Although Leeds Young Film Festival 2020 has been postponed due to Coronavirus, we want to make sure that you still have the opportunity to watch and discover new films, along with some family favourites.
To help you navigate the world of online streaming we will be suggesting ten films each Friday that you can watch as a family, along with where to find them. Some of the films require either a Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ account but we know most households have at least one of these (and all are offering a free trial before you have to subscribe). We will also ensure that we include some free-to-watch films as well which only requires you to have a TV Licence.
Here are the selections for w/c Friday 12 June.
Roxanne (Sony Movies Classic, Fri 12 Jun, 6:50pm)
Dir. Fred Schepisi, 1987, USA, 107 mins, Cert PG
A modern retelling of the classic French story, Cyrano de Bergerac written by and starring Steve Martin.
Fire chief C.D. Bales is a smart and intelligent man who has a very large nose. When he falls for new neighbour Roxanne he is afraid she won't like him for who he is, so asks a friend to pretend to be him.
A wonderful story that demonstrates that physical beauty is only skin-deep and true beauty is on the inside.
Read more on IMDB here.
Spy Kids (ITV2, Sun 14 Jun, 2:20pm)
Dir. Robert Rodriguez, 2001, USA, 88 mins, Cert U
After his success with the violent El Mariachi trilogy, Robert Rodriguez wanted to make a film that his children could watch and came up with the idea of Spy Kids, which he wrote, directed, edited and produced.
Unbeknown to their kids, apparently boring Gregorio and Ingrid are the world's greatest secret agents. When they go missing it is up to their children to join the family business and save the day.
The film spawned three sequels including the 2011 Spy Kids: All the Time in the World which was presented in Aroma-Scope which allowed audiences to smell odours from the film by way of scratch 'n' sniff cards.
Read more on IMDB here.
Spellbound (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Jeffrey Blitz, 2002, USA, 97 mins, Cert U
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the largest annual spelling bee in the USA and has been going since 1925. This Oscar nominated documentary follows eight of the young contestants as they progress through the regional championships to the final of the 1999 competition, dealing with all the pressures, successes and disappointments along the way.
The winner (we won't spoil the suprise and tell you who it was) correctly spelled the word 'logorrhea' in the final round to win.
Sadly, the 2020 National Spelling Bee competition, originally scheduled for May 24, was suspended and later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time it's been cancelled since 1945.
Read more on IMDB here.
The Blue Umbrella (Netflix)
Dir. Vishal Bhardwaj, 2005, India, 90 mins, Cert PG
Not the Pixar short (which is great and available to watch on Disney+) but the Indian film based on the 1980 novel by Ruskin Bond.
When Japanese tourists gift young Biniya a blue umbrella, she gains immense popularity in her remote, mountainous village. One day, while tending her cows, the precious umbrella goes missing and Nandkishore, the local shopkeeper who tried to buy it from her, falls under suspicion and an investigation gets under way. Will Biniya ever find her beloved umnbrella and discover who the despicable thief is?
A visually stunning film that explores themes of greed, loneliness, longing and loss.
Read more on IMDB here.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Mark Waters, 2008, USA, 96 mins, Cert PG
Based on the series of children's books published between 2003 and 2009, the film is a dark fantasy adventure for all the family to enjoy.
Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.
Actor Freddie HIghmore performs a dual role as the twins Simon and Jared and skillfully portrays two distinctive personas.
Read more on IMDB here.
Rango (Netflix / E4, Sun 14 Jun, 11:50am)
Dir. Gore Verbinski, 2011, USA, 107 mins, Cert PG
Winner of the 2011 Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Rango is the first animated film from the director of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga.
Rango is a sheltered chameleon living as an ordinary family pet, while facing a major identity crisis. When he accidentally winds up in the gritty, lawless, desert town of Dirt, the less-than-courageous lizard is welcomed as the hero the town has been waiting for.
The film is a homage to spaghetti westerns, as well as referencing many other classic films that adults may recogmise, including A Fistful of Dollars, Chinatown, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Cat Ballou, Raising Arizona and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Read more on IMDB here.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Film4, Sat 13 Jun, 6:55pm)
Dir. Jonathan Liebesman, 2014, USA, 101 mins, Cert PG
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as an independent comic book in 1984 and quickly became hugely popular. Named after Italian Renaissance artists, each turtle has his own distinct personailty and martial arts weapon of choice.
When Shredder and his evil Foot Clan wreak havoc in New York, four genetically mutated turtles rise from the sewers to free the city from his control.
The 2014 film is the fifth TMNT movie and the first in the most recent reboot of the series. A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was released in 2016.
Read more on IMDB here.
Big Hero 6 (Disney+)
Dirs. Don Hall & Chris Williams, 2014, USA, 102 mins, Cert PG
Loosely based on the Marvel comic book of the same name, Big Hero 6 was the first Disney movie to feature Marvel Comics characters.
When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to his inflatable robot companion Baymax and his close friends to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called Big Hero 6 to take on the masked villain behind the destruction.
It was the highest grossing animated film of 2014 and won the Oscar, Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Animated Feature film.
Read more on IMDB here.
Sing (ITV2, Sun 14 Jun, 5:50pm)
Dir. Garth Jennings, 2016, Japan / USA, 108 mins, Cert U
From the creators of Despicable Me comes Sing, which taps into the current popularity of reality TV talent shows such as X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.
Buster Moon, a koala entrepreneur, decides to stage a singing competition for the world's animals in order to save his elegant theatre but when the prize money is mistakenly advertised as $100,000 instead of $1,000 he is inundated with contestants.
The film includes over 85 hit songs from 1940s - 2016 including an original song 'Faith' by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande.
Read more on IMDB here.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Disney+)
Dir. Joachim Rønning, 2019, USA / UK / Canada, 119 mins, Cert PG
Angelina Jolie reprises her role as the dark queen of the faeries in this sequel to Disney's smash hit reimaging the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
Maleficent and her god-daughter Aurora find their relationship strained when the young princess wants to wed a human prince. Queen Ingrith harbours a deep hatred for the faerie folk and hatches a despicable plan to create a war between the races that will destoy the magical creatures once and for all.
The film was released to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the original Sleep Beauty animated film.
Read more on IMDB here.
Repeats
Some of the films that we've recommended on terrestrial TV over the last few weeks are repeated again this weekend. Here's another chance to catch them if you missed them first time round.
