Category: REVIEWS

Desperation is a powerful thing. It makes people do some reckless shit. It’s why we find dead bodies at the back of lorries, cargo ships, fishing boats. Desperation makes the wrong people start asking the right questions.

You know when you hear about somebody disappearing and you speculate how it was that nobody saw a thing until weeks, months or years later when witnesses begin to appear, and you wonder why they hadn’t chosen to say anything earlier.  PANIC director Sean Spencer has created an immediately intriguing neo-noir debut feature film, inspired after seeing a man walking through a pub trying to sell DVDS.

Starring David Gyosi (Interstellar, Cloud Atlas, Containment) as Andrew Deely, a music journalist with an enviable wall of vinyl in his London flat, describing the albums and perhaps life too, like this: I think we all want to own something put together with a bit of care and artistry. I think we need it. Don’t we?

After being badly beaten up after a gig, Deely has spent the last 8 months indoors, while looking at life out the window, conducting interviews over the phone and inviting an occasional person over for warm human contact. When an incident occurs involving his neighbour Kem (Yennis Cheung), Deely takes action, travelling through London with his only defense being a hammer he has found under his sink. The resulting film is about a physically vulnerable man as he discovers London’s ‘ghost economy’ and the way it connects to an underlying criminal society; as well as confronting the important question of what happens to unregistered, exploited, desperate immigrants.

DOP Carl Burke has made a bland urban highrise estate into an attractive mass of flickery light-filled windows, drawing you into having a look and wonder at the things we can’t quite see. Composer and sound designer Christopher Nicholas Bangs’ brilliant sound track includes some subtle breathing/siren background ambience for added nerviness as Deely, despite his moral engagement, fights his anxiety and decides to pursue the mystery himself.

Produced by White Night Films PANIC, released in cinemas this month, premiered at the 2014 Raindance film festival where it was nominated for the best UK feature award. It has since been selected for film festivals worldwide including the Dinard Film Festival, East End Film Festival and Times BFI London screenings.

Sean Spence’s short films STRIPES, ROMANCE, FOUR LITTLE LETTERS & 3 x 4 have been broadcast and distributed by a number of organizations, including the BBC, Sky, ITV, The British Council and The BFI. They have also been selected for film festivals worldwide, including Edinburgh Film Festival, Clermont Ferrand, Manchester Kino, Berlin Britspotting and Soho Rushes. Stripes was selected for Sight & Sound magazine’s best UK shorts issue.

PANIC RELEASES IN SELECT CINEMAS 18TH NOVEMBER AND ON VOD 21ST NOVEMBER.

If Whiplash was a masterpiece of dramatic tension and a story of single minded ambition, Damien Chazelle’s latest feature takes its cues from the Technicolor musicals of Hollywood’s golden age, evoking the spirit of MGM’s Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris by way of West Side Story and a cacophony of other richly cinematic features of the past 80 years.

Mixing this contemporary L.A. romance with the more fantastical elements is utterly captivating. From the opening number on the freeway we’re transported into a vibrant world of song, dance, love, loss, hopes, dreams and drama. Even the stoniest hearted or those with a steadfast aversion to jazz hands will find the sumptuous visuals, choreography and performances hold treasures beyond the trappings of the genre.

Chazelle and cinematographer Linus Sandgren romanticise the cinematic language and heritage of the silver screen in much the same way we saw with Baz Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge, Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist and The Coen’s Hail, Caesar! With moments of joy and heartache being masterfully woven into the narrative in ways that leave you in wide-eyed wonderment and utterly heartbroken.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone perform with all the verve and chutzpah of a modern day Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Gosling’s knack of physical comedy and timing, seen earlier this year in Shane Black’s The Nice Guys, is matched only by his ability to carry a tune. Honestly… who knew? Stone brings the same emotional resonance we saw in Alejandro G. Iñàrritu’s Birdman. Her character’s journey from coffee shop barista to auditions and beyond is perhaps the more rousing of the two, leading to one standout song that will shake you to your core. Their chemistry is what makes the narrative work as you find yourself immersed in their relationship. The ups, the downs, the triumphs and the knocks, you feel it all.

More than any other film I’ve caught this year, La La Land perfectly encapsulates the distinctive themes and textures of a bygone time of theatrical cinema. The songs are infectious, the visual design impressive and both Gosling and Stone lit up the screen and my heart for the 128-minute runtime. This is a feat of pure escapism that cinemagoers could really do with right now, so come January, be sure to watch this on the biggest screen possible!

La La Land is released in UK cinemas on January 13^th

Based on the true story of Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana and his wife Ruth Williams Khama, A United Kingdom tells of their romance, its place within the post-war political climate and the struggle for Botswana’s independence. This is a love story which must persevere in a time of apartheid and colonialism, helping break down the barriers between African royalty and a white, typing pool clerk from London.

From the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to ITV’s huge international hit, Downton Abbey, period dramas have risen in popularity over the past couple decades. While A United Kingdom is a biographical romance with a theatrical release, it is these televisual events that I’m more closely reminded of. Amma Asante elevates this above “Sunday afternoon spectacle” by imbuing this real-life fairy-tale of a girl falling for a handsome prince, with resonant themes that sadly, are no less relevant today.

David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are superb as the romantic core of this film. They each bring a unique strength to their roles and bolster the well-crafted dialogue with dimensionality and empathy. While there are some characters and visual elements that threaten to drag the feature into dusty, Merchant Ivory territory (I’m looking at you Jack Davenport and Tom Felton), the humour and warmth that permeates throughout makes for a heart-warming drama.

The cold, harsh grey-tones of early 20^th century London and the vibrant earth-tones of Botswana reinforce the contrasts and perceptions of colour, race and culture. The political minefield and moustache-twirling awfulness of imperialism adds pressure to Seretse and Ruth, bringing them closer together and strengthening their resolve. This is handled with zero cynicism and the very notion of multiculturalism couldn’t be more important in our current socio-political climate.

Overall, A United Kingdom offers a familiar story told by an accomplished storyteller. It’s worth watching for the performances alone as both David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike share a palpable chemistry that compensates for the other, more pedestrian aspects of the film.

A United Kingdom launches in the UK November 25^th and in the US February 17^th