Swords, Slashers and Studio Ghibli: A Wild September at Cromarty Cinema
September is looking gloriously eclectic at Cromarty Cinema, with cult classics, family favourites, brand-new releases, documentary, theatre, art and two more volunteer picks in our Make it Snappy series.
We’re starting with some proper big-screen favourites. Highlander brings immortal warriors, sword fights, the Scottish Highlands and one of Queen’s most memorable soundtracks back where they belong. Back on the big screen for its 10th anniversary, Taika Waititi’s much-loved Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a wonderfully funny and heartfelt New Zealand adventure, starring the late, great Sam Neill. Families can choose between the ocean-going spectacle of Moana and the long-awaited return of Studio Ghibli favourite Kiki’s Delivery Service. And for something considerably darker, you can see Michael Mann’s landmark psychological thriller Manhunter: The Final Cut on the big screen.
Our occasional Make it Snappy strand is back too. Chosen by Cromarty Cinema volunteers, the only rule is that every film comes in at under 95 minutes. September’s selections are two films that prove shorter certainly doesn’t mean slighter: Lynne Ramsay’s extraordinary Glasgow-set debut Ratcatcher, and Flee, the acclaimed animated documentary about displacement, identity and one man’s journey from Afghanistan to Denmark.
Among September’s newer films, Tony takes us back to a formative summer in the life of a young Anthony Bourdain, long before Kitchen Confidential made him famous. Closer to home, Scottish comedy-drama Premature follows two flatmates forced to reconsider their carefully imagined futures after an unexpected pregnancy, while Sunny Dancer stars Bella Ramsey as a teenager reluctantly sent to a summer camp for young people affected by cancer, where an unexpected group of friends changes everything.
Things get stranger as the month goes on. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, takes a knowingly twisted trip into slasher-movie territory, while Coyote Vs Acme finally unleashes Wile E. Coyote’s long-awaited revenge on the company responsible for decades of catastrophically unreliable products. Pedro Almodóvar also returns with Bitter Christmas, a playful, layered story about creativity, grief and the increasingly blurry boundary between real life and fiction.
There’s plenty beyond fiction too. Bel is a moving documentary portrait of Kenyan-Scottish musician Beldina Odenyo, known as Heir of the Cursed, while De Gaulle: Resistance takes us to wartime London as Charles de Gaulle attempts to rally the Free French movement after the collapse of France in 1940.
Finally, our special-event screenings bring art and theatre to the big screen. Exhibition on Screen: James McNeill Whistler explores the life, work and influence of the bold Victorian-era artist behind Whistler’s Mother, while National Theatre Live: The Misanthrope stars Sandra Oh in Martin Crimp’s sharp contemporary reworking of Molière’s classic satire.
From Highlanders and hitch-hiking runaways to Studio Ghibli, slashers, rainforest restoration and Wile E. Coyote taking Acme to court, there’s quite a lot going on in Cromarty this September. Get your tickets at https://cromartycinema.com/films/, the human box office on Thursdays 12-2, or at the door. We’ll see you at the pictures!
