Comedy/Drama/Music
Saturday 16 November, 7.30 pm
Blinded by the Light (PG)
From writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha (“Bend It Like Beckham”) comes the inspirational drama Blinded by the Light, set to the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen’s timeless songs.
Blinded by the Light is a joyful story of courage, love, hope, family and the unique ability of music to lift the human spirit. The film tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra), a British teen of Pakistani descent growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in the powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.
Inspired by a true story, based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll, Blinded by the Light is directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay written by Manzoor, Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges.
Music/Bio
Sunday 24 November, 3 pm
Pavarotti (M)
From two time Academy Award winning director Ron Howard and the team behind the worldwide success The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, comes a documentary celebrating the life of the beloved opera star Luciano Pavarotti. Pavarotti is an in-depth, no holds barred look at the life, career and lasting legacy of the musical icon who sold over 100 million records in his lifetime. Dubbed “The People’s Tenor”, Pavarotti was the rare combination of personality, genius, and celebrity.
He used his prodigious gifts to spread the gospel of opera as entertainment, and something to be enjoyed by all music lovers. Through the sheer force of his talent, Pavarotti commanded the great stages of the world and captured the hearts of audiences everywhere. Featuring rare interviews with his family and colleagues, and never-before-seen footage, Pavarotti goes beyond the iconic public figure to reveal the man himself.
Drama/Bio
Saturday 30 November, 7.30 pm
Sunday 1 December, 3 pm
Judy (M)
A portrait of a legend. Renée Zellweger is Judy Garland in Judy, coming to the James this November.
Winter 1968 and showbiz legend Judy Garland arrives in Swinging London to perform in a sell-out run at The Talk of the Town. It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in The Wizard of Oz, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown. As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians, and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through. Even her dreams of romance seem undimmed as she embarks on a courtship with Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband. And yet Judy is fragile. After working for 45 of her 47 years, she is exhausted; haunted by memories of a childhood lost to Hollywood; gripped by a desire to be back home with her kids. Will she have the strength to go on?
Featuring some of her best-known songs, including the timeless classic ‘Over the Rainbow’, Judy celebrates the voice, the capacity for love and the sheer pizzazz of “the world’s greatest entertainer”.
Comedy/Romance
Saturday 7 December, 7.30 pm
Last Christmas (PG)
Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) directs Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding in this British holiday romantic comedy co-starring and co-written by Emma Thompson.
Kate (Clarke) harumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Golding) seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate’s barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. But sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart … and you gotta have faith.
Drama/Sport
Sunday 15 December, 7 pm
Ford v Ferrari (CTC)
Academy Award-winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in Ford v Ferrari, based on the remarkable true story of two 20th century mavericks who joined forces and rocked the world. Directed by James Mangold (Walk The Line), the film chronicles the relationship between visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British-born driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.
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