Frame Academy - Monday, December 1, 2008 7:06

Birdwatching and Basketball

A couple of films have made a big impression on me in the last few weeks. The first is by that sickeningly talented young director, Charles-Henri Belleville. Some of you will remember him from last year when his first feature, THE INHERITANCE, came out. It got nominated for all kinds of Raindance-related awards and was made on a ridiculously small budget. Well, in that same year, Charles also made a basketball documentary called MIDNIGHT MADNESS, and this crossed my desk a couple of weeks ago. You can read the review elsewhere on the site, but I will say now that this is one seriously talented guy, and definitely one to look out for. Not only has he once again produced a slick piece of film for next to no money, but he also managed to make basketball, something I normally enjoy only slightly more than dental drilling, relatively watchable.

The second film I saw recently over at BAFTA was THE HIDE. I met the lovely producers, John and Chris at Poisson Rouge Pictures, recently as we sponsored an event that they were running at the Old Vic. Knowing that the film was based on a play (The Sociable Plover, by Tim Withnall), I had the odd reservation about whether or not it would translate well to the screen, but this was unfounded. Admittedly, the film has many theatrical elements, but they actually work really well here. The film is a thriller about a geeky birdwatcher whose trip to the deserted Suffolk mudflats is threatened by the arrival of a mysterious and volatile stranger. Check out Phil Campbell’s performance, especially. I would never have guessed the ending to this film in a million years. Then again, I didn’t guess the ending to THE SIXTH SENSE, either…