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.
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
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
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
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.
Emma Farley casts her eye over the latest happenings from the indie movie scene...
Sure, the awards season culminates in the Academy Awards which are a few months off yet, but anticipation builds up early with festival and critics awards. With a year of big indie releases, including Somewhere, The Kids Are All Right, Blue Valentine and Winter’s Bone, hopes are high that these films can maintain their buzz.
This week’s indie news
The nominations for the 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced earlier this week. With Black Swan, Blue Valentine, Let Me In, Winter’s Bone and The Kids Are All Right competing for Best Feature, could this hint at possible nods come Oscar time? Last year the number of films nominated for Best Picture was extended to ten instead of the usual five, so indies could start to receive the kind of coverage they deserve.
New releases:
In cinemas now – Easy A
This week’s cinema releases are severely lacking in indies. Easy A is the only major release that can be moderately described as ‘independent’. Sure, film studies has taught me that an independent film is anything made outside of the major studios, but it has also been argued that an independent film is only truly independent in terms of all of the major areas: finance, distribution, exhibition and content. Easy A doesn’t sound particularly independent when you think of it in terms of just another high school flick, but then you could say the same about the likes of Napoleon Dynamite, Donnie Darko and Brick, all of which are, without a doubt, indie to the core.
Easy A stars Emma Stone (Superbad, Zombieland) as Olive, a clean-cut high school girl who uses the rumour mill to advance her social status. The TIFF reviews were full of praise for Stone, throwing around words like ‘irresistibly charming’, ‘cross-generational appeal’, ‘charismatic’ and ‘immensely appealing’. I was quick to dismiss this film but when it’s released in the South West I’ll definitely be checking it out.
“Arguably the best teen comedy since Clueless.” - Chris Hewitt, Empire Magazine
Out on DVD Monday 25th October – The Game (BD), Beautiful Kate
Despite being a massive David Fincher fan, I have to admit that I haven’t gotten round to seeing The Game yet. From the look of it, it seems a bit Strange Days-meets-The Matrix with the whole game vs reality malarkey. Michael Douglas plays a wealthy businessman who receives a strange birthday gift from his wayward brother (Sean Penn) – the opportunity to take part in his own game, tailor made to fit his own fitness levels and experiences. However, things soon become rather tense as the game soon begins to take over his entire life.
“Regardless of how far one chooses to buy into The Game -- and the ending ambiguously suggests that it could go on and on -- there is no doubt as to Fincher's staggering expertise as a director and his almost clinical sense of precision.” - Todd McCarthy, Variety
Beautiful Kate marks the directorial debut of actress Rachel Ward and stars Rachel Griffiths (Muriel’s Wedding, Brothers and Sisters) in a tense family drama. Sally (Griffiths) asks her brother to return home to say goodbye to their dying father but once back at the family home Ned is haunted by memories of his twin sister.
“Beautifully acted and shot, this isn't comforting cinema but is bold and haunting, marking Ward out as a director of note.” - Laura Bushell - Little White Lies
Hot new trailer: Paul
Written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland), Paul is a sci-fi comedy about two British comic-book geeks who encounter an Alien on a road trip across America. The film is due for release in February 2011 and you can check out the production blog here.
Actor or filmmaker of the week: Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson may have the typical mother-of-a-teenager role in Easy A, but her career to date has been anything but typical. Having only really come into her career in the last decade or so, Clarkson has quickly overtaken Laura Linney as the go-to gal for interesting supporting actress roles.
Throughout the mid-1980s/early 1990s, she did a lot of TV work before making her way into mainstream features with the likes of Jumanji and Simply Irresistible. It was her supporting role in The Green Mile that made people sit up and take notice (the SAG nomination probably helped) and following The Pledge, she selected a variety of films that allowed her to make her mark on the indie film world: The Safety of Objects (2001), Welcome to Collinwood (2002), Far From Heaven (2003), All the Real Girls (2003). Her performance as Katie Holmes’ cancer-stricken mother in Pieces of April (2003) marked a major turning point in her career, earning her a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Clarkson then went on to make one of my favourite films, The Station Agent (2003), which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. Thomas McCarthy’s directorial debut is one of those rare films that manages to impress without being in your face and Patricia Clarkson’s revealing scene still packs a punch, even after watching it a dozen times.
In the last few years, Clarkson has dabbled in film and TV, appearing in Frasier and Six Feet Under, picking up two Emmys and another SAG nom for her role in George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck. Recent films include Dogville (2003), All the King’s Men (2006), the fantastic Lars and the Real Girl (2007), Shutter Island (2010) and two films under the directorial influence of Woody Allen.
Up next is Friends With Benefits, which sees her team up again with Easy A director Will Gluck and co-star Emma Stone.
Indie great you might have missed: Lars and the Real Girl
Continuing the love for Patricia Clarkson, I have to do my bit here to try and get some more people to see Lars and the Real Girl. Whenever someone asks me what it’s about, I always hesitate as a short synopsis rarely sells it: a socially awkward guy cuts himself off from reality and falls in love with a sex doll. To be honest, the plot put me off at first and it took me a while to take it seriously. I can’t even remember why I decided to watch it for the first time; it must have had something to do with my love for The Goz (Ryan Gosling to all you latecomers).
The concept could so easily have become something else (gross-out comedy, anyone?) but Nancy Oliver’s script is sincere and subtley sweet and Craig Gillespie has directed performances from his cast that are compassionate and moving. Clarkson’s portrayal of Lars’ psychologist is endearingly charming and Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer boost the film’s comedic elements as Lars’ brother and sister-in-law.
“The film, however, is not concerned with psychological explanation and, though superficially realistic, it's a moral fable exploring kindness, understanding, love and the acceptance of human diversity.” - Philip French, The Observer
Lars and the Real Girl was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (although I wouldn’t really call it a comedy) and received a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild for The Goz and the Writers Guild of America.
Emma Farley casts her eye over the latest happenings from the indie movie scene...
Film festivals are instrumental in spreading the word about the latest indie sensation. In fact, many recent big festival award winners have gone to massive success at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Oscars (Little Miss Sunshine, Precious, Fish Tank). This year has seen the Brits make their mark on several of the big name events: SXSW was one of the first with the likes of Four Lions, Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee and Harry Brown, TIFF screened 32 British films this year including early Oscar favourite The King’s Speech, Made in Dagenham and Submarine and Mike Leigh’s Another Year was in competition at Cannes.
This week’s indie news:
The BFI London Film Festival kicked off earlier this week with a screening of Never Let Me Go and will also screen such festival hits as Black Swan, Blue Valentine and Somewhere. I can’t make it to the festival myself but will be attending the Cornwall Film Festival 5th-7th November. I’m looking forward to seeing new Cornish shorts as well as the big international features which includes Red Hill, Restrepo and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.
You would be forgiven for thinking that in the wake of the abolishment of the UK Film Council, the future of British film is looking pretty bleak. Well, don’t start panicking yet as it has just been announced that Film4’s budget will increase by 50% next year. The production company was behind such hits as In Bruges, Happy-Go-Lucky and Slumdog Millionaire and helped launch Shane Meadows’ career.
New releases:
In cinemas now – The Social Network, Paranormal Activity 2
Already tipped for Oscar success, David Fincher’s The Social Network opened this weekend to rave reviews, with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw describing Jesse Eisenberg’s lead role as ‘perfect casting’. The Geek du Jour plays Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a film that traces the world’s most popular social networking site from concept to fame and fortune. Ol’ Trousersnake himself, Justin Timberlake, co-stars as Sean Parker and future Spidey Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin. At first glance, The Social Network seems a far cry from Fincher’s usual films (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac) but rest assured, this could be his most popular and successful film to date and may even ensure that the guy has a little gold man on his desk this time next year. Film4’s Catherine Bray has gone so far as to label it as ‘one of this year’s few truly essential films.’ You won’t want to miss it.
Released next Friday is the sequel to the popular found-footage indie horror Paranormal Activity. Katie Featherston is back in the lead role but writer/director Oren Peli has been replaced by Michael R. Perry and Tod Williams. The fact that Peli is only back as producer doesn’t bode well for the film as I’m not a fan of sequels being tackled by new crew – it all seems very ‘straight to dvd’ (Cruel Intentions 2, The Skulls 2, Dirty Dancing 2, Grease 2...) to me. I’m going to be skipping this one.
Out on dvd Monday 18th October – Frozen, Amores Perros (BR)
Frozen sees three skiers stuck in a chairlift, fifty feet above ground, when a resort closes on a Sunday evening. Not due to open again until the following Friday, the trio have to make a decision – jump or freeze to death. But as the night draws in, the wolves come out to play. Quel predicament! Much like The Poseidon Adventure and Open Water, Frozen is a tense, claustrophobic fight for survival that features the kind of situation we fear could really happen. First we had Psycho and showers, then Jaws and the sea, followed by The Blair Witch Project and the woods. Now, thanks to Adam Green’s grizzly thriller, we can add skiing to the list of things to avoid. Lovely.
If you fancy re-visiting a modern great next week, look no further than the Blu-ray release of Amores Perros (aka Love’s A Bitch). Watching dogs tear shreds of flesh off each other isn’t most people’s cup of tea, but this film is an interesting and engaging character study. A semi- pre-cursor to the Oscar-winning Crash, Amores Perros follows three different narrative strands which literally collide at the scene of a car crash. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Gael García Bernal, this Oscar-nominated drama launched the careers of two of Mexico’s greatest exports with its tale of dog fighting, love and loss. Hot new trailer: Blue Valentine
Festival favourite Blue Valentine stars Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Half Nelson) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Synecdoche, New York) as a married couple whose relationship is brought to the screen via flashbacks. I’m a huge fan of both Gosling and Williams and would watch them in pretty much anything. Blue Valentine sounds like my kind of romance – heart-breaking, honest and not remotely clichéd or formulaic. I couldn’t wait to see it since reading the first review from Sundance and seeing the early clip released. The trailer has confirmed my anticipation for the film and I hope it gets a wide release in the UK as I can’t wait for the DVD.
“Gosling and Williams, often shot in angled close-ups, give performances of such intimacy and intensity that, a times, it’s hard to breathe. The soundtrack makes especially good use of the bruised, wistful melodies of Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear. Blue Valentine has taken twelve years to bring to the screen: it’s been worth it.” - Sukhdev Sandhu, The Telegraph
Actor or filmmaker of the week: Jesse Eisenberg
I have seriously had enough of all the comparisons made between Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera and this is the last time I’ll mention Cera’s name in this week’s column (well actually, that was the last time, but you know what I mean).
It seems strange that this year BAFTA nominated him for the Orange Rising Star Award, considering he has been acting in feature films for the last eight years. At the age of 27, Eisenberg has often been stuck in the part of awkward, dorky teenager, following supporting roles in such indies as Roger Dodger, The Village, The Squid and the Whale and Cursed. He progressed to awkward, dorky graduate in Adventureland and Zombieland and now David Fincher’s The Social Network marks his first more mature role, although he still plays a social outcast. The release of Holy Rollers could see Eisenberg ditch his geeky persona for good, as he plays a Jewish guy who winds up lured into becoming an Ecstasy dealer.
Sharp, witty scripts written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick (Zombieland) and Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) have allowed Eisenberg to demonstrate his comedic talents but if he’s not careful he could wind up becoming the next ‘funny sidekick’ as opposed to the ‘leading man’. He hasn’t sold out thus far and I hope he continues his success while still making interesting and unconventional films. His upcoming projects include voice work on the animation Rio and the comedy 30 Minutes or Less, both of which are due for release next year.
Indie great you might have missed: Wendy and Lucy
Following the end of teen TV sensation Dawson’s Creek, Michelle Williams has carved quite the film career for herself. Considering she started out with the terrible Halloween H2O, it’s surprising that in the next ten years she covered a plethora of genres, working with Oscar-winning directors and critically acclaimed actors. Wendy and Lucy sees Williams carry a feature film pretty much alone. With little dialogue, minimal locations and a narrative that has the potential to seriously bum out the viewer, the young actress manages to convey a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation. Virtually alone, with nothing but her faithful four-legged companion and a kindly security guard for company, Wendy is on a mission to get to the other side of the country to find what she hopes will be a lucrative summer job. The problem is, her car is falling apart, she has no place to stay and she can’t even afford a tin of dog food.
Williams is a truly gifted actress, managing to communicate so much with a single look in a film without much in the way of a script. It is thanks to her that the film managed to perform as well as it did, as there are few actresses I can think of who could manage to play a not particularly likeable character with such a quiet and subtle intensity.
If you’ve managed to get to any of the London Film Festival screenings, let me know what you thought of them in the comments section. Or alternatively, if you’ve seen any indies (British or otherwise) at festivals that haven’t been mentioned, give them a shout out below...
I have seriously had enough of all the comparisons made between Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera and this is the last time I’ll mention Cera’s name in this week’s column (well actually, that was the last time, but you know what I mean).
Following the end of teen TV sensation