December cinema in Kilcullen

Christmas cinema starts in Kilcullen on Sunday, December 7th, with the hugely popular Elf, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. First released in 2003, Elf is a firm family favourite at Christmas. 

It was produced by Todd Komarnicki, who has local connections. He is married to Athy girl Jane Bradbury and is a regular visitor to Kilcullen. 

The film stars William Ferrell as Buddy, a human baby raised as an elf in a city where no one remembers the true meaning of Christmas. After wreaking havoc in the elf community due to his size, Buddy heads to New York City to find his place in the world and track down his father. But life in the big city is challenging, and it is up to Buddy and his simple elf ways to win over his family, realise his destiny, and ultimately save Christmas. A great movie guarantees a fun time at the cinema.

The much-loved Casablanca will be the feature film for our Christmas evening on Tuesday, December 16th. Doors open at 7.30pm with festive mulled wine served. Casablanca, released in 1942, has come to epitomise the classic Hollywood studio picture. Ironically, it had a turbulent production history, marked by constant rewrites and radical changes in casting, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman replacing Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan. Fortunately, director Michael Curtiz was on hand to give fate a helping hand in making the film one of Hollywood's most memorable romantic melodramas.

The film's familiar narrative focuses on themes of lost love, honour, and self-sacrifice in an exotic wartime setting. Bogart is the cynical nightclub owner in Casablanca who has a fateful meeting with the lover he left behind in Paris. She is now married to a French Resistance fighter hunted by the Nazis, and Bogart has to decide whether or not to help the couple escape to freedom. Casablanca must have appeared romantic and nostalgic even in 1942, and today it is celebrated as a timeless classic about the triumph of civilised values in a cruel world.

Tickets for both films are selling fast. They are available in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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