Sunday, October 31, 2010

Indie-credible: Film festival brings a wealth of indie talent to Cornwall

Emma Farley casts her eye over the latest happenings from the indie movie scene...

Living in Cornwall and being an indie fan isn’t an easy task. Very few independent films make their way down to my neck of the woods, which is why I am proud to be on the committee of the Penwith Film Society (I have a say in the films that are shown in my cinema) and why I am grateful for the Cornwall Film Festival. For once, the new indie releases will be shown on time pretty close to home. I have been crazy busy this week with preparations for the festival and trying to balance it with the day job so this week’s indie-credible is just a shout out about the indie releases you need to check out in the next week. And please, show some love for your own local film festival and tell me what’s so awesome about it in the comments section.

Cornwall Film Festival
New releases:

In cinemas now – Let Me In, Another Year, Mammoth

Three awesome indie films are opening in cinemas this week; two of which will be playing in my area courtesy of the Cornwall Film Festival next week. Let Me In has surprised me with its popularity, both with audiences and critics. I’m usually against Hollywood remakes of successful foreign films but Matt Reeves’ vampire flick has enough of an indie edge make me give it the benefit of the doubt. For those of you not in the know, it is adapted from the Swedish novel Let the Right One In and is about a boy who is bullied and finds a friend in a girl who just happens to be a vampire. Of course, there’s a helluva lot more to it than that.
“Horror film, serial killer drama, revenge fantasy, or coming-of-age romance, Let Me In succeeds whichever way you want to look at it.” - Simon Reynolds, Digital Spy
Let Me In
Another Year, Mike Leigh’s latest dramedy, stars Jim Broadbent, Leslie Manville and Ruth Sheen in a film about love, relationships and friendships. The film follows an old married couple throughout one year in their life and the people who come and go. In an era where British cinemas are dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, it’s reassuring to know that filmmakers like Leigh can still make an impact.
“Makes you appreciate that there are still a few people out there for whom film is still a worthy artistic expression.” - Laremy Legel, film.com
Another Year
Lukas Moodysson’s art house film Mammoth features indie darling Michelle Williams and world cinema favourite Gael Garcia Bernal as a married couple who are dealing with a long distance relationship while the husband is working in Thailand.
“A remarkably subtle exploration of family in a time of capitalism.” - Christopher Null, filmcritic.com
Mammoth
Out on DVD Monday 25th October – Moulin Rouge (BD), Romeo + Juliet (BD)

The DVD highlights for me this week are the Blu-ray editions of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet. There are few films as well written, beautifully shot and passionately acted as these, and they feature some pretty incredible on-screen couples. My DVD buying habits have been a bit excessive lately so I’ve had to resort to putting these on the old Christmas list.

I hate having to wait

Romeo + Juliet
Emma Farley a.k.a. filmgeek

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