Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray
Country: USA / Language: English / Running time: 1 h 45 mins
EFAS kicked things off with a quirky comedy about a dysfunctional New York family, consisting of equally gifted and idiosyncratic characters, told in a stylised storybook format and boasting a great ensemble cast. The overall consensus in this highly character-driven tale suggested that the final third petered out somewhat, but high praise was reserved for Gene Hackman's performance as the charismatic head of the family, who has hit hard times...
La Haine (1995)
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Said Taghmaoui
Country: France / Language: French / Running time: 1h 33 mins
EFAS changed gears with its second screening, opting for a harder-hitting visceral investigation of the social unrest and alienation of immigrants in the French "banlieues". Although it has its lighter moments with well-observed humourous dialogue, and breathtaking cinematography punctuating lively camerawork, La Haine stays with you for its unnerving ability to display the ongoing cycle of hate and violence between have's and have not's in society... It caused such a stir at the time that the French interior minister made his cabinet sit for a screening of it at the time, today this is a film as seminal as it is relevant.
This. Is. Gonna. Be. EPIIIIIIC!
ReplyDeleteRoyal Tenenbaums:
ReplyDeletePeople tend to be divided about the stylised storybook settings of Wes Anderson but for whatever reason they connect with me and I find them full of laughs, quirks, memorable characters, bittersweetness, great soundtracks and in the case of this film the most hilarious mid-match tennis meltdown ever!
La Haine:
Few films manage to be as cool and stylised, but yet still raw and hard-hitting as this one, it goes for the jugular and doesn't let go right up to the inevitable explosive finale.