Local zombies for local people…
The long-awaited Zomblogalypse film – shot and produced right here in York – shuffles and moans its way into City Screen this weekend as part of the Dead Northern film festival.
Plus, break out the ziti for the return of the Sopranos in The Many Saints of Newark, Dev Patel has an axe to grind in The Green Knight – and Film at the Folk Hall has a right royal reopening.
New releases
The Many Saints of Newark
This eagerly-awaited prequel to The Sopranos takes us back in time to witness the formative years of the show’s famously troubled mob boss.
Michael Gandolfini steps into his late father James’ shoes as the teenage Tony Soprano, growing up in the 1960s in Newark, New Jersey against a turbulent backdrop of racial tensions and gang warfare.
Co-written by series creator David Chase, the film will revisit many of the The Sopranos’ most famous characters, not least Tony’s monstrous mother Livia (played by The Conjuring’s Vera Farmiga) – while also introducing another key figure in his development, his beloved uncle Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola).
Cert 15, 120 mins | |
Cineworld, City Screen, Everyman, Vue | |
From Weds Sep 22 | |
More details |
The Green Knight
Having shone in the role of David Copperfield last year, Dev Patel takes on another classic British literary figure in this new adaptation of the Arthurian fable Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Patel plays Gawain, King Arthur’s headstrong nephew, whose life is changed forever when he accepts a challenge from the menacing, supernatural Green Knight – setting him off on a quest which seems certain to end in his death.
The trailer promises something a bit earthier than the usual CGI-doused fantasy fare – and that’s no surprise given that the film is helmed by David Lowery, the US indie director whose previous forays into the mainstream (the 2016 remake of Pete’s Dragon and Robert Redford’s swansong The Old Man and the Gun) had real heart and soul.
Cert 15, 130 mins | |
Everyman (also on Amazon Prime Video) | |
From Fri Sep 24 |
Sweetheart
Let the summer stretch out a little longer with this British comedy drama about a misfit teenager, which takes place, in classic coming-of-age movie style, over the course of a seaside holiday.
The story sees AJ (Nell Barlow) suffering her way through a family trip to a Dorset holiday park, only to find romance on the horizon in the form of lifeguard Isla (Ella-Rae Smith).
The debut feature from writer-director Marley Morrison, the film won the audience award at the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year.
Cert 15, 103 mins | |
Cineworld, City Screen | |
From Fri Sep 24 | |
More details |
Dead Northern Film Festival
The UK premiere of a zombie film shot and produced in York is just one of the highlights of the Dead Northern Film Festival, which takes place at City Screen this weekend.
Zomblogalypse is the feature-length version of the cult hit web series made by local filmmaking trio Hannah Bungard, Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts, which followed the exploits of three inept survivors of a zombie apocalypse.
The film sees the gang decide to mark nearly a decade of dodging the undead by, well, making a film about it – and as you might imagine, the process runs far from smoothly…
It’s just one part of an intriguing and varied festival programme which includes new independent horror features and shorts alongside cult classics – so you can catch this year’s critically acclaimed chiller Censor as well as old favourites like From Dusk Till Dawn and An American Werewolf in London.
The Dead Northern Film Festival runs from Fri 24th to Sun 26th, and tickets start from £35 for a Day Pass – you can check out the full line-up and all ticket options at the festival’s website.
Luna Cinema at Castle Howard
With the nights getting darker and not yet too chilly, it’s the perfect time to watch some more old favourites under the stars, courtesy of Luna Cinema.
Castle Howard has graced the screen numerous times over the years (including, most recently, this year’s Netflix hit Bridgerton), making it an apt location for this weekend’s programme of outdoor screenings – you can catch Top Gun on Fri 24th, Dirty Dancing on Sat 25th and the original Star Wars on Sun 26th.
Doors are at 6pm with the film starting at 7:30pm. Tickets can be booked online.
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Other screenings
The new film from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, The Guilty is a thriller in the single-location mode of Locke with the action centering on Jake Gyllenhaal’s troubled police officer, chafing against his demotion to phone duty until a call about a kidnapping offers the chance to prove himself – it hits Netflix on 1st October, but you can catch it on the big screen at Everyman throughout the week.
Over at City Screen, new documentary The Alpinist (showing daily) is a heart-in-your-mouth portrait of an extraordinarily daring mountain climber, sure to appeal to fans of 2018’s Free Solo.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut returns to City Screen on Sun 26th, as voted for by Picturehouse members – and with Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve about to unveil his new take on another iconic sci-fi tale, there’s also a chance to revisit David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune this week.
Lynch’s attempt to bring Frank Herbert’s sprawling opus to the big screen was, like Blade Runner, a box office failure on release, but unlike Blade Runner it has never gone on to achieve ‘sci-fi classic’ status, and continues to divide opinion among fans – decide for yourself with screenings at Cineworld (daily to Weds 29th), Everyman (Mon 27th), Vue (Sat 25th/Sun 26th/Tues 28th) and City Screen (Tues 28th).
City Screen’s ‘A Terrifying Uprising’ season of female-led horror movies concludes in fine form with 2014’s properly creepy Australian chiller The Babadook on Mon 27th, while they’re also screening daily matinees of Humphrey Bogart classic The Maltese Falcon from Mon 27th to Weds 29th, marking the 80th anniversary of director John Huston’s influential film noir.
Two Spielberg all-timers are back on the big screen at Vue this week, in the cuddly shape of E.T. (daily except Weds 29th) and the slightly less cuddly form of Jaws (daily except Thurs 30th) – while Cineworld are reuniting the Fellowship with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, screening in full IMAX glory from Fri 24th to Weds 29th.
And with No Time to Die finally (hopefully, probably, maybe?) hitting cinemas next week, it’s worth flagging up that both Everyman and Cineworld have midnight screenings on Thurs 30th, with Everyman doubling down with a swanky opening night event on the evening of 30th too – cocktails and canapés are promised, BYO cheesy one-liners…
Community Cinema
It’s great to see Film at the Folk Hall open their doors for the first time in 18 months this Friday – and they’re picking up right where they left off with the film they were scheduled to show before the pandemic hit, 2019’s Downton Abbey movie.
The story sees the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) develop volatile superpowers after accidentally eating some out-of-date caviar, and it’s not long before he’s flying over the neighbouring villages and terrorising the locals with his deadly laser eyes…
Ah sorry, I think that’s the plot of the upcoming sequel – this one sees the Crawley family hosting a visit from King George V and Queen Mary, leading to friction between the good folk of Downton and the royal entourage, both upstairs and downstairs.
The film shows at the Folk Hall, New Earswick on Fri 24th – doors are at 7pm and the film starts at 7:30. Tickets are £5 and can be booked online or reserved at the Folk Hall during office hours (tel. 01904 752211), or you can pay on the door subject to availability.