Weekend (18)
(Andrew Haigh, 2011, UK) Tom Cullen, Chris New. 97 mins
You could easily label this a gay Before Sunrise or suchlike, with its 48-hour, boy-meets-boy premise, but it deserves to be judged on its own merits. There's a beautiful naturalism to the way these two Londoners progress from random one-night stand to something deeper, through sex, drugs and revealing conversation. Despite the narrow focus, it speaks volumes about love, art and gay identity.
Tower Heist (12A)
(Brett Ratner, 2011, Us) Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda. 104 mins
With Murphy's coaching, an all-star cast storms the high-rise fortress of Ponzi tyrant Alda in what could have been a great comedy for our times, but ends up just a mildly enjoyable one.
In Time (12A)
(Andrew Niccol, 2011, Us) Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy. 109 mins
Stylish, if logic-stretching, adventure set in a future where time is money and nobody looks older than 25.
The Future (12A)
(Miranda July,...
(Andrew Haigh, 2011, UK) Tom Cullen, Chris New. 97 mins
You could easily label this a gay Before Sunrise or suchlike, with its 48-hour, boy-meets-boy premise, but it deserves to be judged on its own merits. There's a beautiful naturalism to the way these two Londoners progress from random one-night stand to something deeper, through sex, drugs and revealing conversation. Despite the narrow focus, it speaks volumes about love, art and gay identity.
Tower Heist (12A)
(Brett Ratner, 2011, Us) Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda. 104 mins
With Murphy's coaching, an all-star cast storms the high-rise fortress of Ponzi tyrant Alda in what could have been a great comedy for our times, but ends up just a mildly enjoyable one.
In Time (12A)
(Andrew Niccol, 2011, Us) Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy. 109 mins
Stylish, if logic-stretching, adventure set in a future where time is money and nobody looks older than 25.
The Future (12A)
(Miranda July,...
- 11/5/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Eddie Marsan shines as a traumatised ex-soldier whose flat is taken over by a drug dealer in a brutal film that is let down a little by amateurish execution
A fiercely committed performance from Eddie Marsan, and a nice chemistry with his young co-star Candese Reid, makes this movie worthwhile, though the mysterious parallel plot with Romola Garai as a troubled yummy-mummy creates a naive and sentimental ending. Marsan plays Frank, an ex-soldier who lives on his own, an alcoholic subject to anxiety attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder. Perhaps to find some redemption, or simply to relieve loneliness, he takes in a homeless teen runaway Lynette (Reid) and for a while they develop a touching friendship. But Lynette has a sinister boyfriend, and there is a strange ambiguity: is Lynette complicit in a manipulative scheme to exploit Frank's council flat? Or has she simply failed to understand how other people plan to manipulate her? This is a tough film, and it isn't perfect: it works best when Marsan is on the screen, and we are inside his agonised day-to-day reality.
Continue reading...
A fiercely committed performance from Eddie Marsan, and a nice chemistry with his young co-star Candese Reid, makes this movie worthwhile, though the mysterious parallel plot with Romola Garai as a troubled yummy-mummy creates a naive and sentimental ending. Marsan plays Frank, an ex-soldier who lives on his own, an alcoholic subject to anxiety attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder. Perhaps to find some redemption, or simply to relieve loneliness, he takes in a homeless teen runaway Lynette (Reid) and for a while they develop a touching friendship. But Lynette has a sinister boyfriend, and there is a strange ambiguity: is Lynette complicit in a manipulative scheme to exploit Frank's council flat? Or has she simply failed to understand how other people plan to manipulate her? This is a tough film, and it isn't perfect: it works best when Marsan is on the screen, and we are inside his agonised day-to-day reality.
Continue reading...
- 11/3/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Actor Eddie Marsan has made his name playing psychopaths and inadequates. So, asks Cath Clarke, where did he find all that rage?
'Look at me, I'm still shaking." Eddie Marsan holds his hands above the table in a sunny cafe around the corner from his house in west London. He's just been photographed – he might as well have spent the past 25 minutes being interrogated by MI5. He hates being photographed. Acting, he's fine, no problem. "I'm used to being in front of camera and knowing what to think. But if you're asking me to be me, I get very selfconscious. My job isn't to be me." He gulps back some coffee. "Being an actor, people think you can do a eulogy at a funeral, a speech at a wedding. I find all that very nerve-racking."
Marsan has been acting for 20 years; it took 10 of them to get regular work.
'Look at me, I'm still shaking." Eddie Marsan holds his hands above the table in a sunny cafe around the corner from his house in west London. He's just been photographed – he might as well have spent the past 25 minutes being interrogated by MI5. He hates being photographed. Acting, he's fine, no problem. "I'm used to being in front of camera and knowing what to think. But if you're asking me to be me, I get very selfconscious. My job isn't to be me." He gulps back some coffee. "Being an actor, people think you can do a eulogy at a funeral, a speech at a wedding. I find all that very nerve-racking."
Marsan has been acting for 20 years; it took 10 of them to get regular work.
- 11/2/2011
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Gossip and news from the London film festival's closing night gala – plus this year's Golden Pigeons
About last night
The Lff's closing-night gala was a teary affair. Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea, crowned by Rachel Weisz's awards-worthy lead performance, is beautiful, especially for admirers of brown, pub singalongs and vintage wallpaper. Yet the scene where Tom Hiddleston's Freddie hurls a shilling at Weisz's Hester is one of the most vicious acts of screen violence I've ever witnessed. The film is stylised, of course, but it's a style of which I'm very fond. You have to wallow in The Deep Blue Sea's romantic ebb and flow of love and hurt. Even more moving was Davies's tribute to outgoing Lff director Sandra Hebron, whom he reduced to tears with typically florid praise on behalf of all the film-makers "to whose films she's given an audience" over her decade at the helm.
About last night
The Lff's closing-night gala was a teary affair. Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea, crowned by Rachel Weisz's awards-worthy lead performance, is beautiful, especially for admirers of brown, pub singalongs and vintage wallpaper. Yet the scene where Tom Hiddleston's Freddie hurls a shilling at Weisz's Hester is one of the most vicious acts of screen violence I've ever witnessed. The film is stylised, of course, but it's a style of which I'm very fond. You have to wallow in The Deep Blue Sea's romantic ebb and flow of love and hurt. Even more moving was Davies's tribute to outgoing Lff director Sandra Hebron, whom he reduced to tears with typically florid praise on behalf of all the film-makers "to whose films she's given an audience" over her decade at the helm.
- 10/29/2011
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
Lynne Ramsay's drama starring Tilda Swinton fights off opposition from a strong shortlist to win best film at ceremony
• Lff awards: in pictures
Lynne Ramsay's bold and memorable adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel We Need to Talk About Kevin was named best film at the BFI London film festival awards on Wednesday.
The film is Ramsay's first in nearly 10 years and only her third since her breakthrough, Ratcatcher. At a ceremony in London her new film, which came out on general release last Friday, was named best film from a strong shortlist including Steve McQueen's Shame and Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea.
The director John Madden, who chaired the category's jury, said they had been struck by the "sheer panache" of a shortlist with "great storytellers".
He added: "In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film – a sublime, uncompromising tale of...
• Lff awards: in pictures
Lynne Ramsay's bold and memorable adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel We Need to Talk About Kevin was named best film at the BFI London film festival awards on Wednesday.
The film is Ramsay's first in nearly 10 years and only her third since her breakthrough, Ratcatcher. At a ceremony in London her new film, which came out on general release last Friday, was named best film from a strong shortlist including Steve McQueen's Shame and Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea.
The director John Madden, who chaired the category's jury, said they had been struck by the "sheer panache" of a shortlist with "great storytellers".
He added: "In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film – a sublime, uncompromising tale of...
- 10/27/2011
- by Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
The absence of this female-film-dedicated event will leave a void felt most by women film-makers and fans, just as the industry's gender bias is beginning to be addressed
Today should be a day of celebration for women in the British film industry. Scottish director Lynne Ramsay was awarded the best film prize at the London Film Festival last night for We Need to Talk About Kevin, described by this paper as a "feminist parable". The best British newcomer prize went to Candese Reid, a young female actor from Nottingham, appearing in her first film, Junkhearts. So far, so much to cheer about.
But there's disheartening news, too, with the announcement that the Birds Eye View film festival (Bev), a celebration of female film-making, will not go ahead in 2012 due to a 90% cut in its public funding. In light of last night's successes, this seems utter folly.
According to a statement issued by the organisation's director,...
Today should be a day of celebration for women in the British film industry. Scottish director Lynne Ramsay was awarded the best film prize at the London Film Festival last night for We Need to Talk About Kevin, described by this paper as a "feminist parable". The best British newcomer prize went to Candese Reid, a young female actor from Nottingham, appearing in her first film, Junkhearts. So far, so much to cheer about.
But there's disheartening news, too, with the announcement that the Birds Eye View film festival (Bev), a celebration of female film-making, will not go ahead in 2012 due to a 90% cut in its public funding. In light of last night's successes, this seems utter folly.
According to a statement issued by the organisation's director,...
- 10/27/2011
- by Pamela Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
Tilda Swinton's harrowing new movie We Need To Talk About Kevin has won the top prize at the London Film Festival (Lff).
The Oscar-winning actress stars as a mother coming to terms with the fact her son, Kevin, has committed mass murder at his high school.
The film, based on Lionel Shriver's 2003 novel of the same name, saw off competition from George Clooney's latest offering, The Descendants, to win the coveted Best Picture at the British Film Institute's (BFI) movie event on Wednesday night.
Judging panel chairman John Madden says, "In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film - a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love. We Need To Talk About Kevin is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema."
Actress Candese Reid won the British Newcomer award for her movie debut in Junkhearts, while Argentinian director Pablo Giorgelli scooped The Sutherland Award for Las Acacias.
Canadian director David Cronenberg and British actor Ralph Fiennes were awarded the festival's highest accolade, the BFI Fellowship.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as a mother coming to terms with the fact her son, Kevin, has committed mass murder at his high school.
The film, based on Lionel Shriver's 2003 novel of the same name, saw off competition from George Clooney's latest offering, The Descendants, to win the coveted Best Picture at the British Film Institute's (BFI) movie event on Wednesday night.
Judging panel chairman John Madden says, "In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film - a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love. We Need To Talk About Kevin is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema."
Actress Candese Reid won the British Newcomer award for her movie debut in Junkhearts, while Argentinian director Pablo Giorgelli scooped The Sutherland Award for Las Acacias.
Canadian director David Cronenberg and British actor Ralph Fiennes were awarded the festival's highest accolade, the BFI Fellowship.
- 10/27/2011
- WENN
We Need to Talk About Kevin, directed by Lynne Ramsay, won the Best Film at 55th BFI London Film Festival. The awards were announced Wednesday night.
On behalf of the jury, John Madden, chairperson said: “In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film, a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love. We Need to Talk About Kevin is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema”.
The award for Best British Newcomer went to actor Candese Reid for her role in Junkhearts.
The Sutherland Award went to Argentinean director Pablo Giorgelli, director of Las Acacias. This award is presented to the director of the most original and imaginative feature debut in the festival.
The Grierson Award for Best Documentary went to Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life directed by Werner Herzog.
On behalf of the jury, John Madden, chairperson said: “In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film, a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love. We Need to Talk About Kevin is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema”.
The award for Best British Newcomer went to actor Candese Reid for her role in Junkhearts.
The Sutherland Award went to Argentinean director Pablo Giorgelli, director of Las Acacias. This award is presented to the director of the most original and imaginative feature debut in the festival.
The Grierson Award for Best Documentary went to Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life directed by Werner Herzog.
- 10/27/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin Lynne Ramsay's British family drama We Need to Talk About Kevin, which stars Tilda Swinton as the mother of a young mass murderer, won the Best Film Award at the 2011 BFI London Film Festival (Lff). The Lff awards ceremony was held this evening in Central London; comedian Marcus Brigstocke hosted the event. Jury chair John Madden and fellow judge Gillian Anderson presented the Best Film award. The Best British Newcomer award went to actress Candese Reid for her performance in Tinge Krishnan's dark social drama Junkhearts. Edgar Wright and Minnie Driver presented the award. Pablo Giorgelli was given the Sutherland Award Winner for the Argentinean drama Las Acacias, described as "a slow-burning, uplifting and enchanting story of a truck driver and his passengers." The Sutherland Award, this year presented by Terry Gilliam, is given to the director "of the most...
- 10/27/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Best Film: We Need To Talk About Kevin – dir. Lynne Ramsay Best British Newcomer: Candese Reid, actress, Junkhearts Sutherland Award Winner: Pablo Giorgelli, dir. Las Acacias Grierson Award for Best...
- 10/27/2011
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
We’ve just been sent the winners list for The BFI London Film Festival 2011 and massive congrats to We Need to Talk About Kevin director Lynne Ramsay and all her cast and crew for winning the award. I’ll just make this post about the winners but I’m sure we’ll do a reaction post imminently. So watch this space. See see our review of We Need to Talk About Kevin, click here or here for all our Lff 2011 coverage.
Winners in a nutshell
Best Film: We Need to Talk ABout Kevin, directed by Lynne Ramsay Best British Newcomer: Candese Reid, actress, Junkhearts Sutherland Award Winner: Pablo Giorgelli, director of Las Acacias Grierson Award for Best Documentary: In the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life directed by Werner Herzog BFI Fellowship: Ralph Fiennes and David Cronenberg (as previously announced)
BFI London Film Festival Announces 2011 Award Winners
London – 10.30pm,...
Winners in a nutshell
Best Film: We Need to Talk ABout Kevin, directed by Lynne Ramsay Best British Newcomer: Candese Reid, actress, Junkhearts Sutherland Award Winner: Pablo Giorgelli, director of Las Acacias Grierson Award for Best Documentary: In the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life directed by Werner Herzog BFI Fellowship: Ralph Fiennes and David Cronenberg (as previously announced)
BFI London Film Festival Announces 2011 Award Winners
London – 10.30pm,...
- 10/26/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
London critic Matt Mueller finds three winners among the smattering of new Brit films unspooling at the London Film Fest. This year’s London Film Festival has played host to more than a dozen new British features, several of them world premieres. Many fall under the banner of the grim and uncompromising but instantly forgettable social-statement tracts that too many British filmmakers seem in thrall to, as if making your feature an unpleasant ordeal is the ultimate arbiter of artistic success. This year’s entries include Sket, a tiresomely misogynistic urban gang drama, and Junkhearts, the bitter tale of an ex-British soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress (Eddie Marsan) who takes a homeless girl (Candese Reid) into his flat with punishing consequences. Far more effective despite its disturbing ...
- 10/26/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
The BFI London Film Festival is the biggest film festival the UK has to offer, and one of the most prestigious and well-recognised festivals across the globe. This year, the festival is celebrating its 55th run, and it has an absolutely fantastic line-up of films scheduled to play through the festival, from 12th – 27th October.
We’re now able to share with you the shortlists for the festival’s various awards, along with the juries for each of those awards. More excellent news also comes with the announcement that the BFI will be honouring both writer-director David Cronenberg, who is bringing his film A Dangerous Method to the festival this year, and actor-director Ralph Fiennes, who will be bringing his directorial debut Coriolanus to the festival, with its highest honour, in the form of the BFI Fellowship.
On receiving the award, Cronenberg has said,
“This is a monumental, in fact overwhelming,...
We’re now able to share with you the shortlists for the festival’s various awards, along with the juries for each of those awards. More excellent news also comes with the announcement that the BFI will be honouring both writer-director David Cronenberg, who is bringing his film A Dangerous Method to the festival this year, and actor-director Ralph Fiennes, who will be bringing his directorial debut Coriolanus to the festival, with its highest honour, in the form of the BFI Fellowship.
On receiving the award, Cronenberg has said,
“This is a monumental, in fact overwhelming,...
- 10/4/2011
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This year’s shortlist is: 360 The Artist The Deep Blue Sea The Descendants Faust The Kid With A Bike Shame Trishna We Need To Talk About Kevin The shortlist for...
- 10/4/2011
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Junkhearts
Directed by Tinge Krishnan
Written by Simon Frank
Starring; Eddie Marsan, Tom Sturridge, Romola Garri, Candese Reid
Despite the London Film Festival’s global reach and cosmopolitan constitution, it also dedicates particular attention to indigenous product, providing a valuable outlet to low budget domestic British cinema to gain the attention it occasionaly deserves, with an opportunity to be seen on the big screen as intended through their New British Cinema festival strand. One of the films under this years banner is Junkhearts, an urban drama in which Eddie Marsan plays Frank, a lonely, alcoholic ex-soldier who seems to be sliding toward an early grave as he suffers Ptsd-induced hallucinations following a brutal tour of Northern Ireland some years earlier. When he meets and befriends the homeless waif Lysette (an impressive turn from newcomer Candese Reid) he seems to have found a surrogate for his estranged daughter, a single mother...
Directed by Tinge Krishnan
Written by Simon Frank
Starring; Eddie Marsan, Tom Sturridge, Romola Garri, Candese Reid
Despite the London Film Festival’s global reach and cosmopolitan constitution, it also dedicates particular attention to indigenous product, providing a valuable outlet to low budget domestic British cinema to gain the attention it occasionaly deserves, with an opportunity to be seen on the big screen as intended through their New British Cinema festival strand. One of the films under this years banner is Junkhearts, an urban drama in which Eddie Marsan plays Frank, a lonely, alcoholic ex-soldier who seems to be sliding toward an early grave as he suffers Ptsd-induced hallucinations following a brutal tour of Northern Ireland some years earlier. When he meets and befriends the homeless waif Lysette (an impressive turn from newcomer Candese Reid) he seems to have found a surrogate for his estranged daughter, a single mother...
- 9/28/2011
- by John
- SoundOnSight
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