BFI London Film Festival 2014 – Day Nine
And that’s a wrap, I thought about attending the final gala press screening of Fury but c’mon, 9.00am on a Sunday is bloody pushing it for a film being released next Wednesday, not to mention the picture doesn’t particularly appeal to me. So lets mop up a few other films I caught before we take a breather of precisely two days before the BFI Days Of Fear & Wonder begins with my first Southbank Screening – no rest for the wicked indeed;
Have you researched your Latvian slasher movies recently? It’s a miniscule genre with a body count of one, as this is the first ever made. Alas, it was exceptionally unmemorable, and even its austerity theme of the evil oligargs deserving their cruel despatch it lacks any spark of originality or indeed, dread.
Whilst I didn’t see the Festival Surprise Film which they always keep shrouded in immense secrecy I was pleased to see it was Birdman, a project which has been steadily soaring to the lofty peak of expectations. The enormous praise has been unanimous from other festival showings, and although I’ve read some intriguing elements of the film production and construction I’ll keep them quiet for now. The London critics were just as impressed as the TiFF and Venice contingent, so I’m really looking forward to this now.
Restoration is always a pleasure at a festival, alas I missed The Tales Of Hoffman (which truth be told is not one of my favourite Powell & Pressburgers) so I went in a rather different direction with this Chinese Wuxia classic. Like many of my generation I grew watching all the Bruce Lee pictures (The Big Boss, Fists Of Fury, Game Of Death) and some of the early Jackie Chan’s (Snake In The Eagles Shadow, Drunken Master), but generally speaking 1960’s martial art remain something of a blind spot. Review here, and here are my warblings on The Tribe.
My final picture was Jamie Marks Is Dead, which immediately put me in the mind of the 1980’s teen alienation classic Rivers Edge. Although it suffers in comparison his was good though, a little creepy, and again a palpable sense of isolation which seems to be a recurring theme. So that’s that for another year, for the final tally The Tribe, Foxcatcher, Whiplash, Spring and The Duke of Burgundy were the highlights. So now its time to take to the stars, and the good news we have a mission clearance for all eight of the tickets I initially applied for so prepeare for hyperspace etc….
Minty's Menagerie 
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