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All films are shown on Friday’s at 7.30pm, unless otherwise stated.
2009/10 Film Programme: 14 Films from September 25th, 2009
Programme: September to December 2009 September 25th SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE UK 2008 15 120 mins A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers. Directed by Danny Boyle. October 9th HONEYDRIPPER USA 2007 PG 124 mins 1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. It's a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner, piano player Tyrone "Pine Top" Purvis (Danny Glover). Deep in debt, Tyrone is desperate to lure the young cotton pickers and local Army base recruits into his juke joint. After laying off his regular talent, Tyrone announces that he has hired the famous electric guitar player, Guitar Sam, for a special one night only gig - pack ‘em in and save the club... 23rd FROST/NIXON USA/UK/France 2008 15 121 mins A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) and former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). Three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent, but in summer 1977, the steely politician agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Directed by Ron Howard. November 6th IS ANYBODY THERE? UK 2008 12A 94 mins Set in 1980s seaside England, this is the story of Edward, an unusual ten year old boy growing up in an old people's home run by his parents. Whilst his mother struggles to keep the family business afloat and his father copes with the onset of mid-life crisis, Edward is busy tape-recording the elderly residents to try and discover what happens when they die. Edward's is a rather lonely existence until he meets Clarence (Michael Caine), the latest recruit to the home, a retired magician with a liberating streak of anarchy. 20th THE READER USA/Germany 2008 15 123 mins Middle aged German barrister Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes) recollects to himself his acquaintance with Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet). Michael first met Hanna in 1958, when he was fifteen, she thirty-six. The two had a turbulent summer long love affair. Michael next encountered Hanna in 1966, when Michael, now a law student, attended the Nazi war crimes trial of six female former S.S. concentration camp guards, one of whom is Hanna. December 11th THE BOAT THAT ROCKED UK/Germany 2009 15 134 mins A pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs. Captivating Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. Written/directed Richard Curtis. 18th CINEMA PARADISO Italy/France 1988 PG 124 mins You may have heard of it, a cheery Italian art film about the friendship between a gruff projectionist and a cute young boy, set in a dusty, WWII Sicilian village. Programme: January to April 2010 January 8th GRAN TORINO USA/Germany/Australia 2008 15 116 mins Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighbourhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbours. A Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino. When his neighbour Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Directed by Clint Eastwood. 22nd THE YOUNG VICTORIA UK/USA 2009 PG 104 mins In 1837 Princess Victoria (Emily Blunt) succeeds her uncle as monarch, but is caught up in a power struggle involving her mother, her mother's mentor, Lord Melbourne and Robert Peel. She is gently wooed by a German cousin, Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. February 5th MAN ON WIRE UK/USA 2008 12A 94 mins A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century." Directed by James Marsh. 19th DUPLICITY USA/Germany 2009 12A 124 mins Julia Roberts working for the CIA and Clive Owen working for MI6 play competing undercover corporate high level top secret business spies who may or may not be conning each other. The spys in this case will not even acknowledge their relationship as a sly parallel to regular relationships. The implication here is that most people do not say or trust themselves in relationships, but as spies they have good reason to be wary. Multi continent travels, many plot twists and counter twists follow. March 5th IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME France/Germany 2008 12A 117 mins Writer/director Philippe Claudel’s mood drama reveals long-held secrets and passions simmering under the radar. It’s a family story sparked by the return of a woman, Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas), to her small town after spending 15 years in prison for an unspeakable crime. She goes to live with her estranged younger sister, Lea. Initially, there is distrust and distance. Slowly, Juliette attempts to find her way back. Her innate loneliness and bitterness begins to thaw as revelations about her past and family dynamic float to the surface, allowing pieces of this intricate puzzle to come together. 19th SURPRISE FILM April 2nd EASY VIRTUE & AGM UK/Canada 2008 PG 96 mins
Set in the
1920’s,
Easy Virtue
is about a young Englishman who falls madly in love
with a flamboyant American woman named Larita, whom he immediately
marries and brings home to meet his stuffy, all-airs English family.
What ensues is a battle of wits that turns to war between the visiting
yank and her new mother-in-law, who is determined to prove to her son
that he has made an egregious mistake.
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