Christmas was months ago but with the arrival of Nik Fackler’s film Lovely, Still, the holiday feel is still present. Bring your Kleenex, the film’s like The Notebook but for the older person.
Ash loves music and his tunes are brilliant (who knew bhangra drum and bass had such a large following). He dreams of one day breaking away from his oppressively traditional parents and DJing to massive crowds. His friends are all first generation British Asians and each are facing difficulty in juggling the two lifestyles they lead.
Another disturbing classic from some of the best known names in Korean cinema. I Saw the Devil starts screaming and finishes kicking. Kim Jee-woon has included everything from secret agents to cannibals and with terrifically bloody fight scenes, torture that would make the inmates of Guantanamo Bay writhe in fear and amazing performances all round this is not one to be missed.
2010’s Cannes Jury prize winning A Screaming Man attempts a raw, emotional inspection of the human condition pushed to breaking point. Retired swimming legend Adam, battles personal demons while around him the Chad civil war tears his home and country apart. Writer/director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun presents a raw and uncompromising perspective of a man struggling beyond his means.
Water for Elephants is a strange beast, trying to be a whimsical blockbuster whilst seeming to long for a lot more action. If you marry the physical beauty of Robert Pattinson with the cerebral Christoph Waltz, add a pinch of Witherspoon and throw in a circus set, voila you have one gigantic melting pot of a movie that delivers some beautiful cinematography, a little whimsy and a whole lot of violence.
Barry Munday is a feel-good rom-com premised on genital mutilation. Potentially offensive on two entirely different levels then, it’s no surprise that this is probably one to miss.
An old goatherd struggles through his last days on the job, a baby goat struggles with his first. Le Quattro Volte is a look at the ever-turning cycles of life and nature, set in the old world of rural Italy.
On paper, this film looks ruddy good. The story of three brothers torn apart by their part in the Algerian war for independence from French rule – it’s the sort of film that uses the words passion, destiny and tragedy in its promo, a lot. I like that – I’m all for having my heart ripped out and smashed up in front of me. However, despite the heart-breaking, tumultuous relationship between France and Algeria, this film lacks one of its advertised elements – passion.
One for the art house scene, (pending an over-blown Hollywood remake starring oh, I dunno- Morgan Freeman and Thandie Newton) the absorbing The First Grader is making waves amongst the limited release crowd and gaining teary-eyed buzz on this year’s festival circuit.
Snipe London
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