That’s right, its Friday which can only mean one thing. I’m presenting my top picks for what you lot need to watch this weekend. Its a right old melting pot of film goodness, kicking off with a boy racer, moving swiftly on to a man on the hunt for reality and ending up with Scarlett Johannson well, seducing men and doing all sorts of random creepy weirdness with them – not to be missed I promise!
And if that wasn’t enough, every Thursday we give you the box office run down of what is hot at the cinema box office, so if you want to see where your hard earned cinema going cash has been spent this week, then check out Amon Warrman’s latest rundown.
Thanks for all your support please do keep subscribing to The Reel Deal and follow us on Twitter x
Happy Valentines Day one and all – if you’re planning a trip to the cinema, back row, none of that nonsense, then I’ve got a great little nugget of information for you on what to watch. There’s something for every type of romantic out there, from the toe tapping through to the quirky and reserved, and even the big kid romantic in you.
There’s a super large amount of great stuff on at the moment, so if you don’t have any plans as yet then take advantage of your local multiplex. Spread the love for cinema if nothing else!
This weeks top flicks were hand picked by the brilliant @thereelfilmshow (follow them on Twitter please!) and there really is something for everyone, there’s also still some fab films out that were released in the last week or so, so make sure you check them out too, and don’t forget subscribe, subscribe, subscribe! (obviously subscribe to this blog but also The Reel Deal’s channel!)
Happy film watching and an even happier Valentines Day! x
For any of you desperate to find out what’s happening with the film adaptation of the multi-award winning novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, yesterday, they took the first steps towards publicity by tweeting out a poster for the film.
When it is released at the end of January 2014, the film will star Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson, alongside newcomer Sophie Nelisse as Liesel Meminger, it will also be directed by Downton Abbey’s Brian Percival.
Here’s a quick low-down on the story….
Based on the beloved international bestselling book, The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel, an extraordinary and courageous young girl sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany. She learns to read with encouragement from her new family and Max, a Jewish refugee who they are hiding under the stairs. For Liesel and Max, the power of words and imagination become the only escape from the tumultuous events happening around them. The Book Thief is a life-affirming story of survival and of the resilience of the human spirit.
As soon as more news becomes available, I’ll keep you posted.
Two very different teenage brothers must face their prejudices head on if they are to survive the perils of being young, British Arabs on the streets of gangland London.
The Good:
For a debut feature film, My Brother The Devil is gripping, engaging, thought provoking and beautifully shot. All the characters and the surrounding situations are believable and as an audience member you can get completely engrossed in what you are watching, which is always a sign of a good film.
Sally El-Hosani picked up the much deserved Best Newcomer Award at the London Film Festival and most certainly is a star director for the future with this film and vision prooving testament to that talent.
My Brother the Devil, takes the audience on a very real journey of discovery for two brothers, Mo and Rashid – played expertly by newcomer Fady Elsayed and James Floyd. The beauty of this film is its self contained aspects. Not venturing much further than its urban council estate setting, the cinematography sheds a hallowed light on what is often depicted in film as a dark, dank and gruesome part of London.
The storyline also takes the film away from its opening generic ‘urban film’ feel and makes a strong social commentary sure to provoke equally strong reactions from audiences. The film is clever without trying to be too clever and Hosani’s passion for the project is obvious. It’s particular interesting to see a young female director tackling such a male focused route.
The Bad:
Although the film provides an interesting twist on the London gang culture genre, the topical and popular subject matter unavoidably brings a certain predictability regardless of budget or plot specifics.
These kinds of films follow a familiar pattern, a violent incident provokes some form of gang rivalry. Audiences will find that this film’s later stages in particular fall prey to being formulaic in a way that distracts from the film’s more original elements. Over hyped-enthusiasm from boastful marketing and word of mouth praise may worsen this feeling of disappointment. It’s ultimately not quite as distinguished from similar films like Victim or Kidulthood as it could have been.
Despite it’s faults My Brother The Devil is still lead strongly by its performances, and may prove to be the stepping stone for much bigger things for Floyd and Elsayed. It is also better than many feature debuts on a shoe string budget, so deserves the majority of praise already garnered.
The Ugly Truth:
Beautifully shot, an unexpected twist on the tale you were expecting, but sadly not far enough away that it stands on its own two feet. Most impressive however, is that My Brother The Devil is yet another shining example of UK talent both in front and behind the camera with praise well deserved.
WRITTEN FOR RED CARPET NEWS TV
If you want to hear what the director herself has to say about the film, check out when I caught up with Sally El-Hosani at the preview to the London Film Festival earlier this year…
Prepping up for the London Film Festival, I didn’t have time to attend another great UK film festival which happened just before it, The Raindance Film Festival, however I did manage to sneak into the world premiere of one of its new films Forget Paris and have a cheeky interview with its director and leading man.
I’m lucky enough to know the director Chris Presswell quite well, and without any bias judgement I can tell you that he is going to be one to watch out for. Following on from his well received short film Missed Connections two years ago, he embarked on a labour of love focusing on the subject of falling out of love. It’s called, Forget Paris.
The story is held together by two characters, Dan and Katie, a couple who embark on an awkward trip to Paris together over New Years after their relationship falls apart. They are played excellently by Ed Coleman and newcomer Mai Cunningham as it is no easy job to hold an entire feature film together with just two characters. You get an understanding of the heartbreak and despair from Dan as the film progresses and towards the end you just want to shake Katie and tell her to stop being such a heartless bitch!!
The dialogue throughout is well paced, witty and very cynically British. Paris may be the city of romance, but through what the characters discuss and how the film positions them, this film seems to be the other extreme end of the spectrum. As an audience member you feel cold like the weather, awkward for the characters and it brings you to a point of hoping that you never find yourself in the same position as these two poor creatures- these however are all positive observations and reactions towards the film.
What I liked overall is that it gives you a little window into these characters lives without being obtrusive, you find similarities – good and bad – in yourself and the film is altogether relatable. In terms of the setting – you get a great feel for Paris, there are some beautiful shots of the city and the New Year scene is a fantastic effort considering the one shot opportunity the crew had with this. My only piece of criticism is a couple of overly shaky shots throughout the films journey, but overall a sterling effort. For a twenty something director moving into the world of feature films, you can only assume that the future is going to be bright.
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