16 May 2011
We know summer is blockbuster season. I love me a good one. We don’t need to worry about missing any – the marketing muscle is immense. From comedies (The Hangover Part II) to graphic novel adventures (Green Lantern); and animations (Cars 2) to fantasy (Harry Potter). We are inundated with sequels and comic books. Not necessarily a bad thing if well put together (see already released Thor); but how about the indies and world cinema? Here are five to look out for:
Heartbeats
French Canadians, sexy solipsism. Envy. Heartache. Two best friends Francis (Xavier Dolan) and Marie (Monia Chokri) fall for the same androgynous guy. It is unclear if he likes either/both/neither. Is he aware of his allure? Or does he play on it? Ambiguity is key here. And all the more satisfying for it. Not only is attraction put under the microscope, but so is friendship. Intimately and precisely shot with vibrant colours, highlighting and contrasting the idea of two BFFs getting mashed up over love and lust.
Apocalypse Now
From love, to combat of a different nature. The re-issue of a masterpiece. You’ve seen it right? What! Get thee to the cinema this summer. The greatest war film of all time. Full stop. Based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, this adaptation transposes the novel to the Vietnam War and mixes in a truly remarkable cast: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper and Laurence Fishburne.
A wayward colonel (Brando) has gone missing and Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Sheen) is sent on a mission to terminate with extreme prejudice. And like Homer’s Odyssey, Willard is wrung through the mill along the way. Madness, surrealism and grandeur pervade the frame. Sorry to say this, they don’t make ‘em like they used to.
The Guard
Cinema is not all misery during the sunny months. We have a dark comedy set in Ireland. Brendan Gleeson’s local cop, Sergeant Gerry Boyle, is sucked into a crime spree involving drugs and murder, which goes international due to the scale of narcotics. FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) pairs up with Boyle, much to their mutual chagrin. A typical buddy comedy, fish-out-of-water, sweary crime caper might’ve ensued had the cutting lines not been delivered with such relish. For the cinephiles among you, there is a lot of in- jokes, which will test even the most knowledgeable.
With its dark funny heart there is a duality going on. I put it to the writer-director and star, that this movie appears to be populated with two sorts: the brainy and the polar opposite. Gleeson responded interestingly that he sees it as a divide between those that care and those that don’t. Check for yourself. One of the more fun treats from this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
A Screaming Man
The first Chad film to win a prize at Cannes has to be worth a look right? More than that, it was one of the best of the London Film Festival 2010. Beginning with a gentle idyll, a father and son work together as pool attendants at a luxurious hotel. In the background bubbling though is mounting civil strife, between rebels and government forces. The father, Adam (Youssouf Djaoro), was once an African swimming champion, and is greeted as such wherever he goes. Adam’s happy existence is crushed when the hotel decides that two attendants are unnecessary, and make him the security guard to the establishment’s entrance; though his son remains in the position. Without wanting to reveal too much, this sets off a chain of events looking at pride, betrayal and patriarchy. Quietly devastating,
Kaboom
Let’s end on a fun note. Gregg Araki’s latest involving sexual shenanigans at a university where Smith (Thomas Dekker) is massively attracted to his surfer room-mate, whilst also befriending and bedding London (Juno Temple). Lustful frankness and wit abound as partners swap and frustrations are discussed, all in the midst of a looming apocalypse. Sex and armageddon are a heady mix. Enjoy.
Heartbeats
French Canadians, sexy solipsism. Envy. Heartache. Two best friends Francis (Xavier Dolan) and Marie (Monia Chokri) fall for the same androgynous guy. It is unclear if he likes either/both/neither. Is he aware of his allure? Or does he play on it? Ambiguity is key here. And all the more satisfying for it. Not only is attraction put under the microscope, but so is friendship. Intimately and precisely shot with vibrant colours, highlighting and contrasting the idea of two BFFs getting mashed up over love and lust.
Apocalypse Now
From love, to combat of a different nature. The re-issue of a masterpiece. You’ve seen it right? What! Get thee to the cinema this summer. The greatest war film of all time. Full stop. Based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, this adaptation transposes the novel to the Vietnam War and mixes in a truly remarkable cast: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper and Laurence Fishburne.
A wayward colonel (Brando) has gone missing and Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Sheen) is sent on a mission to terminate with extreme prejudice. And like Homer’s Odyssey, Willard is wrung through the mill along the way. Madness, surrealism and grandeur pervade the frame. Sorry to say this, they don’t make ‘em like they used to.
The Guard
Cinema is not all misery during the sunny months. We have a dark comedy set in Ireland. Brendan Gleeson’s local cop, Sergeant Gerry Boyle, is sucked into a crime spree involving drugs and murder, which goes international due to the scale of narcotics. FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) pairs up with Boyle, much to their mutual chagrin. A typical buddy comedy, fish-out-of-water, sweary crime caper might’ve ensued had the cutting lines not been delivered with such relish. For the cinephiles among you, there is a lot of in- jokes, which will test even the most knowledgeable.
With its dark funny heart there is a duality going on. I put it to the writer-director and star, that this movie appears to be populated with two sorts: the brainy and the polar opposite. Gleeson responded interestingly that he sees it as a divide between those that care and those that don’t. Check for yourself. One of the more fun treats from this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
A Screaming Man
The first Chad film to win a prize at Cannes has to be worth a look right? More than that, it was one of the best of the London Film Festival 2010. Beginning with a gentle idyll, a father and son work together as pool attendants at a luxurious hotel. In the background bubbling though is mounting civil strife, between rebels and government forces. The father, Adam (Youssouf Djaoro), was once an African swimming champion, and is greeted as such wherever he goes. Adam’s happy existence is crushed when the hotel decides that two attendants are unnecessary, and make him the security guard to the establishment’s entrance; though his son remains in the position. Without wanting to reveal too much, this sets off a chain of events looking at pride, betrayal and patriarchy. Quietly devastating,
Kaboom
Let’s end on a fun note. Gregg Araki’s latest involving sexual shenanigans at a university where Smith (Thomas Dekker) is massively attracted to his surfer room-mate, whilst also befriending and bedding London (Juno Temple). Lustful frankness and wit abound as partners swap and frustrations are discussed, all in the midst of a looming apocalypse. Sex and armageddon are a heady mix. Enjoy.
