In a few short weeks London’s cinemaland cloaks itself in the finest festival garb as the 55th BFI London Film Festival comes to the capital.
Tickets go on sale today so click here to uncover the treasures on offer and then click here to buy all the tickets you can.
I’ve picked out a few films I can’t wait to see and hope that the choices inspire you to take a look at what’s playing as this year’s festival continues the tradition of an eclectic selection with broad horizons making up for the lack of premieres on offer.
Here are my choices, let me know what you’re looking forward to.
Dominik Moll takes on a true literary classic with his adaptation of Matthew Lewis’s The Monk. Vincent Cassell appears perfect casting for the magnetic, complex Ambrosio and I have high hopes that Moll walks the line between complete devotion and fanatic hysteria which makes the slow corruption of Lewis’s novel so potent.
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Famous for his unique adaptations of folk tales the director Michel Ocelot is perhaps best known for his Kirikou films, and he brings his new compilation of six fairy tales to London this year with Tales of the Night. The striking animation style, one of many Ocelot has used in his career and last seen in Dragons and Princesses a year ago, will be shown in 3D, and what I saw in the preview clip was enough to convince me to check this one out.
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A stern looking Michael Fassbender implores you to see one of his two films at the festival, here with Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method or reuniting with Hunger director Steve McQueen for a dose of Shame. I tried to find a trailer for Shame and failed utterly so I’ve put the one for A Dangerous Method in below – both look interesting but for my money McQueen’s second film will be the one to catch. Or watch both. Watch both twice if you want.
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The long awaited adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s compelling novel from Ratcatcher director Lynne Ramsey has played very well on the festival circuit and comes to London with great expectations. John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton lead this harrowing tale of a family coping with a high school shooting. Ramsey joined the project, which had already been in development for a number of years, after her ties to the adaptation of The Lovely Bones were cut. While it would have been fascinating to see her vision of Alice Sebold’s novel it is doubtful it would have had the impact and reaction Ramsay has enjoyed with this film.
As part of the Time Out screening there will be a Film in Focus event in which Lynne Ramsay, her co-writer Rory Kinnear, producer Luc Roeg and Director of photographer Seamus McGarvey will be discussing the film. You can find out more about this event and book your place right here.
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You’ll want to see this one. Just give the trailer a watch and see if your cockles aren’t warmed. Winning at Cannes and charming the stone cold hearts from cynics across the world this slice of silent Hollywood looks the business and is a definite one to make time this October.
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Director Yorgos Lanthimos won international acclaim for his 2009 film Dogtooth and his follow up film looks to be continuing his provocative and unconventional take on the world with a group of disparate people coming together under unusual circumstances. Death and the darkest comedy are sure to abound.
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I’m hoping the trouser emporia around Leicester Square are well stocked as there will be call for a fresh pair after the screenings of Nick Murphy’s The Awakening. Rebecca Hall and Dominic West lead us through a proudly traditional ghost story which is sure to benefit from a great cast, Stephen Volk’s writing and the general malaise of gut-emptying torture porn.
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At the preview event for the LFF we were treated to a scene from Gerardo Naranjo’s latest and it was a crucial moment in the film when everything changes for Laura, our beauty queen hopeful and it proved an excellent introduction to the world of Miss Bala. Take a look at the trailer for a hint of the action on offer.
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Elizabeth Olsen is winning all sorts of plaudits for her lead role in Sean Durkin’s dark tale Martha Marcy May Marlene and from what we’ve seen so far this film will be a very tough examination of a family reunited following the daughter’s return from an abusive cult. John Hawkes is in support and if the festival buzz is to be believed this is a film to take the time to see.
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Before his turn in Martha Marcy May Marlene, John Hawkes was a wonderful lead in Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know and this year’s London Film Festival welcomes July’s next film, The Future, into its midst. Featuring another triple turn of writer, director and actor Miranda July’s latest film features a stray cat and two people finding themselves facing an uncertain future. The two may, or may not, be related.
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Much loved stalwart of the British film industry, Dexter Fletcher, makes his directorial debut with Wild Bill and it’s entirely appropriate that it’s one of the films we are most looking forward to catching in London this year. Starring Charlie Creed-Mills and Will Poulter this is the story of a father who returns to his family after a prison term to find his two young sons fending for themselves and reluctant to recconect with a man who left them. We can’t wait to see what Fletcher has up her directorial sleeve.
There is an accompanying masterclass in which Dexter Fletcher and DOP George Richmond talk about the cinematography of the film. Here’s a link to find out more and book up those tickets.
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