What's in the Cinema this Week? (May 11-17)
Opening in Oxford this week is 28 Weeks Later , starring Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, and Mackintosh Muggleton. This gory sequel to horror hit '28 Days Later' picks up seven months after the initial outbreak of 'rage'. The British Isles have been ravaged by the virus, with what survivors are left shipped to the Isle of Dogs for quarantine. The US army has taken charge, but their preparations to re-populate the mainland are scuppered when the infection re-appears. This film contains strong bloody violence and gore. (18) 
Also opening this week is Blue Blood, which follows five Oxford University students who leave behind their books and pencils to prepare themselves for a bloody fistfight. In a tradition that dates back more than 100 years, Oxford University closes its doors once a year to settle its bitter rivalry with Cambridge University once and for all. A story as much about sports and personal determination as it is a social commentary, BLUE BLOOD reveals a side of the Oxford student that is virtually unknown. (15)
This week also has the opening of Goodbye Bafana, starring Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert, and Diane Kruger. Joseph Fiennes stars as James Gregory, a white Afrikaner who regards blacks as sub-human. When he becomes Nelson Mandela's prison warder his allegiances shift and an unlikely but profound relationship develops. This film contains strong language, racist references, and sex references. (15)
Opening at the Phoenix Cinema this week is Away From Her, starring Julie Christie, Michael Murphy, Gordon Pinsent, and Olympia Dukakis. Adapted from a short story by Alice Munro, this intimate two-character drama concerns Grant (Pinsent) and Fiona (Christie), a long-married couple in their golden years, who are much in love and connected to one another on every level. When Fiona's memory begins to slip and she insists on being put in a care home, the decision stirs up torrents of guilt and regret in Grant's heart. To make matters worse, the home forbids visits and communication for an interminable length of time. Grant is determined to support his wife, even at the expense of his own peace of mind. The film contains infrequent strong language. (12A)
Also at the Phoenix Cinema this week is the French film My Best Friend, starring Daniel Auteuil, Julie Gayet, and Dany Boon. The buddy is missing. François (Auteuil) is a middle-aged antiques dealer. He has a stylish apartment and a fabulous life, but at a dinner with a group he considers his dearest acquaintances, he is blindsided by the revelation that none of them actually like him. When his business partner challenges him to produce his best friend, François naively tears through his address book, trying to shoehorn an increasingly unlikely series of contacts into the all-important role. This film contains strong language (15)
Lastly, at the Phoenix Cinema this week is This Is England, starring Jo Hartley, Stephen Graham, George Newton, and Thomas Turgoose. It's the summer of 1983 and Shaun (Turgoose) is an isolated boy living in a grim working-class town, whose father has died in the Falklands. Over the course of the holiday he finds new male role models when those in the local skinhead scene take him in. Here he meets Combo (Graham), a racist skinhead who has recently come out of prison. As Combo's gang harass the local ethnic minorities, the course is set for a traumatic rite of passage that will hurl Shaun from innocence to experience.
posted by Oxford City Guide @ 12:27 PM
0 Comments
The Unexpected Guest - One of Agatha Christie's most mischievous and chilling whodunnits, The Unexpected Guest is filled with all the suspense, intrigue and surprise twists that you would expect from the undisputed first lady of crime. 
An Audience with Michael Rosen - Much loved writer, broadcaster and poet Michael Rosen talks about his own works and reflects on Oxford and the great fantasy writers for children. 
Hugh Masekela - Living legend Hugh Masekela is an international star and one of the most charismatic figures in South African culture. 
The Taming of the Shrew - Remarkable all male Shakespeare ensemble Propeller is back with a fabulous comedy of mistaken identities, transformations and deceptions. 
Guys and Dolls - A musical fable of Broadway. Based on Damon Runyon’s tales of the New York underworld, with Frank Loesser’s wonderful music, it brings to life the Broadway of the 1940s inhabited by gamblers, nightclub performers and members of the Salvation Army in search of sinners to cure. 
