Rialto Film Club

Latest Film Bookings

2010-01-16T19:39:00.001Z

For all of the latest film times at Theatre Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, visit the all-new updated website by clicking here and choosing 'more' next to one of the film titles on the main page.

Bright Star

2010-01-16T19:30:00.003Z

London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general. It was the illness of Keats‘s younger brother that drew them together. Keats was touched by Fanny‘s efforts to help and agreed to teach her poetry.

By the time Fanny‘s alarmed mother and Keats‘s best friend Brown realised their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful new sensations, “I have the feeling as if I were dissolving”, Keats wrote to her. Together they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats‘s illness proved insurmountable.

“We’re able to move around the film’s psychological and domestic landscapes with a freedom that most historical dramas and literary biopics are too corseted to permit us. The happy result is that a well-known, even over-familiar story ends up feeling raw and utterly new.” THE TELEGRAPH

Fish Tank

2009-11-15T22:51:00.004Z

The Independent says...

"The film has a terrific lead in new name Katie Jarvis, famously discovered having an argument with her boyfriend. She's immensely affecting as Mia, never a cartoon of defiant feistiness, but a complex mix of determination, fragility and sandpaper cussedness. Also good is another newcomer Rebecca Griffiths, as Mia's kid sister, Tyler. Uneven as it is, Fish Tank is a powerful film from a director with a steely take on the world, who is able to make Essex look almost soulful."

Broken Embraces

2009-10-28T16:39:00.004Z

November's film is the marvellous new movie from Spain's most successful cinematic export since Bunuel.

Extract from a review in Time Out:

"There’s often something charmingly eccentric about the English titles of Pedro Almodóvar’s films, as if Spain’s greatest living director spent just a few minutes pondering their translation with the aid of an online Spanish-English dictionary. ‘Live Flesh’? What exactly is that? ‘Bad Education’? The Spanish means ‘Bad Manners’ or ‘Ill Bred’. And now ‘Broken Embraces’. I’m not sure what they are either, although having seen Almodóvar’s seventeenth film twice, what’s clear is that the name reflects the feeling of watching it: it pulls you in and repels you, pulls you in and repels you. After over two hours of flirtation and rejection (this is Almodóvar’s longest film), it finally resolves itself into a beautiful love letter to cinema and its glorious potential, but not without exploring the darker side of the medium and how a film can so easily slip through its maker’s fingers."

For full review click here.

Any Suggestions...

2009-10-22T21:05:00.001+01:00

We are working on ideas for the next Rialto programme for January - June 2010. If you have any suggestions of films that you would like to see, please e-mail us at the address on the right with your suggestions.

Katyn - New Screening Date

2009-10-22T20:59:00.002+01:00

Following the distribution problems last month, we are screening Wajda's Katyn this Sunday - 25th October 2009.

In 1939, the Germans invaded Poland; so do the Soviets, taking more than 10,000 officers prisoner. By the spring, they were executed and buried in the forest of Katyn. Women wait: Ana, her daughter, and her mother-in-law live in hope that Ana's husband Andrej has survived; a general's wife keeps a stiff backbone when the Soviets demand that she accuse the Germans of her husband's death; Agnieszka, a prisoner under the Germans, faces imprisonment in the new post-war Poland for saying her brother died at Soviet hands. Ana's nephew, whose father died at Katyn, is chased by police for defacing a propaganda poster. The corruption of the cover-up poisons the country. Will the truth come out?

The Bicycle Thieves

2009-07-20T12:09:00.001+01:00

Almost lost masterpiece ... Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola in Vittorio di Sica's 1948 Bicycle Thieves

Neorealism never got more real than in Vittorio de Sica's 1948 classic Ladri di Biciclette, or Bicycle Thieves - occasionally mistranslated as "The Bicycle Thief", though the plural is surely crucial. It turns out that there are two thieves: one at the movie's beginning, another at its end. This study of poverty in postwar Rome is now revived in cinemas as a somewhat astringent Yuletide treat. For me, it is as unbearable as any horror film.

Bicycle Thieves
Release: 1948
Country: Italy
Cert (UK): U
Runtime: 90 mins
Directors: Vittorio De Sica, Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Enzo Stailoa, Enzo Staiola, Lamberto Maggiorani, Lianella Carell

By Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian 19/12/08 - for more - see the full article here.

Next Six Months Booked!

2009-06-30T16:23:00.001+01:00

Films are now booked from July to December - the programme will be available at the next screening in July.

Synecdoche New York – July 19
The Bicycle Thieves – August 9
Katyn – September 13
Let The Right One In – October 11
Broken Embraces- November 8
Fish Tank – December 6

New Programme

2009-06-06T15:23:00.005+01:00

We are currently working on booking films for the July to December programme of the Rialto Film Night.

Currently confirmed films are: Synecdoche New York for July 19th, Bicycle Thieves for August 9 and Let The Right One In for October 11.

Watch this space for more details.

Interview by Eilidh Rieder

2009-03-31T16:05:00.005+01:00

A visit to a multiplex cinema can be a dispiriting experience if you are looking for something a little different to the mainstream, even more so if said faceless complex provides the only film-going option for miles. Besides taking recourse to internet based film sources, and especially if a yearning for the classic cinema going experience takes a firm grip, what can the eager, would-be filmgoer in search of variety do?

The answer is simple for the residents of the Colwyn Bay area of the North Wales coast. Housed in the small community based theatre, the Rialto Film Club meets one Sunday a month to show contemporary art-house, foreign and classic films of the ilk you would rarely find at the local Cineworld.

The Rialto was created in an effort to bring in a different audience to the theatre, which had begun to show second-run films on a new screen, but wanted to attract a crowd who maybe weren’t tempted by mainstream features, but would be by more alternative fare.

One of the three founding members, who answered an advert placed in a local paper for willing film buffs to help run the club, is college lecturer and writer Neil Coombs, who talks here about the trials, practicalities and appeal of the Rialto.

On what criteria do you base the choice of films to be shown?
NC- ‘We have a committee based structure, where we try to decide on what films and what the club does, but it’s probably become more part of the theatre itself. Really, we just select films that we think will bring in an audience, which tend to be alternative films that haven’t been shown widely. We work on a six month programme, showing films once a month. Recently, we’ve chosen Vicky Christina Barcelona because we know Woody Allen is popular and that it’s something that’s not likely to be shown very long at the mainstream cinemas. We try and match three classic films and three contemporary films each six months, and we try and look at getting a range of different countries [of origin] over the period, and also maybe different genres, to get a spread of films. The most popular films we’ve had were Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro), and the French chase thriller Tell No-One (Guillaume Canet). It tends to be the contemporary art-house films that bring in a crowd. Practically, we also have to narrow it down to what’s available, as it’s difficult to find prints that are accessible. In fact, we’ve had problems with films not arriving from the distributor; whether they serve small cinemas as well as they serve big, city cinemas has been an issue.'

Who makes up your audience?
NC- ‘They are mainly local, but come from a broad spectrum. People will come quite a long way along the coast to see a film. We have a kind of ‘hardcore’ of people who turn up regularly. We also get quite a lot of students, and quite a lot of retired people, who’ve got the time to come out on a Sunday night to watch a film. We get people who are interested in specific foreign language film, such as the Francophile element. If we’ve got French films, people with an interest in French culture will come. When we’ve shown Spanish films, we’ve had a different kind of group of people because it’s a Spanish film; there’s that element of language. We’re currently using Facebook and mailing lists, and we’re gradually drawing more and more people in.’

Thanks to the internet, similarly interested people can discuss their views on cinema directly from their own homes. In the face of this kind of accessibility to elements traditionally associated with a ‘film club experience’, such as debate of this nature, where do you think clubs such as the Rialto stand?
NC- ‘The clubs are important. I think there definitely seems to have been a growth in the demand for this kind of film going experience in the last five years or so. The people who come are the people who are interested in film, the sort of film buff. Yeah, I think it’s more popular, and people like to see films as an event, especially if they have a real interest. They like to see it on the big screen, because most people watch films on DVD and television all the time anyway. Quite often, it’s a film people have seen before, like Jules et Jim that we’re showing this week, and quite a few people will come who’ve already seen it; they just want to see it on the big screen. People like to go out and have a bit of a social. Normally, the bar is open afterwards and people chat about the films, that social aspect is quite nice.’

Are there any other similar clubs in the area?
NC- ‘The old traditional cinema in Prestatyn, the Scala, has just been funded to re-open as an arts centre and they’re planning on starting a new programme of screenings. Theatr Clwyd Cymru in Mold also runs a film club. The theatre in Bangor has stopped now, which was the other alternative. So really, we’re fairly central.’

You mention the Scala in Prestatyn, and the club is named ‘Rialto’ after the cinema in the theatre in the 1930s. Is there a movement of re-generating these old theatres and cinemas in this way?
NC- ‘The name is to do with the history of the building. A lot of the old cinemas have been turned into Wetherspoons, but there is quite a lot of interest in the history of exhibition now. But it will never come back to what it was, so these little working clubs are quite interesting aren’t they?’

Dark Windows Limited Offer

2009-03-22T23:33:00.002Z

Dark Windows, the novel by Rialto stalwart Neil Coombs is now available at a reduced price for a limited period. For more information, visit the Dark Windows website or Amazon.

Extra Film 22nd March 2009

2009-03-20T19:17:00.002Z

Rachel Getting Married is being screened as an extra film on our programme this season.

Rialto on Facebook

2009-02-10T16:34:00.002Z

The Rialto Film Club now has a Facebook group. USe the link below to sign up for information and the opportunity to chat with fellow cinephiles.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN UP

Film Cancelled 11th January

2009-01-11T15:21:00.004Z

Unfortunately the film "Of Time & the City" has not been delivered to Theatr Colwyn by DHL.

This means that we are following the first rule of Film Club: There is no Film Club.

Apologies for the inconvenience, we are all very disappointed.

January to June 2009

2008-12-08T12:19:00.005Z

The programme has been finalised for the next six months. Pick up a copy of the new programme from Theatr Colwyn now.

January: Of Time & the City / Listen To Britain (UK, 2008 / 1942)
February: I've Loved You So Long (France, 2008)
March: Jules et Jim (France, 1962)
April: Vicky, Christina, Barcelona (USA, 2008)
May: Gomorrah (Italy, 2008)
June: A Streetcar Named Desire (USA, 1951)

Films for 2009

2008-12-04T10:09:00.002Z

We have started to make bookings for the January-June 2009 programme. See the coming up! list on the right for sneak previews. Full programme available soon.

Next Programme Coming Soon!

2008-10-21T16:01:00.007+01:00

We are currently planning the programme to run from January to June 2009. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail us at the usual address.

Films should be forthcoming or new releases that have not been shown locally (foreign language or alternative titles) or classic films that have been re-released on new prints (scheduled for early

2009 or in recent months).

Extra! Free Film in October!!

2008-08-11T14:31:00.006+01:00

To celebrate the Rialto Film Club's 2nd birthday, we will be screening The Visitor on 19th October 2008 at 7.30pm. Tickets are free and can be collected from the Theatr Colwyn box office or on the night.

To find out more about the film, click here.

New Programme Announced

2008-06-30T00:53:00.003+01:00

The programme for the next six months has been announced and printed. Pick up a copy from Theatr Colwyn. Films for July to December 2008 are:

Happy Go Lucky (15) 13/07/08
The Flight of the Red Balloon (PG) 10/08/08
Some Came Running (PG) 14/09/08
The Orphanage (15) 12/10/08
The Conformist (15) 09/11/08
Meet Me In St. Louis (U) 14/12/08

All films screened at 7.30pm (with a matinee at 2.30pm in December only).

Watch this space for more detailed news.

'Diving Bell' Rescheduled!

2008-06-04T15:28:00.005+01:00

The Diving Bell & The Butterfly has been re-scheduled for Sunday, June 22 at 7.30pm.

Following the unfortunate last minute cancellation of Julian Schnabel's award winning film in April, we are pleased to be screening the film as an addition to our published programme.

The Diving Bell & the Butterfly is based on the true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.

The General

2008-05-11T23:50:00.001+01:00

The General (1927)
Sunday 8th June 2008 @ 7.30pm

June’s screening will be comedy night at The Rialto with a screening of Buster Keaton’s classic feature and accompanying short films. The General (1927) is an imaginative masterpiece of dead-pan "Stone-Face" Buster Keaton comedy, generally regarded as one of the greatest of all silent comedies (and Keaton's own favourite) - and undoubtedly the best train film ever made. Presented in a new print with orchestral arrangement by Carl Davis.

“Staged with wit and satisfying cinematic flair, 'The General' is a true Hollywood classic.”
BBC Films

Click here for more information

I'm Not There

2008-04-19T13:47:00.001+01:00

I’m Not There (2007)
Sunday 11th May 2008 @ 7.30pm

The next film that we will be showing is Todd Hayne’s experimental biopic of Bob Dylan. His film is “Inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan” and is the must-see movie for all Dylan fans. I’m Not There features seven different actors playing Bob at various key stages in his life.

“an unmissable movie event”
★★★★
Rolling Stone Magazine

Click here for more information

Apology...

2008-04-14T15:01:00.001+01:00

On behalf of the management of Theatr Colwyn, I would like to apologise to those of you who came along to see The Diving Bell and The Butterfly on Sunday night, only to find the screening had been cancelled.

We were told on Friday that a copy of the film would be with us by Sunday afternoon at the very latest, but unfortunately, there was no delivery by 5pm which was when we knew we had to cancel.

At this stage, we do not know if we will screen The Diving Bell and The Butterfly at a later date, but I will keep you updated of any developments.

I hope this incident will not deter you from attending our screenings in the future.

Joann (The Rialto Film Club)

April Film Booked!

2008-02-24T19:34:00.002Z

After an exciting poll and much debate, the April screening at the Rialto will be the Oscar-nominated "Diving Bell and the Butterfly" directed by Julien Schnabel.

Based on the true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.

Screening on Sunday 13th April at 7.30pm. For more information on the film, CLICK HERE.

April Screening

2008-02-11T10:11:00.002Z

In April, we will be screening a recent foreign-language film and you can help us decide.

Below are some of the award-winning foreign language films that have been released in the UK recently. You can vote in our poll (on the right), comment on this blog entry or e-mail alternative selections to therialtofilmclub@theatrcolwyn.co.uk - be quick, we need to make a decision by Wednesday 20th February.

The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (France/USA) Nominated for 2008 Oscar
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Romania) Winner of 2007 Golden Palm at Cannes
Lust, Caution (China) Winner of 2007 Golden Lion at Venice
La Vie en Rose (France) Winner of 4 BAFTAs
Still Life (China) Winner of 2006 Golden Lion at Venice

Film Competition "It's in the Can!"

2008-01-21T12:05:00.001Z

“IT’S IN THE CAN" AMATEUR SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Theatr Colwyn,
Colwyn Bay

BUDDING Stephen Spielbergs who dream of seeing their work appearing on the big screen can submit their short films for consideration at Theatr Colwyn’s inaugural It’s In The Can Amateur Short Film Competition, to be held in June.

To qualify, the film (VHS or DVD format only) must have a running time of 25 minutes or under and must have been made no earlier than January 2007. It can be live action, animation, fiction or non-fiction and preferably not submitted to any other short film competitions.

A selection panel will preview all entries and those short-listed will be shown at a special screening at the Colwyn Bay venue. Two winners (under 18s & over 18s) will be announced at the end of the screening day, taking home the first ever It’s In The Can Amateur Short Film Competition trophies.

Anyone who would like to take part in the filmmaking competition should email: theatrcolwyn@conwy.gov.uk for an application form, terms and conditions and further details.

Paranoid Park (2007)

2008-01-15T14:40:00.000Z

Sunday 10th February 2008 at 7.30pm.

To find out more about our February screening, visit the official Paranoid Park website.
Read the Dark Windows review.
Tickets are £4.50

Programme for January to June 2008

2008-01-14T21:58:00.000Z

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Sunday 13th January @ 7.30pm

January’s presentation is a retelling of the myth of Jesse James, starring heartthrob Brad Pitt in the title role and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader. The film is directed by New Zealander, Andrew Dominik (Chopper).

“An extraordinary and visionary study of a legendary
murderer’s famous fate..”
★★★★★
Empire Magazine

Read the Dark Windows review here!

Paranoid Park (2007)
Sunday 10th February 2008 @ 7.30pm

February’s film is Gus Van Sant’s (Elephant, Last Days) adaptation of Blake Nelson’s novel. The film follows a 16 year old skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard. It is Van Sant’s most lyrical and stylish work to date, dealing with the burden and ramifications
of guilt on a young life.

“A low-key and hugely experimental high school drama... told with bold style and quiet integrity”
Empire Magazine

Click here for more information!

The Red Desert (1964)
Sunday 9th March 2008 @ 7.30pm

In March we will be screening a film in tribute to the great Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni who died in 2007. The Red Desert is Antonioni’s first colour film, shot with extreme use of Technicolor and the flattening effect of the telephoto lens. Monica Vitti is stunning as the neurotic wife of an engineer, suffering from acute depression, who wanders in bewilderment through a modern industrial landscape. Her liaison with a mining engineer (Richard Harris), a colleague of her husband, helps her come to some sort of compromise with reality.

“Perhaps the most extraordinary and riveting film of
Antonioni's entire career”
Time Out

Click here for more information

April: Mystery Film, Watch this space for news....

I’m Not There (2007)
Sunday 11th May 2008 @ 7.30pm

In May we will be showing Todd Hayne’s experimental biopic of Bob Dylan. His film is “Inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan” and is the must-see movie for all Dylan fans. I’m Not There features seven different actors playing Bob at various key stages in his life.

“an unmissable movie event”
★★★★
Rolling Stone Magazine

Click here for more information

“Staged with wit and satisfying cinematic flair, 'The General' is a true Hollywood classic.”
BBC Films

Click here for more information