February
Thu 2 Feb 7.45pm
HUGO (2D) (U)
Martin
Scorsese's homage to early cinema and its pioneers, particularly Georges
Méliès, being shown at the Film Theatre in its brighter 2D variant. Set in
Paris in the 1930s, it follows Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), a young orphan,
who is aided by Méliès' god daughter Isabelle (Chloe Moretz), to solve a
mystery left behind by his father - a puzzle that involves a key, a toymaker and
a broken automaton. 'Hugo is a moving, funny and exhilarating film, an
imaginative history lesson in the form of a detective story.' (Philip French,
The Observer)
USA, 2011, 125 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Fri 3 and Sat 4 Feb 7.45pm
THE IDES OF MARCH (15)
George
Clooney returns to the director’s chair and to the murky world of US politics
for a superbly written and suspenseful drama. Amongst a stellar cast, Ryan
Gosling plays Stephen Myers, an idealistic young press secretary, working for a
prominent Ohio governor in the run up to the presidential elections. However
Stephen's dreams of making a positive change are soon tested in the face of
lies, betrayal and revenge, which challenge his integrity and loyalty to his
team.
USA, 2011, 96 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Mon 6 Feb 7.45pm
CHRISTMAS IN JULY (U)
Preston Sturges Season
Jimmy MacDonald finally wins the fortune that will allow him to marry the girl he loves, and immediately goes on a spending spree buying presents for all of his family and friends. Unfortunately the telegram congratulating him is fake, the handiwork of his work colleagues.
USA, 1940, 64 mins, Curtains close at approximately 9.15pm
Free Admission
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Tue 7 and Thu 9 Feb 7.45pm
THE HELP (12A)
Widely
expected to feature prominently in the upcoming awards’ season, The Help is
the surprise box office hit adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best selling novel.
The film stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as three very
different women in 1960s Mississippi, who form an unlikely friendship and place
themselves at risk, as they break social conventions to undertake a secret
writing project.
USA, 2011, 146 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Fri 10 and Sat 11 Feb 7.45pm
MARGIN CALL (15)
Margin
Call is a thriller set in a high-powered brokerage firm, plotting the tense 24
hours immediately preceding the stock market crash of 2008. An award winning
debut for writer-director J.C. Chandor, the film focuses on the people and
personalities behind the catastrophic financial failure. It features a superb,
nuanced performance from Kevin Spacey, complimented by an excellent ensemble
cast including Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, and Demi Moore. 'Margin Call is one
of the strongest American films of the year and easily the best Wall Street
movie ever made.' (David Denby, The New Yorker)
USA, 2011, 105 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Mon 13 Feb 7.45pm
THE LADY EVE (U)
Preston Sturges Season
Jean Harrington and her father, the 'Colonel', conspire to con the rich but unsophisticated Charles Pike, whom they meet as he returns to America following a year spent studying snakes in the Amazon. Complications ensue when she falls in love with her prey, in a romantic comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.
USA, 1941, 89 mins, Curtains close at approximately 9.40pm
Free Admission
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Tue 14 Feb 7.45pm
ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (12A)
Jean-René
is the boss of a small chocolate factory who has much in common with his newly
hired and very gifted chocolate maker Angélique; both are emotional, passionate
people with a love for chocolate and seem ideally suited to each other.
Unfortunately they are also pathologically shy. A frothy, funny and charming
romantic comedy from Jean-Pierre Améris.
France (subtitled), 2011, 80 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian ::
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Thu 16 Feb 7.45pm
WEEKEND (18)
Following
a drunken house party, Russell heads off into the night to go clubbing.
Expectations of a one-night stand form when he picks up Glen just before closing
time; but the expected morning after takes an unanticipated turn, when their
brief encounter offers the possibility of something more. 'With two wonderful
performances from Tim Cullen and Chris New at its centre, Weekend is a
heartfelt, intelligent and, perhaps most importantly, achingly romantic piece of
work.' (Michael Blyth, London Film Festival 2011)
UK, 2011, 97 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Fri 17 and Sat 18 Feb 7.45pm
THE IRON LADY (12A)
No further reservations are being taken for these screenings
An
elderly lady potters round her house, clearing out her late husband's
possessions, reliving their life together and bickering with him as she does so.
The lady in question is of course Margaret Thatcher, played to great acclaim by
Meryl Streep. An ascent to power intermingles with a love story, as she is
transported to flashpoints in her life and political career, prompted and teased
by Jim Broadbent in the role of Denis Thatcher.
UK, 2011, 105 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Mon 20 Feb 7.45pm
THE PALM BEACH STORY (U)
Preston Sturges Season
A devoted wife's imaginative solution to her inventor husband's funding crisis, leads to their becoming involved with any number of outrageous characters and adventures. Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea play the couple at the centre of Preston Sturges' romantic comedy, featuring cameos from his company of regular players.
USA, 1942, 84 mins, Curtains close at approximately 9.35pm
Free Admission
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Tue 21 Feb 7.45pm
A JIHAD FOR LOVE (Cert TBC)
An
insightful documentary on gay and lesbian Muslims struggling to reconcile their
religious faith and their homosexuality in the homophobic Islamic world. A Jihad
for Love is a companion piece to Trembling Before G-d, which is included in the
Stoke Your Fires Film Festival's screenings at the Mitchell Memorial Theatre.
Sandi Dubowski, the producer of both documentaries, will conduct a Q&A at
the Mitchell Theatre.
USA/UK (subtitled), 2011, 81 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Thu 23 Feb 7.45pm
THE LADY (12A)
The
Lady is the story of Burma’s democracy movement and the woman at the heart of
it. Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis lead as Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband,
the academic and writer Michael Aris, who must endure long separations and a
dangerously hostile regime, when she is called upon by her country. The story of
a remarkable woman, set against a background of political turmoil directed by
Luc Besson.
France/UK, 2011, 132 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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Fri 24 and Sat 25 7.45pm
SHAME (18)
The
highly anticipated second feature from artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen,
reuniting him with the lead of his stunning debut Hunger. Michael Fassbender
plays Brandon, a 30-something Manhattan executive with a busy job, and an active
social life revolved around impulsive sexual encounters. However the unexpected
arrival of Sissy (Carey Mulligan) confronts his carefully managed, but addictive
lifestyle head-on. Shame is a frank and compelling examination of the nature of
need, the experiences that shape us, and the extremes of human behaviour.
UK, 2011, 101 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
Further information regarding scenes used by the BBFC to determine the film's certification, may be found at the extended classification link on the web page found here - please note that this page contains spoilers.
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Mon 27 Feb 7.45pm
THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (U)
Preston Sturges Season
Trudy Kockenlocker is a small-town girl with a soft spot for soldiers, who wakes up to find herself married to someone she can't remember following a drunken farewell for the troops. Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton star in a farce alongside Preston Sturges' regulars, including Brian Donlevy who reprises his role from The Great McGinty.
USA, 1944, 98 mins, Curtains close at approximately 9.50pm
Free Admission
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Tue 28 Feb and Thu 1 Mar 7.45pm
CORIOLANUS (15)
Ralph
Fiennes' directorial debut updates Shakespeare's play, set in 'a place called
Rome', by transposing it to contemporary Serbia. Fiennes himself plays the
eponymous warlord pushed and manipulated by his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) to
seek political office. Unwilling to endear himself to the masses and cast out of
the city, he joins forces with his former enemy Aufidius in search of revenge. A
bloodthirsty and intense adaptation full of clarity and intelligence.
UK, 2011, 122 mins
Reviews: :: The Observer :: The Guardian :: The Independent ::
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