Dublin Film Festival 2018

johnny_ultimate

I probably raised the same complaint last year, but I find the Just Eat-ification of the festival frustrating. Now, I fully understand the need for corporate support - it’s a necessary compromise with many cultural events. But the endless shoving of Just Eat logos in the audience’s face - TWO ads in the opening reel! - has gone too far IMO, to the point where it has even overtaken the title sponsor!

Anyway, other than that the four films I’ve seen so far have all been good to great. Definite highlight was Dawson City - Frozen Time, which was a breathtaking documentary about a city and its unlikely, borderline miraculous place in the history of film preservation. The bulk of the film is narration-free, with archive footage and text telling the story, but it’s given this ethereal vibe thanks to the razor-sharp editing and dreamy soundtrack. Bill Morrison’s back catalogue has just shot up my watchlist. Four ‘Audi symbols’ (shudder) for this without hesitation.

Our Time Will Come was the sort of wartime drama I usually dislike, but Ann Hui’s character-focused and *mostly* understated storytelling made it unexpectedly engrossing. The history is fascinating, and it actually manages to land the sort of

flash-forward

ending which I would typically hate.

Revenge was better than average late night fare. Comes with a lot of the problems that come with the rape revenge thriller territory, but there’s a different vibe and approach for sure thanks to a female gaze applied to the material. But mostly this is an uncommonly tense and extremely bloody thriller, with an added peyote trip for good measure. Kept me awake, which is not an insignificant achievement given how long I’d been up for.

An Autumn Afternoon is a masterpiece, but we already knew that.

BelovedAunt

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

An Autumn Afternoon is a masterpiece, but we already knew that.

I can't believe I was in the same room as the great johnny_ultimate

Bozo Skeleton

BelovedAunt wrote: »

I can't believe I was in the same room as the great johnny_ultimate

Haha. I was there too. Working this weekend then I've taken a week off from Monday to go to a few film festival movies.

delbertgrady

I agree that the Just Eat advertising is overkill. I don't want yet another discount card every time I leave the cinema either, thanks. But I always find that the curse of the festival is the sponsors' ads. It's like they don't realise that there are people out there who go to a lot of screenings and will be driven demented after they've endured them more than twice. That Audi Invisible Man one is only about ninety seconds, but it feels more like three minutes.
The timings have really gone to pot this year. I've never known a festival to struggle so much to get things started on time. It started badly on the first night with - as someone remarked already - a screening of Black Panther ending five minutes before Black 47 was due to start. Revenge was fifteen minutes late, which was ridiculous for a film that was already slated for 10:45, and - screw any contractual obligations - they really should have ditched the ads to claw back some time.
Revenge is my definite highlight so far, though.

Decuc500

Sweet Country could have been so much better. This Australian 'western' looked amazing in the widescreen format (as so many Australian outback set films usually do) but it was a frustrating watch.

It was slow and tedious. There was a lack of drama and forward momentum. The message from the film was that Australia was founded on racism and inequality. It was very unsubtle and hammered home constantly.

I know I was supposed to feel helpless and angry about that but I was just too bored to feel anything really.

Decuc500

Above the Law was much more my cup of tea, a slick Belgian/French crime thriller. It probably didn't sustain it's excellent first 30 minutes and tried to cram too much into its short running time but it delivered shoot outs and heists with a good deal of style.

JJ59

Dawson City was a superb documentary, Brilliantly edited and all the better without a voiceover. great to see a classic like Autumn Afternoon. I agree with the post about Sweet Country. I enjoyed The Line while Tueurs/Above the law was a well put together thriller if not exactly the most original of its type. What was good about it was that it kept the story moving without any bloated scenes. A lesson lots of filmmakers could learn.

With regard to the pre-film adds its the same every year. After the first time they are just something to be endured. This year the audi one is especially hard going after the first few times.

delbertgrady

Only about fifteen or twenty people at The Ballad of Lefty Brown, apparently.
Gráinne's programme notes refer to "a smashing car chase" in The Line. There was no car chase.

delbertgrady

A very low turnout for Filmworker, the Leon Vitali documentary this morning, which should have been essential viewing for anyone who calls themselves a Stanley Kubrick fan. Lighthouse One was only about a quarter full. Such a shame, because it was really good. Are Dogwoof capable of releasing a weak documentary?

johnny_ultimate

Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts was an exceedingly pleasant surprise. Hits a lot of different bases - post-modern western, Indonesian landscape study, pitch black comedy, violent revenge thriller, feminist buddy drama... Stunning cinematography and strong score to boot. Would make a good double bill with Revenge - although reckon this is the stronger film IMO. On again tomorrow evening for those who missed it tonight.

As for the advertising, I think the repetitive trailer reel comes with the territory - you get the same thing in London (although IIRC the corporate sponsorship isn't quite so dominant there). But my problem with the Just Eat stuff is it's particularly crass and really I think cheapens the festival quite a bit. Surprised Audi is happy to tolerate it, above all else!

JJ59

Really enjoyed The Bookshop. Perfect Sunday afternoon viewing. Marlina the Murderer was an interesting film. Great leading performance.

Yes I spotted the absence of the car chase in The Line.

delbertgrady

I may be in the minority, but I thought The Cured was absolutely awful. Any spark of originality in the premise was diluted by cranking the volume up to eleven in an attempt to heighten the tension, and incessant, ham-fisted jump scares, most of which could be seen coming way in advance. It belittled what could have been a decent effort. By the end, with

Tom Vaughan Lawlor doing his evil stare routine, first through the school railings and again when pursuing Sean through the streets (this time with bonus "menacing walk")

, it was bordering on self parody.

Outlaw Pete

Yeah, didn't enjoy The Cured either.

Glad I didn't see it ahead of something better on offer but it was a quiet night in that regard.

With regard to Just Eat, can't say I'm all that bothered by them. Although last year one of their staff gave me a €30 in Just-Eat vouchers and so maybe they've sufficiently have buttered me up.

I'd also prefer it if they just had an advert on the tickets with the code rather than stand around after the screenings getting in the way of people. Jameson were more low key with their sponsorship (miss their movie screenings during the year also).

Anyway, looking forward to 'You Were Never Really Here' tomorrow night.

Clashes with another film I wanted to see, Tower - A Bright Day, but sure isn't it always the way.

Bozo Skeleton

Just saw Tower. A Bright Day.
Overall I thought it was excellent, some very minor quibbles aside. An air of latent menace throughout juxtaposed with some beautiful stuff, but even then the sense that something awful is going to happen lingers. The final scene is still turning over in my head as I have a post movie pint. Wish I'd stuck around for the Q and A now!

johnny_ultimate

You Were Never Really Here is a fierce bit of filmmaking. The sound is awesomely abrasive blaring out of the cinema speakers (for the love of god see it in a cinema) - sits alongside Good Time as one of the recent films to truly pay reverent attention to the benefits of strong sound design, as well as its carefully-deployed absence. Snappy editing that largely leaves the violence off screen packs a punch, while the plot is like any number of inferior 'man on a mission' films with the fat trimmed off & the perspectives made trickier. Adored its aggressive use of smash cut flashbacks to fill in a troubled past through vivid images rather than overt explanation.

Brutal, funny and razor-sharp stuff from Ramsay - who, it must be said, came across as one of the most likable, down-to-earth filmmakers I've ever heard speak.

Outlaw Pete

Didn't really enjoy it all that much tbh. I feel in the end it was really mostly style and tricks over substance. From the post film Q&A I kinda got the feeling that they left a more interesting film on the cutting room floor.

What there was of a plot was laughable. Or at least the backdrop was. Politicians kidnapping and pimping out other politician's daughters? Felt like I was watching some bad 70's flick. Not in the least believable. It's like a really great film merged with a crap one.

The "I've Never Been to Me" scene didn't work (for me at least). It takes skill to inject dark humour into a film with such a serious subject matter and tbf I felt it was actually done quite well at certain parts of the film, but that scene just felt way off. Felt much too contrived whereas the other parts which got laughs felt much more genuine.

delbertgrady

I thought at times that it was tantalising close to being a real gem, but I wasn't entirely convinced by the end. Any flaws with the plot are likely the fault of the novella, so I wouldn't hold that against Lynne Ramsay, though of course, one could argue that an adaptation could have amended some of the source issues. I thought the

dream sequence suicide

was redolent of a similar sequence in

Buffalo 66

, but I'm not sure that was in the book, or if it was Ramsay's addition.
My own feeling about the

Charlene

scene was that it's not supposed to be laugh out loud funny. If it is intended as a pitch black comedy scene, it's far too contrived. I found it one of the more affecting moments of the whole thing, and felt it was despoiled by the audience reaction.

delbertgrady

I was at My Generation this evening, which is perfectly enjoyable, but it's effectively An Idiot's Guide to Swinging Sixties London. It rattles along at breakneck pace, with lots of film clips and around thirty songs (not to mention John Barry scores and classical music), but that's pretty much it. Michael Caine is a likeable "host" and the unseen contributors are impressive (David Bailey, Roger Daltrey, Paul McCartney, Twiggy), but it's a very simple and almost lightweight project and barely worthy of a cinema release.
I know it's just a snapshot, but there's nothing in it for anyone with an above average interest in - or knowledge of - the era. Anyone who's read a few decent Beatles or Stones biographies or Shawn Levy's peerless Ready Steady Go! won't learn anything, but it's evocative and entertaining and full of good tunes.

Decuc500

I went to see The Summit, a political drama from Argentina. There's been so many great films from South America in recent years. This was an absorbing film about a political summit of South American presidents on a mountain top resort in Chile.

It takes a weird and unexpected turn into Hitchcock territory halfway through but doesn't really follow up on that. The music and photography are very dramatic. Christian Slater turns up. The ending is sudden and kind of baffling. I was impressed.

johnny_ultimate

Went full experimental film with Phantom Islands. This is a HARD 'won't be for everyone' - the reactions of at least two people in my immediate vicinity seemed to reflect that (my neighbour contracted a case of giggles halfway through). But I thought it was a challenging but rewarding watch.

Extraordinarily striking visually - razor-sharp 4K images disrupted with curious lens choices, creating these images that were both crystal clear yet always somewhat distorted. Great study in landscapes - an early image is a picture postcard with the word 'Ireland' on it, and the rest of the film proceeds to explore western islands as ghostly, isolated, sometimes menacing, sometimes stunning places. There's no dialogue, and the soundscape is abstract. What there is of a narrative - a couple exploring the islands, with brief snapshots of domestic life - is fractured and vague to the point of near non-existence. The film is infrequently but notably disrupted by the filmmakers intruding, and an interesting motif established throughout is the female lead (Clara Pais, who basically amounts to half the cast alongside Daniel Fawcett) snapping Polaroids of the man accompanying her or turning to the camera and photographing the crew.

Anyway, as said, it's experimental filmmaking and everything that comes with it, and a few sequences don't land. It's repetitive rhythm and images won't be for all - no doubt its 85 mins will feel double that for some viewers. But it mostly caught me in its weird wavelength, and a nice bit of counter-programming to mark roughly the halfway point. Back to somewhat more traditional fare for the rest of the week

Outlaw Pete

Was at Rebbeca Daly's Good Favour earlier. Up until half way through I was engrossed but just past the midway point it just became more and more tedious and irritating than the subtle and interesting. Nowt wrong with the plot, nor the tone and pace of it either really (quite liked all that actually) but I just felt it promised more than it ultimately delivered.

Enjoyed Daly's Mammal much more, flawed and all as it undoubtedly was.

Outlaw Pete

Just noticing that Mary Magdalene is in Savoy 5 & 6 tonight. Davis, Phoenix and Mara to attend the screening(s).

How the hell will that work then? Surely the Lighthouse 1 or even Cineworld 9 was the spot for a Gala screening like this. Bizarre.

delbertgrady

They added Mary Magdalene quite late - which meant anyone who'd booked Isle of Dogs (or anything else that's on this evening) was already committed - and they obviously elected not to change cinemas. They'll just bring the cast and director into both screens to do their introductory spiel. I've seen that happen before, for (shudder) Alexander, where they used Savoy One and Two. They spoke to the audience in Screen One, went on to Screen Two and then set the film off in both screens simultaneously.
Of course, no guests may even appear tonight, given the weather.

Edit: flights in and out of the airport are affected by runway closures, so unless they're here already, Johnny Cash and Lisbeth Salander may not be at the screening.

JJ59

I enjoyed The Summit but agree it did leave what seemed like was going to be a key plot development hanging and the ending was unsatisfactory.

BelovedAunt

Lads will Isle of Dogs be going ahead tonight?

delbertgrady

I'm sure everything will be going ahead unless the weather deteriorates further. As to whether they'll be well attended, that's another matter. I've tickets for Isle of Dogs and Red Sparrow, which was a convenient double bill, but I'm more likely not to bother than to go. I'm much more interested in Isle of Dogs than Red Sparrow, but I'm happy to forsake the two of them, rather than have a journey to the cinema turn into a saga.

Edit: they've officially announced (as of around half nine this morning) that everything is going ahead as scheduled.

JJ59

Just got an e-mail to say all screenings are going ahead for duration of festival. However no one is to go out from 4 tomorrow till midday on Friday so that has to put an end to tomorrows schedule at least. Will be skipping Custody and Red Sparrow tonight. Can catch them later when they open. Indeed Red Sparrow is opening this weekend.

delbertgrady

Mary Magdalene cancelled and not being rescheduled.

............

ADIFF regrets to inform customers that some festival screenings have been cancelled due to extreme weather warnings.

The following screenings have been affected:


Tonight's screening of Mary Magdalene, (February 28) at 18:30 at the Savoy, has been cancelled due to extreme weather. The screening of Mary Magdalene will not be rescheduled and full refunds will be provided for all customers.
All screenings across venues on Thursday, March 1, have also been cancelled due to extreme weather warnings.
On Friday, March 2, morning screenings across all venues have been cancelled, as has the screening of An American in Paris at 13:30 at the IFI.
In line with national weather advisories, ADIFF will resume all film screenings from 18:00 on Friday, March 2, starting with Damo & Ivor at Cineworld at 18:10 and The Other Side of Everything at Light House at 18:10.
We understand the inconvenience this is causing our customers, and ADIFF is working hard to reschedule the Festival screenings which will not take place on Thursday and on Friday morning.
Many thanks,
The ADIFF team

johnny_ultimate

Isle of Dogs was outrageously great. I don’t know how Wes Anderson manages to find new, even greater ways to express that unmistakable aesthetic of his, but this yet again proves he can find a way. Ingenious in everything from framing to design (the use of language and text! The TV animations!) and one of his warmest films to date. Extra points for it incredibly affectionate embrace of a range of Japanese art.

Bozo Skeleton

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Isle of Dogs was outrageously great. I don’t know how Wes Anderson manages to find new, even greater ways to express that unmistakable aesthetic of his, but this yet again proves he can find a way. Ingenious in everything from framing to design (the use of language and text! The TV animations!) and one of his warmest films to date. Extra points for it incredibly affectionate embrace of a range of Japanese art.

Agreed, thought it was fabulous.