Posted: September 14th, 2011 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
OK here’s the long and short list, long as it’s quite a lot of films, short in that I expect it will get added to as this years festival approaches.
I have only listed the films I am seeing at LFF 2011 and have excluded any films that I have already seen at at other festivals this year, which include the Very Good: Steve McQueen’s Shame, Lynn Ramsey’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, Black, White and Silent crowd pleaser The Artist and The Dardenne Brother’s The Kid with a Bike. The Bad: Takishi Miike’s Hara-Kiri Death of a Samurai and Gus Van Sants’s Restless and the OK: Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be the Place, Markus Schleinzer’s Cannes competition entry Michael, Miranda July’s The Future. On the whole I’m also skipping on any films that are on general release in October.
Surprise film
The Iron Lady (UK release, 6th Jan 2012) would seem to be an obvious choice for the Surprise film but may not be ready in time. So the safe, even money favourite this year is probably
Moneyball (25th Nov) staring Brad Pitt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, although it’s baseball theme might not be the obvious choice for a London festival it otherwise ticks all the other boxes. Also high in the running I expect is
The Rum Diary (4th Nov) staring Johnny Depp (both the Rum Diary and Moneyball already have a BBFC cert unlike most of the other films on this shortlist, although as far as I am aware a cert isn’t a requirement for any film showing at the festival). Given it’s numerous British connections
My Week with Marilyn probably can’t be ruled out, although given the damp squids of the last two years (Michael Moore’s capitalism and Rowan Joffe’s Brighton Rock) you would all but hope that Sandron Hebron’s is going to pull something special out of the bag for her final year at the festival…
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1817
Martha Marcy May Marlene
One of the big hits from both Sundance and Cannes this year. An “atmospheric story of a young woman recently escaped from a cult-like commune” as the programme blurb describes it. Been looking forward to this since missing it in Cannes, despite everyone telling me to go see it, I will listen next time.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1746
Reviews: IMDB: Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety
Take Shelter
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1818
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety
Snowtown
This years Animal Kingdom? By all accounts an excellent, yet very dark and hard to watch dramatisation of Australia’s ’
Bodies in the Barrels‘ murders (it may be best not to read the Wikipedia page first).
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1807
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety
Carnage
Roman Polanski’s Brooklyn set comedy of manners staring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C Reilly.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1646
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety | The Guardian | Indie Wire
Rampart
Woody Harrelson’s plays a rogue LA cop with a performance that has been described as career defining.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1783
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety
50/50
Indie Cancer Comedy [if such a genre exists] staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1612
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety | The Guardian
The Descendants
Alexander Payne’s first feature since Sideways.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1667
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Variety | The Guardian | Hollywood Reporter
A Dangerous Method
David Cronenburg’s latest based on Christopher Hampton 2002 stage play ,The Talking Cure. Vigo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender respectively play Freud and Jung.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1661
Miss Bala
“A young woman clinging on to her dream to become a beauty contest queen in a Mexico dominated by organized crime”. Miss Bala has been widely regarded as one of the highlights of this years Un Certain Regard.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1752
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood Reporter | Variety
Like Crazy
Transatlantic indie romance flick, another of the big buzz film from this years Sundance.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1734
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
There is only one screening of this at LFF. Which clashes with my already booked ticket for Snowtown. So will have to catch the press screening of it instead. The latest film from Nuri Bilge Ceylan, which charts the investigation of murder over 24hrs. Although like Ceylan’s previous films this isn’t going to be your standard detective on a murder case movie.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1771
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Time Out | Hollywood Reporter | Variety
Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life
Werner Herzog’s new doc, a “powerful exploration of violence and its consequences, told through Death Row inmates and others close to their crimes” according to the LFF synopsis.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1719
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Variety
Crazy Horse
Veteran verité documentary maker Fredrick Wiseman (now in his 81st year) takes his camera into Paris’ Crazy Horse cabaret club.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1658
Reviews: IMDB | Guardian | Variety | Twitch
Dreams of a Life
Director Carol Morley’s investigative documentary on the story of a young woman discovered in a London flat three years after her death.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/new_british_cinema/1671
Headhunters
Yet another “Dark Norwegian Thriller”
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1705
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Variety | Hollywood Reporter
Walking too fast
From Variety: “Set in 1982 Czechoslovakia, Radim Spacek’s “Walking Too Fast” is a slow-burn political thriller about a secret police lieutenant bucking the system. Comparisons to “The Lives of Others” are apt, although “Walking’s” thoroughly unsympathetic protagonist makes the film more admirable than likable.”
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/cinema_europa/1835
Reviews: IMDB | Variety
The Student
From Pablo Trapero’s (Carancho, Lions Den) screenwriter comes this political allegory set in the wheeler-dealing world of Argentine student politics.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/world_cinema/1813
Reviews: IMDB | Variety | Hollywood Reporter
Guilty
From the LFF programme “Philippe Torreton gives a superb performance in Vincent Garenq’s no-holds-barred docu-drama about a man unjustly accused in a notorious paedophilia trial.”. With Variety describing it as “Devastating drama about the greatest French judicial scandal in recent history.”
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/french_revolutions/1701
Reviews: IMDB | Hollywood Reporter
Restless City
From Variety “Camera-scoured Manhattan wouldn’t seem to have many secrets left, but the extraordinarily beautiful “Restless City” achieves revelation on two tiers — in the kinetic landscape of the city itself and in the world of Senegalese immigrants, whose struggle evolves just beneath the sightlines of the average New Yorker.”. Hollywoood reporter calls ’Restless City’ a Stunning Look at New York’s West African Immigrant Community.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/world_cinema/1786
Reviews: IMDB | Variety | Hollywood Reporter
360
Fernando Meirelles’ multi stranded festival opener, has been panned by The Guardian and received less than enthusiastic reviews elsewhere. Still I quite enjoyed Babel by fellow Mexican, Alejandro González Iñárritu, which has a similar theme and was dismissed by critics, so hoping for an enjoyable if not particular deep start to this years festival with this one. Update: The commenters describing 360 as “Love Actually without the jokes” aren’t far off, a pretty poor opening night film.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/442
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Hollywood | Reporter | Variety | The Guardian | Indie Wire
…the book nearer the time
Below are the films that I haven’t yet booked, but will probably get tickets to nearer to festival depending on my schedule.
Without
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1846
One of the nominees for this year’s Sutherland Award, Mark Jackson directorial debut is described in the catalogue as a haunting, claustrophobic drama
Reviews: Time Out
Alps
The new film from Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, Attenberg)
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/1619
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Variety | Hollywood Reporter
Breathing
The winner of best European film in the Cannes Directors Fortnight sidebar. The directorial debut of Austrian actor Karl Markovics, Breathing is described in the LFF programe an ‘assured, intelligent work’. The film follows Roman, an institutionalised young offender in Vienna, serving time for a violent crime with a surly, uncommunicative attitude, blankly accepting of the solitary conditions.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/cinema_europa/1643
Reviews: IMDB | Variety | Indie Wire | Hollywood Reporter
Elena
From the LFF blurb “Andrei Zvyagintsev’s award-winning account of a struggle over inheritance is accompanied by an effective score by Philip Glass.”. Screen comment’s “A late addition to Un Certain Regard, for which it is the closing night film, one can only wonder, why is this extraordinary film not in the main competition?“
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/cinema_europa/1676
Reviews: IMDB | Screen | Telegraph
This is not a film
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/world_cinema/1825
Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s (who is awaiting a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media as well as leaving the country) new film which according to the Guardian “was smuggled into the country on a USB stick buried inside a cake posted from Iran to Paris”.
Reviews: IMDB | The Guardian | Twitch | Mubi
…the (relative) Unknowns
Not the Tod Browning movie about an armless knife thrower, but a few of the largely unseen and distributor-less films picked out from the vast selection of European and World films in the LFF lineup.
The Forgiveness Of Blood
Maria Full of Grace director, Joshua Marston returns with an Albanian-set story of family caught up in a blood feud
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/world_cinema/1689
Reviews: IMDB | Screen| Variety | Hollywood Reporter
Stopped on Track
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/cinema_europa/1811
From Variety A German postal worker’s precious few months between diagnosis and death are chronicled with an acute and raw sense of honesty in “Stopped on Track.”
Reviews: IMDB | Variety | Telegraph
17 Girls
From Variety “Based on a true story that happened in the U.S., “Girls” relates how the accidental pregnancy of an attractive teen leads to an epidemic of knocked-up peers.”
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/french_revolutions/1610
Reviews: IMDB | Variety | Screen
The Monk
Vincent Cassel is The Monk.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/french_revolutions/1754
A Bitter Taste of Freedom
Documentry on Russian journalist Anna Politkovskay.
Reviews: IMDB | Variety
Rebellion
Mathieu Kassovitz directs and stars in this political thriller come war movie.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/french_revolutions/1784
Reviews: IMDB | Screen
The Screen Illusion
Mathieu Amalric’s latest “gives classic French theatre a twist by wittily updating Corneille’s play as a modern intrigue set in the CCTV present” according to the LFF synopsis.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/french_revolutions/1791
Reviews: IMDB | Variety
Corpo Celeste
“A rebellious teenager reacts against strictures of her local church and ends up on a bizarre errand to collect something out of town with the parish priest.”
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1656
Early One Morning
From the LFF synopsis “Jean-Pierre Darroussin plays a banking executive driven off the rails in Jean-Marc Moutout’s incisive and angry indictment of the financial world.”. The main still instantly reminded me of Laurent Cantet’s Time Out whether that was an intentional decision I’m not sure but it’s certainly piqued my interest.
https://bfi.org.uk/lff/films/french_revolutions/1675
My Back Page
From the programme synopsis “A rookie journalist in 1969 falls under the spell of a charismatic student radical (Kenichi Matsuyama), only to realise that he’s capable of murder. Nobuhiro Yamashita and his cast recreate the political turmoil of the period with awesome credibility.”
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/world_cinema/1757
Reviews: IMDB | Japan Times
Posted: September 20th, 2010 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | Tags: LFF | No Comments »
Booked
It’s that’s time of year again and this is the list of screenings I have tickets for next month. A few, including Never Let me Go (excellent, but opening the week after the festival anyway) and Carlos I have already seen and so probably won’t be re-watching.
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/442
Reviews: Screen | Indie Wire
Somewhere
A late addition to the programme, Sofia Coppola’s Golden Lion winner.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1180
The Kings Speech
Picked up the audience award at Toronto complete with a slew of good reviews and Oscar buzz.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/471
Reviews: Indie Wire | Screen | Guardian
Never Let Me Go
Mark Romanek’s drama based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/galas_special_screenings/483
Reviews: Screen | Indie Wire
Surprise FIlm
(update: obviously not Sophia Coppola’s Somewhere as it’s just been added to the main lineup). So maybe the more homegrown Brighton Rock (odds: even money) which screened at TIFF but which was missing the LFF programme, the excellent Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom (odds:6/1) although I hope not, given that I have already seen it, or if we’re really lucky the Coens with True Grit (odds:50/1) but given that it’s not been screened publicly yet it’s a bit of a long shot. Another outside contender, if it’s ready in time, is the Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp film The Tourist (odds:20/1) from Lives of Others director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/503
Neds
Peter Mullan’s new film “tips a hat to the 1970s tales of Ken Loach and Alan Clarke” according to Time Out’s Dave Calhoun.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/galas_special_screenings/482
Reviews: Screen | Mubi
The American
Probable could / should have waited for the general release on this one in November, otherwise what will I have left to watch come Christmas. But couldn’t wait..interested to see what Anton Corbijn has come up with given a bigger budget.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/436
Reviews: Metacritic
Submarine
Really looking forward to this, Richard Ayoade’s (the IT Crowd) debut film, staring Paddy Considine.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/501
Reviews: Indie Wire | Screen
Meeks Cutoff
Having seen and loved both of Kelly Reichardt’s previous features, really looking forward to this one. Once again Jon Raymond has written the script and Michelle Williams stars.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/479
Reviews: Screen | Indie Wire
Blue Valentine
Michelle Williams again and Ryan Gosling star in this years Sundance favourite.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/443
Reviews: Indie Wire | Screen
Essential Killing
Vincent Gallo on the run, in Jerzy Skolimowski’s (Deep End, The Shout and w/ Polanski, Knife in the Water) new film. Mixed reviews from Venice, with some praising it and others hating it. (update: now rather annoyingly clashing on the schedule with Somewhere and Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip).
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/453
Reviews: Screen | Mubi | Time Out
Carancho
When I looked at the press stills I thought Secret in Their Eyes, Nine Queens, maybe that’s lumping all Argentine thrillers together. But hey they were both good and this is from the director of Lions Den so guessed it was worth a shot.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/445
Reviews: Time Out | Mubi | Screen
Treacle Jr.
British drama from Jamie Thraves.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/new_british_cinema/820
Review: Time Out
Tabloid
I think you can probably watch an Errol Morris doc on reputation alone, so that’s what I’m doing.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/505
Reviews: Indie Wire | Screen | Mubi
The Arbor
Experimental documentary on playwright Andrea Dunbar.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/798
Reviews: Time Out | Eye for Film | Variety
A Working Class Hero Is Something to Be (Shorts)
You don’t often get to watch shorts on a proper cinema screen outside of festivals, so going to check out this selection of films programmed by Philip Ilson.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/short_cuts_animation/1117
Possibly, maybe….
This is the ever growing list of films which I haven’t booked for yet but may take another look at closer to the festival, time allowing. My LFF accreditation has also just been confirmed, which means I might be able to catch a few of these at their press screenings over the coming fortnight (update: 29th September, have just watched Tom Hall’s Irish enjoyable and well acted wry comedy Sensation at a LFF press screening, short review coming soon).
Boxing Gym
Not only do we get a new Errol Morris doc, we get a new Fredrick Wiseman doc, sometimes have mixed feelings about Wisemans observational docs, if it’s not a subject your particularly interested in (although to be fair interesting people are innately interesting) they can seem to run a bit long. That said I’m not an huge boxing fan, but this doc set in an Austin, TX gym looks like it might be well worth a watch
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/444
Reviews: Indie Wire | Time Out
Armadillo
Well received documentary about Danish soldiers on a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/cinema_europa/571
Indie Wire | Screen
Inside Job
Documentary tracing the causes of the 2008 financial meltdown. The problem with these kind of docs is often in their attempt to oversimplify the causes, with lots of talking heads giving their personal opinions but with no real depth. On the other hand I’m pretty sure I don’t want to sit though an economics lecture for an hour an a half. Reviews seem good though ,so may well be worth a look.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1152
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu
Documentary on Ceausescu, created entirely from archive TV footage.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/cinema_europa/573
Reviews: Indie Wire | Screen
Mars
Part animated slacker sci-fi staraing Mark Duplass (Duplass Brothers) and featuring Kinky Friedman as the President of the USA.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1063
13 Assassin
Takashi Miike’s new fim.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/431
Film Socialisme
The latest film from Jean-Luc Godard
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/459
Reviews: Time Out | Indie Wire
Outside the Law
The rise of three brothers who end running the Algerian independence movement in Paris.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/film_on_the_square/487
Reviews: Mubi | Screen
Cold Weather
Aaron Katz’s (Quiet City, Dance Party, USA) mumblecore thriller, if such a genre can really exist.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/world_cinema/1030
Le Quattro Volte
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/492
Reviews: Time Out
Posted: May 22nd, 2009 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
Watched Hanke’s new film the White Ribbon at the Lumiere today and Christian Berger’s stunning black and white cinematography just looked amazing on that huge screen. I still need to let it sink in and probably give it another viewing once it’s released, it’s certainly a impressive film – but at two and a half hours it requires being in the right frame of mind to watch it. Not going to write up a review of it now but I’m giving it a (4 out of 5) mark.
Also caught Alain Resnais new film Wild Grass which Screen and Time Out absolutely loved, admittedly it was amazingly acted and brilliant shot but I just didn’t see what the fuss was about, in fact I’d be inclined to give it a (1 out of 5). I was nodding off a bit thoughout (my fault more than the films to be be fair) so may have missed the underlying subtleties. Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian writes “It has a sense of humour to which you must be finely attuned” I suspect if that’s the case I was ever going to tune into it.
A weeks worth of trades and schedules
Posted: May 21st, 2009 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
On a film roll now, seen two unremarkable (Ang Lee and Johnny To) and two good (Loach and Almodovár) and a few in between, but still looking for a film to really blow me away or fall in love with, maybe it just won’t happen this year. Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds is screening later and you can already feel the anticipation on the Crosisitte. I haven’t been holding out huge hopes for it based on the trailer, but the dailies have been hyping it up and at the press call Quentin announced ”This might be my masterpiece“.
I try to ignore any online reviews (I want to see it with untainted eyes) and spend the rest of the afternoon having lunch on a yacht anchored in the waters just off the Hotel Du Cap seeing if we can spot Quentin, Brad or Angelina having their lunch – seriously the number of paps hanging off the side of the rocks trying to get a photo is crazy, from the boat they look like little insects.
Leaving Cannes harbour
So nice to be away from the hustle bustle of the Crositte and floating in the sea for a few hours, can sort of understand why billionaires buy these things now.
Lunch at sea - Eden Roc in the background
Get back and hear a rumour that an extra screening of Inglorious Basterds has just been added and will be shown 30 minutes after the main premiere starts in the Lumiere at the Bazin next door and sure enough when we get their a reasonable short queue is forming, no one knows for certain if the rumour is true, least the attendants on the door, but as the rumour spreads the queue starts to grow exponentially and then it starts moving, we get in and grab out seats and almost immediately the film starts, huge whoops as “A BAND APART” and the Weinstien’s logo appears on the screen, yes the rumour is true and even bigger cheer when Quentin’s name appears.
I normally get annoyed with people taking pictures of the titles in screenings, but as everyone else seemed to have their camera phones out I joined in for once.
Unfortunately the cheering was more subdued at the end, with pockets of clapping from the audience, but on the whole a sense of disappointment seemed to have filled the air, not that it had been a painful 2 hours and 40 minutes, more that once again Tarrintino hadn’t lived up to the possibly overly high expectations. Will write up my thoughts on this in full over the weekend when I have a bit more time.
Will be interesting to see how much the version screened at Cannes will differ from the final theatrical released version.
In short I enjoyed it, but also had some serious problems with it, it’s certainly a long way from being Tarintino’s “Masterpiece” – for now I’m giving in a fence sitting (3 out of 5)
Posted: May 20th, 2009 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
Watched Cristian Mungiu’s (4 months, 3 weeks) portmanteau Tales From The Golden Age, a very enjoyable set of 5 shorts parodying life in the Ceausescu’s Romainia – my favourites were the The Legend Of The Official Visit and the The Legend Of The Greedy Policeman (3 out of 5)
Cristian Mungiu's Tales From The Golden Age
Caught the 3pm screening of Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces in the Lumiere (4 out of 5) nothing really new in terms of Almodóvar but a great mix of noir and melodrama, intertwining plots and a film within a film.
Theatre Lumière, Cannes
In the evening headed down the beach for an enjoyable evening at the EIFF / Scotish film party
Ginny and Hannah welcome everyone to the Edinburgh Film Festival party
On the beach at EIFF party
Grabbed some dinner in the old town and finished the evening off with some great cocktails over at the Wild Bunch villa.
Posted: May 19th, 2009 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
Caught Johhny To’s new film Vengence (2 out of 5) in the morning, lots of stilted acting and a major plot device that appears out of nowhere which which have most directors laughed out of the cinema. While not really excusable, somehow I managed to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the action scenes which as always in a To film are stunning.
Watched Ken Loach’s Looking for Eric in the Lumiere (4 out of 5) enjoyable, funny, heartfelt, the ending seems a bit silly and at odds with the rest of the film, but not so much that it ruins it. In short an excellent Ken Loach film which I expect will do particularly well theatrically in the the UK at least. Decide that I’m not going to make the 4pm market screening of Bright Star and instead catch a panel titled “It’s a mad, new media world” at AmPav.
Saw Hierro in the evening - billed as a Spanish psychological horror from the producers of Pan’s Labyrinth and the Orphanage. That “from the producers of..” tag line should have set alarm bells ringing earlier. It’s the story of a lost boy and his mothers attempt to find him. Well shot but it felt more like the work of a competent commercials or music vid director than someone used to working in narrative film. Still trying to decide if it was the lack of plot of just the bad development of it, but it just didn’t work for me. I think the sweeping music every time someone opened a door was the final straw. At it’s best it left me disinterested in the mother and her plight and at others just simply irritated. I’m giving it (1 out of 5). I’m probably being extra harsh on Heirro as the late start to the film and a packed Croisette afterwards meant I missed a third screening of Un Prophet.
Posted: May 18th, 2009 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
Missed ‘A Prophet’ for a second time, decided that waking up at 7am to get in line for the 9am screening after three hours sleep was probably asking too much of even a hardened cinephile.
Instead checked out the midday screening of Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock (2 out of 5) – well enough made and perfectly watchable but felt more like a feel good / coming of age TV movie than something from Ang Lee – in short a easily forgettable film.
Headed off to BFI / LFF drinks on the roof of the Palace Stephanie (still can’t get used to not calling it the Noga / Hilton nor it seems can anyone else)
BFI / LFF reception on the roof of the Palais Stephanie
Left BFI drinks and headed over to Morrison’s Irish pub for the Anvil Party (RAWK DOODZ)
Anvil Stamp
Completely out of the context of normal Cannes (but then what is normal in Cannes apart from overpriced food, drinks and permatans) we got a live set from Anvil, complete with encores enthusiastically cheered on by the crowd.
Anvil live at Morrison's pub, Cannes
Posted: May 16th, 2009 | Author: Jamie | Filed under: Film, Film festivals | No Comments »
Just arrived in Cannes, picked up the car and dropped bags off at villa and now off to pick up badge and tickets, hopefully in time to catch the 3pm screening of Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet which Screen have just given a great review.
Picking up badge
[update: missed 'A Prophet' - by the time we'd got up our badges, dashing down the Croisette to pickup invitations and then back to the Lumiere for 3pm didn't seem feasible - in fact I missed all three screenings of it that I attempted to make this week, obviously I wasn't meant to see this film here, which is extra annoying as going back over the week I think it probably was the one film I would have enjoyed the most and I suspect a strongcontender for the Palm D'Or. Still at least I have it to look forward to when back in London - Optimum are realising it in the UK later this year]
Jacques Audiard's A Prophet
Popped in to the UK film pavilion and caught the end of interesting panel hosted by Power to the Pixel on digital financing and distribution. Left the UK film pavilion and headed next door to AmPav to get some sun and read the dailies.
The American Pavillion in Cannes
Grabbed dinner at La Pizza and then went off to meet friends at the Petit Majestic (as the de-facto and cheap, by Cannes standards, late night drinking hole de choix, the recession seems to have worked in their favour, certainly no sign of a slowdown here) finally finishing the night off in a more civilised fashion at the Grand (although after paying €12 for a small glass of Rose you feel like you’ve just been mugged, kicked in the gutter and then propped up in a plastic seat on the lawn, no wonder the Petit Majestic is rammed)
The Petit Majestic
