Top films shown in Northampton

July's film programme at the Errol Flynn Filmhouse will take viewers to exotic locations around the world, from the French Riviera to the Amazon jungle.
Absolutely FabulousAbsolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous

Highlights include the fantasy portmanteau Tale of Tales, award-winning French drama The Measure of a Man and British comedy Adult Life Skills, along with the big screen debut of popular television comedy Absolutely Fabulous.

The documentary selection includes the moving Italian film Fire at Sea, about the island of Lampedusa.

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A diverse selection of classic movies includes 1950’s romance Roman Holiday and a special dementia-friendly screening of The Wizard of Oz, while special events include a live screening of the Almeida Theatre’s production of Richard III and a chance to watch the BBC coverage on the Wimbledon Finals on the big screen.

Tale of TalesTale of Tales
Tale of Tales

One of the highlights of the cinema’s selection of top independent films is Tale of Tales, starring Salma Hayek, Toby Jones and John C Reilly.

This gorgeously grotesque anthology of three interwoven fables inspired by 17 th century Italian folktales is a riot of gothic fantasy.

British comedy Adult Life Skills, about a twenty-something living in her mother’s shed, is Rachel Tunnard’s directorial debut and won her a Director Prize at the Tribeca Festival.

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The Girl King, shown in association with Q-Film, tells the story of Sweden’s 17 th century ‘virgin queen’ Kristina. Queen from the age of six, the young tomboy fights the conservative forces that are against her ideas to modernise the country and have no tolerance for her awakening sexuality.

Me Before YouMe Before You
Me Before You

The new film from Terence Malick (To the Wonder), Knight of Cups follows writer Rick, played by Christian Bale, as he searches for love and self via a series of adventures with six different women. The cast also features Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman.

A selection of the best foreign language films from around the world includes French movie The Measure of a Man, which sees Vincent Lindon give an award-winning performance as an unemployed everyman, who must submit to a series of quietly humiliating ordeals in his search for work.

Nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards, Embrace of the Serpent is a gripping and visually beautiful feature about an Amazonian shaman, the last survivor of his tribe, and his relationship with two European scientists.

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Melodrama Ma Ma, from Spanish auteur Julio Medem, stars Penelope Cruz as a woman recently diagnosed with cancer who forms an unexpected bond with a football scout.

Tale of TalesTale of Tales
Tale of Tales

The season also includes some insightful documentaries. Voted the Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival, Gianfranco Rosi’s timely Italian documentary Fire at Sea is an incisive and deeply moving portrait of the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa and the humanitarian crisis occurring in the seas around it.

Notes on Blindness is a dignified and thought-provoking film exploring sight loss through the personal story of theologian John Hull, whose audio diary recordings are brought to life through re-enactments and immersive imagery.

The latest big releases coming up at the Errol Flynn Filmhouse include Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, which sees Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) flee to the French Riviera, after being blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party. This big screen debut of the popular sitcom also features a host of celebrity cameos.

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British heist movie Golden Years, starring Simon Callow, Bernard Hill and Virginia McKenna, tells the tale of an elderly group who decide to deal with their pension shortfall by turning to a life of crime.

Me Before YouMe Before You
Me Before You

Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey star in Elvis & Nixon, the true story in which the ‘King’ showed up on the lawn of the White House to request a meeting with President Nixon.

Adapted from JoJo Moyes’ bestselling novel, the romantic drama Me Before You follows the relationship that develops between a young quadriplegic man and the young woman employed to provide him with companionship.

In real-time high stakes thriller Money Monster, directed by Jodie Foster, George Clooney and Julia Roberts star as a financial TV host and his producer, who face an extreme situation when an investor who has lost everything takes over their studio.

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Biographical drama The Stanford Prison Experiment follows the events surrounding Dr Zimbardo’s infamous 1971 psychological experiment, in which students randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards in a mock prison were quickly swept up by brutality, sadism and submission.

For younger audiences, animated comedy The Secret Life of Pets reveals the lives pets lead after their owners leave for work or school each day, as two dogs embark on an adventure through New York when they find out that an angry bunny is scheming against humans. Families can take advantage of a special Family Ticket Offer of one adult and one child ticket for just £11 for screenings of The Secret Life of Pets.

There will also be further chances to see some recent audience favourites, including the period romantic comedy Love &Friendship, based on a Jane Austen short novel, Irish music drama Sing Street, set in 1980s Dublin, and Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead, exploring the life of jazz musician Miles Davies.

July’s classic film selection welcomes in the summer with holiday themed movies, starting with the 1953 romantic classic Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn in her breakthrough role as a princess who sneaks off and explores Rome for a day with an American newsman played by Gregory Peck. Jacques Tati’s mostly silent French movie from the same year, Mr Hulot’s Holiday, introduces his much-loved alter ego Monsieur Hulot, who inadvertently (but good-naturedly) causes havoc when he comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation.

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With the acclaimed director Ken Loach celebrating his 80 th birthday this year, the classics programme includes his 1967 debut feature, Poor Cow, a snapshot of ‘60s London starring Carol White as a young mother struggling to cope while her brutal, uncaring husband is in jail.

The Errol Flynn Filmhouse will also be hosting a dementia-friendly screening of the well-loved 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz.

The event is open to all, but especially offers people living with dementia and their carers the chance to enjoy a classic film in a relaxed and supportive environment.

The Studio Ghibli Retrospective concludes this month, showing more animated classics from the visionary Japanese studio.

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Films scheduled for July are Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. All are shown in Japanese with English subtitles. Full details are available on the cinema’s website.

There will also be screenings of their brand new feature When Marnie Was There, which follows an emotionally distant teenage who becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion where she befriends the girl who lives there, who may or may not be real. There will be onescreening of the movie with English subtitles and one dubbed in English.

As part of the popular programme of live broadcasts and event cinema there will be a live screening of the Almeida Theatre’s explosive new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III, starring Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave, and directed by Royal & Derngate’s former Artistic Director Rupert Goold.

The live broadcast of Branagh Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet – starring Richard Madden, Lily James and Sir Derek Jacobi – is already sold out, but there are encore screenings scheduled for later in the month.

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There is also another chance to see Paapa Essiedu in the title role of the RSC production of Hamlet, directed by Simon Godwin and recorded live at Stratford-Upon- Avon.

The fascinating film Discover Arts: Leonardo da Vinci sees leading experts tell the story of the iconic painter, sculptor, scientist, anatomist, botanist and architect.

Celebrating the height of summer, the Errol Flynn Filmhouse offers the opportunity to enjoy the BBC coverage of the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Wimbledon Finals on the big screen, with tickets including a welcome glass of fizz, cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches, and the traditional strawberries and cream.

All tickets can be booked in advance by calling box office on 01604 624811 or online at www.errolflynnfilmhouse.com, where full details can be found of the forthcoming programme with dates and times of all screenings.

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