Blow Out18

Directed by Brian De Palma | USA | 1981 | 1h 48m | Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Curt May

A sound technician accidentally records evidence of a political assassination while working on a low-budget horror film. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he becomes entangled in a deadly conspiracy. With its stylistic flourishes and a gritty portrayal of early-1980s Philadelphia, De Palma’s Hitchcockian take on Antonioni’s Blow Up is both a paranoid thriller reflective of its political era and a devilish meditation on the art of filmmaking.

Classic Season: Surveillance

Reviews

‘A horror movie, a paranoid political drama and a serial killer flick all at once.’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

‘A movie which continues [De Palma] practice of making cross-references to other movies, other directors, and actual historical events, and which nevertheless is his best and most original work.’
★★★★
Roger Ebert

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Blow Out between July 6, 2024 and July 8, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Saturday 30th May)
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17:30

Earwig 15
+ Director Q&A
1h 55m
Director's Cuts: Lucile Hadžihalilović
In a claustrophobic post-war apartment, a man cares for a girl whose fragile condition is managed through ritual and control. An austere blend of European art cinema and psychological horror. Screening followed by an in-person director Q&A with Lucile Hadzihalilovic.

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20:30

Hokum 15
1h 47m
When novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is unsettled by rumours of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Damian McCarthy’s atmospheric psychological horror blends folklore, grief and eerie supernatural mystery.

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Tomorrow (Sunday 31st May)
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12:30

The Lego Movie U
Kino Kids Cinema Club
1h 40m
Kino Kids Cinema Club
Ordinary LEGO figure Emmet is mistaken for a prophesied hero. Reluctantly joining quirky allies, he embarks on a mission to stop an evil tyrant, discovering courage, creativity, and humour along the way in this colourful, action-packed animated adventure.

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15:00

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders 15
+ Introduction
1h 17m + 18m short film | Czech w/ English subtitles
Director's Cuts: Lucile Hadžihalilović
In a surreal coming-of-age journey, a girl navigates a dreamlike world of vampires, shifting identities, and religious imagery. A key Czech New Wave classic, it is celebrated for its baroque visual style and influential fusion of horror, folklore, and psychoanalysis.

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17:15

Romería 15
1h 52m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
Aspiring filmmaker Marina travels to Galicia to uncover her family’s past, following her late mother’s diary. As buried truths emerge, she confronts grief, identity and belonging in Carla Simón’s (Summer 1993, Alcarràs) warm, autobiographical drama about memory and emotional inheritance.

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20:00

Hokum 15
1h 47m
When novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is unsettled by rumours of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Damian McCarthy’s atmospheric psychological horror blends folklore, grief and eerie supernatural mystery.

Book here


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Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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