Into Eternity: A Film for the Future (dir: Michael Madsen, 2010, cert n/a)
Michael Madsen’s (not the Hollywood tough guy) tight little documentary will blow your minds. On the island of Olkiluoto in Finland is a gigantic underground nuclear waste storage site called Onkalo, the facility has a remit to keep radioactive material safe for 100,000 years. How do we communicate to future inquisitors the awful danger of exploring this poisonously cavernous site? Bearing in mind only 5,000 years have passed since the pyramids were sealed the scale of this existential problem is frighteningly immense. One idea considered was using Munch’s The Scream as a warning, a fascinating and powerful examination into the very essence of our infant civilisation.
Tue 26 Sep 6pm at mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Leon (dir: Luc Besson, 1994, cert 15)
Luc Besson’s impossibly stylish neo-noir Leon is a dizzyingly hypnotic cavalcade of extreme violence, dubious morality, wtf plotting and, in Gary Oldman’s case, industrial strength scenery chewing. The Besson sheen settles over all and, what in duller hands could have become car crash viewing, reaches an aesthetic as cool as the vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier shades wrapped around Jean Reno’s head. Reno’s titular milk drinking and plant loving assassin is a relentless killer until twelve year old Mathilda, a wide eyed Natalie Portman in her film debut, teaches him some humanity. An exhilarating film presented as part of the Cinematic Time Machine season.
Wed 27 Sep 8.15pm at The Electric Cinema, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

The Clay Bird (dir: Tareque Masud, 2003, cert PG)
Masud’s understated film is set in a turbulent East Pakistan shortly before the Bangladesh War of Liberation broke out in 1971. As a world of political violence rages around him young boy Anu, echoing Masud’s own childhood experiences, is sent to a strict Madrasah by his devout islamic father who has rejected Western influences and what he perceives as wooly Hindu values. Filmed using non-professional actors and featuring stunning cinematography the expert juxtaposition of innocence and cynicism is exquisitely filmed. Essential cinema.
Thu 28 Sep 6pm at mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (dir: Ridley Scott, 1982, cert 15)
With Denis Villeneuve’s eagerly awaited sequel approaching here’s a chance for audiences to plug into the peerless original and bathe in it’s electric neon brilliance. Early signs are 2049 is  going to be a belter, but it will have to shine brighter than C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate to match the eloquent emptiness of the original. One of the greatest sci-fi visions ever realised in cinema history and the bigger the screen you can watch it on the more complete the experience.
Thu 28 Sep 8.30pm at The Electric Cinema, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk
Thu 28 Sep 8.45pm at Everyman Cinema, The Mailbox, Birmingham B1 1RF £13.50 www.everymancinema.com

On the Town (dir: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, 1949, cert U) + Frank Sinatra tribute act Frederick Gardner
Join sailors Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie as they hit New York for twenty four hours shore leave. Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin sing and dance their way through an incredible Leonard Bernstein score rife with iconic tunes. New York, New York and the title tune On the Town being the absolute standouts. If that wasn’t enough soak up some extra Sinatra vibes following the screening with some top tribute crooning from Frederick Gardener. Originally pitched at ten pounds this now a free event, wow. Start spreading the news.
Fri 29 Sep 7.30pm at The Mockingbird, The Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA Free veezi.com

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (dir: Steven Spielberg, 1977, cert PG)
Who hasn’t enjoyed fashioning their mashed potatoes into the shape of Devil’s Tower ala Richard Dreyfuss in Spielberg’s epic alien contact film? The thrilling story of visitors from outer space and the obsession of Dreyfuss’ everyman Roy Neary is a compelling adventure tale that hasn’t dated one second in the four decades since its release. Given a shiny new sheen to celebrate its fortieth anniversary this director’s cut will be preceded by a newly recorded interview with Spielberg. Now try and get that five note sequence out of your mind.
Sat 30 Sep to Tue 3 Oct at mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Before Sunrise (dir: Richard Linklater, 1995, cert 15)
Sometimes the deepest meaning can be divined in the most minimalist of fashion. So it is with Linklater’s sweet, but never cloying, tale of chance and love as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) are brought together by drifting happenstance for one evening. A beautiful ‘what if’ resonance permeates the several hours spent in Vienna with our heroes, who hasn’t dreamed of a chance connection reaffirming our lives with purpose? There’s a mysterious spot in all our souls that aches for fulfillment and meaning, Before Sunrise mines that spot with artful genius. A Cinematic Time Machine screening preceded with an introduction from B-Film academic Rob Stone.
Sun 1 Oct 12pm at The Electric Cinema, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Ocean Film Festival
A beautiful celebration of the big blue including the creatures and people, who live in it. Seven short films featuring surfers, swimmers, sea gypsies, shipwrecks, mantaray, whale chasers and a whole lot of ocean rubbish.
Sat 30 Sep at The Crescent Theatre, Sheepcote St, Birmingham B16 8AE. Tel: 0121 643 5858 www.oceanfilmfestival.co.uk