Christmas is almost here! Let’s celebrate with excellent cinema in the cool, night air of the Luna Outdoor Cinema on Oxford Street, Leederville where there are stars in the sky and on the screen. Take a look at this week’s offering.
NEXT GOAL WINS – (SAT 16 DEC, 8:15PM)
Michael Fassbender stars as Dutch football coach Thomas Rongen, as he attempts the nearly impossible task of leading the American Samoa team to their first ever win in this heartfelt, underdog story from Academy-Award winning director Taika Waititi. (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok)
In 2001, the American Samoa football team set a world record – they lost a World Cup qualifying match 31-0 to Australia, the largest margin in FIFA history. Over 10 years later, things have only seemed to get worse for the team from there. Enter Thomas Rongen (Fassbender) a hotheaded coach whose temper problem is matched only by his drinking problem. Once considered a maverick, Rongen has reached a nadir in his career, having been relieved of his position coaching the American team for one too many outbursts, and fobbed off onto the American Samoan team.
Rongen has to battle culture clashes with the island’s residents and the team’s eccentric players as he tries to train the team ready for the 2014 World Cup. And by “ready,” Rongen hopes to score one single goal this time. An earnest, feel-good comedy, Next Goal Wins is about an outsider who becomes part of a community and learns life is about more than scoring goals on the pitch.
WONKA – (SUN-WED,17-20 DEC 8:15PM)
Willy Wonka – chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time – is proof that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Based on the extraordinary character at the centre of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.
Starring Timothee Chalamet as the legendary chocolatier, with a supporting cast oozing with talent, including Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, and Rowan Atkinson, this origin story follows a young Willy Wonka on one of his earliest adventures and the circumstances under which he met the Oompa-Loompas.
STOP MAKING SENSE – BIG SUIT OUTDOOR CELEBRATION (THU, 21 DEC 8:15PM)
xr:d:DAF03qxa2ko:5,j:1725289461826369146,t:23113007
Get to the Luna Outdoor on Thursday, Dec 21 from 7.00pm to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stop Making Sense. Dance your heads off! Dress up in your best and biggest suit for a night of music, moving n’ shaking and celebration. There’ll be a photo wall and our special “Born Under Punches” boozy fruity punch available from the bar that’s sure to get you Crosseyed and Painless. The film starts at 8.15pm
Renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) captures Talking Heads at their exhilarating best, in this new and complete pristine 4K restoration for the film’s 40th anniversary. Considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time, Stop Making Sense documents the legendary art-rock band Talking Heads at the zenith of their fame and artistic achievement, on tour for their seminal album “Speaking in Tongues.” Shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December of 1983, the band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features eccentric and iconic choreography and visuals.
Newly restored to coincide with its 40th anniversary, the 1984 film was directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme and stars core band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison alongside musicians Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt. It features a setlist of some of the most popular and memorable songs from the Talking Heads’ back catalogue, including Psycho Killer, Burning Down the House, This Must Be the Place, and Once in a Lifetime, among many more.
MUTINY IN HEAVEN: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (FRI, 22 DEC 8:15PM)
The story of The Birthday Party’s ascent, apex and inevitable collapse is a thrilling tale of epic struggle, artistic genius and total dysfunctionality. Direct from a wild sold-out session at the World Premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival Mutiny In Heaven crashes onto the screen at Luna Leederville.
The thrilling, debauched and frequently hilarious adventures of the legendary Melbourne post-punk band, in their own words.
In February 1980, they were Boys Next Door on the brink of stardom. But they changed their name to The Birthday Party and moved to London, then to West Berlin, writing ever scarier, sexier, angrier music and turning their gigs into antagonistic art ordeals. Offstage, things were even more chaotic. Nick Cave, Rowland S. Howard, Mick Harvey, Tracy Pew and Phill Calvert froze and starved in increasingly squalid squats, descending into addiction, psychosis, imprisonment and, worst of all, creative differences. Yet by their final gig in 1983, howling like fallen angels under the chandelier at St Kilda’s Crystal Ballroom, The Birthday Party had achieved rock immortality.
With a soundtrack curated by Harvey, this picaresque documentary is stuffed with rare and unseen photos, artwork, letters and diaries, unreleased tracks and studio footage. But its greatest delight are the band members’ own sardonic recollections of their youthful hopes and dreams. Even guitarist/songwriter Howard – previously immortalised in the documentary Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard – makes an appearance via a series of revealing interviews filmed shortly before his death in December 2009. A thrilling chronicle of the band’s struggles and successes, Mutiny in Heaven is a must-see for post-punk fans.
POOR THINGS (SAT, 23 DEC 8:15PM)
From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter ( Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
For further information and ticket sales use the QR code below or visit https://outdoor.lunapalace.com.au/
