York film preview: House of Gucci, Pirates and Encanto

As a chronic dawdler and procrastinator, I have to say I’m in awe of Sir Ridley Scott’s work ethic.

Not only is this week’s new release House of Gucci the 83-year-old’s second film in as many months (following October’s The Last Duel), but he’s also about to start shooting his next project, a biopic of Napoleon – whilst simultaneously developing a sequel to Gladiator.

As if that weren’t enough, he told the BBC’s Today programme earlier this week that he’s currently working on TV spin-offs of two of his most iconic films, Alien and Blade Runner.

Do I think all of those things are good ideas? No. Does it make me feel guilty that I count it as a productive day if I manage to put the bins out on time? Yes, it does…

New releases

House of Gucci

“I don’t consider myself to be a particularly ethical person…but I am fair,” declares Lady Gaga in the trailer for this fashion/true crime biopic, whilst engaging in the most sinister stirring of a teaspoon this side of Get Out.

The kind of film that seems destined to be filleted for memes over the coming months, House of Gucci follows the glamorous but tempestuous lives of the family behind the iconic fashion label, focussing on ambitious outsider Patrizia Reggiani (Gaga) and her marriage to Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver).

Director Ridley Scott has assembled an all-star cast for this sensational tale of scheming, plotting and betrayal, including Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek.

Pirates

There are shades of both The Inbetweeners and 2019’s Scottish caper Beats to the trailer for this coming-of-age tale about three friends trying to get their hands on tickets to the ultimate end-of-the-century blowout on New Year’s Eve 1999.

Where Beats paid loving homage to early 90s rave culture, this comedy-drama celebrates the UK garage scene which flourished at the end of the decade, and soundtracks the lives and loves of Cappo (Elliot Edusah), Two Tonne (Jordan Peters) and Kidda (Reda Elazouar) – a trio of aspiring MCs who cruise the streets of London blasting the latest hits from their Peugeot 205.

The film marks the feature debut of broadcaster turned documentary maker Reggie Yates, who has cited Michaela Coel’s colourful, upbeat TV show Chewing Gum as a reference point for his feelgood tale.

Encanto

From Dumbo to Frozen’s Elsa, many of Disney’s most beloved characters have been the odd ones out – those whose unusual characteristics or powers make them an object of fear or ridicule to those around them.

The studio’s 60th animated feature offers a different spin on that familiar story, with its heroine Mirabel (Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz) feeling like a misfit precisely because she is ordinary – she is the only one of her family not to possess magical powers.

Dwelling in an enchanted house in the hills of Colombia, each member of the Madrigal clan has their own unique magical gift, except for Mirabel – but when the family home’s mystical powers begin to disappear, the spirited teenager finds she might be the only one who can solve the mystery.

From the co-directors of 2016’s excellent Zootopia, and with songs courtesy of Moana tunesmith Lin-Manuel Miranda, there’s a very promising pedigree to this one – and enthusiastic reviews suggest that the House of Mouse has another hit on its hands.

Other screenings

When it comes to Christmas films it often feels that, to borrow a phrase from The Sopranos, the books are closed – that, just like the young Christopher Moltisanti, any festive film from the last 15 years or so must patiently bide its time and wait to be ‘made’: to join that elite club of the 30 or so seasonal favourites that do the rounds on TV and in cinemas year in, year out.

In fact, since the double whammy of Elf and Love, Actually in 2003, I’m struggling to think of a more recent movie that has properly made the cut – and with Channel 5 and content-hungry streaming services churning out the cinematic equivalent of cheap plastic cracker toys every year, the chances of a new bona fide classic joining the pantheon seem ever smaller.

Premiering on Sky this Friday but also showing at Everyman throughout the week, A Boy Called Christmas looks to be one of this year’s higher calibre offerings (which isn’t, admittedly, saying much) – adapted from the popular 2015 children’s book by Matt Haig, it serves as an origin story for the man in red and boasts a quality cast including Sally Hawkins, Toby Jones, Jim Broadbent and Maggie Smith.

Everyman also have some more familiar festive offerings this weekend, with screenings of The Polar Express and Die Hard on Sat 27th, while Vue are also showing Die Hard on Fri 26th and Sat 27th, as well as stop-motion fave The Nightmare Before Christmas on Sat 27th and Sun 28th. (It is still November, right? Just checking…)

More nostalgia is on offer as Vue continue the adventures of the boy wizard and pals with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Sat 27th, followed by The Prisoner of Azkaban on Sun 28th.

Your budget kids’ offering at City Screen this week is Frozen 2, showing on Sat 27th (tickets £3.00), while Cineworld have Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon and Tom & Jerry: The Movie showing in their Movies For Juniors strand (Sat 27th/Sun 28th, £2.50).

City Screen’s Japanese season concludes on Sun 27th with Tokyo Story, the 1953 family drama which is director Yasujirō Ozu’s most celebrated work.

The story follows an ageing couple’s journey to the city to visit their children – but when their son and daughter prove too busy to find the time for them, their widowed daughter-in-law offers to take them sightseeing.

Voted the third greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound in 2012, it was described by Time Out as ‘one of the most approachable and moving of all cinema’s masterpieces’.

City Screen also have three one-off documentary screenings this week – Czech film Caught in the Net (Mon 29th) follows three adult actresses posing as 12-year-old girls to highlight the extent of the sexual abuse of young people online, while Final Account (Thurs 2nd Dec) interviews the last living generation to have participated in the Third Reich, and Dear Future Children (Thurs 2nd) is a portrait of three young political activists in Hong Kong, Chile and Uganda – the film’s director Franz Bohm will be present afterwards for a Q&A session.

Community cinema

South Bank Community Cinema continues its shorter than usual season with another selection designed to spirit viewers far away from the world of Covid lockdowns and restrictions.

This month’s offering C’est la Vie is not, alas, that B*Witched biopic we’re all waiting for, but instead a 2017 French comedy from the directing duo behind the 2011 international hit Untouchable. 

It’s a feelgood ensemble piece based around a disgruntled caterer trying to manage a huge wedding reception in a 17th-century castle, as his personal and professional lives threaten to collapse around him.

The film shows at Clements Hall on Friday 26th – doors open at 7:40pm. Tickets are £4 (or £3 for members), and can be booked ahead up until 4pm on the day of the screening (e-mail [email protected]). Alternatively they can be purchased at the door, subject to availability.

SBCC have halved their usual capacity to give everyone more space, so probably best to book ahead if you’re planning to go – and you can find out more about their Covid precautions on their website.