This week’s Spotlight episode dishes out dread and delight in equal measure with two hugely popular franchise movies. We also bring you a somewhat muted, but ever-prestigious, Venice Film Festival.
Horror fans are in for a terrifying treat as The Nun II hits cinema screens. A sequel to The Nun and the ninth instalment in The Conjuring universe franchise, the gothic horror follows sister Irene as she once again faces her nemesis, the demon nun Valak, at a French boarding school in 1956. Directed by Michael Chaves and starring Bonnie Aarons (Valak), Taissa Farmiga (Vera Farmiga’s sister) and Kately Rose Downey, The Nun II is also available on IMAX, D-BOX and 4DX.
For some light relief, catch My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, also out on the big screen. The beloved Portokalos family reunite in Greece to fulfil a promise to the patriarch of the family and reconnect with their roots. Nia Vardalos returns as director and lead character, alongside boisterous Lainie Kazan, John Corbett, Andrea Martin and Joey Fatone for the third act of this delightful romcom franchise.
The 80th Venice Film Festival is on, but the turnout from Tinseltown talent has been subdued under the cloud of the Hollywood writers’ strike. The opportunity for smaller films to get their turn in the spotlight is a welcome consequence however, and titles such as Comandante and Society of the Snow have taken centre stage.
Despite an empty red carpet, the film festival kicked off with a bang with Michael Mann’s new film Ferrari. Starring Adam Driver as race-car icon Enzo Ferrari, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey, it received a seven-and-a-half minute standing ovation. Another highlight was Hong Kong film star Tony Leung Chiu-wai receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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