FILMS - Jan to Feb 2007
Tuesday 23rd January - Tuesday 20th February 2007
Tuesday 23rd January and Wednesday 24th January
2.30pm & 8pm
THE QUEEN (12A)
UK 2006 99 mins
director : Stephen Frears
starring : Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms
Frears' (DIRTY PRETTY THINGS, MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS) hotly anticipated new feature offers an intimate and revealing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, in turmoil during the days immediately after the death of Princess Diana. When news of the accident breaks the Queen retreats behind the walls of Balmoral Castle with her family, unable to comprehend the public response to the tragedy. For Tony Blair, the newly elected Prime Minister, the people's need for reassurance and support from their leaders is palpable. As the unprecedented outpouring of emotion grows ever stronger, Blair must find a way to reconnect the Queen with the British public. Mirren (CALENDAR GIRLS) is a revelation in a challenging role, skilfully depicting private grief and public duty.
Tickets £4.50
2.30pm & 8pm
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (15)
France/Ireland/UK 2006
127 mins director : Ken Loach
starring : Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham, Pádraic Delaney
Tense and moving, Loach's Palme d'Or winning THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY examines the personal cost of social and political conflict with characteristic insight and intelligence and ranks amongst his most poignant and compassionate works. Ireland, 1920. Workers unite to form volunteer guerrilla armies to fight in Ireland's bid for independence. Driven by a deep sense of duty and a love for his country, Damien and his brother, Teddy, join the violent conflict. When the two countries finally agree to a treaty, civil war erupts and families who fought side by side find themselves pitted against one another, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test. The period detail is superb, as are the lead performances, headed by a never better Murphy. Vital cinema.
Tickets £4.50
2.30pm & 8pm
VOLVER (15)
Director: Pedro Almodovar. Starring Penelope Cruz.
121 mins Spanish with English subtitltes.
A brilliant synthesis of love story, melodrama, ghost story and thriller, VOLVER stands as a towering achievement even amongst Almodóvar's superb canon of work. Calling VOLVER "the deepest return to my roots", Almodóvar goes back to his birthplace, La Mancha, to tell the story of a group of women, all inspired by women from his own childhood. Three generations of women survive fire, insanity and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality. They are Raimunda (Cruz), married with a teenage daughter, Sole (Dueñas), her sister, and the mother of both (Maura), who died in a fire but who appears before Sole. Visually sumptuous, the performances are equally strong; Cruz delivers arguably her strongest showing yet.
Tickets £4.50
2.30pm & 8pm
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (U)
USA 2006 97 mins
director : Davis Guggenheim starring : Al Gore
Former Vice President Al Gore shares his concerns on the pressing issue of global warming in this riveting and timely documentary. A long-time environmental activist, Gore first became aware of evidence on global warming in the 1970s, and since leaving public office he has become a passionate advocate for large- and small-scale changes in laws and lifestyles that could help alleviate this crisis. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH records a multi-media presentation hosted by Gore in which he discusses the scientific facts behind global warming, explains how it has already begun to affect our environment, talks about the disastrous consequences if the world's governments and citizens do not act and shares what each individual can do to help protect the Earth for this and future generations.
Tickets £4.50
2.30pm & 7pm
FAMILY FILM - CASINO ROYALE (12A)
US/UK/Czech Republic 2006 144 mins
Director: Martin Campbell Starring: Judi Dench, Eva Green, Dame Judi Dench, Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright, Mads Mikklesen
Daniel Craig steps into the part of the world's most famous spy with great assurance, bringing a deeper complexity to the role. James Bond is sent to Madagascar to spy on the terrorist Mollaka. There he encounters Le Chiffre (Mikklesen), banker to the world's most powerful terrorists. 'M' (Dench) is sceptical of Bond's 'methods' and despatches Vesper Lynd (Green) to monitor his actions. CASINO ROYALE introduces a darker, more physical incarnation of Bond while retaining all the jaw-dropping action set-pieces, exotic location work, impressive production values and tongue-in-cheek humour that has made the Bond franchise so enduringly popular.
Tickets £3.00 (under 16's £2.00)
Tuesday 20th February
2.30pm & 8pm
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (PG)
USA 2006 106 mins
director : David Frankel
starring : Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci
Lauren Weisberger's bestselling novel about a young woman who stumbles into the hectic world of high-fashion publishing sashays onto the big screen in this compelling and acidic drama from Sex and the City director Frankel. Aspiring writer Andrea Sachs (Hathaway, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) lands a job at Runway, America's most prestigious fashion journal. As Second Assistant to Editor Miranda Priestly, Andy quickly learns that the powerful Miranda is a diva who makes endless demands and refuses to acknowledge the end of a work day. Featuring a tour de force performance from screen legend Streep (allegedly based on the fiery Anna Wintour), THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is refreshingly cynical fare and perfect viewing for anyone who's had to endure an impossible boss
Tickets £4.50