April 2012
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Sundance 2012: Finding North review
★★☆☆☆ Thanks to the enormous popularising influence of filmmaker Michael Moore, American ‘social issue’ documentaries can now be found in relative abundance. Taking more than a few nods from past efforts such as 2008’s Food, Inc, Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush’s oddly-titled, Civil Wars-scored Finding North (2012) seeks to highlight the hunger crisis currently sweeping…
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Sundance 2012: An Oversimplification of Her Beauty review
★★☆☆☆ Perhaps the most unconventional film in this year’s Sundance London programme, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012) plays out as director Terrence Nance’s experimental ode to the girl that got away. Combining a multitude of styles, this multifaceted, non-linear documentary is likely to divide audiences despite its obvious artistic flare. Essentially, Nance’s film is…
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Sundance 2012: Nobody Walks review
★☆☆☆☆ If this year’s inaugural Sundance London can be accused of exporting some of its US counterpart’s more underwhelming films, then Ry Russo-Young’s dreadful Nobody Walks (2012) has to be considered the main offender. Every stereotypical American indie trope and cliché is present and waiting before being promptly flogged to death, leaving behind a hollow,…
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Sundance 2012: The Queen of Versailles review
★★★☆☆ Lauren Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles (2012) takes an alternative perspective on the recent economic crisis to befall America by examining the Siegel family – a wealthy ‘new money’ household who made their fortune selling time shares before almost losing it all during the financial downturn of 2008. Originally planned as a documentary following…
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Sundance 2012: Liberal Arts review
★★★★☆ Liberal Arts (2012) is the sophomore directorial effort by Josh Radnor (most commonly known to UK audiences for his role in TV’s How I Met Your Mother), a witty and incredibly sweet independent comedy that stars Radnor himself amongst a stellar cast which includes Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins and Zac Efron. Jesse (Radnor) is…
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Cannes 2012: Competition jury announced plus more films added
The 65th Cannes Film Festival today announced the main competition jury members who will be joining head juror, Italian film director Nanni Moretti, in presiding over the festival and ultimately awarding the coveted Palme d’Or prize. Foremost amongst the newly announced jurors are European actresses Diane Kruger and Emmanuelle Devos, who will join Scottish actor…
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Film Review: ‘Buck’
★★★★☆ Buck Brannaman appears to be your average modern-day cowboy; yet in the equestrian world and beyond, he is nothing short of a superstar. In the inspirational and emotionally-charged documentary Buck (2011), the first feature release from Cindy Meehl, we meet an enigmatic man who possesses an extraordinary gift to communicate and heal troubled or…
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Film Review: ‘Strippers vs Werewolves’
★★☆☆☆ It’s probably unwise to analyse films like Strippers vs Werewolves (2012) too closely. Peel away the gimmicky editing (which is effective in a naive comic-book way), and what’s left of this British produced horror-comedy from director Jonathan Glendening (responsible for the recent horror release Night Wolf (2012)) lacks any real guts. Starring Robert Englund,…
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Film Review: ‘African Cats’
★★★☆☆ Disneynature’s latest film African Cats (2011) attempts to capture the magic and wonder which made March of the Penguins (2005) such a resounding success. Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart (previously Samuel Jackson for the US release – it still remains unknown as to whether this switch was to make the film more palatable to…
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Interview: Johnnie To, ‘Romancing in Thin Air’
CUEAFS had the pleasure and honour to talk to acclaimed Hong Kong director Johnnie To on the third day of the 14th Udine Far East Film Festival. Founder of CUEAFS Spencer Murphy interviewed To about Fresh Wave – the film collection from Hong Kong about the state of the Cantonese language cinema and his most…