1,236 posts
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Post by nash16 on Oct 18, 2024 11:21:41 GMT
I am amused that the recent BFI Southbank revamp has required BFI staff to cover up the new "Door 1" and "Door 2" signs at NFT1 given that the tickets still say "Door 3" and "Door 4"... (As an aside, the loos revamp next to NFT1 seems to have been something of a failure given the queue outside the ladies loos virtually all the time. Given that the gents and ladies have swapped places, maybe there should have been more of an effort to add more loos altogether - the problem is that NFT1 was designed with half the audience entering at the front of the auditorium, but now that the only access is from the top those loos at the back get an awful lot of use...) Still, the new seating and entrance at NFT3 are nice. Additional error in the NFT1 toilets design: if you sit on the left hand side of the auditorium, anywhere from halfway back, your film viewing is interrupted every 20 seconds or so by the sounds of the hand dryers in the ladies and gents. They didn’t think this through… |
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Post by solotheatregoer on Oct 18, 2024 21:14:20 GMT
We Live in Time - 3 stars
This is a lovely film but I found the non-linear narrative to be quite fragmented so the build up to the inevitable ending didn't have as strong of an emotional impact as I was expecting. A more linear structure would have been more effective here as the constant chopping and changing felt very disjointed so the emotional journey of the two leads was not so easy to follow. Loved Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield though.
Queer - 2 stars
I enjoyed the first half and the final scene. But most of the second half was very odd. I am not familiar with the book so went in to this blind. I enjoyed the aspects of male loneliness that were explored and the final scene was beautifully shot. But this was all just a bit dull.
Maria - 5 stars
My favourite movie of the year. I attended the headline gala this evening and it was nice to see the cast and crew up close. This is Angelina Jolie's best performance and she fully deserves the praise she is receiving. I've missed seeing her on the big screen and what a 'comeback' this is. Beautiful cinematography and score. She will most definitely be widely recognised for this during awards season and rightly so.
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Post by theatregoer22 on Oct 20, 2024 23:03:40 GMT
We Live in Time - 3 stars This is a lovely film but I found the non-linear narrative to be quite fragmented so the build up to the inevitable ending didn't have as strong of an emotional impact as I was expecting. A more linear structure would have been more effective here as the constant chopping and changing felt very disjointed so the emotional journey of the two leads was not so easy to follow. Loved Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield though. Queer - 2 stars I enjoyed the first half and the final scene. But most of the second half was very odd. I am not familiar with the book so went in to this blind. I enjoyed the aspects of male loneliness that were explored and the final scene was beautifully shot. But this was all just a bit dull. Maria - 5 stars My favourite movie of the year. I attended the headline gala this evening and it was nice to see the cast and crew up close. This is Angelina Jolie's best performance and she fully deserves the praise she is receiving. I've missed seeing her on the big screen and what a 'comeback' this is. Beautiful cinematography and score. She will most definitely be widely recognised for this during awards season and rightly so.
Saw all of those films at LFF and while I've given them different star ratings on Letterboxd, I pretty much agree with your assesments of them (except that I found most of the first half of Queer dull as well).
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2,058 posts
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Post by Marwood on Oct 21, 2024 13:51:03 GMT
I’ve been out of the country: what was the surprise film?
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Post by n1david on Oct 21, 2024 14:08:52 GMT
I’ve been out of the country: what was the surprise film? It was Saturday Night - the Saturday Night Live film. (I didn't see it). My LFF was a bit disappointing, against my usual judgement I spent too long at the Royal Festival Hall seeing films that would be available to see anyway (sometimes, like The Apprentice, getting general release just four days later). Next year I must go back to my usual practice of trying to find the smaller stuff that might not get a theatrical release here. I thoroughly disliked Queer for its storytelling (or lack of it), despite I thought a great performance by Craig and a great aesthetic. But then, I loathed Call Me By Your Name, so I have form with Luca. We Live in Time was just too damp for words and I agree that the fragmented narrative added nothing and took much away from the storyline. My favourite films were the smaller ones - Rumours was completely bonkers but ended up loving it despite its faults. Cate Blanchett haters should stay away. Four Mothers was quietly charming but in the gay-themed comedy genre A Nice Indian Boy was great fun and could be a crossover hit which is remarkable for such a small production. The Norwegian film Sex was intermittently compelling but could have had a good 15 or 30 minutes trimmed from it. Not a vintage LFF for me, must do better next year. |
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2,058 posts
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Post by Marwood on Oct 21, 2024 15:13:21 GMT
I’ve been out of the country: what was the surprise film? It was Saturday Night - the Saturday Night Live film. (I didn't see it). My LFF was a bit disappointing, against my usual judgement I spent too long at the Royal Festival Hall seeing films that would be available to see anyway (sometimes, like The Apprentice, getting general release just four days later). Next year I must go back to my usual practice of trying to find the smaller stuff that might not get a theatrical release here. I thoroughly disliked Queer for its storytelling (or lack of it), despite I thought a great performance by Craig and a great aesthetic. But then, I loathed Call Me By Your Name, so I have form with Luca. We Live in Time was just too damp for words and I agree that the fragmented narrative added nothing and took much away from the storyline. My favourite films were the smaller ones - Rumours was completely bonkers but ended up loving it despite its faults. Cate Blanchett haters should stay away. Four Mothers was quietly charming but in the gay-themed comedy genre A Nice Indian Boy was great fun and could be a crossover hit which is remarkable for such a small production. The Norwegian film Sex was intermittently compelling but could have had a good 15 or 30 minutes trimmed from it. Not a vintage LFF for me, must do better next year. I don’t agree with thinking in some circles lthat SNL is some kind of holy grail of comedy, if you actually try watching it, an awful lot of what is served up is/was dross (just try seeing how long you can sit through their Gallagher brothers sketch from recently for proof) |
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Oct 21, 2024 16:12:13 GMT
I saw 14 films this year, in all of which I found something to enjoy (which is good because I took a week off work for the festival). I'm aware some of these picks are very marmite though so don't expect to share my opinion on a lot of them! Here's my ranking:
Queer - 5 stars
Anora - 4.5 stars
Nickel Boys - 4.5 stars
The End - 4.5 stars
The Seed of the Sacred Fig - 4 stars
Hard Truths - 4 stars
Seeking Mavis Beacon - 4 stars
A Real Pain - 4 stars
A Nice Indian Boy - 4 stars
The Room Next Door - 3.5 stars
Emilia Perez - 3.5 stars
The Wild Robot - 3.5 stars
The Piano Lesson - 3.5 stars
Dahomey - 3 stars
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Post by nottobe on Oct 21, 2024 17:02:23 GMT
The rest of the films I managed to see were:
Ernest Cole Lost and Found- A documentary I found to be so very dull. the subject matter could have made it interesting but it was a snooze fest.
Hard Truths- My most anticipated film as a massive Mike Leigh fan. I will re-watch it when it has a proper release but I was let down and thought there was a better film in it. I liked it but wanted to love it.
Under the Volcano- This film really blew me away and I left the cinema speechless. A film about a Ukrainian family stuck in Tenerife as the recent war began. Very similar to After Sun in being a slow but devastating burn. A must see!
A Real Pain- I think this will be one of the big contenders at the Oscars and it is an utterly charming, heartbreaking and wonderful film.
The End- A brilliantly acted musical that I certainly liked. Maybe wish the numbers in it were more inventive but certainly original.
The Apprentice- Jeremy Strong is a marvel as Roy Cohn but the rest of the cast shine too. A film I was sceptical of but thought was very very good.
2073- Awful. A documentary that left a sour taste in my mouth.
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Post by hadeswasking on Oct 21, 2024 17:25:56 GMT
Typically I go for the last week where I'm able to catch a lot more but did the first week this year -
Anora 5/5
The Piano Lesson 4.5/5
The Wild Robot 4.5/5
Conclave 4/5
Memoir of a Snail 4/5
Emilia Pèrez 4/5
A Real Pain 3.5/5
The Surfer 3.5/5
Blitz 3/5
Stranger Eyes 2.5/5
Also caught the first 3 episodes of the fantastic new HBO comedy 'The Franchise' with a surprise appearance from all of the cast (apart from one who is currently on Broadway) and Sam Mendes.
As well as the incredibly poignant screen talk from Lupita Nyong'o
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Post by theatregoer22 on Oct 21, 2024 23:07:56 GMT
Managed to watch 15 films this year, mostly headline galas and special presentations, but I find if I don't see them at the festival then I struggle to catch them all in the cinema afterwards.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig - 4.5*
Anora - 4.5*
We Live In Time - 4*
A Real Pain - 4*
Maria - 4*
The Assesment - 4*
Four Mothers - 4*
The End - 3.5*
Nightbitch - 3.5*
Harvest - 3.5*
Joy - 3.5*
All of You - 3.5*
Hard Truths - 3.5*
Piano Lesson - 3.5*
Queer - 2.5*
Now just to try and see Blitz, Emilia Perez and Room Next Door in cinemas in the next few weeks (along with Small Things Like These and possibly Juror No 2) while being back at work and wanting to do other things as well!
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Post by ctas on Oct 22, 2024 12:08:02 GMT
17 for me this year! In order of (roughly) most to least favourite: Nickel Boys, A Real Pain, Conclave, Wild Robot, Dahomey, Anora, A Nice Indian Boy, Nightbitch, Maria, Queer, Emilia Perez, Blitz, Audrey, Endurance, The Christopher Reeve Story, All of You, Saturday Night.
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Post by foxa on Nov 18, 2024 16:32:29 GMT
I foolishly was looking for the LFF thread in General Chat, so missed this when it was pertinent.
I saw 3 films:
Harvest, at the ICA, with the director and two actors pitching up for a surprise (to me at least, Q&A.) This was the most challenging film, we saw and I think I liked it rather more than most people - I surrendered to its slow pace and oddness.
The Apprentice: thought this was good - excellent performances, though wouldn't blame people for not wanting to see any more Trump for a while.
We Live in Time: Lovely performances with some good moments, but not a great script.
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