Coming on Saturday 23 May at 7pm only, this powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman’s point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it’s a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times. Bring a friend and grab a choc top, the heating will be on!

Our film society series brings a wide range of different films to the James and the The Babadook is just that: something different.  Screening on Sunday, 17 May at 7pm only, it features a storybook demon which terrorises an ungovernable child and his mother (Essie Davis) in Jennifer Kent’s gripping and brilliantly idiosyncratic frightener.

“What starts off as a seemingly standard evil-child outing gradually transforms into something else entirely. By the end, the supremely grating and peculiar seven-year-old Samuel is the most sympathetic thing in the film. The Babadook is a bogeyman-like figure pictured in a super-creepy handmade children’s pop-up book that mysteriously appears and cannot be disposed of no matter how hard Samuel’s mother tries… The Babadook features a number of genuinely unsettling scenes, (embarrassing disclosure: I checked the closets and under the bed before I tried to sleep that night), but it also packs an emotional punch. That’s mostly due to Davis’ truly shape-shifting performance… ‘Baba dook dook dook!’ should take its place in the annals of horror history alongside ‘Candyman’ and ‘Bloody Mary’ as words too terrifying to repeat but too tempting not to.” — Laura Kern, Film Comment

“You may not believe in bogeymen, but you better believe The Babadook is the best Australian film in years.” — Simon Miraudo, Quickflix

Our next Down Memory Lane classic Rear Window is screening at our usual time of 10.30am (preceded by music at 10am) AND also again at 7pm this Thursday 7 May. Buy a subscription for the last 4 movies, or tickets $13 at the door. And on Saturday 9 May the new Disney Cinderella  to thrill young and old alike at 3pm and again at 7pm. Don’t miss this week’s exciting program at the James!

Everyone is invited to this classic feel-good movie – a brief respite from flood and mayhem – come and help us fill our 235 seats. The movie is free, thanks to the generosity of the distributor, Universal Pictures, but if you can contribute to the flood relief fund, please do. For anyone who has not seen this movie, it is filled with joy and Abba songs. Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day. Do come and join us!

The new and the old, for the young and the not so young coming in May. On Thursday 7 May, two screenings of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window, so if you can’t make it at 10am, you have another chance at 7pm when  darkness may enhance this spine-chilling thriller. Then, for all ages, on Saturday 9 May the brand new Disney Cinderella (G) at 3pm and again at 7pm introducing young talent Lily James as Cinderella and Cate Blanchett as the wicked stepmother. Feel free to come in your ball gown and tiara if you really want to feel part of the story…

Coming later in May The Babadook (M) and Testament of Youth (M) and at the end of the month 3 days of Planet Dungog. Bring your friends along for a great month of entertainment in May at the James!

This Sunday at 7pm the Dungog Film Society is screening Locke. Ivan Locke has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job that he loves and the family he adores. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul. All taking place over the course of one absolutely riveting car ride, Locke is an exploration of how one decision can lead to the complete collapse of a life. Everyone welcome. Tickets $12.

Have you ever seen an eagle right up close? Do you know that eagles can fly up to 3 kilometres high in the sky? Have you ever wondered how difficult it would be to catch an eagle and fit a satellite tag to it without getting clawed to pieces? Ever visited the awe-inspiring deserts of Western Australia?

Where Do Eagles Dare, a stunning documentary,  made by the passionate and talented Simon Cherriman, National Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year in 2010, is a wildlife film with a difference. Set largely in the amazing desert environment of central Western Australia, the film is the story of one man’s quest to fulfil a boyhood dream to satellite tag wedge-tailed eagles and follow their movements as they travel across Australia at altitudes of up to 3000m.

So much more than just a wildlife film, Where Do Eagles Dare will be screened at the James Theatre on Saturday 11 April at 3pm. Simon will be there to introduce the film and answer questions afterwards. Dungog’s expert taxidermist, Vivian Barbeau, will bring along her magnificently preserved wedgetail for all to see up close one of these magnificent birds.

Two fabulous Easter movies on Monday 6 April: Paper Planes (G) for all the family at 1pm followed by The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) at 4pm. One screening of each only! Set in New South Wales, Paper Planes is the story of a young Australian boy’s passion for flight and his challenge to compete in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan. In The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Judi Dench and Maggie Smith entertain us again in this sequel to the original film, where entrepreneur, Sonny, opens a second hotel. As full of laughs and charm as the first film.

This will be a big weekend at the James with two fabulous films, so make sure you leave time to see them. Bring the kids or the grandkids to Big Hero 6 at 4pm and then what is likely to become another Australian classic, Russell Crowe’s Anzac film The Water Diviner at 7pm.

Next week is a big week at the James with our 2015 launch of ‘Down Memory Lane‘ on Thursday 5 and Flickerfest on Saturday 7 March. Flickerfest is extra special in 2015 because it features the multi-award winning short film set in Dungog – yes! Dungog! – ‘Stuffed’. You may see people you recognise and one extra special dog. Don’t forget to book and pay for your dinner – the Flickerfeast – behind the screen in advance. You can buy tickets for all sessions in advance or on the day.

Next week