CineSkinny Awards 2014

CineSkinny team’s personal picks of GFF14

Jamie Dunn – I’ve went for a tie between two bold cinematic visions made in Scotland: Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer) and A Whole New World (Rachel Maclean)
Patrick Harley – It may unfold in a setting free of either time or place, but The Double (Richard Ayoade) remains all too relatable. Surreal in ways both hilarious and terrifying, it boasts terrific dual performances from Jesse Eisenberg and cements Ayoade as a major talent.
Nathanael Smith – Calvary (John Michael McDonagh) wasn't the absolute best film I saw (I think Wes Anderson’s wonderful opener, Grand Budapest Hotel takes that), but in terms of emotional and intellectual engagement, it may end up being my favourite of the year.
Ana Hine – It’s rare to have an overwhelming urge to re-watch a film immediately after seeing it, but The Congress (Ari Folman) begged for a second viewing. It’s surreal, with animation that was emotionally powerful and beautiful to behold, and as the designer I was pretty psyched to get to see something so… memorable.

Honourable Mentions:
Tom at the Farm, The Past, These Birds Walk, Ida, Starred Up, 20 Feet from Stardom, The Tale of Iya, A Touch of Sin, The Golden Dream, The Zero Theorem

Resurrection award

Post The Exorcist, critics haven’t had much love for the films of William Friedkin. But what do those idiots know, anyway? The GFF screening of Sorcerer, Friedkin’s insanely ambitious 1977 remake of The Wages of Fear, given a spit and polish by the mighty Park Circus, went down a storm. Long may his reappraisal continue. Who knows, maybe at GFF32 we’ll be celebrating the rerelease of 90s erotic thriller fiasco Jade?

Runner-up: Dark Blood

The Marmite film award

Five minutes into Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo and you soon realise that the quirky stop motion stylings that have assaulted you relentlessly are going to stay there for the entire film. This is the make or break moment where you decide to embrace or reject the madness and determines what you will make of the rest of the film. It’s stranger than The Science of Sleep and, unbelievably, even less structured than it, too. Magnificent/atrocious [delete as applicable].

Runner-up: GFF Surprise Film Calvary, which editor Jamie hated and assistant editor Nathanael adored. When asked for comment, assistant editor Patrick reportedly said “...‘s alright.”

The WTF award

Dark Swedish sci-fi LFO, in which a disturbed middle-aged man brainwashes the couple next door into playing the parts of his wife and adolescent son. Why WTF? The male neighbour is in his mid-forties, so it’s a little unexpected to see him cheerily hunched over a bowl of Coco Pops while another man kisses his spouse. And the whole of A Whole New World, a eye-popping critique of imperialism told through the prism of a green-screen apocalypse set to Disney songs.

Most off-putting lookalikes award

Yves Saint Laurent, where a stretched Tobey Maguire (Pierre Niney as Yves Saint Laurent) has a tumultuous love affair with George Osborne (Guillaume Gallienne as Pierre Bergé).

Best guest award

Despite being in poor health, George Sluizer was in fine form as he presented the UK premiere of River Phoenix’s final film Dark Blood. The standout moment of his lively post-film Q&A was when the director explained why sex scenes in movies are always rubbish: “There’s no suspense,” he said. “You always know how they’re going to end.” The 81-year-old then went on to do his best Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally impression.

The soon to be a global megastar award

Jack O’Connell swaggered into town with the brilliant Starred Up. Since making that film with director David Mackenzie he’s been oiled up for 300: Rise of an Empire and was hand-picked by Angelina Jolie to star in her second feature film, Unbroken. O’Connell in-person was serious but cheeky. “What was the toughest thing about making the film,” asked a young fan during Starred Up’s Q&A. “Well,” laughed O’Connell, “you all just saw my willy.”

Hair-raising moment of the festival award

The scene in ace backing singer doc 20 Feet from Stardom where Merry Clayton goes to the studio where she recorded vocals on Gimme Shelter for The Rolling Stones to listens to her original recording. She knocked Mick Jagger's socks-off at the time with her blistering delivery of the chorus (‘Rape, murder! / It's just a shot away’), and did the same to the GFF audience.

Best Lines

“Get your hands off my lobby boy!” – Grand Budapest Hotel
“I think forgiveness has been highly underrated.” – Calvary
“You’re in my place.” – The Double
“Everything is hunky-dory. Now go and fuck or something.” – LFO
“...” – Partir To Live

Event we’re gutted we missed award

The closest we at The CineSkinny get to danger is when we post a one star review. Perhaps we could have done with being sent into the tunnels underneath Glasgow Central to watch Neil Marshall's The Descent to add a bit of pep to our days spent in front of glaring screens. Early rumours for GFF15 is that you’ll have to skydive to a showing of Point Break.

Worst accent of the festival award

In Mr Morgan’s Last Love, Michael Caine sounded like he was doing an impression of Steve Coogan doing an impression of Michael Caine attempting an American accent.

Runner-up: Tom Hardy putting a Welsh spin on Bane in Locke.

Bloodiest triple bill of the festival award

Matt Lloyd, the director of Glasgow Short Film Festival, who has hosted The CineSkinny team in his office for the past two weeks, saw A Touch of Sin, Starred Up and Blue Ruin in the space of about six hours. That’s like FrightFest for the arthouse crowd.

Most impressive beard award

Blue Ruin

Most disappointing shave award

Blue Ruin