• Friday 5 June for 1 week

ANYTHING FOR HER (15)

(France 2008) dir. Fred Cavayé 97m. Subtitles. Digital.
Vincent Lindon, Diane Kruger, Lancelot Roch, Olivier Marchal, Hammou Graia, Lilliane Rovere.

Mild-mannered teacher Julien (Lindon) sees his idyllic life fall apart when his wife Lisa (Kruger) is wrongfully imprisoned for murder in this taut thriller. He's convinced of her innocence, but just how far will he go to save her? This is a fast-moving, tightly plotted tale, composed with panache and artistry and with an ever darkening atmosphere that tantalisingly leaves the question of its incarcerated heroine’s innocence dangling. Enjoy.

See www.anythingforher-movie.com

• Friday 12 June for 2 weeks

LOOKING FOR ERIC (15)

(UK/France/Italy/Belgium 2009) dir. Ken Loach 116m. Digital.
Steve Evets, Stephanie Bishop, Gerard Kearns, John Henshaw, Eric Cantona, Matthew McNulty, Lucy Jo Hudson, Max Beesley.

Ken Loach in gentler than usual mood, although still as acerbic as ever, with this delightful feel-good film about Manchester-based postman Eric, a football fanatic who with a broken heart, unrewarding job and family worries, finds his life descending into crisis. As a devoted United fan, Eric decides that in his hour of need it is only another Eric that can help him - the famously philosophical Old Trafford legend Eric Cantona. As Eric's journey to find his hero evolves into a magical tale of self-discovery, our own working-class hero is forced to confront the ghosts of his past.

See www.lookingforericmovie.co.uk

• Friday 26 June for 1 week

RUDO & CURSI (15)

(US/Mexico 2008) dir. Carlos Cuarón 101m. Subtitles. Digital.
Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Guillermo Francella.

Reuniting the stars of Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, Luna and Bernal shine as two football-playing working-class brothers, relieving the boredom of their day job at the banana plantation by playing for their local football team. Their constant determination to outdo each other picks up pace with the arrival a football scout who will only pick one of them for the big time. Avoiding clichés and predictable narrative showdowns, this is a funny and entertaining ride, strengthened by the convincing and spontaneous relationship between the two leads, and there's still much food for thought long after the final whistle has blown.

• Friday 3 July for 2 weeks

PUBLIC ENEMIES (15)

(US 2009) dir. Michael Mann 140m. Digital.
Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, Billy Crudup, Giovanni Ribisi.

Michael Mann's very modern take on the gangsters and lawmen who became the heroes, myths and legends of 1930s Depression America. Depp is superb as John Dillinger, regarded as a Robin Hood of his times, pursued by FBI agent Melvin Perkins, played to scowling perfection by Bale. Unsurprisingly for action-master Mann, the bank robbery sequences are extraordinary, but the focus here is on the burgeoning cat-and-mouse relationship of the central characters, as the FBI begins its ascent into the mammoth institution of power it was to later become. Featuring an array of legendary figures such as Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd - and of course the irrepressible J. Edgar Hoover (a star turn from Billy Crudup), this is a rollercoaster-ride of a film not to missed.

• Friday 17 July for 1 week

35 SHOTS OF RUM (12A)

(France/Germany 2009) dir. Claire Denis 100m. Subtitles. Digital.
Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Gregoire Colin, Nicola Dogue.

A modest apartment block in a working-class Paris suburb. Widower Lionel, a train driver, lives there with his daughter Josephine, a law student. Their lives are based on routine and trust, everything is constant but both know that one day things will inevitably change. With simplicity, sensitivity and insight, Claire Denis, the director of CHOCOLAT and BEAU TRAVAIL, sketches the shifting relationships between father and daughter, their friends and neighbours. Atmospherically shot and beautifully directed this low-key, deeply moving story of family ties is cinematic poetry at its purest and one of the films of the year.

• Friday 17 July for 1 week

SOUL POWER (12A)

(US 2008) dir. Jeffrey Levy-Hinte 93m.
James Brown, Celia Cruz, B.B. King, Don King, Muhammed Ali.

Kinshasa, Zaire, October 30 1974, and Muhammad Ali and George Foreman will meet in the legendary boxing match that will be forever known as The Rumble in the Jungle. Less remembered is the 12-hour, three-night long concert held at the same time and featuring a sensational mix of American R&B artists plus the biggest names in contemporary African music. SOUL POWER is a beautiful digital restoration of an event that has remained unseen for 35 years. Starring James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, and a host of others, all at the peak of their talents and all inspired by this return to their African roots to give the performances of their lives. The concert has achieved mythological significance as the definitive Africa-American musical event of the 20th Century. Now restored in HD and with incredible sound quality, this is an unbridled musical journey for the ages.

See www.soulpowerfilm.co.uk

• Friday 24 July for 1 week

ANTICHRIST (18)

(Denmark/Germany/France/Sweden/Italy/Poland 2009) dir. Lars Von Trier 105m. Digital.
Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

An early opportunity to see the most talked about movie at Cannes 2009, where audience opinion was divided but love it or hate it, one thing is certain: indifference is not an option for the latest masterwork from the ever unpredictable and intriguingly bizarre world of Lars von Trier. Grieving from the death of their child, a young couple retreat to their country cabin nestled deep in the woods to confront fears and sorrows head-on, no matter how painful. But nature only creates a catastrophic evil that ends in brutal horror. Charlotte Gainsbourg took the best actress prize at Cannes, but this is absolutely von Trier's show. Teeming with ideas, moments both scary and shocking and featuring a satanically prophetic talking fox this is Cinema at the outer limits.

See www.antichristthemovie.com

• Friday 31 July for 2 weeks

COCO BEFORE CHANEL (12A)

(France 2009) dir. Anne Fontaine 110m. Subtitles. Digital.
Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos.

Fascinating story of the acclaimed fashion designer, portraying her roots from a humble seamstress to the first lady of Parisian haute couture. Audrey Tautou gives a career-defining performance as the young Gabrielle, before she became Coco, struggling through the ranks of the Parisian upper classes, love affairs and heartaches to become one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. With cinematography as stunning as the costumes, impeccable period detail and wholly convincing performances, this is a visually dazzling treat and an unexpected break from the standard biopic.