WELL Ilkley, only a month to go before Leonardo DiCaprio has to bust out that well-practised commiseration smile while another actor takes the stage to receive the award that’s rightfully his. (You know it’s true!) Yes, the 88th annual Academy Awards are just around the corner, but there’s still time to catch up on all the latest nominees, with a little help from your friends at the Ilkley Cinema.

Kicking off our February program is The Danish Girl, starring the English boy, Eddie Redmayne. From ALS suffering cosmologist to gender reassignment pioneer, Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe and gives another Oscar-worthy performance that almost (but not quite) makes up for his appearance in the god-awful Jupiter Ascending, and shows once more that, while young, he is an actor of immense talent and range. However, while Redmayne may be the one grabbing the headlines, it’s Alicia Vikander that steals the show as Redmayne’s on-screen spouse, Gerda Wegener.

Room, another awards favourite, also arrives at the Ilkley Cinema this week. After five-year-old Jack and his mother, Ma, escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery – the outside world. Brie Larson stars in the role which, quite deservedly, netted her the Golden Globe for best actress at this year’s awards Jacob Tremblay is a revelation as Jack and shows us that the age old creed of Hollywood directors: “never work with children or animals”, is not always true.

The Danish Girl and Room are showing from 29 January ‘til 4 February.

Finally, Olivier Award winner and Poirot star David Suchet stars as the formidable Lady Bracknell in the much loved Oscar Wilde masterpiece – The Importance of Being Earnest. Captured live for cinemas from London, this superb satire on Victorian manners is often heralded as one of the funniest plays in the English language, and David Suchet excels in his role.

The Importance of Being Earnest will show at 2.15pm on February 2 and 3.

by Jack Hanson