If you’re into your films, there is no better way to watch a classic than on a big screen just like your mam and dad did in their time. Fortunately, there are plenty of places around Manchester where you can catch a wide range of absolute beauties….
Odeon
The biggest cinema in Manchester with their PROPER IMAX screen will be showing classic movies every Monday as part of their Odeon Flashbacks programme. Films include:
6th Feb – The Thing
Classic film starring Kurt Russell as suspicious scientist holed up in Antarctica while a shape shifting alien assumes the identity of his fellow stranded colleagues. Great tension, music and 80s hair.
13th Feb – Notting Hill
Classic film starring Hugh Grant as flop-haired book shop owner, holed up in Notting Hill while a massive-mouthed actor decides that she has had enough of international stardom and wants to get off with him. Great tension, music by Ronan Keating and great t-shirts.
14th Feb – Dirty Dancing
Classic film starring Patrick Swayze as wonky-legged dancer, holed up in a holiday camp while a dancing teenager perpetually whinges and gets forced into corners. Great tension, music and THAT lift.
27th Feb – Grave of the Fireflies
Classic film starring a brother and sister, holed up in WW2 Japan while Tokyo gets bombed to buggery by the plucky US Air Force. Great tension, tears and more tears.
6th March – Quadrophenia
Classic film starring Phil Daniels as a Mod rocker, holed up in Brighton while a thin, boring man assumes the identity of Sting. Great bikes, music and 70s pubic hair.
16th March – Crash
Classic film starring Don Cheadle as one of 30 characters, holed up in LA while a bunch of grotesque movie-execs decide whether to give it an Oscar or not. Mediocre tension, bad music and 3 hours you’ll never get back.
30th March – The Fly
Classic film starring Jeff Goldblum as a genius scientist, holed up in his warehouse apartment while he slowly shape shifts into a spewing, scabby fly-like creature. Great tension, vomit and arm-wrestling.
Odeon, The Printworks, 27 Withy Grove, Manchester M4 2BS
http://www.odeon.co.uk/cinemas/manchester_printworks/11/
Victoria Baths
There’s a bunch of lovely people over at Village Green Events who will be screening movies at the stunning Victoria Baths. Movies coming up include:
10th Feb – 10 Things I Hate About You
Classic film starring Heath Ledger as a long haired nerd, holed up in a High School remake of Taming of the Shrew while a smug faced Julia Styles attempts to save her career before it’s even begun. Great tension, Alex Mac and 90s hair.
11th Feb – Beauty and the Beast
Classic film starring Belle as a yellow dress wearing bookworm, holed up in a non-provincial town while a hairy chested muscle man forces her into the clutches of a bad tempered, but well-dressed Beast. Great tension, songs and (back) hair.
Victoria Baths, Hathersage Rd, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester M13 0FE
http://www.thevillagegreenevents.co/micro-events.php
Stockport Plaza
Everyone’s favourite theatre in Stockport tend to add the odd screening to their packed line up. So if you don’t fancy watching Cannon & Ball and The Chuckle Brothers in Schindler’s List: The Musical, check these films out;
17th Feb – Grease Sing-Along
Classic film starring Jeff Conaway as a high school punk, holed up in a dead end job at Cardboard City while his best friend, a shape shifting Scientologist gets off with an Australian at the beach. Great tension, music and pink hair.
23rd Feb – Mamma Mia
Classic film starring Meryl Streep as an actor, holed up in a movie that is far beneath her acting prowess while singing some top Abba tunes and pondering getting a new agent. Great tension, Brosnan singing and camel toes.
Stockport Plaza, The Plaza, Mersey Square, Stockport SK1 1SP
http://stockportplaza.co.uk/whats-on/
Gorilla
It’s not uncommon for Gorilla to add a few screenings to their already packed line-up of gigs and club nights. Their special this month is for Valentine’s Day, so a great opportunity to show the love of your life how much you don’t want to talk to them for 4 hours.
14th Feb – Romeo + Juliet (+ Heathers)
Classic film starring Clare Danes as Juliet, holed up in modern-day Verona while a mortal enemy assumes the identity of Leo DiCaprio and spouts Ye Olde Language at her. Great tension, music and bonus Postlethwaite.
Gorilla, 54-56 Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5WW
http://www.thisisgorilla.com/stage_club.php
HOME
Manchester’s premier art-house cinema, perpetual home to beret wearing, sneering art-types who would much rather watch a French movie about dirty knickers than Kung Fu Panda 3. To be fair, I’m probably one of that lot, so I’ll see you down there. Upcoming movies include…
5th/6th/7th Feb – Goodfellas
Classic film starring Ray Liotta as gangster Henry Hill, holed up in the 60s while a shape shifting Robert De Niro method-acts right through him. Great tension, clowns and garlic cutting.
25th & 26th Feb – Back to the Future 2
Classic film starring Marty McFly as a high schooler, holed up in a space-time fuck up of his own doing while a white haired scientist tries to explain why he is best friends with a 17 year old. Great tension, cars and porn mags.
25th/26th March – The Jungle Book
Classic film starring a tiger, holed up in the Indian jungle while a man-cub and panther run around telling people how to make fire. Great tension, songs and animation.
5th/7th/8th March – Lost in Translation
Classic film starring Bill Murray as an aging actor, holed up in an impersonal Tokyo while a young, nubile beauty similarly expresses her loneliness. Great tension, banter and karaoke.
19th/21st/22nd March – Rosemary’s Baby
Classic film starring Satan, holed up in the afterlife while a shrieking woman gives birth to your son watched by their increasingly creepy neighbours. Great tension, tension and tension.
HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, M15 4FN
https://homemcr.org/cinema/
Band on the Wall
On top of some corking gigs, and helping to pay Craig Charles’ mortgage, Band on the Wall have a whole host of brilliant movies showing pretty much every week. Check out for listings, and here’s a selection.
7th Feb – The Wicker Man
Classic film starring Christopher Lee, holed up on a remote island in Scotland while a group of fellow mental cases decide whether they should burn a police man alive or burn every copy of the Nicholas Cage remake. Great tension, acting and naked dancing.
9th Feb – Pulp Fiction
Classic film starring John Travolta as an aging actor, holed up in a discriminate and unforgiving Hollywood while given a second chance by a new, genius young film maker. Great tension, story and Willis.
14th Feb – High Fidelity
Classic film starring John Cusack as perpetually annoyed record shop owner, holed up with an early career Jack Black technically being late career Jack Black. Great tension, laughs and book.
20th Feb – Purple Rain
Classic film starring Prince as a pint-sized musician, holed up in Minneapolis while driving a motorbike, hitting women and ignoring one of the best songs of all time. Great tension, tunes and hair.
26th Feb – Stand By Me
Classic film starring River Phoenix as a little rap-scallion, holed up in small town America with his mates while they come of age and Keifer Sutherland attempts to batter them. Great tension, atmosphere and acting.
Band on the Wall, 25 Swan St, The Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 5JZ
Tickets £3
https://bandonthewall.org/events/
Texture
I’ve added Texture to this list because they will be hosting what looks to be one of the most brilliant movie events I’ve seen. Not only will they be showing the absolute classic Death Becomes Her (Willis!!), but it also promises to be a fantastic high-camp interactive event.
You’ll be invited to a mock-up of the creepily glamorous party from the film, featuring live actors, cocktails and canapés brought back from the dead by Mary Ellen MacTague’s Real Junk Food Project. Be sure to get yourself dressed up for it, because it looks like a right laugh. Tickets for the evening showing have sold out, but they still have tickets available for their matinee performance on the 18th March.
Saturday 18th March 2017
3:00pm til 6:30pm (last entry 3:30pm)
Entry price: £9
