Sundance London Archives | Wonderland

Sundance London Previews: Day 5

Wonderland Staff — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:05:08 +0000

We wave goodbye to Sundance as Matthew McConaughey triumphs in Mud while Kaya Scodelario sinks in Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes.

Friday was the last day for us at this year’s Sundance Film festival, so before we get all sentimental and clingy we should probably talk about the movies you should (and one you shouldn’t) keep an eye on when they come out on general or limited release.

Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes has the worst name of any film at this year’s festival. By far. It’s also the worst film we’ve seen this week. By far. Kaya Scodelario plays Emanuel, a moody teenage girl seemingly at odds with the world, who uncovers a sinister secret about her new neighbour that gradually consumes her life. It’s hard to know where to start with this one. The dialogue is appalling, the visuals are empty and overblown, the music is clichéd and the entire thing hangs by such a thin thread that it totally falls apart by the half way point. Quite frankly, it’s a disaster, and you’d do very well to avoid it.

That’s that out the way. Now onto the good stuff. American comedian Mike Birbiglia’s debut film, Sleepwalk With Me, a semi-autobiographical comedy drama about a man trying to kick off a career as a comedian while fighting struggling to save his relationship, is certainly an improvement on the last one. A neurotic, awkward comedy about a man watching as the woman he loves fade out of his life screams Woody Allen, and it’s hard to escape the comparison, but on its own terms Sleepwalk With Me is a very witty, surprisingly dark little movie, and one of the funniest we’ve seen all week.

A.C.O.D., directed by Stu Zicherman and starring Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clarke Duke and Amy Poehler, stands for Adult Child of Divorce, a title belonging to Carter, a restaurateur who is forced to reconcile his warring parents for the sake of his brother’s wedding. In spite of the amazing cast, nothing about A.C.O.D. only has one or two standout moments, and the rest never seems to take off. It’s indie by numbers, and it really should’ve been a lot better.

Finally, Mud, a film that played in competition at last year’s Cannes film festival, so you kinda know what level of quality we’re dealing with here. Starring Matthew McConaughey as a mysterious fugitive who enlists the help of two young boys to reunite him with his girlfriend, Mud might just be the best film at Sundance so far. Jeff Nichols’ masterful direction is reminiscent of Spielberg in his pomp, the performances are universally brilliant and the story is absolutely riveting from start to finish. A seriously strong way to finish our week at the O2.

See y’all next year!

Words: Matt Mansfield (Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmansfield_)

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Sundance London Previews: Day 3 and 4

Wonderland Staff — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:15:18 +0000

The voice actors of In A World tickle our fancy, while Steve Coogan doesn’t quite pull off his Sundance London debut with The Look Of Love.

Robert Redford was at the O2 today, but sadly we didn’t see him. We did see the chair he was sitting in for a press conference, though, and there were plenty of other chairs he may have sat in, too, so that’s something. Anyway, enough bragging. We’re here to talk about movies.

Kicking things off was Barbara Kopple’s Running From Crazy, a documentary about the troubling history of mental illness afflicting actress Mariel (granddaughter of Ernest) Hemingway’s family, and the ways in which she has learned to deal with the pain it has caused her. Although it feels a little false at times, and doesn’t offer much insight into the nature of depression (nor does it claim to, as many naysayers have said), Running From Crazy is a moving and personal portrait of one of the most well known families in America. Don’t let the presence of Oprah Winfrey’s name in the credits put you off.

Significantly less well known is the family at the heart of Metro Manila, a twisty cops’n’robbers action drama from the Philippines about a poverty stricken farmer, his wife and their two young daughters who travel from the countryside to find work in the city. There’s not a huge amount to say about Metro Manila, really. It looks good, and it’s entertaining enough to never be boring, but it’s far too by-the-numbers to make much of a lasting impression. As a movie, it’s perfectly fine, but it’s not something we’re in a hurry to see again. Metro Vanilla, amirite?

The same can be said for Michael Winterbottom’s The Look of Love (above), his biopic of notorious adult entertainment baron Paul Raymond. Steve Coogan and Imogen Poots are both brilliant as the father and daughter at the head of an empire, but we got the impression that Winterbottom and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh had bitten off more than they could chew with this story. It looks great, sounds great and is well acted, but it all feels a little inconsequential.

Finally we have In A World…, a film that pits voice over artists against each other in a battle for a job as “voice of the trailers” for a huge new film series. Director, writer and star Lake Bell plays woman in a man’s world Carol, the daughter of voiceover legend Sam Sotto and rival to new kid in the block Gustav, neither of whom like the idea of a woman stealing their limelight. So far, so Will Ferrell sports comedy, right? Not exactly. By bolstering this fairly simple story with strong subplots about family crises and personal relationships, In A World… becomes a romantic, funny and (as overused as this word is this week) charming comedy drama with a surprisingly moving finale. Really good stuff.

Words: Matt Mansfield (Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmansfield_)

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Sundance London Previews: Day 2

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:00:14 +0000

We dive headlong into the festival with a first look at God Loves Uganda, Touchy Feely and a doc about the greatest recording studio you’ve never heard of.

Day two at the O2 sees the universe putting the “sun” in Sundance London, making for a beautiful day to be sitting quietly in dark rooms watching movies while you all work on your tans and eat ice cream. It’s a sacrifice, but one we’re willing to make for you, dear readers, because we love you…

You can see we’ve been indoors a bit too long.

ANYWAY, first up was God Loves Uganda, a fascinating documentary about the impact Christianity and those who preach it have on the poverty stricken people of Uganda, who eat up their every word because they don’t know any better – of course, this attracts the extremists who’d be laughed out of every room in America (one guy here convinces a room of Ugandan children that gay people were to blame for the holocaust). Like all great documentaries, God Loves Uganda is a film that sets out to draw attention to an unbelievable and vitally important issue in an honest and lucid way and the result is this powerful and infuriating doc. Unmissable.

Also unmissable but in a very different way is Lynn Shelton’s Touchy Feely, about a massage therapist whose world crumbles around her when she develops an aversion to human contact when forced to confront elements of her past. The response to the film after the screening was overwhelmingly negative, but we really fell for it. It certainly has a few problems (a couple of loose subplots are forgotten at the end) but, overall, Touchy Feely is a sweet, gently moving mumblecore movie about grown-ups. Our favourite movie of the fest so far.

Finally, we have Muscle Shoals, another documentary, this time about the small American town that gave birth to some of the greatest music ever produced in the USA (Etta James, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones), and the unlikely men who made it happen in a small production studio. Although it rambles on a bit too much, and it’s too interested in the tragedy ravaged life of the studio’s founder, Muscle Shoals is an interesting look back at a special period in the history of music.

So, yeah, well worth losing a day’s sun tan for.

Words: Matt Mansfield (Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmansfield_)

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Sundance London Previews: Day 1

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:36:55 +0000

We put Peaches Does Herself, Upstream Colour The Kings of Summer and a very unlikely documentary about cow farming under the lens.

Before Wonderland arrived at the O2 for the Sundance London press shows yesterday morning, we were expecting four of those fairly typical American indie gems that pop up during the American iteration of the festival. What we got was something almost entirely different. Allow us to explain.

First up was Upstream Color, Shane Carruth’s highly anticipated follow up to 2004’s Sundance smash Primer. It’s almost impossible to describe this film in the way it deserves, but, concisely, it’s an audiovisual, emotional and intellectual marvel. Like Primer, it’s a bold and unique experience, placing elements of science fiction within a real world and telling a weird story in a fascinating and elusive way. Basically, it’s the best headache you’ll ever have, and you’ll want to have it over and over again.

With the bar set to almost unreachable heights, up steps Peaches and her brand of in your face sexuality with Peaches Does Herself, a musical written and directed by the Canadian singer boasting exploding penises, topless old ladies and Peaches riding through Berlin on a bike singing the words “fuck the pain away” over and over again. Not exactly Citizen Kane, then, but if you like Peaches, or buy into what she’s saying, then there’s a strong chance you’ll really go for this – I know I did. But if you don’t care about her or her music, this’ll be an excruciating 70 minutes.

Talking of excruciating (perfect segue – right, guys?), Andy Heathcote’s The Moo Man really should’ve been something to get excited about. Supposedly a documentary about the ins and outs of a dairy farm in Sussex, The Moo Man is really a cloyingly preachy film about farmer’s rights – an important issue for those involved, but one butchered by the sentimental approach from the filmmakers, whose film is at its best when it simply observes the farm. A great shame.

Thankfully, The Moo Man hasn’t dissuaded everyone from living a life outdoors – it’s all the boys at
the heart of The Kings of Summer want to do. Sick of living with their parents, two friends, and one kid who just seems to follow them around, run away from home one summer and live a life of adventure in a house they build woods, and come of age in the process. The story is definitely a familiar one, and the bizarre ramblings of a madman are played laughs way too often, but, all in all, The Kings of Summer, is an immensely charming film, and a fitting end to a largely positive day.

Oh, and if you hear us loudly singing ‘Fuck The Pain Away’ on the tube later, come say hi!

Words: Matt Mansfield)

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Preview: Sundance London 2013

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:48:53 +0000

Shirtless Matthew McConaughey, Alan Partridge as a porn baron, Peaches being Peaches – Sundance London is back for its second outing. We run down our highlights.

Sundance is where the brightest talents of American independent cinema go to show off their movies, so its presence on British soil is kind of a big deal. The London iteration of the world famous festival, now in its second year, offers a selection of the films screened at Sundance plus a number of fresh new British works, live music and panel discussions, all over the course of a long weekend at the O2. We’ll be reviewing the festival once it begins at the end of April, so stay tuned.

1. Upstream Color

In 2004, Shane Carruth’s fascinating debut, the time travel maths lesson Primer, premiered at Sundance where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Although his second film, Upstream Color, didn’t win the big prize at this year’s festival it was well received by audiences and critics alike, even if nobody seems to have any idea what it is they saw.

But that’s understandable. Details on the film are pretty thin on the ground, but we do know Carruth writes, directs and stars (among other things) alongside mumblecore darling Amy Seimetz (Tiny Furniture, Silver Bullets) in a film he describes as a mythic romantic thriller. Sounds great, right? And if it’s half as good as Primer we’re in for one helluva treat.

2. Mud

Since he made waves with 2007’s Shotgun Stories writer-director Jeff Nichols has gone from strength to strength, with his second film, Take Shelter, premiering at Sundance in 2011 and his new one, Mud, screening in competition at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and this year’s Sundance.

Mud follows two teenage boys in America’s deep south who discover a charming fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) living in the woods and attempt to hide him from the authorities, all while helping him reunite with his ex-girlfriend (Reese Witherspoon). The film looks to be a coming-of-age story reminiscent of the novels of Mark Twain and 80s Spielberg which, considering Nichols is one of American cinema’s most interesting storytellers, is something we’re really excited about.

3. Peaches Does Herself

Berlin based Canadian electro-shock-pop star and artist Peaches has made a docu-musical about her life and career. Do you really need to hear anything else? Filmed at one of her live performances in Berlin, Peaches Does Herself marks her debut as a writer-director, and looks set to be as vibrant and confrontational as her music, famed for its thematic exploration of gender identity and sexuality.

Peaches will also give a live performance downstairs in the IndigO2 at the festival to accompany the film, so that’s something to look forward to (read: prepare for).

4. The Look of Love

“My name’s Paul Raymond. Welcome to my world of erotica,” proclaims Steve Coogan in the trailer for Michael Winterbottom’s new film, The Look of Love, a biopic of London’s most controversial publishing magnate, strip club owner and so-called “King of Soho”.
Imogen Poots, Stephen Fry, Anna Friel and Tamsin Egerton round out the cast of this wholly British drama which, in spite of the mixed critical acclaim levelled at it following its Sundance premiere in January, looks set to find its audience in London.

5. Running From Crazy

Barbara Kopple’s career as a documentarian is an undeniably impressive one. The winner of multiple awards, including Oscars for her films Harlan County U.S.A and American Dream, Kopple has directed numerous documentaries about people as diverse as Woody Allen and Mike Tyson, and now she’s turning her lens to Mariel Hemmingway, granddaughter of celebrated novelist Ernest.

Running From Crazy documents the Hemingway family’s battle with mental illness and suicide through the eyes of Mariel and her two siblings, and the word from its premiere at this year’s Sundance suggests it’s as bleakly riveting as the subject matter suggests. Colour us intrigued.

The festival takes place between the 25th and 28th of April. Tickets are on sale now. www.sundance-london.com

Words: Matt Mansfield

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SUNDANCE LONDON: in pictures

Wonderland Staff — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:01:00 +0000

As you probably already know, we hit up London’s first ever Sundance London – hosted by none other that prune-faced dino Robert Redford – at the weekend. Here are some exclusive images of the event, from those who lined the red carpets and flashbulb-lit stages in Greenwich’s O2 arena. Enjoy!

All images: Amina Nolan

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REVIEW – Sundance London 2012

Wonderland Staff — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:07:54 +0000

Britain might be gripped by the wettest drought in decades, but the rain didn’t deter film buffs from turning up in droves for the first ever Sundance London film festival at the O2 arena. Wonderland joined them to see if the cinematic magic of Park City, Utah would translate to er, North Greenwich. For your browsing pleasure, here’s the first of our two part review of the event from Thursday (and stay tuned for exclusive images of the four day festival).

Day one

Liberal Arts

Sundance kicked off with Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts (check out our interview with the film’s director and star here), a sweetly touching campus romance about a 35-year-old who falls for a student when he returns to his old college. Fans of Garden State, listen up: the new Zach Braff has arrived. This time it’s the guy from How I Met Your Mother.

Indie darling Elizabeth Olsen stands out for transforming a cookie-cutter role as naïve college student Zibby into something altogether more compelling. But from the buzz at the festival – in the ladies’, at least – it seems like Josh has a few admirers of his own. Good to know that sometimes the nice guys do win.

Day two

The festival’s second day felt a little like watching The Wire boxset on the big screen. First, creator David Simon popped up in hard-hitting documentary The House I Live In, and then Baltimore’s mean streets made an appearance in coming-of-age drama LUV.

The House I Live In

If you condensed the HBO epic into a two-hour documentary, you might come up with something like The House I Live In. A sprawling, take-no-prisoners documentary that traces America’s failed war on drugs, it took director Eugene Jarecki years to make.

“I slammed my head into the wall for years, “ the veteran filmmaker told Wonderland. “Morning, noon and night, like I’d never made a movie before.” The sheer amount of effort shows – by the end of the film, you’re ready to take to the streets. No wonder Jarecki was later swarmed by people demanding to know what they could do to help.

LUV

LUV is a no less gritty proposition, though first-time director Sheldon Candis puts a romantic spin on it. “It’s a tragically optimistic love fable between a boy and his uncle,” he says. The director drew on his own childhood in Baltimore for the drama, following shy 11-year-old Woody as he gets schooled in the art of hustling from his ex-con uncle (played by Common).

The film occasionally stretches the limits of credulity by indoctrinating Woody into a life of crime in under 24 hours, but a coming-of-age story ultimately lives and dies by the strength of its child actor. Luckily, Rainey, all wide-eyed vulnerability, is a revelation here.

Shut Up And Play The Hits

After all that inner-city angst, thank the indie gods for Shut Up And Play The Hits, the LCD Soundsystem doc that got people clapping along in the cinema. Fans piled into the sold-out screening for its British premiere to watch the concert film of the beloved rock band’s final gig at Madison Square Garden.

“The day we did the location scout at Madison Square, Bon Jovi were in there and they had everything – cranes, dollies – the exact way we didn’t want to shoot our show,” says director Will Lovelace.

Instead, Lovelace and co-director Dylan Southern gave their crew handheld cameras and instructed them to film the concert as if they were experiencing it as fans.

The gambit pays off handsomely. Shut Up And Play The Hits is as close to being at an LCD gig as you’re ever going to get, with the added bonus of backstage footage and close-ups of Petunia, frontman James Murphy’s French bulldog. (Cutest rock pet ever? We think so.) No wonder the crowd kept cheering long after the lights went on.

Words: Zing Tsjeng

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JOSH RADNOR – Liberal Arts

Wonderland Staff — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:35:18 +0000

Writing, directing and acting in your own feature film while starring in an Emmy-winning comedy? It’s a miracle Josh Radnor, star of How I Met Your Mother, has any time to sleep. Wonderland talks to the triple threat about his touching coming-of-age drama Liberal Arts – which premiered at London’s Sundance film festival on Thursday – , co-star Elizabeth Olsen, and postgraduate nostalgia…

How did you hit on the idea for Liberal Arts and setting it in Kenyon, your old college?

I went back to Kenyon to show my first film two summers ago. I was surrounded by all these 19 year olds and it was the first time I’d felt old! I told my producer about it and said I realised that if I fell in love with a student there, it would be borderline inappropriate. He said, “That’s a great movie.”

Are you a lot like Jesse, the protagonist? He can’t move on from his uni days, which seems to be partially why he falls for a student there.

In some ways, he’s me at 27, when I hadn’t quite gotten over the college experience. After Kenyon, I went right into grad school, so when I got out I felt I’d been kicked out of paradise. I was still wanted a little to crawl back into the womb of the meal plan, just think about ideas all day long and read books and drink. For many years I would think about college and have this sharp pang of sadness about not being there. I put that into this 35-year-old character.

If you could sum up Liberal Arts in five words, what would it be?

It’s a movie about love, change, books and ageing. It’s about growing up.

So what were you like in college?

When I was in high school, I was very focused on getting good grades. I kind of loosened up on the GPA obsession when I was in college. And what’s true in Liberal Arts is my excitement about the Romantics – I studied with one of the world’s leading Keats scholars, Ron Sharp, and I would never miss a class. It felt like a borderline spiritual experience to be spending time with these poems.

So far, you’ve written, directed and acted in both of your films. Is that becoming a habit?

I’m trying not to act anymore! With Liberal Arts, I came close to losing my mind a few days because I was in basically the whole thing.

What was it like acting next to Elizabeth Olsen?

A great pleasure. She’s the rare young actor who’s not overhyped – she’s just really special. She obviously has to do photoshoots and red carpets, but I don’t think that’s where the true enjoyment lies for her – she likes playing characters. She’s in it for the right reasons.

How did it feel bringing Liberal Arts to Sundance London?

London feels like a good city for the movie. It feels like it’s a place that values literature. Liberal Arts is really about books. It’s about a love of books. You can enjoy the film without being a big reader but if you love reading, you’ll enjoy it a lot more.

What’s next for you?

How I Met Your Mother’s got one more season for sure, then I don’t know if we’re going to go beyond that. I’d like to get back on the stage as an actor and do some theatre again, which is where I feel the most comfortable. I’m writing a new movie and hopefully I’ll find a way to keep myself out of it.

Liberal Arts will be in commercial cinemas from October 5th
Words: Zing Tsjeng

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