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55th London Film Festival 2011 – LFF Picks

Jamie — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:54:18 +0000

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

Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain star in another of this years big Sundance hits.

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

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

…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.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1640

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

54th London Film Festival – LFF Picks 2010

Jamie — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:54:07 +0000

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

SXSW Serbian Film Pre Shots

Jamie — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:14:34 +0000

“Mum are you here? Because if you are you totally shouldn’t be watching Serbian movie”

Tim Leauge of the Alamo / Fantastic Fest introduces the midnight screening of Serbian film at SXSW with a round of extreme tequila shots. First snort a line of salt, down a shot of Tequila “left behind by the Jack Ass boys” and finally squeeze a wedge of lime into your eye.

I met one of the participants at another screening later in the week, his comment on Serbian Film “Compared to watching that movie, squeezing a lime into my eye was painless”. I couldn’t have agreed more, although thankfully I didn’t squeeze a lime into my eye, then again maybe I should have, it might have made the movie more palatable.

London film festival round-up

Jamie — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:14:10 +0000

Here is my LFF round-up in (a vaguely) descending order.

Un Prophète (imdb) ***** (seen prior to LFF)
The White Ribbon (imdb) **** (seen prior to LFF)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (imdb) ****
A Serious Man (imdb) ****
A Single Man (imdb) ****
Lebanon (imdb) ****
Precious (imdb) *** (seen prior to LFF)
Ajami (imdb) ***
Life During Wartime (imdb) ***
Father of My Children (imdb) ***
The Road (imdb) ***
Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (imdb) ***
Tales from the Golden Age (imdb) *** (seen prior to LFF)
Polytechnique (imdb) *** (seen prior to LFF)
Double Hour (imdb) ** [need to revisit]
Micmacs à tire-larigot (imdb) **
Bunny and the Bull (imdb) ** (seen prior to LFF)
Disapearance of Alice Creed (imdb) **
Applause (imdb) **

Despite a few two stars I don’t think I saw a truly bad film this year. Listing them like this it’s obvious how useless a star rating system is. I really liked aspects of Applause, The Double Hour, Bunny and the Bull, Micmacs and Alice Creed but because as a whole, for me, they fell below say The Road or Ajami they got relegated to two stars each, but that’s not to say they we’re bad films, in fact they could probably all easily be moved up to three stars. A star rating will also never explain why Bad Lieutenant ended up where it did on the above list (in many ways it’s a two star film at best) and obviously it’s fairly broad stroke to group Haneke’s latest with Mr. Fox based on something as simplistic as a 1 to 5 rating system.

53rd London Film Festival – LFF Picks 2009

Jamie — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:58:02 +0000

Sent off my booking form for this years LFF tickets at the weekend, so far have only booked tickets for films that are likely to sell out early, will leave the smaller films to later to see how my schedule is nearer to the dates. (update: got everything I wanted with the exception of the Up in the Air and Surprise film, probably pay back for me trying to guess it. Will try again when the next tranche of tickets is released)

So what am I going to see next month..

Galas

A Serious Man

New Coen brothers, great reviews from TIFF. I’m excited. Trailer here.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/484

The Road

John Hillcoat bleak adapatation of Cormac McCarthy’s bleak (but brilliant) novel.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/475

Up in the Air

New movie from Juno director Jason Reitman about the world of business travel.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/521

Father of My Children

Mia Hansen Løve’s film loosely based on producer Humbert Balsan. Been wanting to see this since missing it in Cannes

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/388

Micmacs à tire-larigot

New film from Amile director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, looks fun.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/445

Fantastic Mr. Fox

I caved in and got tickets to see it at LFF even though it’s on general release the following week.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/386

Films on the Square

Life During Wartime

New Todd Solondz, Loved Happiness (and Welcome to the Dollhouse) hoping I’m going to love this as much.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/432

A Single Man

Fashion director Tom Ford’s directorial debut is getting great reviews and looks like a work of art, plus Julianne Moore sealed the deal for me. Trailer can be found here .

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/492

Lebanon

This years Golden Lion winner, set almost completely in the confines a tank.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/430

Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans

Grab your lucky crack pipe, the LFF have just (23rd Sept) added Werner Herzog’s re-imaging of Abel Ferrara’s 1992 film to the programme. This also puts pay to my initial second guess at the Surprise film.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/773

Surprise Film

My guess is Where the Wild Things Are, but that is based purely on guesswork, no inside knowledge or anything, failing that my moneys on Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant. (update: 25 Sept – Bad Lieutenant just added to main programme, wondering if was the backup film and has now been shifted to the main program with the confirmation of LFF’s first choice of film).

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/500

Possibly, maybe..

The films on the ‘book nearer to the date’ list, mainly compiled from films I want to watch but need to see how my schedule goes and a couple of complete unknowns that sound interesting for one reason or another.

Will also try and collate some existing reviews for these films in the run up to LFF mainly so I can quickly see what on this list really worth catching and which just have a good sounding synopsis and can probably be given a miss. Although based on previous years this list could equally grow as it could shrink. (update 23rd Sept – I gave in and booked half of them)

The Disappearance of Alice Creed (booked)

Twisty debut from British director J Blakeson. A three hander staring Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston. Been hearing good things about this movie and want to see if it lives up the the hype.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/372

Ajami (booked)

Crime drama set on the streets of the occupied territories. Looks good. (Update: Ajami has been selected as Israel’s 2010 Oscar entry)

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/333

Trash Humpers

Harmony Korine latest project looks totally out there crazy, kind of John Walters’ Pink Flamingos meets Lars von Trier’s The Idiots. It’s actually getting some positive reviews. The trailers 80′s analogue VHS video effects are great and the squealing laughter is just so wrong.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/517

Headhunter

Euro thriller from Denmark; yet to hear anything about it but from the synopsis it looks like it might be worth a look.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/406

The Double Hour (booked)

Another Euro thriller (I’m a bit of a sucker for them) from the production team behind Il Divo. Screen give this one the thumbs up as do Variety.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/375

Applause (booked)

Danish film about a recovering alcoholic making her return to the stage as Martha in a production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Sounds a bit like a Danish version of Cassavetes’ Opening Night.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/342

44 Inch Chest

New British film staring Ray Winstone

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/326

Burning Down The House: The Story of CBGB

Documentary on the legendary Bowery venue. Review from Variety here.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/774

We live in Public

Another documentary, this time a Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, which focuses on the (little known to me anyway) story of internet pioneer John Harris and his turn of the millennium ‘art experiment’ which involved cramming hundreds of artists into a New York bunker, and filming the results.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/529

Dogtooth

This year Un Certain Regard winner, from Greece. Sounds fairly experimental but interesting at the same time.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/373

Shorts

Would like to try and catch some of the shorts programmes if I can.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/films/short_cuts_animation

Already seen..

There are also a few films screening at LFF that I have already seen, but which I would recommend to anyone who hasn’t.

A Prophet

Gritty French prison drama from Beat That My Heart Skipped director Jacques Audiard. This years Gomorrah if not better, go see it.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/471

The White Ribbon

Haneke at his most austere, but brilliant at the same time

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/706

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Given how much I though I was going to love this film. I did end up having slight issues with it in terms of the ‘middle class teacher attempts to get girl out of the gutter’ central story, the dream sequences that just seemed to sit at odd with the rest of the film and at times it felt like the director just didn’t know when to hold back on ramping up the drama to a such point that any realism the film had constructed was instantly lost. All that said it’s extremely well acted and certainly worth a watch.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/470

Tales from the Golden Age

Very dry humoured set of shorts from Cristian Mungiu (Four Months, Three weeks) and friends set in Ceausescu’s Communist Romania.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/504

Bunny and the Bull

A let down if your expecting “Mighty Boosh the Movie” but still contains enough imagination, quirkiness and inventiveness to make it well worth a watch.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/359

Missing?

Wondering why Corneliu Porumboiu’s, highly praised at both Cannes and TIFF, Police, Adjective didn’t make it into the London Film Festival?

Vue and splitting screenings over two screens

I was going to save my full rant about Gala and Film on the Square screenings being split over two separate 400 seat multiplex screens till another post (but it slipped out here). I know the LFF is hard pressed for cash (although as my credit card statement for tickets to this years festival shows I am doing my bit to help). I know the Vue deal was signed before they knew the OWE was still going to be around and I know the LFF team are a bunch of cinema lovers who must have tried hard to avoid this situation. So my criticism is less directed at the LFF/BFI rather than the wider powers that be in this country for letting this happen. It may sound cliché to say but “Can you imagine this happening in France or Italy?” the truth is I couldn’t; of course the French already have a nice architectural eyesore meets concrete bunker to hold theirs in.

But really if your going to split a screening over two mid sized screens at a multiplex can you still call it a Gala screening? Could not all the Gala’s have be held at the Odeon Leicester Square? Realise that’s not LFF decision and that the Odeon is a commercial organisation with shareholders, but given the profits the Odeon chain make from cinema in the UK per year it wouldn’t have seemed too much to ask that they offer up their flagship screen for more than the opening, closing night and two other additional nights. It just seems embarrassing that the flagship film festival in the UK is reduced to using a couple of multiplex screens for it’s Gala screenings. Not that I was holding my breath that Boris was going to step in to help the situation, although I’m sure he’ll turn up at the start of Bright Star and ramble on about how fantastic it is to be standing here (in a 400 seat multiplex cinema) and how he wants to support the festival and help UK filmmakers by introducing some token scheme. I hope I’m proved wrong and he actually turns up to announce that his awarding the BFI funds to build their long awaited new home on the Southbank. (Update: I eat my words BFI National Film Centre gets the green light : Congratulations to the BFI)

In terms of the Q&A’s at the Films on the Square and Special screenings, let face it, for all the talk about attempting to have multiple Q&A, it’s going to end up with a quick introduction before the film in both screens and a bit of pot luck as to which screen gets a proper Q&A or are we just going to end up with a couple of questions per screen. I know at many festivals you don’t get a Q&A at all but LFF always did so well here and it just seems such a shame to reduce them to simple introductions. The festival is a month away so I may be proved wrong, lets wait and see. On the plus side at least Vue has decent sight lines of the screen.

Sorry that was meant to be a brief footnote, you can tell I’m already peeved.

Acieed!

Jamie — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:34:04 +0000

Footage from a RIP warehouse party 21 years ago in what is now our studio. From a documentary entitled Where’s you Child. Compare the dodgy looking alley that was Clink St then with the tourist thoroughfare it’s become today…

Thankfully the studio’s a bit nicer to work in now..

Kitsite, Clink Street Studios, 2009

Although we did lug (at 93kg per cabinet ‘lug’ is the appropriate word) a 5kW Funktion One rig up the stairs last Christmas in honour of the studios previous past.

Setting up Christmas party, Clink Street, 2008

More photos over at the Kitsite blog

Cannes – Thursday

Jamie — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:49:56 +0000

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

Cannes – Wednesday / Inglourious Basterds

Jamie — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:19:15 +0000

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)

Cannes – Tuesday

Jamie — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:37:27 +0000

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.

Cannes – Monday

Jamie — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:27:00 +0000

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.