Sleeper (PG)

Accompanying The Purple Rose Of Cairo in our Woody Allen season this week is another classic gem from the archive, the 1973 madcap sci-fi comedy Sleeper.

Containing many elements that praody notable works of science fiction such as George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and H.G. Wells The Sleeping Man.  The film stars Allen as a jazz musican and health-food store owner Miles Monroe who enters hospital to undergo a routine gall bladder operation. When the operation goes wrong, Miles sister requests that his body be cryogenially frozen without his consent, of course. A mere 200 years later, he is revived by a group of scienetists yet awakens to a "brave new world" in which soceity has been rendered to a level of deadening conformity, ruled with an iron fist by an omni-present leader.


It also emerges that the scientists are in fact a group of revolutionary activists whose mission is to infiltrate a secret plan, implemented by the leader, known as the Aires Project. With Miles having no biometric identity, they try to perusade him to act as their espionage agent.

When the authorities discover the actvists plan however, arresting them in the process, Monroe escapes and leads the dictator's police force off the scent by disguisng himself as an android robot. He is able to put his "services" to use, by finding work as a butler for socialite and greetings card composer, Luna (Diane Keaton- As Good As It Gets). They fall for each other, but Miles is captured by the authorities.  Luna joins the rebellion to rescue him. There's more, but you are going have to see the film to see how it ends....

Whilst it certainly one of Allen's more visual films of his early filmography, relying more on conceptual/slapstick gags than his trademark verbal wit, it is still undeniably one of his funniest films of his carrer with practically every joke and every one-liner hitting the target. If you've seen Stanely Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyseey, then the actor playing the voice of the evil computer in Sleeper will be instatnly recognisable. 


Sleeper also acts as a fitting love letter to two of Woody Allen's comedy inspirations: Benny Hill (for his slapstick comedy, racuous music, and sped-up motion scenes) and Bob Hope (for his one-liner comic delivery).

Don't miss the chance to see the film that was voted the 30th greatest comedy of all time by Total Film Magazine readers.

Check out the trailer below:

Sleeper (PG) runs on Saturday 2nd and Thursday 7th at 7:45pm

**Sleeper is the next film to viewed by the Gloucester Cinematics Film Club.  Come along to the Guildhall cafe/bar for 7:15pm on Thursday 7th June** 

The Purple Rose Of Cairo (PG)

Our season of films from the master of modern America cinema that is Woody Allen, commences this week with The Purple Rose Of Cairo.

Blurring the boundaries between the real and the unreal, this unique comedic fantasy stars Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby) as Cecelia, a woman living in a small town in Depression era America. Trapped in a dead-end job and an abusive marriage, she regularly seeks refuge in the local picture house. After she becomes enraptured by the latest big screen attraction, an RKO screwball comedy called "The Purple Rose Of Cairo" she returns to the cinema day after day, until one visit that's unlike any other. During what seems like a normal visit, the film's main character Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels-Terms Of Endearment) turns towards the audience and says directly to Cecelia "My God, you must love this picture" only then to climb out of the movie itself and into the theatre, much to the amazement of the audience and the other characters on screen. Freed from his mundane black and white surroundings, he and Cecelia take a tour of the town and they eventually fall for each other. There's only small problem....Tom Baxter isn't real. As RKO executives soon discover that other Tom Baxters are trying to leave the screen, with the other "Purple Rose" characters unable to proceed with the film, they decide to enlist the help of Gil Shepherd, the actor who played the hero "Purple Rose" to see if he can repair the damage. But the question is will Tom Baxter, in love with Cecelia, return and finish the film or stay in the real world? 

Originally released in 1985 at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews from the critics, Allen himself regards The Purple Rose Of Cairo as one of only a few that ended up being "fairly close to what I wanted to do" when he set out to write it. Judging from the end result, it's no suprise why this film remains one of his personal favourites. The screenplay is hialriously funny but it also makes way from some truly touching scenes aswell. In short, its the perfect embodiment of the classic Woody Allen formula i.e. a great cast and a great story.

Don't miss your chance to see the film critics called (and would no doubt call today):

"A gem"

Newsweek

"Masterpiece"

TIME Magazine

"The funniest, most polished picture in Cannes"

Observer

Check out the trailer below:

The Purple Rose Of Cairo (PG) runs on Friday 1st June at 7:45pm and Wednesday 6th June at 2:00pm (Screen Tea)

FILM CLUB REVIEW: Headhunters by Simon Barton

Gloucester Cinematics Film Club met on Thursday to watch Headhunters. Here's what film club member Simon Barton thought of the film...

Headhunters is a compelling, darkly comic thriller, based on the novel Hodejegerne by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo. It tells the story of Roger Brown ( Aksel Hennie), a headhunter for high-powered business clients  -  a man whose main preoccupations are maintaining his fearsome reputation and keeping his wife supplied with all the Scandinavian furniture and expensive jewellery she needs. This lifestyle comes with a high price, however, so Roger has a second, lucrative career as an art thief. When he steals a priceless Rubens from ex-mercenary Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) he finds himself becoming the hunted...

As Roger's life spirals into an ever-worsening series of disasters, we find ourselves rooting for this originally unsympathetic character and his desperate attempts to evade the seemingly-unstoppable Clas Greve. The film veers from violent thriller to black comedy as the bodies pile up and the story twists and turns to an unexpected and clever finale. Aksel Hennie is wonderful as the outwardly confident but inwardly vulnerable Roger and there are fine performances by Synnove Macody Lund as Diana and Eivind Sander as Roger's psychotic partner-in-crime, Ove.

The inevitable American remake of Headhunters is probably already underway, but I would recommend seeing this film in its original, quirky Norwegian version, with its almost cartoon-like violence, beautiful landscapes, amoral characters and a demented chase scene involving a tractor and a very unlucky dog...

You can read more from Simon on his blog HERE.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (15)

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is a film about three men, who drive through the Anatolian countryside.  The three men - a police commissioner, a prosecutor and a doctor - light the way along the serpentine roads and rolling hills. The reason for the trip is to search for a corpse, the victim of a brutal murder. The suspect, who claims he was drunk, can’t remember where he buried the body. The night wears on, details about the murder emerge and the investigators’ own secrets come to light. In the Anatolian steppes nothing is what it seems, and when the body is found the real questions begin.

Back in 2011 Once Upon a Time in Anatolia was the Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes.  During its run at film festivals it was also nominated and won various different awards.  One of these was the Best Director award at Dublin International Film Festival.  During this release at film festivals and while on general release the film has been critically acclaimed.

The director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has an interesting list of films which he has directed before Once Upon a Time in Anatolia such as Three Monkeys, Climates and Distant.   The actors within the film are popular and well-known on film and in television shows within Turkey.

Have a look at the trailer below:

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia is screened on:

Saturday 2nd at 10:45 am - Screen Tea

Wednesday 6th at 7:45pm

Albert Nobbs (15)

Our second Oscar nominated film this week is Albert Nobbs which was released in America back in 2011, receiving very positive press, leaving us wondering when it might be released in the United Kingdom.  During its release Albert Nobbs has won and been nominated for various awards.

Albert Nobbs is based on the short story by George Moore and with an Oscar-nominated performance from Glenn Close, centred on the experiences of a 19th century Irish woman who poses as a man in order to work as a butler at an opulent Dublin hotel for the upper class.  Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent.   Maintaining her elaborate ruse over the course of two decades, Albert suddenly finds her dedication to the role challenged by the unexpected arrival of a painter who turns out to understand Albert better than she could have imagined. Meanwhile, Albert finds her attempts to help pretty hotel maid Helen (Mia Wasikowska) thwarted when Helen becomes enamoured with a charming but callous handyman.

The film was nominated for three Oscars: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Glenn Close), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Janet McTeer) and Best Achievement in Makeup.  In respect the awards the film has had another nine wins & 20 nominations.  Some of these wins were at the Irish Film and Television awards for Best International Actress, Best Makeup & Hair (Film/TV Drama) and Best Original Score (Film/TV Drama).    

Glenn Close is a distinguished actress which audiences have seen on our screens since the 1970s.  Not only does she play the lead character, she has been involved in writing of the screenplay.  During her career she has been nominated for six Oscars, and another 29 wins & 45 nominations at different awards, including various film festivals. 

The director has been involved with various films and television shows including Six Feet Under from 2001 - 2005.  Albert Nobbs sees rising star Mia Wasikowska come back to our screen - you would have recently seen her in the 2011 Jane Eyre film adaptation.

Have a look at the trailer (below):

Albert Nobbs is screened at the following times:

Saturday 26^th at 7.45pm , Monday 28^th at 2pm  (Screen Tea), Tuesday 29^th at 2pm  (Screen Tea), Tuesday 29^th at 7.45pm and Thursday 31^st at 7.45pm.

In Darkness (15)

The next two films showing at Gloucester Guildhall are both Oscar nominated.  The first film In Darkness is an adaptation of the book by Robert Marshall.  This film is a dramatisation of the true story of one man’s rescue of Jewish refugees in the Nazi-occupied Polish city of Lvov.  The story focuses on Leopold Soha who risks his own life to save a dozen people from certain death.

It was Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, from acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland and based on a true story. Leopold Socha, a sewer worker and petty thief in Lvov, a Nazi occupied city in Poland, encounters a group of Jews trying to escape the liquidation of the ghetto. He hides them for money in the labyrinth of the town’s sewers beneath the bustling activity of the city above. What starts out as a straightforward and cynical business arrangement turns into something entirely unexpected as the enterprise seeps deeper into Socha’s conscience.

In Darkness was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 2011 Oscars.  Along with this nomination the film has had a presence at various film festivals, during which the film won the audience award at St. Louis International Film Festival and has been nominated for it at Dublin International film festival.

The actor Robert Wieckiewicz, who in the film plays Leopold Socha, is a well-known Polish actor.  The director Agnieszka Holland is again a well-known director.  She is the director of The Killing (English language) and some episodes of The Wire.

Have a look at the trailer (below):

In Darkness is screening on:

Monday 28^th and Wednesday 30^th at 7.45pm

Headhunters (15)

This week sees the arrival of Headhunters onto the screen at Gloucester Guildhall. The film is showing from 22nd May (tonight), 23rd May and 24th May, 7:45pm each night. This film is a cool adaptation of Jo Nesbø's novel Scandinavian thriller.

Roger is a man who apparently has it all; he's Norway’s most successful headhunter, he's married to a beautiful and stylish gallery owner, he has a far too expensive villa. To keep his head above water financially, steal a little too much art.  Roger who is an accomplished headhunter decides to risk everything in order to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.

The film provides audience members with pacy plot twists, bursts of stomach-churning viscerality and the odd dash of humour. These all make for an irresistible combination, and the audience are presented with an intelligent rollercoaster.

The director Morten Tyldum had his first feature film Buddy and this film screened at the London Film Festival.  Askel Hennie appears in Headhunters as Roger, who is an established Norwegian actor and has won a number of awards.

‘Headhunters is firmly rooted in the Scandinavian experience, and it moves with the speed of a demented lemming heading for the cliff-edge of a fjord.’ (Philip French, The Guardian)

‘this satisfyingly suspenseful and handsome film’ (Sandra Hebron, BFI)

Watch the trailer and see for yourself, what a superb night’s entertainment this film will be. 

Don’t forget to join the film club on Thursday 24th at 7:15 in the Guildhall Bar to watch Headhunters and then a chat about films.

Stuck for something to do with the kids in half term?

Following the success of The Muppets, we're putting on THREE family screenings of The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists during the June half term. Mums, dads and grandparents can enjoy a nice cup of tea and piece of cake with a Screen Tea ticket, while kids under 16 can get in for just £3! And have we got a treat for you in July...!

At The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall this week: Making the improbable possible in 'Salmon Fishing In The Yemen'

The Cinema at Glouester Guildhall continues its May programme with the British romantic comedy-drama Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, the new film from director Lasse Hallestrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Dear John) penned by the award-winning Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionarie, 127 Hours) and adapted from the best-selling novel by Paul Torday.

When Britain's leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor- Beginners, Trainspotting, Big Fish) is approached by a consultant (Emily Blunt The Adjustment Bureau, The Devil Wears Prada, The Young Victoria) to help realize a sheikh's (Amr Waked- Syriana, Contagion) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, he immediately thinks the project is both absurd and unachievable. But when the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas- Sarah's Key, I've Loved You So Long, Leaving) latches on to it as a "good will" story, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Premiereing at last year's Toronto Film Festival, this is a little charmer of a film and one that encapsulates the sheer beauty of the Yemense landscape. Brilliant performances from everyone in the principal cast, especailly a reliably sharp and witty Kristin Scott Thomas, combine to make a film that is sweet, funny, slightly bizzare but also a feel-good night at the cinema.

Don't miss the chance to see the film critics are calling:

"A fantastic feel-good charmer" (Sunday Mirror)

"The British comedy of the year" (Woman & Home)

"Lifts your spirits, leaves you feeling good about life and even better about the movies" (Los Angeles Times)

"Pure delight. A smart, original comedy treat. This is one to see!" (Box Office Magazine)

Check out the trailer (above) as well as an interview with director Lasse Hallestrom from last year's TIFF (below):

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (12A) runs from Friday 18th-Monday 21st May on selected dates including Saturday night (19th) where the first 20 tickets are just £2.50 each but once they're gone, they're gone.

**UPDATE** All £2.50 tickets for Saturday night are now SOLD OUT.

 

Try our sample chairs!

We're currently looking into upgrading the chairs in the cinema so if you come to see a film here over the next few of weeks you may notice a couple of sample chairs at the back. Please feel free to test these out and let us know what you think. Hopefully we'll have more samples coming soon, but one of the current samples is a rather plush "proper" cinema seat, so there could well be a bit of a fight over the best seat in the house!