Category: entertainment and leisure news

THIS Saturday – January 8, at Thame Cinema 4 All – MADE IN DAGENHAM – UK 2010 15 Cert 113 minutes; starring Bob Hoskins, Daniel Mays, Geraldine James and Miranda Richardson.

There could hardly be anything more exotic and unfamiliar in mainstream commercial cinema than the story of a successful strike. But this is what screenwriter director Nigel Cole gives us with this good-humoured comedy – almost, but not exactly, a shopfloor version of Calendar Girls, also directed by Cole.

Made in Dagenham is based on the Ford women car workers’ strike of 1968, in which female staff went on strike for the same wage as the men. This commanded headlines, galvanised the political debate, and indirectly led to the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

It stars Sally Hawkins as Rita, confident and forthright as the ordinary working mum who finds herself elevated to the position of striker-spokeswoman, battling not merely against the bosses but the smug chaps’ club in general: employers and trade unionists getting ready to stitch up a duplicitous compromise behind her back. Miranda Richardson plays Barbara Castle, the cabinet minister not-so-secretly sympathetic to the women strikers and exasperated at the ambiguous evasions of her own boss, Harold Wilson, played in cameo by John Sessions.

A feel-good film for a winter evening!
This Saturday 8th January, doors open 7.30, film starts 8pm – Admission

MORE events listed on Thame.Net – CLICK HERE for complete list.

THE ILLUSIONIST France/ UK 2010, 83 minutes, PG certificate – Directed by Sylvain Chomet, Starring voices of Edith Rankin, Eilidh Rankin, Jean-Claude Donda.

In an era dominated by computer generated three dimensional animation, with all its sass and knowing irony, it is great to be reminded of what classical hand-drawn animation has the power to deliver. Jacques Tati wrote this script in 1956, and it has only now been realised for the screen by Chomet following negotiation with Tati’s family.

The story follows an ageing conjuror, forced to leave his native France in the late 1950’s to travel to England in search of work. The skills of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or doing a few coin tricks, are fast becoming obsolete in a culture on the brink of the 60’s – he secures a painful gig as support act to a new pop band, waiting in the wings to entertain screaming adolescents who will almost certainly laugh at him rather than with him. His journeys take him to the Scottish Highlands, where he meets and befriends a stage-struck young girl who follows him to Edinburgh and becomes his prot

SKELETONS – UK 2010, 93 minutes, 15 certificate
Directed by Nick Whitfield, starring Andrew Buckley, Ed Gaughan.

WHITFIELDD’S directorial debut was the winner of the Michael Powell award for best new British film at this year’s Edinburgh film festival, and certainly managed to catch the eye of the critics in spite of a low key cinematic release. Variously described as a cross between Monty Python, Dennis Potter and Charlie Kaufmann, this eccentric, very funny and peculiarly English gem looks set to become a cult classic.

SKELETONS tells the surreal tale of Davis and Bennet, two harrassed functionaries of a shadowy supernatural outfit that specialises in the eradication of painful memories and family skeletons, a process that involves the use of a bleeping apparatus pointed at the back of – naturally – the client’s closet. Both characters are established as lonely and awkward characters, and Davis has secretly been using the equipment on himself, in an attempt to deal with demons of his own, a practice frowned upon by his employers.

Such a quirky premise, pared down bleak English landscapes, and bone-dry humour are combined with great warmth and sensitivity – the Edinburgh judges described it as a surprisingly heartfelt film about ‘filling the often lonely void of emotional repression with the gentle glow of love’. Come and enjoy what American critics have hailed as the best cult movie to come out of the UK since Withnail and I.

AND DON’T MISS THAME CINEMA AGM 6.45pm- COME AND GIVE US YOUR VIEWS, FREE ENTRY TO FILM FOR ATTENDEES

Doors open 6.30pm AGM 6.45, Film 8pm. Admission

MOTHER – South Korea 2009, 129 minutes, 15 certificate
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, Starring Hye-ja Kim, Bin Won

HIGHLY acclaimed following its recent cinematic release, Bong Joon-ho’s delectably gripping gem of a film is a psychological thriller and darkly comic take on the police procedural genre.

Hye-ja Kim stars as an ageing single mother, withdrawn and unassuming, eking out a living flogging herbal medicines and practicing as an unregistered acupuncturist in a provincial town. Her survival instinct is prompted by a protective love of her adult son Do-joon, in his late 20’s but with the mental capacity of a young boy, who has been bullied all his life and keeps company with a bad crowd.

In true film-noir tradition, he also suffers from periodic amnesia. One evening Do-joon follows a pretty school girl down a dark alley. He returns home in a confused state, the viewer left uncertain as to what has happened, but when the girl is found dead, Do-joon is charged with her murder. Faced with the inadequacies of a shambolic police force, and the hostility of the locals, Mother must turn fiercely determined detective, going to extreme lengths in an effort to prove her son’s innocence. In the process, she uncovers a significant can-of-worms and becomes an uncomfortable embarrassment to the inept police force. Mischievous and intriguing with just the right balance of mystery and melodrama.

This Saturday 30th October
Doors open 7.30pm Film 8pm. Admission

THIS week’s film at Thame Cinema 4 All, Nelson Street, Thame, is Exit Through The Gift Shop, UK / USA 2010, 86 minutes, 15 certificate, Directed by Banksy, Thierry Guetta.

This very funny and very clever ‘documentary’ manages to combine laugh out loud humour with serious questions about art, authenticity, and the venality of the contemporary art scene. Thierry Guetta, apparently a one time friend and associate of art prankster Banksy, is the subject of what initially appears to be a documentary about street artists. Thierry has a lucrative vintage clothing business in Los Angeles, but in his spare time he obsessively films pretty much everything on videotape. He establishes relationships with a network of street artists, and begins to follow their nocturnal activities with the intention of making a feature length documentary about subversive public art statement.

The film, intercut with talking head contributions from a hooded “Banksy”, follows Thierry’s increasingly bizarre trajectory, as he abandons his miles of un-useable tape and decides to become a street artist himself. In pursuing the efforts of its rather hopeless protagonist, the film nonetheless succeeds in arguing the cultural significance of seriously good street art. It is art that is funny and tongue in cheek but that succinctly tackles important political and cultural issues on a conspicuous scale.

It is very rare to have a night at the cinema that manages to be challenging without sermonising, and that allows you to leave the cinema with a spring in your step, laughing and puzzling over what you have seen. Cheeky and priceless.

To be preceded by award-winning autobiographical documentary: Thank you Skinhead Girl.

THE words ‘Oxford’ and ‘history’ might conjure up science or the English civil war, CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien. But there are other Oxford histories seldom told: more recent, those about the experience of marginal cultures. Oxford film maker Sharon Woodward, joins us to share her own slice of Oxford history – her award winning autobiographical documentary Thank You Skinhead Girl. followed by a Q&A with Sharon before Exit Through The Gift Shop,

This Saturday 16th October
Doors open 7.30pm Thank You Skinhead Girl 8pm. Admission

POPULAR singing teacher and impresario, Madge Stephens, is back in Thame from her travels in Europe, fired with enthusiasm to pass on her great knowledge and experience of singing.

As well as having taught many promising young singers, some of whom formed the nucleus of her first opera company, Oxford Opera, Madge was a well-known part of the very popular BBC programme, Music For You, hosted by the legendary Eric Robinson.

Madge will be giving individual singing lesson at The Thame Barns Centre on Saturdays, but would like to invite anyone interested in improving their singing and acting, to go and see her at the Barns Centre on October 23, for an informal discussion, between 10am and 1pm.

MORE ABOUT MADGE

Madge started her career in her home country of Australia, performing in stage opera and on television and radio. She came to England to further her career and quickly became a very popular young soprano, appearing in opera, oratorio and concerts working with the BBC on radio, in prom concerts and televised operas.

As well as Oxford Opera, in London Madge formed Opera Venture which gave many semi-professional singers the opportunity to perform and display their talents to the larger opera companies.

PHOTO: Experienced classical singer and teacher at the highest level, Madge H Stephens

AMENDED – Apologies to Peter Stevens for erroneously crediting Mark Williams with the part of Fred, the photographer.

THAME Players’ latest production drew practically a full house for every splendid performance of Terence Rattigan’s play, The Winslow Boy, last week.

This has got to be one of the company’s best ever productions – and that really is saying something for this little, local theatre group that nonetheless consistantly turns out high quality acting and production, in their delightful little theatre in the market town of Thame.

The device of illustrating the action off stage through one character reporting back to the other characters on stage, is so effective in this play, and no better exemplified than through the moving description by Frances Lord as Violet the parlour maid, of the closing stages of the the public trial of the Admiralty, set shortly before the outbreak of WW1.

As Frances (as Violet) described members of the jury jumping out of the box to shake the hand of Sir Robert Morton, KC (played with a perfect mixture of poise and barely concealed arrogance by Mark Williams), and his unexpected emotional reaction, I for one was there in that court room with her, witnessing that historic moment – all over a five shilling postal order!

All the actors deserve the most appreciative of praise for their portrayal of a patriarchal family on the cusp of the first World War, just as young people – young women in particular – were beginning to exert their independence, but a time when personal sacrifice and ‘doing the right thing’ were still important.

Particular praise must also go to Brian Holt as Arthur Winslow’s father, who visibly became more frail through the duration of the trial, as he fought for the honour of his wrongly accused son (we assume!)

All the cast were exemplary; Robin Kendall for his querky, gauky yet loveably innocent portrayal of a boy younger than himself, Val Cockayne for her believable portrayal of the loyal, submissive wife, yet somehow, really in command of the household.

Penny Harper must be a professional actress – if she’s not, she should be, such is her natural stage presence, demanding that you watch her, even when she’s not actually speaking. Rob Wratten as Dickie Winslow, the Oxford undergraduate with too much joi de vivre and love for rag time to knuckle down to studying, was masterful as was Adam Hurst as John Watherstone, the fiance of Catherine – the way he switched from the Nigel Parjater-like chivalrous young military man to pompous, hurt pride-inflicted, jilted wimp; was this good Direction or good acting? It matters not – the result was perfect.

Tim Shepherd as the family solicitor, displayed just the right amount of pathos without seeming to feel too sorry for himself, though obviously hopelessly besotted with the single-minded daughter of the Winslow household.

Katie Ell as Miss Barnes the journalist, burst on to the scene with such energy skillfully portraying the two-faced nature of that sort of journalist we are too familiar with today – more interested in the decor and the life-style of her interviewees than the world-changing events going on around her (Thamenews.net journalists excepted of course).

Although he was on stage for such a short time, Peter Stevens as Fred the press photographer really looked the part, right down the very authentic-looking large plate camera of the day, complete with exploding flash! Did Julia Roitt, in charge of properties do a midnight raid on Thame museum? Such resourcefulness!

Congratulations to the whole production team, including whoever sourced the wonderful Rag time music that so set the mood of the day, and the very best of luck for the pantomime season ahead – Dick Whittington is from Friday, December 3, to Sunday, December 12 – another treat assured.

IT’S only ten days to go until the Thames Valley Police Open Day, so check out the latest video to see the firearms officers getting ready for action.

Police dog displays and the Force helicopter will also be attending, so we look forward to seeing you there, Saturday 4th September from 10am until 4pm.

See more here:

Video link to youtube

LAST month’s First Monday Music Club was brilliant, with over 110 people in The Stables behind the James Figg, to see 17 musicians do their stuff.

“The standard and variation is just getting better and better,” said one of the club’s founders, Jon Littler.

“For those of you who missed Strings Attached “with or without You” or the great Lydia Faith, or Paul and Martin’s best yet, then you missed a treat.”

The next First Thursday Music Club is Thursday, September 2, 2010.

Sign up starts from 7:45 p.m. Check out the website www.FirstThursdayMusicClub.com there are some new pages, particularly a Musician’s Wanted page where you can post your advert if you are looking to meet fellow musicins for anything from a friendly jam to planning world musical domination.

A couple of reminders from Jon: Can you give the organisers your email address so we can keep in touch, either on the night or forward emails addresses of your friends who you think would be interested in being reminded about the club.

Secondly, we would like to keep the chatting down during performances, especially in the watching area. Chat away at the bar or outside but if we could respect the players whilst they perform for us, then that would be great!