Daily Archives: October 3, 2017

Trailers and News

Paddington 2 – Brand New Trailers & Clip!

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It has been almost sixty years since Michael Bond gave us the first story of Paddington Bear. The talking bear from Darkest Peru, who is sent to London by his great aunt to find a new home. Sitting at a train station with a label that reads, ‘Please take care of this bear. Thank you’. He is taken in by the Brown family who name him Paddington, after the station he’s found in. As part of the Brown family Paddington’s innocence and clumsiness send him on multiple adventures that make him part of the family, his community and placed him in the hearts of children for generations.

With multiple books and animation’s, it was not long before a feature length film would be made. Although met with initial cynicism about its CGI bear in a live-action setting, 2014’s Paddington was a success in every way. Transforming the heart and soul of the original stories to the big screen. Now, on November 10th, the adventures continue in Paddington 2 and we have a brand-new trailer to marvel at.

This time round Paddington, now happily living with the Brown family, tries to enter the work force. Seeing an antique pop-up book in Mr Gruber’s shop that he wants for his Aunt Lucy, he picks up odd jobs around London to pay for it. While out on a family trip Paddington and the Browns meet former star Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), who takes an interest in this antique book. When the book is stolen, the young bear is framed for the crime and it’s up to Paddington, his family and friends to prove his innocence and catch the real thief.

The trailer sees the young bear back to wreaking havoc wherever he goes, but all in good fun. With a window cleaning accident, hanging onto a flying swan and even being thrown in jail, the trailer has it all. With the same spirt of adventure, play and mischief that made the original so loved, Paddington 2 is looking to be a brilliant follow up.

Once again starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington. Joining the sequel are fresh faces Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson. The film also has the same behind the scene team as before with Paul King writing and directing. It looks as if King has again injected his own brand of humour and warmth into the film but excited viewers will have to wait until November to find out.

Could Paddington 2 be the best sequel of 2017?

Paddington 2 is out in November. 
Read our review of the first look footage! 

BFI London Film Festival, On The Short Film Circuit, Reviews

Hedgehog’s Home (Short) – BFI London Film Festival Review

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Hedgehog’s Home is a short, nursery rhymed film, featuring anthromorphic woodland creatures. Through stop-motion animation and puppets consisting of material, the film makers have created a very classic yet cautionary children’s tale.

Hedgehog, despite the honour he has earned, is laughed at by some wooden creatures for the love he has for his home. On visiting his friend Fox, he declines the offer to stay the night and walks home, despite the dangers. Fox believes Hedgehog must live in a castle to love it so and follows him to see it. On the way he encounters an evil Wolf, a greedy Bear, and a wild Bore. All follow to laugh at Hedgehog, but what they get is a Hedgehog who defends his honour and his home from their sneakiness.

A joint production between Canada and Croatia the short is written and directed by Eva Cvijanovic, based on a short story by Brando Copic and narrated for the screen by Kenneth Welsh. The short is told through poetic rhyme and stop-motion animation. Although model puppets are used, gone is the more traditional hardened materials and felt is used.

The short acts as a moral tale. We and the other creatures learn what Hedgehog already knows, which is the value of home. The creature’s interaction and story may be brief but this is a sweet and charming fairy tale.

If Aardman are the masters of Claymation, then these guys are masters of felt. Not only have they made appealing and realistic creatures with the material, they have given them life. With the finest fibres on the material always moving, as if in the wind, the characters feel alive throughout. Details, such as leaves blowing, jumping frogs and flowers blooming are greatly accomplished in this short. The animation far outdoes its narrative but this feels like a great opener for such animated skill.

The narration and mouth movements do not quite match up but this is not something that distracts from the quality of the film. Hedgehog’s Home will appeal to younger audiences who’ll learn to value humbleness and homee over great wealth, in this great message.

Boosting brilliant animation, that surpasses its short form. Yet this is still a classic and charming children animation, Hedgehog’s Home is simple but a joy to watch.

Hedgehog’s Home plays as part of BFI London Film Festival! 

BFI London Film Festival, Trailers and News

BFI Southbank October/November Seasons – The Highlights

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Are you looking for a dizzying array of wonderful films to keep you occupied this autumn? Of course you are, and that’s why you need to be hitting the BFI for their exceptional line up of world class talent.

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Following a sonic cinema preview of Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, with a Q&A featuring the lady herself, there’s something else taking place that you most certainly won’t hear the end of once we start on it this week; yes, it’s the London Film Festival, one of our absolute favourites. A dizzying array of shorts, hidden gems, and some big releases we’re just looking to eat up, such as Good Time, Ingrid Goes West (You can check out review here), The Florida Project and Blade of the Immortal. Not to mention a special members event with Vanessa Redgrave on her documentary Sea Sorrow, focusing on the refugee crisis, plus a special screening of David Fincher’s masterpiece Se7en, introduced by author Lee Child.

BFI Thriller will be treating us to their UK wide season Who Can You Trust?, it’ll be kicking things off with presentation of Coppola classic The Conversation, followed by specific strands: Can You Trust Them?, Can You Trust Her? and Big Thrill Double Bills, feature screenings of beloved classics The Silence of the Lambs and North by Northwest, as well as the UK premiere of the hotly anticipated The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This will all be running between 16th-30th October.

Following that, you can check out Good at Being Bad: The Films of Gloria Grahame, the stunning femme fatale who will be the subject of the upcoming films Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. The film will be previewed as part of the season on Tuesday 14th November, and you can check out screenings of The Big Chill and In a Lonely Place, the latter of which is a stunning film. The season opens on November 13th with an illustrated talk, Gloria Grahame: Femme Fatale Film Noir Icon, that explores her career, her legacy, and her relationship with directors like Frank Capra and Fritz Lang.

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Finally, we’re all guilty of being a little melodramatic at times, but it’s time to celebrate with the BFI’s season Tears and Laugther: Women in Japanese Melodrama. An opportunity for audiences to explore Japan’s Golden Era with a specific female focus, you can check out rarely screened classics like The Mistress, An Inlet of Muddy Water, and The Blue Sky Maiden, as well as spotlights on their wonderful stars, including Setsuko Hara, Machiko Kyo and “The Japanese Bette Davis” Kinuyo Tinaka. You can check out this amazing stuff between October 16th-29th November.

As always, the BFI have got you covered for all your extravagant film needs. There’s some beautiful stuff you don’t want to miss, and stay tuned for our coverage of the ever excellent London Film Festival, starting this week.

Find out more.

 

BFI London Film Festival, Reviews

Cargo – BFI London Film Festival

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Dramas often send us to the depths of the human spirit: The scraping and aching desperation that one will eventually feel in our lives. That moment where you aren’t sure who or what to turn too as the world comes crashing down around you.

There are artists who have made a career of this hopelessness. Mike Leigh  and Ken Loach are auteurs of this depressing craft, crafting the pathetic nature of humans in all it’s glory and in an evoking way. Gilles Coulier brings his own  style of human sorrow to the big screen with sea-faring drama Cargo.

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Cargo revolves around a three-generational family of fisherman, living and working together on the rough see. When the grandfather is thrown overboard, either by accident or by attempted suicide, he is left in a coma and his eldest son Jean has to rally the business around. Unfortunately for him, the boat and company are left in ruin as the industry is dies out. With his brother Francis looking after Jean’s son and hiding a secret love, and the convicted William storming back into their lives, Jean struggles to balance his priorities and soon the pressure begins to crash down on him.

Coulier has crafted, at times, a soulful vignette on a family struggles and how each of them cope. The acting is brilliant and gruff, led Sam Louwyck who is the near stoic and solemn leader of the family. It is  Wim Willaert who steals most scenes with his wide eyed and earnest pain, anguished in aiding the family, harbouring this illicit secret, and dealing, emotionally and physically, with his father’s accident. In fact, it really is Francis the film should be focusing on as his snippets are far more engrossing and poignant.

Gorgeous wisps from the foam-laden sea and as roar of the waves mirror the turbulence going on within the family. Wonderfully set against the backdrop of Belgium port , Coulier’s  grey and blue colouring adds to the mournful setting.

It’s beautiful.

But, it is bleak. Encroaching and unnecessarily dull in the torment of the brothers. It is pain, slow and unfolding pain that somewhat lessens the impact because that’s all there is  – sadness. And the sea. Sadness and the sea. The sea and sadness. Fitting everything they can into the story for it to be as miserable as possible. It becomes tedious after a while as more beats to this tale washes over you.

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Look, I get it: Life is misery. Life is pain. Life is one bleak moment to the next I believe that bleakness does have a place on films. After all, we live in a world where struggles are daily, weaved in the lives of every person you’ve met. But at the same time, misery mixes with happiness.  People in the depths of their despair are celebratory, are loved, and survive. Whether Cargo accurately showcases this in moments of joy through father and son (on this point, the scenes between Vico and Jean showcase paternal love in it’s purest form,) or lover to lover interactions  is debatable.

After all the burdens, could this family find completion? Or failing that, retribution?

Perhaps the hope is there.

Cargo is at BFI London Film Festival. Find out more