HEART OF THE BEAST
This is Brad Pitt’s kind of version of THE ODYSSEY, probably the flip side to his TROY, in which he joins a group of leading men playing lonesome heroes and fighting for survival in dangerous terrain. His protagonist struggles against the odds with the forces of nature in similar fashion to Robert Redford in JEREMIAH JOHNSON, Richard Harris in MAN IN THE WILDENESS, Harrison Ford in THE CALL OF THE WILD, Liam Neeson in THE GREY and Leonardo Di Caprio in THE REVENANT.
Pitt is James Belmond a Special Forces officer travelling with his beloved combat dog Odin in Alaska. But after a devastating plane crash, he and his best friend end up stranded in the wilderness…
The beautiful landscape of New Zealand stands in for Alaska and director David Ayer, who previously worked with Pitt in FURY, shoots the whole project magnificently. Pitt is terrific and delivers a vanity free performance as the traumatised officer who still has nightmares about his past war experiences. But he is not the only one who relives those horrific moments – Odin is equally scarred from the war, and their shared experience makes their unbreakable bond even stronger.
Odin is played by four dogs, and his presence is as mesmerising as that of his Hollywood co-star. It may be a bit sentimental at times and slightly predictable but overall, it provides solid entertainment that will touch even the coldest of hearts.
BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL
This brilliant documentary written and directed by David Kittredge focuses on the career of the great filmmaker John Boorman with a particular emphasis on one of the most disastrous films Hollywood has ever made. Following the immense success of POINT BLANK and DELIVERANCE, Boorman was able to pick and choose any project he wanted. He turned down the original THE EXORCIST and chose to do the extraordinary ZARDOZ instead. However, a couple of years later he accepted the offer to make THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC but on his own terms. He gathered an elite cast led by Linda Blair with Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher but during the shooting one disaster followed another in epic proportions and its failure almost sunk Warner Brothers.
Boorman along with Blair, Fletcher and members of the crew talk about their experiences and how things turned out to go horribly wrong. It is a must for any film lover.
DE GAULLE: LIBERTE
Antonin Baudry’s two-part epic biopic of Charles De Gaulle that began with RESISTANCE concludes in spectacular fashion. The war in the African desert continues while De Gaulle (Simon Abkarian) is busy fighting his own war at the Casablanca Conference. In the meantime, the Americans finally join the war, and the D-Day landing brings hope and light at the end of the tunnel…
The production values continue to be of the highest order with many exceptional performances not only by Abkarian and Simon Russell Beale as Churchill but also from Anamaria Bartolomei as the feisty Livia, a key member to the resistance. Big screen entertainment!
THE CYCLE OF LOVE
A remarkable documentary from Orlando von Einsiedel, who brings to the screen one of the most romantic love stories ever told. The story of P.K is so far-fetched it could only be true; the time is 1977 and P.K. a 23-year-old street artist is struggling to make ends meet in Delhi
by painting portraits to passerby’s and tourists. One day he draws the portrait of Lotta, a Swedish tourist with whom he falls instantly in love. The day she leaves India for her return trip to Sweden P.K swears that he will come and meet her. He buys a second-hand bicycle and begins the 6000-mile journey across Asia and Europe determined to keep his promise and be re-united with his love…
This is the stuff that dreams are made of – the story of P.K and Lotta is such an inspiring tale of love and commitment that it won’t be a surprise if Hollywood remakes this.
HER PRIVATE HELL
A new film from the great visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn, the man behind such modern classics DRIVE and BRONSON, is always an eagerly awaited event but sadly this is not one of his best. It is visually exhilarating in the style of the Italian giallo thriller with a thundering score, but when it comes to its narrative it is as confusing as hell itself.
Elle (Carrie Thatcher) is a troubled young woman searching for her father, but her labyrinthine quest leads her to an American GI (Charles Melton) who is also on a personal mission to bring his daughter back from hell…
It is visually arresting with heavily committed performances from his glamorous cast but finally it seems they are all acting in a vacuum. It is one of the most disappointing films of the year!
BABYSTAR
A film about a ghastly teenage influenZa may not be such an attractive prospect but curiously this is a strong film expertly directed by Joscha Bongard. Luca lives in a big house with her loving parents, who chose her life as a vlogger. She has millions of followers, but Luca is not a happy teenage girl and to make matters even worse her parents are expecting another child…
Bongard is a great visual director and elicits strong performances from his luminous cast playing the unfortunate family, who are almost continually on camera so that the sponsors keep on coming. It is an engaging but deeply depressing film that leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
WHAT WILL I BECOME?
Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos’ excellent documentary has been a festival favourite for some time and is very much worth discovering. They celebrate the trans community and pay tribute to two trans men who died by suicide. The directors share their own experiences as well as explore the tragic events that led to the tragic deaths of these two young teenagers. They talk to their families and friends and use video clips to highlight the talent and promise of homecoming king Blake Brockington and gentle musician Kyler Prescott whose young lives were cut short.
It is a sad but an honest and urgent film that needs to be seen particularly by young people in schools and learn about prejudice and discrimination.
Any feedback is welcome: georgesavvides@hotmail.co.uk