The Host15

Directed by Bong Joon-ho | South Korea | 2006 | 1h 59m | Korean w/ English subtitles | Starring Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona, Ko Ah-sung, Park Hae-il, Byun Hee-Bong

When a terrifying monster rises from the River Han and snatches a young girl from her father, her family embarks on a desperate mission to track the creature and bring her home. Following his acclaimed Memories of Murder, Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) delivers a gripping creature feature with a sharp political undercurrent, inspired by a real 2000 incident in which the U.S. military ordered a Korean mortician to illegally dump formaldehyde into the river.

Reviews

‘Bong still offers a powerful rejoinder to his Hollywood counterparts: Anything you can do, I can do better.’
★★★★
Scott Tobias, The AV Club

‘You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, you’ll jump, you’ll ask Hollywood for your money back. Seek it out.’
★★★★
Simon Crook, Empire Magazine

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Host between April 5, 2025 and April 8, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 13th April)

18:00

Ashes and Diamonds 12A
1h 50m | Polish w/ English subtitles
A Polish resistance fighter questions his deadly mission in post-war Poland. Andrzej Wajda’s classic drama features Zbigniew Cybulski’s iconic performance, exploring love, duty, and a nation’s uncertain future. Part of Kinoteka On Tour – Polish Film Festival.

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20:30

The Love That Remains 15
1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 14th April)

17:30

La Grazia 12A
£6 for Members
2h 13m | Italian w/ English subtitles
As the end of his presidency approaches, Italian leader Mariano De Santis faces difficult political and personal choices. Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) directs a sweeping drama about power and freedom, featuring Toni Servillo in an award-winning performance.

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20:30

The Good Boy 15
£6 for Members / HOH subtitles
1h 50m
Tommy, a reckless nineteen-year-old, is abducted after a night of drugs and partying and wakes imprisoned in a remote Yorkshire basement. Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough star in this fresh, unsettlingly twisted thriller.

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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!