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.”

Book tickets for Boom!

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.

Book tickets for Polyester

Sorry - you missed it!

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

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What else is on?

Tomorrow (Thursday 9th July)

12:00

Disclosure Day 12A
Parent + Baby Screening
2h 25m
When a Kansas City meteorologist intercepts an inexplicable alien signal during a live broadcast, she begins to unravel a decades-long government cover-up. Steven Spielberg returns to sci-fi with a summer blockbuster of genuine scale and philosophical weight, led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor.

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15:15

Familiar Touch 12A
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 32m
Believing she is heading out for a date, retired cook Ruth instead finds herself in an assisted living facility for people living with dementia. Sarah Friedland's Venice-awarded debut follows the rhythms of Ruth's shifting memory with quiet precision and profound tenderness.

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17:30

Disclosure Day 12A
2h 25m
When a Kansas City meteorologist intercepts an inexplicable alien signal during a live broadcast, she begins to unravel a decades-long government cover-up. Steven Spielberg returns to sci-fi with a summer blockbuster of genuine scale and philosophical weight, led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor.

Book here

20:45

Familiar Touch 12A
1h 32m
Believing she is heading out for a date, retired cook Ruth instead finds herself in an assisted living facility for people living with dementia. Sarah Friedland's Venice-awarded debut follows the rhythms of Ruth's shifting memory with quiet precision and profound tenderness.

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Friday 10th July

15:45

Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford 15
1h 35m
Amateur historian Kenneth (Peter Mullan) makes his living impersonating the town's most celebrated historical figure, a man he claims as his own ancestor. But when a fantasy TV production arrives, obsession takes hold and the results are darkly comic and quietly devastating.

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18:00

Blue Heron 15
1h 31m
Eight-year-old Sasha's family move to Vancouver Island seeking a fresh start, but her eldest brother increasingly dangerous behaviour casts a long shadow. Sophy Romvari's lyrical feature debut is a deeply felt study of family bonds and the elusive nature of memory.

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20:15

Effi o Blaenau 15
1h 31m | Welsh w/ English subtitles
In a Welsh town stripped of its pubs and jobs, hard-partying Effi keeps her head just above water. But a chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub offers a glimpse of another life. Leisa Gwenllian is searing in this spikily funny adaptation of Gary Owen's celebrated one-woman play.

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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!