Lexi Cinema London

Sun, Feb 12, 15:00   £7 including a glass of fizz

A Valentines Day special!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s?  Not again, why bother?  Well, there’s always the fact that this is a new, restored print from the BFI, rendering Manhattan’s swankiest East Side even more gorgeous.  Then there is that whiff of idealised New York city glamour that comes up through the grates like steam from the subway.  There is the chance to hear, once again, the memorable “Moon River” (which the producers wanted to cut from the film and Hepburn defended, saying, “You cut it over my dead body!).  But best of all, there is the chance to watch Audrey Hepburn – replete in pearls, tiara and outrageous cigarette holder  – up there, twinkling at us. Hepburn will always be confused with the naive, eccentric Holly Golightly in the public’s eye, yet Hepburn herself regarded it as one of her most challenging roles since she was an introvert required to play an extrovert.

In the mood for something deliriously silly? School of fairytale romance with twist of adult knowingness?  The The Princess Bride is for you – showing on Valentine’s Day at 18:30.

Sat 4 Feb, 11:30, Kids Club, £5

Playing around while aboard a cruise ship, the Chipmunks and Chipettes accidentally go overboard and end up marooned in a tropical paradise. They discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems.  This may be a chip off the old block, but it lives up to a high standard of family-pleasing fun!

From 10 Feb, daily matinees + Kids Club, all £5

This delightful French animation (English spoken here!) tells the story of a charming deliveryman, a hopeless romantic, a beautiful and talented opera singer, and an eccentric scientist with his monkey who all team up to protect their beloved Paris from a hideous monster who’s been terrorising its citizens. Until, that is, they discover that the fiend in question wouldn’t hurt a fly, and is supremely musically talented to boot. Now they must fight to defend the monster from those out to harm him, namely the city’s callous and ignorant police chief.

Short and sweet, with catchy song-and-dance numbers from real-life French musicians Vanessa Paradis and Mathieu Chedid (aka “M”), the colorful recreations of historic Paris is something for older Francophiles to enjoy.  French director Bibo Bergeron put in time in LA, acquiring his CGI animation chops at Dreamworks until deciding to return home.  Luc Besson is on board as producer, making this is a wholly French entrant into the kids flix market – and all the better for it!  With a talented English voice-cast, this has all the charm but is a little less knowing than the typical Hollywood equivalent. Amusez-vous bien!

Wed 1 Feb, 18:30 + live Q&A with Doug Fishbone and cast

What’s a white Jewish New Yorker doing appearing as a Ghanaian in an all Ghanaian film?  When you understand that he is Doug Fishbone, London-based artist who is known for his satirical investigations into culture and the media, it begins to make sense.  Just!  Set in the town of Elmina – the first West African port to be settled and explored by Europeans, this is a tale of greed and corruption with lies and infidelity at every turn, wherein the town chief trys to persuade the townsfolk to sell their land to a Chinese oil company so he can make a killing and retire to Europe.

Fishbone himself provides more of an explanation as how – and why – he is to be found  not only appearing in an African film, but why this film has also been showing at the Tate.

“The initial idea for Elmina was to insert myself into a low-budget Ghanaian film as the lead, without ever clarifying my racial identity, and see what that triggered – to see whether my absorption into an African film could be taken at face value, as it were. For that to work properly, I felt that I needed a film that would be received by a domestic Ghanaian audience according to the conventions and expectations that people might have there, and that would, of course, also challenge those conventions.

Sat 14 Jan, Kids Club, all tickets £5

Back in middle school after summer vacation, Greg Heffley and his older brother Rodrick must deal with their parents’ misguided attempts to have them bond…  As if!

Sat 21 Jan, Kids Club, all tickets £5

Mumble’s son, Erik, is struggling to realize his talents in the Emperor Penguin world. Meanwhile, Mumble and his family and friends discover a new threat their home — one that will take everyone working together to save them.

Sat 28 Jan, Kids Club, all tickets £5

Disney’s cherished animation roars back onto the big screen for its 17th anniversary. The story of young lion Simba’s courageous journey from pride outcast to proud king is an instant tearjerker. After being tricked into thinking he was responsible for the death of his father Mufasa  by his dastardly uncle, Scar our pre-mane hero flees the arid Savannah, only to discover his true destiny thanks to a show-stealing meerkat/warthog double act. A rare chance to revisit a modern animation benchmark.

Hakuna Matata!

Tue 17 Jan, 20:45 + Q&A; also Mon 16 Jan, 11:00 and Wed 18 Jan, 18:30

Q&A guests:  director Carol Morley + actor Zawe Ashton

Nobody noticed when Joyce Vincent died in her bedsit above a shopping mall in North London in 2003; her body wasn’t discovered for three years. Who was she? And how could this happen to someone in our day and age? Award-winning director Carol Morley set out to find out. She placed adverts in newspapers, online, and on the side of a London taxi, and what she discovered is extraordinary. A range of people that once knew Joyce help to piece together a portrait of the woman who became so forgotten. Dreams of a Life is also a portrait of London, and how we are all different things to different people. It is about how little we may ever know each other but, nevertheless, how much we can love.  We are very pleased that Carol Morley will be joining us afterwards for a Q&A, and a chance to learn more about the background to this film.

Dreams of a Life has been warmly received!  For just a sample of the treat in store, check out below:

• “A very, very special movie… Film of the week” – Danny Leigh, Film 2011
• “This is a sad and intriguing story, told with imagination and care.” – London Film Festival Sandra Hebron
• “Hauntingly unforgettable” – Screen
• “An Authentically Moving Portrait of a forgotten life” – IndieWIRE
• “Nothing at the London film festival has lingered in my mind like this” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
• “Riveting to watch and revealing to ponder long after it ends” – Philip French, The Observer
• “Haunting, compassionate and inventive” ***** – Time Out
• “A bold, complex approach to documentary filmmaking” ***** – Little White Lies
• “Carol Morley has given Joyce Vincent, in a bizarre, compelling, even loving way, a second life. ” – The Financial Times
• “Dreams of a Life leaves its mark simply by making us wonder what really happened and why” **** – Derek Malcolm, The Evening Standard
• “A potent, achingly sad film” **** – The Times
• “A compelling, compassionate mix, Dreams speaks volumes about the mysteries of other people’s lives” **** – Total Film
• “Fascinating and haunting… will stay with you for weeks, months, maybe more”**** – Anna Smith, Virgin Media
• “This barely conceivable story of neglect and loneliness is given heartbreaking new life by Morley” **** – Empire Magazine

Mon 6 Feb, 20:30, a Tipping Point Film Fund presentation, followed by a panel discussion

Over the past 20 years we have seen a growing realization that the current model for society and culture is unsustainable. We have been living beyond our means…

Future of Hope is a documentary which follows individuals striving to change the world of consumerism, credit and debt that the Icelandic economy was built upon. Focusing on sustainable developments in farming, commerce, innovation, and energy, we are taken on a journey of struggle, determination and most importantly… hope. From the midnight sun to dark winters lit only by the snow, from geysers to volcanoes, this movie truly explores the magnificent country of Iceland. Future of Hope explains the country’s past, explores its present, and predicts a progressive future for a new and sustainable Iceland.

Tipping Point’s post-film discussion will explore the various themes in the film, including ways to turn the financial crisis into opportunities and how to extend equitable opportunities on a global scale.

The panel will comprise:

Mon 30 Jan, 18:30

Advance preview, followed by a Q&A with director Alma Har’el, chaired by Film 2012′s own Danny Leigh

Bombay Beach was the unanimous winner of the 2011 Tribeca Documentary Film Feature Award for its  “…beauty, lyricism, empathy and invention.”

Film maker Alma Har’el joined the misbegotten community which lives in Bombay Beach, a long-forgotten town on the edge of a lake in the southern Californian desert. Once a resort for glamorous ’50s Hollywood stars, it’s now home to a marginalised group for whom the American Dream has no reality. Over the course of a year, Alma Har’el captured the lives of three residents, their relatives, and friends with her unique camera-eye and an all-embracing passion.  Featuring specially choreographed dance numbers and a memorable sound track (think Dylan and Nick Drake), this is a doc knockout!

Terry Gilliam says of it:  ”A beautiful, quirky and ultimately very moving film about the American Dream as it teeters on the edge of a desert sea.”