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A guide to the 58th BFI London Film Festival: Nas: Time is Illmatic, Björk: Biophilia Live and Whiplash

Apostolos Kostoulas — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:10:56 +0000

The BFI London Film Festival should not need any introduction. Now in its 58th year, it has secured a permanent place in our hearts with its eclectic line-up of major motion pictures and exciting cinematic surprises. So without further ado, here’s a guide to our picks at this year’s festivals, divided into our five categories to help you navigate through this wonderful celebration of cinema:

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

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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 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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A guide to the 57th BFI London Film Festival

Apostolos Kostoulas — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 09:45:22 +0000

After a run-of-the-mill summer movie season, autumn really needs to start with a bang. Thankfully, the 57th BFI London Film Festival (9-20 October) is more than up to the task. As you will see from our guide to the highlights of this year’s festival, the LFF has assembled its strongest line-up in years. From Hollywood A-listers to exciting new talents and from hopeful Oscar contenders to little films with great heart from countries such as Nigeria and Lebanon there is something for every film lover in this twelve days celebration of the magic of cinema. As tickets go on sale today at 12pm, here are our top picks:

Day 1, Wednesday October 9th

While many Hollywood stars (Sandra Bullock, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Carey Mulligan, Daniel Radcliffe to name but a few) will grace the red carpet with their glamorous presence, the spotlight of this year’s festival will fall on Tom Hanks whose two latest films – Saving Mr Banks and Captain Phillips – have been chosen for the opening and closing night galas. It is fair to say that the two-time Academy Award winner has been unlucky with his recent film choices, Captain Phillips though is set to be his great comeback. With an intriguing plot based on the 2009 hijacking of a US container ship by a crew of Somali Pirates and director Paul Greengrass – who offered us the sublime United 93 the last time he dealt with a real-life hostage crisis – the film has all the potential to become the rarest of gems: a thinking man’s high- stakes thriller.

DAY 5, Sunday October 13th

Who could resist a double-bill of the latest films of two of the most exciting British directors working at the moment? Richard Ayoade made his breakthrough in the cult TV series The IT Crowd but since then he has not only directed impressive music videos but also made a well-regarded film debut with Submarine. His second film outing though as a writer-director, The Double is even more ambitious as he transfers Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic novella to modern day America.

Jonathan Glazer has also made his name by shooting some of the most unique commercials and music videos ever and with just two films (Sexy Beast and Birth) he has created his own characteristic visual style. His latest film, Under the Skin stars Scarlett Johansson in the sexiest role of her career, as an alien creature who uses her sexuality to prey upon hitchhikers is Scotland. With Glazer once again paying more interest in creating a surrealistic atmosphere than following a conventional plot this will probably be not everyone’s cup of tea but it will definitely be an entirely distinctive film.

Click HERE for Part 2 of our guide to the 57th BFI London Film Festival

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What we’ve been up to… Pop-Up Screens

The Cultural Exposé — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:00:39 +0000

It seems no matter where you turn, there’s an outdoor cinema – but dishing out a hefty amount of cash to watch a cult classic outside is the last thing we’re trying to do in these thrifty times – so we’re kinda liking the idea of Pop-Up Screens. For just £8 per person, you can set up camp in one of a number of parks and bring along cushions, blankets, foldable chairs (we practically brought our entire sofa set), and your own food. So that’s where we could be found last Saturday, as we enjoyed Adam Sandler’s The Wedding Singer on a pop-up screen – literally. It was fun watching the team blow up the gigantic inflatable while we got ourselves nice and comfy on our cushions, before tucking into our chinese takeway. Plus there was a charming host on the evening who was gracious enough to introduce the film and wrap up the proceedings afterwards. But a word of advice – arrive as early as possible so you can stake your claim on a decent spot to watch the film, and you might want to bring something a little bit warmer than a blanket as it can get chilly by the time the film finishes. But if the weather continues to go in this tropical direction, we doubt you’ll have to worry about that! For more info about Pop Up Screens, visit: www.popupscreens.co.uk

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Somewhere you should go… We love the 90s Film Festival

Laura Thornley — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 10:00:03 +0000

Oh the 90s, terrifyingly fresh in my memory to be a point of retrospection, I remember only too well the joy of Blossom, floppy hats, scrunchies and the unrelenting fun brought about by slap bands. Despite my fashion faux pas and some pop music crimes (see Barbie World courtesy of Aqua) apparently some folk found the nineties quite inspirational.

This intriguing pop up film festival happening near the happening Portobello Road will showcase some of the most cult faves of the 90s. White Men Can’t Jump, Clueless and, everyone’s favourite, House Party are all there. But, this isn’t your ordinary film festival. Members of the creative community have handpicked all the films billed. Why? Because they were a source of inspiration that propelled them into their field.
Hosts include Damon, No.1 barber to Dizzie Rascal, the sartorial ACF – the most stylish men in London? – female rapper Ninja and top graphic designers Quirksville. All leaders in their field, they will present these cinematic moments from the 90s that influenced their work and gives insight into their practice. Each selector will play host at the screening of their chosen flick and give their personal insight into what makes these movies culturally significant.

The festival will take place on the consecrated ground of the Portobello ‘pop up’: a low cost digital cinema project made from recycled and reclaimed materials. Already well-known for its creative power – it got a mention in a Blur song don’t you know – this is sure to be a hot bed of inventiveness and brainwaves, all taken from the 1990s… fitting! (Words: Laura Thornley)
The festival runs on July 25-28. For more info visit: www.teesandcees.org/welovethe90sfilmfest

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Somewhere you should go… Pop –Up Screening at the Paradise: Back to the Future

Apostolos Kostoulas — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:00:41 +0000

February is traditionally a very busy month for cinema goers. With the awards season reaching its climax on both sides of the Atlantic, the nominated films usually dominate the list of choices for a night out at the movies. So during such a period the upcoming pop–up screening of the classic 80s sci-fi adventure Back to the Future may seem like the last of your priorities – but there are a couple of reasons why we believe it deserves your attention.

To begin with, Back to the Future could make a great double-bill with Oscar-nominated Flight, since both are directed by the award-winning director Robert Zemeckis. Furthermore, Flight marks the return of the visionary director to live-action films after eight years of experimentation with 3D motion capture techniques in films such as The Polar Express and Beowulf. So what a better way to celebrate this occasion than by watching his first truly great film?

Secondly, this pop-up screening will take place at the restaurant Paradise at Kensal Green where you can watch the film while enjoying some delicious food. Isn’t this a more appealing option than say eating a popcorn box while watching the realistic scenes of torture in Zero Dark Thirty?

But seriously, the fact that the term ‘classic’ is justifiably applied to Back to the Future should be enough of a reason to go re-watch the film. Taking the premise of time-travelling to thrilling, entertaining as well as intriguing places and offering us two characters that have secured their place in the pop pantheon (Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Dr Emmett Brown) it is one of those films that you will always get back to and lingers in your memory much longer than each year’s Oscar favourite. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)

The pop-up screening of Back to the Future will take place on Sunday 17 February at 2:30 pm as part of the Paradise by way of the Silver Screen series co- produced by Paradise and Lexi Cinema. For more information go to: www.thelexicinema.co.uk

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Somewhere you should go… Sci-Fi London East

The Cultural Exposé — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:00:58 +0000

After a summer of sport, the Olympic Park passes the baton to Picturehouse Cinemas in Stratford for Sci-Fi London East, a weekend of dystopian nightmares, adventurous weaponry, and surreal hyper-violence from 9-11 November. As well as 9 metaphysical and infectious cinematic traumas (including 3 UK premieres), the festival is hosting a masterclass in disaster survival, forums with sci-fi writers, and an end-of-the-world pub quiz held in association with the Post-Apocalyptic Book Club.

Billed as ‘the post-apocolympic event’, Sci-Fi London East itself opens with a race, the UK premiere of The Human Race directed by Paul Hough. In the film, people from different ethnic backgrounds, different generations, different sexes, and different physical capacities are chosen by an anonymous force, instantly disappearing from whence they came to appear on a path, ready for the race. Friday evening closes with Crawlspace, a tense and claustrophobic blend of sci-fi and horror which sees the producers of Wolf Creek return to the Australian outback, this time to top secret underground military compound Pine Gap.

In Antiviral, the feature debut of Brandon Cronenberg, competing private clinics specialise in infecting patients with genetically modified illnesses harvested directly from celebrities. What better way for fans to get closer to their idols? Set in the vacuously antiseptic clinics made famous by his father David in his early body horror films, identities transform and bodies mutate when a salesman injects himself with the latest virus. It is a biting satire, in the most literal sense, on the contemporary obsession with celebrity culture. Other highlights on Saturday include the UK premiere of Cory Mcabee’s Crazy and Thief, an Anime all-nighter and a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 all-nighter.
Sunday opens with Flight of the Navigator, Disney’s child-friendly sci-fi with a Beach Boys soundtrack, ahead of its Blu-Ray release on November 19. The festival comes to an end with screenings of Metamorphosis, an adaptation of Kafka’s classic short story, and finally Carre Blanc, a gravely stylish vision of the future inspired by Chris Marker and Jean Luc Godard’s Alphaville. (Words: Chris Fennell)

Sci-Fi London East runs from November 9-11. For more info, visit www.sci-fi-london.com

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Something you should see… Rust & Bone (London Film Festival)

Apostolos Kostoulas — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 20:04:35 +0000

It seems that Jacques Audiard’s latest film Rust and Bone cannot avoid comparisons to Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s Untouchable. They were the two main contenders for France’s submission for the foreign-language feature Oscar with the committee ultimately being dazzled by the impressive world-wide gross of the latter rather than the critical plaudits of the former. Now Rust and Bone has had its UK premiere at the 56^th BFI London Film Festival just a few weeks after its rival finally arrived in British cinemas (the film was released in France in November 2011).

More crucially, both films share a plot that revolves around the connection that is built between a character who is physically disabled and an uncouth person that turn outs to be the perfect carer. Refreshingly the usual melodramatic indulgence is substantially toned down with the heterosexual romance and the male bonding, respectively, becoming the main focus of the story. However, while Untouchable tries too hard to reassure us that life remains beautiful no matter what problems may come our way, Rust and Bone offers the more honest truth that life just goes on.

Audiard handles with sublime understatement how a horrific accident that leaves Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) mutilated affects her life – and he is equally evocative in the way he presents the romantic relationship she forges with Ali (Matthias Shoenaerts). He’s a man who seems to pay more attention to having one-night stands and earning money from illegal street fighting than looking after his five-year old son Sam. Through his magnetic performance though, Schoenaerts reveals the kindness that lies behind Ali’s macho façade while Cotillard is especially wonderful in her silent scenes revealing Stephanie’s rage and vigour. For some viewers, Rust and Bone could be just another dull French film but it will be a treat for anyone who believes in the emotional power of simplicity. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)

Rust and Bone is released nationwide on November 2nd.

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A guide to the 56th BFI London Film Festival

Apostolos Kostoulas — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:00:03 +0000

If you take a quick look at this year’s programme, you will see that it has undergone some significant changes – it’s only 12 days long (instead of its usual 16 days duration) and the French Revolution section is no more – but there is no reason to panic. The shorter duration of the festival is more than compensated for by the increase in the number of the relevant venues. In addition to the Leicester Square cinemas and the BFI Southbank, now for the first time, festival screenings are taking place at some of our favourite independent cinemas, from the Renoir in Bloomsbury to the Ritzy in Brixton. As for the festival’s sections, new categories have been introduced with titles such as love, laugh, debate and thrill, making it much easier for the public to navigate through the festival’s ever-eclectic selection of more than 200 films. If you need any additional help though, here is a timetable of what we believe will be the festival’s highlights:

DAY 1, Wednesday October 10th

Keeping in line with the general spirit of renovation, the festival kick starts with the European Premiere of Frankenweenie that finds Tim Burton expanding on his 1984 live-action short film of the same name. With a story that focuses on the attempts of a little boy to bring his beloved dog Sparky back from the dead, the film promises to be a return to form for the director who seemed to have lost something of his wonderfully gloomy touch with his recent offerings. The film will be screened simultaneously at 19:00 at the Odeon Leicester Square and at the IMAX where the public will be able to fully enjoy this gloriously crafted, stop-motion 3D animation.

DAY 2, Thursday October 11th

Cinema has an unparalleled power to transfer you to places (geographical or emotional ones) that are far away from your ordinary life. A fascinating case in point is Wadjda (15:30 VUE 7), the debut feature of female director Haifaa Al Mansour. It offers us a unique glimpse into everyday life in a country where cinemas have been banned for over 30 years, through the story of a little girl who challenges the traditions of the Saudi society in the capital city of Riyadh. Laurence Anyways (18:00 VUE 7) has an equally exciting premise, examining through an impressive visual style how the unexpected decision of Laurence (the wonderful Melvil Poupaud) to make the transition from male to female affects his relationship with his long term girlfriend. If your heart has not yet been broken to pieces by this exquisite melodrama then have a go at the gala screening of Amour (20:45 Mayfair 1). The recent Palm d’Or winner tells the story of Georges and Anne, a loving couple who are both in their 80s. When Anne suffers a stroke that leaves her partly paralysed and speechless they both try to cope with this new challenge, never losing their love for each other. Featuring incredible performances by the legendary actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, Amour is the first film in the oeuvre of Michael Haneke that will engage both your mind and your heart.

DAY 3, Friday October 12th

Takashi Miike’s For Love’s Sake (12:00 NFT1) may have the word love in its title but as we have come to expect from this eccentric director, it is certainly not soppy. With his frenetic visual style, Miike offers an explosive mix of violence, romance and music galore with the characters singing and dancing to vintage Japanese pop songs. Gimme the Loot (18:15 VUE 7) will offer the perfect antidote to Miike’s delirium. The debut feature of Adam Leon follows the adventures of two Bronx kids, Malcolm and Sofia determined to make a mark on the city by tagging the famous NY Mets home-run apple. This subtle gentle little tale with a big heart earned the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest festival and is a bonafide crowd pleaser. As far as heart-warming experiences go though, it will be really difficult to find a more sensational film released this year than Beasts of the Southern Wild (20:30 OWE 2). It blends the escapist power of fantasy with the harsh reality of life at a remote southern delta community – and with a performance from five- year – old actress Quvenzhané Wallis that has to be seen to be believed, the film has easily gained the glowing acclaim of both the public and the critics, receiving major awards at both Sundance and Cannes.

DAY 4, Saturday October 13th

Continuing with films that have been praised at some of the biggest film festivals in the world, The Hunt (18:30 OWE 1), which has been hailed as a return to form for Danish director Thomas Vinterberg deals with the taboo subject of paedophilia (a much –loved kindergarden teacher is accused by a young girl in his class of sexually abusing her) with the same raw emotional ferocity and complexity that made his debut Festen a difficult but essential viewing experience. Jacques Audiard on the other hand, has never put a foot wrong and his latest film Rust and Bone (20:30 OWE 2) is an excellent example of how a film with a paraplegic main character (Marion Cotillard in a strong performance) can offer genuine emotions without succumbing to sentimentality.

DAY 5, Sunday October 14th

The We and the I (15:00 VUE 5), the latest film from Michel Gondry, presents to us the hopes and dreams of a number of students at a Bronx high school on the last day of term, in his usual utterly charming way. Moving from hope to nightmare, the documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (18:15 NFT 1) explores the controversial issue of paedophilia in the Catholic Church using as a starting point the shocking accusations against the Catholic priest Lawrence C Murphy of molesting as many as 200 boys for more than 25 years at St John’s School for the Deaf in St Francis Wisconsin. The Oscar –winning filmmaker Alex Gibney wil discuss this film and his overall career in what will surely be a fascinating screen talk on Tuesday 16 at 18:15 at NFT 2.

DAY 6, Monday October 15th

As its title suggests Love, Marilyn (12:30 OWE 2) is an affecting homage to the legendary Hollywood actress by the Academy Award nominated director Liz Garbus who has collected an impressive array of home movies and photographs of Monroe. But perhaps more intriguingly, she has also filmed a diverse range of contemporary Hollywood stars and starlets from Ellen Burstyn to Lindsay Lohan doing performative readings of extracts from the recently published Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn. Stanley Kubrick may have never received the same amount of worship as Marilyn – but his undisputed genius and the air of mysticism that surrounded him throughout his life has earned him a significant cult following and has made him the subject of a continuing growing number of intense debates and well thought essays. Room 237 (14:00 ICA) tries to uncover the hidden meanings and mystic codes within one of the great filmmaker’s most celebrated works The Shining. That it manages to do so with an engaging combination of wit and intellect makes this documentary an unexpected delight.

DAY 7, Tuesday October 16th

Death of a Man in the Balkans (14:00 ICA) brings a much needed breath of fresh air into the tired found film footage premise. Shot in only nine takes, this highly inventive Serbian film is presented via a webcam that was set up by a lonely composer just before committing suicide. As we watch a great set of characters, from the neighbours to the undertaker, entering a flat after they have heard gunshots, we become witnesses of not just a perfect example of black comedy but also of a sharp critic of the absurd reality we live in. Hyde Park on Hudson (18:45 Empire) may not share an equally inventive visual style but it is directed by the always dependable Roger Michell (The Mother) and besides, the chance to watch Bill Murray in the role of American president Franklin D Roosevelt is worth the admission fee alone. And now for something completely different. A Liar’s Autobiography (21:00 Empire) is a lovely animated tribute to the late Graham Chapman filled with the Pythons’ legendary bonkers style and the best film that Chapman has been in after he died.

DAY 8, Wednesday October 17th

There are many things to enjoy in the Sundance sensation The Sessions (12:30 VUE 5). John Hawkes and Helen Hunt both give extremely moving performances in this story about a 38-year old paraplegic who wants to lose his virginity and his sexual surrogate who helps him with his endeavour. The film’s strongest merit however is the wonderfully written script by writer-director Ben Lewis, based on a true story, which walks the thin line between comedy and drama, despair and hope, with enviable ease. Argo (19:00 OLS) makes another strong case in support of the notion that reality is often far more exciting than fiction. The incredible true story of a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist who, during the Iranian revolution, came up with the imaginative plan to go to Tehran pretending to be a producer of a sci-fi movie scouting for location, is helmed by Ben Affleck, who has made an astonishing transition from a mediocre actor to a well-respected director.

DAY 9, Thursday October 18th

In his latest film, Everyday (15:00 OWE 2), the renowned and impressively productive British director, Michael Winterbottom captures the effects that the imprisonment of a man for drug smuggling has on his hard-working wife and their four children over the course of five years with an acutely observational style, a perfect accompaniment to the deceptively simple script. That said, simplicity is one of the few qualities that you would not associate with The Rolling Stones. The legendary band has been writing rock history for 50 years now and Crossfire Hurricane, which will have its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square at 19:00 promises to be the definite documentary about the Stones and a fitting celebration of the group’s anniversary.

DAY 10, Friday October 19th

Why not start your afternoon with an emotional punch in your guts courtesy of Craig Zobel’s much talked about Compliance (15:00 OWE 2)? Based on true facts, the film is about a prank call that gradually breaks every moral code known to men. Then, get some much wanted comic relief by watching Seven Psychopaths (18:00 OWE 2) Martin Mc Donagh’s highly anticipated follow up to the cult masterpiece In Bruges. It offers another endlessly witty script and a cast to die for (Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken). Then finish your day in style with the world premiere of the restored version of Alfred Hitchcock’s classy silent melodrama The Manxman (20:30 Empire) that will bring the BFI’s grand scale project “The Genius of Hitchcock” to a glamorous end.

DAY 11, Saturday October 20th

Slavoj Žižek is finally back. After six years, the sui generis Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic returns to the big screen with The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (18:00 OWE 2). Be prepared to see popular films, from The Sound of Music to The Dark Knight, from a completely different perspective and give it your best shot to refrain yourself from bursting into laughter. Another welcome return is that of Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace, Kill List). Sightseers (21:00 OWE 2) follows the romantic trip of two lovers that soon becomes a murder spree. The bloodshed that prevails in Wheatley’s previous efforts is still very much present but for the first time romance is thrown into the mix. The final result should be really interesting.

DAY 12, Wednesday October 21st

What a great way to start the last day of the festival by watching (or re-watching) Robert Aldrich’s cult classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (15:00 Hackney) and marvel at the Grand Guignol fight to the death between decaying divas Joan Crawford and Bette Davies who blur the line between performance and reality. Compared to these highly deranged characters, Miss Havisham is an exemplary human being who just does not cope so well with rejection. Still Miss Havisham remains one of Dickens’ most fascinating creations and she is definitely a perfect match for the perennial gloomy Helena Bonham Carter. She is surrounded by equally aspiring choices of actors (Ralph Fiennes in the role of Magwitch, Jason Flemyng as Joe) that make this latest adaptation of Great Expectations (19:00 OLS) by Mike Newell not just a must-watch film but a fitting melancholic choice to close this year’s festival. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)

The 56th BFI London Film Festival takes place from 10-21 October. Tickets go on sale September 24th, but for more info about the programme go to www.bfi.org.uk/lff

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Somewhere you should go… the Raindance Film Festival

Apostolos Kostoulas — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:00:52 +0000

Diversity is one of the major selling points for attending a film festival. Take away though, all the films that focus on dysfunctional families, awkward romances and the tranquillity of youth and the line-up of even major film festivals becomes significantly slimmer. Raindance Film Festival is an exciting exception. Ever since 1992, Raindance has been one of the most zealous and prominent supporters of genuinely independent cinema from all over the world and now in its 20th year it promises to showcase- in addition to all the special events and distinguished guest- once again an eclectic selection of truly original and ferociously adventurous films.
Opening this year’s festival, the Mexican horror film, Here Comes the Devil is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but it never succumbs to easy scare tactics, by building a mysterious and unsettling atmosphere in the vein of Nicolas Roeg’s classic Don’t Look Now. But the appearance of the cult music group The Real Tuesday Weld at the opening night after-party will help you leave all bad thoughts behind with their cabaret style music that recalls the wonderfully romantic oeuvre of Cole Porter.

The rest of the festival’s programme is filled with films with uber cool premises. String Caesar places legendary Shakespearean actor Derek Jacobi alongside real life prisoners in a modern retelling of the Bard’s Julius Caesar. In an equally daring venture, the renowned minimalist composer Michael Nyman attempts to make an updated version of Dziga Vertov’s revolutionary documentary Man with a Movie Camera. The selection of documentaries in this year’s festival is especially strong, with Me@ the Zoo offering an intriguing look in the endlessly self-recorded life of transgendered man Chris Crocker, and Zero Killed giving us a rare view of the darkest corners of the human mind as director Michal Kosakowski asks people from various backgrounds about their murder fantasies and then gives them the chance to stage them as short films.
Add to the mix a list of international shorts with A-list stars such as Charlotte Rampling, Jenifer Lopez, Malcolm McDowell and Phil Jupitus and retrospectives that celebrate the genius of the French avant guardist Chris Maker (whose short film La Jetée became the inspiration for Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys) and the eccentric work of Trent Harris, best known for Plan 10 From Outer Space, a low- budget sensation with the unbeatable combo of aliens and Mormons and you will understand what a diverse film festival experience feels like. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)
The 20th Riverside Film Festival takes place from 26 September-7 October at the West End’s Apollo Cinema. For further information visit www.raindance.co.uk

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Something you should see… The Goonies at Nomad Cinema

Apostolos Kostoulas — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:00:54 +0000

The summer weather that has finally come to the UK (a month before the beginning of autumn) has been a blessing not just for sports fans who can go to Greenwich Park and enjoy the thrills that the Olympic Equestrian competitions will undoubtedly provide but also for all those film lovers who had been looking forward for the moment they would be able to move as far away from the drab concrete walls of a multiplex as possible.

For the last couple of weeks, special outdoor film screenings seem to take place every other day, promising a unique movie experience. The prospect of an exciting location, up-and coming live music acts and a great bunch of other surprises is certainly enticing. If the actual film though, is nothing really special, why bother going in the first place?

For anyone then, who grew up in the 80s the names of Mikey, Chunk, Data, Mouth, the Fratelli Brothers and of course “One-Eyed” Willy, should be enough of a reason to go to the Nomad screening of The Goonies at Queen’s Park. Written by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone), directed by Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon) and produced by Steven Spielberg, this wild adventure of a group of kids who stumble upon a treasure map is not only one of the few examples of great mainstream fun to have come out during the largely kitsch decade of the 80s, but also captures of the excitement of being a child and the importance of friendship at such a tender age.

With all the major studios currently unable or uninterested in successfully transporting us to back to the time when we were young and restless, the chance of watching The Goonies on the big screen should not be missed by anyone. That such a screening will take place in one of London’s most beautiful parks is just the icing on the cake. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)

Lexi Cinema presents The Nomad: THE GOONIES will take place on Saturday 18 August at Queen’s Park. Live music will be provided by Yellowwire , while the Salt Yard Group will be in charge of the food. For more information visit http://www.whereisthenomad.com/events/goonies-pg-queens-park/

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