December 2020

Posted December 1, 2020.

Contents

  • The Cinema Lounge ONLINE
  • Adams Rib Explores the Magic Moments That Make Stars
  • The 64th BFI London Film Festival
  • We Need to Hear From You
  • Calendar of Events

    Last 12 issues of the Storyboard.


    The Cinema Lounge

    The Cinema Lounge meets ONLINE via ZOOM on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 7:00pm. Our topic is Comedy in the 21st Century. From High Fidelity to Anchorman to the 40 Year Old Virgin to Superbad to The Hangover to Bridesmaids, comedies succeeded both critically and commercially in the 2000s and the early 2010s. But for the past several years comedies have struggled at the box office. It seems more and more comedies are going straight to streaming services. Todd Phillips, director of The Hangover, claimed that the culture has become too PC for comedies to succeed anymore. Is he right? What's does the future hold for comedies on the big screen?

    Please RSVP to atspector@hotmail.com and you'll get the Zoom link 1-2 days before the discussion.

    Visit the     Cinema Lounge page for future dates.

    The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 7:00pm at Teaism in Penn Quarter, 400 8th St., NW in Washington, DC (closest Metro stop is Archives, also near Metro Center and Gallery Place). NOTE: We will meet in the downstairs area. WE ARE MEETING ONLINE THIS MONTH. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.


    Adam’s Rib Explores the Magic Moments That Make Stars

    Every so often we get a scene with someone we hadn't seen before, or someone we'd only seen in a limited way. They are scenes the actors own, likely as a combination of their own talents and the way their films present them. It’s the first time audiences would look at them and realize they were witnessing something special. Covering 80 years of movie history, I offer my favorites in my new Adam's Rib column.


    The 64th BFI London Film Festival

    By Ron Gordner, DC Film Society Member

    The 64th BFI London Film Festival sponsored by American Express was held primarily virtually October 7-18, 2020. Rather than the nearly 345 total films from the 2019 festival a much smaller collated group of 58 hybrid presentation of films were chosen from 40 countries. Many were virtually offered to purchase tickets for streamed screenings limited within the U.K., plus a number of small audience screenings available at the BFI Southbank theatres and some other limited screens across the United Kingdom. Categories or Sections of films as in earlier years included: Headline and Strand Galas, Special Presentations, Competitions, Love, Debate, Laugh, Debate, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Family, Treasures, and Experimental films with smaller samples of films and highlighted films directed or co-directed by women and minorities.



    Steve McQueen’s Small Axe: Mangrove opened this year’s fest and Francis Lee’s Ammonite was the closing film. Nomadland, The Father and other high profile films were also screened.

    A number of free recorded special discussions and festival events can be found listed on     Festival YouTube links including discussions with George Clooney, David Byrne, Tsai Ming-Liang, Christian Petzold, and Riz Ahmed and on topics such as Female Horror Renaissance, Barriers to Young People Getting into the Film Industry, and other discussions on the future of cinemas and production in COVID-19 times. Problems with the economy and survival of movie houses difficulty in production were discussed with new opportunities for screenwriters, stories and other issues were also discussed by other panels.


    MUST SEE FILMS:

  • After Love (Aleem Khan, United Kingdom, 2020). Set in Dover, England, Mary Hussain (Joanna Scanlan) suddenly loses her beloved husband but also soon learns about his secret life across the English Channel in Calais. Scanlan won a best actress award at this year’s Thessaloniki Film Festival.

  • Ammonite (Francis Lee, United Kingdom, 2020). The director of the successful God’s Own Country, cowrote and directed this feature very loosely based on the life of Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) an important but overlooked female fossil hunter in the 1840’s on the Southern British coastline. A visitor brings his somewhat fragile wife and leaves Mrs. Charlotte Murchison (Saorise Ronan) in the care and custody of Mary and as a rehabilitation on the cold, but regenerative air and seashore. Both actresses have received very good reviews with possible Oscar nominations. The film is playing in December in some local theaters that are still open.

  • Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark/Sweden/Netherland, 2020. Teacher Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) and three other teachers decide their lives are in a rut and want to try an experiment of drinking alcohol progressively to see how affects their moods, creative class teaching, and general well-being. Results that seem somewhat positive at the beginning soon start to unravel as they increase the alcohol content. The male acting ensemble won best male lead at the 2020 San Sebastian Film Festival. BFI Festival Best Film Award winner is also Denmark’s submission for the Oscar Best International Film. It can also be seen in December 2020 at the AFI Silver 2020 European Union Film Showcase.

  • Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, U.S., 2020). A documentary about the last and closing night of a long-standing dive bar in Las Vegas called The Roaring 20’s. The denizens are a motley crew of people from varied ages and backgrounds and amid the late night frolics and fights you may get a cross section of politics, philosophy, and survival discussed in slurred syllables by some people we maybe would not stop and get to know otherwise. The documentary garnered a several nominations and awards at a number of film festivals.

  • The Human Voice (Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 2020). A thirty minute short by the Spanish master filmmaker starring Tilda Swinton, as a woman waiting in her apartment for her ex-lover to come and pick up his suitcases and his dog, both which seem to be abandoned and are having difficulty coming to terms with this arrangement.

  • One Night in Miami (Regina King, U.S., 2020). Actress King has directed a stunning debut feature about a fictional story based on one night February 25, 1964. That night four important African Americans met: Cassius Clay (new heavy weight boxing champion later known as Mohammed Ali), former NFL star and actor Jim Brown, singer Sam Cooke, and activist Malcolm X. What follows is an interesting discussion of Jim Crow laws, the role of celebrity African Americans, and political and social norms of the time and needed changes for the future.

  • Small Axe (season 1, episode 1): Mangrove (Steve McQueen, United Kingdom, 2020). The first of the Small Axe five film series. It retells the real story of the Mangrove Nine, who were arrested and tried in London in 1970-71, charged with inciting riots and possible stiff sentences. Mangrove is the name of the West Indian café and gathering place in Notting Hill’s neighborhood constantly raided by local police.

  • Small Axe (season 1, episode 2): Lovers Rock (Steve McQueen, United Kingdom, 2020). Martha sneeks out of her house to meet friend Patty in 1980s West London to attend a rousing house party with unique new music fashioned from original Caribbean themes. The film is over an entire night as the freedom of music and dancing mix with fliting and seductions. The miniseries or film anthology can be seen on Amazon Prime as it is released starting in late November 2020.

  • The Stray (Elizabeth Lo, U.S., 2020). A fascinating documentary following Zeytin and a few other stray dogs on the streets of Istanbul and their interactions with each other and humans. Winner of the best international documentary at this year’s Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival.

  • Time (Garrett Bradley, U.S., 2020). An excellent documentary on the struggles of Fox Rich trying to get parole for her husband Rob who is listed to be in prison for 60 years for a robbery they both committed in desperate times. Bradley won the Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award and the film has garnered additional nominations and awards.

  • Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, Luxembourg/France/U.S., 2020). Excellent animated film by the folks that brought you The Secret of the Kells, Song of the Sea, and Breadwinner. A tale of Robyn, a young girl apprentice wolf hunter with her father (Sean Bean) who meets a wild creature Mebh. Mebh is a wolfwalker and her friendship and understanding of wolfwalkers and wolves changes her whole perspective of the world. The film was awarded Best Narrative feature at this year’s AFI Fest.


    VERY GOOD FILMS:

  • Cicada (Matthew Fifer, U.S., 2020). Part feature and part autobiography, Fifer and his partner retell their own story of how they met.

  • Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes (Caroline Catz, United Kingdom, 2020). Interesting documentary on Delia who was a pioneer in sound recordings and the true creator of the Dr. Who theme song. Directed by Catz, better known as an actress playing the wife and teacher Louisa on Doc Martin.

  • Herself (Phyllida Lloyd, Ireland/United Kingdom, 2020). A drama about a mother Sandra who finally escapes her abusive husband but faces housing and economic problems but decides somehow to build her own house. It can also be seen in December 2020 at the AFI Silver 2020 European Union Film Showcase.

  • Never Gonna Snow Again (Malgorzata Szumowksa and Michael Englert, Poland/Germany, 2020). A strange, but fascinating story of Zhenia, a male masseuse who travels from his humble city abode to a rich gated community to provide massage and healing of various kinds to its wealthy, but sad residents. It has been chosen as Poland’s submission for the Oscar Best International Film. It can also be seen in December 2020 at the AFI Silver 2020 European Union Film Showcase.

  • One Man and His Shoes (Yemi Bamiro, United Kingdom, 2020). A documentary on the history and phenomenon of Michael Jordan Nike Air Jordan sneakers and landmark marketing and need and had far causing social and cultural implications.

  • Shirley (Josephine Decker, U.S., 2020). A biodrama about horror writer Shirley Jackson (Elizabeth Moss) and her professor husband (Michael Stuhlbarg) who take in a grad assistant and his pregnant wife. What ensues is akin to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf mixed with a thriller and the world of publishing amid academia.

  • Supernova (Harry Macqueen, United Kingdom, 2020). Macqueen directed and wrote the screenplay about Sam (Colin Firth) and his American partner Tusker (Stanley Tucci) who are traveling across the English midlands in an old RV to visit places and friends while Tusker, diagnosed with dementia can still enjoy the trip.

  • Ultraviolence (Ken Fero, United Kingdom, 2020). A raw documentary showing archival footage from 1995-2005 of police violence and tragic deaths and the aftermath with victims’ families.


    GOOD FILMS:

  • African Apocalypse (Rob Lemkin,United Kingdom, 2020. A black Oxford student goes to African countries to find the historical roots of European colonial killings and genocide.

  • Eyimofe: This is My Desire (Ari Esiri and Chuko Esiri, Nigeria/U.S., 2020). In Lagos, Mofe and Rosa both try to better things for their families and wonder if they need to travel abroad to help them or if it can be done at home.

  • Farewell Amor (Ekwa Msangi, U.S., 2020). After working for 17 years in the U.S. Walter can bring his wife and daughter from Angola to live, but do the family members really know each other and can they adapt to the new culture?

  • Honeymood (Talya Lavie, Israel, 2020). Lavie wrote and directed this screwball comedy about a young couple and their adventures running around Jerusalem on their honeymoon which begins with an argument.

  • I Am Samuel (Peter Murimi, Kenya/Canada/United Kingdom/U.S., 2020). A documentary shot over five years about Kenyan Samuel who keeps working for his family but has his own ideas of what he wants for his future also.

  • If It Were Love (Patric Chiha, France, 2020). A dance documentary which won the Berlin Festival Teddy for Best Documentary this year. Fifteen young dancers from varied backgrounds tour Gisele Vienne’s dance Crowd which recreates a rave like crowd scene and we follow their lives as they travel from city to city.

  • Mogul Mowgli (Bassam Tariq, United Kingdom/U.S., 2020). Riz Ahmed is wonderful as a British Pakistani rapper just becoming famous and ready for a world tour but has to face some tragedies. The film won the FIPRESCI prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

  • Possessor (Brandon Cronenberg, United Kingdom/Canada, 2020). Andrea Riseborough plays an agent working for an organization that is doing brain implants into individuals to carry out clandestine plots.

  • The Salt of our Waters (Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, Bangladesh/France, 2020. The cinematography is beautiful on this story of a young sculptor who returns to a small fishing village and finds his ideas in constant conflict with his past, the leaders, sea, nature and what he sees as a backward culture.

  • Undine (Christian Petzold, Germany/France, 2020). Paula Beer plays Undine, a historian and researcher who works with urban development. Her boyfriend breaks up with her and she is followed by a new strange man. She feels a strange calling and is tied to some ancient myths about the waters of the sea and lakes. Viewers will be used to Petzold’s wonderful minimalist plot, shots, and pace. It can also be seen in December 2020 at the AFI Silver 2020 European Union Film Showcase.


    Award Winners:

    Official Competition Winner, Best Film: Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands, 2020).

    IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary: Wildfire (Cathy Brady, Ireland/United Kingdom, 2020) for best U.K. film first or second feature.

    Documentary Competition Winner: The Painter and the Thief (Benjamin Ree, Norway, 2020).

    Short Film Competition Winner, Best Short Film Award: Shuttlecock (Tommy Gillard, United States, 2020).

    Best XR/Immersive Art Film: To Miss the Ending (Anna West and David Callanan, United Kingdom; 2020).

    See the website for more information.


    We Need to Hear From YOU

    We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.


    Calendar of Events

    FILMS

    Theaters in Virginia and parts of Maryland are open but not yet DC.

    Online film festivals this month include     the AFI Silver 2020 European Union Film Showcase and the Washington Jewish Film Festival.



    Previous Storyboards

    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019

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