Friday 26 February 2010

View from the Projection box with Ritz Cinema - Belper

View from the Projection Box with cinema projectionist Paul Winfield.

Once again, thanks to you all. We’ve had another successful year at The Ritz. Despite the recession you kept on coming to see us and enjoy the best in-cinema entertainment. We must be doing something right.

2010 gets off to a great start with big names to the fore. The one and only Helen Mirren stars in The Station, and friend of The Ritz - Colin Farrell - is A Single Man.

The Lovely Bones directed by Peter Jackson, stars the beautiful Rachel Weisz. Young girl Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is brutally attacked and murdered, then watches from heaven as her parents drift apart. Her father becomes obsessed with revenge and her sister grows into the woman she can never be.

A Tim Burton film is always an event, whether you like his style or not. Personally, I’m not a fan, but his take on Alice in Wonderland should be interesting – and what a cast: Michael Sheen, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry and Johnny Depp. Beat that!!

In recent times The Walt Disney Studio and its association with Pixar have produced many wonderful state-of-the-art digital animations, but Disney has returned to its roots for The Princess and the Frog, a traditional fairytale for all the family, centred on the adventures of a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in the New Orleans French Quarter during the Jazz Age. I’ve seen clips from this and it really does look lovely, plus there is a great soundtrack. Kids and grown-ups will love this one.

In the next issue of All Things Local, I’ll look at the mega films later in the year, and also give you news of the 2010 Ritzy Awards. There is a similar event in America. I think it’s called The Oscars, or something like that.

Finally, my apologies for no quiz question in the last issue. My fault. Sorry! See you soon.