NEW ON RAKUTEN TV IN SEPTEMBER: Ava, Waiting For The Barbarians, Blackbird and Tesla
here are plenty of thrills, action and comedy for audiences this September on Rakuten TV. Skipping cinemas and jumping straight to digital are fantastic new releases Waiting For The Barbarians, Money Plane, Blackbird, Tesla and Stakeout. Also joining the platform are the heartwarming and visually stunning titles Love Sarah and Weathering With You.
A warm-hearted comedy-drama starring Celia Imrie, Shelley Conn and Shannon Tarbet, Love Sarah is the sweet treat viewers are looking for this September. When pastry chef Sarah dies in a tragic road accident on her way to pick up the keys to the bakery she’d always dreamed of opening, the three most important women in her life – her wonderfully prickly mother (Imrie), kind-hearted best friend (Conn) and tearaway daughter (Tarbet) – decide to pursue her dream in loving memory of her. However, the road to success isn’t easy, and the unlikely team have a struggle ahead to make the bakery a hit. A love letter to London’s stunning Notting Hill and a beautiful story of female relationships, this title is well worth the watch.
Hollywood super stars Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson star in the tense, hard-hitting drama Waiting For The Barbarians, which is Colombian director Ciro Guerra’s first English-language feature. A magistrate (Rylance) is presiding over a remote, colonial outpost in the middle of the desert until ruthless state security officers (led by Depp) arrive and throw the camp into disarray. Brutality and chaos ensue as humanity is disregarded by the officers, and the magistrate’s comfortable equanimity is shattered. An adaptation of JM Coetzee’s 1980 novel, the title is a vital portrait of an empire in decline and an important parable of the hatreds and violence of empire.
With a star-studded cast featuring Sam Neill, Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, Lindsay Duncan and Rainn Wilson, Blackbird, is an incredibly touching, graceful and emotional drama. Adapted from the 2014 Danish film Silent Heart, this chamber film tells the story of a turbulent family gathering for a terminally ill Lily (Sarandon) – mother and grandmother – before she carries out planned euthanasia. The film offers viewers a beautifully portrayed look at the unplanned imperfections of life and the struggles of dysfunctional family relationships through grief and humour.
Tesla is the eerie, weird and wonderful biopic that tells the tale of Nikola Tesla, the famously brilliant inventor and futurist who developed the breakthrough theories surrounding current electrical supply. Ethan Hawke excels as the introverted Tesla; the misunderstood, electrical engineering genius, whose real-life rival was Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan). Writer and director Michael Almereyda cleverly switch the narrative between the late 18th century and the present, taking viewers on a constantly surprising, live-wire journey of their own. With its oddball panache and delightfully dead-panned humour weaved into the story, this quirky, and astounding account of Tesla’s life is not to be missed.
Anime fans are in for a treat with the supernaturally epic Weathering With You joining the platform. Japan’s highest grossing film of 2019, this title tells the story of Hodaka, a teenage runaway who falls for Hina, a waitress in a fast-food restaurant who turns out to be a ‘sun girl’ meaning she has the power to stop the rain at will. The pair start a business, bringing sunshine to those who want it on demand. However, they soon discover Hina’s power comes at a cost. With dazzling attentional to detail and gorgeously surreal twists at every turn, this title is one of the most thrillingly beautiful films of the year, and not one to miss!
Kelsey Grammar and WWE superstar Edge, aka Adam Copeland, star in action heist film Money Plane. Jack (Copeland), a professional thief indebted to a notorious crime boss (Grammar), is forced into completing one final gig to clear his what he owes, by carrying out an audacious heist on board a top-secret airborne casino filled with the world’s most dangerous gangsters and criminals. High-octane and action-packed, audiences are guaranteed to be on the edge of their seat as they watch a skilled team of trained professionals attempt to pull off the most epic heist of all time.
Also joining the platform is the tense and gritty detective drama Stakeout, directed by Adam Sigal and starring Graham McTavish and Tom Berenger. This title follows the story of Raymond Brey, a young investigator getting to grips with what it takes to be a P.I on the streets of L.A, and Joe Smith, a veteran investigator who has well and truly seen it all and been left broken from the job. Based on Adam Sigal’s real life experiences of being a P.I, Stakeout follows Raymond and Joe’s student and mentor relationship as they both struggle with the hard-hitting nature of the job.
With plenty of big names coming to the platform, watch these titles and more on Rakuten TV this September.
In addition, Rakuten TV is spoiling audiences with its fantastic promotions running throughout September. Fan of Star Wars need to look no further because all the Star Wars feature-length films are available at a discounted price of £6.99 from 31st August – 13th September. And superhero fans will be thrilled to access all Spider-Man films also at a discounted price of £3.99 from 7th – 14th September. Plus, The Kingsmen Collection will be available from 14th – 27th September, offering viewers a chance to reacquaint themselves with the secret service agency ahead of the release of the latest film in the franchise, The King’s Man. September’s entertainment viewing is well and truly sorted with these fantastic, unmissable deals.