JDIFF round-up, Part 2
THE LOOKOUT is the directorial debut of screenwriter Scott Frank, whose writing credits include GET SHORTY, OUT OF SIGHT and MINORITY REPORT. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris, a former school hockey star and all-round popular guy who, as a result of a traffic accident for which he is to blame, suffers various mental issues. His main problem is that he has trouble remembering every day tasks and details, the remedy to which is his habit of constantly writing instructions to himself in a notebook.
The supporting cast includes Jeff Daniels as Lewis, a blind man who is both friend and helper to Chris; Matthew Goode as Gary, a young man who sees the opportunity to exploit Chris while pretending to befriend him; and Isla Fisher as Luvlee, a pretty young companion of Gary's who seems to be in on whatever scam Gary is planning. The cast is the film's strongest asset.
Gordon-Levitt follows up the critically acclaimed indies MYSTERIOUS SKIN and BRICK with another role that proves he's one of the most promising young actors around (in terms of both his ability and his avoidance of the easy-money crap Hollywood would probably like him to star in); Jeff Daniels steals every scene that he appears in; Goode makes for a charismatic bad guy; and Isla Fisher does well in a role that's slightly more serious than her usual wacky oddball.
It's a satisfying thriller that takes one or two interesting twists, but never reaches the heights of convoluted cleverness that the MEMENTO-lite gimmick promises. Nevertheless, it's a satisfying thriller that will probably receive reasonable word of mouth without setting the box office alight.
Marian Quinn's Irish coming of age drama 32A concerns a quartet of young teenage girls growing up in Dublin in the seventies, with the spotlight in particular falling on young Maeve (Ailish McCarthy), as they enter that terrifying time when they're not longer little children but aren't yet women (the title of the film, in case you've not yet figured it out, is a bra reference).
In its treatment of the young girls' problems the film isn't exactly breaking any new ground - we've all seen similar movies, and as long as there are teenagers there will always be a market for such things - but its nevertheless a warm, moving and funny film with a likable cast, headed up by a promising group of young new actresses. Orla Long, Riona Smith and Sophie Jo Wasson are all great, but the film really belongs to Ailish McCarthy, whose leading turn as Maeve is truly wonderful, marking the debut of a young girl surely destined for bigger things.
Credit is also due to Quinn not just for writing and directing, but also (together with her crew) employing every trick available to recreate 1970s Dublin with a budget that would embarrass producers of more famous period films. The film is doing well on the festival circuit at the moment but I have no idea if it will score a wider release. While I can certainly see it happening in Ireland, I have my doubts as to whether or not any overseas markets will take a gamble on it. That's a real shame because despite the Irish focus, it's a universal story and one which possesses more heart and soul than a great many lesser Hollywood ventures into similar territory.
THE COTTAGE is a new comedy horror from Paul Andrew Williams, who recently scored a critical hit with LONDON TO BRIGHTON. The premise is simple - two brothers (Andy Serkis and Reece Shearsmith) kidnap a gangster's daughter (Jennifer Ellison) and hole up in a cottage in the country while their ransom plan unfolds. Alas, they are not alone...
So far, so cliched, and I'm not going to lie and tell you that this is particularly original. It's not, by any means. But if you're a fan of either horror comedies or good old fashioned gore and violence, you should enjoy it. I know I did.
Serkis makes for an amusing straight man, Ellison is competent in her role which basically requires her to swear, be violent and show some impressive cleavage and Shearsmith does that put-upon weedy kind of guy that fans of THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN will know him from. In fact, that series is probably a good indication of the kind of audience this film is aimed at - apart from the Shearsmith connection, the film has the same balance of dark comedy and unsettling horror that set the aforementioned series apart from other comedy shows.
The film offers up plenty of laughs, some genuine jump moments and some gore effects that are both gruesome and hilarious. The film is released in the UK on March 14th, and you could do a lot worse if you're looking for a fun night.
Which is not what I'd say about the final film I saw at the Dublin festival. When Nick Broomfield applied his years of documentary film experience to a documentary-fiction hybrid approach in the film GHOSTS (showing his take on the events which lead to a group of Chinese immigrants drowning off the coast of Morecambe), which I saw at a festival in Brighton, I wasn't particularly enamoured with it. His follow-up, BATTLE FOR HADITHA, employs the same technique on an unpleasant incident in the Iraq war and, I'm pleased to say, is a better film.
Broomfield treats all characters equally - the film suggests what may have happened when a group of American soldiers are alleged to have killed several Iraqi civilians in retaliation after falling victim to a roadside bomb, but there are no real heroes or villains in the piece. Given his association with documentary film and the fact that he has clearly gone out of his way to make this look like a documentary, you could argue that the film is perhaps slightly irresponsible; on the other hand, it expects a certain intelligence of its audience, who should know better. Whichever side of the fence you fall on, there's no denying it's a powerful film and one of the better attempts that movies have made to address this conflict recently.
That marks the end of my Dublin coverage, but I'll be back soon to conclude my coverage of the films I saw at the Glasgow Film Festival.
The supporting cast includes Jeff Daniels as Lewis, a blind man who is both friend and helper to Chris; Matthew Goode as Gary, a young man who sees the opportunity to exploit Chris while pretending to befriend him; and Isla Fisher as Luvlee, a pretty young companion of Gary's who seems to be in on whatever scam Gary is planning. The cast is the film's strongest asset.
Gordon-Levitt follows up the critically acclaimed indies MYSTERIOUS SKIN and BRICK with another role that proves he's one of the most promising young actors around (in terms of both his ability and his avoidance of the easy-money crap Hollywood would probably like him to star in); Jeff Daniels steals every scene that he appears in; Goode makes for a charismatic bad guy; and Isla Fisher does well in a role that's slightly more serious than her usual wacky oddball.
It's a satisfying thriller that takes one or two interesting twists, but never reaches the heights of convoluted cleverness that the MEMENTO-lite gimmick promises. Nevertheless, it's a satisfying thriller that will probably receive reasonable word of mouth without setting the box office alight.
Marian Quinn's Irish coming of age drama 32A concerns a quartet of young teenage girls growing up in Dublin in the seventies, with the spotlight in particular falling on young Maeve (Ailish McCarthy), as they enter that terrifying time when they're not longer little children but aren't yet women (the title of the film, in case you've not yet figured it out, is a bra reference).
In its treatment of the young girls' problems the film isn't exactly breaking any new ground - we've all seen similar movies, and as long as there are teenagers there will always be a market for such things - but its nevertheless a warm, moving and funny film with a likable cast, headed up by a promising group of young new actresses. Orla Long, Riona Smith and Sophie Jo Wasson are all great, but the film really belongs to Ailish McCarthy, whose leading turn as Maeve is truly wonderful, marking the debut of a young girl surely destined for bigger things.
Credit is also due to Quinn not just for writing and directing, but also (together with her crew) employing every trick available to recreate 1970s Dublin with a budget that would embarrass producers of more famous period films. The film is doing well on the festival circuit at the moment but I have no idea if it will score a wider release. While I can certainly see it happening in Ireland, I have my doubts as to whether or not any overseas markets will take a gamble on it. That's a real shame because despite the Irish focus, it's a universal story and one which possesses more heart and soul than a great many lesser Hollywood ventures into similar territory.
THE COTTAGE is a new comedy horror from Paul Andrew Williams, who recently scored a critical hit with LONDON TO BRIGHTON. The premise is simple - two brothers (Andy Serkis and Reece Shearsmith) kidnap a gangster's daughter (Jennifer Ellison) and hole up in a cottage in the country while their ransom plan unfolds. Alas, they are not alone...
So far, so cliched, and I'm not going to lie and tell you that this is particularly original. It's not, by any means. But if you're a fan of either horror comedies or good old fashioned gore and violence, you should enjoy it. I know I did.
Serkis makes for an amusing straight man, Ellison is competent in her role which basically requires her to swear, be violent and show some impressive cleavage and Shearsmith does that put-upon weedy kind of guy that fans of THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN will know him from. In fact, that series is probably a good indication of the kind of audience this film is aimed at - apart from the Shearsmith connection, the film has the same balance of dark comedy and unsettling horror that set the aforementioned series apart from other comedy shows.
The film offers up plenty of laughs, some genuine jump moments and some gore effects that are both gruesome and hilarious. The film is released in the UK on March 14th, and you could do a lot worse if you're looking for a fun night.
Which is not what I'd say about the final film I saw at the Dublin festival. When Nick Broomfield applied his years of documentary film experience to a documentary-fiction hybrid approach in the film GHOSTS (showing his take on the events which lead to a group of Chinese immigrants drowning off the coast of Morecambe), which I saw at a festival in Brighton, I wasn't particularly enamoured with it. His follow-up, BATTLE FOR HADITHA, employs the same technique on an unpleasant incident in the Iraq war and, I'm pleased to say, is a better film.
Broomfield treats all characters equally - the film suggests what may have happened when a group of American soldiers are alleged to have killed several Iraqi civilians in retaliation after falling victim to a roadside bomb, but there are no real heroes or villains in the piece. Given his association with documentary film and the fact that he has clearly gone out of his way to make this look like a documentary, you could argue that the film is perhaps slightly irresponsible; on the other hand, it expects a certain intelligence of its audience, who should know better. Whichever side of the fence you fall on, there's no denying it's a powerful film and one of the better attempts that movies have made to address this conflict recently.
That marks the end of my Dublin coverage, but I'll be back soon to conclude my coverage of the films I saw at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Labels: dublin film festival, Film festivals, horror, Irish film
posted by Alan at 7:44 pm
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