Cinema at the Dukes in February 2001
February sees a wide variety of films in the Dukes cinema and also the launch of the new state of the art digital sound system. With a packed schedule of over 25 different films to choose from the Dukes can offer cinemagoers in the Lancaster and Morecambe area an exceptional choice of new releases, classics and old favourites.
Fight Club (18) eX Preview Thurs 1st 8.00pm
February literally kicks off with this "Clockwork Orange for the New Century". Fight Club stars Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham-Carter and Ed Norton. It tells the story of a listless twenty-something looking for ‘wake-up’ experiences that will bring him to his senses, bringing him into contact with self-help groups, bare-knuckle boxing and radical anarchy! Directed by David Fincher who also made Seven.
The Phantom Menace (U) eX Soundtrack Guest Night gala launch Fri 2nd 7.45pm
Digital sound systems were originally custom developed to cope with the demands of this film's soundtrack in June 1999. Since then Dolby have kept pace with technological developments and in September 2000 produced an even more sophisticated processing unit, newly installed at the Dukes. Come along to this special night and enjoy a film that has extraordinary special effects and a stunning soundtrack. Starring Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson.
Purely Belter (15) Sat 3rd - Mon 5th 8.00pm
A heartfelt comedy drama about realising dreams and triumphing in the face of adversity, set
in Newcastle in the present day. Director of Brassed Off, Mark Herman brings a poignant and humorous story about two Newcastle United fans who are desperate to get enough money together to buy tickets to see their team play.
Mission to Mars (PG) eX Soundtrack Tue 6th 8.00pm
A Brian de Palma film starring Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise, Mission to Mars tells the story of an exploratory journey to the red planet that goes horribly wrong. An epic blockbuster that has an unusual and surreal conclusion.
Snatch (18) Wed 7th 8.00pm
Guy Ritchie's second film proves that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was no one-hit wonder. Snatch is a stylish, witty and comic violent caper flick that starts with Frankie Four Fingers stealing a vast diamond in Antwerp and then leads onto a whole string of events involving Mickey One Punch, crimelord Brick Top and Bullet Tooth Tony (Vinnie Jones).
Hollow Man (18) eX Soundtrack Thu 8th 8.00pm
Paul Verhoeven's film is a special effects extravaganza that is violent, action driven and shows that the director is a superior craftsman. He manages to integrate state-of-the-art special effects into a clever thriller that gives the perennially popular invisible man character a new, modern sensibility with devastating results!
L'Humanite (18) Fri 9th - Sat 10th 8.00pm
This film tells the story of an uncharismatic detective in provincial France investigating the rape and murder of an 11-year-old-girl. The director Dumont has produced an almost mystical work with beautiful images but the film has real a sense of hopelessness as the characters try to face up to the bleak reality of their close-knit, suffocating community environment. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 1999.
In the Mood for Love (PG) Sun11th — Mon 12th 8pm & Tue 13th 6.15pm
Wong Kar-Wai's film has an exceptionally vivid sense of place and is all about memory - the sorrow that the past has gone and can never be re-built. It follows the relationship of a middle-class couple who are being betrayed respectively by each others' partners. It is a calm and meditative film that is full of aching poignancy, opulence and romance. Sublime.
Toy Story 2 (U) eX Soundtrack Tue 13th 8.30pm
Fantastic digital animation and great humour make this an excellent film for children and adults alike. A genuinely exhilarating film!
La Vie de Jesus (18) Wed 14th 6.30pm
Set in France in a small town where not much happens, this film centres on a group of bored teenage boys whose remorselessly slow pace of life is brilliantly rendered. The story ends with a racist murder and an unclear note of redemption. La Vie de Jesus offers a style of film-making that is, unfortunately, becoming a rare art.
Scary Movie (18) Wed 14th 8.30pm
This film parodies The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix and The Usual Suspects and offers a good laugh on Valentine's Day! It takes the 1990s horror spoof just about as far as it can go, if not further!
Gladiator (15) eX Soundtrack Thu 15th 8.00pm
This film looks and sounds amazing with incredible special CGI effects to re-build Rome as it was and to re-create Oliver Reed! Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, the General who has been wronged by the new young Emperor (Joaquin Phoenix) and who then finds his glory again as a gladiator.
The Yards (15) Fri 16th 6pm & Sat 17th 8.30pm
A tense thriller set in the vast New York subway yards. Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) has
just been in prison for four years and wants to get his life back on track. He gets a job with his well-connected Uncle (James Caan) and unwittingly is drawn into a world of sabotage, high stakes pay-offs and murder. An exciting contemporary drama that tells the story of a family's struggle in a world where love, loyalty and betrayal are easily exchanged.
Harry, He's Here to Help (15) Fri 16th 8.30p, Sat 17th 6pm, Sun 18th 8pm
When Michel meets Harry at a service station and Harry insists they knew each other at high school, Michel can't quite remember him but is convinced anyway. After a series of unusual events, Michel begins to get suspicious. A darkly comic and mischievous little film, Harry, He's Here to Help cleverly explores what might happen if someone could take someone else's doubts, fears and irrational desires and pursue them to their logical conclusion.
Shaft Returns (18) Mon 19th 6.15pm
This fine update of the popular classic stars Samuel L. Jackson as Shaft and Richard Roundtree as his Uncle, the original seventies JohnShaft. Shaft is on the trail of a racist killer, still to the funky music of Isaac Hayes! Also stars Christian Bale and Toni Colette.
Goya In Bordeaux (15) Mon 19th 8.30pm, Tue 20th 6.15pm
Directed by Carlos Saura, Goya in Bordeaux explores the experiences of the man considered to be the most important artist of the modern era. 82 year old Francisco de Goya, living in exile in Bordeaux , reconstructs the main events of his life that featured political upheaval, poisoned passions and the ecstasy of fame. This film is a powerful visual spectacle where emotions are conveyed through vibrant colours.
The Haunting (12) eX Soundtrack Tue 20th 8.30pm
From the director of Speed comes this nightmare-inducing remake of the 1962 psycho-horror flick, starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It may not be subtle but it is a whole load of spooky fun!
Ring (15) Wed 21st 6.30pm & Thu 22nd 8.30pm
A Japanese psycho-horror film that is genuinely innovative and chilling. It centres on a mysterious videotape that has odd, blurry images on it which are then followed by a phonecall that informs the viewer that they are going to die within the next week. It transpires that the images are sent from a hi-tech psychic. Ring is filmed in a very eerie manner and it is a complex, clever film.
Videodrome (18) Wed 21st 8.30pm& Thu 22nd 6.30pm
Director David Cronenberg has always mixed vile visceral horror with social criticism and Videodrome is no exception. A cable TV programmer (James Woods) becomes increasingly intrigued by the hardcore S/M movies that he is beaming down from satellite as is his girlfriend, played by Debbie Harry. Truly seminal body-horror about Cronenberg's wholesale disgust with the world in general.
The Road Home (U) Fri 23rd 6.15pm & Sat 24th 8.30pm
The latest film from the director of Raise the Red Lantern and Not One Less is a heavily autobiographical, poignant and lyrical romance about a young businessman who returns to his rural village home for the funeral of his father. This prompts him to recall the story of his parents' courtship. The film is a beautifully shot exploration of the process of memory and history, expertly invoking a specific time and place.
Charlie's Angels (?) Fri 23rd 8.30pm & Sat 24th 6pm
The re-make of the 1970s cult TV show, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as the action girls on the big screen. IHigh budget-action, deliberately flamboyant, completely over the top and great to watch. With Bill Murray as Bosley, Charlie's man on the ground.
Chicken Run (U) eX Soundtrack Sun 25th 8.00pm
A great movie for children and adults with Mel Gibson and Jane Horrocks doing two of the characters' voices! Great chicken (and rooster) personalities, plenty of action and jokes that will keep everyone entertained.
Small Time Crooks (PG) Mon 26th 6.15pm, Tue 27th 8.30pm, Wed 28th 6.15pm
The latest film from Woody Allen is a romantic comedy that follows the misadventures of an ex-con dishwasher and his manicurist wife whose get-rich-quick scheme doesn't go quite according to plan. Allen and Tracy Ullman play the husband and wife team who attempt to work their way up the social ladder with cringeworthy dinner parties and bad taste interiors!
Black and White (18) Mon 26th 8.30pm& Tue 27th 6.15pm
This film is a searing and comedic look at race, sex and hip hop in the melting pot that is Manhattan. When Rich Blower decides to leave his life of crime and re-invent himself as a hip hop impresario, he is confronted for the first time by the destructive dealings of the white world. Black and White is an ambitious, challenging and frank film and it also makes for electric viewing.
Road Trip (15) Wed 28th 8.30pm
After carelessly sending his girlfriend a video tape of himself having sex with a college student, Josh has to travel 1,800 miles to get it before she does! He is joined in this heroic quest by a geekish, perpetually-stoned physics genius. Much drug hilarity ensues - this is Animal House for the new millennium!