Those LKFF reviews and Cinetalk

The festival was a great experience and the ICA hosted the event with class as always. If you fancy a break from the norm I would certainly recommend this festival, the programme was certainly diverse in its choices and I think everyone could find at least a few films here they would enjoy. You can read my reviews from the London Korean Film Festival here. The lovely people at Cinetalk have been posting them on their excellent website, so follow the link and have a gander!

The American

The American certainly is a film that transports you to another location, the Italian countryside that is. With the scenic aerial views of the landscape and intricate filming of the backstreets of an Italian village I was carried out of the cinema into the tense and muted world of an assassin undertaking his final assignment. With a beautiful snow filled and shocking opening scene I was drawn in from the start.

A captivating performance from George Clooney, with only snippets of dialogue throughout, the acting is of paramount importance as he leads you through a very lonely narrative. I am glad to say Clooney delivers. He plays a cool character with a vulnerable edge that makes him endearing and I was rooting for him to get the girl and save the day. With his brooding stare and intense gazing he leads the audience through a symphony of emotions.

This is Anton Corbijn’s second foray into feature film, the first being Control, and they are two totally different films; although the crafting of the music is tantamount in both. He builds the tension so well I was literally questioning every single person’s intentions. Considering the fact we are basically given no knowledge of Jack’s (Clooney) background, this film relies on the strength of the acting and we are given a well-crafted character piece with a European art-house ambiance.

This understated flick reminded me of the drawn out, seventies thrillers that have long since gone. A film that certainly has its place in modern cinema,  although perhaps not as fast paced an action film as you may be expecting from some of the trailers. Corbijn does deliver violence and pace, but in short bursts that pierce the otherwise uneasy silence of the bulk of the film. A handsome, suspenseful drama that had me biting my nails with suspicion.

The American is in cinemas from the 26th November.

Unstoppable

Unstoppable is a fast paced film loosely based on the true story of a train carrying toxic chemicals that travelled for miles unmanned. The film follows Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and Will Colson (Chris Pine) on their attempts to bring the runaway train to a halt.

Another Tony Scott/Denzel Washington collaboration is on offer here, and from the poster alone it is pretty obvious this is a straight up action film. Previous offerings were Deja-vu, which thoroughly entertained me and the magnificent Man on Fire. Unstoppable is on the same level as The Taking of Pelham 123 with the obvious comparisons of a tense, against the clock vehicle action movie.

For me, a great action film should look amazing, have some great one liners and not take itself too seriously. Unstoppable fulfils two out of three of those, falling down on the one liners front. The shots of the high-speed trains and the explosions are faultless, authentic and build up the tension extremely well. With a constant invasion of sound from the locomotive every time it is on screen you are immersed in the situation unfolding around you.

With Denzel Washington running across train carriages travelling at over 60mph like the T-1000 and fist in the air celebrations from the train control room at every high point, Scott plays the humour card at exactly the right times. The modern day constant media frenzy is brought to us by the mocking of Fox news and their ridiculous step by step accounts of the situation and irrelevant eye witness accounts. Interspersed throughout the film and used to show the developing circumstances Scott uses a vantage point that is frequently being shoved in our face via the news broadcasters.

I thought Chris Pine was excellent in Star Trek, so was looking forward to his performance in this film. Pine is believable in his role as a rookie conductor but with the out of control train getting the most screen time, there isn’t really much acting to judge. Washington and Pine have a good chemistry and the backstory to their characters is one that adds to the developing relationship between them.

Overall, a solid action film that delivers; slightly predictable but entertaining.

Out in the UK on 24th November. You can watch the trailer here

London Korean Film Festival

The fifth London Korean Festival starts today with The Man from Nowhere, a massive Korean hit from Director Kim Jee-won. The festival also features a retrospective of work from Jang Jin who directed Guns and Talks and Murder, Take One amongst others. The festival also features the best of contemporary Korean film. With 21 screenings at 3 different venues across London (Odeon Westend, Apollo Cinema, ICA) I have found a plethora of films that piqued my interest. Time restrains me from seeing them all but I will be going to see Harmony, Murder, Take One, The Servant, Secret Reunion, Bestseller and the magnificent looking The Housemaid.

The festival runs from 5th - 23rd November and you can view the schedule and book tickets here.
Reviews to follow soon.

Everything in Between: The Story of Ellipse

Imogen Heap made this film for her fans to be able to be a part of her mad method of album production. She explains how the DVD came about - "It all started with a fan sending in a request, asking if I could make a video diary when on my writing trip around the pacific. So, I took it with me as my only companion and spoke daily into the camera.” Her intelligence, creativity and eccentricity make this a joy to watch and I was so impressed with not only all the above qualities but her technical ability to do it all on her own.


This film begins with Imogen (Immi to her fans) head in her hands at a mixing desk struggling to reach her deadline for mastering. She wants nothing but perfection. We are then taken back two years and three months to her journey across the pacific where she wrote the bulk of her album, Ellipse, and then to her old family home where she builds her own studio and starts recording. Her music, played along to the movie, is masterful and beautiful and a fine accompaniment to this quirky documentary.

We are shown clips of her travels, her family, friends and manager's view on her creativity and music career that gives the viewer an interesting peak into her background and life growing up. With the studio being in her old family house we are taken back into her childhood memories, she explains how she spent most of her time in the playroom creating music and playing the piano which she so lovingly etched her name into to claim as her own.

By far the most interesting parts of this documentary are when we are given a view into the actual artistic process. Watching Imogen’s progression throughout the documentary you are transported into her world and life which is all about art and creation. Her inventive techniques are fascinating to watch, she uses the sounds of the house she lives and works in, makes her friends jump up and down and clap in time and a toy piano to add to the album concept. Her drive and determination never falters once she begins making her new album.

It is testament to her complete dedication to the arts that she screened this film at the Regent Street Cinema, coined as the birth place of UK cinema when in 1896 the Lumiere brothers put on the first public show of moving pictures. An original cinema organ was conveniently used by Imogen when there were technical issues with the film to entertain and add to the ambience of the evening. The cinema is currently being refurbished by private funding and aiming to be a place where both student and established filmmakers can showcase their work.

Click here to find out more about the refurbishment of the Regent Street Cinema.

By interacting with her fans over the last three years with fortnightly video blogs and twitter updates that included snippets of the album, Imogen has created more than a documentary; it is a modern and immersive way of making film that draws the audience into the process. It may be rough around the edges, but it is real and her fans will love it.