The Eras Tour - Nineties and Noughties

The turn of the 21st century may have been groaning with blockbusters and newly-developed CGI. But it was also the era of new, exciting voices. For every Titanic or Independence Day there was a Pulp Fiction or Shallow Grave. While Hollywood put its money behind massive spectacle, there was a revolution in smaller-scale productions. Independent cinema gained mainstream prominence. And this season is all about that thrilling revolution.

The films we're showing this term range from mega-hits to virtually unknown little gems, and from South Africa to Ireland, Great Britain, Argentina, Italy and the USA. As ever, they are united by one feature: we love them - and we think you will too.

Entry is COMPLETELY FREE, and each screening will include one of our by-now-legendary introductory talks.

And if you would like to be pre-warned of potentially distressing material, we recommend the IMDb 'Parents Guide' section for each film, or DoestheDogDie.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

This term we also have an assortment of very special events, including new talks from the OXFORD FILM STUDIES NETWORK. So join us for....

• A full-day LORD OF THE RINGS marathon (including seven hobbit meals, naturally).
• Desert Island Movies with River Song herself: leading figure of stage and screen (and star of Strictly Come Dancing), Alex Kingston.
• A 100th anniversary screening of Hitchcock's breakthrough film The Lodger, with a talk from Hitchcock expert Henry Miller, and live musical accompaniment from Magdalen alumnus and professional film musician Hugo Max.
• A panel discussion on Ukrainian cinema since the Russian invasion, plus screening of 2025's Animals in War.
• A talk (with screening) on Korean high-school horror Memento Mori (1999) from Prof Jinhee Choi of King's College London.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is our full programme for the term – with handy IMDB links if you want to dig a little deeper.

Monday 19 Jan, 7pm

• (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996)

The spin-off TV series was great, but nothing matches the dark comedy and brilliant characterisation of the original. This twisted tale of a Minnesota car salesman whose inept crime caper falls apart is a contender for the Coens' greatest achievement. I'm cooperating here!

Monday 26 Jan, 7pm

• (Roberto Benigni, 1997)

Is it acceptable to laugh about the Holocaust? Benigni's unique film polarized opinions when it came out. Gentle fantasy or brutal reality? Comedy or tragedy? Maybe all. For my money, it's one of the greatest films about fatherhood ever made. Buongiorno Principessa!

Sunday 1 Feb, 7pm - FILM STUDIES SPECIAL

• (Kyu-dong Min, Kim Tae-yong, 1999)

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Jinhee Choi, Head of the Film Studies Department at King's College London. Professor Choi is an acknowledged expert in East Asian Cinema, and her latest book Forever Girls: Necro-cinematics and South Korean Girlhood explores girlhood and images of death in South Korean Cinema. She will be discussing this and showing the Korean High-School Horror, Memento Mori.

Monday 2 Feb, 7pm

• (Neill Blomkamp, 2009)

A spaceship full of aliens has arrived on Earth, and instead of welcoming them, the South African government corrals them in shanty towns and removes their rights. District 9 is a sci-fi action/comedy/drama about apartheid, filmed as documentary. It's The Office meets The Terminator. Unmissable. When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet.

Saturday 7 Feb, 8.30am!!!

• Lord Of The Rings All-day Marathon

With seven Hobbit meals, just under twelve hours of pure Middle-Earth magic, and a surprise visitor, this is one of the highlights not just of the term but the year. Tickets sold out in record time, but we will be releasing more closer to the date.

Please note: this event is bookable through Magdalen's website: CLICK HERE.

Monday 9 Feb, 7pm

• (Tomm Moore, 2014)

A spellbindingly beautiful animation from Tomm Moore's pioneering company Cartoon Saloon based in Kilkenny, Ireland. Song of the Sea reaches deep into Irish folklore with its mythical, bewitching tale of selkies and Celtic gods, but it's also a heartfelt tale of how loss affects children. You may not have heard of it. You won't forget it. Come away, oh human child, to the waters and the wild.

Monday 16 Feb, 7pm

• (Jonathan Glazer, 2000)

Glazer (who has gone on to direct Under the Skin and The Zone of Interest) burst onto the scene with this classic British crime movie about a washed-up London burglar who gets dragged back to the underworld for one last job. Ray Winstone is simply perfect in the lead role, but it's Ben Kingsley as the psychotic Don Logan who steals the film. Sheer enjoyment. Roasting. Boiling. Baking. Sweltering. It's like a sauna. Furnace. You can fry an egg on my stomach.

Sunday 22 Feb, 7pm - FILM STUDIES SPECIAL

• WAR IN REAL TIME: HOW DO YOU FILM A WAR THAT HASN'T ENDED?

In partnership with the Oxford University Ukrainian Society.

This event will include a screening of 2025's , which tells seven stories of the Russia-Ukraine conflict seen through the eyes of animals. This will be followed by a conversation with the film's director Andrii Lidahovskyi, and historian of Eastern European cinema Kate Lebow.

Monday 23 Feb, 7pm

• (Todd Solondz, 1995)

Dawn Wiener is an awkward teenager coping with bullying at school, loveless parents and a hopeless crush on a brainless jock. Rarely has existential pain been depicted with such excruciating delight. Todd Solondz is the high priest of American isolation, and his first feature film is a masterpiece of tragicomedy. Dawn, you do not leave this table until you tell your sister that you love her!

Saturday 28 Feb, 7pm

DESERT ISLAND MOVIES with ALEX KINGSTON

She's one of our greatest actors, combining lead roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company with ER and Doctor Who. And she's one of the stars of the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing. But which five films would Alex Kingston take to a Desert Island, and why?

Join us for a Saturday night of personal and cinematic revelations.

Sunday 8 March, 7pm - FILM STUDIES SPECIAL

: 100th anniversary

2026 is the centenary of Alfred Hitchcock's breakthrough film. The Lodger may not have been his earliest work, but it was the first to feature the themes that would define his career: suspense, M**der and accusations of the innocent. To mark the anniversary, we are delighted to host a lecture from Dr Henry K. Miller of Cambridge University. Dr Miller is the author of The First True Hitchcock: The Making of a Filmmaker, and is the UK's leading Hitchcock specialist.

This will be followed by a screening of the film, with live musical accompaniment by Magdalen graduate and silent film musician Hugo Max. A very special evening.

Monday 9 March, 7pm

• (Teresa De Pelegrí and Dominic Harari, 2004)

If you're a Magdalen Monday Movies regular, then you'll know that we always like to include one film that is a complete surprise package. This term, that film is Only Human. Made on a minuscule budget, this Argentinian comedy is about a family get-together and a man who gets hit on the head by a tubful of frozen chicken soup. From such inauspicious beginnings, directors Harari and De Pelegrí weave a tale that ultimately gives the title universal meaning. I've never seen such huge aureoles. - Thanks.

Monday 16 March, 7pm

• (Spike Jonze, 1999)

A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of (the actual) movie star John Malkovich for 15 minutes. Writer Charlie Kaufman's adult Alice in Wonderland fantasy is one of the most fascinatingly strange and unpredictable films of the 90s. But the way its characters learn to transcend bodies and genders in search of fulfilment seems to make more and more sense as the years go by. Meet you in Malkovich in one hour.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Peter Kessler