Thursday 11 September 2014

2014 LONDON BFI FILM FESTIVAL: WoC Edition

The BFI London Film Festival is nearly here! I've gone through the programme to find all the films starring women of colour. There are admittedly a lot more than I was expecting including Girlhood, Honeytrap and the much anticipated Dear White People.  
**NOTE: film titles listed below are clickable and will redirect you to the BFI site where you can buy tickets once on sale. 

1. Girlhood  

Céline Sciamma (Water Lilies, Tomboy) continues her exploration of the effects of social conventions on delicately forming female identities in her triumphant third film. Sixteen-year-old Marieme (Karidja Touré) must navigate not only the disruptive onset of womanhood, but also the inequalities of being black and living in the underprivileged suburbs of Paris. Excluded from school and in fear of her overbearing brother at home, Marieme escapes into the shielding environment of a girl gang. She renames herself ‘Vic’ for ‘Victory’ and gives up on asking for the things she wants and learns to just take them. Formally meticulous, the film is divided into four distinct segments in which Marieme changes her physical appearance to suit the different worlds she must navigate (school, home, street). Each transformation magnificently captures the heavy burden that visibility and image play in Marieme’s life, whilst Crystel Fournier’s stunning photography that favours a distinctive blue palette ensures that Marieme remains a defiantly vital presence on screen even while it appears she is disappearing from society’s view. The jubilant soundtrack infuses the film with vigour and passion, from the opening juddering electro-goth of Light Asylum’s ‘Dark Allies’ to a full length lip sync to Rhianna’s ‘Diamonds’. With Girlhood Sciamma flawlessly evokes the fragile resilience of youth.
         

Adapted from a story by Doris Lessing, My Friend Victoria is a complex, poignant portrait of two young black women in contemporary Paris. The film follows them from childhood into adulthood, with the older Fanny narrating the story of her friend and adoptive sister. Aged eight, Victoria spends a night in the home of a wealthy white family; years later, she encounters them again and her life is changed forever. As Fanny and Victoria’s destinies take them in separate directions, the drama offers a distinctly fresh take on racial identity in contemporary France – and on questions of class, privilege and blinkered liberal racism. Superbly acted by newcomers Guslagie Malanda and Nadia Moussa, along with veterans Mouchet and Greggory, My Friend Victoria sees Jean-Paul Civeyrac returning to the LFF after his poetic, elegant Young Girls in Black (2010). His follow-up is an acutely intelligent achievement by a director whose time has surely come.

It’s a bold move to make your debut theatrical feature a modern day take on such a big theological ‘What If?’, and Debbie Tucker Green astonishes with this London-set drama, where the newest family member is neither expected nor biologically possible. Jax (Marshall) works in the welfare office, lives with tube-worker husband (Elba), and their sensitive, nature-loving son JJ who, on the cusp of manhood is constantly looking around him for cues on how to make this transition. It’s rare to see a woman on-screen who remains so taciturn in the face of inner turmoil and as Jax’s self-possession begins to frustrate her friends and family, the film ramps up the tension with Nadine Marshall’s performance creating one of the most unshakable characters in recent memory. Taking the ‘kitchen sink’ tradition of social realism to a fresh new place, it’s a film that lingers, and marks Green as an immediate new voice in British cinema.

Layla (Jessica Sula) is 15 and has been living in Trinidad. Returned to her estranged mother in Brixton, she is faced with settling into a new home and a new city with a fresh set of rules and codes. Unsupported by her mother and spitefully rejected by her female peers, she is drawn to the brooding Troy, who marks her as his ‘Trini princess’. When that fails, she takes solace in the friendship of Shaun, another admirer, but her desperate need for acceptance leads to a tragic betrayal of his kindness. Director Rebecca Johnson was inspired by real life cases and explores gang culture from a girl’s perspective. Moving beyond the headlines, Johnson gives us an intricately layered and rarely seen perspective – firmly located in the domain of a young girl becoming a woman in a hyper-masculine world. Sula’s performance here is flawless, perfectly capturing the agonising contradiction of Layla’s choice.


Shirin breaks up with Maxine, clutching only a strap-on dildo as she storms across Brooklyn. It’s hardly what polite society would deem appropriate behaviour – which is precisely what writer-director-star Desiree Akhavan sets out to challenge in her fearless feature debut. There isn’t an aspect of life that her protagonist, a twentysomething bisexual Iranian-American, can’t overcomplicate and sabotage, be it cultural, professional, sexual or emotional. Veering from desperate bed hopping to disastrous kindergarten moviemaking classes, Akhavan spares herself – and us – nothing of Shirin’s solipsistic neuroses. So it’s all the more impressive that her bracing honesty (‘You can’t keep playing the Persian card’ Maxine scolds) and deft, witty characterisations make for such engaging, empathetic company. The setting, subject and lack of inhibition virtually guarantee Lena Dunham (Girls) comparisons, but Akhavan’s ethnically and sexually specific search for identity onscreen marks out a topography and artistic voice very much her own.

On the run from her traditional Pakistani family, 17-year-old Laila, along with her boyfriend Aaron, has fled her home for the imposing landscapes of the Yorkshire Moors. As the couple attempt to forge an anonymous existence, unbeknownst to them two groups of men are on their trail, intent on catching up with the young lovers and exacting a brutal punishment at the orders of Laila’s father. Working with famed cinematographer Robbie Ryan (Fish Tank, The Angel’s Share), who captures the vast expanses of the Pennines to stunningly ominous effect, and boasting a devastating central performance by newcomer Sameena Jabeen Ahmed, Daniel and Matthew Wolfe’s hugely impressive debut is a complex and challenging piece of work. In many ways evocative of a British social realist take on John Ford’s The Searchers, with a near-noirish sense of pessimism and bleakness, the film’s observations on family dynamics, race and class are both brutally nihilistic and poetically affecting.

The setting of this haunting debut feature from Gabriel Mascaro is a remote village on Brazil’s northeast coast. Shirley (Dandara de Morais), a young woman from the city, has moved there in order to look after her ageing grandmother. She starts dating Jeison (Geová Manoel dos Santos) and gains employment from a local farmer. Filming his actors and the landscape with an unhurried, watchful sensitivity that reflects his documentary background, Mascaro creates an atmospheric portrait of life in this remote community, in particular charting Shirley and Jeison’s heady romance with seductive sensuality. He also introduces a note of disquiet with the arrival of a researcher (played by the director himself) to record the sounds of the changing coastal winds. It also becomes apparent that the village is facing the devastating consequences of global warming. A melancholy and visually sumptuous reflection on a threatened way of life.

Trouble is brewing at prestigious Ivy League Winchester College. The sole black-only fraternity is to be diversified, to the disgust of firebrand campus DJ Sam White (caustic host of ‘Dear White People’). So when Sam accidentally becomes hall president and word spreads of a rival white college’s ‘African-American-themed party’, she and her fellow black students must reassess where they belong in an alleged ‘post-racial’ Obama nation. Whereas many films that tackle issues reduce their characters to mouthpieces, Justin Simien’s razor-sharp satire makes all his protagonists thrillingly nuanced and conflicted. Visually inventive (the fourth wall regularly takes a pummelling) yet controlled, it’s in the idea stakes that Simien really lets fly, nailing cultural preconceptions of all colours. Early Spike Lee comparisons – notable School Daze and Do The Right Thing – are inevitable and somewhat courted, but Simien passionately makes his own case for provocative, relevant filmmaking: we’ve gotta have it.

In the deadbeat Iranian ghost town of Bad City, a lone female vampire stalks the streets at night searching for prey. One of the town’s residents is Arash, who through a series of events involving his junkie father, a prostitute and a drug-dealing pimp, encounters the enigmatic bloodsucker and an unlikely love story begins to unfold. Plot may well be secondary to the striking visual language of Ana Lily Amirpour’s arresting debut; its deliberately enigmatic narrative allowing for a superbly ambitious exercise in style and atmosphere. With its stark black and white photography, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is in many ways evocative of the works of Jim Jarmusch, although ironically it bears the strongest resemblance to his early masterwork Stranger than Paradise than it does his own recent vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive. But while Amirpour’s influences are clear, in her effortless blending of multiple genres and monochromatic evocation of a matriarchal underworld, her voice as a singular and exciting new talent is undeniable. If you only see one Iranian vampire western this year, make sure it’s this one.
10. Difret (TW: Rape) 

An affecting feature debut, Difret details the traumatic experience of an Ethiopian girl accused of killing a man who sexually abused her. On her way back home from school, 14-year-old Hirut (Tizita Hagere) is kidnapped by a gang of men and forced into marrying their leader Tadele. She is beaten and raped but manages to free herself, escaping with the rifle she uses to shoot her abductor. Arrested and charged with murder, local justice requires that Hirut is executed and then buried with her victim. However, on hearing about her case a courageous lawyer (Meron Getnet) decides to defend her – at great risk to her own career. Difret, which means ‘courage’ in Amharic, is a delicate yet impassioned story that offers empowerment and hope to countless women all over the world.
More films (not pictured): Beti and Amare, Self MadeWar Book and Labour of Love. 
Tickets go on sale at 10am on Thursday 18th September. You can see the full listing (and any films i've missed) as well as information about how to buy tickets on the BFI London FIlm Festival website 

Wednesday 10 September 2014

The problem with Hollywood

Hollywood sure has an easy time finding brown and black people to play terrorists, thugs, drug dealers, gangsters, servants, “barbarians”, hypersexualized or desexualized caricatures but all of a sudden you need a lead role and *tumbleweed* suddenly none can be found. This is even the case when a role specifically call for a person of colour and instead they are whitewashed and a white actor is given the role. 

I wrote a whole essay on the history and consequences of 'Whitewashing' or 'racebending' for my Film Studies A level  (for my american readers, A levels is pretty much senior year of highschool) which feels like forever ago. Anyways, it's pretty detailed and i got a sweet mark for it so give it a read if you're interested.


[CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO ESSAY] 

*note: some films mentioned in this article has been updated to make it more contemporary 


In conclusion, lets be clear. THEY give us the roles that make THEM comfortable.

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Dallas Buyers Club Film Review


Long story short: "In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease" (Source:IMDB)

Let me begin simply with wow. Wow. McConaughey and Jared Leto's astonishing transformations, and utterly brilliant performances in this film is not one i will soon forget. Never again will i doubt McConnaughey's acting ability, he is the centrifugal force of the engaging plot of an American tragedy (you know, 1970s-1980s early AIDS crisis- an Era that is too often forgotten about). There are also moments where he portrays Woodroof as being tough as nails, but then he can instantly shift gears into his emotional side. The comic relief aspects also come off completely natural, and paired with the seamless direction, lively dialogue and creme de la creme supporting actors makes this a fantastic film. WOW.

What's truly impressive is that this entire film was shot in only 23 days and Leto, in particular, said in an interview on the Daily Show, that he didn't have much time to rehearse, making the performance even more impressive. Leto plays the cross-dresser Rayton and provides not only a lot of the major comic relief, but he also brings the heart of the story. We are shown Rayon as this carefree, happy-go-lucky character, but eventually we are shown just deeply affected this disease brings him emotionally, and Leto brings all of this to the table flawlessly. 


The only detraction was Jennifer Garner as the doctor Eve. She barely projects the authority of a nurse, let alone a doctor, even though female doctors in the 70's (and maybe today) were viewed as second-class citizens. She did an OK job but with the thoroughly amazing acting that surrounded her, i just expected and wanted more. 


8/10



Sunday 29 December 2013

American Hustle Film Review


Hustle in to see American Hustle!

Long story short: "A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia." (Source:IMDB)

American Hustle lays out everything you love about the 70s: great hair, leisure suits, cocaine, and shattered dreams.
The film is built as the 2013 revival of the classic Scorsese gangster pictures like Goodfellas and Casino, but without the gangsters. It has the plot twists, the plethora of pop tunes, the conniving characters, the backstabbings, the high life, the low life, the disgruntled females merciless attached to crooked husbands, the stranded children, and so on. But it's new. Fresh out of the oven. Baked with wonderful performances and tight scriptwriting. And it has characters who inhabit the story and make it their own.

American Hustle is without a shadow of a doubt the best picture that David O. Russel could ever make, and that says a whole lot due to the caliber of excellence already under his belt. Its a sprawling epic of a crime movie that hearkens back to some of the greatest cinematic techniques utilized by Scorsese and Altman. Its a brilliant screenplay of sorts that only increases with cultural flair and dramatic tension with every frame. Its easy to really pin down the plot of the film since this certainly isn't the first time a movie has been made about successful and or unsuccessful con men in the midst of their "crime of the century". But what makes this movie shine the most is its performances, which are without a doubt one of the greatest of the year (12 Years A Slave is a worthy contender) . Also including perhaps the best cameo I've seen -not because of the cameo itself, but because of the meaning of the cameo.
Every single one of them--Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence--deserved their nominations. Bale is subtle and brilliant as Irving, the main conman. He is unappealing and dubious, yet you can't help but like him. His later soft heart towards Jeremy Renner's Carmine is icing on the cake for the dabbling in the gray area. Amy Adams shines, literally at times, as Sydney, Irving's con partner. She is the most volatile and hardest character to read for most of the film. Adams embodies the cocoon that Sydney has created with elegance and fiery deceit. Cooper is entirely convincing as the Richie, the FBI agent whose own ambition proves to be too much. Cooper brings the same electrifying energy he put on display for 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012), and doesn't miss a beat between howl of laughter of roar of frustration as his plans become convoluted to a maximal degree. Jeremy Renner is also an absolute winner as Carmine, the mayor, despite not receiving an award nod as of yet. Renner is the consummate politician, and you can't help but sympathize with his character (even though you wonder if you should be, 95% of the time). Last, but certainly not least, is Jennifer Lawrence's Rosalyn, Irving's hysterical, deranged wife. The hype around Lawrence's role is well-deserved, she solidified herself among the elite with this role. Each of her scenes brought laughs and anticipation as you awaited what sort of screwball situations her character would stir up next. Standing ovation to all of the cast on this one--you stand far high above the rest. 

 Many viewers claim to be confused and/or bored by the plot. This is a grievous misstep on their part, in my opinion. The brilliance of the plot lies in the thematic mists of the 'gray areas' if you pay close attention.  At the core, this movie is more than just a dazzling spectacle of throwback clothing and crazy hairstyles. It speaks to an era. It speaks to human emotion and ambition. It speaks to the world we live in today. It speaks sometimes with an infectious British accent and sometimes adroitly American. Most importantly, it speaks. Go out and listen to what it has to say (too corny?)

Seen the film? Tell me what you think!

Friday 6 December 2013

Another Carrie Film? WHY?!


it's all about the money!

Hollywood only wants to make films that are "pre-sold" nowadays, by this i mean recognisable "properties" such as sequels, re-makes, superheroes, board games, action figures, breakfast cereals, etc. Why? Well, The only explanation I can think of for all the remakes and sequels is that the studios have become risk-averse. So something new and original might be a success or it might be a bomb. Do the same thing as before/everyone else is doing and it's safer. And very dull.



Carrie(2013) is the 3rd film adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Was another film adaptation needed? absolutely not, but would you pass on the chance of guaranteed financial gain? because let's face it, if Stephen King's name is on it, it will sell. After the much-loved 1976 Brian De Palma adaption which is considered by not only my sister, but many others, as one of the best horror films ever made, other people have been cashing in on this Carrie gold mine (e.g. the broadway musical adaptation in 1988, a terrible and much unneeded sequel in 1999, a 2002 TV remake which intended as the pilot for a series that never happened and now this). 

"Why not?"
Because it is yet another remake, and don't say it doesn't count as a remake because it is an adaptation of King's book, because for much of the film it is a carbon copy of de Palma's classic.
So, why not indeed? Because it is yet another example of the devastating lack of imagination that runs rampant in Hollywood circles, for the same reason a new watered down version of Robocop is being inflicted upon the masses next year to shit on the original.
Just make some new films, it's not hard. There must thousands of brand new scripts lurking around in agents in-trays, propping up desks in studios, but we'll never see them, we will just get sequels and remakes and re-imaginings, because that is all Hollywood feels that we deserve.

I am not a "hater" of remakes
I'm all for remakes if they have something new to offer, or something new to say. I love both versions of "The Thing" and "The Blob" and the first two versions of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". BUT I am wary of all the lazy producers in Hollywood who do remakes for no other reason than the fact that they think it is a guaranteed financial success, or directors and scriptwriters who think a remake of a classic will resonate more with young audiences thanks to the addition of fart jokes or better CGI. If there is cynicism about remakes, it is well earned. I have zero respect for people who merely want to "have a go" and turn out what is essentially a carbon copy.

side note: Chloë Grace Moretz is way too pretty to play Carrie.

As always, you can leave your opinions below.

Monday 28 October 2013

Best Halloween Movies

Halloween is not just about dressing up, partying & enjoying stupid amounts of candy. If you're like me, Its a perfect excuse to just stay in by the fireplace and watch great movies fitting for the occasion - here are a few of my favourites.

Halloween (1978)
you have to watch Halloween on Halloween- it's like a law.
Modern horror movie started with this film. It tells the story of escaped mental patient Michael Myers, who returns to his hometown on Halloween night to stalk and kill a group of babysitters.
One of the most iconic horror films of all time 
which made Michael Myers one of scariest villains of all time. Although contain little to no images of blood an gore, it still remains one of the scariest horror films to date.

The Changeling (1980)
This is a real haunted house thriller thats sure to make you wet yourself a few times.
The first time I saw this film, I was about 8 years old and I'm not sure if I have slept right since.
Tells the story of a lonely musician, who loses his wife and daughter in a terrible accident, and then decides to rent an old mansion, only to find the house has a history of it's own. The film is paced well, set perfectly, and reveals a darker side of the bourgeois than most are willing to explore. A masterpiece.

Sweeney Todd (2007)
It's not Halloween without Tim Burton!

 Based on the hit Broadway musical, it tells the story of the infamous barber Sweeney Todd who invokes on the streets of London with his equally mischievous partner, Mrs Lovett.

A humorously, horrifying film masterfully executed as only Director Tim Burton can. Although not everyone's cup of tea (especially if you're not a fan of musicals), give it a chance, its an absolutely wonderful film.  


Other great Halloween movies:
Psycho
The Omen
The Addams Family + The Addams Family Values
Nightmare on Elm Street
Nightmare Before Christmas
Beetlejuice
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Exorcist
Ju-on: The Grudge
The Shining

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Michael Fassbender

                                                       
 
                                                       

                                                       

                                                     

Who's your favourite actor currently? without hesitation: Michael Fassbender. Not just for his impeccable good looks but also for his impeccable acting ability, whether it be playing the genius psychotherapist Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method or the compulsive sex addict Brandon Sullivan in Shame - Michael Fassbender can do it all.

Fish Tank (2009) is when I went "who the hell is that incredible actor, and why have I not seen him before??!" And so my obsession began. I have seen not-so-great movies with Michael Fassbender in them, but I have never seen Michael Fassbender be anything but great.

This is a man who is unafraid to do anything to give an honest performance. He always finds the humanity in every role and plays all of his characters with a reality. If we hate them, we don’t need to know why, we just need to see those eyes and we know who this person is. In a time when “understanding” becomes synonymous with “excusable”, where “villain” means “troubled”, Fassbender finds what actually lies inside of the heart then shows it to us, the outsiders.

You may have seen him in Shame, Hunger, Inglourious Basterds, A Dangerous Method, 300, Jane Eyre, Fish Tank, Prometheus, 12 Year A Slave, X-Men 1st Class. (See above images)


Can i just add that the bromanship between Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender is so bloody cute i can’t stand it (Michael stars in 3 of McQueen's films)
image
I mean
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really
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And lets not forget his love affair with McAvoy!


What are you opinions of Fassbender? Never heard of him? Shame on you! but seriously, if you haven't heard of this fine specimen then check out one of his films, you won't be sorry.