LFF 2019 Highlights Part 2

With the 63rd BFI London Film Festival drawing to a close tonight, there have been a lot of wonderful movies this year. The best films of the first week can be viewed here. Below are the LFF 2019 highlights from the second week…

LFF 2019 Highlights – Unmissable

The Irishman

In a career positively littered with jewels, Martin Scorsese manages to surpass expectations once more. The film is a magnificent gem. The Irishman is an introspective study, with Scorsese pulling no punches where it counts. READ MORE

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

Midge Costin’s documentary Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound is as immersive as its subject matter. Midge Costin’s documentary Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound is as immersive as its subject matter. READ MORE

Judy & Punch

Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch is an impressive fairy tale. Boasting a distinctive atmosphere and strong performances, the film is an engrossing watch. Foulkes has delivered an original, creative, and compelling debut with Judy & Punch. READ MORE

LFF 2019 Highlights – Best of the Rest

Knives Out

Writer-director Rian Johnson’s murder mystery Knives Out is tremendous fun. The star cast are on great form in this very entertaining film. With Knives Out, Johnson plants several red herrings, offers up twists, and delivers a hugely enjoyable film. READ MORE

Waves

Trey Edward Shults’ Waves is tender, powerful, and finely executed. There are several emotional moments, and each of these is earned by the solid script, good character development, and the filmmaker’s considered direction. READ MORE

Family Romance LLC

Werner Herzog’s documentary style drama Family Romance LLC depicts a bizarre but fascinating phenomenon. The film is both amusing and disquieting. Herzog once again shows his flair for capturing the various shades of humanity. READ MORE

Sid & Judy

On the fiftieth anniversary of Judy Garland’s death, director Stephen Kijak has created a timely and engrossing documentary with Sid & Judy. The film effectively conveys Garland’s magnetism, and does not shy away from depicting the star’s personal struggles. A very entertaining documentary. READ MORE

Deerskin

Another one of LFF 2019 highlights is Deerskin. Writer-director Quentin Dupieux’s Deerskin (Le Daim) is absurd and entertaining. The film is a real treat. The film marries creativity and accessibility in an amusing package. READ MORE

The BFI London Film Festival ran from 2nd-13th October 2019.

Film Review: Knives Out

Writer-director Rian Johnson’s murder mystery Knives Out is tremendous fun. The star cast are on great form in this very entertaining film.

When Harlan Thrombey, a successful author and head of the Thrombey family, is found dead, the police begin an investigation. The detectives wish to interview each family member, to see what they know about his death…

Knives Out combines the old and the new in its rendition of the murder mystery. The film has the hallmarks of classic murder mystery. After all there is the secluded period mansion, the wealthy patriarch and the squabbling family, and the detective with a stellar reputation. Johnson plays with these tropes, sometimes referring to them explicitly, in his version of a murder mystery. He also brings a contemporary edge to proceedings. The film does not feel like a parody of the genre; Knives Out rather comes across as a film from someone who has admiration of what has come before. 

Johnson offers a fresh and engaging story. To begin with, it seems as if the film will follow the formula of several suspects and a detective attempting to ascertain the murderer. Yet in the first third of Knives Out, Johnson throws a curveball. The narrative veers off in a different direction, with a particular witness the focus of much of the film. This twist works well; viewers will not know exactly how much to trust, and indeed who else may be in on it. 

One of the highlights of Knives Out is the way in combines mystery with humour. The film is frequently funny, and there are some great lines. Humour is present throughout, and this does not diminish the mystery. It is a difficult tightrope to walk, yet Johnson manages it exceptionally well.

Set design in the film is wonderful. Nathan Johnson’s score is also great. Ana de Armas delivers a solid performance as Marta. The stellar ensemble cast are well cast, with Daniel Craig appearing to have a lot of fun with his role. Don Johnson, Toni Collette and Chris Evans are also great fun.

With Knives Out, Rian Johnson plants several red herrings, offers up twists, and delivers a hugely enjoyable film. 

Knives Out is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2019.

BFI London Film Festival 2019 Launch

This morning saw the launch of the BFI London Film Festival 2019. In its 63rd year, the festival is screening 229 feature films, including 28 world premieres. Here are some highlights from the festival programme…

Headline Galas

The opening and closing films for the BFI London Film Festival 2019 had already been announced. The festival opens with the European premiere of Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield. An adaptation of the Dickens’ classic, the film stars Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, and Hugh Laurie. Martin Scorsese‘s hotly-anticipated The Irishman closes the festival. There is an embarrassment of riches among the other headline galas, including Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, Marielle Heller’s (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, and Michael Winterbottom’s Greed, starring Steve Coogan and Isla Fisher.

Strand Galas and Special Presentations

This year, films screening as part of the Strand Galas include Robert Eggers’ (The Witch) The Lighthouse, starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. The Dare Gala is Mirrah Folks’ debut feature Judy & Punch, a fairy tale starring Mia Wasikowska. Among the Special Presentations are Takashi Miike’s First Love, and Bombay Rose, a hand-drawn animated feature from Gitanjali Rao.

Official Competition

Among the ten features in Official Competition at the London Film Festival 2019 are Haifaa Al-Mansour’s (Wadjda) The Perfect Candidate, about a young doctor who challenges Saudi Arabia’s strict social codes. Thomas Clay’s Fanny Lye Deliver’d stars Maxine Peake and Charles Dance, and is about a woman living with her puritanical husband in 17th century Shropshire. The Documentary Competition features Rubika Shah’s White Riot, about the Rock Against Racism movement, and Lauren Greenfield The Kingmaker, which focuses on Imelda Marcos. The First Feature Competition includes Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth, a drama starring Eliza Scanlon and Ben Mendelsohn.

Strands

The eleven thematic programme strands are back once more at the London Film Festival 2019. The Love strand includes La Belle Époque, Nicolas Bedos’ drama about an illustrator who uses technology to replay the past, and Ga-young Jeong’s Heart. The Debate strand is particularly strong this year with Citizen K (Alex Gibney‘s documentary on Mikhail Khodorkovsky), Chinonye Chukwu’s Sundance winner Clemency, Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, and Scott Z Burns’ The Report, starring Adam Driver. Comedies in the Laugh strand includes Billie Piper’s directorial debut Rare Beasts, whilst Wash Westmoreland’s Earthquake Bird in the Thrill strand stars Alicia Vikander in an 1980s Tokyo-set thriller. Cannes winner The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão is among the films in the Journey category.

The Dare strand features animated coming-of-age tale I Lost My Body and Václav Marhoul’s The Painted Bird, about a Jewish boy on a journey home during wartime. The Cult strand includes Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s The Lodge and Lorcan Finnegan’s Vivarium, with Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots. Also in this category is Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space, a HP Lovecraft adaptation starring Nicolas Cage and Joely Richardson. The Experimenta strand includes Brad Butler and Noorafshan Mizra’s Ruptures, whilst Create includes Midge Costin’s documentary Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound. Two highlights of the Family strand are Edmunds Jansons’ Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs and Lorenzo Mattotti’s The Bears’ Famous Invasion. Finally, classics that are showing as part of the Treasures programme include David Lynch’s The Elephant Man and Roger Corman’s The Masque of the Red Death, starring Vincent Price.

The BFI London Film Festival 2019 runs from 2nd-13th October. The full programme can be viewed here.

Previews: Oldboy Trailer, Knives Out, More!

A plethora of forthcoming cinematic attractions, including the Oldboy trailer for the 4k re-release, Knives Out, Spies in Disguise and more…

Oldboy Trailer

Here is the new Oldboy trailer. Director Park Chan-wook‘s classic gets a 4k restoration for its upcoming re-release. For those who haven’t seen the 2003 film, it is about an imprisoned businessman who seeks revenge. Oldboy will be released in selected cinemas on 2nd August 2019.

Knives Out Trailer

Here is the trailer for Rian Johnson’s upcoming Knives Out. The murder mystery takes place after a crime novelist is murdered at his estate. The film features an enviable cast that includes Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, and Lakeith Stansfield. Knives Out will hit UK screens soon.

The Art of Dancing in the Rain Poster

Above is the poster for The Art of Dancing in the Rain. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, the film is about a racecar driver and his relationship with his canine best friend. The film stars Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, and the voice of Kevin Costner. The Art of Dancing in the Rain will hit UK cinemas on 9th August 2019.

Spies in Disguise Trailer

Spies in Disguise is an adventure comedy about a suave spy who must team up with an awkward scientist. The film features the voices of Will Smith, Tom Holland, Ben Mendelsohn, and Karen Gillan. Spies in Disguise will be coming to UK cinemas soon.

A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Poster

Above is a Stranger Things-inspired poster for the upcoming A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. The film is about an alien who lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, and Shaun’s attempts to shepherd the alien home. A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is set for release in UK cinemas on 18th October 2019.

Film Review: Looper

Rian Johnson’s Looper is entertaining dystopian science fiction. It is not entirely satisfying, but does the trick overall.

In 2044, Joe is a Looper, ready to assassinate anyone who the mob of 2077 send back in time. When hired guns like Joe have their contract terminated, they find out by having their future bodies sent back to 2044 to be exterminated. When Joe’s future self gets sent back it triggers a momentous chain of events…

On the surface, Looper is very much like a cross between The Terminator and X-Men. Strong elements of these earlier science fiction movies are overt in Rian Johnson’s film. Johnson paints the future with the kind of dystopic imagery often seen in films of this genre from the 1980s.The film does make overt an overt reference to the styling, which perhaps acts as a metaphor for the narrative itself.

There is a distinct split in Looper from when Joe reaches the farmhouse. Prior to this, the film runs in the Terminator vein. With the change in scenery however, Looper appears to ape X-Men. The first half of the film is stronger than the second. The futuristic depiction and pacing in the first half makes the second half less satisfying.

With its allusions to the 1% and a corruption-led future, Looper feels very contemporary. Despite the bleak vision of the future, Johnson’s film is ultimately positive. The ending points to more traditional values, despite all that has preceded it.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt put in a solid performance as Joe, despite some distracting prosthetics. Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt offer good support. Pierce Gagnon is excellently cast as Cid, bringing the right sense of unnerving to the character.

Like some other time-travel movies, Looper throws up questions over plotting. However, the film is never dull. Looper is a enjoyable addition to the genre.

Looper is out on DVD and Blu-Ray from 28th January 2013.