Miscellaneous Film Events

[prettyxcool]

Did anyone else go? I went to my first ever Jameson Cult Film Club event on Friday, with the screening of the Silence of the Lambs, which I admit I have not seen yet, so really looked forward to it.

Arrived just after around 6.10pm, and the queue was already quite strong. Doors opened prompt at 7pm. We were all given a token for a free Jameson cocktail. Victoria House, Holborn, was transformed into a mental prison, with corridors and patients behind bars. You could have your photo taken with "Hannibal Lecter". There were two screening rooms, and both were absolutely packed!

The film was well acted, and so suspenseful and engrossing. Absolute classic. 10/10

[cliveas]

Not a film but a talk. However I thought it might be of particular interest to some here:

Meet the Critics - Saturday 27th April 11.00-16.00

The Critics' Circle, the oldest critics' organisation in the world, is celebrating its centenary this year and this is one of the special events they are holding.

What exactly do critics do and do we need them? Join us to celebrate the centenary of The Critics’ Circle.

THIS TALK IS FREE AND YOU CANNOT BOOK IT - JUST TURN UP ON THE DAY


Leading critics from the worlds of Art, Dance, Film, Music and Theatre will be on hand to meet their public and answer these and other questions in a day of lively debate and controversy.

A Seminar in the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy lecture theatre at the Victoria and Albert Museum on Saturday 27 April. The morning session chaired by Paul Gambaccini runs from 11am to 1 pm and panels of critics from our five sections, drama, music, film, dance and visual arts, will talk briefly about their work and answer questions.

The afternoon session from 2pm. to 4pm will be chaired by Mariella Frostrup and a panel of critics will discuss with the audience the future of criticism in the on-line age and pretty well anything the audience comes up with.

The critics taking part include Barry Norman, Michael Billington, Corinne Julius, Mark Shenton, Jason Solomons, Hugh Pearman, Jeffery Taylor, Fiona Mountford, Claire Allfree, Richard Morrison, Libby Purves, Sarah Crompton, Guy Dammann, David Gritten, Simon Tait and Sanjoy Roy.

[caitlinmorton]

Won tickets to Sundance London via GRM Daily. Only comp that wasn't a winner's choice, so my friend and I were assigned tickets to 'The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete'. If it had been a winner's choice, I would not have picked it, but I'm very glad I went.

Really enjoyed the film, quite the tearjerker and parts of it were a bit outrageous, but I still quite liked it, as did my friend. Director did a Q&A afterwards and was very informative. A bit of confusing about queueing as the volunteers didn't seem very well-informed, but overall a good experience. Festivals are always fun. :)

[jeanelle]

Yesterday afternoon, as part of the Charing Cross Road Festival, Foyles put on a screening of Underground, a film from 1928 directed by Anthony Asquith.

Black and white, silent, obviously, restored by the BFI and with a lovely new score by Neil Brand who introduced the film. A simple story of a love triangle (an electrician and a porter both fall in love with a shop girl they meet on the Underground) but beautifully told and wonderful to see film of the Tube in 1928, just as crowded as today but everyone wearing a hat.

We enjoyed the film very much and thought the music was excellent. Free popcorn and an 'Underground' Oyster Card holder too. A nice outing for a Sunday afternoon.

[prettyxcool]

Yesterday afternoon, as part of the Charing Cross Road Festival, Foyles put on a screening of Underground, a film from 1928 directed by Anthony Asquith.

Black and white, silent, obviously, restored by the BFI and with a lovely new score by Neil Brand who introduced the film. A simple story of a love triangle (an electrician and a porter both fall in love with a shop girl they meet on the Underground) but beautifully told and wonderful to see film of the Tube in 1928, just as crowded as today but everyone wearing a hat.

We enjoyed the film very much and thought the music was excellent. Free popcorn and an 'Underground' Oyster Card holder too. A nice outing for a Sunday afternoon.

That sounds lovely, may be I should have gone to this instead of Monsters University, then I could have had a lie in too!

[weirdfilms33]

Yesterday afternoon, as part of the Charing Cross Road Festival, Foyles put on a screening of Underground, a film from 1928 directed by Anthony Asquith.

Black and white, silent, obviously, restored by the BFI and with a lovely new score by Neil Brand who introduced the film. A simple story of a love triangle (an electrician and a porter both fall in love with a shop girl they meet on the Underground) but beautifully told and wonderful to see film of the Tube in 1928, just as crowded as today but everyone wearing a hat.

We enjoyed the film very much and thought the music was excellent. Free popcorn and an 'Underground' Oyster Card holder too. A nice outing for a Sunday afternoon.

I was at Charing Cross Road on Saturday b*ying a guitar! I also popped into Foyles and definitely would have tried to make the Underground screening on Sunday had I known beforehand about the festival. It sounded really good.

[prettyxcool]

Went to the first party for Best for Film to launch their new film club and to look for bloggers for their website - it seems they have been around for the last four years (I have never even heard of them). Anyway, the party was a bit like our FMUKCON, where everyone seems to know each other. The organisers John and Anna were very welcoming when I arrived, asked if I blogged, or I just liked films, when I said I did not!

The event was held at Bar Paragon at the Genesis Cinema, which was four stops from my place of work, hence I thought I go and give it a try.

The seating plan was not very conducive to networking, as most people sat huddled in their own groups. The settees were placed facing the screen, so I plonked myself on the one in the centre, which was very, very comfy. I then ordered an award winning pie by Pieminister, which was really, really, yummy. There was a meal deal, tenner for a pie and a glass of wine or beer. The pie was normally £9.50!

They were late starting as apparently, there were problems on the tube. We had a short film, Wild Eyes, which won in some short film competition last year, and the two directors, came to talk about how they wrote and made the film in one weekend. It was quite interesting. After which, they had a quiz, which you pa*d £1 to enter. All questions, loosely based on Nicholas Cage!

I did not stay for the film, Blood Simple, which was supposed to start at 9pm, but left around 8.40pm when they were still half way doing the quiz. I hadn't expected the film to start so late, and had to be elsewhere.

Good party for bloggers and Best for Film fans, though. It is going to be a monthly event, on a Tuesday night. May go again if it is a film I want to see, and for the pies!

[prettyxcool]

Saw Predator at Film4 Summer Screen at Somerset House last Friday evening. Lovely place for an outdoor screening, have not been there since I saw the Soloist with Robbie Downing Jnr, 4(!) years ago, so nice to be going again. No free blankets and little bottle of drinks this time, but were given samples of bordeaux wines in little tasting cups (sign of times I presume!). Everyone arrived early to grab a good spot and have their picnic while the DJ played, and once the sun set, and it was dark enough the film came on.

What a wonderful sci-fi thriller, Predator is. A very clever story, as we do not see the predator for ages but we see him hunting through his eyes with all these gadgets, amazing. Totally unexpected. Arnie got loads of cheers when he came on and also at the end. Definitely a sci-fi classic. 9/10

[prettyxcool]

A belated write up about Sky Summer Screenings in Hyde Park - did anyone else go? The only film I have not seen was Wall-E so signed up for that. I also wanted the karaoke Jungle Book but it was fully booked.

Anyway, what a lovely, lovely film, and such a nice way to watch it. 10/10

There were not a lot of people there, so surprised it was fully booked, when I tried to get a couple more for friends. Before the film started, the Sky reps kept advertising the forthcoming screenings and asking people to come back for them, which was a waste of time, as I had tried to book, and it was fully booked! But nevertheless, they kept promoting it!

I started the day with a free chicken BBQ wrap from Cabana Central, then ended it with the special screening of Lone Ranger. A lovely free day out in London!

[JMP]

It's not free but the European Outdoor Film Tour (EOFT) is on Saturday 23rd November 1-3pm and 5-7pm. Tickets are available from Ellis Brigham shops. Website: eoft.com