30th Flare: Taking pictures

The 30th BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival heads into its first weekend with strong crowds and lots of filmmakers in attendance. The selection this year is especially varied, with high-quality documentaries (that's Robert Mapplethorpe, above) and foreign films alongside dramas of every conceivable budget. Here are some more highlights...

Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures 
dir Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato; with Edward Mapplethorpe, Nancy Rooney 16/US **** 
In documenting the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato open with Senator Jesse Helms' hysterical rant in Congress in 1990: "Look at the pictures!" he screamed in outrage, demanding that they be censored. It's a clever approach that finely explores the line between art and pornography, skilfully painting a detailed portrait of a notorious figure.

Akron
dir Sasha King, Brian O'Donnell; with Matthew Frias, Edmund Donovan 15/US ****
With a bright, easy approach, this Midwestern drama never makes an issue of its central teen same-sex romance. Instead, this is a story about a wide range of people trying to overcome a shared past tragedy. It's a bit melodramatic, and also rather straightforward, but the characters are engagingly realistic and the message is important.

From Afar [Desde Alla]
dir Lorenzo Vigas; with Alfredo Castro, Luis Silva 15/Ven ****
Twisty and unexpected, this Venezuelan drama stars acclaimed Chilean actor Alfredo Castro as a lonely man who strikes up a tentative relationship with a young street thug. It's a remarkably involving film, because the characters have so many sides that they lead the audience on a quest for understanding. Equally impressive is how first-time filmmaker Lorenzo Vigas never sensationalises the subject matter... FULL REVIEW >

Girls Lost [Pojkarna] 
dir Alexandra-Therese Keining; with Tuva Jagell Louise Nyvall 15/Swe ***.
Gorgeously shot with a clever fairy-tale tinge to it, this Swedish teen drama explores the complex issue of gender identity from an offbeat angle that's both challenging and thoughtful. The plot kind of meanders off the rails along the way, but the themes and characters remain strongly resonant and vitally important.

B E S T   O F   Y E A R
Carol
dir Todd Haynes; with Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara 15/US *****
With delicate precision, this story unfolds in a way that's both true to its period and fully relevant now. A beautiful companion piece to director Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven and Mildred Pierce, this is based on a Patricia Highsmith novel about two women trying to live their lives the best they can, but finding themselves against the grain of society. And it carries a powerful kick... FULL REVIEW > 

35th Shadows Awards: Happy New Year!

There were two films this year that got deep under my skin, and ultimately it was Charlie Kaufman's extraordinary Anomalisa that demanded the top spot on my best of the year list, with Andrew Haigh's 45 Years in close second. (Note that Anomalisa doesn't come out in the UK until March, so won't feature in British awards until next year.) Here are my top picks in the main categories, and as usual there are full top 10s and a lot more on the site...

BEST FILMS

1. Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman)
2. 45 Years (Andrew Haigh)
3. Room (Lenny Abrahamson)
4. Tangerine (Sean Baker)
5. Carol (Todd Haynes)
6. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy)
7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (JJ Abrams)
8. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour)
9. The Salt of the Earth (Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado)
10. The Tribe (Miroslav Slaboshpitsky)

DIRECTOR 
Andrew Haigh (45 Years)

WRITER 
Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)

ACTRESS
Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

ACTOR
Alfredo Castro (From Afar, The Club)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy, Pitch Perfect 2, Magic Mike XXL, Mockingjay Part 2)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

WORST FILMS

1. Absolutely Anything (Terry Jones)
2. Unfinished Business (Ken Scott)
3. Pixels (Chris Columbus)
4. The Gallows (Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing)
5. Accidental Love (Stephen Greene)
6. The Cobbler (Tom McCarthy)
7. Ratter (Branden Kramer)
8. The Visit (M Night Shyamalan)
9. The Scorch Trials (Wes Ball)
10. Buttercup Bill (Emilie Richard-Froozan, Remy Bennett)

LFF 12: Sail away

The 59th London Film Festival came to an end this evening with the gala screening of Steve Jobs. But before that, Athina Rachel Tsangari's Chevalier (above) walked off with the award for best film. Annoyingly that was one of the films on my need-to-see list that I didn't manage to see (it's impossible to see everything).

Once again, the LFF proved itself a rather harsh atmosphere for the press - unlike most festivals in the world, we have to pay dearly for our accreditation, and there are no parties, no freebies, just lots of great movies, usually showing five at a time so you have to choose carefully what you see. It's pretty exhausting, but the programme is an excellent compendium of the year's top festivals, so it's a great way to catch up. Here are the prize winners, my favourites, and a couple more highlights...

LFF AWARDS 2015:

Best Film: CLEVALIER
Doc (Grierson Award): SHERPA
First Feature (Sutherland Award): THE WITCH
BFI Fellowship: Cate Blanchett
BFI Ambassador: Tom Hiddleston

MY BEST OF THE FEST:

1. CAROL
2. ROOM
3. VICTORIA
4. TANGERINE
5. STEVE JOBS
6. TAXI TEHRAN
7. TRUMBO
8. OUR LITTLE SISTER
9. THE CLUB
10. A BIGGER SPLASH

Special mention: FROM AFAR. THE LOBSTER. THE ENDLESS RIVER. TRUMAN. QUEEN OF EARTH. SUFFRAGETTE. GRANDMA. THE FORBIDDEN ROOM. HE NAMED ME MALALA. YOUTH.

Steve Jobs
dir Danny Boyle; with Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet 15/US ****.
Whether this film is an accurate portrait of the eponymous Apple founder is frankly irrelevant. This is a storming example of the power of cinema to tell a story with complexity and invention. Every element works together to carry the audience through the narrative using just three key scenes that would actually play well on-stage. But the way it's shot and edited adds layers of depth... MORE >

Goosebumps
dir Rob Letterman; with Jack Black, Dylan Minnette 15/US ***
Like Jumanji on steroids, this action-horror romp packs the screen with animated mayhem swirling around an established comedian and a cast of plucky kids. The breathless pace holds the attention, boosted by surprisingly sophisticated gags peppered all the way through. But while working overtime to keep the audience entertained, it undermines every serious point it pretends to make... MORE >

LFF 8: Own the moment

It's was the dame's turn to hit the red carpet at the London Film Festival last night: Maggie Smith out for the European premiere of The Lady in the Van. I've kind of hit the wall today - there hasn't been enough time to see all the films and write about them, perhaps because I'm seeing four movies every day! But tomorrow I only have two in the diary, so that should help restore a sense of balance. Here are some more highlights...

Carol
dir Todd Haynes; with Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara 15/US *****
With delicate precision, this story unfolds in a way that's both true to its period and fully relevant now. A beautiful companion piece to director Todd Haynes' own Far From Heaven, this is based on a Patricia Highsmith novel about two women trying to live their lives the best they can, but finding themselves against the grain of society. And it carries a powerful kick.

Take Me to the River 
dir Matt Sobel; with Logan Miller, Robin Weigert 15/US ***. 
After starting as a gently witty drama, this film turns dark quickly, sending its central character on an unexpected odyssey. The themes it's exploring are so intense that the film feels creepiest when everyone is smiling broadly. And even though the film is flooded with a sense of foreboding, where it goes is utterly unpredictable.

The Ones Below 
dir David Farr; with Clemence Poesy, Stephen Campbell Moore 15/UK ****
As it puts an infant child in jeopardy, this fiercely clever psychological thriller draws easy comparisons with the iconic The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. But this is no schlock horror movie; it's a much more subtle exploration of parental paranoia and urban angst in which every moment is soaked in echoes of impending doom. And screenwriter-turned-director David Farr keeps his wits about him, while scaring us out of ours.

Our Little Sister 
dir Hirokazu Kore-eda; with Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa 15/Jpn ****
Exquisitely observed, this warm and gentle drama prowls around generational relationships without too much plot but plenty of resonant impact. Filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda continues his astute depiction of family interaction with characters are remarkably authentic. And the situations are lively and witty without ever tipping over into melodrama.

Desierto
dir Jonas Cuaron; with Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan 15/Mex **. 
While this strikingly well-made thriller touches on big issues regarding migration, it ultimately settles for being merely violent, almost wallowing in the hideous immorality of right-wing Americans who believe they should be allowed to take the law into their own hands. This lack of complexity leaves the film superficial and pointless. So forget the subject matter - the filmmakers did - and enjoy this as a ghastly horror thriller.