Because I love you all so much, here is my review for #CabinInTheWoods just incase you fancy seeing it at the cinema tonight. Plus a bunch of music and other stuff.
Posts tagged "liff"
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A Horrible Way To Die
(Dir. Adam Wingard)
Film #26 @ #LIFF10 is the first film in the festival that had a lead actor whom I was already familiar with, and as such, I must admit having a bias towards liking this film from the start. I can’t say with confidence that I’d like it as much if he wasn’t in it. It’s a great festival film that you wouldn’t see getting a wide release, as the plot jumps without warning in order to display the two main characters’ relationship. Although I guessed the ending, I was still pleased with how it turned out, and I anticipate picking this up on DVD if it finds a distributor.
4 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Catfish
(dir. Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost)
Film #24 @ #LIFF10 is a documentary about Nev Schulman, and the story of Nev’s relationship with an online girl, whom he’s never met. When he finally flies out to meet her, things take a turn for the strange. I had preconceptions going into this film that it was going to be a little more sinister than it actually was, but I think it ends up working out really well, as a sort of debunking documentary. I have to be honest, I’m still not sure how much of the film is staged and how much is fact, so, it really worked at intriguing me!
5 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Amer
(dir. Bruno Forzani, Hélène Cattet)
Film #25 @ #LIFF10 is a visually stunning French film that looks and sounds like it’s from the 70s, but unfortunately was made last year, and as such, the whole thing feels like it’s trying too hard. What starts off utterly chilling falls flat after 45 minutes and fails to pick up any momentum. What should be a tense finale just fizzles. I don’t want to be a pleb and say it needed more dialogue, or an A-B-C plot, but having less than three minutes of dialogue doesn’t help you get acquainted with the characters and make you fear for their lives.
3.5 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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The Last Employee
(Der Letzte Angestellte)
Film #19 @ #LIFF10 is a creepy little horror flick, reminiscent of the Japanese cult classic Ju-On. There were a lot of tense and chilling moments that had me on the edge of my seat, but sadly the finale wasn’t on par with what I’d come to expect. It ultimately just ended up being confusing as to whether the “grudged spirit” was actually a ghost, or something more sinister.
3.5 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City
(Zeburâman: Zebura Shiti no gyakushû)
Film #17 @ #LIFF10 is a spoof superhero movie filled with action and glorified violence, but not enough laughs. I found this film a chore to watch. More than two thirds was filled with monologues of exposition, and it took itself far too seriously for a spoof, with a transparant ending that can be seen coming almost from the start of the film. I didn’t want to dislike this film. It had a female supervilian, which is my favourite kind, but her plan for world domination was a little stupid and poorly executed. Even though I haven’t seen the first Zebraman, I thought it was a cop-out having the exact same alien “threat” come back to fight Zebraman for the finale showdown. It had a snappy soundtrack, but being brutally honest, “Zebra Queen’s” music career was a pale imitation of Lady GaGa. If you’re going to do spoof, go allout, like Austin Powers. However, this is Japan, and I can accept that their sense of humour is very, very niche.
5 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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The Angel
(Engelen)
Film #16 @ #LIFF10 is a touching story based on the true life of a mother, and how her life growing up lead her to the choices she made. It was difficult for me to understand the film, and not easy to watch and enjoy. It deals with abuse and drug addiction. I eventually decided that it’s sort of like a very bleak episode of the E4 show Skins, but about one girl. The film doesn’t have very many moments of light relief, but it does end with a positive message, and obviously since it is coming partly from the girl who actually grew up with this life, it’s all the more meaningful.
4 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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The Art of Negative Thinking
(Kunsten å tenke negativt)
Film #15 @ #LIFF10 is an extremely dark yet utterly hilarious comedy about a wife who invites a disability rehab group aiming to teach the art of positive thinking into her and her recently wheelchair-bound husband’s house. The husband is agressively against the idea, and over one day, his negative thinking turns the group against each other. Yet, in the end, it works out that the negative therapy has more benefits, as truths are revealed and relationships are broken down (as well as much of the house). A lot like the recent Channel 4 comedy Castaways where six disabled people were left alone together on an island, but on a much smaller scale. And I must add that it’s a very sick and depressing kind of humour that won’t be for everyone, but the audience and me enjoyed every minute.
4 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Upperdog
(Dir. Sara Johnsen)
Film #13 @ #LIFF10 is a typical, but nonetheless fresh Romantic Comedy starring a beautiful cast (gorgeous girls and even more gorgeous guys - especially the lead, who has a rather memorable nude scene that was blush-inducing yet very amusing). It has a rather simple boy-meets-girl plot that gets quite wonderfully intricate as seemingly unrelated characters are suddenly revealed to be connected. Things were so upbeat, that whenever a tense moment came along (one of the characters is recently back from the war), I was on-the-edge of my seat with dread that it was all going to go tragically wrong, as these misleading foreign comedies sometimes do! But I’m happy to report it still had an uplifting and touching ending. Felt like this movie could easily work for all audiences, as a good half of it is in English. Would definitely buy it on DVD if it’s lucky enough to be distributed over here.
4 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Kitchen Stories
(Salmer fra kjøkkenet)
Film #14 @ #LIFF10 is the first film I have struggled to form an opinion on. I’ve decided, if it had been British, I would not have wanted or attempted to sit through this film, but due to it being from Norway/Sweden, it had an added charm to it that, for me, made it just bearable. I felt it was trying too hard to be funny. The main characters are two middle-aged single men, and most of the plot takes place inside a kitchen. It wasn’t slapstick situation comedy, like the kind used a lot in Last of the Summer Wine (though if you enjoy that show, you’ll love this film), it just seemed too forced and alien to me. I definitely think this is aimed more at the over-24s. It’s set in the late 40s (I think), and I’m not usually a fan of films set before the 50s, so it just missed the boat, and as such, I did enjoy some parts, and thought it deserved 3.5 stars out of 5.
Source leedsfilm.com
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Pepperminta
(Dir. Pipilotti Rist)
I don’t know what to write about #12 of #LIFF10 - it’s not really your typical film; it’s very artistic, with some awe-inspiring scenes filled so much to the brim with colours that it would make even Dario Argento blush! It’s like a very extreme, very European, very adult version of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. I wouldn’t recommend this film to everyone, and I can definitely understand those out there who didn’t like it, but I loved it. The characters, the photography, the locations - it was a chaotic rollercoaster ride that you could not escape from, until the penultimate scene when Pepperminta sends off a gold-painted dead woman into the sky via ballons tied to a pink rubber dingy, and goes back to her “playhouse” to sleep in her bed.
4 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Lost Angels
(Dir. Thomas Q. Napper)
Film #11 @ #LIFF10 was the UK Premiere of a documentary about the residents of Skid Row in LA. I was surprised how empty the screening was, given we all had the pleasure of a Q and A with the director afterwards. I think if a documentary can draw you in and inform you on a subject you know nothing about, then it is successful. And Lost Angels succeeded brilliantly, letting the people who got out out of Skid Row, and those who are still living there, tell their honest stories. Rather than telling it from the point of view of how such a place needs to be cleaned up and the people need help, it showed how the ones who want the help are getting it in their own way, and that Skid Row is ultimately beneficial to the lives of the mentally ill homeless in LA. A side note: if you’re a fan of the TV show Southland you definitely have to see this film.
5 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
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Mundane History
(Jao nok krajok)
Film #10 @ #LIFF10 is a beautiful and artistic film about the cycle of life, and the story of a young man’s struggle to adapt to his disability. It’s a very slow burner, with sometimes confusing jumps back and forth in the timeline of the young man’s friendship with his carer, but as it nears the hour mark, something beautiful starts to unfold onscreen, and I felt very connected with the main character. I was going to give it 4 stars right up until the end, which although seems like a cheap bid to make the film meaningful, I couldn’t help but tear-up at. Highly recommend you all see this.
5 out of 5 stars.Source leedsfilm.com
