Critical Week: Camera ready

It's been a ridiculously busy week, with too many film releases and too many screenings as well, perhaps because Venice Film Festival ended last weekend. Eclectic screenings this week have included the terrific Gael Garcia Bernal in the biopic Cassandro, a colourfully well-made biopic about the exotico wrestler. Ken Loach's latest, and perhaps final, film The Old Oak is a triumph, a staggeringly clear-eyed depiction of ugly British attitudes with an emotive glimmer of hope. And Pablo Larrain's El Conde is a viciously inventive satire that depicts Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire with a jaw-dropping mentor.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Golden Delicious • Love Life
Cassandro • Fremont
A Haunting in Venice
ALL REVIEWS >

Kenneth Branagh is back this week with another all-star Agatha Christie adaptation, and A Haunting in Venice is the best one yet, a superbly gothic mystery thriller packed with shifty characters. Michael Jai White directs and stars in Outlaw Johnny Black, an enjoyable 1970s style action-comedy Western. Aaron Pierre lights up the screen in the small Canadian drama Brother, a dark drama celebrating tenacious immigrant mothers. And Pablo Berger's animated Robot Dreams is a pure delight, tracing the complex friendship between a lonely dog and his robot friend.

And there were even more: Bolan's Shoes is a melodramatic British drama that's beautifully acted but deliberately enigmatic. The Latent Image is an inventively freaky meta-thriller about storytelling; 20,000 Species of Bees is a moving Spanish drama about an 8-year-old wondering why he feels so uneasy about his gender; Gurkha Warrior is a skilfully made rah-rah celebration of the military prowess of the Gurkhas; and Samsara is an offbeat experimental drama that takes the audience on an inventive trip between lives. There were two docs: Carlos is a chatty visit with legendary musician Carlos Santana, while Summer Qamp profiles an extraordinary retreat centre for queer kids in rural Canada. There were also live shows Deeper and Deeper and Myra Dubois: Be Well.

Films this coming week include the all-star action sequel Expend4bles, Almodovar's Western A Strange Way of Life, Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in The Great Escaper, Accused, Relax I'm From the Future, Ballywater, Rebel and the live show The White Factory.

LFF: Queen of hearts

It's only day two but I'm already feeling a bit worn out by the 65th London Film Festival, and I'm blaming it on these super-early screenings. While most of the year morning movies start around 10.30am, during the festival it's 8am, which is perhaps a bit early for something violent or sexual, or indeed violently sexual. But we're trained professionals, so we persevere. Alas, limited capacity means that even arriving 45 minutes early was no guarantee of getting in, and I spent more time waiting in queues today than actually seeing films. And I was actually on the red carpet tonight with Kristen Stewart, briefly. Here are highlights from inside the cinemas...

Spencer
dir Pablo Larrain; with Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall 21/Ger ***.
Taking an inventive, ambitious approach to a familiar story, writer Steven Knight and director Pablo Larrain elicit resonant emotions over a few days in the life of Princess Diana. Calling this "a fable from a true tragedy", the film uses surreal touches to get deep under the surface of events depicted. This adds humour, melodrama and even horror, while pulling us down into the rabbit hole.

Red Rocket
dir Sean Baker; with Simon Rex, Bree Elrod 21/US ***.
Pushing his loose, improvisational filmmaking style in a new direction, filmmaker Sean Baker combines comedy with a hint of a thriller for this engagingly unhinged exploration of masculinity and ambition. It helps that the lead character is such a likeable loser, because as he ricochets from one potential crisis to another, we find it eerily easy to identify with him. And the setting becomes another character in the story.

Bergman Island
dir-scr Mia Hansen-Love; with Vicky Krieps, Tim Roth 21/Swe ***.
A textured look at the nature of relationships that's played as a warm homage to all things Ingmar Bergman, this multi-layered drama isn't quite as grim as you'd expect it to be. Writer-directer tinges the story's knowingly sad angles with glimpses of hope and even happiness. This is a provocative depiction of the challenge of balancing a connection with deeper, lingering feelings. And it's gorgeously shot in striking locations.

Cop Secret [Leynilögga]
dir Hannes Thor Halldorsson; with Audunn Blondal, Egill Einarsson 21/Ice ****
Wild and loose, this punchy 1970s-style police thriller from Iceland starts with a bang and never lets up. Hilariously over the top, the film gleefully deploys the tough-guy genre cliches. The film is entertaining both for its gritty crime action and the way it makes the usual homoerotic subtext in a buddy movie much more central to the narrative. But can the nation's toughest cop admit that he's gay?

Full reviews of festival films will be posted when possible and linked at Shadows' LFF HOMEPAGE  
For full information, visit BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 

London Film Fest: Hang on tight

As we roll into the final weekend of the 63rd London Film Festival, there are a lot of films to catch up with and not much time left. Today, two press screenings I wanted to get into were full, so I saw two alternate movies instead (the results were mixed). And the online links I have for watching other films simply won't stream. So maybe I'll get some free time this evening! Anyway, here are some highlights for Friday...

Ema
dir Pablo Larrain; with Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael Garcia Bernal 19/Chl ****
Deliberately messy, Pablo Larrain's Chilean drama challenges the audience to both take sides and admit that there may not be any sides to take. It's a riveting cinematic journey, packed with moments that are darkly chilling as well as sweetly moving. And even as it follows characters who largely behave like villains, the movie encourages the viewer to identify and sympathise with them, perhaps against our instincts. Not many films can make us think or feel this deeply.

First Love
dir Takashi Miike; with Masataka Kubota, Sakurako Konishi 19/Jpn ***.
It's difficult to imagine another filmmaker who could so effortlessly combine such a relentlessly nasty bloodbath with a warm romantic-comedy. But Takashi Miike makes it work in this bonkers thriller about a chaotic series of clashes between Japanese and Chinese mobsters, all while a sweet love story evolves in between the bullets and flashing swords. It's all a bit messy and frantic, with a lot of characters to keep straight, but it's also hilarious and involving.

Give Me Liberty
dir-scr Mikhanovsky; with Chris Galust, Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer 19/US 1h50 ***
This comedy has vivid characters and subject matter so strong that it becomes hugely important. But the filmmaking itself is exhausting, most notably because the script just won't stop piling chaos upon mayhem. It's definitely a case where less would have said more. But perhaps filmmaker Mikhanovsky does this deliberately, creating such an overwhelming series of events that it can't help but snap viewers out of any complacency.

Burning Cane
dir-scr Phillip Youmans; with Wendell Pierce, Karen Kaia Livers19/US 1h17 **
Clearly a fan of Terrence Malick, writer-director Phillip Youmans began making this drama while he was still in high school. And while the themes and characters show maturity and find some resonance, the film itself never quite comes together. Shot by Youmans himself in deep, impenetrable shadows and edited impressionistically, there are moments of beauty even as scenes drift along, just out of reach of the audience. But the tone is overserious and rather pretentious.

Rare Beasts
dir-scr Billie Piper; with Billie Piper, Leo Bill 19/UK **
Actress Billie Piper turns writer and director for this British drama, which inventively plays with the usual tropes of the romantic-comedy as it spins a complex story. Although ultimately it collapses under the weight of its ambitious approach. Still, it's skilfully shot, and the cast is particularly strong in an intriguing range of playful twists on stereotypes. And the film also carries a solid message about female empowerment, even if it's delivered somewhat awkwardly.

Links:

Shadows LONDON FILM FEST homepage (full reviews will be linked here) 

Official LONDON FILM FEST site 

Venezia 73: Holding it together on day 8

We're in the final stretch now, and the lack of sleep, long distances of walking, contrasts between hot sunshine and chilly air conditioning are all taking their toll. But the parties are starting up. Our jury decides on its winner today (still two more films to see), and the weekend will see a range of celebrations. Then next week it's back to work as usual. Anyway, here's what I saw on Tuesday (that's Natalie Portman, above, in my best of the fest so far)...

Jackie
dir Pablo Larrain; with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard 16/US *****
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain takes a clear-eyed approach to this fictionalised account of the days following JFK's assassination. Anchored by a pungent performance by Natalie Portman, the film digs deep into the complexities of grief, with glancing blows to celebrity culture and political expediency. Never slick or sentimental, its layers of resonance are hard to shake.

The Journey
dir Nick Hamm; with Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney 16/UK ***
Anchored by tremendous performances by Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, this British drama imagines a real-life political conversation in the style of The Queen or Frost/Nixon. Even though it's simplistic and contrived, Colin Bateman's script is snaky and often very funny as it traps mortal enemies Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness in a car for an hour or so. The resuly is entertaining, although it could have had a lot more bite.

Voyage of Time
dir-scr Terrence Malick; narr Cate Blanchett 16/US ***
Call this the logical next stage in the evolution of Terrence Malick: his swirling approach to natural history has eschewed even a hint of a plot to instead trace time from drifting bits of matter to, well, drifting bits of matter. With all of Earth's existence in between. It's often breathtakingly gorgeous, and there are some very clever touches. But it's also rather corny, and a bit obvious.

Paradise
dir Andrey Konchalovsky; with Yuliya Vysotskaya, hristian Clauss  16/Russia ***.
With a bold visual and structural style, Andrey Konchalovsky gives the Nazi deathcamp movie an eternal twist, exploring the actions and motivations of three distinct people in the face of unspeakable horror. It's a difficult film, somewhat simplistic in its morality and pushy in its themes. But it has a visceral power that can't help but strike a chord.

LFF 2: Tell the truth

The opening night red carpet at the 59th London Film Festival was interrupted last night by a group of activists protesting government cuts in programmes to help abused women. A rather appropriate action for the premiere of Suffragette, as cast members in attendance noted. The festival gets up to speed today with the first full day of programming - and it's my busiest yet, with four press screenings. Here are some more highlights...

Trumbo
dir Jay Roach; with Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren 15/US ****
It's a good thing this film has a sharp screenplay, since it's about one of Hollywood's most notorious screenwriters. Sharp, funny and cleverly resonant, this true drama explores a grim period in American history with intelligence and emotion. And it's packed with superb performances from a skilled cast.

He Named Me Malala
dir Davis Guggenheim; with Malala Yousafzai, Ziauddin Yousafzai 15/US ****
Filmmaker Guggenheim manipulates the audience with a rather jarring story structure in this documentary, choosing to place events in order to build the maximum emotional punch. But when the subject is this strong, the audience doesn't mind too much. And Malala Yousafzai is inspirational even without all of these cinematic flourishes... MORE >

The Club
dir Pablo Larrain; with Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers 15/Chl ****
Exploring a topical issue with invention and insight, Chilean filmmaker Larrain tells a haunting but magnetic story about disgraced Catholic priests caught in a kind of pergutory of self-deception. It's a stunningly clever film, packed with quietly pointed commentary and darkly involving drama.

Truman
dir Cesc Gay; with Ricardo Darin, Javier Camara 15/Sp ****
With vivid characters and a superb blend of comedy and drama, this story about two lifelong friends continually catches the audience off-guard, revealing layers of resonant detail that can't help but draw out a strong emotional response. It's a thoroughly likeable film featuring spiky characters who speak their minds. But it's what isn't spoken that carries the real punch.

Blood of My Blood
dir-scr Marco Bellocchio; with Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Lidiya Liberman 15/It ***.
Ambitious and assured, this Italian drama shifts between time periods to explore issues of morality and mortality through the filter of religion and, ahem, vampires. Using the same setting several hundred years apart, the film has an eerie, mesmerising quality that holds the attention, even if the plot isn't very easy to unpick.

Brand: A Second Coming
dir Ondi Timoner; with Russell Brand, Noel Gallagher 15/UK ****
Fast-paced and abrasively entertaining, like Russell Brand himself, this is a documentary about a man who throws himself into everything with wild enthusiasm. It demonstrates vividly how he wins over everyone he meets, against all odds. And it explores why the things everyone wants - fame, money, power - mean nothing and bring no happiness. So he has set out to disrupt the prevailing ideology.