Festival Films at Southgate Theatre, Honley
Dir. Denis Villeneuve, US, 2016
Twelve mysterious spacecraft appear across the globe... A big high-concept sci-fi that is both epic and intimate, mixing realism with a sense of wonder. Ideal for a Saturday afternoon.
Dir. J A Bayona, US, 2016
Splendid melodrama of a boy who seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mother's terminal illness. Great performances in a deeply affecting movie that brings a lump to the throat. Partly filmed around Marsden.
Dir. Damian Chazelle, US, 2016
Romantic musicals - what happened to those? Back with a fistful of awards, this delectable treat starring Emma Stone and Ray Gosling brings a tear to the eye and a broad smile.
Dir. Taika Waititi NZ, 2016
There are moments of pure magic in this New Zealand-based comedy drama about a national manhunt for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle played by Sam Neil. An oddball treat that both critics and audiences love.
Showing at Meltham Carlile Institute
Dir. Ralph Thomas, UK, 1962
Real life friends, Manchester's 20 year-old Ian McShane ('a real discovery') and 21 year-old John Hurt ('a sensitive roommate'), make their film debuts in this early sixties drama about students and their lives in a provincial University (Lincoln). Tame now but entertaining.
THE HEIRESSES
Another great award-winner from this year. Financial problems hit a wealthy female couple and the ensuring problems create a personal revolution for Ana Brun in a truly mesmerising performance. A quiet film of restlessness, beautifully observed beneath which is an ocean of emotion.
(Dir. Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay, 2018, 94mins 12A)
My Favourite Film: Keiran Hodgson introduces Danton
Holmfirth's own comedic actor introduces what Stanley Kubrick called the 'Best historical drama ever made'.
The last weeks of one of the leaders of the French Revolution, George Danton, brilliantly played by Gerard Depardieu, and his battle with Robespierre in what is an overwhelming indictment of government oppression. The great Polish director created an Oscar winning film that still today, holds a mirror to the past and to the present.
Dir. Andrzej Wadja (France 1983 136mins 12)
An impassioned film about much more than journalism. At its centre is a fine performance from Rosamund Pike as the celebrated, complex, forceful but flawed war correspondent Marie Colvin whose humanity shines through amidst the utter destruction of the many conflicts she covered.
(Dir. Matthew Heineman (US 2018 110mins 12)
Eating Animals: Produced by Natalie Portman and based on Jonathan Safran Foer's book, this powerful and moving documentary traces the history of food production in the US and the global environmental disaster that is corporate factory farming. Trumpets support for traditional farming values.
Dir. Christopher Dillon Quin (US 2018 95mins 12)
73 Cows: Beautifully shot BAFTA short film winner. UK farmer Jay Wilde gave his beef herd to an animal sanctuary when he decided to change to sustainable, organic, vegan farming.
Dir. Alex Lockwood (UK 2018 15mins 12)
Followed by discussion on farming, veganism and the future.
Superb performances from John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan as the aging comedy duo who attempt to reignite their failing career with a tour of British variety clubs in 1953. A real delight with genuinely touching moments.
Dir. John S. Baird (US 2018 98mins 12)
Great Holmfirth stuff here:
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