Black Coal, Thin Ice - Sunday 4th October 5pm

After many years of high profile Scandi-Noir films, this Sunday we have what is perhaps the vanguard of a new genre – Chinese Noir.

The review for Black Coal Thin, Ice in Variety starts with quite an accolade: "The spirits of Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain course through Black Coal, Thin Ice, a bleak but powerful, carefully controlled detective thriller in which — as with all the best noirs — there are no real heroes or villains, only various states of compromise. A most curious hybrid of genre movie and art film, drenched in neon and wintry industrial bleakness, this is the third feature by the gifted mainland Chinese director Diao Yinan."

The film has all the key ingredients – a femme fatale and a no-nonsense detective which again struck a chord in Variety: (In the 1940s Hollywood version, Lana Turner or Ida Lupino would have made a good fit, while it’s easy to imagine Bogart or Mitchum in the detective role.)

Similarly, the reviewer from CineVue was impressed: Jingsong Dong's cinematography is sublime. The film looks so beautiful. And neither is it a case of visual grandstanding for the sake of cinema's sake. There is subtlety at play that is quietly impressive. Whether it's a seasonal transition via a road tunnel - from clammy summer to the dead of winter - or faces bathed in coloured electric light as they travel on a Ferris wheel in the dark. Mixing daytime exteriors and pastel tones with night-time garish neon, brings out not only neat pictorial contrasts, but also the rich poetic symbolism that envelopes the characters in their search for a second chance and an escape from the past.

Tuesday Classics: The Third Man - Tuesday 29th 5.30pm

The drama continues on Tuesday night at 5.30 with the first of our new ‘Tuesday Classics’ – The Third Man. Definitely a contender for the best film ever made, we thought it would be a great start to see if you want to see old films as well as new! I’m not sure if I even need to tell you the plot, but we follow Holly Martins around post-war Vienna trying to find out if his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) is really dead. A great film noir - full of fantastic photography, great acting and a theme tune to die for AND it has been restored in a new crisp digital version – what better start could we have? If you are into seeing some great classic films again – and possibly on the big screen for the first time – come along and give yourself a treat.

 

Mommy - Sunday 27th September 5pm

Our next film, Mommy, is the latest from 25 year old Xavier Dolan and, by all accounts, his best yet. Compared to early Pedro Almodovar films, it tells the story of a single mom trying hard to deal with her 15 year old, ADHD son. Her struggles are eased by her neighbour, but the question remains ‘can she hold it all together?’ The film has won a Jury prize at Cannes for Dolan and praise for all the actors so it should be a great dramatic Sunday for the club.

Coming Soon: Our monthly Tuesday Classics start on the September 29th with The Third Man

AGM - Sunday 20th September 4pm

As notified in Talking Pictures at the start of the season, we are holding our AGM at 4.00pm on 20th September in the Alhambra Cinema. The Agenda is as follows:

1. Present
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the 2014 AGM (members should have already received a copy of these minutes)
4. Trustees' Annual Report comprising
5. Chair's Report
6. Treasurer's Report
7. Appointment of Trustees
8. Election of committee and officers
9. AOB

At the AGM, one-third of the Trustees of the Club are required to retire from office.  Vaughan Ames and Tom Rennie are retiring this year but are both willing to continue. As there have not been any other nominations, the existing Trustees will be re-elected.

Members wanting to help on the KFC Committee are invited to say so at or before the AGM. Please consider standing if you wish to help.

The AGM will be followed by White God at 5pm.

Please come to the meeting - we need your ideas and suggestions

White God - Sunday 20th September 5pm

This week’s film is a world  - and a few mammal species - away from last Sunday’s Opener. White God almost defies description – simplistically it could be categorised as an allegory on modern day society and the way in which we treat those different to ourselves.

For all that it is a complex and extremely clever piece of film-making.

According to Josh Larsen (Larsen on Film) "One of the movie's startling characteristics is the way it refuses to anthropomorphize its canine characters. Hagen (the dog at the centre of the story) has personality, but no more than any dog does. His behaviour is never out of character for his species. The same goes for everyone in the animal cast. This lends the movie’s showcase scenes – of up to 250 dogs racing in a pack down the abandoned streets of Budapest – a sense of fearsome wonder.”

The canine actors playing Hagen – two dogs called Body and Luke – put in a performance that is nothing less than extraordinary.

It's going to be a fascinating afternoon's viewing – and potentially a tough one for dog lovers. The reviewer from Arizona Republic seems to sum it up best:

Lassie it ain’t! What it all means is open to interpretation. Read it as a parable or as a horror movie. Read it as the story of love between a girl and her dog. Read it however you want. No matter what your take, you won't be disappointed.

Welcome Back - A Royal Night Out

Welcome back everyone! As the summer comes to an end, our Autumn Season is with us again, and with it the club's 17th Year. We start the season on Sunday 13th September at 4.15 with a fun night out, starting with your chance for a FREE DRINK and a chat, while you sign up for this year’s membership (STILL just £7 to get you £1 off all films you attend during the whole year!) and maybe a season ticket for all 16 Sunday films in this season for just £38.Then the fun continues with the film at 5.00...

A Royal Night Out is possibly lighter than we normally go for, but oh what fun! What must have been one of the happiest nights of the 20th century, when the Germans had surrendered and victory was declared in Europe, was celebrated everywhere in the UK, especially in London with a party to end all parties. Princess Elizabeth convinces the King to let her and her sister Margaret go out and join in but, of course, the two girls 'lose' their escorts and then each other (this is fantasy don't forget!). The night of fun that follows, especially for Princess Margaret, is set to keep us amused too: forget all your troubles, don't worry about reality - lie back and enjoy yourself laughing with (at?) the queen...she won't mind, honest!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!