PREVIEW: Sister (15)

This week sees the release of one of the early front runners in the Best Foreign Language Film category at next year's Oscars. Selected as the official Swiss entry for the 85th Academy Awards, Sister (L'Enfant d'en haut) is the latest offering from renowned French-Swiss director Ursula Meier. After receiving the prestigious Cesar award, among many other accolades for her debut feature film Home, Meier provides us once again with a quintessentially European piece that draws upon themes of disillusionment within society and adolescence.

Living with his sister in an industrial valley at base of a ski-resort in Switzerland, Simon is a clever 12 year-old boy. Clever in that he spends his days at the resort stealing skiing gear and other possessions from the wealthy tourists to then re-sell it. His sister is equally reckless and irresponsible, but her dependency on Simon's enterprise gives him a false sense of purpose. Everything changes however when Simon falls for the affections of a woman he meets on the slopes (played by X-Files and Shadowdancer star Gillian Anderson), forcing him to confront his sister with the truth.


With an early-shoe in for next February's Academy Awards in the bag, Sister might very well be the dark horse having already secured the Silver Bear award at this year's Berlin Film Festival. Judging from the end result it's not hard to see why as not only does it boast breathtaking scenery and ravishing cinematography but it also provides, at its core, a portrait of a boy on the brink of puberty with a distinctive need for love and tenderness in a world that can't provide it, for all its inequities.

*Meier explores the cruel physical and atmospheric contrasts between the two worlds, high and low, dwelling on the cloudy skies, grimy slush and the shadow cast by the peaks, which brings semi-darkness to the valley bottom*

Jacques Mandelbaum- The Guardian

*A stunning mediation on secrets, lies and moral obligation, Ursula Meir's compassionate character study of a boy forced to grow up too fast is a movie for the ages*

David Ansen- Newsweek

Check out the trailer here:

Sister (15) opens on Tuesday 20th November until Thursday 22nd November at 7:45pm except on Tuesday when it is a Screen Tea showing at 2pm only.     

PREVIEW: Private Peaceful (12)

Private Peaceful epitomises the devastatingly unfair treatment soldiers were given and the unjust ending many brave soldiers had to face. It is also a story about the friendship between two brothers and the undying bond of trust between soldiers in the trenches.

Private Peaceful, published in 2003, is a best-selling novel written by Michael Morpurgo. It's not the author's only work to be made into a film this year. Morpurgo also wrote War Horse, in which Steven Spielberg helped turn into a major box-office hit in January, this year. It's a rare and remarkable occasion for a British author who sees two films adapted from his work arrive in cinemas in a single year.  

While War Horse is a fable of sorts, telling the story of a beautiful animal to bring humanity to a grim, murderous war zone, Private Peaceful is rooted in a recognisable reality. The film had carefully been adapted for the screen by screenwriter Simon Reade, while Pat O' Connor directs. Both screenwriter and director work well together in sustaining a clear message of the senselessness of war and ineptitude of the commanding officer, which was effectively carried throughout the novel.

Set in the fields of Devon and the WW1 battlefields of Flanders, two brothers, Tommo (George Mackay) and Charlie Peaceful (Jack O' Connell), fall for the same girl, Molly (Alexandra Roach), before signing up for military duty in a war whose horrors they could not have imagined. They come to learn how little importance is attached to individual lives by their generals. In the trenches of flanders they experience at first hand how shell-shock, exhaustion or sheer fatigue can be harshly interpreted by their masters as cowardice.    

Although the film will certainly spark an emotional reaction in every one of its audience, one way or another, I felt that something as simple as the film's structure created a huge impact on its viewing. In the book, each chapter brings the reader closer to the present until the story turns to present. The film stays true to this pattern and produces an anticipation that keeps you gripped throughout. The tagline reads; Divided by love. United by War. Torn apart by injustice. Do not miss this roller-coaster of emotion.

*Another heartfelt Michael Morpurgo tale about the first world war, Private Peaceful is like War Horse on a smaller scale*

Peter Bradshaw - The Guardian 

*The second Michael Morpurgo adaptation of the year, after War Horse, is a more conventional story of love and loss that moves from Devon pastures to the fields of Flanders* Anthony Quinn - The Independent

Enjoy the trailer, below:

Private Peaceful is screening on: Friday 16th at 7.45pm, Saturday 17th 10.45am & 7.45pm and Monday 19th at 2pm & 7.45pm.

PREVIEW: Barbara

Barbara is a departure from distinctive German film-maker Christian Petzold's previous icy thrillers, and is instead an elegant drama based on human and political dilemmas.  Scrupulously even-tempered and set in communist East Germany, it won its director the Silver Bear at Venice, and has since been selected as the German candidate for next year’s foreign-language Oscar.  No doubt the committee hopes to repeat the success of Florian Henckel von Dommersmark’s The Lives of Others, which won the prize in 2007, though this is a slighter work.

The year is 1980, and Barbara, a paediatric surgeon, has applied for an exit visa from the GDR. As punishment for this perceived disloyalty, the authorities banish her from Berlin to a small hospital in the provinces. Still under surveillance, she focuses on work and shuts out her colleagues, biding her time until her lover in the West can spring her out of the country. However their plans start to unravel as she unwittingly forms a bond with a fellow surgeon and several of the patients... A taut mystery-thriller with a love story at heart, deftly combining themes of trust, suspicion and freedom during the Cold War.

This is a film which provides audiences with an impressive layered performance from Nina Hoss, who plays the eponymous East Berlin doctor.   Petzold’s depiction of the East German countryside is all fresh air, warm light and open space: it’s a nice visual counterpoint to the sticky moral climate of mutual suspicion, in which Barbara is tailed by Stasi officers and subjected to humiliating searches. The concrete walls and iron curtains that surround every character are invisible, but they are no less impassable for it.

*The film’s thriller tendencies are buried beneath a more low-key study of love and loyalties as Barbara is pulled between a chance to escape and her concern for her patients* Time Out

*Superb director-actress team offers one of the best German films of the last 10 years* The Art Desk

Watch the trailer below:

Barbara is screening on Tuesday 13th at 2pm, Wednesday 14th at 7.45pm & Thursday 15th at 7.45pm

PREVIEW: Paranorman (PG)

Come along to Gloucester Guildhall to see this beautifully animated and solidly scripted new family film.  Paranorman will entertain children and parents alike with its spooky story!

A small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and - worst of all - grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits... Stop motion animation fun for all the family from the team behind Coraline, with hints of TIm Burton here and there. 

*Ghoulish? Yes. Funny? You bet* Time Out

*Like its hero, this smart, funny and beautifully animated film achieves great things by daring to be different.* Daily Star

Watch the trailer below:

Paranorman is screening on Friday 9th at 10.45am & Saturday 10th at 3pm.

PREVIEW: Killing The Softly (18)

With a star-studded cast, including a who’s who of gangster drama, Killing Them Softly is the latest feather in the cap of Palme d’Or nominated director Andrew Dominik. Recruiting the help of Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins and James Gandolfini, amongst others, the film puts a different spin on the organised crime genre that has previously had a tendency to neglect depth in its search for action. 

An explosive gangster thriller, adapted from the 1974 George V. Higgins novel, Cogan’s Trade, and skilfully updated for the modern day. In recession-hit Louisiana, Johnny Amato comes up with a slick plan to roll a mob-protected card game. To carry out the theft, Johnny turns to Frankie, a jittery young crook who is fresh out of jail and flat broke, and Russell, a gleefully seedy Australian junkie whose latest criminal enterprise involves dog theft. The three conspirators feel assured of success, certain as they are that the mob's suspicions will immediately fall on the game's regular dealer, Markie Trattman. But only a fool believes in a foolproof plan... Although Frankie and Russell manage to pull off the robbery and escape without being recognized, little do they know that seasoned enforcer, Jackie Cogan, has been called upon to investigate the heist and restore the status quo.

Every action has a consequence and, as our three criminals find out, certain consequences have the potential to be much harder hitting than others.

*The film is terribly smart in every respect, with ne'er-a-false note performances and superb craft work from top to bottom.* – The Hollywood Reporter

*This is an unrepentantly cynical take on the hope-and-change promised to the US in 2008; this year's election race makes it look even bleaker, an icily confident black comedy of continued disillusion… ****** – The Guardian

Watch the trailer below:

Killing Them Softly is on: Wednesday 7^th at 7.45pm and Thursday 8^th at 7.45pm

PREVIEW - ANNA KARENINA (12A)

British director Joe Wright brings us his new period drama and the sixth re-make of the film Anna Karenina.

Well known for his period dramas including Atonement and Pride & Prejudice he has recently branched out to great success with films such as The Soloist and Hanna however, his new film Anna Karenina sees him partnered again with stunning British actress Keira Knightly.

The film displays the best of British not only from the director but cast alike with a strikingly talented lead and support cast headed by the absorbing Keira Knightly (Atonement, Pirates of the Caribbean) and majestic Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Alfie, Cold Mountain). There an array of promising young talents with Aaron Taylor- Johnson (Kick-Ass, Nowhere Boy, The Illusionist) the pick of them.

Anna Karenina tells the story of an aristocrat married woman who has an affair and becomes the talk of high society.  Based on the novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy and set in 19th century Russia, artless wife and mother Anna Karenina (Knightly) who's married to the government official Alexei Karenin (Law), comes to Moscow from her St Petersburg home on a mission to save her brother Oblonsky's relationship to Dolly after being caught having an affair. Karenina must persuade Dolly to forgive and forget her brother's wrongs and keep their marriage together.

However, upon Karenina's visit to Moscow she falls for a handsome young army officer Count Vronsky (Taylor-Johnson) the more time they spend in each other's company the romance and betrayal accelerates and soon Karenina and Vronsky are the talk of higher society as both of their lives become more and more under threat.

Anna Karenina is a beautifully shot period drama with an array of wonderful performances from all. Staying true to the novel it's a film for all cinema goers to watch and enjoy.

*Anna Karenina is period drama at its most exciting, intoxicating and modern. Spellbinding*  Ian Freer

*It's a handsome thing, shot in an aching golden light by Seamus McGarvey and silkily edited by Melanie Oliver*  Anthony Quinn

Watch the trailer for Anna Karenina below:

Anna Karenina is showing at Gloucester Guildhall between Friday 2nd November and Tuesday 6th November.

PREVIEW: Fright Night (18)

It's only one week to go before that time of year where we whip out the old fancy dress costume and have the living daylights scared out of us... yep it's Halloween! Here at The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall we couldn't let the opportunity pass without celebrating the scariest of holidays the best way we know how: to find a good-old scary film and screen it for your viewing pleasure (if getting scared witless is your cup of tea, then welcome aboard) in the comfort of your local cinema. It's safe to say that we have selected an absolute gem and a particularly rare one at that...

Now of course there are a multitude of horror movies ranging from horror-comedy to gore fests that would have been perfect candidates, but the trouble is is that films like The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday 13th etc. everyone has seen hundreds of times. Although the same could be said for our selection, it was the best performing horror film of the summer at the US box office in the year of its release, yet it often tends to get sidelined when anyone thinks of a classic horror movie. It's a shame because, regardless of how old it is, it deftly combines thrills and humour unlike any other ghostly cinematic tale that we have come across. Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to Fright Night... THE 1985 18 cert ORIGINAL. 

You are probably familiar with last year's film of the same name that starred Colin Farrell, David Tenant and Anton Yelchin. Entertaining as the remake may be, it's got nothing on the original and this year marks the first major UK screening in almost a decade. The story is of course unchanged: Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a teenage horror film addict who is shocked to discover that his new next door neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. Charley decides to express his concerns to his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse) who thinks he is simply trying to avoid their relationship issues. On top of that, Charley's mother (single of course) thinks Dandridge could be a potential boyfriend while his best friend "Evil" (Stephen Geoffreys) thinks Charley has lost the plot. When Dandridge and his assitant Billy Cole (Jonathan Stark) become aware of Charley's wild notions they plan to silence him for good. Charley, with no one to help him, must turn to the only man he knows that has faced the wrath of the undead and lived: the fearless vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell), a washed-up actor who has just been fired from his job as the host of late-night horror show entitled "Fright Night". Vincent immediately dismisses Charley's rantings but, after he is lured by a cash offer from Amy, he agrees to convince Charley that Dandridge is actually not a vampire. If only they had believed him from the start... Dandridge IS a vampire and he has his sights (and fangs) set on Amy. It's up to Charley and Vincent to drive the wooden stake, the garlic clove, and the silver cross through their potential romance... 

As mentioned before, Fright Night was the best performing horror film in the summer of 1985 and the second highest-grossing horror film of the year, pipped to the post by A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. It was equally well received by critics, who regard it as one of the best vampire movies ever praising both Sarandon and McDowell's multifaceted performances, plus it was the only recipient of the prestigious Dario Argento Award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, France.

To sum up: If you love being scared, it'll be the night of your life!

"The teen horror that's way before its time in the comedy parody stakes....****"
Ian Nathan- Empire

"This horror classic brings together great talent for an entertaining and spooky vampire tale"
Felix Vasquez Jr.- Film Threat

"You'll scream, you'll laugh, you'll want to see it again."
Clint Morris- Moviehole

Check out the trailer here... if you are brave enough.

Fright Night (18) plays on Halloween (Wednesday 31st October) only at 7.45pm. Don't forget if you are a student, you can go FOR FREE. Book today to avoid disappointment.

PREVIEW: Tabu (15)

Our Beloved Month of August writer/director Miguel Gomes returns with the engaging, provocative and poetic Tabu, set both in Portugal and in an un-named African location. Middle-aged Lisbon resident Pilar takes an interest in the final days of her apartment neighbour Aurora, an elderly woman suffering from a gambling addiction. In the wake of her death, Pilar discovers letters in the late woman's home that reveal an epic love affair from her murky past… Shot in black and white, Gomes’ third feature film is separated into two distinctive yet complementary storylines. Whilst the first part, set in the present day, portrays a society wallowing in nostalgia and features an older Aurora regretting a past long gone, the second part goes back in time and plays with history, sound, the concept of linear narration, as well as the ideas of melodrama, slapstick, passion and tragedy while a younger Aurora dreams of a more passionate life.

This is a film which sees a number of references from other films. FW Murnau's 1931 film of the same name is one, and it is suspected that Gomes may even be playfully hinting at Sydney Pollack's Out of Africa.

*it's a gem: gentle, eccentric, possessed of a distinctive sort of innocence – and also charming and funny.* The Guardian

*The critical hit of the 2012 Berlinale, Miguel Gomes’ rich, funny and poignant film is a one-of-a-kind wonder* Edinburgh Film Festival

Watch the trailer below:

Tabu is screening on: Tuesday 30th at 2pm & 7.45pm

PREVIEW: Brave (PG)

This week our family film is the exciting Brave, the new animated film from Pixar and its first film with a female lead!

This film tells the story of Merida who is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land, massive Lord MacGuffin, surly Lord Macintosh and cantankerous Lord Dingwall. Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

Featuring voices from Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Julie Walters, this is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and the signature Pixar humour enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

This is certainly the most magical film we have seen from Pixar for a number of years.  The story and journey will delight everyone, especially when you see the wonderful animated landscapes of Scotland. The setting and themes of the film are ever present especially with the heart-warming Scottish score by Patrick Doyle.

*A wonderful piece of cinematic engineering, story and character in perfect harmony* SFX Magazine

*No less lovely than former films; in many ways lovelier* Empire

Watch the film below:

Brave is screening on: Friday 26th at 10.45am & 3pm and Saturday 3pm.

Don't forget its a family film which means under16s go for just £3!

SNIPPET: FILMography

We discovered this cool blog today called FILMography.  Have a look and see what you think of all the photos.  Click here to view