Author: James Partridge

Cannes 2014 Review: ‘Force Majeure’

Posted by | May 26, 2014 |

What I love most about film festivals is finding hidden gems – films you’ve never heard of that turn out to be so good you can’t help but tell anyone who’ll listen all about them. Force Majeure is one of those films. This sharp, smart character study centres on a Swedish family on holiday at a French ski resort. It’s apparent from the get go that the father, Tomas, is a workaholic – to his wife Ebba’s dismay he can’t leave his phone alone – but after a few hours on the snow all seems right with the world. But when a controlled avalanche goes awry, threatening the family at an outdoor restaurant, Tomas’ ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicks in and instead of protecting the wife and kids, he grabs his phone and runs. When the snow settles Tomas flatly refuses to admit he abandoned the family, but the consequences of his actions push his marriage to the brink – with his kids, friends and fellow holidaymakers caught in the cross-fire. This all sounds like quite serious stuff, and it is. But the brilliance of this film is that, just when you least expect, it always makes you laugh – out loud. I’ve never seen a film so skilfully skirt the line between drama and comedy. The laughs lighten the mood and also give the dramatic elements time to breath...

Read More

Cannes 2014 Review: ‘Jimmy’s Hall’

Posted by | May 25, 2014 |

Ken Loach returns to Cannes with another politically-charged tale. While Jimmy’s Hall may not win the Palme d’Or, it should win a few hearts. Irishman, socialist and loveable rebel, Jimmy Gralton, returns to the gloom of 1930s rural Ireland after a decade of exile in the US. Seeing the young people of his home town in a funk, he takes it on himself to open a dance hall where local youth can learn, argue, dream…but, above all, dance and have fun. Despite his time away, the political climate has changed little and the rigid views of the Catholic Church are as strong an influence as ever – frowning upon such freedom of expression and rebellious action – leading to a clash between Jimmy and local leaders, and Jimmy’s deportation without trial. The cast is incredibly important to films like this and it’s excellent across the board. Barry Ward and Simone Kirby have great chemistry, and the entire ensemble deserves credit for truly immersing us in the period, and in a struggle most Kiwis know little about. Like all of Loach’s films, it’s perfectly crafted. However fans might find the script a little thin. That doesn’t effect the enjoyment, but I left the cinema wishing there was more depth and complexity to the story – as I’m sure there was at the time. Jimmy’s Hall may be Ken Loach-lite but it’s...

Read More

Cannes 2014 Winners: ‘Winter Sleep’ nabs the Palme d’Or

Posted by | May 25, 2014 |

Last night acclaimed director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia) received one of the biggest and best film awards on the planet, the coveted Palme d’Or, for his latest masterwork Winter Sleep. The intimate, three hour plus character study beat out stiff competition from the likes of Bennett Miller‘s Foxcatcher, Mike Leigh‘s Mr. Turner, and Andrey Zvyagintsev‘s Leviathan, to be crowned champ by the esteemed panel judges –  including Jury President, and New Zealand’s own,  Jane Campion. Foxcatcher, Mr. Turner and Leviathan, three of my favs from the festival, didn’t go home empty handed, picking up a Best Director nod for Miller, Best Actor award for Timothy Spall, and Best Screenplay vote for Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin. It was great to see Xavier Dolan‘s Mommy recognised as joint winner of the Jury Prize, alongside Goodbye To Language (Jean-Luc Godard). I was gutted to miss out on Mommy as my esteemed colleagues all raved about it – I was ten places too far back in the queue! Probably the biggest surprise of the night was when Julianne Moore won Best Actress for Maps to the Stars. I’m not saying she wasn’t good, but it must have been a close call. Here’s a full list of the main competition winners: . PALME D’OR Winter Sleep – Nuri Bilge Ceylan . GRAND PRIZE Le Meraviglie / The Wonders –...

Read More

Cannes 2014 Review: ‘Foxcatcher’

Posted by | May 22, 2014 |

Even before its Cannes screening there was Oscar buzz surrounding Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, based on the a real-life story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wresters and an obsessed millionaire. Touted as a gripping, intelligent and well-acted drama, I went into the screening with keen anticipation. And I can now tell you that the hype was well-founded. Foxcatcher is a gem of a film. We meet brothers Mark & Dave Schultz in the gym, sparing with each other on the mat. Despite their shared passion for wrestling the brothers couldn’t be more different: Dave is smart and a family man, helping to coach upcoming champions; Mark, however, is on the breadline having failed to convert his Olympic success into a life outside the ring. Enter eccentric millionaire Jon DuPont, who promises Mark a lead role at his new national training facility and a chance to win a second Gold medal. Mark leaps at the chance to come out from in his older brother’s shadow and finds in DuPont a friend and mentor. But DuPont’s delusional dreams of restoring America’s supremacy through dominance in the ring push Mark to his mental and physical limit. Despite its grandiose premise, Foxcatcher is often a very subtle film. The wrestling elements are entertaining and the film’s aesthetics stunning but, much like Ornonsfky’s The Wrestler, neither overshadows the character-driven script at any point. Miller handles the character elements with...

Read More

Cinema Release Round Up: 22 May

Posted by | May 22, 2014 |

A film as big as X-Men: Days of Future Past would have every right to command the box office all to itself this week, but a fascinating-looking period drama from Poland says otherwise. . Opening today: . X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 131 minutes | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Director: Bryan Singer (X2, X-Men, The Usual Suspects) Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Omar Sy, Anna Paquin The future X-Men send Wolverine into the past in order to prevent an event that results in the demise of both humans and mutants. I’m really excited for this film after X-Men: First Class. Please don’t let me down. Distributor: 20th Century Fox . IDA Poland, Denmark | 82 minutes | Drama Director: Pawel Pawlikowski (The Woman in the Fifth, My Summer of Love, Last Resort) Cast: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik Before making her vows, a young nun makes contact with her last remaining relative. But the Aunt she meets is annihilating painful memories with a heady mix of sex and booze, and before long a dark secret from their family’s past is revealed, leaving both women to confront the devastating truth. This looks really good. Might well have been FOTW if I’d heard of it before now. Distributor: Unknown ....

Read More