Screening Friday 6th December 2024

Not too keen on sugar-coated Disney animations? Or maybe you find the myriad of Japanese animation films a little too infantile?

Don’t worry, with our December film, Belleville Rendez-vous, you’ll get none of that. Instead, you’ll be treated to a highly original, maybe slightly quirky, animation film, which basically reinvented the genre at the time.

Frenchman Sylvain Chomet must have felt the same, for his first feature movie, released in 2003, was not only unlike any other animated film out at the time. He even included a few digs at the more commercial side of the animations industry. Watch out for Mickey Mouse appearing in a slightly compromised place (a toilet!) and a wallet commenting on other Disney characters.

But you don’t have to watch it for those reasons. Just come and watch because it is visually entertaining, fun, fast-paced and you’ll love Bruno the dog!

It’s also worth noting that it won Oscars for the Best Animated Feature and Best Music in 2004.

Oh and don’t forget: Christmas nibbles and cheer from 6.30pm onwards! Plus a free DVD give-away bonanza!

Not a dry eye in the house.

That’s what we’re promising you if you join us on the 15^th of November to watch “One Life”, the 2023 film by James Hawes. Yet, there’s not an ounce of sentimentalism to be witnessed. But then, when you got Anthony Hopkins on the billing, you’re more or less assured of a high-quality film, aren’t you?!

And Hopkins is the embodiment of a long-lasting career, defying the commonly held view that film careers are are only for the young and beautiful. It’s amazing to see how he manages to keep finding roles to play that showcase his talent, yet feel differently with each picture he makes.

An honourable mention needs to go to Johnny Flynn who managed to make all of us swoon when he played Mr. Knightly in the 2020 adaptation of jane Austen’s Emma, only to return now in a much more serious role. Will he prove to be just as versatile as Mr. Hopkins…?

“I am big, It’s the picture that got small,” is a notable quote from the Film.

At the time, Billy Wilder’s 1950 film Sunset Boulevard was the first to show the politics and powerplay of the Holywood studio system in a way never seen before by audiences.

Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond, a famous actress from the silent movie era who’s not been able to hang on to fame after ‘talkies’ came in. In the film, we witness her psychological breakdown while still longing for fame. Her world becomes ever more delusional, resulting in the demise of herself and others around her.

Interestingly, the film could have portrayed Gloria Swanson’s life, though she was one of the very few who did successfully carry on her glittering career in the silent movie era to that of the talking pictures. We come across the real life director Cecil B DeMille, who made Gloria Swanson a star. In the film we see DeMille actually directing his 1950 film Samson and Delilah. Another link to the ‘real world’ is the butler played by Erich von Stroheim who both in the film as in real life had discovered the actress and directed her in various films. But Gloria Swanson always denied that the story of the film reflected her own story. No dead bodies in her swimming pool!

In Hollywood everyone is ultimately replaceable. So come and join us on 25 October to see this film which everyone thought could / should not be made, but which is now still one of the best Hollywood film noirs of its time.

48 members turned up to watch this film. The feedback forms gave it a rating of 6.8 out of 10 compared with an IMDb rating of 7.0. There were 5 members who rated it as “Very Good” with most classifying it as “OK”. A selection of comments received illustrated the range of views.

Thought provoking, complex character, profound feelings.

Different culture, age group but the beauty of cinema. A good first performance!

Different culture, age group but the beauty of cinema. A good first performance!

It held my attention, nice seeing Korea

Quite liked it but very long

it was interesting and compelling but I didn’t like it

Made me cry.

Curates Egg (?)

Had a certain gloomy charm but it felt like 5 hours.

The opening film of the season “A Serious Man” was shown on the 15th September. This Comedy/Drama made in 2009 was viewed by 45 members. It was given an average score of 7.3 out of 10 which compares with the IMDb rating of 7.0

Some of the comments received were:-

“Entertaining and amusing”

“That was two hours of my life which I will not get back!”

Darkly funny, thank you’

‘2 hours of my life I won’t get back’

‘A good choice of film. thanks’

‘Entertaining and amusing’

‘Not what i was expecting from the synopsis but really good, bittersweet’

‘Shocked by ending, still nothing is certain’.