Welcome to our pick of the genre films, festivals, events and signings happening this month in the capital. Enjoy!
And, if you see anything we’ve missed, or should know about for next month, send us an e-mail to: tom@sci-fi-london.com
1st June, Monday
Signing – Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica)
TV’s Apollo meets fans and signs copies of ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Final Season’ on DVD, plus the ‘Complete Series’ DVD box set.
HMV, 150 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1DJ, from 6pm. FREE.
Screening – A Matter of Life and Death.
Powell and Pressburger’s magical British masterpiece.
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, 6:30pm, £8 / £7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members.
2nd June, Tuesday
Talk/Signing – Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill
Currently sold out discussion on ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century:1910’
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, 6:45pm, £10 / £9 Concessions / £8 ICA Members
3rd June, Wednesday
Cinema Release – Terminator: Salvation.
It’s the franchise that just won’t die… – Starring Christian Bale (ah!), and directed by McG (oh!).
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
Screening – Audition (Electric Sheep Film Club).
Takashi Miike’s squirmfest, plus informal discussion with Electric Sheep writers in the bar after.
Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, WC2, 8pm, £5/£3.50 Prince Charles members
4th June, Thursday
Screening – The Dodge Brothers Go West – White Oak
Not strictly sci-fi this, but fans of Mark Kermode and skiffle should enjoy the musical accompaniment to silent western: ‘White Oak’ (Part of the 12th British Silent Film Festival)
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, 9pm, Standard £7.50 online (£9.50 full price)/Barbican Members £6.50 online (£7.50 full price) / Concessions £7.50
Signing – Mark Charan Newton – Nights of Villjamur
Signing his debut work, for those who didn’t catch him at this year’s festival!
Forbidden Planet London Megastore, 179 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, 6pm – 7pm, Books priced at £14.99
5th June, Friday
Signing – Joe Abercrombie – Best Served Cold
Mercenary tales from another of our festival attendees!
Forbidden Planet London Megastore, 179 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, 6pm – 7pm, Books priced at £11.99
6th June, Saturday
Cinema Release – Summer Scars
Dark Brit thriller out on limited release.
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, £8 / £7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members / £5 for everyone all day Monday
Signing – Guillermo del Toro – The Strain
Yes, THAT Guillermo del Toro! Signing copies of his co-authored vampire thriller.
Forbidden Planet London Megastore, 179 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, 1:30pm – 2:30pm, Books priced at £10.99
10th June, Wednesday
Screening – Bats (Bad Film Club)
A bad film about bats. Does what it says on the tin really! (with live comedy commentary!)
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, 8:45pm, Standard £7.50 online (£9.50 full price)/Barbican Members £6.50 online (£7.50 full price) / Concessions £7.50
Signing/Sketching – Jim Mahfood (Food One) and Scott C
‘Carl, The Cat That Makes Peanut Butter Sandwiches’, and ‘Double Fine Action Comics Volume 1’, on release.
Forbidden Planet London Megastore, 179 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, 7pm, Books priced at £4.99 & £14.99
11th June, Thursday
Screening – Future Shorts Festival Tour: Please Say Something
Festival tour for fans of the short film format.
Everyman Cinema, 5 Holly Bush Vale, Hampstead NW3 6TX, 6:30pm, £12 upwards.
Signing – Tara McPherson – Lost Constellations
Artist, signing copies of her latest, following the success of ‘Lonely Heart’.
Forbidden Planet London Megastore, 179 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, 6pm – 7pm, Books priced at £16.99
12th June, Friday
Cinema Release – Doghouse
Yet more brit comedy horror… But, on the plus side, this does star friends of the festival: Noel Clarke and Emily Booth!
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
Cinema Release – New Town Killers
Not all fun and games in this Edinburgh-set chase movie from festival friend Richard Jobson.
Out on limited release. Check local cinemas for details.
Cinema Release – The Last House On The Left
Wes Craven gets the re-make treatment. Original ideas are finite. Please help conserve them by recycling!
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
Cinema Release – Red Cliff
John Woo goes back to China and back in time, for Third century slow-motion explody action (I would expect!).
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
TV Preview – Torchwood: Children of Earth – Day 1
Currently fully booked, but you never know. Preview of the first episode of a brand-new five-part story, followed by a Q&A with guests from the cast and creative team.
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT, 6:15pm, Members: £7.60, (Concessions: £5.25), Non-Members: £8.60, (Non-Member concessions: £6.25), Under 16s: £5.25).
13th June, Saturday
Screening – The Secret of Moonacre (Kids Screening)
Family Film Club for kids and accompanied adults only!
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, 10:30am – Movie Trolley / 11am – Film, FFC Members: £3.50 in advance / £4.00 on the door, Non Members: £5.50
18th June, Thursday
Screening – Blood: The Last Vampire (Anime) + Film TBC (SCI-FI-LONDON)
Following delays to release dates, this is now the Anime only, plus another film to be confirmed. Keep an eye on the website for updates.
Apollo Piccadilly Circus, 19 Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LY, 8:15pm, £13 (concs £8:50).
Screening – Future Shorts Festival Tour: Please Say Something
Another stop on this short film Festival tour.
Picturehouse Cinema, 180 Greenwich High Road, Greenwich SE10 8NN, 7pm, £9 (concs £7.50).
19th June, Friday
Cinema Releases – The Disappeared
London-set chiller, out on limited release.
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, £8 / £7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members
Cinema Release – Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen
Which will be the stupider film based on a toy line, this, or ‘G.I. Joe’? Discuss…
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
20th June, Saturday
Screening – Labyrinth (Kids Screening)
Somewhat copying our style here (minus the free tickets and DVDs, obviously!).
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, 10:30am – Movie Trolley / 11am – Film, FFC Members: £3.50 in advance / £4.00 on the door, Non Members: £5.50.
Talk/Signing – Emile Bravo and Emmanuel Guibert
Members of ‘la nouvelle bande dessinee’ French comics movement, in discussion.
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, 6:30pm, £8 / £7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members and conference delegates.
23rd June, Tuesday
Screening – The Damned
Curious 1962 nuclear-angst thriller, staring Oliver Reed, with limited showings at the BFI.
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT, 6:10pm, Tuesday – All shows £5.
24th June, Wednesday
Event – Science Museum Lates
All the fun of a museum, combined with the excitement of darkness! (for adults only, yep, even Launchpad!).
The Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD, 6:45pm – 10pm, FREE.
Friday 26th June
Cinema Release – Year One
Sick of Judd Apatow produced comedies staring Jack Black and Michael Cera?… No? Here’s one set in the past!
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
Cinema Release – Blood: The Last Vampire
Currently down as the release date for this live action version of the Anime movie, but who knows for sure?
Out on general release. Check local cinemas for details.
Screening – An American Werewolf In London (Midnight Movie)
How comedy horror is done. From the master (and friend of the festival!), Mr John Landis.
Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5DY, 11:30pm(?), £12.
27th June, Saturday
Screening – The Thief Of Bagdad
Magical 1940s classic. Yep, I want a clockwork flying horse!
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, 11:30am, £5 / Free to ICA Members, Westminster ResCard holders, and members of the Hungarian Cultural Centre.
Event – Ask A Cassini Scientist
Visions of Saturn Planetarium Show
Scientists from NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn, available for questions, plus a Planetarium Show on the planet itself. (Part of the Saturn Days – family weekend).
Royal Observatory, Blackheath Avenue, Greenwich, SE10 8XJ, Planetarium Shows at 1pm and 3pm, £6/£4, Ask A Scientist at: 1:30pm and 3:30pm, FREE.
28th June, Sunday
Event – Ask A Cassini Scientist
Visions of Saturn Planetarium Show
As on Saturday, Scientists from the Cassini mission available for questions, plus a Planetarium Show on the mission target: Saturn.
Royal Observatory, Blackheath Avenue, Greenwich, SE10 8XJ, Planetarium Shows at 1pm and 3pm, £6/£4, Ask A Scientist at: 1:30pm and 3:30pm, FREE.
30 June, Tuesday
Screening – Tetsujin 28 (Episodes 1-3)
Part of Japanimantion at the Barbican. Big stompy robots we salute you!
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, 8:30pm, Standard – £7.50 online (£9.50 full price) / Barbican Members – £6.50 online (£7.50 full price) / Concessions £7.50