The Road to Mandalay (dir: Midi Z, 2016, cert 15)
An upbeat title masks a serious and emotionally draining film from exciting Burmese director Midi Z following the travails of two immigrants struggling to make a new life in Thailand. Whisper level quiet and packing a tragic coda that is not easily forgotten.
Mon 4 Dec 8.30pm & Tue 5 Dec 6pm at mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Sorcerer (dir: William Friedkin, 1977, cert 15)
An existential amalgamation of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s claustrophobic 1953 film Wages of Fear and Werner Herzog’s 1972 psycho in the jungle romp Aguirre. Friedkin’s picture was bewilderingly ignored on release by critics and audiences alike but has grown in stature ever since.  The tale of four disparate strangers tasked with transporting dynamite through a South American jungle is bold, visionary and features a stunning Tangerine Dream score.
Tue 5 Dec 8.15pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Old Boy (dir: Park Chan-wook, 2003, cert 18)
A numbing cavalcade of extreme violence and kafkaesque pessimism as Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) tries to discover who has kept him locked up for fifteen years without reason. Breathtakingly bloody and probably the only film we’ve ever seen featuring a live octopus being eaten whole in a sushi bar.
Wed 6 Dec 8.30pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

A Disastrous Double Bill: The Disaster Artist (dir: James Franco, 2017, cert 18) + The Room (dir: Tommy Wiseau, 2003, cert 18)
A wonderful opportunity to catch Tommy Wiseau’s appalling The Room and James Franco’s story of its ignominious birth on the same bill. Wiseau’s film makes Ed Wood look like Eisenstein. “You, you’re just a chicken. Chip-chip-chip-chip-cheep-cheep.” It gets worse. Bring plastic spoons.
Wed 6 Dec 6.30pm & Sat 9 Dec 9pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £15 www.theelectric.co.uk

Blade of the Immortal (dir: Takashi Miike, 2017, cert 18)
The most prolific filmmaker operating today has released over a hundred movies, all of which shock, unsettle and bemuse in equal measure. His samurai epic; the Manga based Blade of the Immortal, is all this and more, a cacophony of feudal violence writ large for over two hours. Stylish, extraordinary and at times positively revolting, no one produces cinema like Takashi Miike.
Fri 8 Dec to Wed 13 Dec at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £5 veezi.com

The Big Lebowski (dir: Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998, cert 15)
It’s been nearly twenty years since El Duderino first blearily stumbled through our screens clutching a White Russian and seeking redress for his spoiled carpet? “Well, sir, it’s this rug I had. It really tied the room together.” The Mockingbird are celebrating with a day of Lebowski themed frolics, White Russians will of course be available and there’s even free popcorn for anyone who turns up in their dressing gown.
Sat 9 Dec 6.15pm & 8.45pm at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £5.95 veezi.com

Will Hay Day ft. Oh Mr. Porter (dir: Marcel Varnel, 1937, cert U) & The Goose Steps Out (dir: Will Hay/Basil Deardon, 1942, cert U)
Will Hay Day number 4 relocates from the Electric to the Mockingbird for a whole day celebrating the genius buffoonery of William Thomson Hay. Two of his best films are being screened; including the Hitler baiting The Goose Steps Out, World War Two fancy dress is encouraged and your ticket includes a buffet with the distinct possibility of powdered egg and spam sandwiches. Quintessentially English with a bewitching old world charm Will Hay’s films are always a delight.
Sun 10 Dec 10.30am at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £15 form.jotformeu.com