PREVIEW: Hyde Park On Hudson

This British biographical comedy-drama film directed by Roger Mitchell, Hyde Park On Hudson follows the love affair between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Daisy Suckley - his distant cousin.

A brilliant cast, featuring Bill Murray and Olivia Coleman, bring this former BBC Radio play to life, chronicling the extramarital affair between President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his distant cousin, Daisy, which comes to light during a royal visit from the King and Queen of England at his home in Hyde Park. As war engulfs Europe and the king seeks the support of the American government, President Roosevelt struggles to balance his domestic affairs with his international obligations as Commander in Chief.  

Hyde Park on Hudson is the second film to be shown at the Guildhall to deal with an American President. After Lincoln and it's portrait of the man who ended slavery, comes the much lighter tale of charismatic FDR. Murray's performance as the legendary President Roosevelt shines through, even gaining him a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

*Though he has competition, especially from the folks playing the visiting royals, Murray is very much the reason to see "Hyde Park."*

Los Angeles Times

*Murray, who has a wider range than we sometimes realize, finds the human core of this FDR and presents it tenderly.*

Roger Ebert

View the trailer here:

Gloucester Guildhall are showing Hyde Park On Hudson Tuesday 2nd April at 7.45pm, Wednesday 3rd April at 2pm and 7.45pm, Thursday 4th April at 10.45am (CineCubs parent & baby screening - no admittance without a baby under 12 months) and 7.45pm

PREVIEW: In Love with Alma Cogan

In Love with Alma Cogan is a 2011 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Tony Britten. It was filmed in North Norfolk.

This gentle romantic comedy tells the story of Norman, the manager of the theatre on the pier at a once grand East Coast holiday resort. Norman has worked at the theatre all his life and despite the efforts of Sandra, his long- serving and suffering assistant, he will not accept that the local council, which owns the theatre may be serious about putting it into the hands of commercial management.

In Love with Alma Cogan has taken five years to be made, it was written in response to a suggestion from our local film agency, Screen East.  Tony Britten explains that ' It had been hinted that if I were to write a romantic comedy with lots of music and set it in what was then an Objective 2 area for EC regeneration (I kid you not), they would look favourably at investing.'

The cast of this film are British favourites and actors that populate on television screens.  The film also includes John Hurt as the Master of Ceremonies.  Local star Roger Lloyd Pack is the central character Norman. There are strong supporting performances from big name supporting actors Niamh Cusack and Keith Barron as his friends and allies.

Come along to Gloucester Guildhall to see them the film that was awarded the Award of Excellence and the Canada International Film Festival in 2012 and had a sell out screening at the London Independent Film Festival.

*Sentimental and stereotyped it may be, but it's hard not to like in its unaffected enthusiasm and good-heartedness.* Sheila Seacroft

*this is a feel-good movie, but it should not be decried for that reason. It is one of those low-budget domestic gems like The Full Monty, which attracts the cream of British acting talent and deserves to do well at the box office.* Offscreen.com

Screening on Saturday 30th March at 7.45pm & Tuesday 2nd April at 2nd at 2pm

PREVIEW: Zero Dark Thirty

The latest war drama from Oscar winner Kathyrn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty follows the decade long hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

The Oscar-winning duo behind The Hurt Locker reteam for this gripping drama detailing the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and the true-life story of the intelligence expert who dedicated a decade of her life to tracking down the world's most wanted terrorist. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the CIA began interrogating suspected Al Qaeda agents across the globe in a bid to locate the elusive bin Laden. Upon arriving at a CIA black site and witnessing the brutal interrogation tactics firsthand, driven operative Maya aids her unpredictable colleague Dan in gathering the intelligence that will help bring their target to justice. Over the course of the next decade, numerous false leads and dead ends make the search seem more futile than ever. Meanwhile, suicide bombings across the Middle East and Europe hint that Al Qaeda won't go down without a fight. Just when it seems as if the trail of clues has finally dried up, an old piece of evidence leads Maya to a suspect who may work directly for the man charged with planning the worst act of terrorism ever committed on American soil...

Zero Dark Thirty received numerous award nominations, including five BAFTAS, 4 Golden Globes and 5 Oscars, winning for Best Sound Editing. Critics praised the film highly, with many suggesting that it was better than Argo. It is even rumored that Mark Boal, writer of both Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker, is planning on writing a prequel based on the 2001 Tora Bora hunt for Bin Laden.

*Gripping throughout, with an impressive central performance, this is like a Dogme 95 redo of a Chuck Norris film — by heroic effort, the good guys find and kill a bad guy. How you feel about that is something Bigelow leaves you to decide.* 

Empire Magazine

*Kathryn Bigelow proves herself once again to be a master of heightened realism and narrative drive in this retelling of the decade-long search for Osama bin Laden.*

LA Times

Watch the trailer here: 

Zero Dark Thirty is showing at Gloucester Guildhall Friday 22nd March at 7.45pm, Saturday 23rd March at 10.45am and 7.45pm and Monday 25th March at 2.00pm

PREVIEW: Lincoln (12A)

Coming to Gloucester Guildhall is the exceptional film which is Lincoln.

A revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Abraham Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

Daniel Day-Lewis provides audiences with an amazing performance in this outstanding film.  The two awards which Lincoln won are the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).  Although these are the only two awards which Lincoln won but in total it was nominated for 12 Oscars, 10 BAFTAS, 7 Golden Globes and 4 Screen Actors Guild.

This is not just a film about American Politics it is a film about a man and his family. The performances given by all the actors and actresses are hypnotizing.  Which extends to Sally Field who plays the complex and fragile Mary Todd Lincoln, this performance earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  The rest of the cast ensemble includes Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook and David Strathain.

This film would not create the same impact on audiences with the memorising score created John Williams.

*Thought has been placed into every line and shot, a fluid marriage of image and word where the camera speaks and the language springs to life* Empire

*It's a must-see for Daniel Day-Lewis' charismatic, subtly shaded performance as Lincoln - and an even richer one by Tommy Lee Jones* The New York Post

Watch the trailer below:

Lincoln is screening on: Monday 25th March at 7.45pm, Tuesday 26th March at 7.45pm, Wednesday 27th March at 2pm & 7.45pm

PREVIEW: False Trail (Jargana 2)

Playing for ONE DAY ONLY at The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall is the long awaited follow-up to one of Sweden's biggest box-office successes. Released in 1996, The Hunters (Jargana) wowed critics and audiences with its gripping and nerve-shredding story about police officer Erik from Stockholm who, after beginning work on a long-running case where reindeer have been poached in his home town of Norrland, discovers that his brother is involved. 
The recipient of two Guldbagge Awards (the Swedish equivalent to an Oscar) including Best Director (Kjell Sundvall) was enough to get the attention of Hollywood and producers offered to remake it in the Nevada desert, where wild horses instead of reindeer were the targets....
Thankfully Sundvall declined and instead went on to produce this equally taut and suspenseful sequel. Even though False Trail (Jargana 2) is unintentionally marketed as a stand-alone film, it goes without saying that it is not only wise but also essential that you seek out the original on DVD/Blu-ray beforehand.

Set 15 years after the first installment, Erik has moved on from his resignation of the Norrland Police Department to become National Murder Commission's best interrogator. When Erik's boss orders him back to his home town to solve a brutal murder, he hesitantly returns as the thought of going back stirs up unpleasant memories. What at first appears to be a simple murder soon proves to be something much more complicated.....

Starring Peter Stormare, one of Sweden's biggest exports with performances in Hollywood fare such as Minority Report, Fargo and Awakenings, this gripping and disturbing film is an absolute must-see!

*Peter Stormare's best performance since Fargo.* Martyn Conterio, Little White Lies

*False Trail is well-paced and strongly acted with the piercing sunlight and beautiful landscapes contrasting nicely with the monstrous acts that unfold in them.* Allan Hunter, The List

*Enjoyable slice of Nordic Noir, enlivened by some atmospheric direction, a strong sense of place, an engaging, suitably dark script and superb performances from Lassgard and Stormare.* Matthew Turner, View London

Watch the trailer below:

False Trail (Jargana 2) (15) is showing on Wednesday 20th March ONLY at 7:45pm

PREVIEW: Les Misérables

Friday 15th March sees the award-winning Les Misérables come to Gloucester Guildhall.

The motion picture adaptation of the beloved global stage sensation. With an Oscar-winning director and an all-star cast featuring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hatherway and Eddie Redmayne, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption in 19th-century France —a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. After serving a long prison sentence for a petty crime, Jean Valjean becomes a noble force for good. But he reckons without Inspector Javert, the policeman who pursues him obsessively for breaking his parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.


Les Misérables is an award winning film; the awards it has won are the Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway), Best Sound Mixing, Best Make-up and Hair Styling and the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress.

First published in 1862, Victor Hugo's Les Misérables has been adapted for radio, television, film, comic book and, of course, the stage. Though these adaptations the story has been romanticised, contemporised and even had a sequel.  Tom Hooper charged himself to create a grand film version worthy of the stage musical.  An interesting aspect of Hooper's direction was that he had the actors sing their songs live on-set which means that the finished film has no lip-syncing or post-production vocal enhancements.

*feast for the eyes and ears, Les Misérables overflows with humor, heartbreak, rousing action and ravishing romance. Damn the imperfections, it's perfectly marvelous* Rolling Stone

*like its characters, ragged around the edges, this nevertheless rings with all the emotion and power of the source and provides a new model for the movie musical* Empire

Watch the trailer below:

Les Misérables is screening on: Friday 15th March at 7.45pm, Saturday 16th March at 10.45am & 7.45pm, Monday 18th March at 2pm & 7.45pm, Wednesday 20th March at 2pm, Thursday 21st March at 10.45am  (CineCubs parent & baby screening - no admittance without a baby under 12 months).

PREVIEW: Silver Linings Playbook (15)

From Oscar nominated director David O. Russell comes his latest Academy Award nominated film Silver Linings Playbook.

Life doesn't always go according to plan. Pat Solatano has lost everything - his house, his job, and his wife – and finds himself living back with his mother and father after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation (and the restraining order). However, when Pat meets Tiffany, an enigmatic and mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

Opening at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, Silver Linings Playbook won the People's Choice Award. Since then, it has received numerous award nominations including at the Academy Awards. At this years Oscars, Silver Linings Playbook was nominated for 8 awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Bradley Cooper received his first Oscar nomination for his Best Actor as Pat while Jennifer Lawrence went on to win Best Actress for her phenomenal role of Tiffany. 

*This is a date movie that caters to the needs of both men and women: American football and comedy, ballroom dancing and romance. Silver Linings Playbook covers all those bases -- and rises above them too* 

The Times

*Jennifer Lawrence is the standout in a tonally uneven, eccentric romantic dramedy that fuses The Fisher King with Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion.* 

Empire Magazine 

Check out the trailer:

Silver Linings Playbook is playing at Gloucester Guildhall on Tuesday 12th March at 7.45pm, Wednesday 13th March at 2pm and 7.45pm, and Thursday 14th March at 7.45pm.

PREVIEW: Django Unchained (18)

Tarantino has done it again with the release of his newest film Django Unchained.
With an array of classic films under his belt such as Pulp Fiction, Reservior Dogs and Kill Bill to name a few Tarantino really needs no introduction.
Django Unchained is inspired by the 1966 film of the same name it provides a great follow-up from Inglorious from 2009.
Having scooped 2 awards last week at the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Best Writing Screenplay for the Screen it hasn't gone unnoticed by fans and critics alike.

As much as the film is striking and sometimes shocking it is also mesmerising and gripping, this is mainly from the outstanding cast that Tarantino has assembled.
He's joined by the regulars Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Despite Jackson's rather 'low-key' role he still puts his mark on the film by his quirky and comically role.
DiCaprio puts in an outstanding performance as a ruthless plantation owner of Candyland and that's not all, these two are joined by Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington to form the core of the acting roles. 

Set in 1858 prior to the Civil War, where exactly? ‘Somewhere in Texas’ is all were given.

The story follows the journey of Django (Jamie Foxx) a black slave, saved by German born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz).

Together the two of them in Schultz's tooth-headed carriage become a bounty hunter double act, using wanted posters to find their targets and by producing the bodies seek their rewards.

We follow the pair as we head through the winter months, squirming their way out of almost certain near death thanks to the endless ‘wanted’ posters.

Schultz soon learns of Django’s wife Broomhilda (Washington) who’s lost amongst the slave trade... their search for her leads them to Candyland under the ownership of the powerful and ruthless Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).

Is money the answer to everything or is this Broomhilda's life something money can't buy?

*Quentin Tarantino makes a dizzy return to form with a horribly funny slavery western – and Samuel L Jackson is extraordinary as the ultimate Uncle Tom*

Peter Bradshaw

*The director is at his brilliant best in a must-see spaghetti western about a freed slave out for revenge*

David Sexton

Django Unchained is a must see not only for Tarantino fans but fans of the cinema need to watch what is one of the best films of this year.

The trailer is below if you need more persuasion;

Django Unchained is showing at Gloucester Guildhall on Friday 8th March at 7.45pm, Saturday 9th March at 10.45am and 7.45pm also screening on Monday 11th March at 7.45