Empire of Light

The likes of Dreamland, Sands Café and Margate Old Town all feature in the Olivia Colman-starring movie.

Mendes uses the very same shelter as the setting for Stephen to sit and reflect on his relationship with Hilary. JMW Turner said its skies were among the most impressive in Europe and painted some of his most famous works there. [Dreamland](https://www.dreamland.co.uk/). It ranked number one in our list for its array of record shops, food stores and community-funded queer venues, but no doubt has quite a different vibe in this 1980s-set film. Those familiar with the iconic venue will also recognise the retro roller disco that Hilary and Stephen visit as Dreamland’s Roller Room. Perhaps most excitingly, it has another major star in [Margate](https://www.timeout.com/margate), whose panoramic waterfront and sea views take centre stage in many scenes.

Olivia Colman valiantly tries to rescue a movie that could have been so much more yet fails on almost every level.

Empire of Light is neither a convincing age-gap love story, nor does it authentically evoke the 1980s. Empire of Light is the first film to be fully scripted by Mendes, who calls it a “love letter to cinema”. Hilary’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of a young black usher named Stephen, played by Michael Ward.

Loveable, cuddly Tom Hanks plays against type — to begin with at least — as an old grump in urgent need of redemption and life lessons in this comedy drama. The ...

Ellis (Colin Firth — it’s obviously a big week for cinema’s nice guys playing nasty). With a new Puss in Boots film heading our way next month, Vue are gearing up by bringing his old mucker Shrek back to the big screen, with all four of the films showing over the next few weeks — you can catch his first outing on Sat 7th and Sun 8th (tickets standard price). The film shows at Clements Hall, South Bank on Fri 6th at 8pm (doors 7:30pm) — tickets are £4 (cash only), and SBCC advise that it’s best to book in advance by e-mailing There’s a very different cinematic epic on offer at Vue in the form of The Godfather, showing on Sat 7th, Tues 10th and Thurs 12th. It’s showing on Sun 8th and Tues 10th as part of their Throwback season, with a complimentary drink and hot dog or pizza included in the ticket price (though sadly no box of chocolates). “When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

The Oscar-winning cinematographer discusses 'Empire of Light' and his photography book, 'Byways.'

A powerful performance from Olivia Colman and the gorgeous cinematography of Roger Deakins (Fargo, 1917) are the reasons to catch this Sam Mendes movie on ...

This is clearly one of those ‘love letters to the cinema’ movies but the melodramatic plot is a bit more EastEnders than Cinema Paradiso. But it’s achingly beautiful to look at. Empire of Light review: Achingly beautiful to look at but script lacks lofty pretensions

Empire of Light is Mendes' most personal film to date. He and its stars, including Colman, Micheal Ward and Toby Jones, talk medication, escapism and ...

“I’m 50 now, and I’ve lived my whole life in the body of a Black woman. “It’s not a particularly interesting emotion to try and generate in an audience.” “Home for me was a dark auditorium with actors and crew.” “And he was like that as a boy.” The other day, his 18-year-old son, Joe (with Kate Winslet) “launched into a speech about why I needed to be vegan and why if everyone didn’t start thinking about this, the planet was going to end, and what was the point of his having children, etc. Today’s upsets “feel similar, but on a bigger scale”. “You place any kid in any movie and I, as a parent, immediately go: ‘Oh no! “Kicking down the neat and regular!” In a sense I was parenting my own mother.” “Even as a child,” says Mendes, “I could see that my mother, when she was medicated or controlled, was being manipulated, mostly by men. “Yeah,” says Ward. “She’s breaking free of the shackles!” says Colman, all empathy and delight.

Olivia Colman is excellent as Hilary the duty manager, a character inspired by Mendes' own mother and her mental health problems, a part he wrote with the Oscar ...

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