I had a few concerns about Martin McDonagh’s follow up to In Bruges. Both the title and trailer (and poster) suggest one of those soul-deadening black comedies that sprung up in the wake of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction back in the mid-90s. Tarantino’s extraordinary success had a corrosive effect on the US indie scene, spawning dozens of rancid, unfunny movies with guys in suits shooting from the hip and… Read More »
LFF 2012 Review: Laurence Anyways
No-one shoots beautiful, ‘troubled’ people with great hair (in slow-motion, to electronica) quite like Xavier Dolan. For this and other affectations, the young Quebec auteur inspires devotion and derision in equal measure. Incredibly he’s only 23 years old, yet Laurence Anyways is his third feature and another Cannes prize-winner. The most exciting young filmmaker in the world today? Possibly. A great director? No, not yet, but this is a major… Read More »
Festival round-up: Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2012
Now in its fourth year, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival is both an eight-day international movie event and a celebration of the year-round work of the region’s film institute, which is engaged in an ambitious mission to build a sustainable industry through nurturing local talent. Fortunate enough to attend this year and, having already seen many of the festivals glossier, high-profile US and other world cinema entries, I set about… Read More »
The 8th London Spanish Film Festival Retrospective: Isaki Lacuesta Interview
We arrive at the conclusion of ESLF’s coverage of The 8th London Spanish Film Festival, where I had the privilege to interview the indefinable Isaki Lacuesta: filmmaker, lecturer, screenwriter, and writer. Isaki’s filmography consists of documentary and fiction, short films and feature films, and he possesses a limitless enthusiasm for cinema and creativity, both through the written word and the image. Documentary now is not just about stating facts, showing… Read More »
The 8th London Spanish Film Festival Retrospective: Eduardo Chapero-Jackson Interview
The young Spanish screenwriter and director Eduardo Chapero-Jackson, renowned for his visually creative short films attended the LSFF to promote his feature directorial debut Verbo. Eduardo graciously set aside some time to speak with me about his first foray into feature films, and his thoughts on the short versus the feature format. You are renowned for your short films. How did the transition into the feature format occur, and why… Read More »
The 8th London Spanish Film Festival Retrospective: Marisa Paredes Interview.
There has been an unexpected problem with the interpreter, leading to a last minute scramble to find someone who will translate for us. As I walk into the room Marisa Paredes greets me with a warm smile. With less than thirty minutes to go before she is due on stage, I’m sitting down face to face with Paredes, intimidated by this force of Spanish cinema, my hands shaking ever so… Read More »
Review: Silver Linings Playbook
Silly, sometimes sappy and with a (seemingly) cavalier attitude towards its central themes of bipolarity and depression (Bradley Cooper’s damaged lead appears to have all but forgotten he actually has an illness in the film’s frothy finale), Silver Linings Playbook is nevertheless easily one of my favourite films of the year. David O’ Russell, channelling Hal Ashby vibes, has delivered another of his unlikely romcoms in the vein of Flirting… Read More »
Disaster on the screen: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
IT’S part three of my look at films that have failed to set the box office alight. After focusing on the abomination that is Battlefield Earth and the brilliance of John Carter, I turn my attention to a film – and a director – famous for being as odd as it is entertaining. TERRY GILLIAM has always been a director with a grand vision. His films rarely have the look… Read More »
The 8th London Spanish Film Festival Retrospective: Luis Tosar Interview
This year’s London Spanish Film Festival hosted a special feature of one of Spanish Cinema’s leading actors, Luis Tosar. To mark the end of this feature Tosar participated in a live onstage interview to introduce Jaume Balagueró’s Sleep Tight, before which I had the opportunity to sit down with the iconic Galician actor and musician. We discussed his career choices, the dangers of an actor judging his characters, and his… Read More »
The Critical List : David Lean
With a special 50th Anniversary Lawrence of Arabia Blu-Ray out this week and a restored cut of the timeless epic being given a cinematic re-release later this month, it seemed like an opportune time to take a glance back at the work of legendary English director, David Lean. Lean was brought up by very strict Quaker parents and wasn’t even allowed to watch movies until he was an adult. Once… Read More »
