Sebastien Schipper’s fourth feature length film, Victoria, might appear on paper as a slightly self-conscious creative experiment. However by some ingenious mergence of form and content it is transformed on screen into an exhilarating and immersive piece of cinema. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Victoria”
As Eisenstein supposedly said; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. However, in terms of astrophysics, an infinite number of different results occur after the completion of any such ‘thing’. In fact, quantum mechanics takes it one step further and dictates that- anything can happen, at any moment. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Star Men”
It is with deceiving ease that Director/Producer/Cinematographer, Matthew Heineman transports us deep into the world of Mexico’s drug cartels. One could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Cartel Land’ is a work of fiction. The striking cinematic framing along with the interweaving narrative structure seems too clean and polished for the subject matter. This juxtaposition between form and content is perhaps intentional. It leads ultimately to a powerful and provocative cinematic experience, as we follow two vigilante groups, one from each side of the US /Mexican border as they confront the horrors of the cartel war. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Cartel Land”
September 30th 2015 marked fifty years since James Dean died in an untimely car crash, 24 years of age and on the cusp of super-stardom. In tribute to such an anniversary it is obvious that a biopic of the young actor should and would be made, but what director Anton Corbijn offers with his new film Life is something much more interesting and deconstructive than the expected eulogy. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Life”
A few years ago, halfway across the world at Argentina’s Mar del Plata Film Festival, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tangerine’s director Sean Baker. Back then he’d just released Starlet, an uplifting and touching story about two women getting to know each other despite the vast gap in their ages. I was charmed by Baker and I loved his film – it managed to tell an excellent story whilst taking a non-judgemental and refreshing look at something I knew next to nothing about, the adult film industry. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Tangerine”
By Henry Heffer
After the film ended, something just didn’t feel right to me. I flared my nostrils, scratched my head and then scratched my beard… and it came to me. The hero of Jon Stewart’s Iranian thriller, Maziar Bahari (played by Gael Garcia Bernal), must have the slowest growing beard in all of human history. For after 118 days of incarceration without a razor (we know he didn’t have a razor because he fantasises about cutting his wrists with a shard from his glasses) his beard only had the appearance of a single heavy night’s drinking. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Rose Water”
Every year Bath Film Festival celebrates and facilities new emerging talent in film in the form of the IMDb Awards. New film makers are invited to submit their shorts with the hope of winning the prestigious accolade. The prize being £1000 cash (to go towards making their next film) as well as the coveted IMDb New Filmmaker Award itself. On top of that winners receive an extremely rare IMDb enamel badge and a page for their film on IMDb, plus over £2000 worth of hire kit from Visual Impact (for UK based filmmakers only). Continue reading “IMDb Awards 2015”
What does an internationally renowned filmmaker do when he is banned from making films, writing screenplays, giving any form of media interview or leaving the country? He becomes a taxi driver, of course. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Taxi Tehran”
By Joanna van der Veen |
A couple of years ago, whilst planning a visit to Rome, a friend who lived in the city gave me some excellent advice: watch The Great Beauty. He told me that the film, which earnt Sorrentino an Oscar, was a love letter to the city and that I couldn’t possibly visit without seeing it first. Whether or not that’s true, the film hooked me on Sorrentino: his distinctive style of rich, lavish visuals, unusual and revealing camera angles and memorable and eccentric characters is addictive. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Youth”
By Maise De-Pulford
On the evening of Thursday 3rd December, the Bath Film Festival of 2015 opened its doors and commenced its eleven days of unmissable screenings with an electric preview of Lenny Abrahamson’s Room. It was two hours of baited breath, teary eyes and soul lifting captivation. Continue reading “2015 Reviews: Room”
Inside FilmBath 