Blood and burnt popcorn

Here you have my opinion on the last two films I've watched! :)

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

IMDB

Country: UK / Germany

Director/screenwriter: Kim Jarmusch

Rating: 7/10

I had read this film was a ‘different take to vampires than Twilight’, and I have always loved the genre, so I decided to give it a try. It is visually very beautiful, and the music is fantastic. Tom Hiddleston (Adam) and Tilda Swinton (Eve) are two of my favourite actors, and they do a very good job in this film.

However, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed about the film overall. Yes, this is not a Twilight-like movie, but it still has some stereotypes that I wish had been taken out of the writing: mainly, that what gives ‘meaning’ to these two vampires’ lives is their love for each other. I understand that it is very difficult to imagine what can possibly keep you going after many centuries, but I kind of hoped it wouldn’t be romantic love in marriage. The other possibilities that are presented to us are Eve’s younger sister Ava, who lives out of partying, and Kit / Christopher Marlowe, who seems to live out of memories of better times.

I wish the film had let me see more of Eve’s lifestyle (when she’s not nursing her depressive and teenage-like lover or caring for her reckless sister), Adam’s involvement with music and literature (this is my professional bias), and Adam’s relationship with the outside world through rock fan Ian. Maybe this is one of the film’s achievements (that it left me wanting more), but I am inclined to feel that it is more of a limitation that they gave so much weight to ‘romantic love’.

Starter For Ten (2013)

IMDB

Country: UK / USA

Director: Tom Vaughan

Writer (novel&screenplay): David Nicholls

Rating: 3/10

First of all, a confession: I like quiz shows. I also like James McAvoy (Brian), and, having recently seen him in Filth, I thought this movie might have something in it for me. It doesn’t, or it doesn’t have much of it anyway. It is very common for comedies to exploit stereotypes (exaggerating them is one of the things that make us laugh), but this movie went past the line of what is funny (to me, of course).

The best part of this film was Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, Patrick Watts. Uptight, competitive and passionate beyond boundaries about something as silly as a TV quiz show called ‘University Challenge’, his body language and his ridiculous-looking blonde hair made him the best character in the film. His lines were also pretty good: “I might not have been entirely faultless” was his ridiculously over-British way of apologising. Mark Gatiss also appears in this film as the quiz show host, and he did a very good job of it. Hats off to the dress/clothes/makeup technicians! There’s no better way of showing you what I mean than this:

This paragraph contains spoilers, so don’t say you weren’t warned! The most unnerving bit of the film was Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). Simply put, they have written her as having no self-respect. The movie’s main plot involves Brian’s dilemma around a blonde and a brunette (first bad sign). Rebecca, the brunette, is passionate about demonstrating (yes, seemingly more about demonstrating than about the causes behind it). She is breath-takingly beautiful, but hey, how can a brunette be prettier than the prettiest blonde, Alice (Alice Eve)? After a falling out with Alice, Brian spends New Year’s Eve at home with Rebecca. They are having a good time (silly flirting, and I say silly because of it being stereotypical too), but when the clock strikes 12 and they kiss, Brian calls her by the other girl’s name. Rebecca leaves, finally seeing what she is to him (just second-best when compared to Alice). Then, she starts talking to him again (OK so far). After a row in a bar involving Patrick and Brian’s best friend, he is sitting under the rain (when there’s a bridge right next to him where he could take shelter and still be alone and melancholy…*sigh*), Rebecca goes up to him to ask him how he feels. He has the nerve to ask her about Alice, but she doesn’t show any sign of being offended by his lack of tact. He runs to Alice’s flat, only to find she has just had sex with his best friend. After this, he weighs up Alice’s pros and cons (pro: hot blonde, con: not trustworthy), and, though he keeps talking to her (and to his friend), he decides that he prefers a reliable (even though not-so-hot) brunette, Rebecca. The worst of all of this is that she takes him back!

What can I say? I was sourly disappointed in this movie. I expected to encounter a university comedy that was even slightly above the genre’s shortcomings, but I didn’t.

 Have you seen any of the two? What did you think about them? Any other recommendations? =)

This Wide Night + Glasgow Film Festival

I have been busy with essays and other stuff lately so I haven't been able to write here! Today's entry is about theatre and film, I hope you enjoy it!

This Wide Night

Venue: Tron Theatre
Play: This Wide Night
Playwright: Chloë Moss
Director: David Greig
Price: £8 (preview)

On the 21st of February, I went to the Tron Theatre here in Glasgow to see This Wide Night, a play by Chloë Moss directed by David Greig, with whom you'll already be familiar if you have read my other entries in this blog. I wrote a review for VOIX Magazine which you can find here.

You can also take this opportunity to browse through their page. This magazine is a young and promising project with lots of talent and enthusiasm behind it! You can also check out their Facebook page here.

On the anecdote side, I tweeted a link to this review, and David Greig himself retweeted it, haha! =) If you don't believe me, you can see it here.

Photograph by John Johnston Photography.

Glasgow Film Festival

You may remember I caught the Glasgow Short Film Festival by the skin of my teeth. I was ready for the Glasgow Film Festival, but there was so much on offer I had a hard time picking which screenings I went to!

I was too late to get tickets for the opening night screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but I have heard incredibly good things about this film. If you have watched it, you can tell me about it in the comments! I finally chose these two:

LFO

Venue: Cineworld
Movie: LFO (2013)
Screenwriter/Director: Antonio Tublén
Country: Sweden/Denmark
Language: Swedish
Price: £6.50 (student)

A weird Scandinavian middle-aged guy discovers that Low Frequency Oscillator sound waves can alter people's behaviour. With this powerful and very dangerous tool in his hands, he will try to change his life and, later, the world. This movie is hilarious, sad, creepy, intimate and thought-provoking all at once. The dialogue is brilliant and Patrik Karlson, who plays the protagonist, does a GREAT job both with his face and his voice. I definitely recommend it!

A Touch of Sin

Venue: Cineworld
Movie: A Touch of Sin (2013)
Screenwriter/Director: Jia Zhangke
Country: China
Language: Mandarin
Price: £6.50 (student)

This film follows the paths of four characters in contemporary China, as they are pushed to their limits by corruption, degradation, misery and a restrictive society and government. Visually and music-wise, this movie is amazing. I also think this director has a special way with silences, they're one of the most beautiful things about this movie. I kept expecting the four stories to come together at the end, but they don't (except by the fact that they all suffer the miseries of living in contemporary China). Don't waste your time trying to find clues and connections between them like I did, you'll enjoy the movie more. I was slightly dissatisfied by the first story of the four (with actor Jiang Wu as the protagonist), because I didn't feel his reactions were properly scaled: it all felt a bit too rushed and, at points, gratuitous. The other three were exceptional and not to be missed!

I went to see both films on the same day, and I had a great time! When I came back home, however, someone had tried (and thankfully failed) to break into my flat! *sigh* Anyway! Did you go see This Wide Night? What did you think of it? Also,if you've watched any of this films or other films that have a connection with these, I'd be more than happy to hear what you have to say in the comments! =)

Glasgow's book festival 'Aye Write!' is on just now, so that'll be the next thing I'll write about! I'm going to see writers A. L. Kennedy and Bernard MacLaverty, and I'll be going to a panel session with Caribbean and Scottish Gaelic writers. I'll tell you more about it in a few days' time! =)

Glasgow Short Film Festival

The Glasgow Short Film Festival was scheduled this year for 13-16 February. Sadly, I heard about it a bit too late, so I was only able to attend the awards ceremony, where the 4 winning short films were also projected. 

The venue was the fantastic Centre for Contemporary Arts, a place with a very 'Bohemian' atmosphere. The contrast between the visible iron girders (which made it look like an artist's studio) and the colorful light bulbs hanging from end to end of the bar downstairs (which I just found out is called 'Saramago Café') gave it a look in between youthful charm and slight cheesiness.

The first 'short film' we saw was a conversion of popular film Top Gun into a short film (they took out the key scenes and you got the 'plot' perfectly well), this made us laugh a lot and got us in the mood for some more! You can see their official account of the prizes and winners here. I'll make a list of prizes and winners and I'll tell you what I thought about them:

• The Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film 2014: 
• Winner: 'The Questioning' by Zhu Rikun

It can easily be understood why this piece won the prize. Besides the political implications about the regime in China and its easily transferable points about authorities around the world and pointless ritual bureaucracy, this film deserved the price for the very palpable tension it created. The angle at which the camera recorded the movements of the real policemen also added to this. However, its being a recording of a real-life event (even though the filmmaker was put at risk by doing this), undermines the artistic effort the other filmmakers put into their creations, especially since the runner-up ('How to Abandon Ship' by Robin McKay) was an animation film.  

• International Audience Award
• Winner: 'Yak Butter Lamp' by Hu Wei

This piece dealt with the clashing of traditions and industrialisation. Both funny and touching, it also made a point about ephemeral human relationships (in this case, those of Tibetan nomads with a passing photographer and his assistant). An uncomplicated beauty. You can watch a short clip from it here:

http://vimeo.com/77272938

• Scottish Short Film Award 2014
• Winner: 'Getting On' by Ewan Stewart

This was a perfect example of Scottish sense of humour. The first part of the short deals with a working class woman as she deals with little housewife tasks such as making breakfast for her family as they wake up one by one. After that, she goes to the shops and buys some groceries which she takes to her mother's. Up until this point, the film seems to be about how hard and unfulfilling her life is. While not denying this point, the film takes a sudden humorous turn that makes it a brilliant piece of work. The broad Scots accent present throughout is also a plus. Here's a short clip from it:

http://vimeo.com/34625642

• Scottish Audience Award 
• Winner: 'Exchange & Mart' by Cara Connolly and Martin Clark

A very pretty tale about growing up in the Highlands in the 1980's, based on real events. This piece revolves around the life of a girl boarder as she deals with the rather universal problems of teenage years. Told with sensitivity and kindness, it offers an unique insight into a small private world and the little moments that shape one's life. Really enjoyable. 

It was a very good night, the organisers were lovely and friendly, and the shorts were really good! It's a shame I didn't get to see more of them (especially the runner-ups they mentioned, they sounded very interesting!). I'm really looking forward to the (long) Film Festival this week! =)