Top UK Movies This Week and Where to See Them (May 9-15)

Top UK Movies

1. Iron Man (see at George, Magdalen, Vue)
   


2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (see at George, Vue)
   


3. Nim's Island (see at Magdalen, Vue)
   


4. Made of Honor (see at George, Vue)
   


5. The Eye (see at Vue)
   


6. 21 (see at Magdalen, Vue)
   

7. In Bruges (see at Ultimate Picture Palace, Vue)

8. Fools Gold (no longer showing)
   


9. Happy-Go-Lucky (no longer showing)
   


10. Perseplois (see at Phoenix)
    

What's in the Cinema this Week? (May 9-15)

The following films are coming out in Oxford this week:

Speed Racer (PG) starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox. Contains moderate fantasy violence and martial arts sequences.'Speed Racer' is the best racing driver of his time, fearless and instinctive he was born to race cars and fulfil his family's legacy. But the time has now come for Speed Racer to defend his family's racing business from collapse and compete in the world's most dangerous race "The Crucible" and avenge his brother's death.

What Happens in Vegas (12A) starring Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Lake Bell. Contains moderate sex references and language. 'What happens in Vegas' is the story of Jack (Kutcher) and Joy (Diaz) - two people down on their luck who meet in Vegas, and following a night of debauchery, end up married! Whilst deciding to get a divorce, a shared gambling chip ends up netting one of them $3 million dollars. The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money - only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing.

Honeydripper (PG) starring Charles Dutton, Danny Glover, Gary Jr. From American indie leading light Sayles (Matewan, Lone Star) comes a typically intelligent and beautifully crafted tale covering the birth of rock and roll and the coming to dominance of the electric guitar in the American South of the 1950s. Tyrone (Glover) is the proprietor of the Honeydripper juke joint. When business at the once-popular club begins to tail off and Tyrone hires unpredictable electric guitarist Sonny (guitar protégé Gary Clark Jr) against his better judgment, his last-ditch bid to draw in crowds during harvest time has surprising results that neither he nor the ambitious Sonny could have ever anticipated. Featuring a number of real-life bluesmen such as Keb Mo, the film bristles with authenticity.

Joy Division (PG). This engrossing documentary directed by Grant Gee (Meeting People is Easy and the cinematographer on Scott Walker: 30 Century Man) and written by revered music critic Jon Savage explores in-depth one of the most influential and inventive bands of its era. Following Anton Corbijn's pulsating and moving Control and the recent death of Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, Joy Division is a timely investigation of the band's profound legacy. It is also a film about the city of Manchester and how if influenced the band's unique sound. Featuring interviews with the surviving band members and associates, the film also includes previously unseen live footage, personal photos and newly discovered audio-tapes.

Doomsday (18) starring Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, Alexander Siddig, Malcolm McDowell. In an apocalyptic vision of the future, authorities brutally quarantine Scotland as it succumbs to fear and chaos when a virus strikes. The literal walling-off works for three decades - until the dreaded Reaper virus violently resurfaces in London. An elite group of specialists are urgently dispatched into the still quarantined country to retrieve a cure by any means necessary. Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare. Now, 27 years after the epidemic, groups of survivors are marauding through the streets of Glasgow and the virus has surfaced outside the wall. The British P.M. and his ruthless chief advisor, have decided to send a covert team into Scotland to search for a cure.

Get showtimes for all the cinemas in Oxford

What's in the Theatre this week? (May 9-15)

Oxford Playhouse:

A Doll's House
- A version by Frank McGuinness of Henrik Ibsen's original. Set as a picture of 1950s domestic bliss, overturned family traditions and values come to the fore as one happy family realises life will never be the same again.

Simon Yates: Beyond the Void
- Simon Yates first became known as the man who cut the rope. In this talk he givews a real insight into the mountain environment and the extreme mental and physical challenge of climbing.

Educating Agnes - Sometimes in a dark and daft world where no one can be trusted, a man needs to go to any lengths to control a woman.

Old Fire Station:

The Audacity of Ideas
- From the decadence of court life to the savage violence tearing France apart, this play by Gareth Russell details the heartbreak, deception, intrigue and trauma of a dying empire. Based on eyewitness accounts.

Assassins - Assassins is a vaudeville revue about those few who have taken a shot at a President of the United States. It both shocks and entertains. Following the success of Company and Into the Woods, Musicals of Oxford brings you Sondheim's modern masterpiece. Come and see those who believe in our right to be happy.

Burton Taylor Studio:

Dirty Linen by Tom Stoppard - A select committee investigation into parliament's moral standards is hampered by one very sexy secretary. A farce with Stoppard's characteristic wit featuring hilarious sexual hypocrisy in the House of Commons.

The Nose - By Nikolai Gogol, adapted by Sam Caird & David Wolf. An absurd satire about a man's nose running riot in St. Petersburg. Nonsense from the father of Russian realism and one of the finest comic writers of all time.

Student Play - What can a young Classics scholar learn from a homeless friend, a cynical rent-boy and a naive policeman?

The Bald Prima Donna - A parody of theatre, a tragedy about language or an exposition of the absurdity of human existence.

New Theatre:

Roy Chubby Brown

Thriller Live - The Songs of Michael Jackson & The Jackson Five - This amazing show, featuring over 30 performers including a full company of singers, dancers, gospel choir, live band will celebrate the King Of Pop like never before!

Horrible Histories - The Terrible Tudors & The Vile Victorians

CollegeTheatre:

The Zoo Story - Brasenose College - Two strangers meet in a city park, and their lives are changed forever. One of the most gripping one-act plays ever written, Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story" is theatre at its purest: two men, a park bench, one hour of powerful and profound human interaction. By turns hilarious, surprising, and deeply moving, the play explores at its core what it means for two people to relate to each other.

The Importance of Being Earnest - Brasenose College

An Ideal Husband - Magdalen College President's Garden - This May Oscar Wilde returns to his spiritual home, as Magdalen Players put on a unique performance of An Ideal Husband. The scandalous comedy, centring around the glittering political intrigues of late Victorian London, is brought to life in full costume, by a superb range of the finest acting talent Oxford has to offer. Beautiful people and beautiful writing are complemented by the stunningly beautiful surrounds of the Magdalen College President's Gardens, open to the public only for this extremely special play. An Ideal Husband offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy Magdalen's timeless beauty alongside one of its favourite sons.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard - O'Reilly Theatre, Keble College

Carmen - Holywell Music Room - A concert presentation (in French) of Bizet's great opera.

The Clandestine Marriage - Moser Theatre, Wadham College - This exciting new production of a long-neglected play sees true love battling the attempts of the nouveaux riches to marry into the aristocracy.

Miscellaneous Theatre:

Soldiers Tale by the Adderbury Ensemble and Oxford Dance Theatre - Newman Rooms, St Aldates and North Wall Arts Centre - Conducted by Mark Goddard, Directed and Choreographed by Jackie Keirs

For all theatre information, times and dates, click here

This Week's Music Highlights (May 9-15)

Friday:

Evening Of Piano Trios & Song - St Margaret's Church, St Margaret's Road

Oxford New Orchestra Trinity Term Concert - New College Chapel

Oxford Philomusica: The Magic Of Mozart - Sheldonian Theatre

Steve Fishwick (trumpet) Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Double Bass) - The Old Parsonage

Alvin Roy's Reeds Unlimited - Old Orleans

Spark III - Live Music - Modern Art Oxford

The Mighty Redox + The Pete Fryer Band + Film Noir + Jeremy & Kev - The Magdalen

Matt Weedon + The Cold Bloods + Dissolved In + Monkey Puzzle - Jericho Tavern

Les Savy Fav - Carling Academy

Saturday:

Carmen - Holywell Music Room

Concert Of Sacred and Popular Songs (in aid of the Alzheimer's Society) - University Church of St Mary

Thames Vale Youth Orchestra - Spring Concert - Sheldonian Theatre

Boot-Led-Zeppelin - Carling Academy

Inflatable Buddha + Dr Butler's Hatstand Medicine Band + Chris Faroe + Simon Davies - Oxford Cycle Workshop, Magdalen Road

The Crusaders + Phoenix Child + The Julia Thomas Band - Exeter Hall

Sunday:

Coffee Concert: Adderbury Ensemble - Holywell Music Room

Trio Wanderer - Balliol Hall

Charity Concert - In Aid Of Israel's Oasis Of Peace - Jacqueline du Pre Music Building

The Lute - King Of Instruments with Michael Graeme Lowe - Holywell Music Room

Dave Newton (pn) Matt Skelton (dr) Anthony Kerr(vibes) Tim Dawes (dble bass) Jasmin Nelson - Gee's

Monday:

Famous Monday Night Blues - featuring Sherman Robertson & Bluesmove (USA)-
Backroom at the Bully

The Charlatans - Carling Academy

Tuesday:

The Oxford Jazz Club featuring The Howard Peacock Quintet - Backroom at the Bully

Josephine Arthur (vocals) with Martin Pickett (keys) & Paul Jefferies (bass) - The Big Bang

Greg Skidmore - Baritone - Holywell Music Room

Wednesday:

Oxford Punt! The Punt aims to showcase the best new unsigned talent in Oxfordshire; the event runs from 6pm at Borders through til midnight at the Cellar, taking in the Purple Turtle, Wheatsheaf, QI Club and Thirst Lodge along the way, featuring some 20 acts. Check our website for details.

Thursday:

Trevor Warren's Disassembler featuring Annie Whitehead, Mark Lockheart, Dudley Phillips and Winston Clifford - The Spin at the Wheatsheaf

KCMS Recital: Malcolm Pearce and Keith Fairbairn - Keble College Chapel

Spiers & Boden - Backroom at the Bully

Get a complete list of Music Events in Oxford: Classical, Gig Guide, Folk, Jazz

Top UK Movies This Week and Where to See Them (May 02-08)

1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (see at George, Vue)
2. The Eye (see at Magdalen, Vue)
3. 21 (see at George, Vue)
4. Fools Gold (see at George, Vue)
5. In Bruges (see at Ultimate Picture Palace, Vue)
6. Son of Rambow (see at Vue)
7. Deception (see at Vue)
8. Street Kings (see at Vue)
9. The Spiderwick Chronicles (see at George, Vue)
10. Happy-Go-Lucky (see at Magdalen, Phoenix)

What's in the Cinema this Week? (May 02-08)

The following films are coming out in Oxford this week:

Made of Honor (12A) starring Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Sydney Pollack. Contains moderate language and sex references.'Made of Honour' is the story of Tom (Patrick Dempsey – Grey's Anatomy), a successful, sexy, ladies man. His best friend is Hannah and they have the perfect relationship, she is after all the only constant in his life. But when Hannah goes away for six weeks, Tom realises how much he misses Hannah and decides to propose to her when she returns, but Hannah has a surprise of her own.

Nim's Island (U) starring Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin, Alphonso McAuley. Contains mild bad language, threat and fantasy violence. Alexandra (Jodie Foster) is the author of the world's most famous adventure series novels, 'Alex Rover'. But, Alexandra is a recluse. Nim, however lives on an island with her father, and is a big 'Alex Rover' fan. One day her father goes missing, and contacts Alex Rover asking for help. Alexandra, spurred by her fictional character, leaves home and travels around the world to help save Nim's father.

Get showtimes for all the cinemas in Oxford

What's in the Theatre this week? (May 02-08)

Oxford Playhouse:

DV8-To Be Straight With You
- A poetic but unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality.

The Impotent Fury of the Privileged
- An angry, frustrated and beautiful new show from award-winning comedian Daniel Kitson about wanting the world to change but not doing enough to change it.

A Doll's House
- A version by Frank McGuinness of Henrik Ibsen's original. Set as a picture of 1950s domestic bliss, overturned family traditions and values come to the fore as one happy family realises life will never be the same again.

Old Fire Station:

The Merchant of Venice - Racial and political tensions are high in the Venice council estate, where native British merchants mix uneasily with a financially strong ethnic community. Suspicion lingers in the hearts of the merchants, whilst an insecurity and resentment that cannot be soothed by political concessions still exists in their neighbours.

The Audacity of Ideas
- From the decadence of court life to the savage violence tearing France apart, this play by Gareth Russell details the heartbreak, deception, intrigue and trauma of a dying empire. Based on eyewitness accounts.

Burton Taylor Studio:

Spring Quartet - Four vignettes of asynchronism between lovers, demi-gods and actors. Ensembles form hotels, wombs, labyrinths as they scrutinise human relations; a springtime experiment in storytelling with new writing, dance, shadow play, cashew nuts and an infinity of muslin…

Dirty Linen by Tom Stoppard - A select committee investigation into parliament's moral standards is hampered by one very sexy secretary. A farce with Stoppard's characteristic wit featuring hilarious sexual hypocrisy in the House of Commons.

The Nose - By Nikolai Gogol, adapted by Sam Caird & David Wolf. An absurd satire about a man's nose running riot in St. Petersburg. Nonsense from the father of Russian realism and one of the finest comic writers of all time.

New Theatre:

Fiddler on the Roof - Fiddler on the Roof is the 'must see' production of one of the best loved musicals of all time. This spectacular stage show went on to become a smash-hit Oscar-winning film and features some of the most memorable songs in musical history, including Tradition, Matchmaker, Sunrise, Sunset and the unforgettable If I Were A Rich Man. Now is your chance to see this fantastic production in Oxford.

Dara O'Briain

French & Saunders - Yes, it is true, the amazing comedy duet are back on stage. Live in Oxford at the New Theatre for one night only, this is a must see.

CollegeTheatre:

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Pembroke College presents an open-air production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare's comedy of blurred identities will take place on Chapel Quad in 3rd week, as part of this year's Arts Week festival. The production will explore those places where reality is at its thinnest, where people become the playthings of dreams.

The Zoo Story - Brasenose College - Two strangers meet in a city park, and their lives are changed forever. One of the most gripping one-act plays ever written, Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story" is theatre at its purest: two men, a park bench, one hour of powerful and profound human interaction. By turns hilarious, surprising, and deeply moving, the play explores at its core what it means for two people to relate to each other.

The Importance of Being Earnest - Brasenose College

An Ideal Husband - Magdalen College President's Garden - This May Oscar Wilde returns to his spiritual home, as Magdalen Players put on a unique performance of An Ideal Husband. The scandalous comedy, centring around the glittering political intrigues of late Victorian London, is brought to life in full costume, by a superb range of the finest acting talent Oxford has to offer. Beautiful people and beautiful writing are complemented by the stunningly beautiful surrounds of the Magdalen College President's Gardens, open to the public only for this extremely special play. An Ideal Husband offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy Magdalen's timeless beauty alongside one of its favourite sons.

For all theatre information, times and dates, click here

This Week's Music Highlights (May 02-08)

Friday:

Oxford May Music 2008 - The Fibonacci Sequence - Holywell Music Room

Vivaldi - Dixit Dominus - Keble College Chapel

Graham Harvey (piano) Matt Wates (alto sax)) Tim Dawes (Double Bass) - The Old Parsonage

Paul Weller - Carling Academy

Topman NME New Noise Tour Ft. Crystal Castles + Friendly Fires + Team Waterpolo + White Lies - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Shaker Heights + Contact + Wookies + The Wilmots - Jericho Tavern

Saturday:

Oxford May Music 2008 - Elias String Quartet - Holywell Music Room

Matthew Barley (Cello) - University Church of St Mary

Daphna Sadeh & The Voyagers - North Wall Arts Centre

Mozart: Paris Symphony; Violin Concerto No5, Marriage of Figaro Act II - Sheldonian Theatre

The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band - The Hollybush, Osney Island

Paul Weller - Carling Academy

Songs of Praise - Baby Simple

Beaver's Birthday Bash - Live bands featuring Harry Angel + Toupe + Beaver Fuel + James Bell - Backroom at the Bully

Melting Pot with Ray + The Swamis + TheWhybirds + Cabaret Rat - Jericho Tavern

Sunday:

Coffee Concert: Doric String Quartet - Holywell Music Room

Oxford May Music 2008- Adrian Brendel (cello) & Charles Owen (piano) - Holywell Music Room

Rod Youngs (dr) Al Cherry (gt) Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Dble Bs) Mim Grey - Gee's

Monday:

Famous Monday Night Blues - featuring Memo Gonzalez & The Bluescasters -
Backroom at the Bully

Oxford May Music 2008 - Closing concert - Holywell Music Room

We Are The Physics - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Tuesday:

The Oxford Jazz Club featuring Alison Bentley - Backroom at the Bully

Alex Hawkins (keys) with Paul Jordaneous (trumpet) & Paul Jefferies (bass) - The Big Bang

The Wombats - Carling Academy

Wednesday:

Buggerall!

Thursday:

John Burgess Saxes - The Spin at the Wheatsheaf

Mr Scruff – Keep It Unreal - Carling Academy

Dead Spies + Spiro Spero + 50ft Panda - Jericho Tavern

Oceanographers - Exeter Hall

Sloung 2008: Inchtime & Steve Larkin - The Vaults Cafe

Get a complete list of Music Events in Oxford: Classical, Gig Guide, Folk, Jazz

Bridge to close again for May Morning

Oxford and Oxfordshire news, sport, business, leisure and what's on from The Oxford Times newspaper: Bridge to close again for May Morning

BARRIERS will again be in place to prevent people jumping off Magdalen Bridge during annual May Day celebrations in Oxford next Thursday.

It will be the third year that police and councils have closed the bridge after 100 revellers leapt into the River Cherwell in 2005, leaving 40 injured, 12 needing hospital treatment and costing the health authorities £50,000.

Magdalen Bridge will be closed between 4am and 8.30am on Thursday. Police said the bridge would be re-opened as soon as officers at the scene thought it was safe.

The move has provoked criticism from those living in East Oxford, who claimed they were excluded from taking part in the celebrations as they were effectively cut off from the High Street by the closure."

Nizlopi Tickets

Congratulations to Sunny Wagar for winning the Nizlopi tickets for tonight's show at the Academy!

What's in the Cinema this Week? (April 25 - May 01)

Deception (15) starring Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor. Contains strong language and sex. Deception tells the story of Jonathan (Ewan McGregor), a new accountant at a legal firm. Soon he meets Wyatt (Hugh Jackman), a charming, sophisticated lawyer who introduces Jonathan to 'the list' - a seedy underworld where control means everything. Soon, Jonathan finds that he breaks the rules and as a result, is implicated in the disappearance of a young woman.

The Oxford Murders (15) starring John Hurt, Elijah Wood, Alex de la Iglesia. Contains strong language, moderate sex and violence. An enigma is all that stands in the way of solving a spate of gruesome murders in the sleepy university city of Oxford. But when Professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt) is next on the list he knows his time is beginning to run out.

Advanced screenings can be seen on Thursday of Iron Man (12A) Starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow. Contains moderate violence and one use of moderate language.'Iron Man' is the story of Tony Stark, the enigmatic heir to the Stark Enterprises fortune. A driven inventor and executive who seems to have it all. Though he commands his empire by day, by night he secretly becomes 'Iron Man', the living embodiment of decades of defence spending and innovation. Strapping on billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art armour and weaponry each night to fight crime, terrorism and corporate espionage, Tony begins to crack under the strain of his fractured lifestyle and must ultimately confront the one enemy he can never beat -- himself.

Get showtimes for all the cinemas in Oxford

What's in the Theatre this week? (Apr 25 - May 01)

Oxford Playhouse:

Blackbird
- Guilt and raw emotions run high as Ray and Una recollect the passionate affair they had 15 years ago.

Nowhere to Belong - Tara presents Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's poignant and impassioned one-woman show about a Ugandan in Britain. Journalist and political commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown explores her life-long love of Shakespeare. Her experience of playing Juliet as a teenager in '60's Uganda sent shockwaves through her family and helped shape the emotional and political landscape of her life.

Possessed - a workshop performance
- Join in a workshop performance... A musical play about obsession, madness, drugs and the supernatural.

DV8-To Be Straight With You
- A poetic but unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality.

Old Fire Station:

Volpone - Volpone (or The Fox) is a hilarious comedy of corruption, immorality and the grotesque. A play about power, greed, seduction and lust (all the good stuff) - the satire is as biting now as when it was first performed in the 17th Century. Packed with fantastical characters behaving very badly, this is certain to make you laugh and think.

The Merchant of Venice - Racial and political tensions are high in the Venice council estate, where native British merchants mix uneasily with a financially strong ethnic community. Suspicion lingers in the hearts of the merchants, whilst an insecurity and resentment that cannot be soothed by political concessions still exists in their neighbours.

Burton Taylor Studio:

Spring Quartet - Four vignettes of asynchronism between lovers, demi-gods and actors. Ensembles form hotels, wombs, labyrinths as they scrutinise human relations; a springtime experiment in storytelling with new writing, dance, shadow play, cashew nuts and an infinity of muslin…

New Theatre:

La Traviata - Ellen Kent International - A spectacular traditional production from one of the loveliest opera houses in Europe with handpicked soloists, highly-praised chorus and full orchestra.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show - From the groundbreaking whimsy of the Barrett era to the mind-blowing experimentation of Ummagumma, the pulsating scoundscapes of Meddle to the unrelenting force of Dark Side Of The Moon. Enjoy the stately reflection of Wish You Were Here to the dark anger of Animals, the emotional power of The Wall and The Final Cut, to the latter day grandeur of The Division Bell. It's a strange and wonderful journey through which these Aussie obsessives will guide you with the precision of the true fan.

Fiddler on the Roof - Fiddler on the Roof is the 'must see' production of one of the best loved musicals of all time. This spectacular stage show went on to become a smash-hit Oscar-winning film and features some of the most memorable songs in musical history, including Tradition, Matchmaker, Sunrise, Sunset and the unforgettable If I Were A Rich Man. Now is your chance to see this fantastic production in Oxford.

Pegasus Theatre:

something old, something new - Guests from our past will be performing once again on our stage in a special performance to mark the transition from old Pegasus to new Pegasus. Each night will feature a different programme.

For all theatre information, times and dates, click here

This Week's Music Highlights (Apr 25 - May 01)

Friday:

The Sixteen - Thy Muse Lives On… Treasures Of Tudor England - University Church of St Mary

David Owen Norris With Orchestra Europa - Sheldonian Theatre

Christoph Denoth - Holywell Music Room

3bpm with Andrea Mann - Fallowfields Restaurant and Country House Hotel

Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Double Bass) with Ian Ellis (sax) - The Old Parsonage

Nizlopi + Jimmy Davis + Chantelle Pike - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Karine Polwart - Carling Academy

Miso Ensemble - Jacqueline du Pre Music Building

Oxjam: The Half Rabbits, Sennen, Sunnyvale & Cogwheel Dogs. All proceeds go to Oxfam - The Wheatsheaf

Saturday:

Orchestral Concert: Guy Woolfenden Conducts The Oxford Sinfonia wind ensemble - University Church of St Mary

Oxford Pro Musica Singers - Merton College Chapel

Handel concert - St Margaret's Church, St Margaret's Road

Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Circuits New Music of Portugal The Smith Quartet - Jacqueline du Pre Music Building

The Epstein - Jericho Tavern

Sunday:

Coffee Concert: Mia Cooper (Violin), Viv Mclean (Piano), Michael White (Clarinet) - Holywell Music Room

Enrico Rava & Stefano Bollani - Jacqueline du Pre Music Building

Clark Tracy (dr) Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Dble Bs) Matt Wates(sx) Jasmin Nelson- Gee's

The Kills + These New Puritans - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Australian Pink Floyd - The New Theatre

Monday:

Famous Monday Night Blues - featuring Gregg Wright (USA) -
Backroom at the Bully

Jazz Night With Barcode - The Living Room

Mystery Jets - Carling Academy

Angus and Julia Stone - Jericho Tavern

Tuesday:

The Oxford Jazz Club featuring The Howard Peacock Quintet - Backroom at the Bully

Shireen Francis (vocals) with Barry Green (keys) & Paul Jefferies (bass) - The Big Bang

The Eastside Rhythm Kings - Gladiator's Hall

Ulrich Schnauss + Airiel + International Jetsetters - The Cellar

An Evening Of Jazz with Rachel Parris and Peter Wilson - Holywell Music Room

Wednesday:

Oxford May Music Festival 2008 - Piano Recital by Piers Lane - Holywell Music Room

Thursday:

Oxford May Music 2008- Jack Liebeck (violin) & Ashley Wass (piano) - Sheldonian Theatre

Dave Gordon Keyboards - The Spin at the Wheatsheaf

Rival Consoles / worriedaboutsatan / Eudrehal - Backroom at the Bully

Get a complete list of Music Events in Oxford: Classical, Gig Guide, Folk, Jazz

Top UK movies this week (April 18-24)

Top films in the UK and where in Oxford to see them:

1. 21 (see at George, Vue)
   


2. Son of Rambow (see at George, Vue)
   


3. 27 Dresses (see at George, Vue)
   


4. The Spiderwick Chronicles (see at George, Vue)
   


5. Step Up 2 (see at George, Vue)
   


6. Leatherheads (see at Magdalen, Vue)
   


7. Horton Hears a Who (see at Magdalen, Vue)
   


8. Never Back Down (see at Vue)
   


9. Shine a Light (see at Vue)
   


10. Pathology (see at Vue)
    

What's in the Cinema this Week? (April 18-24)

The following films are coming out in Oxford this week:

Happy-Go-Lucky (15) starring Eddie Marsan, Sally Hawkins. Poppy (Hawkins) is an irrepressible 30-something enjoying her life in Camden. Whether out on her bike, preparing lessons for her primary school class, or drinking with friends in the local, she keeps a smile on her face and a joke on her lips. She is happy with her life and determined to get the most out of every day. When her bicycle is stolen, she decides to invest in driving lessons, which will bring her face-to-face with a character and a world view quite unlike her own. Compared with Leigh's previous works, Happy-Go-Lucky presents a calmer, more optimistic take on contemporary Britain, where individualism and the pursuit of happiness define the lives of a generation, but where old-fashioned notions of community and selflessness still exist.

Fools Gold (12A) starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone. Contains moderate violence, sex references and one use of strong language. Ben "Finn" Finnegan (Matthew McConaughey) is a surf bum turned treasure hunter obsessed with finding an 18th century Queen's Dowry. 'Fools Gold' also stars Kate Hudson as Tess, Ben's ex wife who once again falls in love with 'Finn' after joining him in the hunt for the missing jewels.
watch trailer

Flashbacks of a Fool (15) starring Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Olivia Williams, Jodhi May, Helen McCrory, Miriam Karlin. Joe Scot is a washed up Hollywood star, whose hedonistic lifestyle of sex, drugs, and celebrity has taken its toll. Handsome even in his drug-addled 40s, he leads a directionless, lonely life in his opulent Malibu mansion whilst outside the tide of public opinion has turned firmly against him. Only when confronted by tragedy is he forced to face up to the ghosts of his past.
watch trailer

In Bruges (18) starring Elizabeth Berrington, Rudy Blomme, Olivier Bonjour, Mark Donovan, Ann Elsley, Colin Farrell, Jean-Marc Favorin, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson, Eric Godon, Zeljko Ivanek, Sachi Kimura, Anna Madeley, Louis Nummy, Clémence Poésy, Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell and Brendon Gleeson are two Irish hitmen who, after a failing a job, are packed off to Bruges to await instructions from their irascible boss, Ralph Fiennes. At something of a loose end, the pair decide to pass their time in exile with some traditional sight seeing and hitting a few locals bars. Things start to go awry, however, when Farrel succumbs to the charms of a young woman who is helping to shoot a film in the City and misses a phonecall from the Fiennes, who then decides to deal with the situation himself. Written and directed by acclaimed Irish playwright, Martin McDonagh.
watch trailer

There are several advanced screenings next week in Oxford: The Eye (15), Three and Out (15), Street Kings (15) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Visit our cinema page for posters, trailers, synopses and showtimes.

Get showtimes for all the cinemas in Oxford

What's in the Theatre this week? (April 18-24)

Oxford Playhouse:

Plaza Suite - 1968. Three couples, Suite 719, The Plaza Hotel, New York. A failing marriage, a smooth-talking ladies' man and a bride locked in a bathroom all come together in this wry, witty and entertaining comedy.

An Evening With Blowers - Henry Blofeld - This side splitting one man show is a quintessentially British affair in which 'Blowers' (Henry Blofeld) trawls through his extraordinary life.

The Oxford Revue
- An unmissable night of sketch comedy from the country's three best and brightest student revues.

Blackbird
- Guilt and raw emotions run high as Ray and Una recollect the passionate affair they had 15 years ago.

Old Fire Station:

The Stand-Up Economist - Yoram Bauman PhD has performed at comedy clubs and colleges around the world, and his jokes about economics and politics have over 400,000 hits on YouTube. He's thrilled to be coming to Oxford for his first performance in the UK!

Volpone - Volpone (or The Fox) is a hilarious comedy of corruption, immorality and the grotesque. A play about power, greed, seduction and lust (all the good stuff) - the satire is as biting now as when it was first performed in the 17th Century. Packed with fantastical characters behaving very badly, this is certain to make you laugh and think.

Burton Taylor Studio:

Funeral Games - A tale of tea stains, stiffs and brotherly love. Keith, the estranged son, has returned, bringing a whole lot of trouble with him for his longsuffering brother Henry. Dad, the head of funeral directors Hall and Son, looks set to need his own services very soon and, to Henry, it seems a little white lie might be enough to get rid of his short tempered, live-wire brother. Unfortunately, nothing goes quite how he planned as the interloper decides he wants to join the family business. Disaster ensues.

New Theatre:

James - Few bands can claim to have been instrumental in 20 years of musical history. Well, James are one of them. From their early EPs for a youthful Factory records, through their pivotal place in the '80s indie scene, the early '90s Manc-centric baggy scene and the mid '90s era of guitar bands breaking the top 10 and playing arenas.

Childish Things 4 - For the fourth year running Helen & Douglas House is proud to present Childish Things with a whole host of comedians who will have you roaring until it hurts. The evening is for charity. More details of the line up will follow soon. For more information about the Helen & Douglas House.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) - The Compleat Wrks Of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) embodies one of comedy's most essential impulses: the adolescent urge to take a baseball bat to the culturally revered. A mix of pratfalls, puns, willful misreadings of names and dialogue, clunky female impersonations, clean-cut ribaldry, and broad burlesque. The gung-ho vitality is impossible to resist. The conversion of the histories into a football game is very funny. So is a rap version of Othello. Hamlet truly soars and allows the actors to come into their own as manic clowns. At its giddiest, its tone recalls the fabled Bullwinkle cartoon shows.

Buena Vista Social Club Presents - Mirabal, Cachaito, Aguaje & Galban - An internationally renowned eighteen piece big band who are the true and original veterans of Cuban music. Led by Guajiro Mirabal, Cachaito Lopez, Manuel Galban and Aguaje Ramos, the band was rediscovered in 1996 and have gone on to win a Grammy Award in 1997.

Miscellaneous Theatre:

Hull Truck presents "Two" - Hull Truck, one of the UK's great touring theatre companies and founded by the legendary John Godber (Bouncers, Teechers, Up 'N' Under), will be at the North Wall on April 21st for a single performance of Jim Cartwright's 'Two' - a sharply observed, comic portrayal of Northern pub life.

For all theatre information, times and dates, click here

This Week's Music Highlights (April 18-24)

Friday:

Fraud, Corey Mwamba & Orphy Robinson - Wesley Memorial Church

Dave Lewis (sax) Tim Dawes (Double Bass) Mark Ridout (guitar) - The Old Parsonage

The Richard Chapman Group - Holywell Music Room

The Long Blondes - Carling Academy

The Stanley Blacks + Seven Years On + Talc Demons + Shattered Dreams - Jericho Tavern

Saturday:

BellesVoix: Bizet To Bernstein - Jacqueline du Pre Music Building

Music at Oxford: Brodsky Quartet - Sheldonian Theatre

Teares & Lamentacions - St Michael & All Angels, Summertown

Faure's Requiem - Trinity College Chapel

James - The New Theatre

Sunday:

Coffee Concert: Rautio Piano Trio - Holywell Music Room

...The Isle is Full of Music… - Holywell Music Room

Simon Lea (dr) Al Cherry (gt) Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Dble Bs) Georgia Mancio - Gee's

Simon Lea (dr) Al Cherry (gt) Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Dble Bs) - Quod

Monday:

Famous Monday Night Blues - featuring Hamilton Loomis (USA) -
Backroom at the Bully

Jazz Night With Barcode - The Living Room

Belcea Quartet - Jacqueline du Pre Music Building

Ben's Brother + A Fine Frenzy - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Elle Milano + Untitled Music Project + The Gullivers - Jericho Tavern

Tuesday:

The Oxford Jazz Club featuring The Howard Peacock Quintet - Backroom at the Bully

3bpm Jazz Trio (Martin Pickett, keys/Paul Jefferies, bass/Ben Twyford, drums) - The Big Bang

Brookes Music's Big Night Out 4 - Carling Academy (Zodiac Room)

Wednesday:

Gogol Bordello + Skindred - Carling Academy

Inigo Jones Band - The Wheatsheaf

Lucy & The Caterpillar + You & Me - Baby Simple

Thursday:

Asaf Sirkis' Inner Noise feat Steve Lodder and Mike Outram - The Spin at the Wheatsheaf

English Sinfonia - Dream Of Songs - North Wall Arts Centre

An Evening With Was (Not Was) - Carling Academy

Mephisto Grande + Keyboard Choir - Freud

Telling the Bees + Chris & Roxy + Josh Knight - Jericho Tavern

Get a complete list of Music Events in Oxford: Classical, Gig Guide, Folk, Jazz

What's on for Kids this week? (April 11-17)

Modern Art Trolley
Modern Art Oxford
Every Weekend

CBeebies at the Theatre
New Theatre
Friday 11 and Sunday 13 April

Dragon's Teeth and Other Tales
Burton Taylor Theatre
Saturday 12 April

Free Family Friendly Fun!
Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers
Sunday 13 April

Easter Mystery Trail
Museum of the History of Science
Until 20 April

Eggstroardinary Easter Egg Hunt
Pitt Rivers Museum
Until 20 April

Crazy Cars
Hands-On
Saturday 12 April, 14-18 April

Spring Fever
Oxford Castle Unlocked
Until 18 April

Totem Poles
Pitt Rivers Museum
Wed 16 - Fri 18 April

Knight Life: Medieval Family Day
Museum of Oxford
Thursday 17 April

Wobbly Woo Music Show
Hands-On
Thursday 17 April

See our Kids Activities Page for a full list of child-friendly events.

What's in the Cinema this Week? (April 11-17)

The following films are coming out in Oxford this week:

Leatherheads (PG) starring George Clooney, Renee Zellwegger. Contains mild language and comic violence. A failing football team, a national hero and a female journalist. Leatherheads stars George Clooney as 'Dodge' Connelly, a football star in a failing team, but when his teams season is considered over due to lack of funds, he has a plan. He enlists national war hero and football star Carter Rutherford (John Krasniski) to help, but his intentions come under the close scrutiny of sharp tongued journalist Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellwegger). Soon both men begin to fight for the attention of Lexie and the public.

Love in the Time of Cholera (15) starring Benjamin Bratt, Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno. Set in the complex, magical and sensual city of Cartageña, Colombia, this sweeping romantic epic tells the story of a man who waits over 50 years for his one true love. Bardem stars as poet Florentino who discovers his life's passion when he meets Fermina (Mezzogiorno). Her father is furious when he learns of the affair and vows to keep them apart forever. Fermina marries a sophisticated aristocrat and moves to Paris. When she returns to Cartageña years later, she has all but forgotten her first love, but Florentino had never forgotten her. Adapted from Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez's novel by Ronald Harewood (The Pianist), Love in the Time of Cholera is a journey into the very heart of love.

Pathology (18) starring Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Weston, Lauren Lee Smith, Dan Callahan, Johnny Whitworth, Mei Melancon, Alyssa Milano. Milo Ventimiglia headlines this dark crime thriller as Ted Gray - a young intern, newly arrived at the University Hospital in Philadelphia, who was top of his classes and is engaged to a beautiful woman. As he settles in he stumbles onto a psychopathic group of colleagues playing a vile game. They regularly select one of their members to commit the "perfect murder," while the rest use forensic methods to try to determine exactly how the homicide was executed. He realises they must be stopped but the only way he can do that is to beat them at their own game before they get to him.

Get showtimes for all the cinemas in Oxford

What's in the Theatre this week? (April 11-17)

Oxford Playhouse:

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Musical Youth Company of Oxford pull out all the stops to present this 20th anniversary production of this multi award-winning show.

The Last South: Pursuit of the Pole - Adapted from the journals of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott by G. M. Calhoun. This new drama charts the incredible journey of two of the world's most revered explorers - Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott.

Plaza Suite - 1968. Three couples, Suite 719, The Plaza Hotel, New York. A failing marriage, a smooth-talking ladies' man and a bride locked in a bathroom all come together in this wry, witty and entertaining comedy.

Old Fire Station:

Blood Brothers - Willy Russell's original 'Blood Brothers' tells the tale of twin brothers who are born into a large working class family and what happens to them when their mother decides to have one of them adopted. 'Blood Brothers' looks at the differences and conflicts in their upbringing, their relationships with each other and with their real and adopted mothers. Please note this is the play and not the musical.

Burton Taylor Studio:

Clare Summerskill - In No Particular Order - Don't miss Clare Summerskill performing her totally brand new stage show, packed full of hilarious and thought-provoking stand-up, totally original songs and finely drawn comedy characters. It's a one night stand you'll never forget! Clare has written for several sketch shows on Radio 4 and Radio 2 including the last series of Weekending, Heated Rollers and A-Z.

Dragon's Teeth and Other Tales - There's something funny happening in the warehouse! Was that a wizard whizzing by, could that suitcase really be a dragon's lair and who's that snuffling and geruffling at the bottom of the trunk? Two intrepid workers uncover a world of forgotten stories hidden beneath the boxes and bump into a little princess who's not afraid of anything! Featuring beautifully animated puppets, live music and physical comedy. Ages 3+

Funeral Games - A tale of tea stains, stiffs and brotherly love. Keith, the estranged son, has returned, bringing a whole lot of trouble with him for his longsuffering brother Henry. Dad, the head of funeral directors Hall and Son, looks set to need his own services very soon and, to Henry, it seems a little white lie might be enough to get rid of his short tempered, live-wire brother. Unfortunately, nothing goes quite how he planned as the interloper decides he wants to join the family business. Disaster ensues.

New Theatre:

CBeebies at the Theatre - This brand new show is a natural extension of the hugely successful Christmas touring show "CBeebies Live!" that has played to over 240,000 people in the last two years. "CBeebies at the Theatre" is a music and dance led show. It will be hosted by a leading CBeebies TV personality and will feature well known brand characters from at least five popular TV programmes. Packed full of surprises, with plenty of sing along songs and lots of action... there is guaranteed to be something for everyone to join in the fun!

Dad's Army - Don't Panic! They're back... One of the most popular and revered TV comedies of all time is faithfully recreated on stage to make a marvellous treat for the whole family. The TV series was first screened in 1968 and ran for nearly 10 years chronicling the unlikely adventures of the Walmington on Sea Home Guard during World War II. Three decades later the writers have agreed to make the original hilarious scripts available for this wonderful new stage production. The classic episode, The Deadly Attachment, in which Capt. Mainwaring and his loyal platoon are entrusted with the responsibility of looking after a captured German U Boat crew, is joined by two other gems. Not seen since 1969 this is a unique opportunity to see two classics that have been completely lost since the originals were carelessly erased by BBC engineers. This is glorious life affirming comedy. So who do you think you are kidding Mr. Hitler? Classic British comedy doesn't come any funnier than this!

Jimmy Carr - Repeat Offender

Miscellaneous Theatre:

Measure for Measure - A black comedy in which nothing, and no one, is as it seems. In Vienna, morality is a matter of life or death. In the supposed absence of the liberal Duke, strict sexual laws are resurrected by his deputy Angelo, resulting in a death sentence for Claudio after his girlfriend becomes pregnant. His sister Isabella, desperate to save Claudio's life, has a choice - watch him die, or accept an indecent proposal from Angelo... The North Wall Arts Centre

For all theatre information, times and dates, click here

This Week's Music Highlights (April 11-17)

Friday:

Charivari Agreable: Baroque Music by Candlelight - Exeter College Chapel, Turl St.

Oxford Graduate Philharmonia - University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Tim Lapthorn (piano) Tim Dawes (Double Bass) Mark Allaway (sax) - The Old Parsonage

Oxford Folk Festival: 3 Daft Monkeys, Christminster Singers, Ceri Rhys Matthews & Christine Cooper - Oxford Town Hall

Oxford Folk Festival: The Oxford Waits - Holywell Music Room

OXJAM - A Mini Festival Ft. Borderville + 100 Bullets Back & Dog Show + DJ Sets from Eclectric + Get Funked + Slide + Simple + Fresh Out Of The Box - Carling Academy

King Furnace + Scaramanga Six + Domes of Silence - The Wheatsheaf

Liddington + Run Walk - Purple Turtle

Imperial Vipers + Pluko + Chalk +Eternal Sunshine - Jericho Tavern

The Family Machine + Tob Lever + John Niven - Corner Club

Mighty Redox + The Pete Fryer Band + Film Noir + Tommo + Jeremy & Kevin - The Magdalen

Saturday:

City of Oxford Orchestra: Springtime Baroque - Sheldonian Theatre