Perhaps the best thing about the Glasgow Film Festival – apart from its accessability – is the sheer breadth of what’s on offer. For that reason it makes trying to choose just 10 movies from next month’s line-up almost impossible to do adequately. But that won't stop me, oh no!
Given that I’ve yet to see these myself I won’t offer any refunds if I turn out to be wrong, but I’m pretty certain that with the following selection it’d be almost impossible not to have a fantastically enjoyable festival.
Without further ado, here we go:
- This Must Be the Place (trailer above) – Sean Penn in full ‘Robert Smith from The Cure’ garb, as a bored rock star trying to find the ex-Nazi war criminal who executed his father? How on earth can you not want to see how this turns out?
- The Raid – Showing as part of the fantastic FrightFest, this action movie set in Jakarta, with a trapped SWAT team trying to fight their way out of a tenement looks like a spectacular adrenaline-fuelled thrill-ride. (Add in any other clichés you want, though be warned that the trailer below carries a guidance warning for violence.)
- 3 (Drei) – Tom Tykwer is working with the Wachowkis on the much anticipated Cloud Atlas, and did amazing work on Run Lola Run and Perfume. This return to his native Germany finds him tackling the romantic comedy genre in distinctive fashion, with both halves of a couple falling for the same guy.
- Being Elmo – Part of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival, this documentary about the amazing journey of the man behind Sesame Street star Elmo is apparently a huge crowd-pleaser, and affirms the idea of having faith in your dreams. Something to warm your heart amongst some of the more gritty offerings.
- The Swell Season – For fans of Once – and who wasn’t a fan of the surprise Oscar-winner? – here’s the story behind it, detailing the real-life romance between stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, and the fallout from their success. It might be necessary to have a hankie at the ready.
- Extraterrestrial – Nacho Vigalondo directed the excellent, riveting Spanish time-travel thriller Timecrimes, and this is his follow-up. What do you do when you meet the girl of your dreams just as an alien invasion occurs? I’m doubting the answer involves a trip to the dodgems.
- A Boy and His Samurai – This featured in an amazing amount of ‘best of 2011’ lists in the US despite only featuring at film festivals, so it’s likely that the “hilarious, sweet and earnest” movie will figure as a great crowd-pleaser for those who catch it in Glasgow. The signs look good from the trailer below, even if lack of subtitles might affect ability to understand what on earth is going on.
- Michael – Another movie to make an impression at film festivals, but a very different beast altogether, examining a loner whose life is unremarkable – except for the fact that he’s keeping a boy prisoner in his cellar. Though the movie apparently stresses the “normality of the abnormal”, this won’t be one for the feint-hearted.
- Jo Nesbo’s Headhunters – When stealing expensive works of art so that you can hold onto your stunning trophy wife, I guess you should perhaps watch out for who you cross. Perhaps this highly rated thriller also acts as a decent educational tool for any thieves looking to raise the stakes a little?
- Into the Abyss – The fantastic filmmaker Werner Herzog takes a break from his usual bleak outlook to produce this cheery documentary about death row. Oh, wait a second... But sarcasm aside, this looks like another amazing work from Herzog, examining all the human angles involved when someone is executed.
- Flash Gordon – I know, I know, I've already done the 10; but as a massive fan of Queen, Brian Blessed’s boom voice and Ming the Merciless, there’s no way you can keep me away from this one...
- And some others I couldn't quite fit in: Your Sister's Sister (opening gala), The Bengali Detective, Babycall, Livid, Ectasy of Order, the GFF Surprise Film, too many others to mention...
- For more information on the Glasgow Film Festival line-up and to buy tickets, visit http://www.glasgowfilm.org/festival
