Porlock Press film club proudly presents a special 20th anniversary screening of Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly.

In a near-future America, the war on drugs is lost and whole communities have been left ravaged by the effects of a highly addictive hallucinogenic compound called Substance D.

Narcotics agent Fred, posing undercover as a junkie named Bob Arctor, tries to infiltrate the supply chain of a local dealer network with the aim of making a major bust.

After Fred is bizarrely assigned to monitor his own alias, along with fellow addicts Luckman and Barris, the boundary between his two identities fractures and he begins to lose himself down a rabbit-hole of paranoia, deception, addiction and madness.

Based on the hit Sci-Fi novel by Philip K Dick, A Scanner Darkly uses rotoscope animation techniques (digital tracing over the top of live action footage) to perfectly capture the book’s uncanny, dystopian view of a damaged society.

 

Featuring an all-star cast including Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr, Winona Ryder and Woody Harrelson, this is a future classic that demands to be seen on the big screen!

Please note, there will not be any trailers running before the film and it will begin after a brief introduction.

On Tuesday 19th May, Dead Duck Film Club screens Takashi Miike's Audition at the Savoy.

A widower has his film producer friend organize a fake audition as a means of helping him find a new girlfriend, but the woman he selects is not who she appears to be.

A Rotterdam Film Festival prize-winner that has since earned its place on virtually every serious horror list ever written, Audition is one of those rare films that genuinely stays with you.

Get your tickets now.

In tribute to the photographic and pictorial art of COIL’s founding members Peter Christopherson (1955–2010) and John Balance (1962–2004), Timeless Editions have restored the duo’s filmed archives to reveal a first-rate cinematic body of work. Incorporating medical art, homoerotic performances and body horror, these short 8mm and 16mm films are rooted in the aesthetic of England’s industrial scene of the post-punk era. At the intersections of Eros and Thanatos, these images assembled into a raw, hallucinatory and immersive film evoke Georges Bataille, J.G. Ballard, Jean Genet, Derek Jarman and the Viennese Actionists. Accompanied by previously unreleased COIL compositions, A Way to Die is a unique document: sensual, disturbing, and profoundly haunted.

This fascinating documentary profiles Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton as a blues powerhouse who shook American music to its core. Towering in voice and presence, she made “Hound Dog” a #1 hit before Elvis ever sang it, and her ferocious “Ball & Chain” launched Janis Joplin’s career. Defying gender norms in jeans, boots, and cowboy hat, Big Mama captivated audiences with raw energy, humor, and soul. From Alabama juke joints to European festivals, she lived hard, sang harder, and left an indelible mark on rock, R&B, and the blues.

An anti-documentary directed by filmmaker Natacha Horn, who is also Tanita Tikaram’s wife, and a cinematic portrait that reveals the maverick music icon as never before. Tikaram delivers, in her own words, a raw, political and personal account of life as a brown, queer woman growing up in the UK, echoing the themes of her new album LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right), the sequel to her multi-million selling debut Ancient Heart.

4K Restoration.

A depressed man (Edward Norton) suffering from insomnia meets a strange soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and soon finds himself living in his squalid house after his perfect apartment is destroyed. The two bored men form an underground club with strict rules and fight other men who are fed up with their mundane lives. Their perfect partnership frays when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), a fellow support group crasher, attracts Tyler's attention.

"FIGHT CLUB contains several sequences with flashing lights that may affect those who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or have other photosensitivities."

Savoy Cinema and The Loft Movie Theatre – as part of the Films on Film Series – proudly present a one-night special 35mm screening of Martin Scorsese’s classic crime drama, Goodfellas.

As a poor Irish-Italian growing up in 1950s New York City, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) finds himself drawn into the seductive world of organised crime. Rising through the ranks of the Mafia alongside seasoned boss Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and volatile associate Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), Henry’s pursuit of power, money and influence carries him from the gritty streets of Brooklyn into the dizzying highs and devastating lows of life as a wiseguy - until betrayal and law enforcement force him to confront the fallout of a life lived on the edge.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential crime films ever made, Goodfellas sees Scorsese at the height of his craft. With razor-sharp editing, a propulsive rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack, powerhouse performances and some very dark humour, this visceral, stylish journey into the glamour and brutality of mob life is not to be missed on the big screen – for one night only in beautiful 35mm celluloid!

Funny Girl is the bittersweet musical comedy telling the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice (a role made famous by Barbra Streisand), a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage and her tempestuous relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein.  

Fanny became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.

The classic musical features one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, and direction from Tony? Award winner Michael Mayer.  The musical is set in and around New York City just before and following World War I where Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice awaits the return of her husband from prison, and reflects on their life together. Their story is told as a flashback.

This critically acclaimed production features Sheridan Smith in “an unforgettable star turn” (The Times) and a host of iconic musical numbers including ‘People’, ‘I’m The Greatest Star’ and ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’.  A love letter to the theatre, the show has the whole shebang!

Following its record-breaking, sell-out run at Menier Chocolate Factory and in London’s West End, Funny Girl was captured by Digital Theatre live at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on the last night of its national tour

Directed by Malcolm Venville (Churchill at War) and produced by Dominic Freeman (Spirits in the Forest – A Depeche Mode Film), this feature‑length documentary charts Iron Maiden’s remarkable five‑decade journey.

Alongside the band, the documentary features on‑camera reflections from prominent admirers including Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich, and Chuck D, each speaking to Iron Maiden’s influence on music, culture and generations of fans worldwide.

Formed in East London in 1975, Iron Maiden have grown into one of the world’s most influential and enduring rock bands. Across 50 years they have released 17 studio albums, sold over 100 million records, and performed almost 2,500 concerts across 64 countries.

The documentary arrives as the band continues its two year Run For Your Lives world tour, which included a triumphant homecoming performance at London Stadium a short distance from where it all began five decades ago.

Includes in person Q&A with director Sharon Sheehan.

The film reveals the life, plight and loves of Mary Anning, 1800s preeminent Dorset fossil hunter – navigating her career and research in a patriarchal society at a time when women’s research was largely unrecognised or plagiarised. Predominantly unknown despite her spectacular Jurassic discoveries, including Icthyiousauri, a Pterodactyl and Plesiosaurus, and notwithstanding the fact that Darwins’ ‘On the Origin of  Species, was highly influenced by her finds and research. She is at last becoming the most celebrated paleontologist of all time!

The Q & A will cover any audience questions and detail the inspiration and research for writing Mary Annings' story. It will also delve into womens rights of the 1800s, compared to the present day and will cover the casting of actors and film making techniques, locations, sets, props, plus film distribution. A how to - on writing, directing and producing a feature film.

MICHAEL is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson's life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.

Sung in German with subtitles.

Princess Pamina has been captured. Her mother, the Queen of the Night, tasks the young Prince Tamino with her daughter’s rescue. But when Tamino and his friendly sidekick, Papageno, embark on their adventure, they soon learn that when it comes to the quest for love, nothing is as it really seems. Guided by a magic flute, they encounter monsters, villains, and a mysterious brotherhood of men – but help, it turns out, comes when you least expect it.

Mozart’s fantastical opera glitters in David McVicar’s enchanting production. A star cast including Lucy Crowe as Pamina, Amitai Pati as Tamino, Huw Montague Rendall as Papageno, Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, and Soloman Howard as Sarastro, led by French conductor Marie Jacquot in her Covent Garden debut.

Miranda Priestly struggles against Emily Charlton, her former assistant turned rival executive, as they compete for advertising revenue amid declining print media, while Miranda nears retirement.

Sung in Russian with English subtitles.

Following her acclaimed 2024 company debut in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, soprano Asmik Grigorian returns to the Met as Tatiana, the lovestruck young heroine in this ardent operatic adaptation of Pushkin. Baritone Igor Golovatenko reprises his portrayal of the urbane Onegin, who realizes his affection for her all too late. The Met’s evocative production, directed by Tony Award–winner Deborah Warner, “offers a beautifully detailed reading of … Tchaikovsky’s lyrical romance” (The Telegraph).

The macho students of an elite US Flying school for advanced fighter pilots compete to be best in the class, and one romances the teacher.

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

Boo The Bad Guy presents a huge BAD MOVIE NIGHT with potentially the BEST WORST MOVIE of all time... Troll 2 (1990)

Expect an interactive screening with a fancy dress competition plus lots of fun and games. Before the film you'll be treated to an exclusive viewing of the two Zoom calls that Will (aka Boo The Bad Guy) had with the stars - George Hardy (Michael Waits) and Darren Ewing (Arnold - the "Oh my gooooddddd" guy!)

Troll 2 (1990) is famously terrible - but that’s exactly why it’s so beloved as a “so bad it’s good” cult classic. The movie’s baffling plot about a family vacationing in a town overrun by vegetarian goblins who want to turn them into plants is riddled with awkward dialogue, strange acting, and nonsensical scenes that defy logic at every turn. The production’s evident language barriers and low budget add to the charm of its unintentional hilarity. What truly makes Troll 2 unforgettable is its earnestness despite all its flaws. From the unintentionally hilarious performances to infamous lines that fans endlessly quote, the movie captivates viewers with its sheer absurdity. It’s a cinematic train wreck you can’t look away from—equal parts baffling, creepy, and surprisingly endearing. If you love movies that are wildly entertaining because they’re so bafflingly bad, Troll 2 is a must-watch. It’s earned its place as one of the most popular “worst movies ever made” and continues to attract fans who adore it for its curious blend of horror, kitsch, and comedy gone wonderfully wrong. - Rotten Tomatoes