Hurst Village Cinema

By Mike Thatcher

A happy New Year to you all. It’s a busy month with four films, including the best film ever made, so I’ll crack on.

On Thursday 9th at 7.30pm we show Pan’s Labyrinth (15), Guillermo del Toro’s classic from 2006. For years I avoided this film, largely because of its label of ‘fantasy.’ Eventually, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and it blew me away. Set in post-Civil War Spain in 1944, it follows Ofelia, who escapes into a mystical labyrinth to avoid the brutal reality of her world dominated by her sadistic stepfather, Captain Vidal, brilliantly played by Sergi López. If you’ve heard of it but not seen it, come and see what all the fuss is about for yourself.

Then, on Thursday 16th at 7.30pm, we screen Sword of Trust (15). We don’t deliberately avoid showing comedies at HVC, it is just that good ones are really hard to find. This laid-back film from Lynn Shelton is a well-timed reminder that Americans can indeed poke fun at themselves, with delightful results. It follows pawnshop owner Mel, (played by Marc Maron, who also provides the deep South bluesy soundtrack), who becomes entangled in a bizarre conspiracy involving Civil War truthers. Blending humour with social satire, it shows real characters reacting normally and unheroically under pressure.

And then, ladies and gentleman, in my opinion, the greatest film ever made and perfect in every way: Magnolia (18) on Friday 24th at 7.30pm. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson admitted he is resigned to never making another film as good as this, and he made There Will be Blood, Boogie Nights and The Phantom Thread. It centres around seven intertwined stories in the San Fernando Valley, stories of flawed, complex characters struggling with trauma, regret and the desire for redemption. A stella cast, (Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, John C. Reilly) who produce pitch-perfect performances and a brilliant score by Aimee Mann. The ultimate ‘come and see what all the fuss is about’ film.

We round off on Sunday 26th at 3pm with Perfect Days (PG). One of those films you know you are in safe hands from the start and that you won’t be sent on an emotional rollercoaster. Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days is a quiet, contemplative exploration of solitude and routine, following a Tokyo restroom cleaner named Hirayama. Through his meticulous daily rituals, we see beauty in ordinary moments: cleaning, listening to music, and taking in small details of city life.

Hurst Village Cinema's October 2024 showings

By Mike Thatcher

Small changes afoot at Hurst Village Cinema. As I look further over my shoulder at my 50th birthday receding into the distance, I have decided to bring forward the start time of regular films to 7.30pm, so we can be tucked up by 10pm on a more regular basis! It will also give me more flexibility to programme the occasional very long film, such as the incomparable Magnolia, which in the past, I have baulked at.

We kick off the autumn season on Thursday 10 October at 7.30pm with Blackbird, Blackbird, Blueberry (15). In a small traditional Georgian village, Etero has chosen to remain unmarried, making her an easy subject of gossip in the village. Unexpectedly, she finds herself sexually involved with a delivery man and is suddenly faced with the decision of whether to go down the traditional or independent route in pursuit of happiness. Gentle, sardonic and simply presented.

Then, on Friday 25 October at 7.30pm, we screen Rose (12A). On a coach trip to Paris with her sister, Inger reveals her struggles with schizophrenia to the group, receiving both pity and discrimination. A comedy-drama that gives a much more realistic view of the subject matter of neurodivergence, as it is in part based on the director’s experience. It is also brilliantly cast; Sophie Gråbøl is mesmerising and her antagonist on the trip could not be more convincing and unlikeable.

Then, on Sunday 27 October at 3pm, we are very pleased to show Wilding (PG), followed by a Q&A with Laura Vaughan-Hirsch, from the White Stork Project. Based on Isabella Tree’s best-selling book, Wilding tells the story of a young couple that bets on the future of their failing, 400-year-old estate at Knepp, daring to place its fate in the hands of nature. Ripping down the fences, they set the land back to the wild and entrust its recovery to a motley mix of animals both tame and wild. It is the beginning of a grand experiment that will become one of the most significant rewilding experiments in Europe. This is a charming, hopeful and necessary story of ecological regeneration.
We are delighted that Laura will join us to answer questions arising from the film. Please note that the ticket price is £6 with all proceeds going to White Stork.

Hurst Village Cinema - February's showtimes

Brain and Charles - Hurst Village Cinema

By Mike Thatcher

Another busy month with three films and a NT Live to screen.

We kick off on Thursday 9th Feburary at 8pm with Petite Maman (PG). From the Director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, this concise film will be sure to have you discussing it in the aisle or on the High Street as the credits rise. When her grandmother dies, Nelly returns to her mother’s childhood home to clear the contents. Here she discovers a den being made in the woods by a girl her own age. The fact that she is played by her real-life sibling and obvious twin, adds mystery to the story. It is beautifully paced and straightforwardly presented, in fact so much so, you may think you have missed something at the end. A tender tale of childhood grief, memory and connection with an interesting soundtrack, it will have you discussing it long after the event.

Then we screen Othello on Thursday 23rd at 7pm, an extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer with a cast that includes Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwean (The Alienist) and Paul Hilton (The Inheritance). She’s a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds love across racial lines has a cost.

We continue with Limbo (PG) on Friday 24th at 8pm. This wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centres on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud (musical instrument), which he has carried all the way from his homeland. It sounds like a hard watch, but it is actually rather humorous in an empathic way, acknowledging the bleakness of their existence and filmed in the ragged and beautiful west coast of Scotland.

Finally, we present Brian and Charles (PG) on Sunday 26th at 3pm which follows Brian, a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his lack of success, Brian attempts his biggest project yet. Three days, a washing machine, and various spare parts later, he’s invented Charles, an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages. Halfdocumentary, half parable it’s the perfect tonic for a February Sunday afternoon.

Hurst Village Cinema's January programme (2023)

By Mike Thatcher

Season’s greetings to you all from the team, we hope that you get your fill of Christmas films over the holidays. ‘Arthur Christmas’ seems to have become the traditional watch in our household; there’s no accounting for taste. Members should have already received the new programme and it is available to see online and around the village.

We start on Thursday 12th January at 8pm with The Farewell (PG). This gentle and touching Japanese f ilm opens with the caption: ‘Based on an actual lie,’ and illustrates how different cultures approach mortality and grief. A headstrong Chinese-American student Billie (played brilliantly by Awkafina) returns to China after her grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. An impromptu wedding is arranged so that the family can gather together to see her one more time. Despite the strong themes, it is a warm and often funny family portrayal, with a dynamite performance from Zhao Shuzhen as the spirited grandmother.

NT live returns on Thursday 26th at 7pm with The Crucible (12A) by Arthur Miller.
A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma).

Then the simply amazing My Life as a Courgette (PG) on Friday 27th January at 8pm. Despite being just over an hour, this moving stop-frame animation certainly does not leave you feeling short-changed. Told from the perspective of the children in an orphanage, its strength is that it is not childlike in any way. After his mother’s death, Courgette is befriended by a police officer, who with his new friends help him adjust to live in the orphanage. So much emotion is transmitted through the big eyes of all the characters in this wonderful, funny and sad film, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

We finish with Operation Mincemeat (12A) on Sunday 29th January at 3pm. In 1943, two British intelligence officers concoct Operation Mincemeat, dropping a corpse with false papers off the coast of Spain, hoping to fool Nazi spies into believing the Allied forces were planning to attack by way of Greece rather than Sicily.

Hurst Village Cinema's January programme (2023)

Hurst Village Cinema's Autumn schedule

By Mike Thatcher

With the Festival films behind us it is time to welcome in our Autumn programme, with three very different films, as well as an offering from the National Theatre.

We start on 6th October at 7pm with the NT Live presentation of Jack Absolute flies again, a new comedy by Richard Bean (One Man, Two Guvnors) and Oliver Chris based on Sheridan’s The Rivals. After an aerial dog fight, Pilot Officer Jack Absolute flies home to win the heart of his old flame, Lydia Languish. Back on British soil, Jack’s advances soon turn to anarchy when the young heiress demands to be loved on her own, very particular, terms. Featuring a cast including Caroline Quentin, Laurie Davidson, Natalie Simpson and Kelvin Fletcher.

Then on Friday 14th October we screen Border (15) at 8pm. An unusual and captivating film from Sweden which defies categorising. Customs officer Tina is known for her extraordinary sense of smell. It’s almost as if she can sniff out the guilt on anyone hiding something. But when Vore, a suspicious looking man, walks past her, her abilities are challenged for the first time ever. Even worse, she feels a strange attraction to him.

On Friday 28th October at 8pm we show Nocturnal Animals (15), the acclaimed thriller by Tom Ford. Amazing performances from Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Linney, Michael Shannon and Arnie Hammer play out this dark and tense thriller. Includes a scene at the beginning of the film which was the reason Manon vetoed showing it six years ago!

Finally, on Sunday 30th October at 3pm The Duke hits our screen. In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year-old taxi driver stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly – he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Charming and uplifting comedy starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. For tickets and further information www.hurstfilms.com

Hurst Village Cinema: February's movie listings

By Mike Thatcher

Hurst Village Cinema - The Red Turtle

Onwards and upwards in February with three films and a National Theatre live screening at Hurst Village Cinema. We start with our first ever animation:

The Red Turtle (PG) on Thursday 10th February at 8pm.
There are no pyrotechnics, the story is simple and elegant and ultimately very moving, exploring the highs and lows of human nature. Beautiful to watch and with a soundtrack to match, it deserves to be seen on the big screen. It made Mark Kermode’s top five films of 2017 and was nominated for best animated feature that same year.

On a completely different track we screen For Sama (18) on Friday 25th February at 8pm.
Shot by 26-year-old journalist Waad al Kateab for her young daughter Sama, it sets out to lovingly explain why she chose to stay in Syria and not flee. We are presented with everyday tragedies and miracles, and it is impossible not to be moved.

NT Live returns on Thursday 17 February at 7pm with Phillip Pullman’s The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage. Set twelve years before the epic His Dark Materials trilogy, this gripping adaptation revisits Philip Pullman’s fantastical world in which waters are rising and storms are brewing. Two young people and their dæmons, with everything at stake, find themselves at the centre of a terrifying manhunt. In their care is a tiny child called Lyra Belacqua, and in that child lies the fate of the future. And as the waters rise around them, powerful adversaries conspire for mastery of Dust: salvation to some, the source of infinite corruption to others.

Finally on Sunday 27th at 3pm we screen Knives Out (12A) a hugely entertaining modern take on the murder mystery whodunnit, with the obligatory stellar cast, led by Daniel Craig as the laconic Southern private detective Benoit Blanc. The normal structure, of taking most of the film to show us that everyone is a suspect, is dodged by writer director Rian Johnson, but there’s enough cinematic tradition on display for us to know we’re watching a whodunnit; interviews in the library etc. A laugh out loud drama with an amazing cast, although the show is stolen by Ana de Armas who is simply astounding as Marta Cabrera, the nurse and confident of the murdered Harlan Thromby (Christopher Plummer).

Hurst Village Cinema's January 2022 listings

By Mike Thatcher

The safety net has gone, the period of being a caretaker manager when the team was selected by someone else is over and we are on our own feet now regarding film selection. The criteria for choosing them will not change: films we love which may have slipped under the radar.

Three films and National Theatre production in January and we start on Thursday 13th January at 8pm with Sweet Bean (PG), a gentle and moving film about the elderly Tokue, who is reluctantly hired by Santaro to make dorayaki in his small kiosk. A thoughtful film which questions our attitude to the elderly and the side-lined in society.

Thursday 27th January at 7pm with Leopoldstadt, Tom Stoppard’s latest work and directed by Patrick Marber. Set in Vienna during the Nazi occupation, it is an intimate yet epic family portrait of what it is to be persecuted. Stoppard lost all four of his grandparents to the Holocaust, so it is particularly poignant.

The next night, on Friday 28th January at 8pm we screen The Square (15), from the director of Force Majeure (the original, not the remake!). Set in the modern art world in Stockholm it constantly challenges the viewer to make moral choices and judgements on what they are seeing, which make for memorable, but not always comfortable viewing. Christian, the curator of a museum, gets his wallet stolen, leading to a series of decisions, all of which have their consequences.

Finally, on Sunday 30th January at 3pm we show 1917 (15), carried over from the last programme and therefore the only film this season which I have not seen. From director Sam Mendes, it is a massive technical achievement, recreating trench warfare in WWI with intensity, as two soldiers are charged with the seemingly impossible task of delivering a message across enemy lines.

A Happy New Year from all at Hurst Village Cinema and we hope to see you at a screening soon. If you would like to be added to our mailing list then please just email me at info@hurstfilms.com

Hurst Village Cinema - Hello Film Lovers

By David Saitch
Well, this is boring isn’t it?
Under normal circumstances, Hurst Festival would have just finished (and kudos to the Festival team for the sterling efforts they put in to create a Virtual Festival), and we would be eagerly anticipating the start of our landmark tenth, yes you read that right, tenth film season. Our autumn programme would have been published, a new set of NT Live broadcasts lined up, website and app updated, our social media streams would be buzzing and hopefully, as usual, tickets already flying out.

Obviously, we want all that to still happen, and of course it will, but when?
As I have said before, we are currently betting on the start of 2021, but there are no guarantees. Then again, it might happen sooner - unlikely, but who knows? We can only hope. We are ready to act as soon as we are able to in full safety and we are regularly testing the equipment and fine tuning it, to make sure we can start at the drop of a hat, whenever the hat drops.

One question of course, would be what we will screen. We normally screen what we believe to be the best international and independent films that have been released in the previous months, but which haven’t had a big enough release, mixed with overlooked gems and classics. But given the pandemic, there are very few films being released, as production halted on films across the globe back in February.

But don’t worry, there is still a wealth of brilliant cinema available for us to screen. Each year we put a list of films together, then whittle it down to a final programme. Because we have a limited number of screenings available, a lot of films that we could have, perhaps even should have screened get dropped simply because we have to draw a line somewhere. So there are a lot of films we wanted to screen over the last nine years but couldn’t and we can certainly delve into those and put together a terrific season of films.
And, of course, there is an incredible range of amazing films of all kinds from past decades, so there is absolutely no reason why we cannot put together and exciting, entertaining, challenging, thought provoking programme of films.
Fingers crossed it won’t be too long before we can. Stay safe. www.hurstfilms.com