PREVIEW: Gambit

Come along to see this amusing new comedy from Michael Hoffman director of One Fine Day and The Last Station.

Gambit is based on the hilarious Michael Caine classic, Colin Firth leads an all-star cast in this conman caper.  A British thief discovers that no plan is infallible when he recruits a beautiful woman to help him steal a priceless statue from a wealthy widower. 

Despite the fact that his pretty accomplice bears an uncanny resemblance to his affluent target's late wife, things quickly spin out of control once the job gets under way. 


The This film is scripted by the famous Coen brothers and bears traces of their ever familiar oddness.  If you have enjoyed past films by the Coen brothers and or Michael Hoffman you will enjoy Gambit which sees the two combined.

Do not miss a chance to see this brilliant cast and direction.

*The Coen brothers have written a fizzy script for this remake of the original 1966 caper Gambit* The Telegraph

Watch the trailer below:

Gambit is screening on Tuesday 5th at 7.45pm, Wednesday 6th at 2pm & 7.45pm, Thursday 7th at 10.45am (Parent and Baby Only), Thursday 7th at 7.45pm.

PREVIEW: Starbuck (15)

Canadian writer Ken Scott has gradually moved towards directing.  His most recent  writer-director piece Starbuck sees him return to the French cinema scene where his quirky characters and unique concept offers comedic twists and turns all the way through.

Predominantly comprised of a French cast it showcases an array of talent both old and young that will undoubtedly over time become known globally.  The cast is led by the charismatic Patrick Huard, originally Canadian but has built himself a strong name amongst many French film and TV shows.  Supported throughout but a large collection of actors and actresses who each bring that special something to the screen.

Starbuck tells the story of David Wozniak, a man who puts little effort into life and gaining just enough to see him by. The only complication is his relationship to his girlfriend a policewoman, after revealing she was pregnant with his baby, David was over the moon, only to be confronted by a man who reveals a past that even David himself had forgot.

Revealed to be the sperm donor under the name of Starbuck, he had fathered 533 children, 142 of whom have launched a law suit demanding to know the true identity of Starbuck.

In denial and curious at the same time, David goes about uncovering the identities of his children, but can he remain hidden from them in the process.

Already due for a Hollywood release its clear the concept is a strong one.
Starbuck is a clever, fun and crazy scenario that I'm sure everyone would hate to be in.

*A nicely told original story, it's a piece of cinema which may make you look twice at your own family*

Darren Bevan

 *a portrait of a man becoming a better one*

John Anderson

Watch the trailer below to see what you think;

Starbuck is showing at Gloucester Guildhall on Friday 1st February at 7.45pm, Saturday 2nd February at 10.45am and 7.45pm and Monday 4th February at 2pm and 7.45pm.

PREVIEW: Amour (12A)

Amour is a 2012 French-language drama written and directed by the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke (Hidden, The White Ribbon).  It is a work of art which stars Jean-Louis Trintignant (Three Colours: Red), Emmanuelle Riva (Three Colours: Blue) and Isabelle Huppe (The Piano Teacher).  

Georges and Anne are retired music teachers in their 80s, living in a handsomely furnished, book-lined Paris apartment. They are happy, affectionate, loving; active and content. One day, Anne suffers the first of a series of strokes which paralyses one arm, making playing the piano impossible, accompanied by progressive dementia. Having promised the terrified Anne that he would never put her in a home or hospital, Georges is placed under the increasing, insupportable strain caring for her at home.

As Anne's life ebbs away, so does her identity: is their love itself beginning to be dismantled? With its quiet tenderness and brave performances, this is as close to perfection as filmmaking gets.

Michael Haneke is an outstanding Austrian filmmaker and screenwriter who is best known for his bleak and disturbing style. His films often document problems and failures in modern society.

This is one of the films to watch at this years award ceremonies, it is already the WINNER of the Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film and has been nominated for five Oscars - Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Original Screenplay and Foreign Language Film.

The film has also been nominated for four BAFTAs - Film Not In The English Language, Director, Original Screenplay and Leading Actress.

*The movie avoids melodrama; instead, it's just extraordinarily intimate, with touches of visual poetry like the pigeon that gets into the apartment and won't leave, an image of our own heedless tenacity.* Boston Globe

*Among so many other things, this is a film about loyalty and being true to your word. ‘Amour’ is a staggering, highly intelligent and astonishingly performed work. It’s a masterpiece.* Time Out

Watch the trailer below:

Amour is screening on Tuesday 29th at 7.45pm, Wednesday at 30th at 2pm & 7.45pm and Thursday 31st at 7.45pm.

PREVIEW:The Master (15)

A favourite amongst film critics for his films displaying a vast array of filmic knowledge and techniques, Anderson was recognised as a constant director between 1996 - 2003 with popular releases such as Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love.
Without a release in 5 years since his widely acclaimed film There Will be Blood, The Master is very much overdue and is a film that's worth every bit of the wait.

The Master sees a small selection of main cast members guiding the film along with Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator and Walk the Line) playing the role of the self-destructing Freddy Quell. Phoenix is joined by the experienced Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski and The Boat That Rocked) who once again displays all the characteristics that have made him famous, playing the role of the mysterious Lancaster Dodd. Amy Adams (Enchanted and The Fighter) joins the two as Hoffman's strangely devious wife Penny.
Along with a host of supporting actors the film has an array of qualities from both young and old to submerse yourself in.

Set just after the Second World War, The Master tells the story of Freddy Quell (Phoenix). Discharged from the US Navy due to psychological problems, Quell is riddled with addiction and violent behaviour, which as a mixture posses doomed outcome.
Based around the idea of 'cults' which director Anderson suggested were in large quantities after the war. Sees Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) a mysterious man of many secrets and faces, a man obsessed with human potential, who questions the past and peoples previous lives.
Whilst drunk, Quell stumbles onto Dodds yacht, seeing the potential in Quell despite his many issues Dodd welcomes him into his cult known as 'the cause'.

Looking for help and Dodd willing to offer it the two and Dodd's wife Penny travel Eastern Europe preaching the idea of 'the cause' However, is Dodd who he says he is and can Quell be helped at all?

The Master is both engaging and gripping, with Anderson employing all the traits critics and fans adore to bring you a modern day thriller.

*The Master is a supremely confident work from a unique film-maker, just so different from the standard Hollywood output: audacious and unmissable*

Peter Bradshaw

*An often brilliant ’50s-throwback character drama that never feels nostalgic, with terrific central performances and a luminous, unforgettable visual beauty*

Damon Wise

Watch the trailer for The Master here and be sure not to miss it:

The Mater is showing at Gloucester Guildhall on 25th at 7.45pm, 26th at 10.45am & 7.45pm, 28th at 2pm & 7.45pm

PREVIEW: Rust and Bone (15)

Rust and Bone is the powerful, all-involving story of romance and tragedy. 

Homeless, penniless Ali arrives in northern France to seek refuge with his sister, Anna. In tow is Sam, the five-year-old son who he barely knows. While Anna and her friends look after Sam, Ali finds work as a nightclub bouncer. It's here that he encounters the beautiful, self-assured Stephanie, who works at the local Marineland, training killer whales. After a terrible tragedy leaves her with both legs amputated, Stephanie gradually finds the courage to go on living trough transcendent moments spent with Ali - a man with precious little pity, but an enormous love of life.

Rust and Bone is the latest film offering from Jacques Audiard who directed A Prophet, his new film features outstanding performances from Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts.  The tale is one which will impact all who watch it, the story is beautiful yet harsh and shows the audience a fierce love story.  

The film was screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and received early positive critical reactions. Audiard was praised 'for the way he takes melodramatic convention and bends it to his own particular sensibility, delivering a powerful tale about the reminders we all carry of the pains that have formed us' and Cotillard's work was found to be 'incredible, nuanced and real' (HitFix). 

The film has been receiving critical acclaim since it hit our screens which is seen in the nominations is has received Nominated for two Golden Globe awards - Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture, Best Foreign Language Film - and two BAFTAs - Film Not In The English Language, Leading Actress.

*a passionate and moving love story which surges out of the screen like a flood tide ... its candour and force are matched by the commitment and intelligence of its two leading players* The Guardian 

*a strong, emotionally replete experience, and also a tour de force of directorial button pushing.* The New York Times

Watch the trailer below:

Don't miss your chance to see Rust and Bone: Friday 18th at 7.45pm, Saturday at 19th at 10.45am & 7.45pm and Monday 21st at 2pm.

PREVIEW:Argo

It's official ladies and gents. With the Golden Globes now behind us, and the BAFTAs and Oscars on the horizon, we are now in the midst of the Award Season and The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall ensures to bring you the very best from 2013's cream of the crop.

This week we get off to a flying and thrilling start with the return of multi-faceted talent Ben Affleck. Whilst he may have made some 'questionable' acting decisions in the past via popular hits such as Armageddon, Pearl Harbour and Daredevil, he has managed to redeem himself by not only co-penning the Academy Award winning screenplay to Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon, but also emerging as a critically acclaimed director via his two previous films Gone Baby Gone and The Town.

His latest venture (for which he recently received the coveted Golden Globe for Best Director and Best Film-Drama) is Argo, a thriller that takes Affleck out of his home town of Boston, USA and this time into Iran to recount the events that occured behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis in the late 1970s-the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA "exfiltration" specialist named Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. 

With a top notch supporting cast including John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Bryan Cranston along with the legendary George Clooney and Grant Heslov on producing duties, Ben Affleck has produced what is quite simply his most accomplished film to date. Not only will it have you gripping your seat with excitement and tension but it will have you quietly chuckling at his often darkly comic tone. Above all, it presents to us the re-creation of an historical event that is not widely known in the public domain, but nevertheless boats a vivid attention to detail and fully fleshed characters to boot.

Its success at the Golden Globes, matched only by other prestigious accolades such as the Critic's Choice (Best Picture, Best Director) and a thoroughly deserved Special Achievement in Filmmaking award from the National Board of Review, could lead it to become the "dark horse" at the upcoming BAFTAs and Oscars for which it has 7 nominations a piece including Best Picture and Best Director. Win or no win though, this film deserves to be seen and where better than at your local arthouse. Here's to the next few weeks of nothing but excellent films!

*Ben Affleck doesn't merely direct Argo, he directs the hell out of it, nailing the quickening pace, the wayward humor, the nerve-frying suspense. There's no doubt he's crafted one of the best movies of the year.*

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

*Three films into his directing career, and Ben Affleck shows no sign of getting less good or slacking off with those serious mainstream movie ambitions.*

Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

*Argo' is close to flawless*

Tom Huddleston, Time Out

Check out the trailer here:

Argo (15) opens on Monday 21st January and closes on Wednesday 23rd January with performances at 7:45pm including a Screen Tea at 2pm on Wednesday 23rd January.

PREVIEW: Rise of the Guardians

One of art departments finest Peter Ramsey, artist of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Independence Day, Fight Club and Shark Tale, tries his hand at directing for the second time to bring us the children's animation Rise of the Guardians.

With experienced writer David Lindsay - Abaire of Robots and Inkheart on board, the partnership picks up pace to produce an animation which is sure to kickstart Ramsey's directing career.

With a line-up full of experience with the likes of Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher and Chris Pine, providing the voices of the characters.

Rise of the Guardians  is an animations that will capture the hearts and imaginations of children and adults alike.

In a world where humans are never in danger and live peacefully, overseen by the powerful guards made from the festive myths of our time. 
Santa Claus (Baldwin) The Tooth Fairy- Tooth (Fisher) and The Easter Bunny (Jackman) form the team, referred to as the GUARDIANS.

This peaceful and happy world is soon under threat from the evil Pike (Law), who plans to take over the world. 
In a good vs evil battle the guardians with the help of young Jack Frost (Pine) they must use all their powers if they are to stop Pike's evil plan to destroy the world as we know it.

Rise of the Guardians is a fine example of the battle between good and evil and brings together everyones favourite festive characters to save the world. 
Its a film the whole family will love.

*Rise of the Guardians has enough originality and interest to keep even the most cynical viewer entertained and  full of Christmas cheer*

Thomas Patrick

*In equal parts heart-warming as it is hilarious, this beautifully animated film is great fun and perfect viewing this holiday season. Rise of the Guardians shouldn't be missed*

Josh Wilding

Have a look at the trailer for Rise of the Guardians below;

Rise of the Guardians is showing at Gloucester Guildhall on Friday 18th January at 10.45am and Saturday 19th January at 3pm.

PREVIEW: Great Expectations (12A)

The timeless work of Charles Dickens is brought to life once again in this all-star cast BBC Films adaptation that is Great Expectations. This time directed by Mike Newell and scripted by novelist David Nicholls, the tale is boldly re-capsulated in a gothic but extremely attractive tone, making it the perfect introductory instalment for young audiences.

We're all aware of the many adaptations of Dickens' thirteenth novel, first published in 1861, whether it be in the theatre, on television or the big screen, and this is simply a reminder that such a classic story can still be celebrated today.

The films' visuals are just beautiful, capturing every inch of the gorgeous desolate Kentish landscapes in parts. It's certainly a spectacle to look at, making it perfect for the big screen. Such wonders within the frame are joined by a fabulous cast. Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) plays the hero, Pip, who as a young blacksmith's apprentice, he is terrifyingly waylaid by escaped convict Magwitch (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient). On his journeys, our hero then encounters the bizarre Miss Havisham, played perfectly by Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club) who I'm sure should always be pictured surrounded by cobwebs, she's born to play this role. The protagonist then of course falls in love. Holliday Grainger (Bel Ami) plays Estella, beautifully. Enigmatic lawyer Jaggers (Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter) is thrown into the mix, handing Pip a testing slice of what could be his destiny.

Great Expectations is a coming-of-age story. Through the character of Pip, Dickens shows how from infancy the individual is oppressed, moulded, and channelled into his adult identity. So if Dickens' work is to be correctly celebrated then it needs to be presented to us accurately with care. The film doesn't disappoint in doing this. Jeremy Irvine really does steal the show here for me so if you thought he was good in War Horse then trust me, watch this.

'A great adaptation by David Nicholls' - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.

'Great Expectations, starring the divine Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger and Jeremy Irvine, is a feast for the eyes' - Daniel Spiers, Entertainmentwise.

Check the trailer out, below:

Screenings: Monday 14^th at 2pm & 7.45pm, Tuesday 15^th at 7.45pm, Wednesday 16^th 2pm & 7.45pm, Thursday 17^th 7.45pm.