By Ashley Clark
This week’s new releases at south London’s best cinema are a mixed bag, taking in magical realism in the bayou, Burton’s return, and village conflicts. Read on for more…
Stirrer of much buzz across film festivals in the past year, 29-year-old Benh Zeitlin’s debut Beasts of the Southern Wild comes to the Ritzy this week. Set in a small, depressed Louisiana community, it tells the tale of adorable 8-year-old poppet Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis), who’s struggling to make sense of the world in the unpredictable care of her (permanently enraged) father Wink (Dwight Henry), and begins to imagine a world of Where The Wild Things Are-esque monsters. It’s a bold, imaginative first feature with bags of visual flair and originality, though one’s enjoyment of it will hinge on one’s tolerance for earnest cutesy-ness and pretty patronizing depictions of “po’ peoples”.
Tim Burton returns to animation with Frankenweenie (3D), an expanded version of his 1984 short film of the same name. Featuring strong vocal performances from the likes of Winona Ryder and Martin Landau, it tells the story of a youngster named Victor, his homemade horror movies and his dog Sparky After years of chugging along on auto-pilot (usually with Señor J. Depp in tow), this funny, inventive piece is more like it from Burton.
Also out this week is the astonishing 5 Broken Cameras by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his son, the footage was later handed to Israeli co-director Guy Davidi to edit. Structured around the systematically violent destruction of each of Burnat’s cameras, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows his family’s evolution over five years of turmoil. It’s moving, challenging stuff, and a must-see for fans of unorthodox docs or those interested in current affairs.
Other films continuing their runs include Walter Salles pretty (and pretty dull) adaptation of beatnik bromance On The Road; well-done 3D kiddie horror Paranorman; meta-meta-meta-literary-indie-meta-indie-com Ruby Sparks; Rian Johnson’s enjoyable, unpredictable sci-fi mindbender Looper; and Josh Radnor’s decent directorial debut Liberal Arts.
On Sunday there’s another chance to see Christian Petzold’s astonishing Barbara, which tells the moving story of an emotionally and politically conflicted doctor (the amazing Nina Hoss) in early 80s East Germany. Meanwhile, Monday night sees a special screening of Sheldon Larry’s unabashedly camp voguing drama Leave it on the Floor (+ a panel discussion). It features a character called Queef Latina, which in and of itself should give you an idea if you want to see it or not. The Picturehouse’s ‘Discover Tuesdays’ strand continues with Portugese director Miguel Gomes’ arthouse hit Tabu, an oblique, gorgeously shot love-letter to cinema.
On a rep tip, there are a couple of late-night screenings of the Coen brothers’ 1996 blackly comic masterpiece Fargo, and three afternoon shows of Hitchcock thriller To Catch a Thief, starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.
All films showing at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval. Book tickets here.
Ashley Clark runs the film blog Permanent Plastic Helmet. You can follow it on Twitter @PPlasticHelmet and/or him @_ash_clark.
