December seems to come round faster every year and with it comes our annual Art Book Sale – your chance to buy some special Christmas presents (or get your hands on that title you’ve been fancying all year) at a special price. As always it’s a one day event, taking place this year on Monday 1 December, so make sure you come early to get the best picks.
It’s shaping up to be another great month in our cinemas, with some fantastic new releases coming to our screens. Bill Murray teams up with first-time director/screenwriter Ted Melfi for St. Vincent, the light-hearted story of a young boy who develops an unusual friendship with the cantankerous guy next door (from Friday 12 December), while The Possibilities Are Endless, screening later in the month (date TBC), focuses on the incredible true story of Edwyn Collins, a musician and songwriter who suffered a stroke that essentially deleted the contents of his mind, and had to re-discover everything that made him who he was.
It wouldn’t be December at Cornerhouse without some suitably festive films and you won’t be disappointed with this year’s offering – Merry 80s Christmas, a season of films guaranteed to evoke the spirit of Christmas in the 80s! From Saturday 6 December, we’re showing the likes of Ghostbusters, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Willow and of course, Die Hard – because nothing says ‘tis the season like Bruce Willis in a bloodied white vest. You can also catch our annual screenings of everybody’s feel-good festive favourite It’s a Wonderful Life, from Saturday 13 December.
Also in the cinemas this month, our Sci-Fi season continues with Stanley Kubrick’s infamous 2001: A Space Odyssey (screening from Friday 28 November), as well as Dr. Strangelove, the classic biting satire of impending nuclear annihilation (on Monday 1 December). Continuing the theme, December’s Matinee Classics are The War of the Worlds, screening on Sunday 14 and Wednesday 17 December, and E.T., screening on Sunday 21 December.
In the galleries, our recently-opened new exhibition, Playtime is in full swing – literally! The final exhibition at Cornerhouse before we move to HOME, it features work from no less than nine international artists, who have taken their cue from filmmaker Jacques Tati’s comedy masterpiece of the same name and created playful works that respond to the three-storey building we’ve called home since 1985. With everything from frozen curtains and a bouncing-door obstacle course to a swing set, it’s well worth a visit.
If you’re feeling a bit creative yourself, we’ve got a number of events and workshops to choose from this month. Market Place Live takes place on Wednesday 3 December, giving you the chance to see the journey a film project takes from conception to successful release, as a team of experts go through the motions live on stage. Our regular short film night, Filmed Up, returns on Friday 5 December, featuring work exclusively from our region’s talented filmmakers, while you can also join our Playreading group to discuss Caryl Churchill’s The Striker – the story of an ancient fairy who takes on a variety of guises to manipulate, seduce and entrap two teenage victims (Friday 5 December).
Finally, tickets for our closing performance and party, The Storming Part 1 and 2, go on sale in January. You aren’t going to want to miss it, so watch this space for details in the New Year and make sure you’re first in the queue.
Until then, have a great Christmas and we’ll see you in 2015!