The Revenant explores one fundamental question is the human spirit powered by survival or revenge?
No matter if you’re a born survivor by the end of 2hrs42 mins you learn a number of things: either wee before the film starts if you know you have a weak bladder or make this an immersive cinema endurance experience and train your bladder right there and then, there’s safety in numbers, go to a cinema that allows you to buy booze and drink it as this is one intense movie that leaves you thinking Bear Grylls is a Boy Scout because I never saw him sleep in a freshly gutted dead horse!
Loosely put The Revenant is set in the early 19th century when the West was still wild, fortunes could still be made and the Native Americans were still fighting against the immigrants who they initially welcomed but slowly realised were stealing their land etc. The film starts with the settlers hunting for furs and a bloody battle ensues. Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) was employed by the immigrants to help get everyone back safely to the fort but through his own pride or independent spirit goes off into the woods one morning alone and learns an important lesson – there’s safety in numbers – as he is mauled by a bear. What follows is little short of a miracle that spans 2 hours of screen time as he recovers from the horrific injuries and returns back to the fort to seek his revenge against John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who took everything from him when he was at his weakest.
The Revenant is directed by Oscar winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu and he seems to be seeking to take the audience on an intense and immersive experience. Whilst the actors and crew may have shivered through the making of the film, you will as well as you watch Hugh Glass trek through snow and be tossed through the rapids like a broken twig. The cinematography is beautiful and for great swathes of the film there is little dialogue and a lot of grunting and straining as Hugh Glass makes his odyssey to avenge what was so brutally taken from him by John Fitzgerald. I applaud the endurance that actors undertook to get into the role and the cinematography is outstanding but for me the film lacked the poetic and almost lyrical style of The Last Of The Mohicans or Dances With Wolves. Not least because I didn’t shiver as I watched those two movies. Equally they didn’t seem as if they were trying hard to win awards instead appeared to truly want to tell a story. During parts of The Revenant, it was a question of whose story was the most important that of Hugh Glass’s odyssey and battle against the elements to survive or the Native American tribal leader searching for his daughter taken from him by the immigrants. There was also lots of social commentary that at times felt tedious and a little laboured.
Also, lest I forget to mention the blood and guts and there was a lot of it sometimes a little too much. At 2hrs 30 into the film I felt like shouting out I understand it was a savage time!
The Revenant opened in cinemas across the UK on 15 January 2016.
The 14th KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival returns to the capital this April with an exciting programme bringing together an enticing mix of film, music, visual arts and design with screenings, interactive workshops, industry masterclasses, exhibitions, live performances and special guests showcasing the best of Polish film culture from the last 12 months. The festival is delighted to announce that this year’s programme focus celebrates the careers of 3 extraordinary Polish filmmakers; Jerzy Skolimowski, Agnieszka Holland and Andrzej Żuławski, each of whom has had a huge creative impact internationally, finding critical acclaim and success both at home and abroad, and who share a return to Poland for their most recent films.
KINOTEKA’s latest edition offers audiences at venues across London and the UK an opportunity to rediscover seminal works from these legendary directors on the big screen, plus premieres of their latest titles alongside unique in conversation filmmaker events. KINOTEKA is presented by the Polish Cultural Institute in London in partnership with Pola Arts Foundation and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. Venues already confirmed to participate in the 14th KINOTEKA programme include the BFI Southbank, ICA, Regent Street Cinema and the Barbican. Running from 7th to 29th April the full KINOTEKA programme will be announced in February, in the meantime highlights include:
Jerzy Skolimowski
One of Polish cinema’s most iconic figures, KINOTEKA is thrilled to present Jerzy Skolimowski’s latest film, 11 Minutes as this year’s Opening Night Gala (Barbican Cinema). Throughout his illustrious career Skolimowski has always been one to push boundaries, so hold on tight for this bold and innovative ride that takes viewers on a pulse-pounding cinematic journey. Focusing on 11 scintillating minutes in the lives of a variety of characters whose paths cross as they race towards an unexpected finale, 11 Minutes is an adventurous rollercoaster full of motion, emotion and suspense. Featuring an impressive ensemble cast, 11 Minutes succeeds in being an inventive metaphor for our modern hectic lives, driven by blind chance.
In honour of the director’s latest work, Barbican Cinema will host a special retrospective of three rarely screened classic Skolimowski titles; Barrier (1966), Moonlighting (1982) and The Shout (1978), illustrating his revolutionary approach and unique narrative style.
Agnieszka Holland
A former assistant to Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi, Agnieszka Holland has gone on to become one of Poland’s most eminent filmmakers and the most commercially successful Polish-born director since Roman Polański. Throughout her long and celebrated career she has managed to forge a creative path as an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, including the Golden Globe-winning Europa Europa and Oscar-nominated In Darkness, who has also shown that she is just as comfortable and adept at working in television, directing episodes for US networks including HBO and Netflix, on groundbreaking shows; ‘The Wire’, ‘Treme’, ‘The Killing’ and ‘House of Cards’.
BFI Southbank presents a retrospective season of Holland’s essential films including screenings of Provincial Actors (1979), A Woman Alone (1981), Europa Europa (1990) and In Darkness (2011) alongside an in-conversation stage event to discuss her craft as well as a forum presenting her television work.
Andrzej Żuławski
Regarded as one of Poland’s most original and controversial directors who has made his career making films outside of Poland, Andrzej Żuławski will present the UK premiere of his latest film, Cosmos, his first film in 15 years (ICA Cinema). Awarded the Best Direction prize at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival, the film, a metaphysical thriller, is a loose adaptation of Witold Gombrowicz’s surreal novel Cosmos. Hilarious, confounding and downright strange (in a good way), Żuławski fans will not be disappointed as the visionary director spins a mysterious web of erotic and psychological intrigue, bringing to mind both his earlier work as well as David Lynch’s Inland Empire which similarly defies any simple explanation.
To celebrate Andrzej Żuławski’s triumphant return to the big screen, the ICA will screen a retrospective of the directors earlier work including a newly digital remastered copy of Żuławski’s Polish production, The Devil (1972) which was a victim of PRL censorship for 16 years, That Most Important Thing: Love (1975) starring Romy Schneider as a struggling actress forced to act in erotic films and cult body horror Possession (1981) starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, whose unquestionably brilliant performance as the emotionally disturbed Anna won her both Best Actress at Cannes and a Cesar award.
The Regent Street Cinema plays host to KINOTEKA’s New Polish Cinema strand with a selection of both popular and critically successful contemporary Polish films from the last year. This year’s selection includes Małgorzata Szumowska’s thought-provoking Body. The film which won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival and Golden Lion at the Gdynia Film Festival for Best Film is a darkly comic meditation on grief and reconciliation, using the theme of the corporal and ethereal body to weave together the stories of three interconnected but radically different people attempting to deal with the loss of a loved one. One of Poland’s most popular directors, Jacek Bromski returns to the festival with Anatomy of Evil, an engaging thriller about an aging mafia hit-man released from prison on parole who is assigned a mysterious assassination, but whom is physically unable to complete the task without help. Marcin Wrona’s atmospheric ghost story Demon, screens as a tribute to the late filmmaker who died suddenly during the Gdynia Film Festival last year. Itay Tiran give an impressively vivid yet understated performance as Piotr, a young man who journeys from England to marry his beloved Żaneta at her family’s country home in rural Poland. Complications arise when Piotr uncovers a human skeleton buried in the backyard of his newly inherited property and guests start to notice the groom’s increasingly bizarre behaviour.
In Dariusz Gajewski’s heart-stirring family drama Strange Heaven, Basia and Marek are a young immigrant couple living in Sweden. One innocent lie triggers an avalanche and their daughter is placed with a foster family by social services. So begins a dramatic fight with the cruel machine of bureaucracy to get their child back. Inspired by the true story of Tadeusz Szymków, Maciej Migas’s debut feature Life Must Go On features a phenomenal central performance from Tomasz Kot (Bogowie) as a feckless actor, suffering from alcoholism who discovers he has incurable cancer and only three months to live. He decides to turn his life around and most importantly reconnect with his daughter but is three months enough to fix all of life’s mistakes?
Closing Night Gala
This year KINOTEKA will draw to a big band bang with the UK premiere of The Eccentrics. The Sunny Side Of The Street, veteran director Janusz Majewski’s tale of Poland’s swinging 50s. Jazz loving World War Two veteran Fabian returns to Poland from the UK with the unshakeable desire to launch his own swing band. He puts together an unlikely mishmash of players, including a leading lady whose background appears to be as much of a riddle as his own. But will the ‘king and queen of swing’, with their Hollywood lifestyles, handle the reality of 50s Poland and their burning desire to be a part of the West? Inspired by his own love of swing, Majewski’s film was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Gdynia Film Festival. The screening will be followed by a swing after-party in the nearby building of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. With professional dance teachers and Polish jazz band Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet (who created the music for the film) playing live this will be a night to remember.
The 14th KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival takes place from 7th to 29th April. For further details www.kinoteka.org.uk
The Danish Girl attempts to tell the story of Danish artist Einar Wegener who becomes Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne) the first individual to undergo transgender surgery in the 1920s. However, in the same way Einar Wegener painted beautiful landscapes this film by Tom Hooper sets out the premise in a flutter of eyelashes, luxurious furs and materials but never really seems to strain from the beauty and light to explore the raw and dark episodes; it’s almost a case of blink and you miss them.
Danish artist Einar Wegener who becomes Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne) is married to fellow artist Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander). He is the more successful of the two. When Gerda needs to complete a commission to paint a portrait of a ballerina she asks her husband, as a bit of fun, to hold the dress up and put on the stockings and shoes. It is in that moment that Lili starts to emerge, hidden away we learn since childhood through fear and a merciless beating from his father, and so the transition begins. Lili makes an appearance at a ball, with the permission of Gerda who sees it as a bit of fun, and immediately attracts the attention Henrik (Ben Whishaw). The consequences that follow from meeting Henrik are life changing for Gerda and Einar both professionally and personally. They later move to Paris and by sheer coincidence meet Einar’s childhood friend Hans Axgil (Matthias Schoenaerts) who introduce the pair to doctor Warnekros (Sebastian Koch).
The Danish Girl is directed by the Oscar winning director, Tom Hooper, who also directed The King’s Speech although not on a par on with that film. Whilst there are scenes shown in the hospital where doctor’s want to commit Einar to the asylum as insane together with the scenes post operation of Lili contorted with pain in bed, it all is feels very sanitized. Why is this? Eddie Redmayne is the answer. He pouts, flutters eyelids and perfectly applies lipstick and mascara but the emotions are lacking. It is Alicia Vikander who saves this movie. She is the emotional force and shows she her acting range after a stellar year in Ex-Machina and Testament of Youth. The heartbreaking scene when Gerda and Einar are in the midst of having sex and she discovers the third person in her marriage Lili is in bed with them as well. She is worthy of the Golden Globe nomination she has received. However, when I say save the movie, Alicia Vikander is a joy to watch but the film doesn’t captivate and the ending is just so ridiculous I instantly forgot it until I looked back at my notes.
The cinematography and soundtrack are both a feast for the eyes and ears. However, I would describe as all fur and flimsy knickers – both actors needed to fully embody their roles and only Alicia Vikander does. I was left thinking does Eddie Redmayne just enjoy the dressing up part and who can blame him really as some of Lili’s costumes are so sublime!
The Danish Girl is released in cinemas across the UK on 1 January 2016.
With 2015 being such a huge year for film, Empire Cinemas – the UK’s largest independent cinema chain – takes a retrospective look at this year’s major big screen successes, as well as a look forward at what film lovers can expect from cinema in 2016.
What was your favourite film of 2015? If I had to choose a blockbuster then Inside Out would come out on top! I am also looking forward to The Revenant which hits UK cinemas on January 15 but has already picked up a lot of Oscar buzz – take a sneak peak here.
In the past year Empire Cinemas has screened an enormous 495 films, with the top films being the much anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December), SPECTRE (October), and Avengers: Age of Ultron (October), as well as summer hits; Jurassic World (May), Minions (June) and Inside Out (June).
2016 looks set to be another huge year for film, with a number of high-profile releases coming to the big screen. January kicks off with Joy (January 1st), which sees Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper team up for the fourth time in four years; whilst February sees the much anticipated return of Ben Stiller and Co in Zoolander 2 (February 12th), which will undoubtedly be as hilarious as the original. In March, two of cinema’s biggest superheroes will come face to face in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25th), a scenario that comic fans across the globe have dreamed of, which will see Ben Affleck taking over the bat ears for the first time.
The Jungle Book (April 15th) looks set to star at the worldwide Box Offices in April; this live action take on the 1967 original will appeal to audiences both young and old. Meanwhile May will play host to a number of great titles, from the film of the hit game Angry Birds (May 20th) to X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27th). June sees the hugely anticipated release of Finding Dory (June 17th), which is set to conquer children’s hearts.
Independence Day 2 (July 1st) is likely to be one of the biggest Sci-Fi thrillers of the year, and on that topic, July also sees the return of Star Trek Beyond (July 8th). Both are set to fight for the title of ‘Sci-Fi of the Year’. Month of the blockbusters, July will include Tarzan (July 1st), the all-female casted Ghostbusters (July 15th) and The BFG (July 22nd). One of the most hyped and star-studded films of 2016, Suicide Squad (August 5th), will hit the big screen in August and witness Jared Leto as the Joker. September will see Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington starring in The Magnificent Seven remake (September 23rd), directed by the award winning Antoine Fuqua.
In October, Inferno (October 14th) will see Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones star in the film based on Dan Brown’s novel, which follows the success of 2009’s Angels & Demons. The blockbuster book adaptations don’t stop in October, for in November Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them (November 18th) will hit the big screen, starring the ever-excellent Eddie Redmayne. This Harry Potter spin-off has every potential to be a huge hit in 2016, and Potter fans will be delighted to see more of J.K. Rowling’s amazing stories turned into film format. 2016 ends in a similar style to 2015, with the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16th), the first film of the spin-off Star Wars Anthology series, directed by Godzilla 2014’s Gareth Edwards.
Jon Nutton Marketing Director of Empire Cinemas said: “After a magnificent line-up of films in 2015, 2016 looks set to be just as entertaining for our customers. Every month sees a stellar line-up of exciting titles and incredible acting talent and we look forward to hosting cinemagoers at the home of where all films should be experienced.”
In The Heart Of The Sea is the story of the sinking of the Essex but it is so much more than that. As Brendan Gleeson says at the start it is the story of two men and the whale – the metaphor of their struggle. It reputedly inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick and hands up how many people have finished that classic? Quite! Like the literary epic this is a struggle to stay engaged through periods of boredom and CGI heavy scenes as you try to understand just what the heart and soul of this film is.
The film is based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s book: “In the heart of the sea: the tragedy of the whaleship Essex” set in Nantucket. It was sunk by a white whale – a leviathan.
“How does a man come to know the unknown” asks Herman Melville. Well Herman, the man gets on a boat and heads into unchartered waters is how! The film also serves as a historical lesson at just how perilous fishing and whale fishing for the oil was.
What’s the film about aside from a sinking boat? It’s a tale of greed and redemption. The crew set out to bring back 2,000 barrels of whale oil and somewhere along the way their ego gets the better of them and they believe themselves invincible. As the saying goes: belief is the death of reason.
Directed by Rom Howard with Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, the ship first mate and Benjamin Walker as Captain George Pollard, Ben Whishaw as Herman Melville, Brendan Gleeson as Tom Nickerson and Cillian Murphy as the mysterious Matthew Joy.
Certain characters are not fully formed on screen but I suppose that is in keeping with the idea it is a story of two men. The film is slightly old fashioned in the way it starts with Tom Nickerson telling his story to Herman Melville. The two principle actors embody their roles well but the problem is not much happens after, wait for it have I said too much, the sinking of the ship.
Set in the 1800s – the attention to detail is good but there is too much CGI and as I wasn’t viewing it in 3D it just looked slightly fuzzy. This is a film to watch in 3D. I’m not sure of the target audience for this film as I think young children and even teenagers would be bored especially during the scenes where the stranded crew just float, their eyes become more sullen and the lifeboats are just rocking in the middle of the ocean.
In The Heart Of The Sea is released in cinemas on Boxing Day, 26 December.
