Award Winning Independent Cinema

Regular blog contributor Helen Tope had the chance to watch A Beautiful day in the Neighborhood in our cinema before our temporary closure had to be enforced. Our cinema might be closed, but we're keeping our blog alive with film reviews and cinema related articles! Will you be my neighbour? This was the question put to American children, every day, for 30 years. Television host Fred Rogers created a children’s show completely different to anything that had come before. Airing in 1968, the show took Rogers’ gentle moral guidance as its framework, adding an element of fun with songs, puppets and model ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews Emma, showing in our cinema from Friday 13th to Thursday 19th March. Advance booking recommended. Rich, clever and handsome, Emma Woodhouse is Jane Austen’s most challenging heroine. Indulged by her father, and the social lynchpin of her town, Highbury, Miss Woodhouse is – safe to say – living her best life. In her feature debut, director Autumn de Wilde takes a classic approach to retelling Emma’s story. Enabled by a script from novelist Eleanor Catton, this Emma is the most recognisably true to form since Douglas McGrath’s 1996 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Played by Anya Taylor-Joy, this Emma ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews The Lighthouse, showing in our cinema for one last screening on Wednesday 4th March [only a few tickets left]. A comedy in the deepest shade of black, The Lighthouse is Robert Eggers’ follow-up to cult favourite, The Witch. Borrowing from the Edgar Allan Poe story, director and screenwriter Robert Eggers, along with his brother Max, draw on influences as diverse as classic horror and American Gothic. Set in the 1890’s, the film tells the story of lighthouse keeper Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe), as he is joined by new recruit, Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson). As an experienced New England ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews Parasite, showing in our cinema until Thursday 5th March [SOLD OUT]. Sharp, funny and beautifully observed, Parasite was the surprise winner at this year’s Oscars. Directed by Bong Joon Ho, Parasite – a part-comedy / part-thriller -  has transitioned into the mainstream, and the implications for cinema – for audiences and film-makers alike – are huge. Bong Joon Ho gives us a portrayal of contemporary Korean society that is Dickensian in its intricacy. We meet the Kim family, underemployed and unambitious, living in virtual squalor. Mum, Dad and two siblings jostle for space (and free Wi-Fi) in the ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews Jojo Rabbit, showing in our cinema until Thursday 6th February. A perfect satire on the cost of war, Jojo Rabbit tells the story of World War II from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy. Jojo (played by Roman Griffin Davis) lives with his mother, Rosie (Scarlet Johansson) – his father is still fighting in the war, and Jojo hopes it is a war that Germany will win. Soaking up nationalist ideas like a sponge, Jojo has no doubt that he is on the right side of history. His mother, who forms part of the resistance, tries to ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews The Two Popes, showing in our cinema until Wednesday 15 January. In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation. An act not without precedence, but the first Pope to resign since the fifteenth century, Benedict’s decision created headlines around the world. The film starts as the selection process begins – an archaic mix of ritual and smoke. The Catholic Church is losing congregation numbers, and numbers yield influence. There are whisperings about the church moving forward – a progressive, more welcoming institution.  A new approach – and a new man – is what’s needed. The ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews Singin’ in the Rain, showing on our screen from Saturday 14 to Friday 20 December as part of our Musical Classics Season.   For many the ultimate musical, Singin’ in the Rain looks at the glamour of old-school Hollywood and just what it takes to make a film come to life. Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, the film looks at a fictional leading man, Don Lockwood (played by Kelly). It is 1927, and Lockwood – handsome, sophisticated and urbane – is an established name, starring in films alongside Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). Together ... Continue Reading