Top 5: Must see films at Cultureplex’s ‘mini-cini’ boutique cinema

Kicking off the Queer Film Club’s monthly residency, Mommie Dearest is a docudrama depicting actress Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) as an abusive parent using her adopted children to further her fame and career. Dunaway’s camp performance garnered the film a cult following as an unintentional comedy, and won in multiple categories at the Golden Raspberry Awards (an Oscars alternative celebrating the worst the film industry has to offer).

This Marilyn Monroe classic is far-fetched in premise, but is a guaranteed laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. Featuring Monroe as a member of an all-female band, the film follows the exploits of two men (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) who disguise themselves as women and join the band after accidentally witnessing a crime and incurring the wrath of a gang of mafia gangsters. The film features three stellar lead performances from Monroe, Curtis and Lemmon, and Billy Wilder directs the absurd antics as only he can.

Before 2018’s sci-fi horror High Life, Claire Denis directed this romantic drama starring Juliette Binoche, an adaptation of Roland Barthes’ 1977 text A Lovers Discourse: Fragments. It follows Isabelle (Binoche) in her efforts to find love, constantly disappointed by the men she encounters, and won the SACD award at Cannes. This film is perfect both for fans of French cinema and for those with little experience with it – the empathetic performance from Binoche makes this a delight to watch.

A comedy horror classic, Young Frankenstein parodies classic horror and features a reliably funny performance from Gene Wilder in the titular role. Unusually for the 1970s, the film was shot entirely in black and white, and follows the unfortunate exploits of a descendant of the original Dr Victor Frankenstein. It’s considered one of the greatest comedy films of all time, so don’t miss this chance to see it in the cinema!

Part of the Mini Cini’s music doc season, this documentary following the life and death of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse received critical acclaim upon its release, lauded as an objective but heartfelt depiction of Winehouse’s life. Extensive unseen footage of Winehouse, and interviews with friends and family combine to create a compelling narrative – fans of the singer who haven’t seen this already should definitely make sure to check this one out at Cultureplex.