Critical Week: It's my party

It's my birthday week, so I decided to go see a guilty pleasure movie (I'd missed the press screening while I was in France), namely Jackass: Best and Last. It was as ridiculous as expected, not quite as funny as the joke has been stretched to the breaking point. But these guys evoke an intriguing stream of nostalgia that's engaging. Then the week's best surprise was the Canadian comedy Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, an absurd time-travel adventure that's riotously funny and also hugely likeable thanks to actor-filmmakers Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Minions & Monsters
ALL REVIEWS >

Rather a lot darker, My Father's Island is a gorgeously shot drama set in a remote corner of Norway starring the excellent Swann Arlaud and Woody Norman. Nathan Grubbs stars in and directs the involving drama Cowboy, worth a look even when it goes a bit off the rails. And Amanda Richards stars in and directs the likeable and deliberately rude musical romp Whiskey Dixie and the Big Wet Country. I also saw Hideki Noda's −320°F at Sadler's Wells.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching the live-action remake of Moana, the reboot Evil Dead Burn, Willem Dafoe in Late Fame, Sean Bean in The Isolate Thief and the doc Shoot the People. There's also a live performance of Richard III at the Cockpit.

BFI Flare: Stand up and sing

More busy days at the 36th BFI Flare, as it takes over the Southbank centre with a flurry of movies, events and parties. I've particularly enjoyed the chance to chat with filmmakers, actors and other industry professionals during the social events, talking about films and also catching up on life after two years of virtual film festivals. Here are some more particularly strong highlights...

Moneyboys
dir-scr CB Yi; with Kai Ko, Yufan Bai 21/Tai ****
Chinese-born filmmaker CB Yi studied in Austria under Michael Haneke, and it shows in this drama's tightly controlled camerawork and willingness to travel to properly devastating places. Stunningly visual, the film was shot in Taiwan because its Chinese-set story would never fly with censors there. It's a gorgeously assembled film packed with vividly textured characters, settings and insights into human nature. And at its heart, it's an epic love story.

I Want to Talk About Duras
dir-scr Claire Simon; with Swann Arlaud, Emmanuelle Devos 21/Fr ****
With a script taken verbatim from a 1982 interview, this French drama offers a complex exploration of celebrity. It's also a riveting, disturbing firsthand account of a relationship with an artistic icon. Writer-director Claire Simon clearly relishes the contradictions in the story, which grapples with uneven connections between people who find themselves in a non-traditional romance. So while the film is talky and prickly, it's also thoughtful and provocative.

Bruno Reidal: Confession of a Murderer
dir-scr Vincent Le Port; with Dimitri Dore, Jean-Luc Vincent 21/Fr ****
Deeply unsettling, this French drama emerges directly from court documents and journals. Its clinical tone sets it apart from the usual true stories about murder, because this allows the film to dig under surfaces, finding authenticity that eerily contradicts the facts of the case. Filmmaker Vincent Le Port also has a remarkable visual sensibility, creating a period piece that is achingly beautiful even with its harsh and horrific angles.

Manscaping
dir Broderick Fox; with Devan Shimoyama, Jessie Anderson 22/US ****
Open and observational, this documentary explores traditional barbershops from perspectives that are both pointed and revelatory. Filmmaker Broderick Fox speaks to three inventive men who are challenging notions of toxic masculinity while lifting up anyone who has been told they were less than normal. By making clients feel welcome, these men are changing the world. And Fox skilfully shows how important it is to tell their stories with honesty.

BEST OF YEAR
Parallel Mothers
dir-scr Pedro Almodovar; with Penelope Cruz, Milena Smit 21/Sp ****
A layered melodrama about mothers and daughters, this film features another of Pedro Almodovar's astute collections of complex female characters. Without many of the filmmaker's usual flourishes, this is instead a soapy study of connections with some added Hitchcock-style tensions that are jaggedly emotional in nature. There's rather a lot going on here, sometimes perhaps too much to take in properly. But it carries a powerfully moving kick... REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked to Shadows' BFI Flare ANCHOR PAGE (this may take awhile as I'm a bit busy watching movies!)

For tickets and information, visit BFI FLARE