OCTOBER 2020 REBECCA “velveteen glamour and brilliant programming...” (The Guardian) “possibly Britain’s most beautiful cinema..” (BBC) OCTOBER 2020 • ISSUE 184 www.therexberkhamsted.com 01442 877759 Mon-Sat 10.30-6.30pm Sun 4.30-5.30pm THE REX ADVANCED BOOKING LIST 2021 This ABL entitles you to the Notwithstanding the Pox, there following: are ever more defiant new l A confirmed listing posted to big-screen cinema releases you monthly first class or for us to select. This, despite by email. the onslaught of stay-at-home: l One week’s advanced binge-streaming, on-demand, booking - ahead of general TV and cliff-hangers. Our release. hand-picked releases come CONTENTS from around the world from l £1.50 off your ticket. the obscure, the beautiful, the Films At A Glance 20-21 l Up to six seats per show, weepy, the comic, the scary to including your own. (Five at Comments (R&P) 32-35 the unknown and always that usual box office prices). odd turkey. l Up to half the House. No BOX OFFICE: 01442 877759 films will be sold beyond Mon to Sat 10.30-6.30 half capacity (150 seats) so All renewals should be made Sun 4.30-5.30 nothing sells out before by phone on 01442 877759 or General Release a week later. in person at the Box Office SEAT PRICES Circle £9.50 Concessions/ABL £8.00 Back Row £8.00 Table £11.50 Concessions/ABL £10.00 Royal Box Seat (Seats 6) £13.00 Whole Royal Box £73.00 Matinees - Upstairs £5, Downstairs £6.50, Royal Box £10 Disabled and flat access: through the gate on High Street (right of apartments) YOUR REMINDER l It is open to 600 individual names. Director: James Hannaway l Current ABL names can renew from Friday 16th October. 01442 877999 This gives you two full weeks before new ABLs are invited Advertising: Chloe Butler to join. 01442 877999 l New ABL names are invited from Sat 31st October until Artwork: Demiurge Design all remaining places are taken. 01296 668739 l The Fee for 2021 (Jan-Dec) stays at £150. The Rex Your first advanced booking list (ABL) will be for ANUARYJ High Street (Three Close Lane) Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2FG 2021. It will reach you early in December with plenty of time to www.therexberkhamsted.com book before it goes on General Release just before Christmas. On Saturday December 5th we celebrate our 16th “ Unhesitatingly The Rex anniversary. is the best cinema I Well done for staying the distance and huge thanks especially have ever..” during this pox’d corona time. (STimes Culture) As ever… James OCTOBER FILMS 8 THE REX - OCTOBER BOX OFFICE: 01442 877759 Summerland Unhinged Playwright Jessica Swale makes her directorial We’ve all experienced a little road rage, especially debut with this touching wartime drama. when stuck in traffic.But nothing comes quite as The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society: Part close to the anger expressed by Russel Crowe in this II. Or at least that is the vibe the producers appear violent cat-and-mouse thriller. to have been clawing at. Alice (Gemma Arterton) is Crowe plays ‘The Man’ as a blend of Rutger Hauer a fiercely independent and reclusive young woman in The Hitcher and the lorry in Spielberg’s Duel. His living alone by the Kentish seaside during World short-tempered nature is only matched by his scarily War II. Much to her frustration, she learns that she large physicality; all beard and bloat. His target is is expected to take on a teenage evacuee from single mum Rachel (Caren Pistorius) after she beeps London, Frank (Lucas Bond). Agreeing he can stay for him when he hesitates to move at a green light. one week while the town evacuation committee find For most people this would be an understandable him another place to stay, she is soon taken aback response, but for The Man, this act of impatience by his sensitivity and independence. A connection was the last straw for his already fractured mental forms as she reflects on a past of loneliness, regret state. After she refuses to apologise for what he and her lost love, Vera. A great performance by describes as an overly aggressive act of honking, he Arterton fits neatly alongside those of seasoned snaps, and begins to relentlessly pursue the mother pros Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtney who, as across the freeways of New Orleans. entertainingly as ever, flesh out this multi-timeline No one is safe from his warpath; from her friends tale. Cinematographer Laurie Rose should also take and family, to pedestrians that just happen to be in a bow for beautifully capturing the costal scenery. his way. Unhinged may be a one trick pony, but it’s If you had a slice of Potato Peel Pie, you’ll know Crowe on overdrive - allowing the Aussie to go full exactly where it’s headed but as a bite of sweet, bad-guy - and veers from horrifically entertaining to escapist fantasy, maybe it’s just what’s needed right just downright horrific. (Jack Whiting) now. (Chris Coetsee) Director: Derrick Borte Director: Jessica Swale Cast: Russell Crowe, Jimmi Simpson, Gabriel Cast: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bateman, Caren Pistorius, Anne Penelope Wilton, Tom Courtenay Leighton, Sylvia Grace Crim Duration: 100mins Duration: 93 mins Origin: UK 2020 Origin: USA 2020 Certificate: 12A Certificate: 15 Company: Lionsgate Company: Altitude When... Thu 1 7.30 When... Thu 8 2.00 Fri 2 7.30 www.therexberkhamsted.com THE REX - OCTOBER 9 The Call Of The Wild Queen & Slim Man meets CGI dog in wholesome adventure film Debut director Melina Matsoukas’ rousing dramatic Adapting Jack London’s 1903 literary classic, thriller spotlights racial profiling and police The Call of the Wild follows the life of Buck, a violence in America. domesticated St. Bernard/Scotch Collie dog. Stolen Following a disastrous Tinder date at an Ohio from his comfortable Californian home and sold diner, lawyer Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and her to freight haulers in Yukon, Canada, Buck’s life is companion Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) are pulled over by turned upside down. Driven by a new demand for a white police officer. The reasons are dubious, the dogs to pull sleds during the 1890s Gold Rush, after cop is itching for a confrontation, and the young not- men discover gold in the region, Buck is forced to quite-couple know exactly how wrong this situation join a mail delivery dog sled team. After a series of can go for them. Seconds later, Queen has a bullet in hardships, the canine comes across John Thornton her leg and Slim has shot and killed the cop. Thrown (Harrison Ford), who becomes his new master. Both together by destiny, they wind their way down to trying to find their place in the world among the Florida, hoping to escape to Cuba where a new life frozen Alaskan Klondike, Harrison Ford stated that and perhaps new love awaits them. his character “has an opportunity to gain humanity This is a film which thoroughly immerses you in in Buck’s eyes because of their close relationship. the journey of its two main characters, their lives And he gets the courage from Buck to face parts of at stake at every turn. Assigned the task of carrying his life that he didn’t have the courage to face prior the narrative, Kaluuya and Turner-Smith deliver in to this relationship.” Exploring the deep bond that monumental fashion. Their chemistry burns like a a dog can have with man and their fight for survival torch and together their journey is remarkable as the in dangerous terrain, this is a heartfelt adaptation of nature of their relationship evolves considerably. London’s timeless novel. (Rachel Williams) Timely, provocative and bold, Queen and Slim is an unforgettable condemnation of the injustice that Director: Chris Sanders stains US society. (Chris Coetsee) Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Gillan, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens Director: Melina Matsoukas Duration: 100 min Cast: Jodie Turner-Smith, Daniel Kaluuya, Origin: USA 2020 Bokeem Woodbine, Benito Martinez, Certificate: PG Flea, Kenneth Kynt Bryan Company: Walt Disney Studios Duration: 132 mins Origin: USA 2020 Certificate: 15 Company: Universal Pictures When... When... Sat 3 2.00 Mon 26 2.00 Sat 3 7.00 10 THE REX - OCTOBER BOX OFFICE: 01442 877759 The Personal History Of The Chorus David Copperfield This was among our first foreign language miracles-in-film, first at the Rex in the summer Armando Iannucci combines wit and satire with of 2005. It continued a sell-out into the following an fabulous, many-faced cast to create a perfect Dickens film adaptation. Returning many times year and the next and beyond. It remains a most after our gifted anniversary preview in December beautiful piece of French film-making returning here (followed by a relaxed easy-going Q&A with Armando, as part of this year’s back catalogue. who lit up the place and brought his whole family..!) As a new teacher arrives at a school for disruptive The film went down a storm with The Rex audience boys, he awkwardly and quite unwittingly, sets ahead of its nationwide release. Its casting, with about changing their lives. A huge success in its the remarkable Dev Patel as David, and interesting native France and its (then) newly adopted home stylistic touches set the film apart from previous The Rex, The Chorus is a heart surging tale of an adaptations. Condensing a 600+ page tome into inspirational teacher and a rag-tag of abandoned a fast-paced tragicomedy, we follow David’s and stranded children.