FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

In McCabe & Mrs Miller, Robert Altman employs the Western trope of a stranger drifting into town to disrupt the locals. Your choices, then, for what we’ll be screening on Tuesday 4 March are out of three films which are linked by the theme, I’m New Here… Up for the vote are…

Naked (Mike Leigh, UK, 1993)

"Leigh's picaresque tale is his by far his most cinematic. The cast is outstanding - Thewlis, in particular, whose virtuoso performance gives the film its cruel energy, wit and power." - Time Out

When Johnny (David Thewlis) flees Manchester in order to escape a beating and turns up unexpectedly at the London home of his ex (Lesley Sharp) she is initially pleased to see him. But their reunion is short-lived and the troubled Johnny sets off on a long dark night of the soul, leaving an indelible impression on everyone he encounters (including Katrin Cartlidge, Gina McKee, Ewan Bremner and Claire Skinner). Mike Leigh arguably produces his most interesting work when operating outside his comfort zone (see also Vera Drake and Topsy Turvy) and Naked is his darkly comic masterpiece - while in the character of Johnny, David Thewlis has created an anti-hero as unsettling and unforgettably off-kilter as any of your Travis Bickles, Randle McMurphys or Alex the Droogs.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (Jack Clayton, USA, 1983)

"A lively, entertaining tale combining boyishness and grown-up horror in equal measure." - New York Times

When Mr. Dark's Pandemonium Carnival rolls into a sleepy Midwestern town, two boys, Will and Jim are initially beside themselves with excitement. But after an encounter with the sinister Mr Dark (Jonathan Pryce) they come to learn that the carnival has diabolical intentions…. Adapted from Ray Bradbury’s classic novel of the same name, and with a supporting cast that includes that includes Jason Robards, Pam Grier and Dianne Ladd, Something Wicked This Way Comes, is a chilling blend of thwarted dreams and childhood innocence - and perhaps the finest example the of so-called “Dark Disneys” produced by Uncle Walt in early 80s.

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, UK, 2014)

"Watching this film feels like a genesis moment - of sci-fi fable, of filmmaking, of performance - with all the ambiguity and excitement that implies." Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

When a beautiful stranger (Scarlett Johansson) arrives in Glasgow and promptly starts combing the streets in search of men, her lonely young pick-ups initially can’t believe their luck. But Johansson is an alien predator in human form, whose interactions with human existence in all its complexity begins to change her/it... Based on Michel Faber's 2000 novel of the same name, Under the Skin is another utterly unique masterpiece from the brilliant Jonathan ‘Zone of Interest’ Glazer.