Events in the Tyneside Bar

Monday 6 September, 8.00pm
Doors 7.30pm, entry £5.00

In the last year The Polite Room has bought many exceptional musicians and poets to the Tyneside.

For the first birthday bash we welcome back two acts that kicked the whole thing off back in September 2009; Dan Walsh is our most requested returnee and, quite simply, a banjo playing virtuoso (“Incredibly gifted, if anyone has the opportunity to see him they must” Janice Long, BBC Radio 2). Joining Dan will be Pete Scott, a man whose brilliant songs about everyday Newcastle life are reminiscent of the late, great Jake Thackray.

We are also delighted to welcome two of our favourite performers from the past year, with Northumbrian folk from Martin Heslop and poetry from legendary local wordsmith, Simma. What a line up. All this, plus cake!

Dir. Daniel Alfredson. Sweden, Denmark & Germany 2009. 2hrs 9mins. In Swedish with English subtitles.

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One of the most eagerly-anticipated sequels ever! Lisbeth and Mikael focus their efforts on investigating a mutli-million dollar sex-trafficking ring involving a number of high profile Swedish public figures, when Lisbeth winds up accused of murder. Mikael must race against time not only to expose the traffickers, but to clear Lisbeth’s name. Like its predecessor, the plot moves at break-neck speed whilst teasing us with some more details about Lisbeth’s murky past.

Stay tuned, as the third and final part of this utterly brilliant trilogy lands on our screens in November, with The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest – we can’t wait!

Dir. Richard Berry. France 2010. Running time TBC. In French with English subtitles.

Starts Friday 3 September

Leon’s Luc Besson (here producing) and Jean Reno re-team for another bullet riddled, suspense-filled drama about a mobster who goes on a revenge spree after being left for dead with 22 bullets in his body. Reno plays Charley Matteï, a retired gangster who somehow manages to survive a brutal assassination. Understandably peeved about the situation he attempts to find out who did this to him and give them a taste of their own medicine. Reno is back to his charismatic best, giving an excellent central performance in this hard-boiled French thriller.

Dir. Edgar Wright. USA 2010. 1hr 52mins.

BBFC classification advice: Contains moderate violence, sex references and bleeped strong language.

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Genre smashing director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and everyone’s favourite awkward geek Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) team up to bring to life the treasured cult comic book series with this epic movie of epic epicness.

Cera plays Scott Pilgrim, a charming and jobless 22-year-old who has just met girl of his dreams Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). However, the path of true love never runs smoothly, especially when that love has seven evil ex-boyfriends, all of whom are out to kick the merry-hell out of any would-be suitors. Now in order to win Ramona’s heart, Scott must vanquish all of her exes or risk ending up with more then just a broken heart.

Wright combines comic-book fantasy, wry comedy and frenetic action to make one of the most awesomely entertaining films of the year.

Dir. Sylvain Chomet. France & UK 2010. 1hr 20mins. In English and French with English subtitles.

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From France’s leading animator, Sylvain Chomet (Belleville Rendez-Vous) comes this divine love letter to Edinburgh that is guaranteed to enchant you.

The Illusionist of the title is a travelling conjuror whose dwindling popularity has forced him to accept increasingly obscure assignments at fringe theatres, garden parties and in bars and cafés. But his life changes forever when he meets a shy young girl named Alice who believes that he is capable of true magic.

Chomet’s breathtaking animation is a true sight to behold, beautifully complementing this outstanding love story and making for an unforgettable cinematic experience.

“One of the most purely satisfying pictures I’ve seen all year.” The Guardian

Dir. Juan Jose Campanella. Argentina 2009. 2hrs 10mins. In Spanish with English subtitles.

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After deservedly winning the Oscar this year for Best Foreign Language Picture, this rave-reviewed Argentinean crime drama finally comes to screens in the UK. Adapted for the screen and directed by Juan José Campanella (TV’s House, 30 Rock and Law & Order), the story follows Benjamín Espósito, a retired legal attorney writing a book based on a brutal murder case he worked on years before.

Set in 1999, Espósito reconnects with the people he worked alongside, with flashbacks to the 70s when the case was alive. The cast deliver rich and compelling performances, under the outstanding direction of Campanella. Unmissable!

“A deeply rewarding throwback to the unselfconcious days when cinema still strove to be magical” Variety

Free Film Night in the Tyneside Bar

Dir. Timur Bekmambetov. Russia 2004. 1hr 49mins. In Russian with English subtitles.

Friday 3 Septemper, doors 9.00pm, starts 9.30pm

Programmed by Shaun Harrison

A manic Russian horror/fantasy film that brims over with energy as it tells the story of a 1000 year-old truce between the forces of light and darkness which is watched over by opposing undercover agencies – the Night Watch and Day Watch. But the truce may about to be broken when a prophecy involving the arrival of a ‘Great One’ starts to come true.

Entrance is free, capacity is limited!

Cult Classic
Dir. Luc Besson. France 1994. 1hr 50mins.

Monday 6 September, 8.45pm

This slick urban thriller is not only one of Besson’s best films, but it also features three incredible performances from Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and a very young Natalie Portman in her first role.

Reno plays Leon, a hitman forced to take in a young girl called Mathilda after Gary Oldman’s corrupt cop kills her family. But when Mathilda learns what Leon does for a living she forces him to train her so that she can take her revenge….

Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are Student days!

Bring your NUS card to any regular screening and get in for just £4.00* and you can get a bottle of Corona, Becks, Heineken or Coke for £1.50 when you show your student ticket at the Tyneside Bar. *Price excludes special events or Classic Circle.

Dir. Shimmy Marcus. UK 2010. Running time TBC.

Monday 6 – Wednesday 8 September

The talk of the Edinburgh Film Festival this year, north east production company Ipso Facto Films’ SoulBoy is a brilliant coming-of-age tale with an ace turn from rising star Martin Compston (The Disappearance Of Alice Creed) as Joe, a country boy with an eye for the ladies stuck in a rural village in the 1970s with nothing to do and nowhere to go. He’s in a rut, but when he meets hairdresser Jane, who’s into the Northern Soul movement in a big way, Joe decides to bluff his way into the scene….

Pickin’ Flicks
Dir. Sofia Coppola. USA 1999. 1hr 37mins.

Tuesday 7 September, 6.00pm

Sofia Coppola’s beautiful debut. A group of boys are fascinated by the five beautiful Lisbon sisters who seem to have it all. But when the youngest sister commits suicide, the boys’ obsession with the family increases even more.

Pickin Flicks programmer Beth says: “Don’t let the title of put you off. This touching film’s portrayal of teen angst has darkly funny moments and along with the soundtrack from Air – which is just as dreamy as it sounds – makes for bittersweet viewing. By the end you will be as mesmerised with the Lisbon girls as the boys in the film are.”

Special ticket price of £4 for 15-18 card holders.
Pickin’ Flicks aims to give young people a unique insight into film distribution, exhibition and marketing by providing a chance for teenagers to programme films at their favourite cinema.

Take a Second
Dir. Giorgos Lanthimos. Greece 2009. 1hr 27mins. In Greek with English subtitles.

Wednesday 8 September, 8.45pm

Take a Second is a new strand where we bring back selected films that we think you need to see simply because they’re great.

Two parents, desperate to maintain their children’s innocence, keep them confined in the family home. But as the children’s curiosity about what lies beyond the walls increases, their father is forced to take more drastic action to keep the order.

Steve Drayton, Tyneside Cinema regular: “Dogtooth is remarkable in that it’s so bleak, so turn-your-head-away-from-the-screen violent, yet it’s engaging, funny and downright brilliant. The black humour, excellent leaps of imagination and a superb cast draw you in and the final denouncement is so shockingly plausible, which, coupled with an ambiguous ending keep the characters living in the mind for hours after. This film is unlike any I’ve seen. Uncomfortably brilliant.”

[.Rec]
Dirs. Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza. Spain 2008. 1hr 19mins. In Spanish with English subtitles.

[.Rec 2]
Dirs. Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza. Spain 2010. 1hr 24mins. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Thursday 9 September, 8.40pm

[.REC] and [.REC 2] are two of the finest horror films of recent memory, yet due to limited release and a hasty American remake, they’ve barely seen the light of day in cinemas. So to correct this heinous crime, we’re serving up a double bill of these outstanding gore-tastic zombie thrillers.

[.REC]

Filmed documentary style a la Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, [.REC] follows a news team filming a fire crew who are called out to deal with what appears to be a routine emergency. But they soon find there’s nothing routine about this call out when they are trapped in a block of flats filled with some rather unpleasant tenants and no way out.

[.REC 2]

[.REC 2] takes places straight after part one, as a team are ordered to go in to the infected building to assess the carnage and try and come up with some way to stop it. But the zombie residents have other ideas.

Both films are fantastically raw, unnerving fright-fests, finding shocking and inventive ways to scare and always keeping you on the edge of your seat. Prepare yourselves for one terrifying night!

Tickets for the Double Bill: £8/£7

Free Film Night in the Tyneside Bar

Dir. Bryan Singer. USA & Germany 1995. 1hr 41mins.

Thursday 9 September, doors 9.00pm, starts 9.30pm

Programmed by Samantha Simpson

X-Men director Bryan Singer’s devilishly good thriller stars Kevin Spacey as a small-time con man who tells a police interrogator an intriguing story about how he and a group of criminals ended up on a heist that goes wrong, and of a mysterious mob-boss known as ‘Keyser Söze’.

Entrance is free, capacity is limited!

Live Events in the Tyneside Bar

Wednesday 8 & 22 September
Doors 7.00pm, starts 8.00pm

Due to popular demand we are proud to announce that The Great Tyneside Cinema Quiz will now be held every fortnight! We’ll be pushing your movie knowledge to the brink, so if you’re desperate to get your hands on the coveted Tyneside Trophy then get your team together and join us in the glorious Tyneside Bar for a great night of film trivia and fun. Brought to you by Tyneside Cinema Quizmaster Chris Santos, grab a table with your friends, and indulge yourself with some snacks and a glass of what you fancy!

Capacity is strictly limited, so join us early. Entrance per team is just £5.00 (maximum five people per team). Sign in from 7.00pm, quiz starts at 8.00pm.

Enjoy a bottle of Becks, Corona, Heineken or any of our range of Fentimans Botanically Brewed Beverages for just £2.

Childrens’ Film Club

Saturday 4 September, 12.00pm

Rip-roaring Pixar animation about a family of superheroes forced to come out of retirement when the world is threatened by the sinister super villain Syndrome.

Bringing In Baby

Dir. Sylvain Chomet. France & UK 2010. 1hr 20mins. In English and French with English subtitles.

Wednesday 8 September, 11.00am

From France’s leading animator, Sylvain Chomet (Belleville Rendez-Vous) comes this divine love letter to Edinburgh that is guaranteed to enchant you.

The Illusionist of the title is a travelling conjuror whose dwindling popularity has forced him to accept increasingly obscure assignments at fringe theatres, garden parties and in bars and cafés. But his life changes forever when he meets a shy young girl named Alice who believes that he is capable of true magic.

Chomet’s breathtaking animation is a true sight to behold, beautifully complementing this outstanding love story and making for an unforgettable cinematic experience.

“One of the most purely satisfying pictures I’ve seen all year.” The Guardian

Archive Newsreel

Gaumont, August 1947.

Starts Friday 6 August

In August 1947, Pakistan and India were declared independent nations and the British Indian Empire was no more. Here, in this fascinating newsreel, you can watch the independence ceremonies take place and Viscount Louis Mountbatten hand over power to the new nations. Closer to home there’s also fun with the Scouts in that year’s Jamboree!