My reviews and impressions from the London Film Festival

[Michuk]

Guys, as promised I've put a thread in the festival coverage section about the London Film Festival. Here it is:
http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2680

I put my three reviews there and some shorter impressions from other movies I've seen. I'll be updating this thread with new reviews so you can refresh it once in a while.

Watched some 20 movies so far, 3 more days of the festival to watch some more. Missed Jarmusch's "Limits of Control" and Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant" -- those two I regret most, but I'm sure they'll be in the cinemas in London soon anyway. Also didn't see "The Road" which is a strong Academy Award candidate, as people are saying.

BTW, if you want to learn more opinions on the London festival, you can follow the Twitter tag #lff (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23lff) - it's a great way to keep in touch with others during festivals like those.

[Chris Knipp]

A SINGLE MAN. I see this is an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's well-known novel. Variety calls this an "impressive helming debut" for Tom Ford, and it is indeed amazing that a famous fashioin desibner would step into the writer-director role so successfully. I'll be very interested to see this. I rememer the novel well. i wouldn't disagree with your assessment of Colin Firth as having good performances in a variety of mediocre roles and films of late, but he has shown some distinction in classy English fare such as playing Valmont in VALMONT, Mr Darcy in the TV PRIDE AND PRUJUDICE, Geoffrey Clinton in THE ENGLISH PATIENT. And he had gay role in his early career in ANOTHER COUNTRY.

UP IN THE AIR. I don't know but you may be a bit hard on this, a bit condescending; and big festivals like the LFF aren't nothing but edgy stuff; however other reviews (Variety again) confirm that this is light and commercial. Anyway this has gotten excellent reviews, with especially high praise of Clooney but also of Vera Farmiga. Another one I will like to see. By way, it opens limited in the US Dec. 4, wide on Christmas day, a month ahead of the UK release.

LEBANON This was in the main slate of the NYFF so I reviewed it there. (http://) Don't know if I'd go so far as to say it approaches being a masterpiece; really I definitely wouldn't, and my review expersses my resevations. It has impact, but I believe BEAUFORT and WALTZ WITH BASHIER are both superior Israeli films about the 1982 Lebanan war. Compare: THE HURT LOCKER; the 1959 German film, DIE BRUCKE.

VINCERE. Again, I saw this as part of the NYFF main slate and reviewed it there. (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=22961#post22961) Not everybbody in NY liked it as much as I did, but I feel that the blending of different visual formats and sweeping music made for a glorious operatic view of history and makes it a treat to watch. Maybe I'm influenced by all the so-so Italian films I've watched over the past few years; in that context, I think this is a stand-out.

METROPIA. You might have mentioned that this was an animated film, specifically a computer-animated sci-fi feature. I gather this is interesting for its unique look, which is based on computer reworkings of photographs and blends Kafka with Philip K. Dick in its plot. Somehow I feel you did not give this the attention it deserives, even if it is not altogether a success.

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC Can't really comment. Could be interesting I guess.

I wish you'd been able to write more reviews, especially since you report seeing at least 20 movies. Is there a possiblity of any more being added later?

Anyway, I'm glad you managed to get to the festival and hope you can continue to cover it, maybe in more detail next time. I know you work and also got sick right at the start.

[Michuk]

I added a review of "Cracks" by Jordan Scott (Ridley Scott's daughter) and some 6 new short impressions on movies including Herzog's Bad Lieutenant's remake and "Ajami", the winner of "The Sutherland Award".

I'm planning to write more reviews. I've already written a review of "Lourdes" in Polish but need to translate it into English now. I may write a longer piece on some of the other movies I've seen like Ajami (great script, worse movie) or Metropia (just the other way around -- a complete failure plot-wise... think: Transformers II, so even if the visuals were mind-blowing, I could not really appreciate them. But I'll expand on that, hopefully).

I'm very busy doing 10 things at a time and trying to make a living in between but I can promise I'll try to cover a few more features...

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
UP IN THE AIR. I don't know but you may be a bit hard on this, a bit condescending; and big festivals like the LFF aren't nothing but edgy stuff; however other reviews (Variety again) confirm that this is light and commercial. Anyway this has gotten excellent reviews, with especially high praise of Clooney but also of Vera Farmiga. Another one I will like to see. By way, it opens limited in the US Dec. 4, wide on Christmas day, a month ahead of the UK release.

I watched the film about a month ago as part of director Jason Reitman's promotional tour of the film. I was highly impressed. It is a difficult film to fit neatly into any genre and yet, it is a film that one might call "commercial". However, the term implies certain negative connotations. The film has a 8.3 IMdb user score at this time and it will do well at the box office. Mr. Clooney has a fan base who will spread the word about his extremely charming turn here. He is playing a character who is not admirable (he is an expert in smoothly firing people) but the film gradually shows his vulnerability in a very credible way.

UP IN THE AIR is funny, but it is also dead-serious about the plight of the downsized and unemployed (who are never the target of jokes). There is also a romantic interest but the narrative does not follow typical "rom-com" trajectory. If "commercial' means that a film aims to appeal to a large public, that it is entertaining, and that it features a famous, charismatic actor at the top of his game, then I do not mind saying this is a commercial movie, a very good commercial movie.

[Chris Knipp]

UP IN THE AIR: We should have a separate thread for this film, Oscar, when it opens, which appears to be Christmas day. I can well believe that it is something in between sophisticated and purely commercial, and am expecting to like UP IN THE AIR. There is nothing wrong with a commercial movie being good, or a good movie being commercial. I'm all in favor of that.

Michuk: I'm glad you've been adding more review and catching up gradually on your extensive watching at the LFF and I will get to them and comment. I'm going to be watching METROPIA myself in connection with the SFFS Animation Festival next week, but I can see reviews are poor. This local animation festival may offer more of interest in the short films than in the features, which are a runoff from the LFF even to using FANTASTIC MR. FOX as the opening night special -- another star turn for George Clooney, who's MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS has just opened; his star shines bright at the moment, as never before perhaps.

[oscar jubis]

Given the number of viewing choices in town and the limited time, I will pass on GOATS. I am curious to read your review though. The two critics I read who reviewed it did not like it much.

[Chris Knipp]

I'm not sure I'll write a review. GOATS seemed to me pretty much a dud, despite the cast.