The films to see in York this week – 1-7 November 2019

Like father, like son? The adult Danny Torrance faces up to childhood demons – literally – in the sequel to The Shining.

Meanwhile, Sorry We Missed You shows the harsh reality of the gig economy, and York transforms into a city of cinemas once more for the Aesthetica Short Film Festival…

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When it comes to classic films no-one in their right mind would make a sequel to, The Shining is surely the Casablanca of the horror genre.

But that didn’t stop Stephen King, who put out a follow-up to his original novel in 2013 – and here, inevitably, is its film adaptation, starring Ewan McGregor as the adult Danny Torrance, unsurprisingly still scarred from the trauma of his childhood stay at the Overlook Hotel.

From Star Wars to Shaun the Sheep: York’s short film festival has something for everyone

Now an alcoholic just like his father, he is given new purpose when he meets Abra (newcomer Kyliegh Curran), a young girl who possesses the same extrasensory ‘shining’ as him – and who needs his help against a sinister supernatural cult led by Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), who torture and kill children like her to feed off their power.

While King’s sequel did not feature the Overlook, director Mike Flanagan (who made Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) couldn’t pass up the chance to revisit Stanley Kubrick’s iconic house of horrors – so be prepared for another chilling trek through those all-too-familiar corridors…

Veteran director Ken Loach takes on the gig economy in his latest film, which follows a family striving to keep it together in the world of zero-hours contracts.

Former building worker Ricky (Kris Hitchen) finds his new life as a self-employed delivery driver soon puts him under pressure with its steep rental costs and strict targets, while wife Abbie (Debbie Honeywood), a contract nurse, struggles to give her patients the care they need – while at home, the couple’s relationships with their children and with each other begin to suffer under the strain.

Written by Loach’s regular collaborator Paul Laverty, it premiered at the Cannes festival earlier this year to positive reviews, with many critics suggesting it’s on a par with the pair’s previous film, I, Daniel Blake.

Other screenings

York’s very own film extravaganza is back for its ninth year this week, boasting its biggest programme to date.

Starting on Weds 6th, the Aesthetica Short Film Festival will host over 400 shorts across 11 genres, alongside a selection of feature films and Virtual Reality screenings – you can check out our preview for an idea of the festival’s typically eclectic line-up, and the full guide is available at ASFF’s website.

Before then, there’s a trio of old favourites back on the big screen.

Perhaps ironically given its most famous line, David Fincher’s Fight Club was one of the most talked-about movies of 1999, and was quickly established as a cult classic – if, like me, you’ve never seen it, you can rectify that with a ringside seat at Everyman on Friday 1st.

Meanwhile, Monday 4th sees another ’90s favourite on offer at City Screen, where Jeff Bridges is still takin’ her easy for all us sinners in The Big Lebowski.

Finally, while Studio Ghibli’s magical animation My Neighbour Totoro (City Screen, Sun 3rd) might be a world apart from the Coen brothers’ stoner comedy, I can’t help feeling that Ghibli’s eponymous mystical creature would make an oddly appropriate spirit animal for Bridges’ amiable slacker – but that’s just, like, my opinion, man…