Saturday 28 January 2012

Eliminate: Archie Cookson ★★★☆☆


Independently financed and produced, Robin Holder's directorial debut Eliminate: Archie Cookson (2010) is an offbeat espionage thriller that successfully transcends the limitations of it meagre budget, with a cast including Paul Rhys, Claire Skinner, Paul Ritter and Georgia King.

Archie Cookson (Rhys) is a clumsy and naive government linguistic spy whose penchant for red wine has steadily resulted in a decrease in the quality and content of his work. Estranged from his aristocratic wife and their incredibly intelligent son, Archie's life is a far cry from the adventure and excitement of most movie spies. One fateful day he's handed two mysterious tapes that just so happen to contain some highly incriminating information. His procession of these incredibly secretive tapes leaves him in a precarious position and totally out of his depth, resulting in Archie becoming a wanted man and fleeing from his one time friend, Ennis (Ritter) whilst also attempting to reconcile the numerous issues with his wife and son.

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Wednesday 25 January 2012

Like Crazy ★★★☆☆



Drake Doremus' Like Crazy (2011) is the latest in a long line of American independent films which have recently taken a bitter-sweet approach towards romance. Up-and-coming duo Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin (with support from Jennifer Lawrence) star as a pair of hopeless romantics imprisoned by their deep emotional connection, who through one misguided decision, find themselves on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

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Melancholia ★★★★☆



Lars von Trier's most accomplished movie since 2003's Dogville was sadly overshadowed by the controversy this constantly provocative director evoked at last year's Cannes Film Festival, with the praise it deserved sadly diluted by his remarkably thoughtless remarks. This is a huge shame, as not only does Melancholia (2011) boast an award-winning star turn by Kirsten Dunst (in a career best performance), but was also one of last year's most aesthetically pleasing films.

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Wednesday 18 January 2012

Coriolanus ★★★☆☆

Coriolanus is of one of William Shakespeare's most complex plays, making it a rather ambitious adaptation for Ralph Fiennes to choose as his directorial debut. Despite being one of Shakespeare's lesser known tragedies, its tale of greed and power is certainly strong enough to build the foundations of any film. Starring Jessica Chastain, Vanessa Redgrave, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox and Fiennes himself (in no less than the starring role), Coriolanus (2011) boasts a cast more than capable of delivering the Bard's multifaceted prose with the reverence it deserves.


Thursday 12 January 2012

Shame ★★★★☆

Director Steve McQueen re-unites with Hunger (2008) star Michael Fassbender in Shame (2011), another visually sumptuous exploration of the human struggle between mind and body. Whereas Hunger focused on men's ability to suppress his natural bodily drives, McQueen's latest offering finds itself enslaved by natural impulses, painting a fascinating portrait of the inherent sexual desires which most manage to control through self imposed ethics. Also starring Carey Mulligan, Shame is a provocative and intimate drama built around powerful performances.


Tuesday 10 January 2012

Whisper of the Heart ★★★★☆




Directed by Hayao Miyazaki's former protege Yoshifumi Kondo (who sadly died before he could succeed Miyazaki), 1995 film Whisper of the Heart, much like Isao Takahata's masterpiece Only Yesterday, is a lovingly crafted and well observed story about adolescent self discovery - and to this day remains one of the most remarkable films produced by Studio Ghibli.

The Big Picture ★★★☆☆

The Big Picture (2010) sees director Eric Lartigau attempt to adapt Douglas Kennedy's US-based novel of the same name within a French setting. Considering the wealth of well-made thrillers to emerge from the French film industry, it seems like the perfect environment in which to tackle Kennedy's prose. Starring current French heartthrob Romain Duris, The Big Picture is a film built around its multi-layered protagonist, which likes to ask many questions - but which answers very few.

Monday 9 January 2012

In a Better World ★★★★☆



Ever since capturing last year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, In a Better World (2010) has found its painterly presented tale of morality come under a lot of scrutiny. However, Susanne Bier's strikingly beautiful film deserves to be viewed separately from the buzz surrounding its prestigious award and be observed for what it is - a powerful domestic drama played out on a epic scale, with two of the most assured child performances of the year courtesy of Markus Rygaard and William Jøhnk Nielsen.

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Sunday 8 January 2012

Cell 211 ★★★★☆

 
Deservedly joining the ranks of other such fascinating penal system dramas as; Hunger, A Prophet and The Escapist, (which also chose to use the judicial incarceration of criminals as the basis of their powerful character studies), Daniel Monzon’s eight time Goya winner Cell 211 is a fraught and exhilarating prison thriller which stars Alberto Ammann and Luis Tosar.

Cell 211 tells the story of two very different men thrust into an unconventional union during a fierce prison riot. Juan (Ammann) is a newly recruited prison guard who admirably comes into work a day early to get a head start on his upcoming duties. His pregnant wife believes he’s being too diligent, yet so desperate to impress is Juan that he ignores her and heads to the maximum security prison that’ll soon become his workplace. During his induction a skirmish breaks out, resulting in Juan becoming injured and left in an empty cell by his future co-workers so that they can selfishly flee for safety. A full blown riot follows, organised by renowned inmate Malamadre (Tosar), a man of intimidating physical strength whose known history as a psychopathic killer has made him the natural leader of this group of dangerous reprobates. Once he regains consciousness Juan quickly realises that if he’s to survive he must endeavour to appear to be one of these felons, resulting in a tense and absorbing series of events which soon escalate past the point of no return –creating a fascinating game of false identities and survival against a suffocating atmosphere of fear and anxiety

Monzon has successfully created a pulse racing, angry piece of genre cinema, complete with a frantic pace and the right balance of twists and turns to keep its audience engrossed throughout. Despite its shallow and misguided attempt to add a dark political edge to the proceedings (which feels like it’s done out of necessity rather than an intended pieces of satire), the intoxicating degree of black humour and adrenaline fuelled action keeps things’ captivating – from the moment the first punch is pulled, to its gun slinging finale, Cell 211 is anything but boring.

Cell 211’s prison setting feels both claustrophobic and gruesome, yet remains incredibly intriguing, like a secretive world we can’t pull our eyes away from. Creating a superb microcosm of a society built on raw immoral human behaviour, Cell 211 presents a horrifying insight into the flexibility of our self imposed ethics, and the devastating potential of mankind. This is only amplified by Monzon’s decision to compromise the film’s hero, pushing Juan to perform the most heinous of actions and in turn adding gravitas to the film’s sense of unease – slowly leaving us (like most of these inmates), unsure of whom we can trust.

There are some narrative flaws which prevent Cell 211 from becoming the necessary pieces of social drama many have claimed it to be. On reflection the film’s numerous incomprehensible scenes (many of which defy the laws of logic), grate slightly, whilst the film’s blossoming relationship between Malamadre and Juan is completely implausible, yet thanks to some assured direction Monzon prevents the film from becoming completely derailed into the ridiculous. Cell 211 feels like a film constantly about to boil over into the absurd; however, Monzon never gives the audience time to contemplate the feasibility of the onscreen action thanks to some stylish camera work and an over reliance on sharp, frantic cuts.

Cell 211 is a gripping and wholeheartedly enjoyable thriller which never lets its electrifying pace drop for a second. Stuffed fuller than a plump Christmas Turkey with tension and excitement Monzon’s testosterone fuelled prison drama is a perfect piece of high octane, escapist viewing that whilst not the socially important drama it intends to be, makes for a riveting piece of entertainment.

Friday 6 January 2012

The London Short Film Festival 2012: Preview



Tomorrow night (6 Jan) sees the annual London Short Film Festival (LSFF) celebrate its 9th incarnation with a special opening night part at the ICA bar. Taking place throughout 24 different venues across the capital over the course of 11 days, this year's festival boasts around 70 various events - each showcasing a variety of cutting-edge, home-grown independent films.


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Tuesday 3 January 2012

A Lonely Place to Die ★★★☆☆




Combining the adrenaline-fuelled pursuits of abseiling and mountain climbing with the heart-pounding tension of a horror flavoured thriller, director Julian Gilbey's A Lonely Place to Die (2011) attempts to meld these exhilarating aspects into an exciting survival drama. Starring Melissa George, Ed Speleers and Sean Harris, A Lonely Place to Die was distinguished enough to be chosen as the closing night film for this year's Film4 FrightFest - an impressive honour to be bestowed upon any home-grown horror film.

Set in the remote Scottish Highlands, we join five mountaineers on what appears to be a well deserved break from their mundane domestic lives. It's unclear just how close these five strangers are but it soon becomes apparent they'll have to work together if their trip is to go ahead as planned. After a brief scare whilst attempting to ascend a rather tricky slope, the group decide that the next day they'll be less daring and travel across the countryside to a more manageable climb, where the visibility isn't hampered by the rolling Scottish mist.