Filmhouse

009 Re: Cyborg

• 2012
• Japan

• Directed by: Kenji Kamiyama
• Cast: Hisao Egawa, Toshiko Fujita, Hiroshi Kamiya
• UK release: 7 June 2013

Nine cybernetic heroes gather to fight a faceless menace in this mature manga from the director of Ghost in the Shell.

Aguirre, Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes)

• 
• 1972
• West Germany
• 93 min
• 15

• Directed by: Werner Herzog
• Written by: Werner Herzog
• Cast: Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Ruy Guerra, Del Negro

Seventeenth-century conquistadors, on a mission to explore the Amazon, court disaster when the zeal of their leader remains undampened after a number of encounters with hostile Indians. Excellent location work in this moving portrayal of tragic ambition, which sports a characteristically intense performance by Kinski.

Beware of Mr Baker

• 2012
• US
• 100 min
• 15

• Directed by: Jay Bulger
• Written by: Jay Bulger
• UK release: 17 May 2013

Warts-and-all portrayal of the excess of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker, considered by some to be the world's best drummer.

Canned Dreams (Säilöttyjä unelmia)

• 2012
• Ireland/Norway/Portugal/France/Finland
• 75 min

• Directed by: Katja Gauriloff

Documentary about how the ingredients in a can of ravioli come together, spanning eight countries and countless food producers.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

• 
• 2005
• US/UK
• 115 min
• PG

• Directed by: Tim Burton
• Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly

Excellent and faithful adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic 1964 book. Bizarre and beautiful to look at, this is Burton at the top of his game.

Compulsion

• 1959
• US
• 99 min
• 12

• Directed by: Richard Fleischer
• Cast: Orson Welles, Diana Varsi, Dean Stockwell

Two wealthy law students go on trial for murder after attempting the perfect crime. Adaption of the Leopold and Lobe case.

Couscous Island

• 2013
• Italy
• 28 min

• Directed by: Francesco Amato/Stefano Scarafia

Short documentary on African food projects.

Five Easy Pieces

• 
• 1970
• US
• 98 min
• 15

• Directed by: Bob Rafelson
• Written by: Bob Rafelson, Adrien Joyce
• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Karen Black

Rafelson's slow, honest, funny and painful study of familial alienation and ennui at a time of war (Vietnam) has been lovingly restored and is well worth revisiting or discovering anew.

Follow Me Quietly

• 1949
• US
• 60 min

• Directed by: Richard Fleischer
• Cast: William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff Corey

The first of Fleischer's serial killer films, about a murderer who only kills in the rain.

The Fruit Hunters

• 2012
• Canada
• 95 min

• Directed by: Yung Chang
• Cast: Kyle Allatt, Marie-Alice Depestre, Kyle Gatehouse

A celebration of food hosted by fruit aficionado Bill Pullman.

I'm So Excited (Los amantes pasajeros)

• 
• 2013
• Spain
• 90 min
• 15

• Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar
• Cast: Javier Cámara, Pepa Charro, Cecilia Roth
• UK release: 3 May 2013

In Almodovar's oddball comedy, a passenger plane suffers technical failure threatening mortal danger to all onboard. As the cockpit crew try to put things right, the cabin crew decide to make the rest of the journey as enjoyable as possible.

The Killing

• 1956
• US
• 85 min
• PG

• Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
• Cast: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards

Kubrick's classic stars Hayden as an ex-con who gathers a team of crooks to rob a racetrack.

The King of Marvin Gardens

• 
• 1972
• US
• 103 min
• 15

• Directed by: Bob Rafelson
• Written by: Jacob Brackman, Bob Rafelson
• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn

1970s Atlantic City: David (Nicholson) is a depressive talk radio DJ and brother of excitable crook Jason (Dern), who plans to open a Hawaiian resort. Rafelson's 1972 film was a flop on release but it's laid-back, sad and wonderfully strange, an unforgettable reminder of the diversity and dynamism of New Hollywood.

The Moo Man

• 2013
• UK
• 98 min

• Directed by: Andy Heathcote/Heike Bachelier

Stephen Hook runs a small organic farm. This documentary looks at the modern day struggles of running such an enterprise.

Mothers of Bedford

• 2011
• US
• 93 min

• Directed by: Jenifer McShane

Documentary following five women imprisoned in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

Mud

• 2012
• US
• 130 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Jeff Nichols
• Written by: Jeff Nichols (screenplay)
• Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Shannon
• UK release: 10 May 2013

McConaughey stars as a fugitive who enlists the help of two teenage boys to escape his pursuers.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

• 
• 2012
• US
• 105 min
• U

• Directed by: Peter Hedges
• Written by: Peter Hedges
• Cast: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams
• UK release: 5 April 2013

Infertile parents Cindy (Garner) and Jim (Edgerton) are surprised when a mud-covered 10-year-old boy appears at their house, claiming them as his mum and dad. This Disney-style fairytale is well-meaning but too sentimental and contrived, and the combination of sensitive adult themes and family-friendly style seems…

Paths of Glory

• 1957
• US
• 86 min
• PG

• Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
• Written by: Screenplay:, Stanley Kubrick, Jim Thompson, Calder Willingham
• Cast: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready

New print of this moving portrayal of the madness of war. Three men are selected for trial for cowardice after the unsurprising failure of a futile World War I mission. Douglas is superb as the defence lawyer during the court martial scenes, shot on location in a French castle. Kubrick's lengthy tracking shots through the…

Populaire

• 
• 2012
• FR
• 111 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Regis Roinsard
• Written by: Regis Roinsard, Daniel Presley, Romain Compingt
• Cast: Deborah Francois, Romain Duris, Berenice Bejo
• UK release: 31 May 2013

France, 1959: insurance company secretary Rose (Francois) is hopeless at her job except for an uncanny gift for speed-typing. Her boss (Duris) enters her in a competition and romance strikes up. A kooky romcom, heavy on period style and references to vintage Hollywood cinema but low on content.

A River Changes Course

• 2013
• Cambodia
• 83 min

• Directed by: Kalyanee Mam

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this film looks at the impacts of our global food system.

Safety Last!

• 
• 1923
• US
• 73 min
• U

• Directed by: Sam Taylor/Fred C Newmeyer
• Cast: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strothers

Thrill comedy featuring Lloyd's famous vertigo-inducing slapstick stunt work.

Something in the Air (Après mai)

• 
• 2012
• France
• 122 min
• 15

• Directed by: Olivier Assayas
• Cast: Clément Métayer, Lola Créton, Felix Armand
• UK release: 24 May 2013

In early 70s France, teenager Gilles (Métayer), a lycée student, is in love with bohemian Laure (Combes), but then he becomes involved with politically committed Christine (Créton). Assayas' bittersweet portrait of countercultural youth is credible because of its detail and its refusal of either nostalgia or cynicism.

The Spirit of '45

• 
• 2013
• UK
• 94 min
• U

• Directed by: Ken Loach
• Written by: Ken Loach
• UK release: 15 March 2013

Documentary about the Attlee government's post-war creation of the welfare state, the sense of national consensus that it created and how many of its achievements were attacked by the Conservatives. Admirable and persuasive, but it could do with a little more lightness of touch.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• 1982
• US
• 113 min
• 15

• Directed by: Nicholas Meyer
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Director Meyer had a hand in writing and directing the best (ie even numbered) Star Trek films and this is arguably the best of all. When a marooned warlord is unwittingly released from exile, he seeks revenge on Captain Kirk for his incarceration.

Stealing Africa

• 2012
• Denmark
• 58 min

• Directed by: Christoffer Guldbrandsen

An exposé of how multinationals exploit African countries.

Thérèse Desqueyroux

• 
• 2012
• France
• 110 min

• Directed by: Claude Miller
• Written by: Claude Miller, Natalie Carter, Francois Mauriac
• Cast: Audrey Tautou, Gilles Lellouche, Anais Demoustier
• UK release: 7 June 2013

When Thérèse (Tautou) finds herself stifled by her marriage to Bernard (Lellouche), she begins to plot her way out. Miller's adaptation of Mauriac's 1927 novel works best as a character study, with Tautou impressive as a shrewish, unhappy woman who finds that her fate is frustratingly beyond her control.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

• 
• 1954
• US
• PG

• Directed by: Richard Fleischer
• Cast: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre

Jules Verne goes Disney in this lavish and exciting underwater adventure. Mason is great as the anguished Captain Nemo, but Douglas is a bit too American goodie-goodie.

Village at the End of the World

• 
• 2012
• Denmark/UK/Greenland
• 80 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Sarah Gavron/David Katznelson
• UK release: 10 May 2013

Documentary about the tiny settlement of Niaqornat in Greenland, home to just over 50 people. Director Gavron focuses on the inhabitants, creating a sensitive portrait of a disappearing culture, and while it isn't revelatory in content or style, it's considered and thoughtful.

White Elephant

• 
• 2012
• Argentina/Spain/France
• 110 min
• 15

• Directed by: Pablo Trapero
• Written by: Pablo Trapero, Alejandro Fadel, Martin Mauregui, Santiago Mitre
• Cast: Ricardo Darin, Jeremie Renier, Martina Gusman
• UK release: 26 April 2013

Rich and satisfying character study of Father Julian (Darin) and Father Nicolas (Renier), priests who work with and live among gang members, drug addicts and outcasts in the slums of Buenos Aires. With terrific performances from Darin, Renier and Gusman, it's a unique and impressive achievement.