ALISON ROWAT
THIS year’s Glasgow Film Festival (17-28 February) has a strand called dream teams, featuring the likes of Astaire and Rogers, Hepburn and Tracy. One might add to that Allison Gardner and Allan Hunter (you can call them Alls), the co-directors of the festival. The preceding sucking-up has the saving grace of being deserved. Once again, the GFF team has shown that Glasgow can more than hold its own in the increasingly crowded field of film festivals, with all the events carried out in a fun-filled, stimulating, friendly atmosphere.
Enough honey - where’s the beef? Here is your quick guide to some of the must-sees to click and queue for when booking opens this Monday, January 25, online, in person, and over the phone.
Galas
The big ones, so don’t hang about. The opener on February 17 is the much-anticipated Coen brothers’ comedy Hail, Caesar!, starring George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton in a tale set in the Hollywood studio system of the 1950s. The closing night film on February 28 is the equally mouthwatering Charlie Kaufman animation, Anomalisa. A dreamy romance, it has been nominated for an Oscar, with the winners announced in LA later that night. Also look out for Demolition, the Jake Gyllenhaal comedy drama about a banker rebuilding his life after tragedy; the French thriller Disorder, starring the ever watchable Matthias Schoenaerts as an Afghanistan veteran who turns bodyguard; Green Room, a critically lauded bleak comedy by the director of GFF hit Blue Ruin; Tom Hiddleston is living in a tower block in the dystopian drama High-Rise; Miles Ahead tells the story of Miles Davis, with the jazzman played by actor-director Don Cheadle; Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford delve into broadcast news in Truth; and Scotland’s Shirley Henderson stars in Urban Hymn, a drama set after the London riots. And don’t forget a ticket for the Surprise Film on February 24.
Family favourites
Plenty of family films to choose from, including such classics as Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, Beauty and the Beast and Lady and the Tramp, but the big ticket has to be for Zootropolis, a new Disney animation about a little bunny who joins a big city police force. Idris Elba is among those supplying the voices.
Dream teams
The best cinema duos, as seen in all their glory in this year’s retrospective section. Highlights include The Big Sleep, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Double Indemnity. Best of all, the dream team morning screenings are FREE.
A cry for Argentina
The country focus for 2016 is Argentina, the country that brought cinema lovers The Secret in Their Eyes (now being remade by Hollywood) and Luis Puenzo’s Oscar-winning 1985 drama, The Official Story. The latter is being screened in the festival, but do have a look at the other offerings, including crime drama The Clan.
Window on the world
International cinema at its best, with the jewel in the crown Miguel Gomes’ three part epic drama about modern Portugal, Arabian Nights.
Local heroes
A chance to catch the work of actors and filmmakers making movies on your doorstep. The intriguing drama Couple in a Hole, starring Kate Dickie and Paul Higgins has been gathering critical heat. Up for the festival’s audience award is The Ones Below, a psychological thriller directed by the RSC’s David Farr.
CineMasters
It’s wall to wall award winners in this strand, with Jacques Audiard’s Cannes winner Dheepan, and the Polish thriller 11 Minutes.
Happy birthday to you
Besides showcasing new releases, the GFF is offering the chance to see some pop classics again on the IMAX screen. Aliens, Carrie, Top Gun - who could resist?
Special events
And in certain cases they really mean it, as the festival goes on the road to some very special locations. Watch Bowie in The Man to Fell to Earth at the Glasgow Science Centre Planetarium, Network at BBC Scotland, Thelma & Louise at the Grand Ole Opry, and Con Air at, where else, a secret location.
Doc holiday
A strong Stranger than Fiction strand this year includes Kent Jones’ Hitchcock/Truffaut, Mark Cousins’ I Am Belfast, and the Bill Hader-led mockumentary about documentaries, Documentary Now!
Shock, horror
The Frightfest crowd head for Glasgow once more for a weekend full of new releases which includes Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer in The Forest, Johannes Roberts’ mysterious The Other Side of the Door, and the Norwegian mega-hit The Wave, featuring nature striking back in all its cinematic glory.
Do it yourself
If you are interested in making your own films, or simply want to know a bit more about the industry, the Behind the Scenes strand is worth catching. Scots casting director supreme Kahleen Crawford (who has worked on films including Under the Skin) runs a session on casting with Gary Lewis; Malcolm Lindsay talks about scoring a film, while Foot in the Door, with speakers including Maggie Mutch, BBC production manager) is sure to be full of practical tips about getting started in the business.
Tickets
From 10am, January 25 - online at www.glasgowfilm.org/festival; in person at Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB; by phone on 0141 332 6535. Tickets on sale at CCA from 18 February.
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