Don’t be surprised if you log on to social media on Friday morning to find a sign reading “Closed – back in two hours”.
That’ll be because the entire Internet is out at the cinema to worship at the altar of its meme-generator-in-chief Nicolas Cage, as he stars in the most Nic-tastic, Cagerrific movie of his career, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
Never one to do things by halves, Cage plays himself – twice – in the none-more-meta action comedy, which also sees the actor resurrecting some of his most famous characters along the way.
In other words – Easter’s over, folks. Time to put. The bunny. Back. In the box…
New releases
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
It’s time to enter the Cage-verse in this eagerly awaited caper, which sees Nicolas Cage playing a fictionalised, washed-up version of himself who gets in a very messy situation with a crazed fan.
After accepting a one million dollar offer to attend the birthday party of a billionaire (Pedro Pascal, Narcos), Cage finds himself recruited by Tiffany Haddish’s CIA operative to spy on his host, who turns out (of course) to be a dangerous drug baron.
As things inevitably get out of hand, Cage finds himself forced to channel some of his most iconic roles in order to save himself and his loved ones (including his latest ex-wife, played by Catastrophe’s Sharon Horgan) – all while being regularly taunted by his younger, Wild at Heart-era self (Cage again).
Meta madness, self-mocking silliness and those patented Cage freakouts seem all but guaranteed.
| Cert 15, 107 mins | |
| Cineworld, City Screen, Everyman, Vue | |
| From Fri Apr 22 | |
| More details |
Firebird
Tom Prior (The Theory of Everything) co-writes and stars in this Cold War-set romantic drama about the forbidden love between a young soldier and an ace fighter pilot in the Soviet military.
Based on a true story, the film sees would-be actor Sergey (Prior) eagerly awaiting the end of his period of service in occupied Estonia when he meets the dashing Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), and their friendship swiftly turns to romance.
With their secret affair putting them in danger of severe punishment from their ever-watchful superior officers, the two men risk everything to be together.
| Cert 15, 107 mins | |
| Vue | |
| From Fri Apr 22 | |
| More details |
Aesthetica Film Season at York Theatre Royal
We’re still a good few months away from this year’s edition of York’s much-loved Aesthetica Short Film Festival, so it’s great to see ASFF teaming up with York Theatre Royal to plug that gap with a series of short film screenings over the next few months.
Starting this Friday (22nd April) and running until 8th July, the season will see the Theatre Royal host regular screenings of shorts grouped around different themes, taking in everything from technology and climate change to LGBTQ+ stories and Black British cinema.
There will also be an evening of the festival’s ever-popular comedy shorts, plus a kid-friendly animation selection and a compilation of some of Aesthetica’s BAFTA and Oscar recognised films.
This week’s screening is Fragile Existence: Witness to the Climate Crisis (Fri 22nd, 7:15pm) – taking place on Earth Day, it’s a timely selection of six films looking at mass consumption and the global community, from Ghana’s unregulated e-waste recycling trade to a kingdom of plastics in New York City.
Tickets for each screening are £5.00, and can be booked from Theatre Royal’s website.
| York Theatre Royal | |
| Fri Apr 22 to Fri 8 Jul | |
| More details |
[tptn_list limit=3 daily=1 hour_range=1]
Other screenings
City Screen are marking Alien Day (it’s a thing!) with a face-hugging, gut-busting double bill this week.
Sigourney Weaver will face off against one fiendishly cunning Xenomorph (and a whole bunch of rather less cunning ones) in the classic first two films in the series, Alien and Aliens, on Tues 26th.
Also back for a second outing of action heroics is Sean Connery’s James Bond, as Vue’s 007 season continues with 1963’s From Russia With Love on Sat 23rd – considered a series high point by many, the film also marked the inaugural appearances of Desmond Llewellyn’s Q and Bond’s arch-nemesis Blofeld (or at least, the inaugural appearance of his feline friend).
Meanwhile, City Screen’s François Truffaut season arrives at the director’s classic 1962 romantic drama Jules et Jim (Sun 24th), which follows the doomed love triangle between the eponymous pair of best friends and Jeanne Moreau’s wilful, vivacious Catherine.
Winner of the Best Documentary award at last year’s Cannes, A Night of Knowing Nothing shows at City Screen on Tues 26th – director Payal Kapadia’s film uses a fictional intercaste relationship between two film students to explore the 2015 student protests against India’s nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi.
[adrotate group=”3″]
Nordic romcom The Worst Person in the World enters its fifth week at City Screen (showing daily), a sure sign of an audience hit – this fresh and funny tale of a young woman at a crossroads is well worth seeking out if you haven’t seen it yet.
Over at Cineworld, Hindi-language sporting tale Jersey (showing daily) sees a failed ex-cricketer trying to restart his career for the sake of his young son, while Warsaw-set Polish drama Other People (Inni Ludzie) (daily) follows the affair between a wannabe rapper and a bored housewife.
You’re nothing in the world of pop these days if your album campaign doesn’t come complete with an allegedly intimate, access-all-areas documentary in tow, and this week it’s the turn of South Korean boy band Seventeen, who confusingly have thirteen members and whose film Seventeen Power of Love: The Movie shows at Vue on Sat 23rd.
(FYI, the keeper of YorkMix’s Pop Abacus also informs me that there are now only 3hree members in 5ive and the reformed S Club 7 has gone through so many line-up switches that they’ve changed their name to S Club Live, to avoid having to print out another batch of business cards.)
And finally, your budget family-friendly offerings this week are Sing 2 at Vue (Fri 22nd – Sun 24th, tickets £2.49) – an autism-friendly screening also takes place on Sun 24th – and Clifford the Big Red Dog at Cineworld (Fri 22nd – Sun 24th, £2.50), while City Screen’s Kids’ Club offers the bewigged splendour of David Bowie’s Goblin King in 80s favourite Labyrinth (Sat 23rd, £3.00).