Oscar life has begun at 60 – well, 62 – for actor Richard E Grant, whose obvious delight at being nominated for an Academy Award, when posted on Twitter, went viral.
Delighted: Oscar-nominated Richard E Grant
Grant who has also received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his role in Can You Ever Forgive Me, and he said, “I’ve never been nominated for something before and I’ve been an actor for 40 years, so to have this suddenly happen at the age that I am is completely astonishing and amazing.”
Grant may have feared that the pinnacle of his critical acclaim might be Withnail And I.
That thought can probably be dismissed now thanks to his nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me, one of the March screenings at the David Lean Cinema, most of which have contenders for awards at the Oscars when the ceremony takes place in Hollywood at the end of February.
Tickets for David Lean’s March programme go on sale on February 7, with cinema-goers spoilt for choice, including Christian Bale as Dick Cheney demonstrating the dangers of having an idiot as US President in Vice, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie visit well-charted Tudor territory in Mary, Queen of Scots, there’s the poignant Green Book, featuring tremendous performances from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, and a no less than three National Treasures – Branagh, Dench and McKellen – in their ruffs doing their bit for the Shakespearean legend in All Is True.
- Tickets for screenings are £7.50. Concessions (Freedom Pass-holders, full-time students, claimants and disabled) £6; Under-25s are £5.
David Lean Cinema programme for March
All films are at 2.30 and 7.30pm, unless stated
Tue Mar 5 BURNING (15) (7pm)
2018 South Korea 148 mins (Korean with subtitles). Director: Chang-dong Lee
Stars: Ah-in Yoo, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jun
Introvert Jong-soo meets Hae-mi, who claims to remember him from their childhood. The two begin seeing each other, but when Hae-mi returns from a trip, she is accompanied by wealthy socialite Ben. Director Lee Chang-dong fleshes out Haruki Murakami’s short story to immerse the viewer in the world of his characters whilst exploring male rage, class conflict and working-class struggles, as well as unrequited love and the nature of obsession. Burning “is a gripping nightmare” (The Guardian).
Thu Mar 7 MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS (15)
Women’s History Month Screening
2018 UK 124min. Director: Josie Rourke
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant, Guy Pearce
Queen of France at the age of 16, widowed before she was 18, Mary Stuart returned to rule her own country in turbulent times. Marrying twice more before abdication and imprisonment in England, she was viewed as the legitimate Queen of England by Catholics and therefore a serious threat to her protestant cousin, Elizabeth. Ronan gives a characteristically poised performance as the Scottish ruler, while Robbie is transformed as her English counterpart.
* The 2.30pm screening will be subtitled for those with hearing loss
Tue Mar 12 VICE (15) (7.30pm)
2018 USA 132min. Director: Adam McKay
Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell
As vice-president to George W Bush, Dick Cheney may have been the most influential yet mysterious political figure of modern times. How did he rise to power? What, if anything, did he believe in? McKay (The Big Short) and Bale, almost unrecognisable as anyone other than Cheney, have hilarious, and openly partisan, answers to these questions, in an unorthodox comedy that has been nominated for six Academy Awards.
Thu Mar 14 ALL IS TRUE (12A)
2018 UK 101min. Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen
By 1613, William Shakespeare was acknowledged as England’s foremost dramatist, yet the fiery destruction of his Globe Theatre and death of his son Hamnet led him to retreat to Stratford on Avon. Attempting to rebuild his relationship with his daughters and wife, his failings as a husband and father were laid bare… “Fiercely intelligent and poignant” (The Times), All Is True blends comedy and drama in Ben Elton’s script that fills in one of the greatest gaps in the life of the great playwright.
* The 2.30pm screening will be subtitled for those with hearing loss
Tue Mar 19 DESTROYER (15) (7.30pm)
2018 USA 120min. Director: Karyn Kusama
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany
Destroyer follows the moral and existential odyssey of Los Angeles police detective Erin Bell, who, as a young cop, was placed undercover with a cult-like gang in the California desert, with tragic results. When the leader of that gang re-emerges many years later, she must work her way back through the remaining members and into her own history with them to finally reckon with the demons that destroyed her past. Kidman gives an immersive performance in this complex, gripping thriller.
Thu Mar 21 GREEN BOOK (12A)
2018 USA 130min. Director: Peter Farrelly
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini
In 1960s New York, concert pianist Dr Don Shirley (Ali) hires nightclub bouncer Tony Lip (Mortensen) to act as his driver as he undertakes a tour of the Deep South. He is given the Green Book, a guide to those hotels and restaurants safe for African-Americans. The pair are soon faced with racism while trying to overcome the differences in their own cultures. Perceptive (and Oscar-nominated) performances from the two leads, plus a script and direction imbued with warmth and humour, make this a must-see movie.
Tue Mar 26 BOY ERASED (15) (7.30pm)
2018 USA/Aus 115min. Director: Joel Edgerton
Stars: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe
As the son of a small-town pastor, Jarod has a particularly hard time when he is outed to his parents. Pressured to undergo gay conversion therapy, he rebels against the programme and discovers his own voice. Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird co-star Hedges shines in the lead role, while Kidman and Crowe bring great depth as the parents forced to weigh deeply held beliefs against their love for their son.
Thu Mar 28 CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (15)
2018 USA 106min. Director: Marielle Heller
Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E Grant, Dolly Wells
Biographer Lee Israel scraped a living in the 1970s, beset by writer’s block and alcoholism – until she discovered that the letters of beloved celebrities and authors would fetch far higher prices if they included scandalous content. Drawn into systematic forgery and even theft, she claimed that she never regretted her actions. This hugely entertaining yet melancholic comedy has considerable psychological insight, and has earned Oscar nominations for both McCarthy and Grant.
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