Listings: 06.03.09-12.03.09

[Web exclusive]

Listings: 06.03.09 - 12.03.09

Friday 6th March

Film: Surveillance
Where: Odeon & Cineworld
Ticket Price: Odeon student: £4.60, Cineworld student: £5.10
Rating: 18
Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch
Starring: Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Pell James, Michael Ironside
Preview: Jennifer Lynch directs this thriller 15 years after the release of her first film Boxing Helena. The film follows the investigation of a murder in which the three eye witnesses are all giving contradicting stories. As the drama unfolds one wonders how much the witnesses know.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPx_fC6Mjqc

Film: Watchmen
Where: Odeon, Cineworld & Vue
Ticket Price: Odeon student: £4.60, Cineworld student: £5.10, Vue student: £4.70
Rating: 18
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Carla Gugino, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman
Preview: Watchmen is the film adaption of Alan Moore’s graphic novel. The film is set in an alternate 1985 America and sees the vigilante Rorschach’s investigation into the murder of one the former heroes uncover a conspiracy.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4blSrZvPhU

Film: The Young Victoria
Where: Odeon, Cineworld, Vue & Showroom
Ticket Price: Odeon student: £4.60, Cineworld student: £5.10, Vue student: £4.70, Showroom student: £4.30
Rating: PG
Director: Jean-Marc VallÈe
Starring: Mark Strong, Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Miranda Richardson
Preview: The Young Victoria, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, follows Queen Victoria’s (Emily Blunt) rise to power at the age of just 18 and the early years of her reign centering on her marriage to Prince Albert.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpVazl3Khws

Film: Flame and Citron
Where: Cineworld & Showroom
Ticket Price: Cineworld student: £5.10, Showroom student: £4.30
Rating: 15
Director: Ole Christian Madsen
Starring: Thure Lindhardt, Mads Mikkelsen, Stine Stengade, Peter Mygind, Christian Berkel
Preview: Box office hit in Denmark, Flame and Citron is a World War Two drama based on true events. The film depicts the journey of Flame (Thure Lindhardt) and Citron (Mads Mikkelsen) two assassins of the Holger Danske resistance group.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRkb5jlVXDs

Event: Interrogating Okinawa
Where: The Showroom, 12.30 – 19:00
Ticket Price: Free
What: The School of East Asian Studies University of Sheffield presents a free, public conference on the film, music and politics of Okinawa, a southern Japanese island occupied for 27 years after the Second World War by the American military. The day will include a screening of Untamagiru, with director Takamine Go in attendance.

Film: Somers Town
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £2
Rating: 12A
Director: Shane Meadows
Starring: Piotr Jagiello, Thomas Turgoose
Preview: The stars of the 2008 film shared the award for Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film at Tribeca and at the Edinburgh Film Festival it won the Michael Powell Award, the festival's highest award. Tomo (Thomas Turgoose), a runaway teenager, and Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a polish immigrant living with his father, form an unlikely friendship and Marek hides Tomo in his flat unbeknown to his father.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuzqHIshhrk


Saturday 7th March

Film: Changeling
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £2
Rating: 15
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Michael Kelly
Preview: Drama mystery directed by Clint Eastwood, the film is based on a tragic true story. Single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) has her son kidnapped. When the LAPD find him and bring him home, it is revealed that the boy is not her actual son. The film portrays Christine’s subsequent battle against the LAPD and fight to find her true son.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57_t2BFZaK8

Sunday 8th March

Film: Back to the Future II
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £1.80
Rating: PG
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
Preview: Sequel to the much loved family classic Back to the Future II takes you on a journey... back to the future, only when they go back, again, an alternate 1985 exists.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRrSp6Pqlz4

Monday 9th March

Film: The Man Who Would be King
Where: Showroom, 18:30
Ticket Price: Full Price: £6.50, Student Tickets (Monday & Tuesday): £3.00 (£4.30 all other times)
Rating: PG
Director: John Huston
Starring: Sean Connery, Christopher Plummer, Michael Caine
Preview: The film originally released in 1975 is based on the story by Rudyard Kipling. The film tells the story of two ex-soldiers (Sean Connery & Michael Caine) in search of adventure in India.

Event: Monday Classics
What is it: Cineworld have launched Monday Classics so that you get a second chance to see classic films best seen on the big screen.
This week’s Monday Classics film: The Great Escape
Where: Cineworld
Ticket Price: Cineworld student: £5.10
Rating: PG
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Charles Bronson, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasance, Gordon Jackson, James Garner, James Coburn, David McCallum
Preview: A film which truly needs no introduction. Everyone should see this film at least once in theie lifetime.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkwmIDx9RwQ

Wednesday 11th March

Film: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £1.80
Rating: 18
Director: Uli Edel
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu
Preview: Based on the non-fiction book by Stefan Aust the film depicts the early days of one of the most prominent terrorist groups in post-war West Germany, the Red Army Faction (RAF). In particular the film portrays the story of Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck) a journalist who progresses from following the group to effectively joining them.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSDiAwuEdc

Lost & Found: Clueless

[Web exclusive]

Lost & Found: Clueless

Released in 1995 Clueless is a modern-day version of Jane Austin’s novel Emma . The protagonist of the film is the beautiful Cher Horowitz who, despite being spoilt, rich and the most popular girl in her school captures our hearts with her charm, wit and intelligence. The plot follows her struggles with relationships, friends, family and school against the beautiful backdrop of Beverly Hills. If you’re a fan of the new series of 90210 or Mean Girls, Clueless will not fail to entertain you! Clueless stars Alicia Silverstone as Cher, who was picked for the role by director Amy Heckling after she appeared in Aerosmith’s music video for their song Crazy! The film also stars a young Britney Murphy on the edge of stardom as the ‘new girl’ at school who is plucked from the crowd by Cher and best friend Dionne as they decide to become ‘better’ people by improving the life of the ‘clueless’ Tai by moulding and training her in the ways of a Beverly Hills teen. However the naive Cher is left feeling bewildered and lonely as her new friend Tai turns into a bitchy ‘monster’ and all her other friends are loved up and she realizes that she is in fact ‘totally and utterly clueless’. As she seeks comfort in her ex-step brother Josh, played by Paul Rudd of Friends and Superbad fame, she has a sudden epiphany!

This film was so successful when it was released that it had its own spin off TV series and although the fashions have changed teen tribulations of life and love haven’t and never stop amusing us!

Victoria Shaw

Listings: 27.02.09-05.03.09

[Web exclusive]

Listings: 27.02.09 - 05.03.09

Friday 27th Feburary

Film: The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £2
Rating: 12A
Director: Mark Herman
Preview: Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is uprooted from his home and friends when his father is promoted and becomes the commandant of Auschwitz. Too young to understand the reality around him, Bruno forms a touching friendship through the fence with a camp prisoner Shmuel (Jack Scanlon).
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBdalsgNHsM

Film: The International
Where: Odeon & Cineworld
Ticket Price: Odeon student: £4.60, Cineworld student: £5.10
Rating:15
Director: Tom Tykwer
Preview: Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) attempts to take on one of the most powerful banks after discovering money laundering and arms trading. Gripping thriller looks worth a watch.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILj3HlaoOCg

Film: New in Town
Where: Odeon & Cineworld
Ticket Price: Odeon student: £4.60, Cineworld student: £5.10
Rating: 12A
Director: Jonas Elmer
Preview: Romantic comedy which follows the journey of Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger), who learns there’s more to life than career ambition when she moves to a small town in Minnesota.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5BiBn91Ag0

Film: The Unborn
Where: Odeon & Cineworld
Ticket Price: Odeon student: £4.60, Cineworld student: £5.10
Rating: 15
Director: David S Goyer
Preview: With even the trailer being even to get you looking over your shoulder this looks like the one to watch if your into horror. Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) is haunted by the ghost of her unborn twin.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc3Cba0qOco

Film: The Class
Where: The Showroom
Ticket Price: Full Price: £6.50, Student Tickets (Monday & Tuesday): £3.00 (£4.30 all other times)
Rating: 15
Director: Laurent Cantet
Preview: The Class, winner of the Palme D’Or at Cannes last year, is based on the novel by novel by Francois Begaudeau about his experiences as a teacher. For a more detailed review see the latest Forge Press.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo_LYkn88o8

Event: Shaff
Where: The Showroom
Ticket Price: Full Price: £6.50, Student Tickets (Monday & Tuesday): £3.00 (£4.30 all other times)
What: Shaff, The Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, is the main event this week at the Showroom. The festival is a weekend of the best adventure films around. For more information see www.shaff.co.uk


Saturday 28th Feburary

Film: Madagascar 2
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £2
Rating: PG
Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Preview: Sequel to the much loved initial Madagascar film, Madagascar 2 picks up from exactly where the previous film left off. The animals build a plane to leave New York City zoo but it crash lands in Africa where many of the animals are surprised to find others of their kind. Starring Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer this is a film anyone could enjoy.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XO2kjjlKrM

Sunday 1st March

Film: Groundhog Day
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £1.80
Rating: PG
Director: Harold Ramis
Preview: Old favourite, Groundhog Day sees Phil Connors (Bill Murray) having to live through the same day over and over again. Although initially frustrated he realises he can take advantage of the situation but after his attempts to get closer to Rita fail he begins to reassess his life.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_yDWQsrajA

Film: Che: Guerrilla
Where: The Showroom
Ticket Price: Full Price: £6.50, Student Tickets (Monday & Tuesday): £3.00 (£4.30 all other times)
Rating: 15
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Preview: The antipcated sequel of Che, this film depicts the final campaign of Ernesto Che Guevara in the Bolivian rainforest.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV2nHnQK6U8


Monday 2nd March

Film: Tokyo Sonata
Where: The Showroom
Ticket Price: Full Price: £6.50, Student Tickets (Monday & Tuesday): £3.00 (£4.30 all other times)
Rating: 12A
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Preview: Showing as part of The Showroom’s Japanese month, Tokyo Sonata is a gripping family drama and was the winner of the Certain Regard Jury prize at Cannes last year.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv9WS0aouIY


Wednesday 4th March

Film: Hunger
Where: Student Union Auditorium, 19:30
Ticket Price: £1.80
Rating: 15
Director: Steve McQueen
Preview: Hunger premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, winning the prestigious Camera d'Or award for first-time filmmakers. The film explores the Irish hunger strikes in Maze Prison in 1981. This dramatic film is most definitely not to be missed.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZipYYoUteCw

Lost and Found: Chicago

[Web Exclusive]

Just another film adaptation of a stage musical or show stoppingly good?

Lost & found: Chicago

Released in 2002 and featuring an all-star cast Chicago blew away viewers with its raunchy characters, audacious plot and fabulous choreography. Winning six academy awards in 2003 the musical film adaptation has gathered prestige over the years and grossed over one hundred and seventy million dollars portraying public approval. Seven years on, is popularity dwindling for this dazzling spectacle or does it stand out in the crowd as a memorable production? I would have to say that with the recent release and huge success of Mamma Mia, musical film adaptations are on the comeback. The catchy songs and glamourous representation of 1920s America leaves the audience feeling upbeat and inspired.
The plot tells the story of stardom-seeking Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) who finds herself on Chicago’s infamous Murderess Row. Alongside her is one half of an acclaimed double act, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Both are accused of murder and the struggle for lawyer Billy Flynn’s (Richard Gere) service ensues. At times the plot appears to be flawed, for example the vulnerable character of Amos, Roxie’s estranged husband played by John C. Reilly, appears feeble and leaves little to be inspired. However, the light hearted nature and playful register of the film results in a fantastic satirical depiction of the Jazz Age.
Adding to the beauty of the film is the fact that the unforgettable songs are sung by the stars themselves. We can forgive Gere’s weak voice due to him being such a smooth character, whilst Zeta-Jone’s rendition of "And All That Jazz" sends shivers through even the most heartless viewer! Not only do the leading characters belt out the wonderfully jazzy tunes, but Queen Latifah, playing Matron "Mama" Morton busts a few womanly moves in "When You're Good to Mama", which certainly gets those toes wiggling to the music.
I would say a word of warning, this film is a lot like marmite…you will either love it or you will hate it. But boys – do not be put off by the fact that it is a musical. The glamorous quality of the film and the chemistry between Gere, Zelweger and Zeta-Jone’s makes it an appealing option for anyone.


Lauren Hart

Review: He's Just Not That Into You

[Web Exclusive]

Review: He's Just Not That Into You

Based on the book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, comes a romantic comedy with a star-studded cast. Set in Baltimore, He’s Just Not That Into You is loosely about the communication or, as we soon begin to realise, the miscommunication between the opposite sexes when it comes to dating. The film follows the lives of several characters who are all in different stages of their lives in terms of relationships.
This multi-strand romantic comedy brings many complexities along the ride and is performed by an ensemble cast, including the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson and Drew Barrymore among many others, who are guaranteed to bring in a massive audience. The characters involved in this turmoil of the dating game vary from a single woman desperately seeking love; a couple who are happily married (or so it seems); a couple who are in a long-term relationship but still no sign of marriage; a single woman who is struggling with the use of technology to get a date; a man who is desperately seeking a yoga teacher who is not in love with him; and a bar manager who is a player. From this extensive list of characters it would be as easy assumption to make that these interwoven lives could rapidly confuse the viewer, surprisingly though, it is pleasantly easy to follow - probably because of a well-developed script and talented actors.
It is important to realise that if it is a simple romantic comedy with an easily predicted outcome that you are after then this is not the film for you. With a running time of just over two hours, this rom-com’s narrative does not play out as simply as what has become normal for this genre and with such a long running time the film actually passes quite quickly. This film seems to follow a similar route as Love Actually. With a mixture of incredibly likeable characters and others who follow a less moral path who are a lot more difficult to like this seems to take a more realistic path than more conventional romantic comedies.
As the narrative evolves you soon begin to get the feeling that the film is trying to give advice on dating and relationships. He’s Just Not That Into You is a more unconventional romantic comedy which immediately engrosses the viewer into the characters lives and takes you for a more realistic look at the dating world, packed full of blessing and many, many mishaps.

Julia Wong

Review: The Class

[Originally published in the Forge Press 20.02.09]

Top class act
Review: The Class

Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, French director Laurent Cantet’s The Class forces you to walk out of the cinema with the feeling of having just spent two hours in the most lively, and stimulating class of your life.
Based on the novel by co-screenwriter, lead actor and real life teacher Francois Begaudeau, The Class presents an absorbing journey into the course of a term at a secondary school in Paris, looking at the present and culturally diverse future of France, through the interactions of a teacher and his students. Francois is a liberal and sympathetic teacher, constantly challenged by the questions and often crass attitudes of his class. But tensions rise when a slip of his tongue fuels a debate into political correctness, resulting in an act of violence, and the expulsion of one of his pupils.
The film does not develop dramatically; it is literally two hours of classroom banter, rendering it tedious at times, yet you still cannot help but like it.
Shot on just three HD cameras that never leave the boundaries of the school, Cantet blurs the lines between documentary and drama, as we are given a fly on the wall perspective, allowing an audience to feel intimately aligned with the action.
All aspects of the class are acutely examined as we witness them giggling, whispering, and daydreaming. Their performances are so subtle and remarkably convincing that it gives the film a strong sense of realism.
The authentic vibe of this class must be due to the fact that the young cast are predominantly played by non-professional actors, allowing them to deliver questions and answers naturally.
Each student realistically portrays a character that each of us would have known at school. We can identify with each and every one of these youngsters, from the misunderstood trouble maker, Souleymane, at the back of the class; the confused Goth in the corner; to the unheard voice of the international student, Wei. Yet no characteristics are ever heightened, they are performed effortlessly and with delicacy.
Similarly, Cantet breaks down the stereotypical lifeless mould that teachers are often placed into, and creates believable characters.
Francois Begaudeau plays the compassionate role of the teacher that everyone admires and respects, while others are shown to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
Cantet also offers us an exploration into the secret world of the teachers’ common room, where the more humorous scenes of the film are played out, where teachers discuss who is “nice” and “not nice at all” against a long list.
It is these subtleties of humour, combined with the boisterous energy and realism of the class, that create a refreshing film consistently true to real life.

Melissa Gillespie

Review: Notorious

[Originally published in the Forge Press 20.02.09]

The Laborious L.I.E.

Review: Notorious

Notorious, the story of Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Biggie Smalls/the Notorious B.I.G., presents a version of the rapper’s life which some may find a little hard to swallow.
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the team behind the movie consists of his mother as producer, Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs as executive producer, and Wallace’s son as the young version of himself. Clearly, we aren’t going to be getting the most objective of biographies.
While Biggie hasn’t exactly been portrayed as an angel, one gets the impression that certain aspects of his life are being deftly swept under the carpet just as the camera swings in their direction.
Take for instance his rivalry with Tupac and the latter’s subsequent drive-by shooting. Sure, a film made by Biggie’s mother is unlikely to paint him as a potential murderer, but the fact that any whiff of controversy is sharply steered away from unfortunately robs the film of doing the legendary rapper any real justice.
What we have instead is a relatively by the numbers rags to riches tale which could have been far more interesting had those involved not so obviously been watching their backs.
Take for instance Sean Combs, portrayed here as an unerring, saintly presence to such an extreme that you’ll be surprised they forgot to add some sort of heavenly glow.
While some of the less attractive aspects of Biggie’s persona are touched upon, take his selling of drugs to a pregnant woman for example, the film just doesn’t feel at all honest.
Perhaps the main saving grace is the suitably super-sized newcomer Jamal Woolard in the lead role, who arguably saves the picture from being an absolute exercise in tedium.
A solid sound track is another plus point if you’re a fan of gangsta rap; if not you might be hard pressed to find much here to love.

Jamie Cusworth