Film

Best of the Year – DVD Catch Up!

It’s testament to the quality of films we’ve seen this year that what started as a simple “What’s your top five of the year?” request from the Film Ed soon escalated into a lengthy, heated debate between the SD Film team. After much deliberation, here’s our crème-de-la-crème of this year’s cinematic releases out soon to watch at home…

Batman on his motorbike

Summer Smashes

summer at the Cinema in 2008 promises to be huge! The eagerly anticipated franchise continuations of Indiana Jones IV, The Chronicles of Narnia II and Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight are set to flood the box office.

crowd in front of large outdoor cinema screen

Bangin’ Blighty

Forget the glitzy glamour of Cannes and the sweltering heat of Sundance; top quality Film Festivals and special screenings are invading Blighty this summer.

tribal people

Doomsday

British director Neil Marshall makes his third gory feature with Doomsday, depicting events surrounding a lethal virus named “reaper” which infected Scotland in 2008. To prevent the spread of the killer virus, the whole of Scotland was quarantined and excluded from the rest of the country with a harsh barricaded wall. No one has come out and no one has gone in until, in 2033, the “reaper” returns to seek revenge on London.

2 men on the beach

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the latest film from the infamous Judd Apatow gang, who brought us Knocked Up!. Once again they have created a comedy that captures your heart whilst shying away from the sentimentality of most romantic comedies.

drawing of a man and a woman in a car

Persepolis

Adapted from Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel series, Persepolis simultaneously tells the story of Iran’s bloody Islamic revolution and Satrapi’s childhood, most notably her turbulent teenage years. The film captivates immediately with its beguiling visuals. The film echoes the monochrome style of the graphic novels, chosen to make the film universal to all cultures. It never feels cartoony due to the use of cinematic techniques such as jump-cut editing, which lends the picture a greater sense of authenticity than conventional animation.

man in front of microphone

Joy Division

Two films based on Joy Division in the space of seven months? At first glance it seems like this documentary is driving down the slipstream of Control’s recent success; it has taken nearly thirty years for one to arrive, so why not welcome in two? Yet, although both pick on the key points of the short lifespan of the band and the iconic nature of Macclesfield’s most famous musical export Ian Curtis, the interview format of Joy Division offers new answers to lingering questions. It also shows clips that the fictional Control could not and emphasises what director Gee sees as the rejuvenation of Manchester, following its post-industrial revolution slump.

Cine City

For the past few years certain big name Hollywood movies have been ‘upgraded’ to the IMAX (Image Maximum) format, making for occasionally head-spinning and almost always awe-inspiring cinematic experiences. With the recent release of Beowulf, IMAX 3D has been talked-up as the future of cinema; Shrek Goes Forth will be made chiefly with the “3D” postfix in mind.

one man holding the other by the neck

Three and Out

Commuters cannot have failed to noticed Miss Mackenzie Crook’s weaselly features poking out at them every 50 yards, promoting this new Britflick. So, to what do we owe this sudden intrusion from the man who so moved us in Sex Lives of the Potato Men? Well, not a whole lot because, whilst not inferior to that horrible effort, Three And Out is a shambolic mess caught in a place between raucous black comedy and gloomy melodrama.

alt.vision: Moves08

Moves08 is a short film and new media festival hitting Manchester for the forth time between the 22nd - 26th April, showcasing short films and installations in usual and unusual screening contexts throughout the city, including cinemas, bars and gallery spaces.

smiling woman on blue background

Happy-Go-Lucky

Although another fine example of his radiating genius, Happy-Go-Lucky takes a different direction from Mike Leigh’s existing archive. Life Is Sweet and Secrets and Lies expertly extracted hilarity from agonising tragedy while Vera Drake tackled a desperate, period concern. Leigh’s latest endeavour retains his razor-sharp wit whilst presenting a thoroughly pleasurable insight into the life of London primary school teacher, Poppy (Hawkins).

Cine City

George Clooney, since hitting the UK to launch his new directorial effort Leatherheads, has been a ubiquitous figure of late. Unsurprisingly there’s been plenty of paparazzi snaps of the dapper Cary Grant-alike out promoting the film, not to mention countless interviews graciously served up to daytime TV.

Flashbacks of a Fool

Joe Scott (Craig) is a washed out actor no longer getting work because of his nonchalant and hedonistic attitude. Things really fall apart when he receives a call from his mother, informing him about the death of his closest childhood friend, Boots. The fading Hollywood star then looks back upon his youth as he returns home for his best friend's funeral.

Cine City

Over the Easter Break, London was awash with big film events, from sneaky peeks to archive oddities and accessible premieres…

two men in bruges

In Bruges

Two Irish hit men, Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson), are sent to hideout in Bruges by their boss (Fiennes). While lying low, Ken hopes to do some sightseeing whereas Ray loathes the old city and struggles to come to terms with the botched job that put them there.

Cine City

News from Manchester’s very own Queer Up North festival competition and ¡Viva!

Alt.vision: Going Underground, Online

In the crowded marketplace of video-sharing sites Icewhole.com, the brainchild of The Underground Movies Company, dares to be different. Sure, the basic YouTube formula of, “make movie, upload movie, summarise movie, watch movie, watch related movies - all for free”, is intact, but with a cool twist.

Man and sex doll on couch

Lars and the Real Girl

When it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, Lars and The Real Girl received a standing ovation, though it may be difficult to understand why when the plot is relayed on paper. The film tells the story of a disturbingly shy man who purchases a sex doll on the Internet and introduces her to the family as his girlfriend. The image that strikes the mind is of a peculiar comedy, at best.

Man next to knife through a door

The Cottage

When brothers David (Serkis) and Peter (Shearsmith), kidnap the daughter of a rich mobster and hold her for ransom – so that Peter can get his hands on their Mummy’s house and David can sail off to a life of tranquillity on his boat – you’d expect the inevitable punishment to be doled out by her father. The threats and ill deeds they face are far worse, however, as the brothers stumble onto the land of a psychotic farmer.

Man in tudor clothes

The Other Boleyn Girl

Adapted from Philippa Gregory’s immensely popular novel of the same name and previously filmed by the BBC, The Other Boleyn Girl is a solid addition to the Tudor costume-drama cannon. Historical accuracy of little import, we watch as Henry VIII (Bana), historically famed for his vociferous spousal appetite, is driven mad by love and desire for Mary (Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Portman).

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