• Friday 2 December for 1 week

THE DEEP BLUE SEA (12A)

(UK 2011) dir. Terence Davies 98m. Digital.
Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddlestone, Simon Russell Beale, Ann Mitchell.

That very British struggle between passion and repression was never more dramatically encapsulated than in the writing of Terence Rattigan and in Terence Davies' exquisite new adaptation of THE DEEP BLUE SEA, the playwright's greatest work takes on a fascinating contemporary relevance. The sexually unsatisfied wife of a High Court judge becomes infatuated with a younger man and ends up in a dingy bedsit in austerity 1950's London but again her all-consuming passion is not reciprocated by her new lover. Memories of classic movie melodramas of yesteryear may be invoked, but Davies gives depth and substance to both settings and emotions and Rachel Weisz is simply superb. It all adds up to a joyous collaboration between director and author, surely two of our greatest national treasures.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmphOgeyk70

• Friday 9 December for 1 week

WE HAVE A POPE (PG)

(Italy/France 2011) dir. Nanni Moretti 105m. Subtitles.
Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Margherita Buy, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa.

Behind the closed doors of the Vatican, a new Pope has been elected but this cardinal doesn't want the job. Enter a sceptical psychiatrist to sort out the crisis and the stage is set for some affectionately satirical swipes against all things organised and authoritarian. The legendary Michel Piccoli is the reluctant pontiff elect who goes walkabout to rediscover his faith, meet some real people and rummage through a lifetime of human experience to find a few words of wisdom. Writer-director Nanni Moretti is the mischievous shrink and he's at his comedy best organising a volleyball match for the Vatican cardinals. And there's a final devastating resolution to this delightfully wicked scenario. Hallelujah!

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qm0RdK6k1U

• Friday 9 December for 1 week

LAS ACACIAS (12A)

(Argentina/Spain 2011) dir. Pablo Giorgelli 86m. Subtitles. Digital.
Germán de Silva, Hebe Duarte, Nayra Calle Mamani.

As enchanting as it is rewarding, LAS ACACIAS was the worthy winner of four awards at Cannes 2011 including the Camera d'Or for best first feature. Argentinian truck driver Rubén, en route from Paraguay to Buenos Aires with his usual haul of freshly cut timber, picks up a young Paraguayan woman and her five-month-old baby. The chilly, reticent Rubén, accustomed to the solitude of the road, gradually finds himself being drawn into an unexpected relationship. It's a simple narrative, but a sophisticated and unconventional road movie made up of moments that quietly accumulate into something tremendously moving. With warm, lived-in performances from the two leads and a scene-stealing one from their infant co-star, this is undoubtedly one of the movie gems of the year.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7v2pQ-uWLc

ANOTHER EARTH (12A)

(US 2011) Mike Cahill 92m. Digital.
Brit Marling, William Mapother, Jordan Baker.

Low budget, big ideas, good movie. It's sci-fi fantasy of the cerebral kind as on the night of the discovery in the solar system of a new planet four times the size of the moon, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. The feature debut of director Mike Cahill, co-written with actress Brit Marling, hauntingly combines metaphysical themes of cosmic proportions with a moving tale of loss, second chances and an unlikely love affair. With nods to Kieslowski, Tarkovsky and the Twilight Zone, ANOTHER EARTH is an intriguing and engrossing exploration of guilt and redemption topped by a mesmerizing low-key performance from Marling.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8hEwMMDtFY

• Monday 26 December for 11 days

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (*)

(US 2011) dir. David Fincher 160m. (approx) Digital.
Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright.

David Fincher, director of SE7EN and THE SOCIAL NETWORK, delivers his very distinctive version of the first book in Steig Larsson's phenomenal best-selling trilogy about the edgy, increasingly complicated relationship between disgraced investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander as they search for a woman who has been missing for forty years. Rooney Mara gives a breakthrough performance as the troubled tattooed one, Daniel Craig brings more than welcome touch of insouciance to the character of Blomkvist and the unbeatable supporting cast includes Christopher Plummer and Robin Wright. Add some stunning Swedish locations and it all adds up to the real thriller that Larsson's original and offbeat work so richly deserves.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyj2Qb9PEiQ

• Friday 6 January for 2 weeks

THE ARTIST (PG)

(France 2011) dir. Michel Hazanavicius. 100m. Digital.
Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Malcolm McDowell.

Let's celebrate the New Year in style and cheer the glorious return of... silent movies! Eighty years after films became all-talking THE ARTIST recreates the brilliance and perfection of a lost art. Hollywood 1927 and the lives and loves of two people are about to be changed dramatically by the arrival of talking pictures. George Valentin is a movie megastar who dismisses the new technology as a fad. Perky Peppy Miller is a dancer destined to be the face and voice of a filmmaking revolution. Their lives cross with all the drama, romance, excitement, adventure, singing and dancing that only the movies can provide. Jean Dujardin's brilliant portrayal of George won him the Best Actor prize at Cannes 2011 while the Festival's more unofficial Palm Dog trophy for best canine performance went to Uggy, a scene-stealer in the best Hollywood tradition. It all adds up to an endlessly inventive and irresistible piece of pure cinema.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKG7A4oMyUw

• Friday 20 January for 1 week

SHAME (18)

(UK 2011) dir. Steve McQueen. 101m. Digital.
Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale.

The second extraordinary feature from acclaimed artist Steve McQueen is a portrait of Brandon, single, smart, successful but with compulsive sexual needs that sees him immersed in a world of pick-ups, prostitutes and online encounters. At least it's an ordered world free of emotional ties and responsibilities but that could change with the arrival of his self-harming younger sister, night club singer Sissy who's clearly heading for disaster. Set against a background of a Manhattan seen as a living hell, SHAME is a complex exploration about needs and desires. At its heart are two dynamite performances from Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan who both bring an often overwhelming emotional depth to their obsessive and damaged characters. This is edgy, brave and serious adult cinema that goes to the wire and beyond.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUqkoJC3pQ

• Friday 27 January for 1 week

THE DESCENDANTS (15)

(US 2011) dir. Alexander Payne. 115m. Digital.
George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Robert Forster.

George Clooney is a great actor and proof, if needed, it is to be found in Alexander Payne's acutely observed view of human contradictions and shortcomings. Clooney is overworked lawyer Matt King, the not very good father of two daughters, 17-year-old Alexandra and 10-year-old Scottie, who have both grown up much closer to their mother. But she's now in an irreversible coma after a boating accident, and its time for Matt to wrestle with new responsibilities and old secrets. There's also a deadline for a decision to be made on the future of a valuable piece of undeveloped Hawaian land owned by his family for generations. The performances of such seasoned veterans as Beau Bridges and Robert Forster add to the collection of flawed and funny supporting characters in this beautifully orchestrated and understated slice of life from one of America's most individual directors.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHNXJ1K4yA