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.

Film Review: To The Wonder

Beautifully photographed, those who become immersed in Terrence Malick’s vision will find To The Wonder thought provoking. Those that do not may find the film a chore.

After embarking on a romance with Marina in Paris, American Neil asks her to move back to Oklahoma with him. Marina meets a priest who his struggling with his faith, while Neil connects with Jane, a friend from his childhood…

Director and writer Terence Malick tells his story through narration and visuals. Dialogue is present, but it is kept to a minimum. Even the voiceover is used sparingly, with Malick preferring to rely on images to move the story along.

The themes in To The Wonder are more potent than the narrative. The film concerns itself with love and faith. The theme of love is dealt with through Marina’s character, while faith is conveyed through Father Quintana. It is no coincidence that these characters dominate the narration. Likewise they are the most interesting of the four main characters.

To The Wonder explores these themes, without offering any firm judgement or opinion on them. Instead, the audience are left with their own thoughts. To an extent, Malick’s film lacks real substance. It is not imbued with concrete ideas, or an unambiguous narrative. The imagery and sometimes poetic narration allow viewers a form of escapism, even time alone with their thoughts on the themes. Those not engaged by To The Wonder may find this dull however.

Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is as beautiful as ever. He really makes the most of the natural light and the landscapes. There is some familiar imagery in To The Wonder; those who have seen Malick’s previous films should recognise this. Performances are good overall, particularly Olga Kurylenko’s Marina.

To The Wonder is not Malick’s best work, but it is an interesting forage into love.

Enter the To The Wonder competition to win a DVD bundle.

To The Wonder Competition

Win a DVD bundle to celebrate the release of Terence Malick’s To The Wonder in cinemas this Friday, 22nd February 2013.

To The Wonder is the latest acclaimed film from Terrence Malick, the legendary director of The Tree of Life, Badlands and Days Of Heaven. The film is centred on Neil (Ben Affleck, Argo), a man who is torn between two loves: Marina (Olga Kurylenko, Quantum of Solace), the European woman who comes to United States to be with him, and Jane (Rachel McAdams, Midnight in Paris), the old flame he reconnects with from his hometown. Neil’s doubts about his life and loves are reflected in the crisis of faith experienced by Father Quintana (Javier Bardem, Skyfall), who only sees pain and the loss of hope in the world.

In To The Wonder, Malick explores how love and its many phases and seasons – passion, sympathy, obligation, sorrow, indecision – can transform, destroy, and reinvent lives.

To win a DVD goodie bag courtesy of Studio Canal including Take This Waltz, Searching for Sugar Man and Blue Valentine answer the following question:

Which film did To The Wonder star Ben Affleck recently direct?

1) Fargo

2) Argo

3) Cargo

To enter, send an email to contact@iheartthetalkies.com with the answer, your name and full postal address by 12th March 2013. Please put ‘To The Wonder’ as the subject title.

Terms and Conditions

1. Open to UK residents only.

2. Competition closes at 23.59 on 12th March 2013. Entries received after this time will not be counted.

3. Winners will be selected at random. Successful entrants will be contacted via email by 22nd March 2013. If you do not here from I Heart The Talkies by this time, please assume you have not been successful.

Trailer Round-Up

While the Oscar-nominated films may already be out or due for imminent release, there are plenty of films still to look forward to this year…

Trance

Following 2010’s immensely tense 127 Hours, Danny Boyle returns with Trance. The film is a psychological thriller featuring an art auctioneer, a missing painting, a hypnotherapist and a criminal gang. Starring James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson, Trance is released in UK cinemas on 27th March 2013.

To The Wonder

As the above trailer exhibits, To The Wonder is teeming with the kind of beautiful images we have come to expect from director Terrence Malick. Starring Ben Affleck as a man torn between Olga Kurylenko and Rachel McAdams, To The Wonder is released on 22nd February 2013.

Sammy’s Great Escape

Sammy does not seem to have aged a day! Sammy’s Great Escape appears to be the sequel to A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures. The first film had a definite environmentalist angle, so it will be interesting to see the spin of this new film. Sammy’s Great Escape is in UK cinemas from 15th February 2013.

The Place Beyond The Pines

Ryan Gosling reunites with Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance in The Place Beyond The Pines. The crime drama features an all-star cast including Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper and Ray Liotta. The Place Beyond The Pines is released in UK cinemas on 12th April 2013.

Film Review: Days of Heaven

Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven is a sumptuous picture that offers the director’s trademarks. Days of Heaven is exquisitely filmed, and absorbing throughout.

After losing his job in Chicago, Bill travels with his young sister Linda and his partner Abby (who poses as his sister) in search of work. The group manage to find work on a farm in Texas, which is owned by a wealthy gentleman. When Bill finds out that the farmer is ill, he convinces Abby to marry him so that they can benefit from his fortune…

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Days of Heaven submerges the viewer fully into the period. The film appears utterly authentic in its setting. There is a curious mix of picturesque scenery and a grubbiness of reality. This is particularly true of the beginning of the film, as Bill works on an industrial site. The scene is grim with its dirt, yet it is still beautifully shot, testament to Malick’s attention to detail.

Days of Heaven features a story that has been told before, and since. Notwithstanding, the film stands out amongst its peers thanks to Malick’s superb execution. For example, the narration works well, owing in part to the choice of narrator. The decision to opt for a objective character to narrate gives the film a sense of balance. Although some of the characters have more questionable morals than others, but the filmmaker does not make strong judgements regarding this. Furthermore, there is an innocence to Linda’s narration that is endearing.

Days of Heaven has a timeless quality. This is in part due to the period setting. More critical than this, however, is the fact that nothing really ties the film to the late 1970s period it was produced in. The only thing that indicates the background of the 1978 film is the age of star Richard Gere. And in spite of the early twentieth-century setting, the themes are universal. This is particularly true of the observations on the rich and poor.

The film’s visuals are faultless. Malick engulfs his viewers in natural surroundings. Nature is so key to the film, which is depicted in part through the amazing microscopic shots. The imagery overall is fantastic, with the photography, lighting and art direction combining well. The beauty of the fields is contrasted effectively with later night scenes, which are striking in their use of colour and light.

Performances in Days of Heaven are also great. Sam Shepard stands out as the farmer, giving a suitably restrained performance. Richard Gere and Brooke Adams give solid performances as Bill and Abby, while Linda Manz also shines.

Days of Heaven is being screened at the British Film Institute from 2nd September 2011 as part of the Terrence Malick season, as well as selected venues across the UK. 

Film Review: The Tree of Life

Some will be utterly captivated by The Tree of Life. For others, it will be the longest 2 hours 18 minutes of their lives. But most will probably fall somewhere in between these two polemics.

Living with his parents and two younger brothers in 1950s Texas, Jack is on the cusp of adolescence. He has a sometimes difficult relationship with his father, which continues into his adult years. Over the course of time, Jack’s interactions with his parents and his siblings change…

To fully engage with The Tree of Life, an emotional reaction is really required. Without this, it is difficult to become involved with the film. Moreover, Terrence Malick’s film may feel overlong or meandering for those who do not feel an emotional response to it. Nevertheless, Tree of Life has many admirable qualities, which are enough to compensate viewers who do not feel a resonance with the picture.

Malick’s direction is sublime. He appears not to have overlooked a single detail. Every shot is carefully crafted; the care that went into making the film is palpable. Furthermore, with Tree of Life, Malick has extracted great performances from his cast, getting the best out of his actors.

There is something incredibly natural about the family at the centre of the film. Their behaviour, personalities and interactions with one another are completely convincing. The story seems incidental, but only because that is the way it has been fashioned. There is some nice contrasts between the central narrative and the more abstract elements of the film.

Tree of Life is comparable to an exercise in photography. Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki capture some absolutely beautiful imagery. There is a definite sense of awe with the shots of the planet and space. However, the cinematography is just as great in the intimacy with that it creates. Particularly in the scenes of Jack as a toddler and small child, the film produces some wonderful and authentic-looking shots.

Jessica Chastain is fantastic as Jack’s mother. She conveys the warmth of the character well, as well as her ethereal nature. Brad Pitt is also great as Mr O’Brien. His interaction with the boys is wholly believable. Hunter McCracken is excellent as the child Jack, offering an accomplished performance.

The Tree of Life should be seen on the big screen to truly appreciate the magnificent visuals. Those who find resonance in the film will likely be moved. Those who do not may be put off by the glacial pace. Even without a connection to the themes, Malick’s film is a worthwhile endeavour.

The Tree of Life Trailer

Here is the trailer for Terrence Malick’s eagerly anticipated The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. The film is released in UK cinemas on 8th July 2011.