Friday, 25 October 2013
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Monday, 7 October 2013
HUNGER AND WHAT RICHARD DID
HUNGER AND WHAT RICHARD DID
This week we go to Ireland; first up is a trip to the Maze
prison with HUNGER, based on the true story of 1981 hunger strike leader Bobby
Sands who died after a 66 day protest against the removal of Special Category
Status. The reason why I love this film is the approach Steve McQueen takes to
the subject mater creatively and visually it is stunning, even if you were to
cover your ears for the entire length of the film you would still come away
emotionally affected by what you had just viewed. Taking such a contentious
subject and turning it into such a compelling watch takes not just skill but
genius and an innate understanding of visual language. Next up is WHAT RICHARD
DID set in the south side of Dublin amongst a privileged set of teenagers
preparing for university, when their lives are turned up side down when golden
boy Richard commits an act that will shatter the lives of those closest to him.
Lenny Abrahamson’s claustrophobic, searching examination of social class and verging
adulthood is a gripping account of growing up in modern Ireland.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
THE HUNTER and VIRIDIANA at CULTIVATE FILM CLUB
VIRIDIANA and THE HUNTER
This
week’s double bill screenings look at creative questioning of the state with
one of Spain's most famous exiles, surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel’s
VIRIDIANA. Denounced by the Vatican and Franco’s government and banned from
release in Spain; Franco’s attempts to get VIRIDIANA withdrawn from competition
at Cannes failed, and it went on to win the PALM D’OR in 1961. Bunuel’s
stinging attack on religious obsession and the Catholic Church and its
principles is seen as a social as well as a political indictment on Franco's
Spain, Bunuel uses the fate of an idealistic novice nun Viridiana determined to
keep her faith while those closes to her attempt to strip her of it as a peg to
hang his many visual and intellectual arguments. The use of religious
iconography underlined with political subtext drew the critics in hailing it as
visual masterpiece, noted as being one of his greatest works and listed in the
top 50 best films ever made this is a must see for any film lover. Next up is
THE HUNTER from Iranian filmmaker Rafi Pitts, set amongst the political
backdrop of Tehran Pitts cleverly weaves together an engrossing thriller in the
style of the Jean-Pierre Melville using the iconic political imagery of the
70’s American political thrillers such as the PARALLAX VIEW and the
CONVERSATION with a great punk soundtrack it totally subverts the genera.
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