Films at The Dukes, Lancaster June 2001
Press Release
Films at the Dukes June 2001
As preparations get underway for the Dukes' theatre event in Williamson Park, Arabian Nights, the cinema has lots to offer filmgoers in Lancaster, Morecambe and fans from all over the North West. June, July and August see a packed film programme with new releases, old favourites and foreign films. In June alone there are eighteen different films to choose from including: Hannibal, Thirteen Days, Best in Show, Billy Elliot, Traffic and Bread and Roses.
Hannibal (18) Fri 1st - Mon 4th
Director Ridley Scott directs the latest instalment (after Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs) in the gruesome serial-killing saga of cannibal Hannibal Lecter. Anthony Hopkins is in the central role as the sophisticated killer being investigated by Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) who tracks Lecter down to Florence.
Dark Days (No Cert) Mon 4th - Wed 6th
A stark and beautiful black and white documentary that details the community of down and outs who live in the disused tunnels connected to the New York subway. Dark Days chronicles their confrontation with a heartless rail company that tries to evict them. The film has a happy ending that film-maker Marc Singer had not foreseen in this labour of love which took him two years to make. This is a remarkable documentary.
Thirteen Days (12) Tue 5th - Thu 7th
Thirteen Days is an epic re-telling of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, the horrific and climactic stand-off at the height of the Cold War confrontation between the USA and the Soviet Union. It details the claustrophobic White House conditions as the Americans attempt to force the removal of medium-range nuclear missiles from their neighbour and Soviet ally, Cuba. Starring Kevin Costner.
Enemy at the Gates (15) Fri 8th - Sun 10th
This film is set during the Second World War and tells of the epic battle of Stalingrad, in which the Russians turned back the German invasion of their homeland in a bloody and frozen hell. Centred around the personal battle between two ace hunter-killer snipers, one German and one Russian, this is a tale of obsession and heroism set against one of the most notorious slaughter-zones in modern military history. With Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes and Bob Hoskins.
Best in Show (12) Mon 11th - 13th
A hysterical film from one of the sharpest contemporary film satirists, Christopher Guest (co-writer and the guitarist in the fabulous This is Spinal Tap). A disparate group of dog-owners gather for the Mayflower Dog Show in Philadelphia, all likeable characters whose dogs are stuck in the middle of dysfunctional relationships. A brilliantly turned out film of real pedigree!!
The Terminator (18) Mon 11th - Tue 12th
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the rippling robot who is back from the future to kill the woman who is the mother of a great freedom fighter not yet born. A film with terrific pace and action with enough violence to make it profoundly moral.
Finding Forrester (12) Wed 13th - Thur 14th
Following on from Good Will Hunting, Gus Van Sant directs this warm-hearted character piece concerning a one-hit wonder writer who has almost retired from the outside world and become a total recluse. He is brought out of his shell by the efforts of a local basketball scholar and college student who has great respect for the author. The film features from two towering performances - Sean Connery as the ageing writer, and 16-year-old newcomer Robert Brown as the student - who between them bring great pathos to the tale.
The Gift (15) Thu 14th- Sat 16th
From the veteran director of the The Evil Dead comes this classic slice of American horror, in which Cate Blanchett plays small-town psychic Annie Wilson, the focal point of her local community, finding her door knocked on everyday by townsfolk after advice. When a local girl is murdered, however, Annie's 'gift' slowly helps her unravel the events of the night in question - with increasingly sinister consequences.
Billy Elliot (15) Fri 15th - Sun 17th
Due to its great popularity this heart-warming tale of a ballet-dancing miner's son is back for those who missed it the first time round and for those who would like to see it again (and
Audition (18) Tue 19th - Wed 20th
This remarkable, evocative and disturbing film starts like a sentimental romance, but gradually shifts into a nightmarish style and finishes with a haunting sequence of physical and mental torture. Seeking a second wife, a widowed TV executive holds fake auditions so that he can meet young women as potential brides. He begins to date one of the young women and strangely few people from her past can be traced
Elvis: That's the Way It Is - Special Edition (U) Mon 18th - Tue 19th
This is a re-edited version of the classic 1970 in-concert film. Elvis and his mighty backing band run through some of their finest material and there is some fantastic rehearsal footage that contains some of the most vital film documentary work of rock and gospel.
Shower (12) Wed 20th - Thur 21st
This engaging, warm and human drama features an assorted collection of characters who decide to re-establish an old style bathhouse, and then the re-evaluation of the ideals that follow on from their enterprise and transactions with the customers. Full of gentle humour and respect for discarded values, this is an irresistible little film.
Erin Brokovich (15) Thur 21st
Return of this classic from Steven Soderbergh, and Oscar winner at the Academy Awards 2001 (Best Actress award for Julia Roberts in the title role). An anti-corporate tale of a young mother investigating a local pollution scandal, this is intelligent film-making from the finest director working in Hollywood.
Traffic (18) Fri 22nd - Sun 24th
This is an epic portrayal of the drug-running business across the Mexican border, told using a network of characters from a humble border guard up to a presidential legal advisor. With a vicious sting in its tail, this searing indictment of corruption, greed and violence is among the finest American films of the year.
Bread and Roses (12) Mon 25th - Wed 27th
Ken Loach's latest film is set amongst the poorly-paid office cleaning and janitor staff of the Los Angeles skyscraper world. Following an attempt to unionise and strike in order to gain better pay and job security, the film utilises the familiar theme of worker abuse common to many Loach films. A film with sincerity and pathos.
Girlfight (15) Mon 25th - Wed 27th
This is a story of a disaffected teenage girl resorting to rigorous training in order to enter the harsh and competitive world of American professional female boxing, which is a growing spectator industry. A superbly acted human drama with fantastic art-direction and camera work that looks fabulous. Not to be missed.
Faithless (12) Thur 28th - Fri 29th
An absolute treat for fans of old school Swedish art-cinema, Faithless is a classic study of the breakdown of a relationship tainted by distrust and complacency. Marianne and her husband seem to have everything, yet she risks it all to have an affair. The domestic intrigue is compelling and the attention to the gross cruelties of middle class relationships is grotesquely apparent.
Bridget Jones's Diary (15) Sat 30th - Thu 5th July
Sure-fire hit and very witty adaptation of the classic Helen Fielding novel about a suburban working girl preoccupations. Renée Zellweger touchingly portrays the perils of Silk Cut, Chardonnay and cellulite as experienced by a regular girl who just can't quite find the right man for her. Actually quite an old fashioned romance. A brilliant performance from Hugh Grant and great fun all round!
If you would like more information or tickets please call the Dukes
Ends 23.05.01