Glassland - Sunday 1st November 5pm

From Mali last week, we move across continents to Ireland for Sunday's film, Glassland. The film already has a pedigree, it was a winner at the Galway Film Fleadh and Sundance, with a plot set among the socially excluded in contemporary Tallaght. According to the Irish Times, it's not altogether a happy story, however the Guardian describes it as being "like the emotional equivalent of a massage with a sandpaper loofah, the film leaves you feeling raw and tender’

It is in the performance of the 3 lead characters that makes Glassland such a compelling movie. Toni Collette plays Jean, an alcoholic mother – "nailing the accent, she brings shapes and shadows to a challenging role that, for a change, is worthy of her talent" - The Guardian

Jack Reynor, as John, is her long suffering son – "through coiled tension, hooded frustration and, eventually, voluble remonstrating, he gets across a terrible truth about addiction: those around the user suffer the most and with the least justification" and Will Poulter, (as John's mate, Shane) brings a welcome element of comic relief, "bringing a stunned vacancy to the character that proves hilariously endearing".

Beautifully shot, Little White Lies concludes that it is a "proper film, robustly made and beautifully acted"

Tuesday Classics: On The Waterfront - 27th October 5:30pm

We continue our Classic Tuesdays season this week with On the Waterfront. This multi-Oscar winning film propelled Marlon Brando and method acting to to the top of the tree, changing acting forever. The story is about corrupt union leaders, integrity and love, containing some famous scenes and lines from cinema history.  The film stars Rod Steiger, Lee J Cobb, Karl Malden and Eva Marie Saint alongside Marlon Brando. Certainly a classic, hopefully you will agree it is worth seeing again (or for the first time?)  I have never seen it on the big screen and, as with The Third Man, we have a brand new '4K' digital version so the picture will be as clear as a bell.

Timbuktu - Sunday 25th October 5pm

Ann Martin, our very own Festival Director, thought Timbuktu, our film this Sunday, was the best film she had seen in years; now we can see what inspired her. The film is both beautiful and packs a punch, following the life of one family in a small village as the Jihadists take over the running of Mali: in a country internationally famous for its music, the people are told they cannot sing; a people who are already Muslims try to understand why new rules are suddenly being applied.

At the same time, Director Abderrahmane Sissako shows that the Fundamentalists are not just crazed killers are they are sometimes portrayed by our media, giving us scope for thought too. I haven't seen this film, but, from the reviews I begin to understand why Ann liked it so much; I can't wait to see it for myself!

Vaughan

Wild Tales - Sunday 18th October 5pm

Last week we had two films for you in one day; this week we visit South America for six stories in one film – Wild Tales.  "Argentina's nominee for the foreign-film Oscar is a farce about revenge that is feral, ferocious and gut-bustingly funny. You'll laugh till it hurts", says Peter Travers in Rolling Stone.

The six stories are linked by the theme of revenge and people losing their self-control around seemingly small issues like getting a parking ticket. It has had universally good reviews, scoring 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and winning awards around the world. Will it win your vote?

UK Directors Day - Sunday 11th October from 3pm

This week we have not just one film for you but two...and you only have to pay for one! We continue with our 'new UK Directors' weekends, but this time both directors have struck gold and got big stars to act for them, giving us a mini-festival for the day – why not come along... and enjoy two very different films.

We start at 3.00pm with Slow West, starring Michael Fassbender: it was Fassbender who encouraged director John Maclean to make a film after working on a short with him. Slow West is a British made western, which keeps the genre feeling new...and, as Peter Bradshaw says in the Guardian "It's only slow in the way a rattlesnake or a predatory killer is slow. This terrific film is actually tense, twisty and brilliant".

The second film is 45 Years at 5.00pm, which stars Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling. A couple who are about to celebrate 45 years of marriage receive news from the past that threatens to upset not just the celebration but their whole life. This has received great reviews and seems to have given both actors a chance to excel again – "Rampling has never received an Oscar nomination, but she deserves one for this performance. Courtenay, who has two Oscar nods under his belt, rates another one for helping Rampling reach this peak" - and this from an American (!), Lou Lumenick in New York Post.