NOW SHOWING: LONDON SCREEN GUIDE w/c 07.04.17
To help your hunt for adventurous moving pictures, RADIANT CIRCUS hand-picks London’s screen highlights for the week ahead*.
This week features an array of astonishing revivals from quintessential Bollywood to skin-crawling Japanese body horror. The warming weather heralds the welcome return of outdoor cinema with Spring and Summer seasons announced across the city.
Our featured film of the week is David Lynch’s exemplary fever-dream, ERASERHEAD.
FRIDAY 7 APRIL 2017, 19:30, BERNIE GRANT ARTS CENTRE
PRESSURE, photographer and filmmaker Horace Ové’s best-known film, follows Tony, “a young black man who discovers the realities of prejudice in 1970s Britain”. Try PLAYING AWAY (14 APRIL) or BALDWIN’S NIGGER (various, 21 APRIL to 16 JUNE) for more Ové.
Looking for an alternative? BACK STORY (19:30) is a first person doc about being young and black in contemporary America. Catch it for FREE (no ticket required / first come, first served) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. Part of the CAMBERWELL FREE FILM FESTIVAL.
SATURDAY 8 APRIL 2017, 19:00, BARBICAN
Dubbed “the Godfather of Bollywood films” and a regular “best of” chart topper, SHOLAY in 3D is an explosive Indian western from 1975 given extra dimension in 2014. Screens as part of Barbican’s WHAT LONDON WATCHES: TEN FILMS THAT SHOOK OUR WORLD.
Looking for an alternative? Queer up your weekend with a double bill of Derek Jarman’s ANGELIC CONVERSATION (13:30, ICA) and HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH in 35mm (21:30, Picturehouse Central).
SUNDAY 9 APRIL 2017, 19:30, CLOSE-UP
ERASERHEAD is a cinematic touchstone for lovers of adventurous moving pictures. Filmed over several years, and benefitting enormously from it’s midnight movie status, Lynch’s feature debut remains an extraordinary artistic achievement. Close-Up pairs it with THE GRANDMOTHER, Lynch’s 1970 short film about a boy who grows his own guardian, as part of their CLOSE-UP ON DAVID LYNCH (7 to 29 APRIL 2017).
Looking for an alternative? Classic psychological thriller LES DAIBOLIQUES + INTRO (14:00) screens at Ciné Lumière as part of their BOLD WOMEN OF FRENCH CINEMA season. The intro comes from Ginette Vincendeau, Professor of Film Studies at Kings College London.
MONDAY 10 APRIL 2017, 19:00, FRONTLINE CLUB
LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD + Q&A tells the dramatic story of Gertrude Bell, the British spy, explorer and political powerhouse sometimes called the “female Lawrence of Arabia”. The film will be followed by a Q&A with directors Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum.
Looking for an alternative? THE TIN DRUM (19:30) presented by ARROW VIDEO CLUB at Deptford Cinema showcases Volker Schlöndorff’s magical-realist masterpiece about a boy who refuses to grow up, experiencing the rise of the Nazis from his forever child’s-eye view.
TUESDAY 11 APRIL 2017, 19:00, GENESIS CINEMA
À MA SOEUR! (aka FAT GIRL) is a “provocative and shocking drama about sibling rivalry, family discord and relationships” (not to mention a complex and controversial study of teenage sexuality).
WEDNESDAY 12 APRIL 2017, 19:00, THE HORSE HOSPITAL
The Horse Hospital hosts another of Billy Chainsaw’s NOVA NIGHTS: PROGRESSIVE, TRANSGRESSIVE & UNDERGROUND. This one is dedicated to GARY PARSONS: MAN, MYTH & MAGIC. Described by Kenneth Anger as “the heterosexual me”, the evening includes conversation with Gary Parsons, his short film CONJURATION and occult classic ANGELI BIANCHI ANGELI NERI.
Looking for an alternative? THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (18:15) will weird you out at BFI as part of their continuing CULT strand.
THURSDAY 13 APRIL 2017, 20:45, PRINCE CHARLES CINEMA
PHANTASM: REMASTERED breaks dimensional boundaries thanks to those lovely people at Arrow Video Club. Its wikipedia categorisation as an “American horror film” rather fails to do this mesmerising nightmare justice. From the Tall Man to his dwarf minions and some killer balls, there’s nothing quite like it (apart from the growing number of sequels, of course…).
Looking for an alternative? TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (20:50) at Genesis Cinema is a bold tonic to all-things Downey Jr. Presented by the CULT CLASSIC COLLECTIVE, this bleak Japanese body horror tells of a humble salaryman as he painfully turns into a walking hunk of scrap metal.
FESTIVALS / SEASONS / TALKS
Barbican continues WHAT LONDON WATCHES: TEN FILMS THAT SHOOK OUR WORLD.
BFI continues FASSBINDER. Fans of the smaller screen should flock to the BFI & RADIO TIMES TELEVISION FESTIVAL (7 APRIL to 9 APRIL 2017).
Close-Up kickstarts their month-long DAVID LYNCH retrospective (7 to 29 APRIL 2017) with LOST HIGHWAY. It’s just a shame they’re not showing one of our favourites, the beautiful but baffling sci-fi epic, DUNE…
The Horse Hospital plays host to the LONDON PORN FILM FESTIVAL (7 to 9 APRIL 2017), for porn seen through a distinctly queer lens.
And finally… the outdoor season starts to get its deckchairs in a row.
Free Film Festivals promote a number of indoor and outdoor screenings, all powered by community volunteers. Check their site for a FREE festival and films near you.
Lost Format Society has announced a new Croydon location will open on 18 MAY 2017.
Rooftop Film Club has released a SPRING PROGRAMME (4 May to 30 JUNE 2017), featuring their usual combo of recent and classic movies. The SUMMER PROGRAMME goes on sale 16 MAY 2017.
Somerset House runs their FILM 4 SUMMER SCREEN from 10 to 23 AUGUST when they’ll be going a bundle on great American movies from the 1970s. Tickets released in May.
More places to shelter from the storm in next week’s GUIDE.
*As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any mistakes.
Featured image: ERASERHEAD (1977).