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THE ELECTRIC CINEMA LISTINGS (Station Street, Birmingham)

29-03-2008

Not content with serving up a slew of fine films in funky surroundings, those fine folk at The Electric are giving away their entire poster collection between now and Thursday. Just turn up, and take the whatever's there in the Lounge. Here's what's on in the cinema.

Notorious Choir presents As Seen on TV PG Sunday 20th April at 1pm Channel-hopping through telly heaven Notorious sings fun and fabulous music from some of televisions best loved shows. Tickets £8 (£6 concs)

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) PG Wednesday 2 April at 8.30pm Italian masters of silent film soundtracks Yo Yo Mundi with a special performance of their soundtrack to Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927). Using instruments including; accordion, electric guitars, double bass, saxophone, melodica, keyboards and a mobile phone, music and images are tightly knitted together for a pleasant journey into a faraway time and space captured on film some seventy years ago. Directed by the creators of King Kong (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Shoedsack) Chang is a fascinating 'natural drama' about the struggle between man and the jungle, a superb example of cinema that goes beyond documentary. Set in the Siam region, now Thailand, much of the shootage was also used for the following Tarzan movies. Sofas £12, standard seats £8

The Other Boleyn Girl 12a Fri March 28th to 1st & 3rd April at 6pm Director: Justin Chadwick Starring: Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman UK, 2007, 115mins A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL is set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history. Based on the best-selling book by Philippa Gregory, the film tells the story of two beautiful sisters, Anne (Portman, GARDEN STATE) and Mary (Johansson, THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING) Boleyn, who, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII (Bana, MUNICH). The film is beautifully scripted by Peter Morgan (THE QUEEN, FROST/NIXON).

Water Lillies 15 March 28th to 1st & 3rd April at 8.30pm & 2nd April at 6.30pm Director: Celine Sciamma Starring: Adele Haenel, Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère 2008, France 85mins A coming-of-age tale set in the world of synchronised swimming, in which three 15-year-old girls explore their burgeoning sexuality. It is summer in an anonymous Paris suburb, and Marie (Acquart) is hoping to make her local synchronised swimming team captained by Floriane (Haenel), a big hit with all the boys. Tagging along with Floriane, Marie finds herself becoming her accomplice in a series of assignations with her boyfriend François, but Marie's best friend Anne (Blachère) has also set her sights on him. The triangle of love and desire between the girls triggers a series of power struggles. Sciamma's sensitive debut, from which adults are almost completely absent, is the kind of quality French drama we almost take for granted.

Garage 18 Sat 29th and Sun 30th Mar 4pm Director: Leonard Abrahamson Starring: Anne-Marie Duff, Pat Shortt, Conor Ryan, Ireland, 2007, 85mins GARAGE weaves tragedy with comedy to present a beautifully drawn tale from the margins of contemporary rural Irish life. Regarded by his neighbours as a harmless misfit, Josie (Shortt) has spent all his adult life as the caretaker of a crumbling petrol station. One summer his world suffers a shift when a teenager, David (Ryan), comes to work with him. Initially performing their menial tasks in silence, they tentatively open up, and suddenly Josie is drinking cans by the railway tracks with the local kids. This awakens dormant needs in Josie, leading to his awkward tilt at intimacy with shop girl Carmel (Duff). Tender though never sentimental, this tautly scripted, naturalistically photographed film withstands comparison to the work of the Dardenne brothers.

Son of Rambow 12A Fri 4th to Thur 17th April at 6.30pm & 8.30pm plus 5th & 6th at 4.30pm Director: Garth Jennings Starring: Jessica Hynes, Tallulah Evans, Neil Dudgeon, Zofia BrooksUK, 2008, 95mins In 1980s England, Will Proudfoot (Milner) is the goodhearted but sheltered son of a Plymouth Brethren family. The Brethren forbid radio, television and films, but Will finds escapism in his drawing, creating a wildly inventive fantasy world. Jennings's (Hitchhikers Guide) tour de force is charming, eccentric, funny and profound.

Electric Beach Party - Jaws & Roy Scheider Tribute 18 Fri 18th at 8.30pm Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw 1975, 124mins Summer comes early to the Electric with this special tribute to the late great Roy Scheider and one of the scariest films ever made. The Electric Cinema Film Orchestra will return with a full 22 piece orchestra! £9 standard and £15 sofa with free Pina Coladas!

Shine a Light 12a Fri 18th 6pm, Sat 19th to Thurs 24th at 8.30 & Sun 20th at 3.45pm (no show Tues 22nd) Director: Martin Scorsese 122mins After exploring the career of Bob Dylan in the impeccable NO DIRECTION HOME, director and music aficionado Martin Scorsese turns his lens on rock 'n' roll legends The Rolling Stones.