Saturday 25 February 2012

Spirit Awards 2012: Award Predictions:



You'd be forgiven for not having noticed the buzz emanating across the Atlantic for the 28th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards which commence tonight (10pm ET/PT) thanks to this Sunday's more recognizable and prestigious Academy Awards. The Spirit Awards, created in 1984 and previously known as the FINDIEs (Friends of Independents) have become famous for celebrating artistic-driven filmmaking and recognizing the finest achievements of today's independent filmmakers. Below is a list of the nominees for all the major awards plus our predictions:

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Thursday 23 February 2012

Berlinale 2012 Round Up



This year's 62nd Berlinale (like most film festivals) was a bit of a mixed bag, containing some exceptional examples of provocative world cinema and, as to be expected, numerous film's which failed to entertain in the slightest - some far too pretentious, others just downright poor.
Of the many highlights, three films stood out from the festival's competition strand (sadly, Paolo & Vittorio Taviani's Golden Bear-winning Caesar Must Die - which apparently isn't a swiftly made sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes - screened before our own coverage began). The most astounding was Miguel Gomes' Tabu, an enthralling piece of nostalgic cinema which, unlike The Artist, that won audience's hearts with its playful love letter to the silent era, created something genuinely original and thought provoking with its use of 1930s filmmaking techniques.

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Iron Sky ★★☆☆☆



Easily one of the most anticipated films at this year's Berlinale (for right or for wrong) was Timo Vuorensola's Iron Sky (2012), with tickets for this 'Nazi's from the Moon' sci-fi parody selling out within a couple of minutes. Such a ludicrous premise was never going to result in a prize-winning film, yet Iron Sky transcends the absurd into a yet-unknown stratosphere of ridiculous filmmaking.

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The End of Puberty ★★☆☆☆



 An unique twist on the body-swap sub genre, Kimura Shoko's debut film The End of Puberty (Koi ni itaru yamai, 2011) is a kooky comedy about a young girl and her biology teacher, who inexplicably find that they've exchanged sexual organs during intercourse - only in Japan could you find such an outlandish premise.

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The Student Comedies (BFI Ozu Collection) ★★★★☆



The Student Comedies consist of four incredibly rare films by the acclaimed Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu. This lovingly restored collection is part of the BFI's ongoing venture to release all 32 of the surviving films he made for the Shochiku Studio. This 2-disc box set finally brings Ozu's student-themed silent comedies to DVD for the first time - including a newly commissioned score by composer Ed Hughes.

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Headshot ★★☆☆☆



A story of corruption, deceit and exploring the true definition of justice, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Headshot (2011) is a Thai film noir with an enticing twist - its central protagonist Tul (played by Jayanama Nopachoi) is a hitman, who after miraculously surviving a gunshot to the head, finds himself seeing everything upside down - literally.

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Just the Wind ★★★★☆



Benedek Fliegauf's hard-hitting Hungarian drama Just the Wind (Csak a szél, 2011) is a chilling story of a Romany community living amongst an atmosphere of fear and paranoia, that will certainly find itself fighting amongst the best of the Berlinale for its prestigious Golden Bear award.
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Francine ★★★★☆


Starring Academy Award-winning actress Melissa Leo, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky's Francine (2012) is a surprisingly provocative piece of stripped-down social realism that's subtle approach belies its powerful core themes.

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Rent-a-Cat ★★★★☆



Tonally a million miles away from the dark subject matter of most of this year's Berlinale lineup, Naoko Ogigami's Rent-a-Cat (Rentaneko, 2011) is a delightfully twee story of self discovery which successfully blends elements of Amélie (2001) with the sweet sentiment of Studio Ghibli.

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As Luck Would Have it ★★★☆☆



From acclaimed surrealist director Álex de la Iglesia and starring Salma Hayek, As Luck Would Have (La Chispa de la Vida, 2011) it is a satirical comedy that aims to expose our society's cultural dependency on the output of the sensationalist media industry, fuelled by a mixture of human misery and morbid fascination with fame.

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Position Among the Stars ★★★★☆



Over a decade in the making, Position Among the Stars (2010) is the final instalment of Dutch director Leonard Retel Helmrich's trilogy of documentaries following the lives of the Sjamsuddin family. Acting as a portal into the lives of just one of many improvised families currently living amongst the fragile shanty towns of Jakarta, Helmrich's intensely beautiful study of this domestic microcosm of Indonesian life is as socially important as it is enjoyable.
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Monday 20 February 2012

Tabu ★★★★★



Miguel Gomes' third feature Tabu (2012) is an impassioned love story which draws its influences from the early romantic era of 1930's Hollywood filmmaking - and is already one of the stand-out films at this year's Berlinale.

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Home for the Weekend ★★★☆☆

 
Home for the Weekend (Was Bleibt, 2012) is an astute and compassionate domestic drama which oozes the sort of effortless naturalism filmmakers rarely capture. Directed by Hans-Christian Schmidt and starring Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch and Sebastian Zimmler, this touching tale of one family's failed efforts to deal with the sickness of its matriarchal figurehead has a bittersweet aftertaste.

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Friends After 3.11 ★☆☆☆☆


 In March 2011, Japan was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, with the devastating tsunami that followed causing a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power station that sent ripples of discontent throughout the country. Director Iwai Shunji's Friends after 3.11 (2011) is a deeply personal documentary which uses the statements of some of his closest friends to express the views of a society in a state of political despondency.

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Jayne Mansfield's Car ★★☆☆☆


 
Directed by and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012) is a fractured comedy drama set in the 1960s that's built around a conflict of cultures. Boasting an ensemble cast which includes Robert Duvall, John Hurt and Kevin Bacon, Thornton's latest offerings is one of the hottest tickets at this year's Berlinale.
 

Flowers of War ★★★☆☆





The Flowers of War (Jin Ling Shi San Chai, 2011) is a dramatic portrayal of the horrendous Nanking massacre which occurred in 1937. Directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Christian Bale (soon to be seen reprising his role in the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises) The Flowers of War attempts to depict the true horror behind this tragic chapter of Chinese history.


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Sister ★★★★★



 


Following the success of her 2008 debut Home, director Ursula Meier returns with Sister (L'enfant d'en haut, 2011), a moving adolescent drama set against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, and starring Kacey Mottet Klein,  Léa Seydoux , Martin Compston and Gillian Anderson.

 

Keyhole ★★★★☆





Whilst Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist (2011) is sweeping up awards across the globe for its masterful use of cinematic nostalgia, it seems odd that the German expressionist-inspired works of Guy Maddin remains resigned to the appreciation of arthouse cinephiles. However, his most recent production Keyhole (2011) doesn't look like changing that dynamic, pushing his abstract approach passed the realms of worldwide accessibility.


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Shadow Dancer ★★☆☆☆





Director James Marsh returns to fiction after a successful foray into documentary filmmaking with Shadow Dancer (2012), a harrowing thriller focusing on the troubles in Northern Ireland. Set in Belfast during the height of the IRA bombings, Marsh's psychological tale of the domestic implications of this much published conflict stars Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson and Andrea Riseborough - fresh from an ill advised appearance in Madonna's much derided W.E. (2011).



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Captive ★★★☆☆


Directed by Brillante Mendoza and starring the incredibly watchable Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher [2001], White Material [2009]) Captive (also referred to as Captured) is loosely based on the true story of an accidental kidnapping of a group of holiday makers and missionaries in the Philippines in 2001.

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Wednesday 8 February 2012

Berlinale: Potential Highlights

This month sees the Berlin International Film Festival celebrate its 62nd incarnation, and the CineVue team members will be braving the cold weather, wheat beer and pork-based snacks of the German capital to bring you as much coverage as we can. Previously, we mentioned some of the highlights from the festival's recently released programme. However, the most fascinating aspect of the festival is often its Panorama and Forum strands, which year-upon-year house some of the most challenging and enjoyable pieces of world cinema. Here's a brief rundown of some of this year's potential highlights.

A Dangerous Method ★★★☆☆

Provocative Canadian director David Cronenberg is renowned for delving head first into the darkest recesses of our fears and deep seated desires. His career to date has resulted in a back catalogue of psychologically-probing pieces which constantly test his audiences and have garnered him some much deserved critical acclaim - making him the perfect candidate to direct A Dangerous Method (2011), an adaptation of Christopher Hampton's 2002 play The Talking Cure and John Kerr's 1993 book, A Most Dangerous Method.



Monday 6 February 2012

Midnight in Paris ★★★★☆

Woody Allen’s recent output can best be described as inconsistent. Only fleetingly finding the unique comedic essence which made his previous work so gratifying, Midnight in Paris see’s Allen take a much safer approach, imbuing his narrative with a fantasy element which allows him to take advantage of cinema’s recent fascination with the past, whilst simultaneously being able to subtly injecting his own identifiable sense of humour.

Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams play Gil and Inez, an engaged couple who couldn’t be any more different. They’re in Paris to enjoy a holiday of sightseeing and shopping before their impending wedding – but the underlying romance of the city soon begins to magnify their dramatically different life perspectives.

Gil is a self confessed ‘Hollywood Hack’ who dreams of breaking away from writing formulaic blockbuster screenplays and finish his novel, Inez, on the other hand is a materialistic women, brought up by status obsessed parents and unable to understand Gil’s new found obsession with the idealistic Parisian lifestyle he’s rapidly become besotted with.
The cracks of their relationship begin to rapidly reveal themselves when Gil – on a midnight stroll through Paris whilst Inez goes dancing with her unbearably pretentious friend Paul (Michael Sheen) – discovers a old 1920′s car which seamlessly transports him back in time and into a series of choice encounters with some of histories most renowned literary and artistic legends – including Scot Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Picasso.

It’s these deliciously nostalgic vignettes of 20′s Paris which transform Midnight in Paris from a wry anti-romantic comedy into a shamelessly enjoyable experience. Whilst it may all be undeniably outlandish, self-absorbed and clearly milking its romanticised vision of the past, Midnight in Paris never feels overly contrived – with Allen’s well harnessed ‘tongue-in-cheek’ approach successfully pulling us in to Gil’s magical excursions.

Whilst Midnight in Paris is by far Allen’s best work of the last ten years it still suffers from the usual problems which generally accompany this much loved director. Despite some eye catching performances by Marion Coltiard and McAdams, Allen’s women are all very thinly drawn, appearing as either obstacles or muses and little else. However, in his decision to cast Owen Wilson as his main protagonist he has successfully found someone to take over his usual preference to star in front of, as well as behind the camera. Wilson’s idiosyncratic demeanour is wonderfully reminiscent of seventies
Woody Allen making him the perfect actor to replicate this director’s distinctive style.

Midnight in Paris is a wonderful piece of escapist drama, that through it’s deluded protagonist leads us on a fascinating journey of self discovery – and whilst we the audience may choice to position ourselves as far away as possible from Allen’s incredibly self-obsessed characters, it becomes difficult not to become completely fascinated with their whimsical encounters and activities

Saturday 4 February 2012

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ★★☆☆☆



Directed by Brad Peyton and starring Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock), Vanessa Hudgens and Michael Caine, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) is a high octane, stereoscopic 3D adaptation of Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island - which despite giving little consideration towards its literary source, is undeniably an exhilarating family friendly, action adventure that’ll no doubt thrill younger audiences.

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One Day ★★★☆☆



Based on David Nicholls’ eponymous novel and directed by An Education’s Lone Scherfig, One Day is a heartbreaking romance that spans over twenty years and stars Christopher Nolan’s future Catwoman, Anne Hathaway alongside Jim Sturgess (Heartless, Upside Down).

Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Sturgess) meet in Edinburgh during the early hours of St Swithin’s Days. They’re celebrating their graduation with friends and get left together once their acquaintances begin pairing off for the night. Dexter kindly offers to walk Emma home, leading to a drunken get together which looks set to explode into a physical relationship. However, their sexual encounter is aborted when Dexter- tired of waiting for Emma to ‘prepare’ herself – is caught trying to sneak out. After an awkward conversation Dexter stays but the two decide to become ‘just friends’ – resulting in a complex friendship based on the foundations of an unconsummated attraction and hindered by a sense of ‘What could have been’.

What follows is two separate, yet interweaving narratives which tell the stories of Emma and Dexter’s lives. As the pair gets older their lives take very different paths, however, Emma’s letters and poems to Dexter keep them in touch, whilst his late night drunken phone calls are evidence that he still holds her very close to his heart. As the years go by the two meet at key moments of their lives, slowly dismantling the self imposed obstacles which separate them and quickly realising that they belong together.

 One Day’s most endearing feature is how brilliantly it depicts the constantly changing dynamic of Emma and Dexter’s relationship. When one is up, inevitably the other is down, whether it be Dexter enjoying his hedonistic lifestyle as a late night TV presenter whilst Emma toils away in one of London’s grimiest Mexican restaurants, or when She finally becomes a published writer whilst Dexter struggles to cope with his slump into depression – caused by his crumbling career, dependency on drugs and his failed marriage. Whilst admittedly they’re all very ’1st world problems’ and unlikely to evoke much sympathy from many viewers, it’s how Emma and Dexter fight past these unavoidable obstacles to eventually find each other which makes the film’s final act so harrowing. 

Another remarkable element of Scherfig’s One Day is its delightfully accurate setting. Using pre-millennium London as the backdrop for the majority of the film’s action, One Day takes us through a nostalgic step back into the horrors of the nineties – complete with all its detestable florescent clothing and quintessentially English humour.

 Where One Day does show signs of inadequacy is with the casting of it two lead roles. Sturgess manages to depict the loveable rogue characteristics of Dexter very well – yet whilst it’s admirable that we remain hopeful his destitute years will swiftly pass, Sturgess is far more successful at making Dexter seem vile and detestable than he is in convincing us that he has a heart of gold hidden behind his hideous late night TV presenter facade.

Hathaway’s performance is however a much more complex facet to critique. Whilst appearing warm and incredibly loveable – dealing with the emotional core of her role admirably well, her accent does need to be addressed. Aiming to portray a Yorkshire accent, she all too often fails to hit the right notes – making it all too apparent when she does and thus amplifying her previous failed attempts. It’s a shame that so much hard work is undone by one miniscule, yet incredibly noticeable flaw, however, anything which so starkly removes the audience from the film’s narrative deserves to be mentioned.

 All in all, One Day is an incredibly accomplished romance which successfully manages to tell its wide ranging story without ever losing its audience’s attention. Adapting a love story which crosses numerous years is no mean feat and whilst nowhere near perfect, One Day remains a stunningly assured attempt at a monumental challenge.