THAT SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP: UK & US CINEMA

THAT SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

Premieres, Previews & New Releases

Tue 16 Aug 18:15 – Auditorium Wed 17 Aug 15:00 – Auditorium

IT SNOWS IN BENIDORM

Peter (Timothy Spall) has worked all his life at a Manchester bank. He decides to visit his brother in Benidorm, only to discover that he’s disappeared. Having retired, Peter, a man of routines and few joys, decides to go to Benidorm to visit his brother Daniel with whom he has little contact. But when he arrives, Daniel seems to have vanished. Peter discovers that his brother owns a burlesque club. Spall is terrific as the archetypal “little man” but the British-born Sarita Choudhury is even better as vampish dancer Alex, who may even know what has befallen Daniel. The film is as much a haunting portrait of Benidorm itself with its emphasis on the architecture and townscape. It is stunningly visual, with a colour palette, not dissimilar to its producer’s Pedro Almodóvar. SPAIN/UK 2020 ISABEL COIXET 117M

Sun 14 Aug 11:00 – Studio

STUMBLING

This drama in interview format is an extraordinary debut feature by a Belfast actor/director, and comprises of five intercut monologues which describe the build-up to, and execution of, a rape. The ‘interviewees’ are members of a dysfunctional family, whose relationships have been irrevocably altered. So convincing are the performances that we can be forgiven for thinking we are watching a documentary – not least because the film, which was shot over three days on a budget of just £10,000, concludes with disturbing statistics on the reporting and prosecution of the offence in Northern Ireland. UK 2021 JONATHAN HARDEN 70M

JOYRIDE

Tue 16 Aug 16:00 See Olivia Colman Retrospective on Pg42 for full details

MY BONES ARE WOVEN

Tue 16 Aug 13:30 See Made in Sussex on pg70 for full details STAN & OLLIE

Mon 22 Aug 18:45 See Made in Sussex on pg70 for full details

BLACKBIRD

Tue 23 Aug 15:30 See Made in Sussex on pg70 for full details

Booking Ref

Thu 18 Aug 16:00 – Auditorium Sat 20 Aug 13:45 – Auditorium

Booking Ref

Fri 26 Aug 16:00 – Auditorium Sat 27 Aug 18:15 – Auditorium

Preview NOBODY HAS TO KNOW

Romantic drama is set and shot on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, and the wild, beautiful terrain are important characters. When Belgian farmhand Phil (Bouli Lanners) has a stroke, he is left with amnesia. When he returns from hospital, the farmer’s daughter Millie (Michelle Fairley), reacquaints Phil with his surroundings. When Millie reveals to him that they were secretly in a relationship, he has no reason to doubt her. Lanners and Fairley are beautifully cast to play the autumnal lovers, and it is a pleasure to watch these two consummate actors change as their characters emerge from their dour, protective shells and blossom under the influence of romance. A highly original idea that will keep you guessing until the moving climax. In English and French. (Some subtitles) UK/FRANCE/BELGIUM 2022 BOULI LANNERS 99M Our thanks to Parkland Entertainment for this screening.

MR. MALCOLM’S LIST

This romantic period drama is a playful mix of ’Bridgerton’ and ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ based on the bestselling book by Suzanne Allain, and is Emma Holly Jones feature debut. When she fails to meet an item on his list of requirements for a bride, Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) is jilted by London’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Malcolm (Sope Dirisu). Feeling humiliated and determined to exact revenge, she convinces her friend Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto) to play the role of his ideal match. Soon, Mr. Malcolm wonders whether he has found the perfect woman… or the perfect hoax. Author Suzanne Allain also wrote the screenplay for this resplendent period drama full of wit, tricks, and romance. UK 2022 EMMA HOLLY JONES 108M Our thanks to Vertigo for this screening.

THE REVEREND AND MRS SIMPSON

Sun 28 Aug 13:00 + Q&A – Auditorium See Made in Sussex on pg73 for full details ANDREW EATON PRESENTS

Three Films See Pg40 for full details

Fri 12 Aug 18:15 – Auditorium Sat 13 Aug 20:30 – Auditorium

Fri 12 Aug 18:45 – Pic Palace

New Release THE GRAY MAN

This $200 million blockbuster thriller is Netflix’s most expensive production to date. When the CIA’s most skilled operative (Ryan Gosling)-whose true identity is known to none-accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a psychopathic former colleague puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global manhunt by international assassins. Gosling plays “Sierra Six”, a top CIA mercenary who keeps his identity a secret due to the sensitive missions he works on. But when he stumbles upon some dark secrets about the agency that were supposed to remain hidden, the tables soon turn and he becomes the target of one of the government’s other top assassins, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans). In addition to Gosling and Evans, the star-studded cast includes Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Wagner Moura, Jessica Henwick and Alfred Woodard. Maybe you can stream this on your TV set, but here is a rare opportunity to see this thrilling blockbuster on the big screen. USA 2022 NETFLIX ANTHONY RUSSO/JOE RUSSO 128M Our thanks to Altitude/Netflix for this screening.

MANIAC MIKI

MIKI MANIACO

After being laid off from ‘the happiest corporation on earth’, Miki and his friends try to make sense of their lives in this experimental drama. This irreverent critique of the entertainment industry, shot in black and white, is visually arresting – as we have come to expect from Carla Forte, founder of the Bistoury Physical Theatre and Film, whose experimental work features stylised movement. Miki, a mime best known for his stage persona as the most famous mouse of all and now showing signs of dementia, is described by one of his colleagues as ‘part poet, part murderer – all that and a bag of chips’. Overall, a worthwhile challenge. (Subtitles) USA 2021 CARLA FORTE 82M

Booking Ref

Fri 19 Aug 20:45 – Auditorium Sun 21 Aug 18:15 – Auditorium New Release WHERE THE CRAWDADSSING

A mystery thriller that sees a woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep South become a suspect in the murder of a man she was once involved with. Kya Clark, otherwise known as the Marsh Girl by the townspeople of Barkley Cove, is mysterious and wild. Abandoned by her family, ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is a coming-of-age story of a young girl raised in the marshlands of the south in the 50s. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn, Garret Dillahunt, Michael Hyatt and Sterling Macer Jr. USA 2022 OLIVIA NEWMAN 130M Our thanks to Sony for this screening.

NOT A TAME LION

Sun 14 Aug 18:30 Documentary of a Catholic medieval historian. See Documentary section on Pg36 for full details. PETER BOGDANOVICH: REMEMBERED

7 Films plus Talk See Bogdanovich section on Pg60 for full details.