• Friday 3 February 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, 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

• Friday 10 February for 2 weeks

A DANGEROUS METHOD (15)

(UK/Germany/Canada/Switzerland 2011) dir. David Cronenberg 100m. Digital.
Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel.

David Cronenberg's adaptation of Christopher Hampton's 'The Talking Cure' focuses on the intense relationship between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). When Jung is seduced by what seems an impossible challenge, the treatment of hysterical patient Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the clash of ideas and personalities reaches breaking point. It's a dark tale of discovery and exploration, both sexual and intellectual, vividly and compellingly brought to life by the performances of Knightley, Mortensen, Fassbender and Vincent Cassell as Otto Gross, a fellow psychiatrist, cocaine addict and unapologetic adulterer. Driven by its characters, language and ideas, A DANGEROUS METHOD is certainly far removed from any dusty costume drama.

Trailer

• Friday 24 February for 1 week

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (12A)

(UK 2011) dir. John Madden 124m. Digital.
Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Dev Patel, Liza Tarbuck.

Based on Deborah Moggach's novel about a group of retired Brits who head for India with dreams of a life of luxury but wind up in Jaipur 's less than 'best' and certainly not 'exotic' hotel of the title. It's certainly not the restored palace that the brochure promised but rather a faded shell well past its former glory days. Ever-optimistic young manager Dev Patel may try to convince them otherwise, but perhaps the past isn't everything and shared experiences might just begin to transform life and loves. With an unbeatable cast drawn from the cream of British acting talent, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is a bitter-sweet journey that's well worth taking.

THE ARTIST (PG)

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

Let's 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

• Friday 2 Mar for 1 week

CARANCHO (The Vulture) (15)

(Argentina 2010) dir. Pablo Trapero 107m. Subtitles. Digital.
Ricardo Darín, Martina Gusman , Carlos Weber, José Luis Arias, Fabio Ronzano.

A taut, suspense-filled noir thriller from Argentina in which the carancho or vulture of the title is Sosa (Ricardo Darín) an ambulance-chasing personal injury attorney with questionable ethics. Lujan (Martina Gusman) is a young, idealistic country doctor new to Buenos Aires. Their paths repeatedly cross and an unlikely romance begins, but one that is threatened by hidden pasts and present secrets. Director Trapero keeps the tension relentlessly mounting aided by some stylish camerawork and editing, and the performance of Ricardo Darín the star of THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES. The mix of sex, violence, dark humour and undisguised anger at a catalogue of public corruption and broken lives, spirals into an extraordinary finale that is one helluva ride.

Trailer

• Friday 9 Mar for 1 week

TRISHNA (15)

(UK 2011) dir. Michael Winterbottom 113m. Digital.
Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed, Roshan Seth, Kalki Koechlin.

An imaginative and haunting re-working, set in present day India, of Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' that retains the tragic heart of the classic story but inflects it with a very modern sensibility. Trishna (the superb Freida Pinto), daughter of a rickshaw driver meets Jay (Riz Ahmed), the son of a wealthy property developer, and the two fall in love. However, the sexual double-standard that was the undoing of the original Tess proves no less devastating for Trishna. Shigeru Umebayashi's beautifully incisive score and the stunningly photographed backdrops, whether in rural Rajasthan or urban Mumbai, ooze atmosphere but never swamp the central struggle at the core of both Hardy's original novel and a very original film: the battle between traditionalism and the forces that can destroy it.

Trailer

• Friday 16 March for 1 week

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (15)

(Turkey/Bosnia & Herzegovina 2011) dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan 157m. Subtitles. Digital.
Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel.

A haunting journey into the heart of darkness of the Anatolian countryside and into the heart of Anatolian identity. A murder has been committed and a man has confessed; all that remains is for him to lead police to the body but it soon becomes clear that the killer can't find the place where he left his victim. Unsurprisingly, master director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Cannes prize winner is no ordinary police investigation thriller. Nothing significant may seem to happen but things are not always as they appear to be. People, emotions and events develop in unexpected ways until the grand design of this subtle, rich and audacious film comes gradually into focus.

Trailer

• Friday 23 March for 1 week

THE KID WITH A BIKE (12A)

(Belgium/France/Italy 2011) dirs. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne 87m. Subtitles. Digital.
Thomas Doret, Cécile De France, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Egon Di Mateo.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's multi-award winning insights into ordinary lives have always been special but their latest film is much more: THE KID WITH A BIKE intrigues, excites, amuses and moves. Thomas Doret is a troubled but resourceful 12-year-old, who sets off to find his stolen bike and the father (Jérémie Renier) who has abandoned him. Along the way hairdresser Cécile de France takes him under her wing showing sympathy and understanding but there's still a rocky and complex moral landscape to navigate before the journey ends and it's an emotional and tense roller-coaster of a ride. With a trio of outstanding performances and not a trace of sentimentality, this is a gripping story of faith, hope and redemption told by two master film makers.

Trailer