Sound & Vision Film Show – 27th Oct 2017 – Thor: Ragnarok

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The Sound & Vision team assemble to talk about this week’s new releases including THOR: RAGNAROK, and recommend some suitably spooky movies to watch in the discomfort of your own home over Halloween.


Sound and Vision Film Show – 5th May 2017 – Mindhorn

This week it’s truth time with Tony & Claire, as they review the new Britcom MINDHORN, talk film and play soundtracks.

Sound and Vision Film Show – 28th April 2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

The Guardians of the Sound & Vision Film Show review Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. We are Groot!

Sound and Vision Film Show – 31st March 2017 – Go Go Power Rangers!

On this week’s show, Tom & Jane take a look at this week’s and last week’s film releases, including Power Rangers, Ghost in the Shell and Lost City of Z. We also look at what’s available to rent/buy/stream, including Arrival, Paterson and Fantastic Beasts.

Part 1

Part 2

Sound and Vision Film Show – 3rd March 2017 – Logan

Tom and Sherief are back in the studio to talk about the new releases on the big and little screens, as well as what’s best on TV next week. The big release they have been waiting for is Logan – so expect comicbook fanboy responses this week!

Sound and Vision Film Show – 24th Feb 2017 – The Old Town Hall

Tom and Sherief are joined this week by Jane Howard from the Old Town Hall in Hemel Hempstead to talk about the movies on release this week on the big, small and for this week only, the theatre screen as well. Jane also shared her movie linked music choices, so it’s well worth a listen!

Fantastic Films and Where to Find Them in 2016

Image result for fantastic beasts and where to find them poster

Although 2016 will go down as a year that most of us would rather forget, it has been something of a vintage year for cinema. OK, this summer’s blockbusters were the worst in recent memory, (Gods of Egypt, Ben Hur, X-Men Apocalypse and Suicide Squad, we’re looking at you), but elsewhere, 2016 delivered gem after gem to cherish.

The year began in fine form with the 70mm roadshow event that was Quentin Tarantino’s snowbound slow burner, The Hateful 8, and continued with some high quality Oscar hopefuls, including The Big Short, Room, The Revenant, and eventual best picture winner, Spotlight. These were soon followed by the Coen Brothers’ glorious Hollywood homage, Hail Caesar!, which featured the most spectacular ensemble cast of the year. Another much loved auteur, Jim Jarmusch, returned later in the year with the wonderfully zen-like Paterson, a quiet triumph and a dream of an ideal life.

It was a particularly strong year for world cinema, not least with two of the year’s greatest and most profound pieces of work – Embrace of the Serpent, and Son of Saul – both nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar. The Oscar was deservedly won by the harrowing, unforgettable Son of Saul, but surely any other year, Embrace of the Serpent would have walked off with the honour. Ciro Guerra’s beautifully shot black & white masterpiece, was the year’s biggest surprise and most transcendent cinematic experience. Some of world cinema’s greatest directors, including Pedro Almodovar, Pablo Larrain, Paolo Sorrentino and Luca Guadagnino, returned with the stunning Julieta, The Club, Youth and A Bigger Splash, respectively. Isabelle Huppert shone in Things to Come, and our minds were blown by the German one take wonder that was Victoria.

Highlights from cinema made closer to home ranged from the big hearted, note perfect charms of Sing Street and A Street Cat Named Bob, to the raging social commentary of I Daniel Blake and High-Rise.

Animated films continued to delight audiences of all ages, with a string of wonderful releases, including Kubo and the Two Strings, When Marnie Was There, Ethel and ErnestYour Name, and three of the year’s top five highest grossing movies – Finding Dory, Zootopia and The Secret Life of Pets. Anomalisa was a stop motion animated film that could only have come from the mind of Charlie Kaufman, and as such, was definitely one for grown ups only.

Elsewhere, the horror genre presented some memorable classics with the extraordinary folk horror The Witch, gruesome cannibal western Bone Tomahawk, the Tale of Tale’s sumptuous dark hearted Italian fairy stories, and the chilling Iranian ghost story Under the Shadow. It was a good year for South Korean horror, with the black magic thrill ride The Wailing, and zombies on a train action sensation Train to Busan. Special mention for The Neon Demon, a gorgeously trashy, dark LA fairytale, populated by witches, vampires and big bad wolves, that did for the fashion industry what Suspiria did for ballet schools; it’s hard to imagine a film more perfectly Nicolas Winding Refn than this.

Even the big blockbusters weren’t all bad. The season was bookended by a trio of hugely entertaining superhero movies, in the form of Deadpool, Captain America Civil War and Doctor Strange. The Jungle Book was successfully reimagined for the CGI age, and Arrival was an alien invasion movie with a brain, that presented human nature as the biggest threat to life on Earth. Mega franchise spin-offs Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Star Wars Rogue One, ended the year on a thrilling high.

We were treated to some splendid soundtracks over the course of the year in cinema and TV, so here’s a playlist to help you relive some of the finest. Tracks include Morricone’s Oscar winning theme from The Hateful 8, Ralph Fiennes moves like Jagger to Emotional Rescue in A Bigger Splash, the perfect 80s pop of Sing Street’s Drive it Like You Stole It, Scarlett Johansson’s slinky rendition of Trust in Me from The Jungle Book, the electro sounds of Stranger Things, Papa Was a Rolling Stone from the discotastic Nice Guys soundtrack, Distant Sky from Nick Cave’s heartbreaking One More Time With Feeling, and Channing Tatum’s No Dames! sailor routine from Hail Caesar! All this and more…..

 

 

 

Sound and Vision Film Show – 28th October

This week join Claire, Sherief and Jane as they take an indepth look at Marvel’s latest release of Doctor Strange.

 

Sound and Vision Film Show – 16th September 2016

Jane and Tom look at this weeks cinema releases, plus new movies to see on demand and on DVD/Bluray. Then we run down the picks of free to air movies as well as some highlights from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Life and the BFI player. All this and some great movie tunes.

Coming Soon: The London Film Festival, a sneak peek

It is nearly that most glorious time of the year again, October. My favourite month, mostly because it is the month in which the BFI holds its annual London Film Festival. This year celebrates 60 years of the film festival and this year’s programme reflects this diamond anniversary, not just with its sparkling colour theme but also with its shining line up of films. The line-up is a stellar list with almost all the big hitters which have appeared at Cannes, Venice and TIFF.

This year I was fortunate enough to attend the press release at the Odeon Leicester Square and it was very difficult not to get sucked in to the electric excitement in the room as Claire Stewart announced one exclusive title after another. The most interesting thing about the press release was seeing the trailers and clips from each film. Seeing these really opened me up to films which I would probably have ignored in the past, so if you’re trying to decide what to see at the festival, I strongly advise doing some research into titles you may not have thought to see. You might just find some diamonds that you thought were in the rough.

So what is there to see this year? Well the answer, I’m afraid in a good and bad way (good because there’s lots of great films to see, but bad because there aren’t enough hours in the day), is a lot. So here’s a brief rundown of what’s appearing.

 

Opening Film: A United Kingdom Director Amma Asante, starring Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo

From the director of 2013’s ‘Belle’ comes another real life story focusing on race relations and racial discrimination. It follows Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (Oyelowo) who chooses to marry a white woman from England (Pike), which is followed by outrage from both countries at his choice. I’ve seen the trailer for this twice now (you can watch it here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3387266/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1) and although it does have a melodramatic, romantic style, it does still have something important to say about racial attitudes, something that is still very prominent in our current society. Sam McCurdy’s lush cinematography paints a beautiful backdrop of Africa for the story, making it well worth seeing on the big screen.

Opening night gala screening on 6th Oct, also screening on 11th Oct.

 

Closing Film: Free Fire Director Ben Wheatley, starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Michael Smiley, Armie Hammer

This is Ben Wheatley’s second consecutive appearance at the festival after last year’s fantastic ‘High Rise’ and this year’s ‘Free Fire’ looks just as, if not more, exciting. We were very fortunate to see the trailer at the press screening as an exclusive. I don’t want to jump the gun (and there will be plenty of guns), but I think this could be Ben Wheatley’s best cinematic outing so far. Set in one location (one of my favourite film concepts), two gangs meet in a warehouse to do a deal which turns sour, leading to an ultimate game of survival. If you enjoy Ben Wheatley’s work or enjoy epic gun fights, this one is for you.

Closing night gala screening on 16th Oct

RBC Gala: Arrival Director Denis Villeneuve, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker

I was ecstatic to see this in the programme. Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Sicario’ was easily in my top 10 films of last year and I have high hopes for this film too. The plot focuses on the appearance of unexplained aliens. The government recruits a well-known linguist (Amy Adams) to help them establish what the motive of the extra-terrestrials is. Now I know a lot of people will be turned off by yet another film about a martian encounter, but I am almost certain that this will be more like ‘Close Encounters’ than ‘Independence Day’. Has reteamed with Jóhann Jóhannsson for the no doubt eerie soundtrack and new recruit ‘Selma’ cinematographer Bradford Young, who has expertly crafted the images, with some stunning visual effects included. If you can’t make it to the film festival for this one, you don’t have to wait long, Arrival is released November 11th. You can watch the trailer here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543164/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Screening 10th Oct, 11th Oct and 13th Oct

 

Headline Gala: La La Land Director Damien Chazelle, starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, J K Simmons

Another highly anticipated film comes from the ‘Whiplash’ director Damien Chazelle. At only 30 years old Chazelle is already creating master pieces and I expect La La Land to be no exception. Again we were lucky enough to see a clip at the press launch, and although there was little dialogue or hint at plot, I found myself being captivated. It has the feeling of a Woody Allen film crossed with a Stanley Donen musical. If you’re a musicals fan I strongly suggest you see this one, otherwise you’ll be waiting until January to see it. Expect to see this as an Oscar contender.

Screening 7th Oct, 8th Oct and 16th Oct

 

Archive Gala: The Informer Director Arthur Robison, starring Lars Hanson, Lya de Putti

This years stunning BFI restoration is Arthur Robison’s ‘The Informer’, bought to you in all it’s lavender tinted glory. Expertly restored, the image leaps off the screen, engulfing you in the action. It follows the story of Gypo Nolan (Hanson), a conflicted man who is torn between loyalty, honestly and survival. With it’s newly commissioned score by Garth Knox, this will be a wonderful piece of event cinema that you won’t want to miss.

Screening 14 Oct

 

Dare Gala: The Handmaiden Director Park Chan-Wook, starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-re, Ha Jung-woo

Be prepared for something a bit different if you go to see Park Chan-Wook’s latest offering ‘The Handmaiden’. The director of ‘Oldboy’ and ‘Stoker’ is known for is visual flare and sometimes shocking scenes, so expect this to be no different. Set in 1930s Korea, this tale of manipulated young woman is bound to be fascinating.

Screening 7th Oct and 8th Oct

 

Moonlight Director Barry Jenkins, starring Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ashton Sanders

Set in 1980’s Miami, we follow to story of Chiron (Sanders) through his life from adolescence to adulthood as he struggles with his sexuality and the world of drug trafficking. A film I probably would have possibly overlooked if I hadn’t seen clips at the press launch, it’s worth seeing this potential Oscar nomination.

Screening 6th Oct, 7 Oct and 8th Oct

 

The Red Turtle Director Michael Dudok de Wit

You may note the lack of cast listed above. No, this isn’t a mistake, there is no cast in this dialogue free animation. This visually stunning looking animation is a co production from Studio Ghibli and Prima Linea Productions and promises to be a must see at the festival. Like other Ghibli films, this is best suited for older children as well as adults.

Screening 5th Oct and 6th Oct

 

Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey Director Terrance Malick, voiced by Cate Blanchett

This deep documentary which some have dubbed an extended version of the ‘creation of the universe’ sequence from ‘Tree of Life’, is visually stunning and paired perfectly with Blanchett’s smooth Australian tones. A must see in the cinema.

Screening 9th Oct and 11th Oct

 

Surprise Film director and cast unknown

This is always a highlight of the festival for me and is often a chance to see something exclusive a long time before its release date. Last year’s offering was ‘Anomolisa’ which was shown a full five months before it’s UK release and had Charlie Kaufman in attendance. In 2014 we had Inarritu’s ‘Birdman’ three months before release, which went on to have a large presence at the Oscars. So if you like a gamble and could potentially get something fantastic to watch, this screening is for you. Possible films include Jeff Nichols ‘Loving’, festival friend Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver’, Pablo Larrain already has ‘Neruda’ at the festival but could the surprise be his other film out this year ‘Jackie’, or Morten Tyldum’s ‘Passengers’, who previously closed the festival with ‘The Imitation Game’. But your guess is as good as mine really.

Screening 8th Oct

 

As tastes vary, I have asked my fellow Sound and Vision colleague Claire to put forward her selections from the festival to give you a broader picture.

Claire’s Selections

La La Land Director Damien Chazelle, starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, J K Simmons

Chazelle + Gosling + Stone + romance + jazz + LA + Hollywood musicals = a dreamy, unmissable OSCARs frontrunner.

Screening on 7th, 8th & 16th Oct.

 

Toni Erdmann Director Maren Ade Starring Peter Simonischek, Sandra Huller, Michael Wittenborn

A touching & hilarious comedy from Germany, about a father’s misguided attempts to inject some humour back into his stressed-out daughter’s life, via a series of bizarre pranks. This year’s big hit at Cannes.

Screening on 8th & 9th Oct.

 

David Lynch: The Art of Life Director, starring David Lynch

One of two David Lynch documentaries in this year’s programme, (along with Blue Velvet Revisited), this promises to take us on a journey through the art & life of Lynch, and has the bonus of being narrated by the great man himself. Sure to be wild at heart and weird on top.

Screening on 9th, 10th & 11th Oct.

 

King of Jazz Director John Murray Anderson, starring Paul Whiteman, John Boles, Laura La Plante

Completely bonkers musical revue oddity from 1930, filmed in glorious two-colour Technicolor, and now restored to the most complete version seen in decades.

Screening on 8th Oct

 

Tickets go on sale to the public on the 15th of September.