“Got myself a creeping, walking, stabbing, stalking killer doll…”
I mean honestly, why would you let that thing anywhere near your house, let alone your child?
There’s thrills and chills of a more retro variety in eerie Cornish tale Enys Men, while Cate Blanchett’s celebrity conductor has a cacophonous fall from grace in dark psychodrama Tár…
New releases
Tár
Cate Blanchett has picked up some of the best accolades of her career for her performance in this highly acclaimed psychological drama.
Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, a world-famous conductor and composer whose personal and professional lives threaten to come spectacularly undone when her off-stage behaviour starts to catch up with her.
While the film’s setting in the upper echelons of the classical music world might seem off-puttingly niche, glowing reviews suggest that it’s no bar to enjoyment: “It has absolutely no business being even remotely watchable,” enthused Sight and Sound, “and yet here it is, one of the most grippingly brilliant films of the year.”
| Cert 15, 158 mins | |
| City Screen, Everyman | |
| From Fri Jan 13 | |
| More details |
Enys Men
Once seen, never forgotten, director Mark Jenkin’s film Bait – a darkly comic tale of growing antagonism between locals and second-homers in a Cornish fishing village – was a word-of-mouth indie hit on its release in 2019, delighting audiences and critics alike.
Set once again in his beloved Cornwall, Jenkin’s eagerly awaited new film Enys Men (pronounced ‘Ennis Maine’) sees the director apply his lo-fi, off-kilter filmmaking aesthetic to the folk horror genre, with the action unfolding on a remote Cornish island in 1973.
Expect eerie atmospherics and creeping dread as a lone wildlife volunteer’s daily observations of a rare flower take a decidedly disturbing turn…
| Cert 15, 91 mins | |
| City Screen | |
| From Fri Jan 13 | |
| More details |
M3GAN
Horror maestros Blumhouse (Insidious, The Purge, everything else that’s made you spill your popcorn in the last decade) serve up their latest piece of nightmare fuel with this tale of an evil robot doll.
The story sees ace roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, of Girls and Get Out fame) struggling to adapt when she has to care for her 8-year-old niece Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House) after the child’s parents die in a car crash.
So hey, why not palm the kid off on that prototype she’s been working on – an unbelievably creepy-looking, wi-fi-enabled-psychopath-in-waiting called M3GAN?
Sure, she’s never been properly tested and has a blank-eyed stare that makes Hannibal Lecter look like the Werther’s Originals grandad, but these are mere incidental details…
| Cert 15, 91 mins | |
| Cineworld, Everyman, Vue York | |
| From Fri Jan 13 | |
| More details |
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Other screenings
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal…”
Two of the noughties’ finest cinematic macho men make a return to the big screen at Vue this week.
Russell Crowe steps back into the arena in Gladiator, showing at Vue on Sat 14th, Tues 17th and Weds 18th – Ridley Scott’s much-loved epic was back in the news last week with reports that Normal People star Paul Mescal is in talks to star in the long-gestating sequel, though sadly it’s not going to be the gloriously bizarre Nick Cave-penned version.
Vue are also kicking off a season of comedy classics with the debut appearance of San Diego’s premier newsreader-cum-jazz-flautist Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, screening on Fri 13th, Tues 16th and Thurs 19th.
There’s another early noughties favourite on offer over at Everyman, as Chicago brings some much-needed Razzle Dazzle to these grey January days – you can catch it on Sun 15th and Tues 17th.
Meanwhile, Vue’s journey through the Shrek chronicles continues as the not-so-jolly green giant meets the in-laws in Shrek 2 (Sat 14th, and Sun 15th).
Recent hit Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is the budget family-friendly offering this week at both Vue (Sat 14th, Sun 15th, tickets £2.49) and Cineworld (Sat 14th, Sun 15th, £2.50), while City Screen have an Autism-Friendly screening of the film on Sun 15th (tickets £3.30); Cineworld are also showing fantasy adventure Mia and Me: The Hero of Centopia (Sat 14th, Sun 15th, £2.50).
And finally, say what you will about Hook, Steven Spielberg’s unfairly maligned 1992 take on Peter Pan, but the soundtrack remains a treasure trove of John Williams bangers – you can hear it in all its majesty when the film plays in City Screen’s Kids’ Club on Sat 14th (tickets £3.30).