January Films
EBM Humphries
If you thought you were full to the brim with Christmas films and box-set binges and couldn’t possibly consume another minute of moving pictures, wait till you see what the local independent cinemas have got lined up for you to enjoy in the bleakest month of the year. We’ve gathered their highlights, to tempt you out of the house…
Here in Hastings and St Leonards we’re particularly fortunate to have both Kino-Teatr and Electric Palace on our doorsteps, in addition to the multi-screen Odeon for the mainstream. Kino’s programming is more responsive, but we can look forward to the ‘thoroughly fresh’ Queer (18) from Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love), featuring Daniel Craig shaking off his bad-boy-Bond persona as an amorous ex-pat in Mexico City (six screenings between 16th and 22nd). And one of my favourite directors, Andrea Arnold, is back with Bird (15), showing twice on 23rd; ‘a tragedy butting heads with comedy and physical existence facing off with fantasy and imagination’.
In recent years Electric Palace has been closed all January, but this year they have thrown off that tradition and have a full programme!
My top January pick is their Anime mini-season later in the month, including The Boy and the Heron, the first feature in ten years from beloved Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli’s brightest star and co-founder. Showing twice on Thursday 23 Jan, then Saturday 25 evening, when you can also have a Japanese dinner in situ! Or make a whole day of it by starting with the themed Diorama workshop at 2.30pm. There’s even a Pokemon drawing workshop on Friday 31st.
The B-movie fan club pick for January (last Sunday of every month) is Beginning of the End (PG!), featuring giant grasshoppers. For horror fans a delicious treat: the new 4k restoration of the seminal-epic-classic Carrie (18), showing on 17 January for the monthly Friday Fright Night, and based on Stephen King’s first ever novel. And if you weren’t aware, The Electric Palace offers open-to-all, autism-friendly relaxed screenings – check the website for the February offering.
And that’s not all folks… Try as I might, I simply cannot fit everything in, so if you want to see Watership Down (the proper one), Godzilla Minus One, Head South, The Substance, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie or Snow Leopard, you know what to do.
Electric Palace Cinema is at 39a High Street electricpalacecinema.com and Kino-Teatr is at 43 Norman Road kino-teatr.co.uk – and both offer great email listings.
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