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.
With Christmas almost upon us, family entertainment dominates the local cinemas. Films of note including Paddington (U), Annie (PG), The Penguins of Madagascar (U), Nativity 3: Dude Where’s my Donkey (U), Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (U) and The Snow Queen: Magic of the Ice Mirror (U). Also available are older favorites like Frozen (PG) and The Boxtrolls (PG).
However we also have a good selection of drama with Exodus: Gods and Kings (12A), Unbroken (15), The Theory of Everything (12A) and The Imitation Game (12A). Also no Christmas would be complete without a helping of horror and science fiction/fantasy. In this category are The Woman In Black: Angel of Death (15), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (12A), Interstellar (12A) and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (12A). Also of note is the screening of the classic and arguably best Science Fiction movie ever 2001 A Space Odyssey (U).
High culture is less well served during this period as we have just one entry, showing for one day only ROH Live: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Encore (12A).
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Reviews
Frozen
Director: Chris Buck
Certificate PG
Cast Includes Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad,Alan Tudyk, Jonathan Groff
This Disney musical animation is loosely based on the fairy
tale ‘The Snow Queen’ who has condemned a kingdom to eternal winter. It
is up to Anna (sister to the snow queen) and a loner Kristoff to
undertake an epic journey to find the Snow Queen and convince her to
lift the icy spell. This is a magical movie destined to become a
classic. It will appeal to families and children of all ages and makes
an movie for Christmas.
Interstellar
Director: Christopher Nolan
Certificate: 12A
Cast Includes: Matthew McConaughey, Casey Affleck, Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine.
The earth is facing environmental disaster. Dust storms are
common and crops are failing. Cooper (McConaughey) a farmer, but
formerly a top pilot, is recruited by Professor Brand (Caine), to fly a
final mission taking a team of specialists through a newly discovered
wormhole to find a planet in a far solar system that could be a new home
for humanity. This is a big budget very grandiose film full of action
and spectacular scenery as the crew search to see if there is a future
for mankind. It is however a little low on humour and at times requires
some suspension of disbelief but in all it is a great movie.
The Imitation Game
Director: Morten Tyldum
Certificate: 12A
Cast Includes: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Kinnear, Keira Knightley
A portrayal of the life of computer genius Alan Turing
(Cumberbatch) who masterminded the cracking of the German Enigma code in
the second world war and continued to develop computer theory at
Manchester University. The film opens in 1951 with a robbery taking
place in Turing’s house. Thence the film explores Turing’s life by
flashbacks to his schooling and his life in Bletchley Park. The acting
in the film is excellent with Cumberbatch giving a particularly good
performance. However the film rather backs away from Turing’s
homosexuality and his subsequent suicide after his persecution by the
British Government.
The Woman in Black: Angel of Death
Director: Tom Harper
Certificate: 15
Cast Includes: Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox, Oaklee Pendergast
This is the sequel to the film ‘The Woman in Black’ which was
based on the novella by Susan Hills. The Second World War is raging and
a group of eight school children are evacuated away from London and the
Blitz to rural England. They are accompanied by their Headmistress
Jean Hogg (McCrory) and teacher Eve Parkin (Fox). The group occupy the
abandoned Eel Marsh House which had been haunted forty years ago. Eve
tries to build trust with Edward (Pendergast), one of the vulnerable
children, who starts to exhibit trance like stages. Subsequently other
children start acting strangely as a dark force is awakened. Eve seeks
the cause of the problem aided by a pilot Harry Burnstow (Irvine). The
film is a very competent horror movie with some romantic interest. It
is well acted and has plenty of frights. However like many sequels, it
does not quite live up to the suspense of the original.