THE BALLY - London's indie film news

THE BALLY #15: Sensational screens you must not miss [04 to 10 JAN]

SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT!

Welcome to THE BALLY where we voice our enthusiasm for London’s alternative screen attractions.

This week, we’ve given you some handpicked highlights from London’s one-off screen events and a flavour of what’s projecting in the city’s repertory seasons and regular runs. Discover more online at radiantcircus.com.

THIS MONTH [JANUARY]:


Our featured attraction of the month is new season DRIFTING SHADOWS: MASTERPIECES OF FINNISH CINEMA at Close-Up Film Centre (18 to 30 JAN):

  • RADIANT CIRCUS view: Part of the great joy of putting these listings together is discovering cinema we know very little about, and that pretty much includes everything in this amazing selection at Close-Up…

> Find out more in our monthly roundup, HERE.

THIS WEEK [04 to 10 JAN]:

Films in London this week: ASCENT at The Whitechapel Gallery (10 JAN).
Our featured attraction of the week is ASCENT + Q&A with Fiona Tan at The Whitechapel Gallery (10 JAN 19:00):

  • “As if cloaked by the clouds that mask the magnificent view of Japan’s highest peak on a crisp misty morning, Fiona Tan’s Ascent is a film shrouded in mystic wonder.” – Culturefly.

> Find more great indie films in our weekly digest, HERE.

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FRI //:

GREASE 2 at The Prince Charles (04 JAN 21:00):

  • Presented by Brooklyn Brewery (each ticket includes a cold can of something tasty): Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the leader of Rydell High School’s Pink Ladies. Tired of her relationship with top T-Bird Johnny Nogerelli (Adrian Zmed), she breaks up with him and quickly catches the eye of English exchange student Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield).

> Find more films in London today HERE.

SAT //:

THE KING AND THE MOCKINGBIRD at Phoenix Cinema (05 JAN 11:00):

  • Widely considered one of the best animated features of all time, and certainly a masterpiece of French animation, the Prix Louis Delluc-winning Le Roi et l’Oiseau has been cited by Studio Ghibli as a profound influence on their work.

> Find more films in London today HERE.

SUN //:

Double Bill: ORPHÉE + LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE at Regent Street Cinema (06 JAN 15:00 & 17:00):

  • ORPHÉE: This magical retelling of the Orpheus myth turns the lyre-playing singer of Greek legend into a famous left-bank poet in postwar Paris. LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE: This landmark feat of cinematic fantasy conjures spectacular visions of enchantment, desire and death has never been equalled.

> Find more films in London today HERE.

MON //:

I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY + Skype Q&A with director Jessica Leski at BFI Southbank (07 JAN 18:10):

  • To paraphrase the immortal words of Harry Styles, ‘who’s to say that a teen girl’s musical taste is any less valuable than that of a 30-year-old hipster?’ In her documentary feature debut, Jessica Leski doesn’t focus on the boybands themselves, but the adoration they inspire in women.

> Find more films in London today HERE.

TUE //:

POSSESSED + INTRO by Metahaven at ICA (08 JAN 18:30):

  • Programmed alongside Metahaven’s exhibition Version History, the artists introduce the first UK screening of their feature length audio-visual essay POSSESSED (2018), directed in collaboration Rob Schröder.

> Find more films in London this week HERE.

WED //:

Beatriz Santiago Muñoz: ONEIROMANCER + INTRO/Q&A with Beatriz Santiago Muñoz at Tate Modern (09 JAN 18:30):

  • UK premiere of six recent short films. Curated by the artist herself, the selection challenges conventional representations of Caribbean cultures, exploring subjects spanning anti-colonial movements, self-sufficient lifestyles and post-military landscapes.

> Find more films in London today HERE.

THU //:

ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS + Q&A with director Gabrielle Brady & counsellor Poh Lin Lee at ICA (10 JAN 19:45):

  • Christmas Island is a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, dense with jungle and home to millions of land crabs, who every year migrate from the island’s interior to its rugged coastline. The island is also home to Australia’s largest offshore detention facility, in which over 800 asylum seekers are currently indefinitely detained.

> Find more films in London today HERE.

// COMING SOON:

Science Fiction Theatre presents THE CALLER at The Castle Cinema (22 JAN 21:00):

  • Under the guise of using her phone to call a repair truck, a mysterious stranger (Malcolm McDowell) convinces a lone woman (Madolyn Smith) to let him in to her isolated cabin in the woods. But all is not what it seems…

> More event info HERE.

// COMING SOON:

Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme: PEOPLE STILL CALL IT LOVE at ICA (02 to 10 FEB):

  • Thoughtfully selected works, all focusing on the theme of love. As conventional binaries defining what it means to love continually give way to new understandings, these films provide insights into a wider context of love in Japanese society.

> More event info HERE.

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SEASONS TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO:

KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR

THE GOLDEN AGE OF ALEXANDER KORDA: BRITAIN’S MOVIE MOGUL at BFI Southbank (JAN):

> Find more rep seasons in our weekly digest, HERE.

A WEEK OF REGULAR RUNS:

Films in London this week: CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER at DocHouse (05 to 10 JAN).

CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER at DocHouse (05 to 10 JAN – featured image):

  • In an age where we consume, upgrade and have machines that aren’t built to last, Tom Hanks loves typewriters. And he’s not alone. In Doug Nichol’s doc, we meet a man who creates sculptures out of typewriters, another who has spent the most part of his life repairing typewriters, and a typewriter orchestra.

THE FAVOURITE at ArtHouse Crouch End (04 to 10 JAN):

  • A triple threat of acting talent drives this acid period drama of courtly scheming. Olivia Colman is Queen Anne, a capricious and sickly ruler led by the nose by Rachel Weisz’s courtier Lady Sarah. Abigail (Emma Stone) is a disenfranchised noblewoman who quickly sets about regaining her position by wheedling her way into the Queen’s favours.

ONE CUT OF THE DEAD aka Kamera o tomeru na! at The Prince Charles (04 to 10 JAN):

  • The film opens in a run-down, abandonad warehouse where a film crew are making a zombie film… Yet, this is no ordinary warehouse. It’s been said that it’s the site of military experiments… Out of nowhere, real zombies arrive and terrorize the crew!

THE PASSENGER aka Professione: Reporter at BFI Southbank (04 JAN to 24 FEB):

  • When David Locke (Jack Nicholson) impulsively exchanges identities with a businessman he finds dead in a North African hotel room, he believes he’s starting anew. But passing himself off as someone else doesn’t mean he’s escaping the past…

> Find more regular runs in our weekly digest, HERE.

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