2014 - 25 Best Cinema-Related Highlights
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- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.at National Media Museum, Bradford, from an IMAX 70mm print, Saturday 8th November.
With my local IMAX not showing 'Interstellar' from a 70mm print, despite having the capability of doing so, the next best option to see the greatest exhibition format in cinema history for the final time was to travel 200 miles to Bradford. So I did.
On the day: major train delays and I arrived in Bradford a distraught, lost mess an hour after the start of the film.
At the cinema, the staff went above and beyond any service they'd ever be expected to provide and didn't hesitate in offering a ticket for the next show although I'd have to stay overnight in Bradford if I wanted to see it. So I did.
And it was all worth it for being one of the greatest cinema experiences I've ever had. A 30ft tall, 70mm IMAX image enveloping you, the sound booming, the cinema shaking... the 3 hours flew by and the film is my 2nd favourite of the year.
Being there for a whole extra day, I saw 3 more films over the weekend (some below in the list) with the pinnacle being an invite into the IMAX projection booth and laying a hand on the enormous 70mm 'Interstellar' print itself. A brief hello and fond farewell to the greatest exhibition format that has ever existed.
Parting is such sweet sorrow. - DirectorJohn WellsStarsMeryl StreepDermot MulroneyJulia RobertsA look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.at Empire Clydebank, from a 35mm print, Monday 24th January.
Again the Empire Clydebank letting me live out the dream on one of their final 35mm screenings. This one was already laced up in the projector but I hit start, adjusted the volume, fixed the focus.
It was a treat and now a treasured memory.
I enjoyed the film but it wasn't about that - it could have been anything.
I got to step into the role of my dream job. I was a projectionist... for the first and only time. - DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.at Clapham Picturehouse, London, Sunday 6th July.
My favourite film of the year, of many years, and probably many more years to come.
Seen at a preview screening during a trip to London, while visiting family I don't see a lot and away from family back home I should see more.
I laughed, I cried, I gasped and all of those things and more, but the overall effect it had on me is indescribable.
I had planned to see another film after but I went straight home to spend the limited time I had remaining in London with my relatives. There was no way I could do anything but.
This is one for the ages. It has a special place in my heart. - DirectorChristopher KenneallyStarsDerek AmbrosiMichael BallhausAndrzej BartkowiakThe documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation.at Andrew Stewart Cinema, University of Glasgow, Thursday 20th March for Screens: Glasgow University Film Society.
After being gifted a handful of trailers from the now-digitized Empire Clydebank, I was thankfully able to put them to good use - we showed a selection before the society's screening of 'Side By Side'.
This was the first time the building's 35mm projector had been used in over 2 years and I'm proud to have had a hand in making this happen. If I could make a list of achievements for the year, it'd be right up there.
And the sound and picture quality of the trailers was outstanding: full-on professional cinema quality.
The 16mm presentation later in the year (lower on the list) was lovely but this was something else.
Long live film. - DirectorMike HodgesStarsMichael CaineIan HendryBritt EklandWhen his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.at Cafébarge, Tarbert, Scotland, from a 16mm print, Sunday 17th August.
Part of a 16mm film festival held in a cafe in a barge in Kintyre in Scotland.
It took a fair amount of dedication, travel and money to get here but I was determined not to miss out after last year and the payoff was worth it - great film, great atmosphere, great people and lovely scenery.
Kintyre that is, not 1970s Newcastle - I'll be back in 2015. - DirectorBéla TarrStarsMihály VigPutyi HorváthLászló feLugossyOn the eve of a large payment, residents of a collapsing collective farm see their plans turn into desolation when they discover that Irimiás, a former co-worker who they thought was dead, is returning to the community.at Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, from a 35mm print, Sunday 14th September.
An endurance test and, at 7 hours, is simultaneously the longest film I've ever seen, the longest film I've ever seen in the cinema and the longest film I've ever seen in 35mm.
I don't imagine either of those three are in danger of being overtaken any time soon. Triple milestone. - DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsIdris ElbaNaomie HarrisTerry PhetoA chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.at Empire Clydebank, from a 35mm print, Sunday 19th January.
And what's better than the discovery itself?
This was the first film I saw after finding out the cinema was still showing 35mm.
But how bittersweet as, after, when talking to the head projectionist, I found out what I guessed was inevitable anyway: that 35mm wouldn't be there for much longer, and that digital was on its way in.
Why did I come across this place so late? - DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsChristian BaleAmy AdamsBradley CooperA con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild F.B.I. Agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the Mafia.at Empire Clydebank, from a 35mm print, Wednesday 5th February.
After making the unbelievable discovery that there was a cinema in Glasgow still showing new films in 35mm, I became friendly with the projection staff who allowed me to lace up one of their final 35mm screenings. I then went to see it - I was impressed with my work. - DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsAleksey SerebryakovElena LyadovaRoman MadyanovIn a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.National Media Museum, Bradford, Sunday 9th November.
Preceding The Thing, my first time in the Pictureville Cinema. Huge screen, plush red seats, luxurious red curtain screen: this is how cinema should be done.
Also one of the most versatile auditoriums in the world (no exaggeration). 4K digital, 35mm, 70mm, and one of only 3 screening rooms in Europe capable of showing original three-strip Cinerama.
So what better conditions to see Leviathan, one of my favourite films of 2014.
The 4K presentation of the film is the closest I've ever seen digital looking like film. - DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.National Media Museum, Bradford, from a 70mm print, Sunday 9th November.
An unplanned, overnight stay in Bradford made this possible and boy, was it worth it. Unexpected 70mm!? Yes please!
And in one of the most beautiful auditoriums (Pictureville) I've ever set foot in. More on that next... - DirectorJohn TurturroStarsJohn TurturroWoody AllenSharon StoneFioravante decides to become a professional Don Juan as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped friend, Murray. With Murray acting as his "manager", the duo quickly finds themselves caught up in the crosscurrents of love and money.at Glasgow Film Theatre, Tuesday 3rd June.
Not a fan of the film but was the first I ushered after becoming a volunteer at the GFT - my favourite cinema in all the land.
'Fading Gigolo' will live in the memory purely for that. - DirectorMark WatersStarsLindsay LohanJonathan BennettRachel McAdamsCady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.at Prince Charles Cinema, from a 35mm print, Friday 27th June.
Another return, this time to perhaps my favourite cinema aside from the GFT: the Prince Charles Cinema in London.
A film I'd been meaning to see for a long while, which was actually quite brilliant and, of course (being at the PCC), from a 35mm print.
Good to be back. I also bought a lifetime membership... I'm sure the cost will even out over the years. - DirectorTerrence MalickStarsRichard GereBrooke AdamsSam ShepardA hot-tempered farm laborer convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.at BFI Southbank, Saturday 28th January.
2nd visit to the stunning National Film Theatre in London and my first time in glorious NFT1. Oh, and it was the only Terrence Malick film I hadn't yet seen in the cinema. It was perfect, and the set is now complete. - DirectorMilos FormanStarsJack NicholsonLouise FletcherMichael BerrymanIn the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.at Filmhouse Edinburgh, from a 35mm print, Tuesday 21st January.
Attended with my dad without whom I wouldn't have been able to go due to the late timing of the screening. I rarely go to the cinema with my dad so this was a lovely treat and it was from a faultless, specially imported 35mm print to make things even better. - DirectorTommy WiseauStarsTommy WiseauJuliette DanielleGreg SesteroIn San Francisco, an amiable banker's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when his deceitful fiancée embarks on an affair with his best friend.at Cameo Picturehouse, Saturday 15th February.
My 2nd experience of another kind of madness, and bettered last year's with Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero being in attendance here. Met them; photos, pictures, the lot. Never in my wildest dr... I'm still getting my head around this one. - DirectorFred DekkerStarsJason LivelyTom AtkinsSteve MarshallAlien brain parasites, entering humans through the mouth, turn their host into a killing zombie. Some teenagers start to fight against them.at Grosvenor Cinema, Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th October.
My 2nd experience of the incredible All-Night Horror Madness.
'Night of the Creeps' kicked off the night before a screening of Cronenberg's 'The Brood' failed but was followed by 'Flesh For Frankenstein', 'Tourist Trap' and 'Street Trash', all in 35mm. - DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsDarlene LoveMerry ClaytonLisa FischerBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.at Glasgow Film Theatre, Saturday 22nd February.
Preceded and followed by a choir performance and Q+A with Claudia Leannear who sang backing vocals on many classic songs including Joe Cocker's 'With a Little Help From My Friends' which has particular meaning for me.
She was lovely and it was great to meet her; the film, also, is a fantastic documentary. - DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsOscar IsaacCarey MulliganJohn GoodmanA week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.at Andrew Stewart Cinema, University of Glasgow, Thursday 25th February for Screens: Glasgow University Film Society.
My first screening as President of the society and we drew one of (if not the biggest) Screens' crowds in its history. Certainly since we began taking attendance! 85!
A successful (relieving) night and a brilliant film. - DirectorMel BrooksStarsGene WilderMadeline KahnMarty FeldmanAn American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Friday 28th February.
A stunning location and my first watch of this film - somewhat delayed - but I know it certainly won't be the last. - DirectorSimon HawkinsZeke HawkinsStarsMackenzie DavisLogan HuffmanJeremy Allen WhiteThree Texas teens hope to make a break for it and escape their dead-end existence in a cotton-mill town but get sucked into the seedy underbelly of organized crime when one of them steals from the wrong man.at Glasgow Film Theatre, Thursday 21st August.
A milestone: my 200th film seen at Glasgow Film Theatre. - DirectorStuart MurdochStarsEmily BrowningOlly AlexanderHannah MurrayAs Eve begins writing songs as a way to sort through some emotional problems, she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own.at Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 22nd August.
2 years after appearing as an extra in the film, I finally get to see it (and my appearance) in its *finished* form on the biggest screen in my favourite cinema.
Few things stranger than seeing yourself on the big-screen.
This may have been higher in the list but for having already seen a preview cut the year before. - DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsEllen BurstynMax von SydowLinda BlairWhen a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.at Grosvenor Cinema, from a 35mm print, Friday 31st October.
Yep, more 35mm. But that's how to see this film. A terrifying, visceral experience. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.at Cameo Picturehouse, from a 35mm print, Wednesday 12th November.
2nd time of seeing it, and who knows, maybe the final new film to get any kind of 35mm release? - 19641h 35mPG8.3 (520K)97MetascoreDirectorStanley KubrickStarsPeter SellersGeorge C. ScottSterling HaydenAn unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.at Andrew Stewart Cinema, University of Glasgow, Thursday 27th November for Screens: Glasgow University Film Society.
Not only a great film but preceded by 2 short films projected in 16mm - 'Atom Ant' and 'Popeye'.
Enjoyable thought it was, it didn't quite reach the heights of a similar experiment earlier in the year, coming up later in this list... - DirectorTed KotcheffStarsDonald PleasenceGary BondChips RaffertyAfter a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.at Glasgow Film Theatre, from a 35mm print, Sunday 19th January.
My first visit to the GFT in 2014 and for one of the most disturbing films I've ever had the (dis)pleasure of seeing in the cinema - only emphasised by an excellent 35mm print.
The film was given a nationwide digital restoration only months later so this was probably the last time it would have been seen in the UK on 35mm.