For up to date local cinema links and day-by-day listings of what’s showing on local screens every week visit the Virtual-Lancaster Cinema Page. Read on for the weekly round-up, and reviews.
Three new films make it to the local screens during this period. There is family animation with A Warrior’s Tail (PG); action and adventure with Bastille Day (15) and drama based on true life in The Man who knew Infinity. In addition, the following movies have made a re-appearance; Capture the Flag and Spotlight.
Adult drama comes this period with the well received 10 Cloverfield Lane, the biopic Eddie the Eagle the excellent military drama Eye in the Sky and the newly released Bastille Day. Horror is represented with The Boy and Friend Request whilst fantasy comes with Midnight Special and The Huntsman: Winter’s Tale.
Superhero confrontation is on offer with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Also the Vue is having a Captain America marathon on the 28th April with First Avenger; Winter Soldier and the forthcoming Civil War.
Comedy during this period is provided by My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and Marguerite.
For family entertainment there is The Jungle Book; Kung Fu Panda 3; Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie and Zootropolis.
There is a single entry in the category of high culture with ROH Live: Lucia Di Lammermoor.
Reviews
Eye in the Sky
Director: Gavin Hood
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman
Colonel Katherine Powell (Mirren) is tasked with capturing a terrorist
who is attending a meeting in Kenya. The meeting room is bugged and a
drone used to provide surveillance. Powell discovers the terrorists are
actually planning suicide bombing attacks and so she seeks authority to
call in a missile attack on the building. However there is a chance
any attack will result in civilian casualties. The movie is a gripping
and well received drama that explores some of the moral issues of drone
warfare.
Friend Request
Director: Simon Verhoeven
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Alycia Debnam-Carey, Liesl Ahlers
Laura (Debnam-Carey) is a popular college student and an avid user of
social media. She received a friend request from an unknown girl Marina
(Ahlers) but finds her new friend is stalking her. Subsequently Marina
commits suicide but her spirit continues to stalk Laura. Despite some
occasional rough lines, this is an effective horror story that delivers
enough twists to keep the plot interesting and provides some real
scares.
The Jungle Book
Director: Jon Favreau
Certificate: PG
Cast includes: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba
Based on Rudyard Kipling’s works, this is a reworking of a the well
known classic using live action and CGI. Mowgli (Sethi) is an orphaned
boy raised by a wolf and thence by Bagheera (Kingsley) a black panther.
Mowgli alienates the Bengal tiger Shere Khan (Elba) and so must make
his way to humankind for safety, meeting the well known characters Baloo
and Kaa on the way. Subsequently he returns to the jungle to face
Shere Khan. The movie is a good example a remake that improves on the
original. An excellent movie that will entertain all ages.
Zootropolis (Zootopia)
Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Certificate: PG
Cast includes: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman
This is a comedy animation set in the city of Zootropolis which is
populated by animals. Judy Hopps (Goodwin) is a rabbit rookie police
officer. She parters with a con-artist fox Nick Wilde (Bateman) to
solve the mystery of a missing husband. An excellently made fun movie
that will appeal to a wide range of ages.