• Friday 6 April for 1 week

THE FAMILY FRIEND (15)

(Italy/France 2006) dir. Paolo Sorrentino 110m. Subtitles.
Giacomo Rizzo, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Laura Chiatti, Gigi Angelillo, Clara Bindi.

Paulo Sorrentino, director of the superb THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOVE, returns with an unwholesome story of money, lust and revenge.
The physically repulsive Geremia is the ‘family friend’, so-called because just like those closest to you "he's there when you need him, but also when you don't". He's a loan shark, who’s accumulated a small fortune by making small but lucrative loans, but still lives with his bedridden mother in a gruesomely squalid flat. One day he is asked by a man to lend him money for the wedding of Rosalba, his daughter. Geremia falls in love at first sight with the bewitching creature and so sets off a train of desire, obsession and revenge. A gripping and occasionally grotesque suspense drama, THE FAMILY FRIEND intensely explores extreme emotions, whilst playing out a clever crime confidence-trick plot. Sorrentino observes people, places and events from an unusually skewed angle; with ingenious plotting, colourful characterisation, and fast, funny dialogue this is a tribute to the filmmaking skill on display.

• Friday 6 April for 1 week

DAYS OF GLORY (Indigènes) (12A)

(France 2006) dir. Rashid Bouchareb 123m. Subtitles. Digital.
Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Benoît Giros.

Important, intelligent drama about North African soldiers fighting for France in World War II.
1943. Young North Africans Said, Abdelkader, Messaoud and Yassir have never stepped foot on French soil, but during World War Two they enlist in the French Army along with 130,000 other "indigenous soldiers," to liberate the “motherland” from the Nazi enemy. We follow them as they make their rookie mistakes, gain confidence and fight against considerable odds before facing the biggest challenge: defending an Alsace village alone against a German battalion. Alongside the expertly done dramatic action sequences, Bouchareb and screenwriter Olivier Lorelle ensure we see the personal lives of the protagonists, starting with their stories as individuals: their reasons for signing up, romances, friendships. But at the core of this film is something not tackled before – that of patriots fighting selflessly for a homeland they had never seen, that didn't treat them with égalité. The film ignited a debate about whether France had done right by these soldiers and the result, just a few months ago, was a change in government policy bringing foreign soldiers’ pensions into line with those of French veterans. The ensemble cast shared the best-actor award at the 2006 Cannes film festival – and rightly so. A taut, involving film that delivers all the things we look for in war movies and does so with intelligence and integrity.

• Friday 13 April for 2 weeks

THE LIVES OF OTHERS (15)

(Germany 2006) dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 138m. Subtitles. Digital.
Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe.

Riveting thriller about artists and the secret police in East Berlin, and this year’s Oscar winner for best foreign language film.
In 1984, the Stasi – East Germany's secret police – are keeping watch on artists and political activists, forcing many into jail, silence or suicide. Stasi Captain Wiesler is given the job of collecting evidence against playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend, celebrated theatre actress Christa-Maria. He does his job with ruthless efficiency, listening in on every conversation and following every move. But when Dreyman actually gets involved in something subversive, Wiesler has a difficult decision to make. Writer-director von Donnersmarck has succeeded in capturing the paranoia of East Germany in the 1980s, creating not only a suspenseful thriller of political relevance but a riveting study of human nature. This is an urgent, exceptional first feature that richly deserves its Oscar. Tense, taut and brilliantly written, THE LIVES OF OTHERS follows in the footsteps of HIDDEN and THE CONVERSATION. Its twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat and the ending will leave you breathless.

THIS IS ENGLAND (18)

(UK 2006) dir. Shane Meadows 100m.
Thomas Turgoose, Jo Hartley, Joseph Gilgun, Kieran Hardcastle.

Compelling coming of age drama superbly written and directed by Shane Meadows.
Roland Rat, Margaret Thatcher; Rubik's Cubes, the Royal Wedding; aerobics, skinheads... It's 1983, and the schools are breaking up for summer. 12 year old Shaun is a lonely boy, bullied at school and growing up without a dad. He unexpectedly finds friendship with a group of skinheads, and discovers snappy dressing, parties and girls. But when an older, overtly racist gang member returns home from prison, the easy camaraderie of the group is broken, and Shaun is drawn into much more uncomfortable territory. Based largely on his own experience as a youngster, Shane Meadows handles the complexities of masculinity, violence and race with sensitivity and a lightness of touch, perfectly capturing the mood of the time and the allure of being part of a gang. An engaging, brilliantly written and superbly directed film that's evocative, funny, suspenseful and ultimately moving. Unmissable.

• Friday 4 May for 1 week

DANS PARIS (15)

(France 2006) dir. Christophe Honoré 94m. Subtitles. Digital.
Romain Duris, Louis Garrel, Guy Marchand, Joana Preiss, Marie-France Pisier.

A thoughtful and stylish French family drama with brilliant performances and a nod to Truffaut. After splitting up with his girlfriend, a depressed Paul has moved back into the Paris flat that his brother Jonathan shares with their over-protective, divorced father. Jonathan – a devil-may-care womaniser, and the story's narrator - tries to coax Paul into a morale-boosting shopping trip, but ends up making a solo dash across town, interrupted by several impromptu trysts. The emotional interplay heightens with the arrival of the boys' glamorous mother. DANS PARIS boasts engaging performances all around, especially from charismatic leads - and heartthrobs du jour - Romain Duris and Louis Garrel, inventively cast against type. Essentially a witty, sensitive chamber piece, DANS PARIS is consistently entertaining in its stylistic dash, with multiple nods to Truffaut, Godard et al in their early 60s heyday. A chic but substantial pleasure.

• Friday 11 May for 1 week

MY BEST FRIEND (12A)

(France 2006) dir. Patrice Leconte 95m. Subtitles. Digital.
Daniel Auteuil, Dany Boon, Julie Gayet, Julie Durand, Henri Garcin.

Heart-warming and thoughtful comedy about the nature of friendship.
François is a middle-aged antique dealer. He’s got a stylish apartment and a fabulous life, but at his birthday dinner his business partner Catherine candidly informs him that he has no friends. He insists she’s talking nonsense and he has lots of friends, but his colleagues agree: he values objects over people. When things get heated between them, Catherine offers a challenge: François must produce one of these good friends, a real friend - his best friend. He's got ten days to find him. The heat is on for François to find someone to play this all-important role. Could trivia-spouting, lowbrow, chatty cabbie Bruno be the answer?

For a film about midlife crisis and borderline personality dysfunction, MY BEST FRIEND is hugely fun, with hilarious moments. Director Patrice Leconte has a particular wit and sensitivity to human folly. Daniel Auteuil’s natural charisma allows us to accept François’s character flaws as he strains to find a friend, whilst Dany Boon as cabbie Bruno emerges as one of the most touching Everyman characters in recent French cinema.

With clever plotting and charming surprises, MY BEST FRIEND is certain to make amused audiences consider their own lives and friends. Winning and heart-warming comedy.

ZODIAC (15)

(US 2007) dir. David Fincher 158m.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, Chloë Sevigny.

From the director of SEVEN and FIGHT CLUB comes a brilliant thriller based on the true story of one of the most intriguing murder cases in American history.
David Fincher's most accomplished film to date is a true-crime masterpiece about the Zodiac, an enigmatic serial killer whose random approach to murder terrified Northern California throughout the late '60s and early '70s. As the body count rises, so begins an endless series of ciphers, messages and clues sent by the killer to confound those investigating the case. The film constructs with painstaking detail an investigation that grew into an obsession for certain members of San Francisco's media and police forces. The terrific trio of Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal respectively play the real-life detective, journalist and newspaper cartoonist whose lives were swallowed up by the case. Possessed of disturbingly violent moments, ZODIAC is fraught with psychological tension and fearful expectancy. Chilling, smart and intense, with the occasional glimmer of light allowed to penetrate the darkness, it’s compelling viewing. It captures perfectly the look and mood of the period and evokes the pervasive fear the murders caused. The 2006 Academy Awards may have just been handed out, but already ZODIAC has made a firm stake to be amongst the favourites for next year's Oscars.

• Friday 25 May for 2 weeks

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (*)

(US 2007) dir. Gore Verbinski 158m. Digital.
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathan Pryce , Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-Fat.

In this final instalment of the brilliant Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.
Our pirate crew travels to Singapore to steal a chart from the Chinese pirate, Sao Feng, that will lead them to the World's End. They journey through a frozen ocean, before sailing over an enormous waterfall into Davy Jones' Locker. Despite their mutual animosity and distrust, Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa form an alliance when they discover a more sinister threat has arisen; Cutler Beckett, who now possesses the heart of Davy Jones, has begun a plan to be rid of all pirates once and for all. The world's pirates gather for a meeting known as the Brethren of the Coast, consisting of nine pirate lords, as the stage is set for a huge battle between pirates, the Royal Navy, and the East India Trading Company at an enormous whirlpool. Swashbuckling fun!