John Lui Film Correspondent recommends

Film Picks: The Iron Giant and more

The Iron Giant PHOTOS: THE PROJECTOR, SHAW ORGANISATION, CLOVER FILMS, ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL

THE IRON GIANT (PG)
86 minutes

Widely ignored upon its release in 1999, this lovingly illustrated story of a boy and his alien friend features the voices of Vin Diesel, Harry Connick Jr and Jennifer Aniston. It is now regarded as one of the finest animated movies and has found a second life in revival cinema.

Directed by Brad Bird - who later helmed Pixar titles The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007) - it is getting a one-time big-screen showing at The Projector.

WHERE: The Projector, Level 5 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road MRT: Nicoll Highway WHEN: Sunday, 3pm ADMISSION: $13 INFO: For bookings, go to theprojector.sg


FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (PG)
111 minutes/ 4 stars

Lady Jenkins, as she liked to be called, was a mid-20th- century New York society matron whose money shielded her from discovering how terrible she was at doing the thing she loved - singing.

Her life story would make for a satire of the vanity of the rich. And in dramatising her, director Stephen Frears (Philomena, 2013; The Queen, 2006) and screenwriter Nicholas Martin do mock her.

But the portrait is largely affectionate. Meryl Streep (photo) offers a stunning performance as Foster. Laughably misguided one moment and heartbreakingly vulnerable the next, Streep plays her as a woman with delicate feelings, cursed with the need to expose her gifts - such as they are - to the world.


BLAIR WITCH (NC16)
89 minutes/ 3.5 stars

This bigger-budget reboot of the 1999 original adds quadcopter drones and GPS to the gear the kids (photo) take into the dark woods in their attempt to discover its secrets.

But, as the horror genre tells us, pride goes before a terrifying fall.

Director Adam Wingard, who has made acclaimed horror short films for most of his career, knows that the thing sensed out of the corner of the eye is the scariest thing of all.

What starts as a slow-burn survival drama turns into a hellscape of claustrophobia and shadows.

It is the best, scariest climax to a horror movie in a long time.


24TH ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL

Religion and desire come into conflict in Vice Versa (PG, 62 minutes). A young rabbinical scholar and a terminally ill woman (photo) meet. As their relationship deepens, they have to choose between keeping their vows and obeying their hearts.

WHERE: The Projector, Level 5 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road MRT: Nicoll Highway WHEN: Till Sunday, various times ADMISSION: $13 INFO: For full schedule and bookings, go to theprojector.sg

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 23, 2016, with the headline Film Picks: The Iron Giant and more. Subscribe