Venus 

February 10th 2010   Roger Michell 2006/UK  94 mins

A pair of veteran actors,Maurice and Ian,are quietly living

out their retirement, when Jesse,Ian's grand-niece, appears,

throwing not just a spanner in the works, but the whole

toolkit.  Maurice soon falls for her charms. Witty and

enchanting, Venus marks a delightful return to the screen

for Peter O'Toole as an ageing roue.

Control 

March 10th 2010   Anton Corbijn 2007/UK 119 mins

A profile of Ian Curtis, singer of the Manchester-based

1970's band, Joy Division. Based on the biography

 'Touching from a Distance ', the film examines the

tragic effect on Curtis of his illness, failing marriage

 and a band that relied on him.

Persepolis

April 7th 2010  Vincent Parronaud, Marjane Satrapi            2007/France, USA 96 mins

Distant Voices, Still Lives 

April 14th 2010   Terence Davies 1988/UK   85 mins

Terence Davies' fractured chronicle of the life of a

working-class family in the 1940's and 1950's.

Drawing on his own childhood in the  two part film,

 the writer-director offers a terrifying tension between

the pub sing-songs, marriage celebrations and the

horror of domestic abuse and depression.

Mountain Patrol (Kekexili)

May 5th 2010  Chuan Lu 2004/China                90 mins

Ae Fond Kiss 

May 12th 2010 Ken Loach 2004/UK    104 mins

Casim is a Glasgow DJ who starts  a relationship

 with a non-Muslim woman. His parents' plans for

an arranged marriage are threatened, and action is

taken. This thoughtful, cross-cultural drama uses a

 cast of outstanding unknown actors who depict

This is England 

June 9th 2010 Shane Meadows 2006/UK     101 mins

Twelve year-old Shaun hooks up with a bunch of fun-

loving skinheads during the long hot summer of 1983,

until the spectre of racism drags the group apart. The

change from light-hearted and frivolous to excruciating

menace and tension is graphically depicted via Meadow's

raw visual style. The film takes a child's perspective, with

the corruption of youth as a major theme.-it is not

comfortable viewing.

The Kite Runner 

July 14th 2010 Marc Forster 2007/US           119 mins some subtitles

This faithful,moving adaptation of the best selling novel

tackles life in the Middle East without too much cinematic

gloss. Growing up in 1970s Afghanistan, two young boys

are firm friends until a shocking incident tears their

relationship apart' The film tells a thought-provoking story

whilst not dodging some dark issues

Brick Lane 

August 11th 2010  Sarah Gavron 2007/UK         101 mins

Based on Monica Ali's novel, Brick Lane portrays the seclusion

of a young Bangladeshi woman on the estates of London's Brick

Lane.  Her life is intruded upon by a young lover and the post-

9/11 era, thus beginning her introduction to the world outside

her door. An enlightening tale of the breadth and depth of

ordinary lives, how they intersect with history and where they

remain hidden away.

Bicycle Thieves 

September 8th 2010 Vittorio De Sica/Italy                 94 mins, subtitled.

This drama of desperation and survival in Italy's devastating

post-war depression won a special Oscar. Cast with non-actors,

and filled with the real street life of Rome, this landmark

production, with its mix of real life details, poetic imagery,

and warm sentimentality helped define the Italian neorealist

approach.

The Page Turner 

October 13th 2010  Denis Dercourt 2006/Fr           85 mins subtitled

When child prodigy Melanie, fails her piano audition for the

Conservatory entrance exam, she plans revenge over a long

term.  Dercourt achieves a sinister feel, building to the shocking

conclusion, with minimalist acting from Deborah Francois and

Catherine Frot.

Miller's Crossing 

November 10th 2010 Joel & Ethan Coen 1990/US        115 mins

A Prohibition era gangster saga described as'A darkly-hued,

richly operatic mood piece'. It focuses on the friendship

between a politician and his henchman, and the bloody mob

war that erupts when they encounter a difficulty in their

relationship.  The film works as both a crime thriller, and

an ironic commentary on that genre.