At The Flix with @Timmy666
Greetings one and all. Welcome to this week’s #AtTheFlix, a weekly trawl through things coming out at the cinema in Birmingham.
Steve Jobs (15)
Having Steve Jobs to the big screen is always going to bring forward some semblance of anticipation. Add to the mix a Sorkin script, Danny Boyle’s direction and a cast including Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogan, Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels and the interest might just peak a little more.
The story looks at three specific events in the Jobs era at Apple – each looking at the personal and business dynamics of his relationships with those around him. Expect lots of walking, long intense scenes of dialogue and a sense that everyone is smarter than the smartest human has any right to be!
The big question is which cinema flavour will win out here – is it the Sorkin universe, Danny Boyle’s visual flair or Michael Fassbender’s clear talents in the role of Steve Jobs? From what I’ve said above, I’m going to hazard a guess at Sorkin, and even in his most indulgent, it’s nearly always an intense ride.
A great film? Well, let’s wait and see.
The Lady in the Van (12A)
Earning a universal splattering of strong reviews at the London Film Festival, this film stars Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd, who ‘temporarily’ parked her van in Alan Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years.
The film sounds like a cosy Sunday in a cinematic can – imagine a filmic version of earl grey served with crumpets and it might be somewhere close to what this is!
Maggie Smith can pretty much read the phone book and you’ll know it will be entertaining. The bit that people often miss though is that in playing these charismatic, eccentric older ladies, she isn’t playing herself or a caricature. They are all ‘definitely’ Maggie Smith – but they are all quintessentially different and that’s what makes the prospect of this film so enticing.
Love 3D (18)
With one showing at the Electric next Wednesday, Love 3D is French director Gaspar Noé’s semi-autobiographical, sexually-charged melodrama shot in stereoscopic 3D – and is Noé’s most ambitious work to date.
Murphy is a young filmmaker who wakes up on New Year’s Day to a frantic phone call. His ex-girlfriend, Electra, has been missing for months and her mother fears the worst. Over one day, Murphy reminisces about her former love, two years spent with Electra – to eye-opening, no-holds barred impact.
The film was deemed a must-see and controversial talking point from this year’s Cannes Festival and here’s your opportunity to find out why.
This screening will be preceded by a recorded introduction from director Gaspar Noé, followed by a recorded interview after the film.
Shout Film Festival
Watch out for a plethora of films as part of this year’s Shout Festival which runs from the 12th to 22nd November. Run since 2009, the festival is a fixture in Birmingham’s arts and cultural calendar promoting and showcasing the best in LGBT Arts and Queer Culture throughout Birmingham the West Midlands.
Films showing at the mac over the next week include Futuro Beach (15), My Beautiful Laundrette (15), 52 Tuesdays (15), A Girl At My Door (18), Dressed As A Girl (18) and a number of Shout Shorts.
For more info, click here.
Free Angela and All Political Prisoners plus Q&A (18)
Showing on Sunday at the mac, is Shola Lynch’s impactful documentary about the life of young college professor Angela Davis, and how her social activism implicates her in a botched kidnapping attempt that ends with a shootout, four dead, and her name on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list.
That’s it from me this week. As always any queries, please drop me a line on twitter @timmy666. Until then, have a great week at the cinema.
