Hello,
I posted a few days ago on Facebook and Instagram about the start of this blog and would like to thank people for passing on their positivity and support. I’m still trying to figure a few bits with the layout of the page. It should look all good on phones/tablets but might look a bit rubbish on laptops.
This post will be focusing on the UK film distribution company Curzon Artificial Eye. From its creation in 1976 up until 2006 it was simply known as Artificial Eye before it became part of the BAFTA award-winning Curzon group. CAE is a massive stepping stone for any independent, foreign language and art-house film and I’ll be talking about when my interest sparked.
From memory my parents video collection included the popular art-house Three Colours: Blue, White and Red trilogy with the distinctive Artificial Eye packaging grabbing my attention. Throughout the early to mid noughties I would be browsing Fopp’s shelves with my part-time job pay packet and regularly spot the Artificial Eye releases in the World Cinema section. I would end up buying films I had already watched like City of God , House of Flying Daggers and Oldboy to avoid potential disappointment. This was before smartphones, I couldn’t just open the IMDB app and look at what people were rating the film, and by the time I was home I would neglect to research anything on my laptop. Coming to the end of the noughties I would occasionally make a trip to The Cameo or Filmhouse in Edinburgh to see an Artificial Eye release.
Last year I moved back to Scotland having spent three years in London working as a retail manager for Urban Outfitters in their Camden store. I quickly learned, after questioning the history of the mosaic entrance floor, that I was working in what used to be one of London’s oldest cinemas. It started as the Electric Theatre in 1909, throughout the years it went under numerous names, with it eventually turning into the Plaza Cinema in 1937. Artificial Eye took control in 1977 where it would go on to be an institution for art-house screenings. The cinema was highly regarded and added to the atmosphere in Camden. The closure was confirmed in 1994 due to the landlord tripling the rent.
The first CAE feature I watched was Paulo Sorrentino’s 2004 release The Consequences of Love. The film stars Toni Servillo playing the introvert Titta. The middle-aged Italians life consists of living in a Swiss hotel and regularly transporting briefcases of cash to a bank. On the side he’s a heroin user and has developed feelings for one of the hotel waitresses.
What stood out for me was the cinematography and the electronic/post rock score which includes Mogwai’s Moses I Amn’t, that cracking Terranova tune Concepts and the haunting Gyroscope from Boards of Canada . Servillo has worked with Sorrentino on 4 films and in 2018 he will be playing controversial former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Loro which will be their fifth collaboration. I’ll be re watching The Consequences of Love in the coming weeks as it’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
In no particular order here are 5 “Twenty Tens” CAE releases I would recommend to be added to your watch lists:
Other CAE releases that deserve your attention: Fish Tank, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Still Alice, Winter’s Bone, Revanche, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Victoria, Joe, Berberian Sound Studio, Waltz with Bashir, The Kid with a Bike, and Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.
Having written out this list I realise I really need to start delving into earlier releases.
To finish things up I’ll be looking at a couple of new releases from CAE coming our way.
Borg vs McEnroe is due for release on Friday and I’m really interested to see how it turns out. I’m a sucker for a sports film and if they’re done right I get wrapped up in the story. Hopefully this “Fire and Ice” tennis rivalry from the late 70’s into the early 80’s will transfer to the screen. I’ll openly admit I’m not a big fan of his but I’m interested to see if LaBeouf can pull of the colourful McEnroe. I enjoyed his performance in Lawless but apart from that I can’t think of another film where he stands out? I’m also looking forward to the Swedish blend provided by Sverrir Gudnason and Stellan Skarsgård . Stellan’s sons seem to be taking over as we speak with Alexander picking up an Emmy for his role in the excellent HBO murder mystery Big Little Lies and Bill’s popularity is sky rocketing with his portrayal of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the enjoyable It. One of my favourite Stellan films has to be the Norwegian black comedy In Order of Disappearance where he plays an avenging Father looking for answers after his son dies of a drug overdose. Liam Neeson is starring in the remake which is due out in 2018 under the title Hard Powder. I wonder what role got him this gig?
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is scheduled for a November release in the UK and it looks like it could be a belter. A24 certainly know how to put a trailer together. The Lobster was one of my favourite films in 2015 and director Yorgos Lanthimos looks to be on a roll at the moment. Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman provide the star power, however, I’m looking forward to seeing Barry Keoghan’s portrayal of his character Martin. The young Irishman has got a lot of potential after seeing his performances in ’71 and Dunkirk.
Curzon Artificial Eye continues to grow and long may it continue.
I hope you’ve managed to take some of my recommendations for your watch lists and would love to hear any feedback.
Alex
salmonconnery 
Feeling inspired to watch The Lobster, I’ll let you know how it goes!
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