D&CFilm

Arthouse roundup: Dec 8-14

Follow the main cinema links for dates, times and matinee screenings.
Follow the title links for movie details, friendship and maybe more.

PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

Red Road (18) Director Andrea Arnold�s newie was hugely acclaimed in Cannes, almost eclipsing her fantastic work in the Saturday morning kids� show No 73.
Wot no Sandwich Quiz?
Tsai Toi (Shut Up) (15) No, you shut up! Gerard Depardieu and Jean Reno play criminals on the run from the police. Erm, what’s French for ‘seen it all before’? [Read more…] about Arthouse roundup: Dec 8-14

Independents day

It’s hard to believe, but there are movie-type shenanigans happening outside D+C, you know. Indeed, just last month stars and leading figures of the British film industry turned out to celebrate the British Independent Film Awards at Hammersmith Palais, London. [Read more…] about Independents day

Let’s hear it for the toy

For the first time ever, Noddy and his Toyland homies will be appearing on the big screen in Noddy Saves Christmas And Other Stories at Plymouth’s Vue Cinema. [Read more…] about Let’s hear it for the toy

Harping on

Chagford’s own harp-playing filmmaking inspiration Elizabeth Jane Baldry has also been on the podium, figuratively speaking. With her newest film Childe Rowland being edited, she’s played on the soundtrack of 37 Uses Of�A Dead Sheep, which won best documentary at Berlin, and has subsequently gone on to pick up plenty more. [Read more…] about Harping on

Volver review

Much has been made of the autobiographical nature of Pedro Almodovar’s Volver (that’s boll-bear to you), and that’s always been the way whether it’s in the drug-fuelled sexuality of Pepi, Luci, Bon, or the voyage around his childhood of Bad Education. [Read more…] about Volver review

Phoenix winners

Three collective cheers for Emma Kempton and Anson Hartford for scooping Best Film and Best Bursary Film at the Exeter Phoenix’s Two Short Nights event for the film The Crinoline and The Rose (it was only a sneaky preview, too). Best Student Film Script was went to Dave Shaerf for Perfect Match. Go to the media centre for more, but I think we’ve covered the most basic salient points.

Posted by Cptn.

Open awards

Those funkmeisters at Openreel played their part in Motionplymouth by staging the film competition at the Arts Centre on November 17. Not only were the audience treated to some great shorts but they were also made privy to some of Openreel’s own favourite films.

[Read more…] about Open awards

Creative Collective

Hot new talent or crazy dreamers – you decide, but The Creative Collective aims to bring the best of what’s happening to a screen near you (if you live in Exeter that is). Either way it’s a hotbed of new and groovy ideas from which even better, even more innovative projects will take off and fly (bigged up, much?!) [Read more…] about Creative Collective

Arthouse roundup: Dec 1-7

Follow the main cinema links for dates, times and matinee screenings.
Follow the title links for movie details, friendship and maybe more.

PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

Stray Dogs (12A) Kids try to get themselves arrested so they can join their mum in chokey.
Keane (15) Not, as you might expect, a drama about fat-faced, piano-lovin’ balladeers, this is actually the story of a mentalist looking for his missing daughter. Cheery stuff. [Read more…] about Arthouse roundup: Dec 1-7

See for Two

Fledgling filmmakers supported by a Devon bursary scheme will be among those showcasing their work during the Two Short Nights film festival in Exeter on Friday night. [Read more…] about See for Two

Eat my shorts

Exeter Phoenix’s�Two Short Nights fest kicks off tomorrow,�boasting a whole bunch of�film fun for any self-respecting D+Cineast.

Not only will there be beezer work by filmmaker John Sealey (see In A Tate Spot) but those Future Shorts fellers will be on hand, to present a�programme which promises to challenge, inspire and ��please god�� entertain. Starting at 6pm, tickets are �3.50/�2.50. [Read more…] about Eat my shorts

Every one’s a winner

As always, this year’s excellent Cornwall Film Festival wasn’t just about visits by famous directors and, um, climate chaos boffins (see Simply The Fest).

There was also the small matter of the festival awards, which yet again managed to encompass some truly Cornish elements. Like pasties?
We shall see. [Read more…] about Every one’s a winner

In the picture

Images from this year’s Motionplymouth event�have been�posted online.

The pictures�capture some of the highlights�of the moving-image festival, including the�Civic Centre and Guildhall projections, the Drake Circus Guerilla Gallery, the movies beamed onto the Theatre Royal, imagery from the Vanland editing caravan and the South West Film And Television talks at the Treasury.

Yes, there was certainly a lot going on. Of course, this being Plymouth, there�was some�carping, with accusations that the event didn’t live up to all the hype. And it’s true, a lot of the projections, at least according to the photos, seemed to�consist of�a volley of giant BBC�and design company logos.

But there was so much other good stuff�going on besides, like the movie competition, which was largely ignored by the local media. And we ask you, what’s not impressive about�a massive green and white lighthouse�projected onto the Civic Centre?!

Posted by Thin White Duke

Simply the fest

The fifth annual Cornwall Film Festival proved to be the biggest and best yet. With three screening venues which enabled a much fuller programme,�the shindig offered�more events, screenings, discussions and workshops than
ever before.

Highlights of the festival included directors Andrea Arnold and Ed Blum yapping about�their movies Red Road and�Scenes of a Sexual Nature, their inspirations and how they’re ‘breaking the mould of traditional conceptions of filmmaking’. Hey, let’s not overstate things too much, guys.

Another highlight was�the�heated (geddit?!)�debate on global warming�with a panel�of climate chaos boffins which followed the Eden Project-supported screening of An Inconvenient Truth.�

There were also discussions about film distribution and funding, featuring representatives from the�likes of�BBC Film, FilmFour, The UK Film Council and The IdeasFactory, as well as�some 130 films made by Cornish filmmakers.

Festival director Laura Hardman told D+CFilm:�”This has been the best festival to date. The quality of the films have been great, while the festival goers and the guests have been unbelievable.�

“The festival works really hard to support Cornish filmmakers while putting together a programme of films to enchant and engage the film lovers of Cornwall.�

“The films submitted to this year’s festival highlight Cornish filmmakers’ love of irony and humour, as well as being able to reflect on some of the more serious and historical elements of our fantastic culture”.

Keep an eye on D+CFilm over the coming days for news about the Cornish Film Festival award winners.

Posted by Thin White Duke

Close Encounters

Combining the best live action shorts with the cream of animation, the Encounters Short Film Festival runs until tomorrow at Watershed, Bristol.

If you can’t make it to the festival (and let’s face it, we’ve not given you much notice), why not watch the awards ceremony live online. [Read more…] about Close Encounters

Easy Access

Artists Vicky Smith and Bridgette Ashton,�together with�two other lucky chappies from across D+C (yup, that stands for Devon and Cornwall, ya dunderheads), have won free use of facilities at Plymouth College of Art and Design to develop their work this month. [Read more…] about Easy Access

Arthouse roundup: Nov 24-30

Follow the main cinema links for dates, times and matinee screenings.
Follow the title links for movie details, friendship and maybe more.

PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

Volver (15) Lust in La Mancha with the PRSD�s favourite director Pedro Almodovar. Oh, and don�t forget to pronounce it �boll-bear� or Captn will be forced to snort at your extreme ignorance.
Eros (15) Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh and Michaelangelo Antonioni don their dirty macs (that’s not dirt – it’s spunk!) for this erotic anthology.

TAVISTOCK WHARF

The Devil Wears Prada (PG) Wholesome family flick which boasts the heartwarming message: ‘if your clothes are shit – you’re shit’. Shoulda worn her PRSD T-shirt!

DARTINGTON ARTS/THE BARN

The Devil Wears Prada (PG) See above for a more ‘in-depth’ analysis.
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (PG) Arty thing about a famous footballer running around and spitting and stuff.

EXETER PICTUREHOUSE

Casino Royale (12A) Featuring Daniel Craig getting whacked repeatedly
in the bollocks by a sadistic torturer with a bit of rope. Another one for all the family then.
The Queen (12A) Helen Mirren manages to keep her clothes on, you say? Give the lady a Bafta!
Romanzo Criminale (15) Sprawling Italian epic about three criminals who start a ruthless drugs organisation. What, like Boots?!
Brothers Of The Head (18) Conjoined twins become a rock’n’roll sensation in this faux documentary – yknow, a bit like Right Said Fred.

Posted by Thin White Duke

In a Tate spot

An Exeter filmmaker has been given the opportunity to launch his new flick at swanky Tate Britain in London�tomorrow. [Read more…] about In a Tate spot

Robert Altman RIP

It’s a pretty sad�week for D+Cineasts – maverick director Robert Altman died on Monday, aged 81.

He was particularly known for a run of�fantastic flicks in the 70s, including MASH and Nashville, but�D+C first came to know his work through his later efforts The Player and Short Cuts. [Read more…] about Robert Altman RIP

Get your skates on

While we’re waiting for the results of this year’s inaugeral Motionplymouth Movie Competition, you can check out one of the entries here.

Directed by teenager Ben Cornish, it sees him and his skateboarding pals doing their thang around Plymouth, accompanied by a tune�from the excellent Elliot Whale Boy. Apparently, he stayed up til 3am most mornings, editing the film on his computer. Puh, teenagers, eh? Where do they get the energy?

Anyway, we wish we could go into a little more detail about the three minute film, called At Any Time, but we couldn’t get it to work on our RealPlayer.

We pretty much hate skaters anyway, so it’s probably ‘all for the best’. Still, yous lot�might like it.

Posted by Thin White Duke

Casino Royale review

As a rule, James Bond flicks don’t usually look like they’ve been shot by Carol Reed. But that’s exactly the impression given by Casino Royale, opening with a grainy black and white prologue,�featuring 007 beating the shit outta some guy in the bogs. The hapless fellow must�have�used the last loo roll, poor blighter.

[Read more…] about Casino Royale review

Van they were gone

Now that it’s over, and you can see the full extent of its tracks, you realise the scope of the Teignbridge-based (though international) Vanland project from Blind Ditch was far greater than its two-berth dimensions. We hope to get some films on the site, but shh, we haven’t even asked yet.

Posted by Cptn