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.
In this period we see the arrival of just one new release, but two
movies have been lost. The new movie is the science fiction drama Arrival (12A) in which alien spacecraft arrive on the earth. The films that have been lost are Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Secret Life of Pets.
The following movies seem to be approaching the end of their screening: Don’t Breathe; Inferno; Pete’s Dragon and The BFG. However by way of compensation we see the return of the family adventure Finding Dory and the fact based drama Queen of Katwe.
For drama this period we have the fact based Deepwater Horizon; life on benefits with I, Daniel Blake and girl escapes poverty in Queen of Katwe.. There is action in Inferno; Jack Reacher: Never Go Back; The Accountant and The Girl on the Train. Crime comedy is represented with War on Everyone and romance comes with The Light Between Oceans. In addition, there is the feel good tale of A Street Cat Named Bob.
Science fiction is represented by the new release Arrival whereas horror this period comes with Don’t Breathe; Ouija: Origin of Evil and the supernatural exploits of Marvel hero . Vintage horror comes with a double bill of The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man.
Family entertainment is again well represented with Finding Dory; Pete’s Dragon; Storks; The BFG and Trolls.
Finally, high culture this period is represented by The Royal Opera: Les Contes d’Hoffmann screened at both the Reel and the Vue. In addition there is the live broadcast of Alan Bennett’s Diaries, but unfortunately the latter is sold out.
Reviews
A Street Cat Named Bob
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Luke Treadaway, Joanne Froggatt
Based on the best selling book of the same name, the movie tells the
story of James Bowen (Treadaway) who is homeless and a recovering drug
addict. He is relocated to a bedsit in North London and given a final
chance to tun his life around by his support worker Val (Froggatt).
Bowen struggles to live by busking in Covent Garden. One day a ginger
cat finds him. The cat has an infected paw and James takes it for
treatment. From then on the pair are inseparable. The movie is
streetwise and serious but also manages to be humorous and silly.
Treadaway gives a good performance, but the cat steals the show. An
enjoyable if slightly soppy family feel-good film.
Doctor Strange
Director: Scott Derrickson
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Mads Kikkelsen
Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) was a surgeon whose career was ruined by a
car accident which crushed his hands. He learned of an Ancient One
(Swinton) with healing powers and so travels to Nepal to seek out the
mystic. Here Strange learns of the different dimensions, magic and
becomes a warrior on the astral plane. Meanwhile a former disciple of
the Ancient One Kaecilius (Mikkelsen) has turned to the dark side and is
intent on invoking the malevolent Dormammu from his alien abode.
Strange much choose between a life of fortune or to defend the earth
from magical attack. Doctor Strange has made a very successful
transition from comic to the screen and the movie provides a good plot
with excellent acting and dialogue. Special effects are very convincing
and the film is one of the better Marvel super-hero movies.
Finding Dory
Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
Certificate: U
Cast Includes: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Hayden Rolence
Pixar’s sequel to the 2003 movie ‘Finding Nemo’. Dory
(DeGeneres), who helped reunite Nemo (Rolence) with his father Marlin
(Brooks) in the first movie, has a flashback in which she remembers her
own family. She decides to look for them despite her problems with a
faulty memory. Marlin and Nemo agree to help and the three swim to
California to start the search. Dory is caught and held in a marine
life institute aquarium for shipping to Cleveland. However with the
help of Hank (O’Neill), the octopus she escapes back to the ocean and
finds her parents Charlie and Jenny. Now she has to come to the aid of
Marlin and Nemo who are also imprisoned in the institute aquarium. The
movie is essentially the same plot as the original, but provides
impressive animation and contains some emotional scenes. However this
is ultimately a fun ‘happy ever after’ sort of film that will delight
people of all ages.
Storks
Director: Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland
Certificate: U
Cast Includes: Kelsey Grammer, Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Anton Starkman
Conerstone used to be in the business of delivering babies and most of
its employees are stalks. However CEO stalk Hunter (Grammer)
discontinued the service for the more lucrative business of delivering
parcels. The business receives a letter from Nate (Starkman) a
neglected boy who wants a baby brother and Tulip (Crown), a woman
working for Cornerstone, causes the baby machine to create a girl in
response to the letter. Now Tulip and her stork friend Junior (Samberg)
must deliver the baby before Hunter finds out. This involves their
facing a pack of wolves, militant penguins and an avalanche. This is a
bizarre, non stop and fun packed movie that will appeal to all ages. It
has been well received by the critics and is sure to please.
The Accountant
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Ben Affleck, J. K. Simmons, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal
Christian Wolff (Affleck) plays an autistic anto-hero, a mathematics
savant who works as a freelance accountant for criminal organisations.
He is being pursued by Raymond King (Simmons) from the Treasury
Department Crime Enforcement division and Christian, to put him off his
trail, takes on legitimate work tracing a discrepancy in the accounts of
a Robotics company. Dana Cummings (Kendrick) was the clerk who found
the accounting error and, working together, Dana and Christian find $61
million dollars have been embezzled. The head of the robotics company
commits suicide, and Dana and Christian find themselves targeted by a
hitman known as ‘The Assassin’ (Bernthal). The movie contains a good
share of both violence and humour. The plot show some inconsistencies,
but there are plenty of great set pieces. A fun and enjoyable movie.
The Girl on the Train
Director: Tate Taylor
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Justin Theroux
A movie based on Paula Hawkins best selling 2015 novel of the same
name. Rachel (Blunt) is an alcoholic who recently divorced her husband
Tom (Theroux). She commutes every day by train and on her journey she
fantasises about the seemingly perfect couple Scott (Evans) and Megan
(Bennett) Hipwell who live in a house that she passes. Rachel witnesses
something shocking on her journey and then hears Megan Hipwell is
missing. She tells the police and starts her own investigation. Yet she
cannot remember where where she was on the night of Megan’s
disappearance, and Megan and Scott are neighbours of her ex husband.
Hence Rachel find the police start to suspect she is involved in the
mystery. This is a well acted first rate mystery with a plot that
provides a good number of unexpected turns. A must-see movie.