December Film Events
All Is Lost
All Is Lost
Marius
Director: J. C. Chandor Starring: Robert Redford Released: 26 Dec Certificate: PG
Director: Daniel Auteuil Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Raphael Personnaz Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 12A
Although many were impressed with J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call, it’s doubtful anybody thought he was capable of a film like All Is Lost. Where his debut was a dialogue-driven ensemble piece, All Is Lost is an almost entirely wordless drama that features a single actor. Robert Redford is the veteran yachtsman trying to keep his damaged craft afloat amid stormy conditions in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and he gives a commanding performance as the nameless protagonist that makes the complete lack of characterisation an irrelevance. Chandor’s filmmaking is efficient and admirably single-minded – there’s no ‘Wilson’ for Redford to make conversation with here – and the plot is simply a progression of challenging situations that the resourceful sailor attempts to deal with as best he can. However, all of this might feel like little more than an audacious stunt if it wasn’t for the bold ending; it will surely divide opinion, but it establishes All Is Lost as a profoundly moving meditation on life and death. [Philip Concannon]
Daniel Auteuil continues to establish his position as the world’s biggest fan of Marcel Pagnol by remaking Alexander Korda’s 1931 adaptation of the writer’s play. After his directorial debut, The Well-Digger’s Daughter, and two of his most famous films, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, Auteuil now displays a comfortable affinity with the rustic charm and melodrama of Pagnol’s Provençal persuasions. Whether anyone else is quite as enthusiastic about more adaptations of his work, however, is open to question. There’s a lot to enjoy about Marius (the first part of a trilogy), not least of which is director Auteuil in fine form in front of the camera. The cast on the whole are strong, selling a rather trite story with some joyously overthe-top performances; nothing is said, only shouted or whispered. There’s a certain appeal, too, to the noticeably set-bound aesthetic, but, with grimy French faces and faded colours, at times this feels like an extended advert for Stella Artois. Charming, but slight. [Nathanael Smith]
The Patience Stone
Nebraska
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Director: Atiq Rahimi Starring: Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 15
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Director: Alexander Payne Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 15
After her astonishing work in Asghar Farhadi’s About Elly, Golshifteh Farahani’s performance in The Patience Stone confirms her status as one of the finest actors currently working. She plays a young Afghan woman who spends her days tending to her recently comatose husband as bombs fall on her village and fighting takes place in the streets. Now that the power dynamic in this marriage has suddenly changed, this woman finds the courage to tell her unresponsive husband all of the secrets she has kept hidden for years. Atiq Rahimi’s adaptation (with the help of Jean-Claude Carrière) of his own novel at times feels too verbose and stage-bound to flow as a film, but its portrayal of a repressed woman finding the strength to become the person she has long wanted to be is undeniably powerful. The Patience Stone contains a number of engrossing scenes and encounters with supporting characters that don’t always play out as you’d expect, while Farahani – in what is frequently a one-woman show – is constantly surprising and impressive. [Philip Concannon]
All of Alexander Payne’s best and worst attributes are on full display in Nebraska. As Woody (Dern) takes a road trip to collect the million-dollar prize that his son (Forte) doesn’t believe exists, the director has the opportunity to find moments of piercing insight along with instances of awkward, condescending comedy. It all feels very familiar and disappointingly flat, a feeling that isn’t alleviated by Phedon Papamichael’s unimaginative black-and-white cinematography. The film’s greatest strength lies in its veteran performances. Bruce Dern’s cantankerous lead turn is tremendously enjoyable and he gets very funny support from June Squibb as his straight-talking wife, while Stacy Keach brings a welcome hard edge to his turn as an old acquaintance of Woody who still harbours a grudge. Sadly, these interesting characters are surrounded by cartoonish figures, who are often utilised as a source of one-note humour. Payne manages to bring the film to a close on a touching note with a neatly judged ending, but the problems found elsewhere make this one of his least satisfying films. [Philip Concannon]
Big Bad Wolves
Kill Your Darlings
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Director: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Tzahi Grad Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 18 Israeli writer-directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado follow up their 2010 debut Rabies with another tar-black comic horror. While investigating a series of gruesome child murders, tough detective Miki (Ashkenazi) becomes convinced the guilt lies with seemingly benign religious-studies teacher Dror (Rotem Keinan). Also convinced of this is Gidi (Grad), father to one of the victims, who intends to kidnap their suspect and extract the truth from him. The three men are set for a bloody, morally murky confrontation. Given the heavily emotive subject matter (paedophilia, the efficacy of torture, Israel’s role in Palestine, etc.), Keshales and Papashudo needed to be right on their mettle to produce a thought-provoking work. For the most part, they succeed. Twisted, tense and absurd, this is highly skilled genre fare, with terrific performances and superb design. Ambivalence to some of the weightier philosophical and political themes is the only thing holding it back from being great; while one can understand the filmmakers’ desire to debate rather than dictate, one also wishes these wolves had gone for the jugular. [Chris Fyvie]
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Review
Director: John Krokidas Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 15 The Beats have had a resurgence of late; Hollywood presumably believes their vibrant defiance can strike a chord with this century’s more indolent disenfranchised youth. The hopeless Franco-fest Howl in 2011; last year, Walter Salles’ languid, wistful adaptation of On the Road; and now, Kill Your Darlings – an insipid retelling of several of the Beats’ formative years at Columbia University. Seen through the eyes of the young Allen Ginsberg (Radcliffe), John Krokidas’ debut feature tells of Lucien Carr’s (DeHaan) importance to the Beat movement. The charismatic Carr has a hold over Ginsberg, which brings forth the burgeoning wordsmith’s creativity, and introduces him to Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William Burroughs (Ben Foster). DeHaan and Foster are excellent, but Radcliffe struggles in a more difficult role to pitch. Krokidas’ empty and trite aesthetic and awkward script of ‘Eureka!’ moments further hampers his attempt to recreate this fascinating, seductive slice of history. There’s a cinematic masterpiece to be born of these literary rabble-rousers, but as yet no one’s figured out quite how to make it. [Chris Fyvie]
FILM
’Tis the season to gorge on movies you’ve seen a million times before, but this month’s film calendar isn’t all nostalgia. Cornerhouse serve a slice of alternative Yuletide cinema, while San Diego’s premier newsreader pitches up at MediaCityUK Words: Simon Bland
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t’s Christmas, a time for giving gifts and eating too much – however, the season of goodwill isn’t always fun and frolics. Manchester’s Cornerhouse explores Santa’s dark side this December with a season of twisted festive films. The Other Side of Yuletide... An Alternative Christmas resurrects Robert Montgomery’s eerie film noir Lady in the Lake (14 Dec), the dreamlike The Curse of the Cat People (16 Dec), sinister Ealing effort Dead of Night (21 Dec), and the devilish The Queen of Spades (15 Dec), while the sobering WWII story A Midnight Clear (19 Dec) offers a rare moment of reflection during this month of festive excess. Meanwhile, as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens on UK screens on 13 Dec, you can take a refresher course on Middle Earth (if you have 601 minutes to spare) with FACT Liverpool’s epic Lord of the Rings marathon on 8 Dec. Once you’re done, why not welcome Santa to the town with an IMAX screening of Robert Zemeckis’ immersive The Polar Express on Christmas Eve at Manchester’s Printworks? After all, you wouldn’t want to make his naughty list.
Anchorman 2 - The Legend Continues
Wait a minute... this just in: Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team are coming to Manchester. That’s right, Jameson Cult Film Club are giving us Northerners the chance to hear the next big quotable lines early with a preview screening of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (14 Dec). The Jameson team plan to transform their MediaCityUK studio setting into a fully-functioning newsroom, complete with cocktails and salon-quality hair makeovers. Naturally, this is kind of a big deal (sorry) and sure to be more exciting than having ribs for lunch (so sorry). As such, tickets will be dished out at random via an online Facebook ballot – 60% of the time, it works every time – so best get applying at Jameson Cult Film Screening Facebook page. Back to Christmas. What’s that famous festive phrase? “Ho, Ho, Ho! Now I’ve got a machine gun”? It is according to John McClane. He’ll be infiltrating FACT this month along with a selection of seasonal faves: The Nightmare Before Christmas (13 Dec), Batman Returns (14 Dec), Die Hard (15 Dec), Trading Places (17 Dec) and Gremlins (18 Dec) – there’s lots on offer but if you’re strapped for time we recommend two Dickens adaptations, the Chrimbo classics The Muppet Christmas Carol (14 Dec) and Scrooged (19 Dec). If you really want to overdose on that warm fuzzy Christmas feeling, however, the Home Alone 1 & 2 double bill on 22 Dec is simply unmissable. Merry Christmas, you filthy animals.
THE SKINNY