Cult Classics | Donnie Darko | Richard Kelly | 2001 | USA
Sun 1st June 8pm | Roxy Bar & Screen | £3
A satirical sci-fi fantasy teen triumph of a film, complete with an ever so dashing young Jake Gyllenhaal and the best invisible man-sized rabbit this side of Harvey. If you’re in the v.small minority of people who’ve not yet caught it, then I implore you to- if only to discount the malicious conjecture that such tragically dire films such as Brick are ‘The new Donnie Darko’
If you’re popping along to the screening of this cult classic on Sunday my one small piece of advice would be to cover your eyes for the closing moments of the film. As although the directors cut doesn’t make an earth shattering world of difference, its one that I doesn’t sit well with me- but hey I guess you can make your own mind up….
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Official Site: www.roxybarandscreen.com
Address: 128-132 Borough High Street, SE1
Tel: 020 7403 4423
Nearest Tubes: Borough Tube, London Bridge
The Flipside | Chappaqua + Triptych in Four Parts
Sat 21st June 6:20pm | BFI Southbank | £(will update)
A psychedelic, LSD-fuelled stream-of-consciousness collage, beautifully shot by Robert Frank and with a great Ravi Shankar soundtrack, overloaded with beautiful imagery to blow your mind.
This screening will be introduced by William Fowler and Vic Pratt, Curators, BFI National Archive. Afterwards, freak out for free to the swirling psychodelic sounds od DJs Mariko and Anti-Gravity Man (The Girls in the Garage) in benugo bar Continue reading ‘Chappaqua + Triptych in Four Parts’
Film Knights | Killer of Sheep | Dir. Charles Burnett | 1977 | USA
Tue 3rd June 7pm | Curzon Soho | Free
(rsvp essential filmknights ‘at’ littlewhitelies.co.uk)
Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse.
Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a coffee cup against his cheek, slow dancing with his wife in the living room, holding his daughter. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life — sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor.
California Dreamin’ | Dir. Cristian Nemescu | Romania
Whilst accompanying sensitive radar equipment across the Romanian railroads (during the 1999 Kosovo war) a train load of US troops become held up by locals upon failure to provide the correct documentation to accompany their cargo. Forced to take up indefinite residence in the town we follow the myriad of grudges, romances, and exploitations their presence induces. Continue reading ‘Film of the Week: California Dreamin’ (Endless)’
For the past few months the Curzon Soho and ‘Under the Influence’ have been reviving the lost art of the midnight movie. Since its launch back in February the regular monthly night has screened at the witching hour such gems as VHS cult classic Society and Tarantino/ Rodriguez’s Grindhouse (in its full double bill glory) . Continue reading ‘Midnight Movies: Skidoo’
I was flicking through the pages of Tony Nourmand & Graham Marsh’s book ‘Film Posters: Horror‘ whilst passing time in Oxford Street’s HMV a few weeks back. As I admired the genres retro and eclectic artwork I was taken aback by one in particular - an exceptionally abstract and unconventional poster for ‘The Fly’. Even amidst the often surreal and crazy posters thrown up by the genre it stood out a mile. The poster was a simplified computer-like illustration of a grey human/ fly creature doubled over, regurgitating a yellow substance on the floor set against a bold red backdrop. Thematically it was of course very much in tune with the tone and the narrative of the film, but still felt a world away from virtually every other poster in the book.
Continue reading ‘The Awe of the Polish Film Poster…’
Shotgun Stories | Dir. Jeff Nichols | USA
First off a quick apology for the slightly delayed film of the week this week, but here it be none the less.
Sold on the UK poster as “a high-calibre thriller with more kickback than a 12-gauge” this is without doubt the right way to set an expectant audience off on the wrong foot. This is in fact a quiet and subtle film, that although at its core deals with revenge & violence (and yes- shotguns too), chooses to shy away from moments of violence and high drama and instead focus on the time and contemplation of its characters between these. Continue reading ‘Film of the Week: Shotgun Stories’
A whole blissful world away from the Wall-Es, Kung Fu Pandas and ‘ant’ based CGI kids films of the world- comes ‘Past-Potential-Futures Early Experiments in Computer Animation’ this weekend at The Tate Modern as part of their ‘Lond Weekend’ free event/ festival on the 24-26th.
Continue reading ‘Ye Oldee Computer Animations’
Starting next Wednesday in conjunction with Faber & Faber every bodies favourite cinema (on Shaftesbury Avenue) is hosting the first of its film quiz nights. Host for the evening will be author of Ten Bad Dates with De Niro Richard T. Kelly (hence the name Ten Rounds with De Niro)
Continue reading ‘Ten Rounds with De Niro’
