Boom! + Polyester15

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton spar in Joseph Losey’s flamboyant Tennessee Williams adaptation, while John Waters plunges suburbia into surreal meltdown. Glamour, camp, and chaos collide in this hysterical double bill, hosted by comedian and cabaret performer Jamie Mykaela.

6.30pm – Boom! (12A)
Directed by Joseph Losey. USA, 1968. 1h 53m.
In a lavish Mediterranean villa, the ailing heiress Flora “Sissy” Goforth (Elizabeth Taylor) withdraws from the world, tended to by her servants and nurses as she awaits death. But she isn’t the only one watching the clock. Chris Flanders (Richard Burton), a poet notorious for courting wealthy women on their deathbeds, arrives to insinuate himself into her crumbling world. Adapted from Tennessee Williams’ play, Joseph Losey’s sun-soaked melodrama was a notorious flop on release. Today, however, it endures as a flamboyant and fascinating camp “disaster-piece.”

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8.30pm – Intermission

9pm – Polyester (15)
Directed by John Waters. USA, 1981. 1h 26m.
Francine Fishpaw is a suburban housewife at the end of her rope. Her husband is having an affair with his secretary, her teenage daughter is pregnant, and her son may be the delinquent terrorising local women. Just when it all seems too much, Francine meets Todd Tomorrow, a swooning matinee idol and art-house cinema owner, who brings a glimmer of hope to her chaotic life. Overflowing with fetid smells (with ‘Odorama’ scratch ‘n’ sniff cards available at this screening!), menacing nuns, rowdy AA meetings, and plenty of foot-stomping, John Waters’ first studio-backed film delivers a delirious suburban melodrama.

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Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Boom! + Polyester between November 19, 2025 and November 19, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 9th June)

18:00

Ackroyd & Harvey Art of Activism 12A
£6 for Members + Intro
1h 17m
Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey’s internationally acclaimed collaborative art responds to the climate crisis through striking ecological works. Fiona Cunningham-Reid’s documentary explores their practice at the intersection of art, activism and biology. Screening plus introduction.

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20:15

The Christophers 15
£6 for Members
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 10th June)

14:45

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

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17:30

Orphan 15
2h 13m | Hungarian w/ English subtitles
In Budapest, 1957, a Jewish boy awaiting his father’s return from the camps is confronted by a mysterious man claiming to be his real parent. Oscar-winner László Nemes (Son of Saul) directs this powerful drama about identity, trauma and postwar Hungary.

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20:30

Reflection in a Dead Diamond 15
1h 27m | French & Italian w/ English subtitles
When a mysterious woman vanishes from the room next door, an ageing former spy living on the Côte d’Azur is drawn back into a world of fractured memories and buried secrets. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s stylised thriller blends espionage, psychological intrigue and grindhouse homage.

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Plan your visit

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!