[title]
Each week, we round up the most exciting film events happening in London over the coming week, from pop-ups and one-offs to regular film clubs, outdoor screenings and festivals. Here’s this week’s top five…
Time Out Loves… Spies: ‘The Spy Who Came In From the Cold’ + ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’
To celebrate the release of new film of John le Carré’s novel ‘Our Kind of Traitor’ (not to mention the excellent TV adaptation of ‘The Night Manager’) Time Out is hosting a spy weekend dedicated to one of the finest living British authors, and the world of espionage he so brilliantly explores in his writing. Highlights include a live event discussing Le Carre’s work and featuring readings from his books by actors including Damian Lewis, an exclusive preview of ‘Our Kind of Traitor’ and a pair of double bills: Cold War classics ‘Notorious’ and ‘The Third Man’, and this pairing of the two finest le Carré adaptations.
Hornsey Town Hall, N8 9JJ. Fri May 6, 7pm. £15.
Save the Curzon Soho! ‘The Blues Brothers’
The Curzon Soho, one of London’s finest cinemas, is threatened by the ongoing Crossrail project – and celebrity fans, regulars and activists are teaming up to fight for its life. All proceeds from this unique screening will go to the Save campaign. But what’s so special about it? Well, the cinema is going to be transformed into a gospel church for the evening, complete with a live choir, a soul DJ and themed cocktails (they have those in church now? Cool). There’ll also be prizes for the sharpest costumes – and the film’s pretty good too. Snap ’em up, soul cats.
Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5DY. Fri May 6, 9.30pm. £20.
Rooftop Film Club: ‘Blade Runner’
The kings of outdoor cinema returns this week, with a packed programme at four locations on rooftops across the city. Running from now until September, they will be screening a selection of recent faves and audience-pleasing classics (your ‘Top Guns’, your ‘Ghostbusters’). Our choice this week, ‘Blade Runner’, may be obvious – but just imagine watching it under the stars. Ridley Scott’s rain-swept, neon-lit vision of Los Angeles in 2019 is the single most immersive and tactile world ever created for the cinema. It’s so crammed with detail – in the costumes, the makeup, the buildings, the billboards – that there’ll always be something you haven’t noticed before.
Queen of Hoxton, 1–5 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3JX. Mon Mar 9, 9pm. £15.
I Wish U Heaven: A Film & Music Tribute to Prince
His purple reign may have come to an end, but his legend will never die. To be completely fair, Prince’s movie career was never as – how shall we put this? – artistically successful as his musical one, but luckily he left behind two cracking big-screen outings, and they’re both showing on Friday night along with DJs, cocktails and live performances. First up it’s ‘Purple Rain’, the story of The Kid, a product of a broken home and an impregnable ego, struggling to the top of the rock heap. It’ll be followed by ‘Sign O’ the Times’, a documentary record of the tour to support Prince’s best album, and a stunning showcase for his instrumental skills.
Genesis Cinema, 93–95 Mile End Rd, E1 4UJ. Fri May 6, 6.30pm. £9.50, £7 concs.
Anachron Film Club: ‘Eyes Without a Face’ + ‘Judex’
Two films from one of the masters of eerie French surrealism, Georges Franju. ‘Eyes Without a Face’ is an incredible blend of horror and fairytale. Having destroyed his daughter’s face in a car crash, a doctor feverishly experiments with skin grafts to repair it, each failure requiring his devoted assistant to prowl the Latin Quarter in search of another suitable ‘donor’. The superbly elegant and enjoyable ‘Judex’, meanwhile, follows a magical clash between good and evil, with the director revelling in poetic symbolism and surreal set pieces.
Muse Gallery, 269 Portobello Rd, W11 1LR. Tue May 3, 7pm. FREE.
