London Film Festival Preview opinion
If previous years are anything to go by, next month’s 53rd BFI London Film Festival, with its rich mix of films from all over the world, will be a high-point of the UK’s film calendar.
The more obvious high-profile American movies aside (previously predicted with stunning accuracy), of the 200-odd features, those that piqued this talking animal’s interest are Metropia, 44 Inch Chest, Air Doll, The Last Days of Emma Blank, Forbidden Door, Gigante, and Castro. Above all, though, awaited with bated breath and considerable excitement, is Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs.
The various collections of short films are also very enticing but given that last year’s special “Screen Talk” and “Masterclass” events were a little hit and miss (thanks to some overbearing hosts rather than uninteresting guests) I’ll be sticking to the silver screen this time around.
The LFF is a great chance not only to see films early but a chance to see films that quite possibly won’t get any kind of general cinema release. The line-up is intriguing, as ever, and is sure to be hiding some pleasant surprises.
28th Sep 2009 | Comment
Away We Go review
Away We Go pips In The Loop and Bruno as the funniest film of the year so far. Wait a minute… a Sam Mendes comedy? Didn’t he just bring out the darkly dramatic drama-drama, Revolutionary Road, the other week?
A light story involving a couple traipsing across America to find a place to live holds encounters with other couples, alternate reality versions of themselves, through which they discover who they are and want (or more often don’t want) to be. Yeah. That’s right. It’s one of those soul-searching flicks. It’s a bit overly sentimental in places, which could be a problem if it was a longer film, but the script more than makes up for that with some hilarious but never unbelievable dialogue.
The charming chemistry between relative unknowns John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph is good enough to assume that they must now be together and planning for children in real life. With Sam Mendes as the godfather. He has extracted superb acting performances, from leads and support, and deftly interpreted a first-class script. Not that he was ever particularly low, Mr. Mendes has shot up in my estimation.
10th Sep 2009 | Comment | Official site | On IMDb
District 9 review
Hey, have you heard of District 9? Have you seen the effects-laden clips that appear more convincing than any of the Star Wars prequels even though the film was made for one quarter of the budget? Noticed “Peter Jackson, producer” slapped all over the place? Read all of the excitable reviews hailing it as the best film since, well, ever? Oh. You have.
The hype is overwhelming but there’s no smoke without a shiny orange thing. It’s really quite good. Not only does the novel premise set it apart, the South African setting is a welcome change from the usual American alien-magnet, Wikus, the bumbling moustachioed protagonist, is not your typical hero and the CGI is seriously impressive. Weaponry that comically transforms aliens and humans alike into explosions of blood and guts also adds bonus points.
Forget any initially apparent parallels between human-alien relations and apartheid; this is an outright sci-fi action romp. It’s too shallow to fully live up to the OTT hype, really, and the blatant groundwork laid for a sequel is annoying (District 10, 2012, I wager) but it remains a well made, exciting and highly original film.
9th Sep 2009 | 2 Comments | Official site | On IMDb
Jetsam review
Low budgets may well be all the rage but for the makers of Jetsam to spend under £3,000 on their film is just showing off. It makes Moon look downright opulent.
And it’s not half bad. There’s an intriguing, twisting story, it is technically proficient and especially impressive, considering the budgetary constraints, locations are used really well and the actors are convincing enough.
It is seriously rough around the edges, though, perhaps as you should expect. Technical limitations aside, the filmmakers set themselves a difficult challenge with a complex story and it doesn’t always hit the mark. One of its strongest aspects is also its weakest—the script, although clever, gets a little confusing at times and throws up some peculiar, sometimes bordering-on daft, moments.
Jetsam is flawed but appreciation for its essentially zero-budget build outweighs criticisms. Now if someone could just give writer/director Simon Welsford a bit more cash money, it would be interesting to see what he’s really made of.
The Hurt Locker review
The Hurt Locker is, essentially, a series of short stories, counting events of an American bomb squad in Iraq over the period of four weeks, strung together by a developing relationship with a new team member and an “I hate war, but I love war” theme.
This theme is tiresome, whether it’s explicitly taken as relating to war or as symbolising something more general, but the film is entertaining nonetheless. There are a few drawn out, dull moments but they are outnumbered by edge-of-your seat moments, especially when bomb defusing is involved. Bombs are pretty exciting. On screen, at least.
Jeremy Renner does a fine job in the lead role, although there is too much, noticeable, effort to make him a complex character. This is as much down to the script and the direction, but it is a small complaint; neither are bad by any stretch of the imagination. The supporting cast is also commendable and cameos from Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and Evangeline Lilly spice things up further.
1st Sep 2009 | Comment | Official site | On IMDb
