We’re nearing the end of November and after the first round of essay deadlines, we bet you’re looking for a reprieve. In this feature, we continue to bring you news of all the latest films, special screenings, and student-friendly deals that Harbour Lights has to offer. This week is quite simply magical, with the release of Fantastic Beasts and a FREE student-exclusive screening of Bad Santa 2. What a way to start the festive season!
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (12A)
After months of teasing, it’s finally time to revisit J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Starring Eddie Redmayne, the film follows magizoologist (and Hufflepuff) Newt Scamander as he attempts to recover the fantastic beasts that run amok in New York City after they escape from his magical briefcase. A must watch for Potter fans and featuring an all star cast including Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Jon Voight and Ezra Miller, you can catch Fantastic Beasts in 2D all this week at Harbour Lights.
Nocturnal Animals (15)
Tom Ford’s latest film, Nocturnal Animals, is still showing this week. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, the film follows an LA gallery owner who unexpectedly receives a manuscript from her unsuccessful novelist ex-husband and reads it while her current husband is away on an adulterous weekend. The novel then becomes a film within a film, in which the novelist goes on a road trip with his family and is menaced by a redneck gang. Also starring Isla Fisher, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ellie Bamber, this is a picturesque thrill-ride that you have to see. Read our review here.
Bad Santa 2 (15)
This month’s FREE student-exclusive screening (courtesy of E4 Slackers Club) is Bad Santa 2. A real festive comedy treat, Billy Bob Thornton returns as the foul-mouthed alcoholic thief who fuelled 2003’s comedy smash Bad Santa. Once again his seasonal gig as a department store’s cantankerous Father Christmas finds him reluctantly teamed up with fellow ex-con Marcus (Cox) as his elfin helper. For more information on how to get in on this screening, visit the Harbour Lights website.
The Innocents (15)
Anne Fontaine’s remarkable true life drama, The Innocents, is showing at Harbour Lights this week. The film follows Mathilde, a young French doctor with the Red Cross who is on a mission to treat World War II survivors in Poland. When a nun appears at the clinic one night seeking her help, she is brought to a convent where 30 Benedictine nuns live cut off from the world. She discovers that several are due to give birth, having been assaulted by Soviet soldiers. Unable to reconcile their faith with their pregnancy, the nuns turn to Mathilde, who becomes their only hope.
A Street Cat Named Bob (12A)
Roger Spottiswoode’s touching real-life story, A Street Cat Named Bob, is still available to watch this week. Based on the bestselling autobiography of former drug addict James Bowen, a raggedy-looking Luke Treadaway stars as the heroin-addled Bowen, who is moved into sheltered housing in a last-ditch attempt to get him clean. Also taking up residence is an injured feline, whom Bowen names Bob. The pair quickly become inseparable, and Bob – played in the film by the ginger tomcat himself – accompanies Bowen as he applies for work selling The Big Issue and busks around Covent Garden. Read our review here.
The Wolf Man (PG)
Harbour Lights continue their Culture Shock season with another of Universal’s classic horrors, The Wolf Man. Starring Lon Chaney Jr, this 1941 classic follows a young man who haunts the wilds of Wales after turning into a werewolf.
Your Name (12A)
On Thursday, Harbour Lights will be holding a screening of Makoto Shinkai’s animated fantasy, Your Name. Mitsuha and Taki are two total strangers living completely different lives. But when Mitsuha makes a wish to leave her mountain town for the bustling city of Tokyo, they become connected in a bizarre way. She dreams she is a boy living in Tokyo while Taki dreams he is a girl from a rural town he’s never been to. What does their newfound connection mean? And how will it bring them together? If you like anime, we implore you to head down and find out.
Desierto (15)
This week’s Discover Tuesday is Jonás Cuarón’s thriller Desierto. Starring Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the film follows 14 desperate Mexican migrants who trek across the US border – only to be hunted down by a murderous vigilante armed with a powerful rifle and a vicious dog.Needless to say, if you’re enjoying Morgan’s depiction of Negan in The Walking Dead, this might be the watch for you.
El Sur (PG)
This week’s Vintage Sunday is Victor Erice’s 1983 drama, El Sur. Based on Adelaida García Morales‘ short novel of the same name, the film follows a little girl’s quest to understand her father’s secrets.
Student tickets range from £7.00 – £9.50. For more information, visit the Harbour Lights website or call the Box Office on 0871 902 5733.
