Sundance London 2013:The Look Of Love Review

Scorcese had DeNiro, Tim Burton has Johnny Depp and back in blighty Michal Winterbottom has Steve Coogan. The Look of Love is the pair’s fourth collaborative piece having stumbled upon a beneficial creative partnership on the set of 24 Hour Party People back in 2002. Coogan however will always be tied to a far greater partner, one that infects a number of his roles with or without his directorial mentor – Alan Partridge. We’ll have to wait until August to see his alter-ego’s first foray into the film world but the shadow of Norfolk’s number one DJ looms large over his incarnation of notorious Soho sex-industry king, Paul Raymond.

It’s a criticism often levelled at Coogan and one that can equally be taken as a compliment. So invested was he with his comic creation that he carries the traits, mannerisms and quirks into much of his own life, often spilling out onto screen. Fortunately here it is more appropriate than usual – Paul Raymond shared Partridge’s fondness for an innuendo, an inappropriate remark and a certain pronunciation.

We meet him towards the end of his life, facing questions from the assembled press outside an inquest for daughter Debbie’s fatal overdose in 1992. From there we travel back through Raymond’s ‘world of erotica’, taking in the humble beginnings of a lion taming/ strip show hybrid and knickers removed by dolphins, winding up at the acquisition of the Soho Revue Bar.

Endlessly pushing the boundaries of acceptability, his empire grew to encompass magazines – Men Only, Escort, Mayfair – venues, and no small number of Soho property establishing him as Britain’s wealthiest man. Peering through the glitter curtain, we bear witness to Raymond’s natural charisma - a born entertainer able to hold court with all comers, proving handy with the press and the fairer sex.

The camera invites us to glimpse the coming and goings of various partners, all approved by his understanding wife Jean (ably portrayed by Anna Friel) and his inevitable dalliance with class A’s – a habit he passes on to his much loved daughter, perfectly played by Imogen Poots, breathing life into her poor little rich girl role.

There are familiar faces everywhere, all sourced from the television comedy world; David Walliams as a seedy priest, his comedic partner Matt Lucas as a stage performer, the geeky one from The Inbetweners not exactly stretching himself as Debbie’s boyfriend and The Thick of It’s Chris Addison playing Raymond’s long-standing business partner.

The script itself comes from more British talent, Control scribe Matt Greenhalgh who overreaches in his ambition, stretching the 100 minute running time to take in 50 years of action, meaning years pass in montage form and details are lost in a blur of cocaine and orgies. A keener edit may’ve ironed out some of the slack and delivered a tighter, more focused finish to this tale of hedonism and dubious familial values.

As it is we are offered an interesting look at London through the ages, held up by a commanding performance by Coogan hinting at man at times plagued by, and indebted to his working class roots in equal measure. It’s a tale tailor made for the screen and with Winterbottom at the helm is one that should have soared. Sadly it didn’t, delivering a worthy but unspectacular biopic of a man and an industry who defined a neighbourhood.

★★★☆☆

Matthew Walsh

Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 26th April 2013 (festival date 25th April 2013)
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Cast: Steve Coogan, Anna Friel, Imogen Poots, Stephen Fry, Tamsin Egerton

Terracotta Film Club presents Wong Kar Wai's Days Of Being Wild This May

Terracotta Film Club will present DAYS OF BEING WILD for its May edition at the Prince Charles Cinema.

Terracotta organisers are proud to showcase one of the most acclaimed masterpieces of modern cinema from one of Hong Kong’s finest auteur directors, Wong Kar Wai.

DAYS OF BEING WILD features an outstanding ensemble cast including Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai and more, involved in a roundabout of fleeting emotions and unrealised relationships.

It also marks the first in a long collaboration between Wong Kar Wai and acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Wong Kar Wai's second film relates the story of a vain, amoral young playboy (Leslie Cheung) drifting through a series of casual friendships and affairs.

Christopher Doyle's exquisite cinematography and a lush, dreamy soundtrack, perfectly capture the mood of youth’s endless boredom over a long, hot summer in 1960's Hong Kong.

This screening is part of the Terracotta Festival’s IN MEMORY OF: Leslie Cheung & Anita Mui section. It will take place on Wednesday 29 May, prior to the official launch of the festival on Thursday 06 June.

Synopsis

An outstanding ensemble cast are involved in a roundabout of fleeting emotions and unrealised relationships.In the sweltering heat of a 1960’s Hong Kong summer, a layabout playboy Yuddy (Leslie Cheung), exercises his pastime of drawing women close to him then callously drops them at the last minute, under the emotional shadow of not knowing who his real mother is.The narrative moves from one character to the next; from one of Yuddy’s lovers (Maggie Cheung) to the new attention of her affections, a beat cop (Andy Lau) and back again to Yuddy and his latest squeeze. All the while, maintaining an incredibly visually detailed recreation of that era.Exquisite cinematography by Christopher Doyle and a lush, dreamy soundtrack, perfectly captures the mood of youth’s endless boredom over a long, hot summer.

Courtesy of Palisades Tartan

The New Trailer For UK Horror In Fear Reminds You To Drive Carefully

If your attending Sundance London over the weekend you  maybe checking out UK Horror In Fear promising to take home invasion to another level a car! Indie horror promises to bring back some of those scares we've been missing in some films recently and now we on the eve of it's festival's premiere we have the film's first official trailer.

Directed by Jeremy Lovering In Fear  tells the tale of an young couple heading to a country retreat to attend  a music festival only  find themselves targets of an unknown terror.

Despite the poor Imdb rating, the film has been grabbing some positive reviews especially from it's debut back in January at Sundance in USA. The film's premise makes this one an interesting film to check out and when the main cast themselves  don't know the outcome (director dripfed the cast the script) it builds up for an intriguing film.

Studiocanal are releasing this film in UK&Ireland on 30th August, no word on USA release just yet. In Fear stars Alice Englert and Iain Decaestecker.



source:Empire

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Michael Winterbottom Retrospective (The Look Of Love)

This indisputably underestimated Blackburn-born filmmaker has packed in a lot in a fifteen-year career. Looking at Michael Winterbottom’s folio, no genre goes uncharted: spanning everything from spoof documentary, eerie thriller to engaging realism.

In UK cinemas on 26th April, The Look of Love sees Winterbottom collaborating with Steve Coogan yet again, this time in a irreverent look at the life of Paul Raymond, controversial entrepreneur, nightclub owner and one-time richest man in Britain. The film co-stars Anna Friel, Tamsin Egerton and Imogen Poots, along with Stephen Fry and David Walliams.

To mark the release of the newest addition to his oeuvre, here’s a look at some of his best work…

Trishna (2011)

With Trishna, Winterbottom took Hardy’s Tess of d’Urbevilles and embedded it in modern India, using the narrative to document the tragic relationship between the son of a property developer and the daughter of a rickshaw owner. The story was shot in the Indian cities of Jaipur and Mumbai and stars the beautiful Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed as its leads.

The Killer Inside Me (2010)

Based on a 1952 novel by Jim Thompson, the film follows the pillor of a small community, Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford, beneath whose calm and rational exterior is a violent sociopath harbouring a dark past. Despite scenes of extreme violence shocking audiences, the film is a stylishly shot and a gripping, intelligent take on classic film noir, starring Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba.

The Trip (2012)

Winterbottom created an improvised six-episode comedy series filmed in the Lake District, in which a dissatisfied actor agrees to write a series of reviews for the Observer newspaper in order to impress his girlfriend, who unceremoniously dumps him at the start of the series. The episodes take place over a sequence of gourmet meals and stars Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan in a ferociously hilarious double act.

Genova (2008)

This little known gem is impeccably acted and full of subtle moments of beauty. The story is about a father (played by Colin Firth), who, following the death of his wife decides to start anew, moving to Italy to teach English at Geneva University, accompanied by his two adolescent daughters. Crammed together in a cosy but chaotic flat, the family of three learn lessons about love, life, death and family through the events which ensue, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the beautiful streets of Geneva.

A Mighty Hart (2007)

The brilliant, suspense filled docu-drama was based on the memoirs of Mariane Pearl and produced by Brad Pitt. It documents Marlene, played by Angelina Jolie, on the frantic search to locate her husband, missing journalist Daniel Pearle, who was kidnapped and murdered whist on an assignment in Pakistan. Jolie was critically acclaimed for her emotionally charged performance.

The Road To Guantanamo (2006)

This British docu-drama focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were captured in Afghanistan and held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge. The reception to the film was mixed due to the controversial subject matter and it’s portrayal of interrogation and torture techniques used the US Army. Nevertheless, Winterbottom won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival, and the film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Sundance Film Festival.

A Cock and Bull Story (2005)

Winterbottom’s adaptation of Laurence Sterne’s 18th century novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy is a film-within-a-film. It features Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing themselves as egotistical actors during the making of a screen adaptation of the novel. The book is about a man unable to write a novel, and the film quite aptly mirrors this in the men’s inability to make a film.

9 Songs (2004)

9 Songs revisits sex and rock n’ roll – two of Winterbottom’s favourite themes. The film charts the extremely full on, sexual relationship between an American college student and a British glaciologist, which sees the two lovers attending rock concerts in-between their intense physical encounters.

24 Hour Party People (2002)

This classic mock-u-mentary documents the 90’s ‘Madchester’ music scene. The narrative follows the career of Tony Wilson (played by Steve Coogan), a news reporter for Granada and head of Factory records. The film dramatises a combination of real events, rumours and urban legends to hilarious result, and features a fantastic Brit rock soundtrack featuring The Sex Pistols, Happy Mondays and Joy Division.

Jude (1996)

Featuring pre-Titanic Kate Winslet alongside the also relatively unknown Christopher Ecclestone. The film is another adaptation of a much loved Hardy novel, Jude the Obscure which is the well known tale of a working class man who dreams of becoming an academic, scandalising his small west country village by leaving his wife for his beautiful cousin. Critically acclaimed as an amazingly powerful and dark film.



The Look of Love opens in UK cinemas Today, 26th April

Sundance London: The Kings Of Summer Review

Oh for a teenage summer. Those long months that roll on forever, answering to no teacher, endlessly outside and bargaining new bedtimes. Remember those? Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts certainly does, and hopes you do too, recalling them with the misty-eyed nostalgia inflected in his coming-of-age comedy The Kings of Summer.

Set in the midst of a hazy summer holiday, his debut feature focuses on Joe Toy (Nick Robinson) – a high-school student dogged by parental rules and longing for the freedom adulthood brings. He’s not alone, best friend Patrick (The Big C’s Gabriel Baso) is similarly plagued by the incessant nagging and banal conversation a life under the parental home can bring. Breaking point is reached when Joe’s bitingly snarky dad, Frank (Nick Offerman) humiliates and grounds him (those two cardinal sins of teenage-hood) for the final time. With little persuading he enlists the help of Patrick, he too convinced an escape from the nonsensical questions from clueless parents is needed. A plan is hatched, an old-fashioned breakout. Not just any breakout though, theirs holds loftier ambitions.

Utilising their suspect DT skills, the pair set about building a house of their own, tucked away in the woods where, crucially, “nobody will find them”. A rule-free summer is on the cards with nothing to answer to other than their own whims.

Joining them is stock kook Biaggio – a bug-eyed curiosity the two are unable to shake off. Heavily indebted to Zach Galifianakis’ role in the Hangover films, his off-the-wall, zany oddball is plastered on a bit too thick and heightens the somewhat uneasy tone of the film. Is Vogt-Roberts going for laughs, or something a little deeper? There is of course nothing wrong with aiming for both but here there’s a distinct mismatch. Dreamy, Mallick inspired shots of nature sit uncomfortably side-by-side with strained, random one-liners thrown in at will and jarring with any established lightness of touch.

The coming-of-age film isn’t complete without a fight and we get one here, emerging over quarrels of the heart, with shared affection for female interest Kelly (Erin Moriarty). The ensuing tension gets twisted with the odd pacing of the film, characters changing drastically and far quicker than anything attributed to teenage hormones, with Joe suddenly resembling a Colonel Kurtz-esque wild man of the land.

True to adolescence, parents are an after-thought but the majority of sharp lines are saved for Offerman as the Parks and Recreation actor steals much of the limelight from the younger co-stars and box-ticking characters around him.

The criticism to be found lies with the pacing and tone, switching from one to another too quickly, leaving an at times somewhat confused effect, begging the question of what Vogt-Roberts was reaching for. Whatever it is, and despite moments of genuine promise, Kings of Summer falls just short.

★★½☆☆

Matthew Walsh

Rating: 15
Festival date: 25th April 2013
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Cast: Nick Offerman, Moises Arias, Nick Robinson, Alison Brie

Sundance London: Peaches Does Herself Review

An 80 year-old woman stands onstage, topless, clutching a dildo, and singing a song called ‘I love dick’. Welcome to the world of Peaches, and what an eye-opening world it is, full of breasts, genitalia, transsexuals, and orgies. The German singer and survivor of flash-in-the-pan, early noughties electroclash genre brings this collection of all things racy to the big screen in her debut film Peaches Does Herself, celebrating 10 years in the music industry.

Confined to an extravagant stage show, Peaches brings us a sexually charged piece of musical theatre loosely explaining how she came to be, from bedroom artist to the empowered stage-savvy queen of all things fetish. The mentioned nude geriatric is Sandy Kane, a former hooker, friend of Peaches and self-proclaimed oldest sex entertainer in the business who re-appears to perform an act that involves attaching matchsticks to her nipples and lighting them in a grotesque showing of her hardcore credentials. This comes as she battles our singing star for the affection of transsexual Danni Daniels – another member of Peaches ragtag gang able to perform both parts of her Shake Your Dicks, Shake Your Tits song. It’s that kind of show.

It’s not he first time a musical artist has gone down this road, Madonna, Prince and, most recently Vanessa Hudgeons have all flirted with sexual imagery for varying reasons. With Peaches however, you sense it’s far more genuine and there’s certainly nothing as coy as flirting going on here. Throughout her career, Peaches has embraced the seedier side of life and done so with a touch of humour and no lack of good songs, indeed she describes this project as a gift to herself to commemorate her decade of dirty pop. But perhaps that’s the problem with it as a film. There seems to be no filter process in this anything (and everything) goes production, tailored to Peaches’ own distinctive taste. The mooted narrative is slight at best and it’s in danger of resembling little more than a well soundtracked vanity project.

Dancers come and go without offering anything distinctive in the way of choreography, the sets aim to add an organic, home-made feel but come across as slightly cheap looking and nothing to worry Michel Gondry, while performances resemble over-the-top amateur dramatics.

Fans curious to see what she’s concocted will appreciate the musical breaks, the booming electronics and feverish guitars certainly benefit from the lush cinematic sound quality and the performances are the most exciting part of this project. At 70 minutes however, they may be better off just revisiting those albums and spare themselves some of the sights on show here.

★☆☆☆☆

Matthew Walsh

Rating: 18
Festival Release Date: 26th April 2013
Director: Peaches
Cast: Dannii Daniels, Sandy Kane, Peaches
Buy Tickets: Peaches Does Herself

Enjoy The UK Trailer For Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing

When your filmography is steeped in comic book movies and vampire hunting college girls, cabins in woods it's intriguing to see how they would cope with adapting William Shakespeare play to big the screen. Joss Whedon achieved this when in 12 days when he created Much Ado About Nothing and ahead of it's UK release a UK Trailer has been released.

Using the original sources text Much Ado About Nothing tells a chaotic tale of lovers and their journey to find that love together, a journey of wit and deception. When it came to High school English the Great bard was always on the agenda bringing boredom but also enjoyment to those who could appreciate his work with great effect. But put aside the academic feel to the movie and Much Ado About Nothing is actually a delightfully funny film. With the contemporary setting the film has a nice tone it and using a group of his friends some who have experience in similar production others first time look like they have delivered something refreshingly entertaining.

Much Ado About Nothing will arrive in UK&Ireland on 14th June (USA 7th) and stars Amy Acker, Emma Bates, Spencer Treat Clark, Alexis Denisof, Reed Diamond, Nathan Fillion, and Clark Gregg.

The Look Of Love Review

Whether recounting the autobiographical tale of a renowned public figure in 24 Hour Party People (Tony Wilson) or adapting the supposedly unfilmable novel which charts the life of a fictional character in A Cock and Bull Story, director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan are a formidable partnership when it comes to regaling an audience with what can easily be considered quintessentially British films. Winterbottom's latest offering, The Look of Love, marks their fourth collaboration and documents the life of Paul Raymond, a controversial entrepreneur who shot to fame in 60's Soho with his chain of strip clubs and adult publications, and his impressive rise throughout the 70's to the position of Britain's richest man.

Instead of focusing solely on the exploits that made Raymond infamous, The look of Love is an in depth character study that doesn't shy away from his roles as a father and husband, which appear far more demanding to Raymond than working in a profession associated with scantily clad ladies and readily available drugs. There are moments of bleakness throughout the screenplay (such as a stand out scene where Raymond meets his estranged son) but for the most part the decadence of the era, which is shown through the glamour and excess of Raymond and his associates, lightens the mood enough for Winterbottom's film to be an enjoyable diversion whether audiences are familiar with the story or not.

Alan Partridge aside, Coogan has never seemed more at home in a character than in his portrayal of Paul Raymond. Sleazy yet charismatic, Coogan is perfectly cast in the leading role and it is impressive to see him handle the more tender and heartfelt moments of this drama with an emotional depth rarely seen in his acting career. Throughout his life Raymond's obsession with women is ever prevalent;  his wife (Anna Friel) and his lover, Amber (Tamsin Egerton), both have a huge impact on him but none more so than the daughter he dotes on. Debbie (Imogen Poots) appears to be the only girl he cannot bear to be without and Poots displays a wonderful naivety when Debbie is plunged into her father's world of adult entertainment at a young age. Despite this it is Egerton's alluring performance that stands out, and as Amber seduces Raymond, the audience will inevitably follow suit.

As is often the case with Winterbottom's films, appearances by British comedy stalwarts such as Stephen Fry, David Walliams and Dara O'Briain provide welcome comic relief even if their screen time is limited, and in some cases it is disappointing that their characters are not utilised more.

Whilst The Look of Love is not quite as accomplished as Winterbottom's previous autobiographical efforts, it is still nonetheless a captivating study of the man fondly remembered by many as the King of Soho. Not all of the emotional notes will strike a chord with the audience but those that do will linger, and the relationship between Paul Raymond and his carefree daughter Debbie is a joy to behold. The Look of Love may struggle to find an audience but those who seek it out will be rewarded with a surprisingly moving autobiography that showcases Steve Coogan at his best.

★★★½☆

Tom Bielby

Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 26th April 2013
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Cast: Steve Coogan, Anna Friel, Imogen Poots, Stephen Fry, Tamsin Egerton

Joy Of Six To Host Live Google Hangout

New British Cinema Quarterly (NBCQ) in association with Shooting People, are pleased to announce that they will be hosting a live Google Hangout with a selection of the very talented directors of The Joy of Six.
The Joy of Six is a carefully curated package of six short films directed by emerging British talent and featuring an array of established stars, such as Dame Judi Dench, Peter Mullan and Tim Healy, as well as marking the directorial debut of Romola Garai..

The Google Hangout will be taking place on Monday 29th April with the following directors taking part; Douglas Hart (Long Distance Information) Dan Sully (The Ellington Kid), Chris Foggin (Friend Request Pending) and Romola Garai (Scrubber). In the week running up to the event, users will be able to submit their questions to the directors on Facebook.com/NewBritishCinema and on Twitter @NBCQ using the hashtag #JoyOfSix.

This is a unique opportunity for first time directors, University graduates and film fans to get a true insight to the world of short film making, providing the very rare opportunity to consult, ask for advice and be inspired by the attending directors.

Marking the countdown to the Hangout, five of the six films will be released for an exclusive 24 hour period on their Facebook page.

The Joy Of Six full programme: Long Distance Information (Douglas Hart), Man in Fear (Will Jewell), A Gun for George (Matthew Holness), Scrubber (Romola Garai), The Ellington Kid (Dan Sully) and Friend Request Pending (Chris Foggin).

THE JOY OF SIX now available on iTunes and DVD and here is the film's trailer....

BFI To Release Carlos Saura's Hauntingly brilliant Cría cuervos This May

One of cinema’s most hauntingly vivid depictions of a child’s fantasy-imbued reality, Cría cuervos is a darkly unsettling and deeply touching film which stands as a landmark of Spanish cinema. Released for the first time in the UK, on 27 May 2013, this BFI Dual Format Edition (DVD and Blu-ray discs) also contains an hour-long portrait of Carlos Saura (Carmen, Blood Wedding) and an on-stage interview with the director.

Shot in the summer of 1975 as General Franco lay dying, Saura's masterpiece takes its title from a sinister Spanish proverb: Raise ravens and they'll pluck out your eyes.

Eight-year-old Ana (the spellbinding Ana Torrent from The Spirit of the Beehive) lives in a mysterious mansion in central Madrid, cut off from the roaring traffic and urban bustle by a high-walled garden. Recently orphaned, she believes herself to have poisoned her cold, authoritarian father (Héctor Alterio), a high-ranking military man whom she blames for the death of her much adored, musically gifted mother (Geraldine Chaplin in a performance of exquisite tenderness). Now cared for, along with her two sisters, by her uptight, scolding Aunt Paulina (Mónica Randall), Ana has ample opportunity to observe the frustrations – emotional, sexual, and professional – of her adult female relatives. This is a world of secrets and lies in which only the family maid Rosa (Florinda Chico) will respond frankly to questions about sex or the Spanish Civil War.

Cría cuervos was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 1977. It enjoyed a highly successful BFI theatrical release in June 2011 when it received 5 star reviews.

Special Features

• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition;
• Portrait of Carlos Saura (José Luis López-Linares, 2004, 63 mins, DVD only)
• On-stage interview with Carlos Saura (2012, 23 mins, DVD only)
• Optional alternative English language soundtrack;
• Original theatrical trailers;
• Illustrated booklet featuring new essays and notes from Maria Delgado, Mar Diestro-Dópido and Michael Brooke.


Pre-Order/Buy Cria Cuervos:Dual Format Edition [DVD + Blu-ray] [1976]