York film preview: Harold and the Purple Crayon, Dìdi and About Dry Grasses

It’s now just over a year since Hollywood yelled “Cut!” and strike action saw the dream factory grind to a halt – and it’s fair to say that we’re seeing the effects of that a little in this summer’s release schedule.

Where cinemas are normally crammed with blockbusters jostling for screen time, there’s been a steadier drip feed of big hitters this year – and actually, that’s no bad thing.

It feels like the major titles that are being released are getting a bigger share of audience attention – look at Inside Out 2’s record-breaking box office run – and it’s also freeing up space for some smaller titles and old favourites to have their moment in the spotlight.

This week alone sees major re-releases for Studio Ghibli’s classic My Neighbour Totoro and the original Tobey Maguire Spider-Man – the latter kick-starting a run of every live-action Spidey film to date.

And if that’s not enough, Arnie, Cher and Winona are here to take us back to the 80s at City Screen – though sadly not in the same film…

New releases

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Who and the what now? Like Clifford the Big Red Dog and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, this fantasy adventure is a big screen adaptation of a popular American children’s book that’s rather less well known over here.

The eponymous hero of the original stories was a little boy in possession of, you guessed it, a purple crayon, which could magically make real anything he chose to draw.

As with the dog and the croc before him, the story here sees a now-adult Harold (Shazam! star Zachary Levi) transplanted to modern-day New York City, where he befriends Zooey Deschanel’s harassed single mum and her son – but also attracts the nefarious attention of Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement…

Dìdi

With plaudits aplenty and comparisons to the likes of Eighth Grade, this California-set coming-of-age tale sounds like just the thing for those looking for a cinematic pick-me-up this weekend.

Set over the summer of 2008, director Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical debut feature centres on the travails of young Chris (Izaac Wang), a Taiwanese-American teenager trying to steer a course through the manic maelstrom of adolescence – not to mention the brave new world of early social media (hi, Tom from Myspace!).

A hit with audiences and critics alike at this year’s Sundance Festival, it was hailed by Film Stories as ‘one of the best films of 2024 so far’.

About Dry Grasses

Celebrated Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep) returns with another highly acclaimed opus about romantic tensions, betrayal and scandal in a remote Anatolian village.

The story centres on Samet (Deniz Celiloğlu), a narcissistic schoolteacher chafing against his assignment to a secluded backwater, from which his friendship with roommate and colleague Kenan (Musab Ekici) offers some respite.

Their relationship comes under strain following an accusation of inappropriate conduct – while a shared romantic interest in charismatic teacher Nuray (Merve Dizdar) threatens to divide them further, in Ceylan’s wintry epic.

Other screenings

Community cinema

Seventy-five years old and still fresh as a daisy, the classic Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets rounds off South Bank Community Cinema’s summer season this Friday.

It’s a pitch black tale of murder most British, as the suave Louis D’Ascoyne relates the tale of how he tried to engineer an early exit for the eight family members who stood before him in line for a dukedom.

Dennis Price is naughty but terribly nice as the genteel serial killer, while Alec Guinness has an absolute ball playing each of his unsuspecting victims.

It’s showing at Clements Hall, South Bank on Fri 2nd at 8pm (doors 7:30pm). Tickets are £4 (cash only), and SBCC advise that it’s best to book in advance by e-mailing [email protected].

Summer holiday round-up

Of this week’s new releases, Harold and the Purple Crayon may be getting the lion’s share of publicity, but reviews suggest there’s another kid-friendly tale which may be more worth your time in the form of Kensuke’s Kingdom (Vue, daily).

Adapted by newly-appointed Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce from Michael Morpurgo’s novel, this animated adventure sees a young boy bonding with an elderly Japanese soldier when his family is washed up on the latter’s Pacific island – last summer’s man of the moment Cillian Murphy is among the talented voice cast.

Imaginary friends run rampant at both Cineworld and Vue this week, with IF showing in both cinemas’ budget viewing strands (daily at Vue, £2.49; daily to Weds 7th at Cineworld, £2.50) – Cineworld also have daily screenings of The Garfield Movie (£2.50), plus an Autism-Friendly Screening of Despicable Me 4 on Sun 4th (£8.99).

It’s time to dance, magic dance at City Screen as their Kids’ Club leads us into David Bowie’s Labyrinth on Sat 3rd (tickets £3.30), while Everyman’s Toddler Club is offering up a prime slice of classic Disney with screenings of Sleeping Beauty on Fri 2nd and Sat 3rd (£6.25 child/£8.75 adult plus toddler).

There’s a complementary pair of Julia Donaldson double bills for younger viewers to enjoy this week – you can catch Zog & The Gruffalo daily at Cineworld (£5.00), then hotfoot it over to Vue to see the sequels, The Gruffalo’s Child & Zog and the Flying Doctors (daily except Sat 3rd, £3.99).

Plus, Everyman are continuing to host their popular free admission series of Apple TV+ Children’s Hour screenings, with juice box and popcorn included: Prehistoric Planet is showing on Fri 2nd and Weds 7th, alongside Time Bandits (Mon 5th), Camp Snoopy (Tues 6th) and WondLa (Thurs 8th). Several of them were nearly sold out at time of writing, so move fast if you want to bag yourself a spot.

Joy-bringers, web-slingers and pop singers: old favourites back on the big screen

While it’s true that Studio Ghibli’s huggable heffalump My Neighbour Totoro is a fairly regular visitor to City Screen, courtesy of their ever-popular seasons in honour of the beloved Japanese animation studio, it’s nice to see the big fella get the spotlight all to himself with a major nationwide re-release this week (subtitled and dubbed versions showing daily).

It’s ten years now since I first saw this magical tale of two young girls befriended by the titular forest sprite and his chums, and I can’t recommend it highly enough if you’ve yet to experience it – Hayao Miyazaki’s masterwork is truly enchanting, and capable of inducing a sense of child-like wonder in the grumpiest of grown-ups.

Also swinging back into cinemas is Tobey Maguire in his first outing as Spider-Man (Cineworld and Vue daily; City Screen on Fri 2nd and Mon 5th), with every other live-action iteration of your friendly neighbourhood web-slinger following over the coming weeks – I remember re-watching this during lockdown and thinking a) “Wow, this really holds up” and b) “Hang on, is that Macy Gray?”.

Everyman’s regular Throwback strand is beginning its own epic journey this week, as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring sees them saddling up for a trawl through Peter Jackson’s timeless Tolkien trilogy, in all its full extended edition glory – the quest begins on Sun 4th and Tues 6th.

City Screen’s 80s Movie Mix continues with show-stopping turns from three undeniable icons of the decade: Arnie gives the Predator what for on Fri 2nd, Cher is Moonstruck on Sat 3rd, and Winona Ryder takes on the mean girls in Heathers on Sun 4th.

The artier side of the decade is showcased in the Wim Wenders classic Paris, Texas, back on the big screen for its 40th anniversary (City Screen, Sun 4th, Tues 6th, Weds 7th), as is fantasy adventure (and possibly the second biggest musical beneficiary of Stranger Things after Kate Bush) The NeverEnding Story, showing daily at Vue and at Cineworld on Weds 7th.

And finally, are you a fan of any of the following: puppies, neon, righteous vengeance and immaculate tailoring? If so, make haste to Everyman on Fri 2nd to watch John Wick showcase his particular set of skills in their Late Nights strand. Or to put it another way: I’m thinking he’s back…