It’s all part of the Spike is 60 film festival which kicks off with Mo Better Blues (a day before Spike’s actual birthday on the 20th) then runs across the year before wrapping up with a screening of Chiraq in November. Find out more about Sunday’s event and the festival here.

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It documents the history of hip-hop fashion and features Kanye, Diddy and Pharrell  – so all roads lead to the Rio Cinema on 24th October!  Full deets here.

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With a modest duration of 102 minutes the film wastes no time in putting in place all the pieces that make an engrossing depression-era drama: there’s two fierce but flawed central characters who have their own demons to face, supporting characters who are there to make the protagonist’s lives difficult (a sheriff and a henchman gamely played by Toby Jones and Rhys Ifans respectively) and a tragedy that concludes a bigger-than-life romance. So nothing in this film is particularly original but acclaimed Danish director Susanne Bier treats the story with her characteristic sensibility,  getting under the skin of the characters. A special mention must be given to the beautiful landscapes and the high production values that transport you back to the 19th century.
For lovers of old-school melodrama then, Serena will be a good-night out. The cynics amongst the audience though may well think that all this drama unfolding in the screen could be avoided if Mr’s Pemberton pick-up line was something different from a marriage proposal. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)
Serena had its world premiere at the 58th BFI London Film Festival and it will be released nationwide on 24 October.

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Sound and Vision

The continuous bond between music and cinema celebrated by the LFF is once again demonstrated in the Sonic section. This year’s highlights include, Nas: Time is Illmatic, an in-depth look on the making of the New York’s rapper hugely influential debut and Björk: Biophilia Live, the latest fascinating multimedia project from the Icelandic goddess. There are equally interesting music-related films though, outside the Sonic section. Whiplash, for example follows the struggles of an ambitious young jazz drummer to make it to the top. What could be another success story is transformed into an electrifying cinematic experience that constantly surpasses your expectations winning both the Grand Jury and the Audience awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Then there is The Possibilities Are Endless, a heart-warming documentary about the recovery of Edwyn Collins after suffering a massive stroke. A love letter

to an exceptional songwriter and a lovely human being that must be seen not only by Orange Juice fans.   Read more our film festival recommendations below:

• The Stars
• A Trip Around the World
• The Joy and Pain of Being Young
• This time it’s war

The 57th BFI London Film Festival takes place from 8-19 October. Tickets go on sale 18 September and for more info about the programme go to the BFI website.

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The Joy and Pain of Being Young

Films that deal with the turbulent nature of youth are also perennial in film festivals aiming directly to the viewer’s heart. The best of them also engage our mind. Take for example Girlhood which shares a realistic view of what it means to be a young black female growing up in an underprivileged suburb of Paris, or Dear White People that depicts the lives of four black students at an Ivy League college in Obama’s ‘post-racial’ America.

Dear White People

With a sense of humour that does not conceal the anger of the writer-director Justin Simien in his feature length debut, it brings to mind the explosive beginning of Spike Lee’s career. Equally engrossing is another first feature film, The Tribe that does not only successfully mixes a coming-of –age story with intense sexuality and violence but also contains no spoken dialogue but only sign language since it features a cast of young deaf actors. If we are talking though about provocative depictions of youth sexuality, we must mention Gregg Araki whose whole oeuvre revolves around horny teenagers. White Bird in a Blizzard then, will definitely satisfy the fans of the surrealistic images of the director as for newcomers the chance to watch Eva Green gloriously overacting as an unhinged mother who turns her teenage daughter’s life into chaos when she suddenly disappears should be worth the admission fee alone.

Read more our film festival recommendations below:   

• The Stars
• A Trip Around the World
• Sound and Vision
• This time it’s war

The 57th BFI London Film Festival takes place from 8-19 October. Tickets go on sale 18 September and for more info about the programme go to the BFI website.

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“I feel there’s a global shift towards doing things differently, “ says Secret Cinema creator Fabian Riggall. “We’ve launched in London which is an international city, and I think our audiences are mixed and are into different things. It’s about creating these real experiences that’s mixing different art forms together where people aren’t sure if it’s a concert, a cinema screening, a theatre, a restaurant or a gallery.”

Riggall’s latest project finally opened on 31st July following an unexplained one-week delay and an social media outcry from fans who’d flown in from as far as Cambodia to see the debut. But now that it’s arrived, all might soon be forgiven as the ambitious interpretation has gotten off to a strong start.

Photo: Will Cooper

The film’s version of the fictitious Hill Valley, California has been recreated and begins with a walk-through of an actual sheep and chicken farm before the rest of the world is unveiled. The grounds boasts of bungalow houses, retro billboards, a gas station, diners, shops, a town square, a small fun fair, a high school and of course, a replica of the clock tower that featured in the film and double-ups as the film screen. Impressively, no detail has been spared.

Actors playing geeks and jocks in 1950s outfits mingle among the similarly dressed crowds and deliver their dialogue with flawless and upbeat mid-West accents it’s easy to forget you’re in East London. The audience happily gets in on the act too, hitching rides in the vintage cars that whiz around grounds or pose for prom photos.

Photo: Al Overdrive

A highlight of the night is when things turn pantomime. A Marty McFly impersonator runs through the crowd and loud cheers go up for the film’s plucky protagonist while booing ensues for a convincing Biff Tannen and his crew who rip around the crowd and are just as intimidating in real life.

The experience starts to lose its lustre after a couple of hours of doing the rounds, especially when the reality of expensive memorabilia and painfully-long queues for food, the rides and toilets begin to kick in. The theatrical forays are a welcome distraction, like the sudden flashback performance to 1985, replete with dancers appearing in lycra and headbands and skipping around the compound. It’s odd, but it surprisingly works. It’s fun when the 80s gang latter take over a school bus and party with audience members to Van Halen’s Jump and Starship’s We Built This City. The night picks up further with a rock and roll performance and that iconic scene when McFly shows off his 80’s style guitar riffs on a purpose built stage before the film screening begins.

Photo: Will Overdrive

Where previous Secret Cinema productions might have been too obscure or raw to be fully enjoyable, Back to the Future offers plenty of reasons to love the original even more.  Check it out before it wraps up on August 31st. For more information, visit www.secretcinema.org/tickets

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The cast is strong and well played by Newton and Ejiofor. Mama is played excellently by Onwenu giving a convincing portrayal of an African local woman. From her facial expressions, quiet mutterings to herself and clever lines like “I am too old to die young”, Onwenu brings a unique charm to the film.

Also, it’s  refreshing to see things through the directorial eyes of an African (Biyi Bandele) rather than a Westerner looking in , and as a result, the viewer is invited to understand some of the specific cultural themes of Nigeria at this time: an older African woman from a village struggling to connect with her son’s educated girlfriend from the capital; the mother then finally asking Olanna if her family will accept the “bride price” (another way of saying she approves and is happy for them to marry); and the extreme loyalty of Ugwu, Olanna and Odenigbo’s “house boy” (servant).

Unlike other films of the same genre, it does not demonise or elevate political characters. It allows actual footage of the Nigerian-Biafran war to bring the political tone, and instead focuses on the personal impact of this terrible time on these four young professionals.

It’s a  debut film  for  Bandele, and while there are a few shortcomings in the flow of the narrative (it’s a weighty book that probably needs a TV series rather than a 111 minutes of screen time), he does a decent job of bringing Adichie’s famous novel to the screen. (Words: Sharon Gaisie)

Half of a Yellow Sun is released in cinemas March 2014 

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Wild Style was a seminal piece of cinema and the first to record South Bronx living. It featured the relatively unknown disciplines of b-boying, graffiti artists, MC-ing and turntablism – so synonymous with Hip Hop now. Many of the cast were straight from the scene, representing the culture they were developing (from within around five boroughs in New York) including Flash Five Freddy, Grandmaster Flash and The Rock Steady Crew. The film has famously been sampled on albums by everyone from Nas, the Beastie Boys and Jurassic 5. Naturally the soundtrack is one of the essential Hip Hop albums to date and some of its music disciplines play testament at this event. The night features a screening of the film followed by a late night event with guest DJs including Ghostpoet, Tim Westwood, Alexander Nut and Patchwork Pirates: all masters of their art and truly influenced by this old skool style. The low fi effects of Wild Style may be a far cry from the big budget bling we see today but there can’t be much more authentic than the atmosphere of this film. And the night promises to revive some of those vibes too. (Words: Laura Thornley) For more info visit: www.ovalspace.co.uk

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For more info, visit: www.princecharlescinema.com

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The plot revolves around a trip from Montana to Nebraska that David Grant makes with his father Woody, a forgetful old boozer who believes that he has won a million dollars in a lottery and wants to collect the money in person from the company’s office. The first part of the film may feel a little bit slow as David repeatedly tries to persuade his father that the whole thing is a hoax before finally succumbing to his wish and thinking that a trip with his old man will be a good way to spend some time together. However, from the moment they decide to make a pit- stop at the town that Woody grew up in, the film reveals its rich emotional core. As we meet Woody’s estranged family and his old friends and foes we, along with David, get an illuminating look at his father’s past and start to realise how he became the man that he is now. In the meantime, aided by a beautifully written script by Bob Nelson and the wonderful black-and-white cinematography of Payne regular Phedon Papamichael, Payne once again shows his knack for making us care for regular folks and laugh with them not at them, painting a portrait of the small-town Midwest that brings in mind the warmth of Frank Capra and the wit of Preston Sturges.

 
It would be fair to say though that the emotional power of the film mainly comes from the terrific performances of the two main leads. Veteran actor Bruce Dern shines in a role that deservedly gave him the Best Actor Award in Cannes and will hopefully earn him an Oscar too. Meanwhile,  Will Forte, who is more famous for roles in madcap comedies like 30 Rock feels totally at ease in a more dramatic role. In fact their chemistry is so good that by the end of the film you will feel that rare knot in your heart. If you are looking for a film to watch with your old man (regardless if he may have a drinking problem or not) Nebraska is the perfect choice. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)

 
Nebraska was screened at the 57th BFI London Film Festival and will be released nationwide on December 6th.

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