Tuesday 8 January 2013

Critical Week: Welcome to digital

London critics got a look at the documentary Side by Side this week, in which Keanu Reeves chats with a series of a-list directors and cinematographers about the shift from using film to digital cameras. It's fascinating for any audience - perhaps too academic for mainstream viewers and too simplistic for serious film fans. But the line-up of interviewees makes it unmissable.

Otherwise, we had a rather low-key start to the year, with screenings of the creepy indie horror movie Midnight Son, an uneven twist on the vampire genre, and the riveting, award-winning sushi chef doc Jiro Dreams of Sushi. There were also two low-budget American gay films: the smart, sharply written and played New York comedy Gayby, and the introspective, sensitive Mormon missionary drama The Falls. Both avoid cliches to deal with some big issues in inventive ways.

Tonight I'm catching up with Ryan Gosling's Gangster Squad, which opens later this week. We also have screenings of Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand, Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe in Broken City, the sleeper awards-season darling Compliance and, finally, a chance to see Monsters Inc in 3D.


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