforts and save the family farm. Friends embark on an incredible journey that will take them from a small Australian town to the World Dog Championship in London. During the competition, Annie and Runt must overcome numerous obstacles both on and off the track and prove that with determination and love anything is possible.
One of the main roles in the film was played by the Australian actor Jai Courtney, known for the films “Terminator: Genesis”, “Suicide Squad” and “Divergent”.
Meanwhile, in the Ukrainian dubbing, “voice”, or rather “yowl” was given to the Dog by the famous dog Patron.
League of millionairesBad Genius (Canada, 2024, thriller)
The main character of the film, Lynn, is a genius with extraordinary intellectual abilities and an extremely high IQ. Thanks to this, she is easily accepted to an elite college in Los Angeles, where rich majors study. After all, from here is a direct path to the dream Harvard or any other prestigious university. One problem is that Lynn comes from a poor family, and is educated for free among the children of the rich, for whom everything is bought and sold, except the scores on the final exam. No one wants to hang out with a simple girl, so when the beautiful Grace from a wealthy family introduces Lynn to her boyfriend – another representative of the golden youth – and suggests that they develop a scheme to hack the exam system to make money, the girl agrees, because it opens doors for her to the major league. The first easy earnings make their heads dizzy, and then they decide to raise the stakes and put things on the line. More and more willing people join their project, and the business unexpectedly attracts attention…
One of the roles in the film was played by Marvel star Benedict Wong (the franchises “Doctor Strange”, “The Avengers”, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).
The film was directed by J.S. Lee, who previously worked on the scripts for the popular TV series How to Get Away with Murder, The Morning Show and With Love, Victor.
The film currently has a rating of 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb.
The Incredible Adventures of Harold FryThe Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (UK, 2023, drama)
After learning that his old friend is terminally ill, Harold Fry makes her promise to live until they see each other and sets out to see her across England… on foot. On his way, Harold faces a lot of difficulties, meets a lot of understanding and warmth, and at the same time becomes a national celebrity. After all, Harold’s quiet heroism inspires people to never give up, to be full of hope, generosity and fearlessness. Harold himself, in this journey to himself, realizes that he has received a second chance.
The film currently has a rating of 6.8 out of 10 on IMDb.
Brave Heroes: Storm ForceCosmicrew: Storm Force (China, 2023, Adventure/Family/Animation)
This animated fantasy film tells the story of a team of brave heroes, led by Blue Tiger, who rush to save the world from all the villains – neutralize Dr. Evil, prevent the invasion of dinosaurs and find their father.
His three daughtersHis Three Daughters (USA, 2024, drama)
Three sisters reunite in a cramped New York apartment to spend their last days with their ailing father. This meeting raises a wave of emotions between three very different women who find it very difficult to find a common language.
The main roles in the film were performed by Natasha Lyonne (the series “Orange – the hit of the season”, “Matryoshka”, “Pokerface”), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the series “Love and Death”) and Carrie Coon (“Lost”, “Widows “, the TV series “Fargo”).
The film premiered in September 2024 at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received favorable reviews from critics.
The film currently holds a 7.6 out of 10 rating on IMDb, while on Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 99% approval rating from critics with a “Certified Fresh” rating. At the same time, on Metacritic, film experts rated it 84 out of 100 with the label “Required viewing” (corresponding to the characteristic “universal recognition”), while the general audience gave it a score of 7.4 out of 10 (“generally positive reviews”).
The online film will be available on Netflix from September 20, 2024.
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In addition, you can watch the films that were released in the previous weeks, as well as the most interesting series of September 2024 – this week, the new fantasy series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe “It’s all Agatha” starts on Disney+, and the crime series premieres on Max ” Penguin” with Colin Farrell based on DC Comics. Meanwhile, Netflix will release the true-life crime drama Monsters: The Lyle & Eric Menendez Story. In addition, at the end of the week, the third season of the supernatural psychological thriller “Outside” will be launched on MGM+.
Marina Grigorenko