Capital Celluloid 2014 - Day 24: Fri Jan 24

No1 Sacre GRA (Rosi, 2013): Riverside Studios, 7pm


Here is the DocHouse introduction:
The only documentary ever to win the top prize at Venice Film Festival, Sacro GRA is a poetic and slyly humorous journey around the Grande Raccordo Anulare, Rome's ring-road highway.
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi insightfully and gracefully observes the everyday lives of a gallery of intriguing characters living near the highway's edge. Among them we meet an ageing aristocrat who passes his days sprawled out on a couch amidst a dramatic array of kitsch, a fisherman teaching his Ukrainian girlfriend how to eat a melon, an ambulance driver racing from one accident to another and a botanist trying to save his beloved palm trees from insect infestation.
Beautifully crafted and deeply evocative, Sacro GRA is a repository of the extraordinary stories of those at the edges of the ever-expanding universe of Italy's eternal city.
The screening will be followed by an extended Q&A with Italian director, Gianfranco Rosi in conversation with Nick Bradshaw (Sight & Sound).

**************************

No 2 Sing-a-long The Muppets (Bobin, 2011): Prince Charles Cinema, 9pm


Here's one of the hugely popular sing-a-long events at the Prince Charles Cinema, and one of the best feelgood movies of the last few years.

Time Out review:
If the secret to great comedy is timing, The Muppets must be one of the greatest comic acts of all time. The original ‘Muppet Show’ first screened in 1976, when its unique combination of sweet, surreal and subtly satirical silliness was the perfect panacea for a country (it was shot in Britain, lest we forget) sliding hopelessly into financial meltdown. Now here we are, 35 years later, and The Muppets are back to distract us from another bout of economic misery through the simple application of soulful psychedelic songsmithery and rubber chicken gags (WACKA! WACKA!). 

What follows may be a predictable sort of putting-on-a-show hi-jinks, but in some ways that’s the point: this is cosy-blanket filmmaking, the very definition of that overused term, feelgood. Jason Segel is a charming frontman, and if Amy Adams is at times overshadowed by her co-star (not to mention a legion of limelight-grabbing fuzzy-felt extras), the relationship between them is beautifully sketched.

But the real stars are, of course, the Muppets themselves: Jim Henson may be gone (and Frank Oz’s voice talents are conspicuous by their absence), but ‘The Muppets’ is entirely true to their pioneering spirit, replete with beloved supporting characters, subversive asides, terrible puns and some of the most ludicrous, maniacal musical numbers ever committed to film – one throwaway showcase for a flock of singing chickens may well prove to be the funniest scene of 2012. The result is a film bursting at the seams with sheer, unadulterated joy: watch it, and the world seems just that little bit brighter...
Tom Huddleston


Here (and above) is the trailer.

*****************

No3 At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (Marins, 1964): Genesis Cinema, 7pm 


The Good, Bad, Unseen Film Club return with a double-bill entitled Monochrome Madness.
Here is their introduction:

AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL -- Directed by José Mojica Marins (1964)
Directed in 1964 this gem of a movie is not only directed by José Mojica Marins but also stars the man himself as Ze Do Caixao, an evil undertaker who is obsessed with having a child so that can inherit his immortal bloodline. However, things don't go to plan and he reeks havoc on a quiet Brazilian town. A movie banned in its native country for many years and undiscovered in the west for even longer, we are pleased to present this movie in the best print possible - fully uncut for your viewing pleasure. Portuguese language with English subtitles.
View the trailer here.

SINGAPORE SLING -- Directed by Nikos Nikolaidis (1990)
A detective goes on a search for his beloved Laura but stumbles upon a mother and her adult daughter, who spend their days playing incestuous role playing games at their mansion. As the story unravels it is revealed they hold even more murderous and perverse secrets.
Beautifully shot and with superb performances this movie will offend, shock and delight audiences who love cinema that is dark, perverse and with a healthy dose of black humour. We are pleased to show a new HD print in its Uncut glory.
View the trailer here.

No comments:

Post a Comment