Arts
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v Cinema
v Concerts v FIND a date and head down to Yateley for a festive Midwinter Prom. Park Opera is presenting a festive treat at St Swithun’s Church on Firgrove Road. The event on Sunday, December 8 will be packed full of Christmas favourites and popular highlights from opera and musical theatre. Tickets for the prom, starting at 7.30pm, cost £10 or £5 under 16s. For details, call the Parish Office on 01252 872732.
v Gambit (12a)
Moviewatch
Stars: Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Cameron Diaz
H
Cinema with Martin Ceaser
arry Dean (Colin Firth) is a downtrodden curator of an art collection belonging to the extremely wealthy and unpleasant Lord Lionel Shahbandar (Alan Rickman). Fed up with constant bad treatment, Dean hatches a plot to con his boss into buying a faked copy of a Monet painting that was lost during the Second World War, with the help of PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz) and a forger, rather strangely known as The Major (Tom Courtenay). The plan is described as very simple, but of course it doesn’t turn out like that at all. In fact, nothing goes as Harry imagines it and he ends up in all sorts of bother along the way, including the loss of his trousers, an encounter with a lion, and three punches on the nose. The opening animated sequence evokes memories of the Pink Panther movies, and you expect to see Gambit unfold as an Ealing-style farce, but it never quite makes it. However, Firth, Rickman and Diaz all put in great performances and, although there are some moments that make you chuckle, there are no “laugh out loud” funnies. This is a remake of the 1966 Michael Caine film, and features a new screenplay by the Coen brothers.
Gambit makes no moral or ethical statements (Coen brothers films are often amoral) but if you want something that you don’t have to think too hard about in the run up to Christmas, and only lasts 90 minutes, this fits the bill nicely. Oh, watch out for the very clever twist at the end...
v Christmas movies
And talking of Christmas, here’s my top five festive films: top of the list comes The Muppet Christmas Carol – we watch it every Christmas Eve and it never fails to delight. Second comes Elf, which is delightfully silly, with Will Ferrell at his comic best, and third comes Santa Claus the Movie, a nice, fluffy tale of Santa versus the nasty BZ toys, with great turns from Dudley Moore and John Lithgow. Fourth is Santa Who?, with Leslie Nielsen losing his memory after falling out of the sleigh and needing a child’s help to rediscover his true identity. Fifth is Jack Frost with Michael Keaton – it’s not particularly Christmassy, but a very funny story. v Do you agree with Martin? Or are you annoyed that he’s left out The Nativity Story, How The Grinch Stole Christmas or It’s A Wonderful Life? Log on to xnmedia.co.uk and have your say!
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v THERE will be professional musicians on the doorsteps of Caversham this festive season. St Andrew’s Church, Caversham will be hosting a Christmas Concerto by Candlelight event on Saturday, December 8. The concert, which begins at 7.30pm, will feature Naomi Watts on cello and Xuan Du on violin. Seasonal refreshments will be available during the interval. Advance tickets for the event cost £15 or £13 for concessions. Tickets on the door will cost £17 or £15, with under 16s going free. To book tickets, call (0118) 948 4112 or (0118) 946 3202. v THE Forest Singers are warming up for their festive concert. WIth help from musical director Eileen Goode, the singers will present Carols for Christmas at Wokingham Methodist Church on Saturday, December 15 at 7.30pm. Tickets for the light-hearted musical evening cost £7 and include refreshments. For details, call the church office on (0118) 977 6898. Sudoku Solution
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v A NAUTICALLY-themed festive concert is coming to Earley. Brookside Christian Centre will host Reading Operatic Society on Saturday, December 8. The Christmas concert will raise funds for the Jubilee Sailing Trust. The concert will have a short presentation about the Trust, items for sale and refreshments. The choir will be accompanied by Judith Creighton. All are welcome and the fun starts at 7.30pm, with tickets at £10. For more details, call Joyce on (0118) 935 1951.
ANSWERS
Firth’s theft is a Gambit
Jesus Culture
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