The Death of Stalin – 4PM

The Death of Stalin

Screening: Thursday, July 19, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Co-written and Directed by: Armando Iannucci
Cast: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough, Jeffrey Tambour, Olga Kurylenko
Dark Comedy/Satire, 14A for coarse language, disturbing content, sexual references, 107 minutes, (UK/France/Canada/Belgium/USA)

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“There is one thing that power can’t stand, and that is to be mocked: The social importance of this topical romp should not be underestimated.” – Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail

“From start to finish, director/co-writer Armando Iannucci (creator of HBO’s brilliant Veep) delivers an audacious and insightful and ridiculous and hilarious send-up that reminded me of the classic Monty Python films of the 1970s and 1980s.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

“It never asks us to laugh at cruelty; it does make us laugh at the absurd pettiness and ultimate small-mindedness of the men perpetrating that cruelty. And Iannucci is a superb ringmaster.” – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this audacious comedy is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast. A feature adaptation of Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin’s acclaimed graphic novel.

Awards: 18 Nominations, 11 Wins

Nominated – Best Screenplay, Outstanding British Film of the Year, BAFTA Awards, 2018
Won – Best Comedy, Empire Awards, UK, 2018
Won – Best Supporting Actor, Evening Standard British Film Awards, 2018
Won – Jury Prize – Best Director, Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival, 2018
Won – Best Supporting Actor, Casting, Make up & Hair Design, Production Design, British Independent Film Awards, 2017
Won – Best Original Score for a Comedy Film, International Film Music Critics Award, 2017
Won – FIPRESCI Prize, Armando Iannucci, Torino Film Festival, 2017
Nominated – Platform Prize, Armando Iannucci, Toronto International Film Festival, 2017

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