The Eclectic Cinema

The Eclectic Cinema at Cheltenham Playhouse BACURAU 18 (Brazil/France 2019) Written and Directed by Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonca Filho Starring Sonia Braga and Udo Kier 14 November 2022 MONDAY 19:30 WELCOME to the Weird West (yes, this is a recognised cinematic term), in which the genre of the western is blended with others, in… [continues]

The making of Bridge Over Troubled Water

By Film Cheltenham TeamNovember 6, 2022 Odds and ends Leave a comment

Here’s an extract from a book called Sound Stories by David Simons. I edited it back in 2004. I haven’t actually asked him if he’s happy about me putting it up here, but I’m sure he won’t mind. I’m not even sure I’ve spoken to him since 2004. I’ll give him a call. Building the… [continues]

Films around Cheltenham from 29 October 2022

By Pamela WeaverOctober 29, 2022 Films around Cheltenham Leave a comment

The Roses The Roses takes its turn showing The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan. It purports to tell the story of how the remains of King Richard III were discovered underneath a Leicester car park in 2012. It is not however a documentary, it is a drama.… [continues]

Freeview films from 29 October, 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamOctober 29, 2022October 29, 2022 Freeview highlights Leave a comment

World Cinema Monday (31/10) 01:55 Film4 Savage (Xue bao) (2018 ) A straightforward but visually sumptuous action movie set on a frozen mountain in northeastern China. Two detectives are drinking in a bar and vying for the affections of a local doctor when three hoodlums arrive and kill one of the buddies. The other,… [continues]

Films around Greater Cheltonia from October 22, 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamOctober 22, 2022October 22, 2022 Films around Cheltenham Leave a comment

The Roses It’s a lively week of films at The Roses, starting on Monday with My Old School, the bizarre but absolutely true story of ‘Brandon Lee’, who enrolled at Bearsden Academy in Glasgow as, ostensibly, a 17-year-old. He turned out to be 32-year-old Brian MacKinnon, a former student of the academy, who returned hoping… [continues]

Freeview films from 22 October, 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamOctober 22, 2022October 22, 2022 Freeview highlights Leave a comment

World Cinema Saturday (22/10) 00:30 Film4 & All4 Deerskin (2019) This very black (or possibly beige) comedy is another weird and wonderful triumph for maverick auteur Quentin Dupieux, whose follow up movie Mandibles, is the most original French film I’ve seen for years. As in Mandibles,… [continues]

Fillums around Cheltenham from October 15, 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamOctober 15, 2022 Films around Cheltenham, Uncategorized Leave a comment

I’ve been in Ireland and I like the way they talk. Pamela has her take on The Guildhall and The Roses. I’ve done the rest. (JM) The Roses Starting on Monday, The Roses is offering five screenings of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, directed by Anthony Fabian and based on a novel by Paul Gallico.… [continues]

Dave Reynolds: an appreciation

By John MorrishOctober 15, 2022October 16, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

I was sad to hear of the death of Dave Reynolds. Dave was a good friend to film in Cheltenham, and took the brave and unusual step of producing his own movies: Louisa: an Amazing Adventure and Falkland Square, both of which were premiered at the Sherborne Cinema in Gloucester in May this year. Louisa… [continues]

Freeview films from 15 October, 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamOctober 15, 2022October 15, 2022 Freeview highlights Leave a comment

World Cinema Monday (17/10) 01:35 Film4 Night of the Kings (2020) MACA (Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction d’Abijan) is the main prison of the Ivory Coast’s capital and a world unto itself. Philippe Lacôte’s second feature follows Roman (Bakary Koné), a new arrival, who is forced to entertain fellow… [continues]

Films around Cheltenham from 8 October 2022

By John MorrishOctober 8, 2022 Films around Cheltenham, Uncategorized 6 Comments

The Guildhall Well, the £230,000 refurbishment of the centre is finished. It hasn’t changed the cinema at all. This week there are a couple of chances to see a live relay of a play called Prima Facie, from the National Theatre. It’s a one-woman show, starring Jodie Comer, so you might as well watch it… [continues]

Freeview films from 8 October 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamOctober 8, 2022 Freeview highlights Leave a comment

World Cinema Saturday (8/10) 23:20 Film4 Memories of Murder (2003) This early crime drama from Bong Joon Ho (of Parasite fame) broke box office records at home. Based on historical events, it shows two dim and crude cops sent to investigate a double murder… [continues]

Films around Cheltenham from 24 September 2022

By John MorrishSeptember 24, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

To be honest, I haven’t had time to do this page this week, so here are the links to the websites. Click on them and you’ll find the rich panoply of pleasures the cinema industry currently has to offer in our area. Hope to do better next time, if I get a bit of help… [continues]

Freeview films from 24 September 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamSeptember 24, 2022September 24, 2022 Freeview highlights Leave a comment

World Cinema Sunday (25/9) 23:50 Film4 The Handmaiden (2016) I’ve written about this lots of times, and I’m not really that big a fan. So I’ll reprint approximately what I wrote before: ‘Park Chan-Wook’s glossy period thriller, set during Japan’s long occupation of Korea: a crime story with lesbian trimmings, or… [continues]

Roses Tewkesbury

By Pamela WeaverSeptember 18, 2022 Films around Cheltenham, Uncategorized Leave a comment

The Roses Is closed on Monday 19th, which means that there is just one screening, on Thursday morning, of Eiffel, directed by Martin Bourboulon and starring Romain Duris. As you might deduce it is the story of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer, and his attempts to construct the tower that bears his name. There is also… [continues]

Freeview films from 17 September 2022

By Film Cheltenham TeamSeptember 18, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

World Cinema Saturday (17/9) 21:00 BBC4 The Girl With a Bracelet (2019) Superb courtroom drama about a teenager accused of murder, spare in tone but rich in emotions and motives that are sometimes only half hinted at. Melissa Guers is excellent as Lise, the teen in the dock for killing her… [continues]

Freeview films from 10 September 2022

By Martin HarrisSeptember 10, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

World Cinema Saturday (10/9) 02:10 Channel 4 First Love (2019) 23:55 BBC1 The Keeper (2018) Sunday (11/9) 01:20 Film4 Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (2020) Tuesday (13/9) 01:55 Channel 4 … [continues]

Roses Tewkesbury

By Pamela WeaverSeptember 10, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

Next week the Roses has Mr Malcolm’s List, directed by Emma Holly Jones and described as a “witty Regency romcom”. (Sigh). The eponymous Mr Malcolm (Sope Dirisu) has a list of the qualities he requires in a future wife. When jilted Julia (Zawe Ashton) discovers she doesn’t fit the person specification she is determined to… [continues]

Eclectic Cinema

By Andrew HoltSeptember 9, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

The Eclectic Cinema is back at Cheltenham Playhouse, after its summer break, with a varied programme of six films between now and Christmas. The first is Promising Young Woman (15), starring Carey Mulligan, on Monday 12 September. The show kicks off at 19:30 and tickets can be bought online, or on the door, for £7.50 each. This… [continues]

Cheltenham Film Society

By Andrew HoltSeptember 9, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a comment

Cheltenham Film Society’s new season launches on Tuesday 13 September, opening with the rambunctious comedy, Our Ladies. “Our story is older than the glens and hills,” teenage girl Orla (Tallulah Greive) recites in the opening moments of Our Ladies. She’s dressed in fair-maiden white, her bare feet delicately balanced across the pebbles of a Highland loch… [continues]

Crossing the Streams

By Andrew HoltSeptember 8, 2022September 9, 2022 Crossing the Streams, Uncategorized Leave a comment

BFI Player BFI Player is the British Film Institute’s video on-demand streaming service, showing critically acclaimed classic, cult and archive films. BFIPlayer has 2 sections, a subscription service, where you pay a monthly fee of £4.99 or an annual fee of £49, which obviously works out marginally cheaper, and a rental service, where you pay… [continues]