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The 62nd BFI London Film Festival came to an end on Sunday 21 October with the gala screening of Jon S. Baird’s Stan & Ollie, the funny and touching story of one of the most iconic double acts of Hollywood, Laurel & Hardy, following them on what would become their farewell tour.
The festival was impressive as always, bringing together some of the world’s biggest stars to the UK for another busy 12-day period. It featured a fantastic selection of the biggest and best upcoming film content we have to look forward to in the cinema in the coming months.
Several DCMers were lucky enough to attend a range of screenings across the festival and have written up their highlights and reviews of the films they saw, which are featured below.
To get involved with the biggest and best films from the festival, speak to your DCM rep today or plan your campaign using our online planner at www.dcm.co.uk/planner.
Assassination Nation, Korrine Eshun, Account Manager, DCM
A fantastically zany, vibrant reincarnation of the Salem witch trials positioned perfectly in a social media obsessed generation. The perfect blend of unapologetic sex, drugs and rock music, Assassination Nation never shy’s away from topics that fill the tabloids daily.
Each character represents a different struggle faced by youth in today’s technology fuelledlandscape, be it cyber bullying, fear of fitting in, peer pressure or battling sexual urges. The films loud, dance soundtrack and consistent red colouringpaired with jump scare moments make sure the audience never loses interest in the goings on on-screen. With its bold title sequence, form the off you know you are in for a very different movie going experience!
Assassination Nation hits UK cinemas on 23 November 2018.
Beautiful Boy, Summer Baxter, Account Executive, DCM
Director Felix Van Groeningen, best known for his Oscar Nominated film Broken Circle Breakdown in 2012, tackles his first English language feature with the film Beautiful Boy. Adapted from the memoirs of father and son, David and Nic Sheff, who have both penned harrowing accounts of their journeys through Nic’s struggle with addiction.
Merging two profound and personal memoirs, each from a different point of view, is a monstrous task! However, the writing duo, Felix and Luke Davies do an admirable job of piecing them together. They play with the chronology of the story to try and keep as much of the character development and sentiment from the memoirs as possible, whilst condensing the material into a two-hour film. The result is a sensitive and considered script.
Beautiful Boy hits UK cinemas on 18 January 2019.
If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Price, Account Manager, DCM
Since Moonlight (2016) grabbed all the headlines over a year and a half ago, as the 89thAcademy Award’s Best Picture winner, we’ve all been waiting for the next big thing from director, Barry Jenkins. It’s safe to say, he captured the hearts of this year’s London Film Festival fans and critics, with five-star reviews across all the usual media outlets for his latest masterpiece, If Beale Street Could Talk.
If Beale Street Could Talk is once again a beautifully directed film from Barry Jenkins, which takes the simplest of moments between two people, and presents them to the audience in the most romantic of ways possible. Jenkins is set to play a vital role in awards season once again next year, with a very likely contender for Best Director. It has a great chance in the Cinematography category (James Laxton) as well as in the Music/Original Score categories (Nicholas Britell).
If Beale Street Could Talk hits UK cinemas on 8 February 2019.
Sorry To Bother You, Korrine Eshun, Account Manager, DCM
If there was ever a film that seemed impossible to write a review for without spoiling anything it is this! Sure to be one of the weirdest concepts ever to be seen on the big screen, this was by far, for me, the standout film at this year’s festival!
Just when you think you know where the narrative is going, it does a complete u-turn that makes you question everything you just watched. Boots Riley’s film is one of the cleverest films I’ve seen in recent years and expertly tackles themes such as race, class and the theory humanity is moving too far too fast.
Sorry To Bother You hits UK cinemas on 7 December 2018.
Green Book, Korrine Eshun, Account Manager, DCM
When the first shot of Viggo Mortensen’s overweight, Italian-American bouncer appeared on screen, there was an audible sigh of relief amongst the audience at this year’s surprise film and with good reason! Green Bookhad gone relatively under the radar until its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival where it picked up the coveted Audience Award and it’s easy to see why it received such praise. Receiving not one but two standing ovations on the night (the second when the cast and crew came out which lasted so long, we were told to sit down) the film truly is an example of biographical film making at its best.
Green Book hits UK cinemas on 1 February 2019.
Papi Chulo, Korrine Eshun, Account Manager, DCM
Endearing, heart-warming and emotional all in equal measures. Papi Chulo offers a humorous look at how depression and loneliness affectsan area of society often underrepresented by Hollywood and the film industry and can lead to people forming the unlikeliest of friendships. Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patino have an effortless chemistry as the films two male leads, despite the language barrier and polar oppositelifestyles. The script never once tries to be too clever, it simply maintains a tenderness in itsstorytelling that when paired with the constant styling of bright, white lighting techniques offers the perfect film to watch on a cold, dreary night to reassure yourself of life’s little pleasures.
The Favourite, Summer Baxter, Account Executive, DCM
The Favourite,which premiered at Venice Film Festival earlier in the year, is set in 18thCentury war-stricken England. The story follows the relationship between Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman) and her longtime confidant Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), during the arrival of Lady Sarah’s cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), which sparks rivalry for the Queen affections.
A film lead by a cast of three powerhouse women is something that should always be applauded, but even more so when the screenplay and characters are so complex and sharp. Huge praise is deserved to the writers of the screenplay Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, who create female characters that are controlling, deceitful, provocative, unapologetic, greedy and competitive - often characteristics reserved for the men; this is a welcome change!
The Favourite guarantees laugh out loud viewing and is a must see when it is released in cinemas 1 January 2019.
The Sisters Brothers, Korrine Eshun, Account Manager, DCM
When you walk into a film with a cast list boasting Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed you can be certain you will be in for a treat and that is exactly what The Sisters Brothersoffers.
This modern take on the western film genre set around the great Californian gold rush of 1848, tells the story of the deadly Sisters brothers (Phoenix and Reilly) who are sent on the trail of Herman Kermit Warm (Ahmed) a man who claims to have a formula that lights up the gold when prospecting in a river.
The Sisters Brothers hits UK cinemas on 5 April 2019.
Widows, Nicholas Price, Account Manager, DCM
Widows, one of the early Oscar contenders, is a slick, stylish and brutal adapted screenplay brought to us by 12 Years a Slave director, Steve McQueen and Gone Girl writer/producer, Gillian Flynn.
This film has been adapted from Lynda La Plante’s book with the same title, and follows the story of four Chicago-based, gangland widows who have recently lost their husbands to a failed heist. Inheriting the mess and debts left by their late husbands, Veronica (Viola Davis) convinces Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice (Elizabeth Dubicki) to team together to attempt to pull off the next heist in Veronica’s husband’s, Harry Rawling’s (Liam Neeson), plans to pay back Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) and his brother Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya) the $2 million before time is up.
Widows hits UK cinemas on 6 November 2018.