Film Screening 6th October, 2007

Poster for Fracture

Fracture 

8:00 PM, 6th October, 2007

  • M
  • 113 mins
  • 2007
  • Gregory Hoblit
  • Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike

Wealthy, brilliant, and meticulous Ted Crawford is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, Jennifer. Crawford shoots her, signs a confession, and then at the arraignment he asserts his right to represent himself and asks the court to move immediately to trial. In order to secure his victory, he must face-off against hot shot Assistant D.A. Willy Beachum, who has a 97% conviction rate and one foot already out the door as hes leaving the Los Angeles criminal court system to work at an upscale private law firm. So, Willy is lucky that his last case is a slam-dunk, right? The film quite explicitly works though every stage of the carefully premeditated crime. It is clear from the various twists that Crawford has devised one heck of a plan. Fracture showcases terrific performances by Ryan Gosling and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Ryan Gosling has been going from strength to strength in his recent roles, and I don't think fans of Silence of the Lambs will be disappointed by Hopkins's performance. Very creepy! This film is a clever mixture of some of my favourite genres: Crime, Thriller. Mystery, and Court Drama. Apparently planning is everything, so plan to come and see this one: you won't be disappointed.'

Mikayla Murphy

Poster for Zoom and Bored

Zoom and Bored 

9:45 PM, 6th October, 2007

  • G
  • 6 mins
  • 1957
  • Chuck Jones
  • Michael Maltese
  • Mel Blanc

See one Coyote-and-Roadrunner, and youve seen 'em all; no other cartoon series was ever so formulaic. Yet none have been so deeply personal either. Creator Chuck Jones felt that the Coyote, a symbol of his failure with tools and machines, told the story of his life, and this particular cartoon is one of his favourites. In it... the Coyote attempts to catch the Roadrunner.'

Poster for The Titfield Thunderbolt

The Titfield Thunderbolt 

10:00 PM, 6th October, 2007

  • G
  • 84 mins
  • 1953
  • Charles Crichton
  • Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson

When lightning strikes a paddock full of mammaries, a new superhero is born... The Titfield Thunderbolt! Wait... no... unlike most new films nowadays, this one isnt a superhero movie. Actually, it's not a new film either. It is an Ealing comedy, named for the low budget studio that produced it and a whole host of other classic comedies (many of which have featured on the film group programme over the past few years).

This particular tale is set in the village of Titfield, at a time when British Rail have recently announced the closure of the sole train line out of Titfield as it is cheaper to run a bus service. Backed by a wealthy member of the community who is attracted by the lack of licensing hours on trains, the people of Titfield take over the train line and compete with the bus service being run by "the man". The Titfield Thunderbolt is a comedy driven by an odd bunch of characters and well worth seeing just to see Stanley Holloway (Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady) compete for laughs with Sid James (of Carry On...fame)!For the trainspotters, this was the first Ealing comedy shot in colour.'

Adam Gould