Film Programme Archive

Film Programme, February 2023 – November 2023

Febrary 24th 2023 – Ticket to Paradise – with George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Doors 19.15, Start 19.30. £5 for refreshments and raffle.

March 31st – The Father – a British drama in which a man who is suffering from dementia resists his daughter’s attempts to help him. Starring Anthony Hopkins and Oliva Coleman. https://youtu.be/OFnoRaLAclg

April 28th – Living – with Bill Nighy, Tom Burke, Aimee Lou Wood.LIVING is the story of an ordinary man, reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful.
https://youtu.be/OVo5kLt_-BU

May 26th – The Duke – with Anna Maxwell Martin, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Jim Broadbent.In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver, stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. https://youtu.be/2B2bxcnt4S4

June 30th – The Banshees of Inisherin with Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson. Neighbours Padraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson) have always been friends, until one day Colm abruptly declares that their friendship is over and he wants nothing more to do with Padraic.
https://youtu.be/uRu3zLOJN2c

July 28th – What’s Love Got To Do With It? – For documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbour Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.https://youtu.be/0LqOp2MNwao

August 25th – The Fablemans – Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s own childhood, rediscover the magic of movies in The Fabelmans, a coming-of-age story about a young man uncovering a shattering family secret and the power of film and imagination to help us see the truth about ourselves and each other. With a star-studded cast featuring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle and Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans tells a timeless tale of heartbreak, healing, and hope for the dreamer inside all of us.
https://youtu.be/D1G2iLSzOe8

September 29th – ALLELUJAH is a warm and deeply moving story about old age. When the geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital decides to fight back by galvanizing the local community: they invite a news crew to film their preparations for a concert in honour of the hospital’s most distinguished nurse. What could go wrong? ALLELUJAH celebrates the spirit of the elderly patients whilst paying tribute to the deep humanity of the medical staff battling with limited resources and ever-growing demand.
https://youtu.be/KGektpTIYqo

Friday 27th October – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
A retiree impulsively decides to walk across the country to visit his terminally ill friend in this poignant drama. Directed by Hettie Macdonald. It is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Rachel Joyce. The film stars Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton.
https://youtu.be/xeSrRrA4dXw?si=GpRnEhECn2inF1tV

Friday 24th November – The Bookshop
A 2017 drama film written and directed by Isabel Coixet, based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Penelope Fitzgerald, in which the lead character attempts against opposition to open a bookshop in the coastal town of Hardborough, Suffolk (a thinly-disguised version of Southwold).
The film stars Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Nighy. It won three Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
https://youtu.be/y5pbuzNpZUo?si=HdDE7ID9rEzQJSuQ

Friday 5th January 2024 (postponed from 29 Dec 2023) – Asteroid City
Following a writer on his world famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever. Director: Wes Anderson ..Stars:Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks
https://youtu.be/28xVCdcurj4?si=09m8ZPQLRE6A9tj8

Film Programme, May 2021 – August 2021

Fri 28 May. A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (2019) Biography; Drama; 109 mins; PG
Starring Tom Hanks. A timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism.

Fri 11 June. The Perfect Candidate (2019) Drama; 104 mins; PG (with Subtitles)
A determined young Saudi doctor’s surprise run for office in the local city elections sweeps up her family and community as they struggle to accept their town’s first female candidate.

Fri 25 June. Layer Cake (2004) Action; Crime; Drama; 105 mins; 15
Starring Daniel Craig. A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.

Fri 23 July. Can you ever Forgive Me? (2018) Biography; Comedy; Crime; 106 mins; 15
A biographer has fallen on hard times and decides to turn her writing talent to deception.

Fri 20 Aug. Madame (2017) Comedy; Drama; Romance; 91 minutes; 15
Starring Toni Collette. Misbehaviour is on the menu as the maid is rather too successful at being a mysterious noble woman.

Film Programme, September 2020 – February 2021

Fri 25 Sept 2020 – Personal history of David Copperfield (2019) Comedy; Drama; 119mins; PG

A modern take on Charles Dickens’s classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.

Fri 16 Oct 2020 – JoJo Rabbit (2019) Comedy; Drama; War 109 mins; 12

A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

Fri 13 Nov 2020 – The Good Liar (2019) Crime; Drama; Mystery; 109 mins; 15

Consummate con man Roy Courtnay has set his sights on his latest mark: the recently widowed Betty McLeish, worth millions. But this time, what should have been a simple swindle escalates into a cat-and-mouse game with the ultimate stakes.

Fri 11 Dec 2020 – Military Wives (2019) Comedy; Drama; Musical; 112 mins; 12A

With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the center of a media sensation and global movement.

Fri 8 Jan 2021 – 1917 (2019) Drama; War; 119 mins; 15

As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.

Fri 19 Feb 2021 – The Farewell (2019) (Chinese with subtitles) Comedy; Drama; 100mins; PG

A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, staging an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.

 

Film Programme, March 2020 – August 2020

Fri Mar 27 – Farmageddon (2019) Animation; adventure; comedy; 86 mins; U

When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.

Fri Apr 24 – Edie (2017) drama; 102 mins; 12A

83 year old Edie believes that it is never too late – packing an old camping bag, leaving her life behind and embarking on an adventure she never got to have – climbing the imposing Mount Suilven in Scotland.

Fri May 22 – Downton Abbey (2019) drama; romance; 122 mins; PG

The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early twentieth century.

Fri June 19 – Pain and Glory (2019) Spanish with subtitles; drama; 113 mins; 15

A film director reflects on the choices he’s made as past and present come crashing down around him.

Fri July 24 – Knives Out (2019) comedy; crime; drama; 131mins; 12A

A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family

Fri Aug 7 – Ladybird (2017) comedy; drama; 94mins; 15

Christine “Lady Bird” MacPherson is a high school senior from the “wrong side of the tracks.” She longs for adventure, sophistication, and opportunity, but finds none of that in her Sacramento Catholic high school. LADY BIRD follows the title character’s senior year in high school, including her first romance, her participation in the school play, and most importantly, her applying for college.

Film Club Programme, September 2019 – February 2020

Fri 13 Sept – All is True (2018) Drama; biography; history; 101 mins; 12A

In 1613 William Shakespeare Retired. He Still Had One Last Story To Tell – His Own. Starring Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench it is a film full of interest and mischief.

Fri 25 Oct – Green Book (2018) comedy; drama; biography; 130 mins; 12A

A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South

Fri 22 Nov – Yesterday (2018) comedy; fantasy; music; 116 mins; 12A

A struggling musician realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed..

Fri 03 Jan – Fighting with my family (2019) biography; comedy; drama; 108 mins; 12A

A new Stephen Merchant film based on a true story where a former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.

Fri 31 Jan 2020 – The Breadwinner (2017) Animation; drama; family; 94mins; 12

In 2001, Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. When her father is captured, a determined young girl disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.

Fri 21 Feb – Fisherman’s friends (2018) comedy; drama; music; 112mins; 12A

Ten fisherman from Cornwall are signed by Universal Records and achieve a top ten hit with their debut album of Sea Shanties.

Film Club Programme, Mar 2019 – Aug 2019

Fri 22 Mar 2019 – A star is born (2018) Drama; music; romance; 136mins; 15

A musician helps a young singer find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Fri 26 Apr – Swimming with Men (2018) comedy; drama; romance; 96mins; 12A

A man who is suffering a mid-life crisis finds new meaning in his life as part of an all-male, middle-aged, amateur synchronised swimming team.

Fri 24 May – Leave no trace (2018) drama; 109mins; 12

A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever.

Fri 28 June – Burn, Burn, Burn (2015) comedy; drama; 106 mins; 15

Following the death of their friend, two girls in their late twenties embark on a road trip to spread his ashes. Seph and Alex take turns driving. Dan is in the glove compartment, in tupperware, decreasing in volume as the trip progresses.

Fri 19 July – Faces, Places (2017) French with subtitles; documentary; 94mins; PG

Agnes Varda, one of the leading lights of France’s honored French New Wave cinema era, and professional photographer and muralist, J.R., collaborate on a special art project. Together, they take photographs of people around the country and create special colossal mural pictures of individuals, communities and places they want to honour and celebrate. Along the way, the old cinematic veteran and the young artistic idealist enjoy an odd friendship as they chat and explore their views on the world.

Fri 23 Aug 2019 – The old man and the gun (2018) Biography; comedy; crime; 93mins; 12A

Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), tracing his history…. from an audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70, to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.

Film Club Programme, Sept 2018 – Feb 2019

Friday 21 Sep 2018 – Phantom Thread (2017) Drama; romance; 130mins; 15

Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.

Friday 12 Oct – 3 Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri (2017) Comedy; crime; drama, 115mins; 15

A darkly comic crime drama in which a woman pressures the police into continuing the investigation into her daughter’s murder

Friday 23 Nov – Coco (2017) Animation; adventure; comedy; 105mins; PG

Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.

Friday 04 Jan 2019 – Call me by your Name (2017) Romance; drama, 132mins; 15

In 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between a seventeen year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant..

Friday 25 Jan 2019 – The Shape of Water ( 2017) Drama; adventure; fantasy, 123mins; 15

At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity

Friday 22 Feb 2019 – The Post (2017) Biography; drama; history, 116mins; 12A

A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents, pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

Film Club Extra (open to everyone), Programme to November 2018

Screening of Blade Runner 2049 (15)

Helmdon Reading Room, 7.30pm Thursday 29 November 2018 (Doors open 7:10pm)

Some additional film screenings are coming to Helmdon to complement the existing film club programme. These films will either be longer or more art house (or both) than the usual film club programme.

We’ll be showing a series of three films on a Thursday night during the winter months, starting with ‘Blade Runner 2049’ on 29 November 2018.

Relax with some popcorn and a beer/glass of wine and be surprised by the quality of the surround sound in Helmdon’s Reading Room!

Right on your doorstep and at the bargain price of £3, or free to film club members.
Please do join us and bring your friends along too. Hope to see you there!
Emma Gray

Film Club Programme, Jan 2018 – Aug 2018

Friday 05 January	The Dallas Buyers Club (2013) Biography; drama; 117mins; 15 In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.
Friday 26 January	The Eagle Huntress (2016) Documentary; adventure; sport; 87mins; U Thirteen-year-old Aisholpan trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle huntress. Through breathtaking aerial cinematography and intimate verite footage, the film captures her personal journey
Friday 23 February	Manchester by the Sea (2016) Drama; 137mins; 15 A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies
Friday 16 March	Hidden Figures (2016) Biography; drama; history; 127mins; PG As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history.
Friday 13 April	Death of Stalin (2017) comedy; 106mins; 15 The film follows the Soviet dictator’s last days and depicts the chaos of the regime after his death as the men in Stalin’s council enter an “interview” process unlike any other.
Tuesday 01 May 7 p.m.	NT Live Encore screening of The Audience at a cost of £3 members and £5 non-members The Audience breaks the contract of silence between monarch and prime minister as it imagines a number of pivotal weekly audience meetings. From Churchill to Cameron, each Prime Minister has used these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional- sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive.
Friday 25 May	Lion (change of film) I am sorry to say we are not going to be able to show the originally published film and are therefore substituting an alternative “Lion” . This is a very moving film which has won numerous awards. The story is about “A five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometres from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.” Bring plenty of hankies. The film is rated PG and lasts just under 2 hours. Many apologies for the substitution.
Friday 22 June	The Levelling (2016) drama; 83mins; 15 When Clover Catto (Ellie Kendrick) receives a call telling her that her younger brother Harry (Joe Blakemore) is dead, she must return to her family farm and face the man she hasn’t spoken to in years: her father Aubrey (David Troughton).
Friday 13 July	Murder on the Orient Express Crime; drama; mystery; 114mins; 12A When a murder occurs on the train he’s travelling on, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is recruited to solve the case. All-star cast.
Friday 17 August	Whiplash A promising young drummer enrols at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential.

 

Programme Archive, Jan 2017 and earlier (on www.helmdonhistory.com)