LFF 2014: The Silent Storm ***
There is something quite engaging about The Silent Storm when the plot is very thin. It’s a combination of the landscape, the rugged weather and some intense performances that prop it up.
Category: BFI LFF 2014
LFF 2014: Queen and Country ***
Very much a mixed bag of surprises – though poignant – that will leave some fulfilled and others wanting. It will make you laugh at the lunacy of old-school British etiquette that is still alive and kicking in certain institutions today.
LFF 2014: The Goob ***
Norfolk gets its film outing at this year’s festival, portrayed in both a good and bad light in debut feature-film writer-director Guy Myhill’s The Goob. Apart from the sinister (and consistently impressive) Sean Harris as the star attraction, the other highlight is the Norfolk countryside, both alluring and achingly desolate, simultaneously. Young Goob (newcomer Liam …
LFF 2014: The Salvation ***
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen was made to be a cowboy – handsome, brooding, fearless and unforgiving. In The Salvation he puts those qualities to the test. It’s a Danish Western by Danish writer-director Kristian Levring and co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen set in the wild, Wild West (1870s America) that’s as ruthless as it’s sumptuous to …
LFF 2014: The Face Of An Angel ***
Those expecting some sort of ‘yet undisclosed’ revelation into the murder of exchange student Meredith Kercher and the guilt of Amanda Knox will be sorely disappointed and may be further perplexed by The Face of an Angel. From director Michael Winterbottom, the film actually uses the case to demonise media behaviour around such murder trials, …
LFF 2014: X + Y ****
A film about an autistic maths child genius is not the most marketable affair, and is in danger of being gushy. However, made by British documentary maker Morgan Matthews with a touch of Brit pragmatism and subtle humour, these qualities render it endearing and very affecting. X + Y doesn’t try to give answers but …
LFF 2014: The Duke Of Burgundy ****
— As with its central theme of submission, The Duke of Burgundy from British writer-director Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio) demands just that of you to persevere with his exquisitely crafted homage to 60s/70s Euro soft porn that is rather curious to say the least. On a ‘normal’ level, this film looks at relationship role …
LFF 2014: Love Is Strange ****
— Love Is Strange is a strangely affecting love story from writer-director Ira Sachs (Keep The Lights On). Its protagonists are in their autumn years, played by John Lithgow (Ben) and Alfred Molina (George), and it features on another gay relationship like his 2012 film. What is intriguing with his latest film is it starts …
LFF 2014: Son Of A Gun ***
Crime dramas realised through Australian filmmaking eyes always seem that much more gritty and violent. That’s why first-time feature director Julius Avery’s contribution, Son of a Gun, is another exciting prospect with new debuting talent. Add an against-type input from our very own Brit export Ewan McGregor to the cast, and things get that much …