LFF 2016 Highlights Part 2

The BFI London Film Festival has come to a close after another year of some striking and wonderful films. Some brilliant films have already screened in the first week. Here is part 2 of the LFF 2016 highlights…

LFF 2016 Unmissable

Nocturnal Animals

Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals is a sumptuous and tense film. The director keeps viewers captivated throughout. Ford’s wonderful directorial debut A Single Man would have many keen to know what he would do next in the cinematic sphere. Despite the recess, this sophomore picture does not disappoint. READ MORE

Brimstone

Martin Koolhoven’s film is unrelenting and unforgiving. Brimstone can be difficult to watch, but it enthrals nevertheless. Brutish and bruising, Brimstone is a thriller that does not know when to quit. But make no mistake, this is a good thing. READ MORE

Lion

Garth Davis’ Lion is a genuinely emotional drama with great performances from its cast. Lion is an affirming story which does not shy away from some harsh realities. A fantastic watch. READ MORE

LFF 2016 Best of the Rest

Elle

Paul Verhoeven’s Elle absorbs, entertains, and intrigues. After a lengthy break, Verhoeven reminds viewers exactly why he is a great filmmaker. Based on the novel by Philippe Dijan, Elle is a curious and rewarding feature. READ MORE

Free Fire

After the disappointing High-Rise, Ben Wheatley impresses with Free Fire. The film is contagiously fun. Writer-director Ben Wheatley and co-writer Amy Jump have created a very entertaining film with Free Fire. READ MORE

Prevenge

Alice Lowe’s black comedy Prevenge is a fun watch. A quirky premise is transformed into an entertaining film. Writer, director, and star Alice Lowe has created an off-the-wall dark comedy with Prevenge. The premise is original and amusing, and the film itself follows suit. READ MORE

Lake Bodom (Bodom)

Lake Bodom (Bodom) is a very entertaining horror-thriller. The film defies expectations, in a tantalising way. Director and co-writer Taneli Mustonen has created an interesting horror thriller with Lake Bodom. READ MORE

The BFI London Film Festival ran from 5th-16th October 2016.

Film Review: Elle

Paul Verhoeven’s Elle absorbs, entertains, and intrigues. After a lengthy break, Verhoeven reminds viewers exactly why he is a great filmmaker.

After being attacked in her own home, Michèle seems to get on with her life. As she goes about her busy life, Michèle gets caught in a game of cat and mouse with the man who attacked her…

Based on the novel by Philippe Dijan, Elle is a curious and rewarding feature. The film combines drama, mystery and black comedy in its depiction of a woman in the aftermath of a traumatic incident. Given the opening sequence and its depiction of a brutal rape, viewers would be forgiven for thinking the film would be a bleak affair. Nevertheless, Verhoeven injects a surprising, and welcome, amount of humour into proceedings.

Part of the reason that Elle works so well is the characterisation of its protagonist. Michéle is a thoroughly interesting character. This is almost immediately obvious, in her dealing with the attack. The way in which she deals with this, as well as the other issues in her busy life, makes her intriguing to watch. This is heightened as more details about her past are revealed. Verhoeven creates an air of mystery around his protagonist in regards to her past. The director builds this uneasy tension over her involvement in past events which is very effective.

The mystery over Michéle’s attacker comes into prominence in the second half of the film. The reaction of Michéle makes her more enigmatic that before. Coupled with this is her relationship with her mother, which is frequently humorous, and those close to her. Elle functions as part character study, part mystery. Isabelle Huppert gives a brilliant performance as Michéle. She is ably assisted by Judith Magre and Laurent Lafitte.

Elle is the type of film that ruminates in the mind long after it concludes. Highly recommended viewing.

Elle is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2016.

BFI London Film Festival 2016 Launch

Today saw the launch of the BFI London Film Festival 2016. This year’s programme is bursting with cinematic delights. There are more galas than in previous years, and screen talk participants include Werner Herzog and Paul Verhoeven. Here are some of the films to look out for at London Film Festival 2016.

Headline Galas

The London Film Festival 2016’s opening gala A United Kingdom had already been announced, the Scorsese-produced, Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire looks like a lot of fun. Elsewhere, plenty of hotly anticipated films including La La Land, Arrival and The Birth of a Nation. Writer-director Nate Parker also stars in the story of an enslaved preacher who led a revolt in 1830s Virginia. Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals is also a headline gala. An adaptation of Austin Wright’s novel Tony and Susan, the film stars Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe stars David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o.

Strand Galas and Special Presentations

This year sees additional galas, which will take place on a purpose built venue on the Strand. They include The Handmaiden, from director Chan-wook Park. The film looks as sumptuous as Park’s previous film Stoker. Miles Teller stars in Bleed For This, based on the true story of boxer Vinny Paziena. Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq is the Sonic Gala. The hip hop musical features Teyonah Parris, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. Andrea Arnold’s American Honey and Ava DuVernay’s The 13th are among the special presentations this year.

Official Competition

Paul Verhoeven’s Elle is amongst the Official Competition at London Film Festival 2016. Staring Isabelle Huppert, the film is an adaptation of a Philippe Dijan novel. Terence Davies’ A Quiet Presentation is a biopic of Emily Dickinson staring Cynthia Nixon. Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, about a young man struggling with his sexuality in 1980s Miami, looks like a great watch. In the First Feature Competition, Porto sees one of Anton Yelchin’s final performances, whilst animation My Life As A Courgette looks like a lot of fun. David Lynch: The Art Life is among the contenders for the Documentary Competition, as well as The Graduation. The latter is a documentary about a prestigious film school in Paris. Chasing Asylum, about the Australian government’s immigration policies, seems very topical.

Strands

The Love strand features Lovesong, director So Yong Kim’s film about a lonely young mother. It stars Jena Malone and Riley Keough. Highlights in the Debate category include Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman. A Separation‘s Farhadi has already won awards at Cannes. Mindhorn features in the Laugh strand. The film stars Julian Barratt as a washed-up 1980s TV detective. Dare features Christine, starring Rebecca Hall as the notorious television journalist. Paul Schrader’s Dog Eat Dog looks to be a highlight of the Thrill section, with Nicholas Cage starring alongside Willem Dafoe. Another David Lynch connection (Cage and Dafoe starred in Lynch’s Wild at Heart), Blue Velvet Revisited, features in the Cult strand.

Cult also features I Am Not A Serial Killer, based on the young adult novel. The Innocents looks to be a highlight of the Journey strand. Anne Fontaine’s film is about a young doctor working for the French Red Cross in 1945. London Town, a coming of age film set in 1979 London, features in the Sonic strand. The Family strand includes Rock Dog, an animation featuring the voices of J.K. Simmons and Luke Wilson. Finally, Experimenta includes Have You Seen My Movie?; a must-see for cinema fans.

The full London Film Festival 2016 programme can be viewed here. The BFI London Film Festival runs from 5th-16th October 2016.

Film Review: RoboCop

José Padilha’s remake of RoboCop does not reach the dizzy heights of the original. Nevertheless, the film is an entertaining action thriller.

In 2028 Detroit, multinational corporation OmniCorp is looking for a way to introduce drones and automated law enforcement to America, following their contracts abroad. When Detroit cop Alex Murphy is critically injured, OmniCorp may have found a solution…

The director’s cut of Paul Verhoeven’s ultraviolent satire is magnificent. When the production of a remake was announced, what a remake would offer was questionable. Nevertheless, given that 27 years have passed since the original, perhaps a remake would raise fresh concerns.

This new version of Robocop is less of a dystopian parable than its predecessor. Whereas the 1987 film questioned contemporary concerns through a satirical yet horrific futuristic vision, this update is more concerned with modern issues played out in a near-current environment. The film features some of the same subjects; the omnipotence of corporations, the dangers of technological advancement, corruption. Yet these concerns have somewhat come to pass, to a greater or lesser extent. What this RoboCop shows us is what is occurring now, albeit in a hyperbolic fashion.

There is less of a nightmarish future in Padilha’s RoboCop. Without this sense of projection, the void is filled by the ethical question of the treatment of Murphy himself. This is of course dealt with in the original, but it is less wry and more explicit here. There is a focus on Murphy’s family that is absent from the 1987 film. This works to humanise the character, but it is not really  a change for the better. What is missing from this version of RoboCop is the relationship with Lewis. Anne Lewis is replaced by Jack Lewis, who plays a much less significant role. Gone is the strong female character, who fulfils an important non-love interest part in the original.

Given RoboCop‘s rating, it is unsurprising the violence is sanitised. The grimy ugliness of the city is replaced by a more clinical depiction. There is still plenty of shooting, but the film lacks the grotesque humour of the original in these scenes. Even the corporation seems to lack bite; the villainy here is more subdued. The Novak Element television sequences are a welcome addition. Special effects in this new RoboCop are great. The action sequences are executed well, even if the ending feels a bit anti-climactic.

Joe Kinnamen is suitably cast as Alex Murphy. The lack of depth to this character is made up by Gary Oldman’s Dr Dennett Norton. Samuel L. Jackson amuses as Pat Novak, whilst Michael Keaton seems to be having fun as Raymond Sellers.

RoboCop does entertain, and at times amuse. Nonetheless, it fails to provide any real commentary. This is not a insurmountable problem, taking this version of RoboCop as a stand-alone film. It pales, however, in comparison to its predecessor.

Trailer Round-Up

This week two new trailers have been released for upcoming animated features. The first trailer for remake Total Recall has also been unleashed, as well as a new trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator.

ParaNorman

ParaNorman is a new animated feature about a young boy who can speak to the dead. The film seems to be in a similar vein to Coraline, albeit with more humour and less terror. ParaNorman, which features the voices of Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck and John Goodman, is released on 14th September 2012.

Rise of the Guardians

Nothing to do with the owl film of a similar name, Rise of the Guardians is based on William Joyce’s book ‘The Guardians of Childhood’. The film is about a number of fantastical characters who team up in order to protect the world’s children. Rise of the Guardians features the voices of Hugh Jackman, Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin. The film is being released on 30th November 2012.

The Dictator

This week, the full trailer for The Dictator was released. It gives us more of an indicator of the plot for the film, and its not exactly what I was expecting. The film looks more like a traditional comedy than an outrageous satire. Hopefully Sacha Baron Cohen will provide plenty of laughs regardless. The Dictator was released on 18th May 2012.

Total Recall

The first full trailer for Len Wiseman’s remake of sci-fi classic Total Recall. Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 adaptation of the Philip K. Dick’s short story has a lot of fans, so it will be interesting to see the kind of reception this version will receive. Total Recall is released on 22nd August 2012.