Thursday 29 October 2009

London Film Festival: Ajami

The problem with the London Film Festival is that there are always going to be some proper stinkers. I don’t know what the BFI’s criteria are when they book some of these films; maybe there has to be a certain number of incomprehensible, overlong snoozefests to fulfil some quota otherwise they won’t get enough funding to employ overexcited copywriters to hype all the Festival’s films into oblivion.

The other day I saw Ajami, an Israeli film about something or other. Gangs, possibly. Drugs, too. Yes, there were definitely some drugs in there. And some shooting. There were some people, although I’m not sure who they were. In fact there were two characters who were so similar that I thought they were the same person until the last ten minutes when they suddenly appeared in the same scene. I looked around to see if anyone else was surprised by this but they had all died of boredom.

I followed it OK for the first 15 minutes, but when a whole new story thread started with entirely new characters I was lost and never found my way back. After 45 minutes I started to think I might have the faintest whiff of a clue what was happening, but by the hour mark my old friend Fidget had turned up and that was it. Game over for Ajami.

(If you require an explanation of the Fidget Factor, you don’t read The Incredible Suit often enough. See this post)

***STOP PRESS***

The Incredible Suit has just learned that Ajami has won The London Film Festival’s Sutherland Trophy, “for the most original and imaginative first feature at this year's festival”. So congratulations Ajami, you can pop that on the mantelpiece next to The Incredible Suit’s Southland Tales Trophy, awarded to the dullest, most impenetrable film at this year’s festival.

***STOP PRESS AGAIN***

In further ludicrosity, A Prophet, which The Incredible Suit roundly slapped about yesterday, has won The London Film Festival’s Star Of London award for Best Film, which “celebrates creative, original, imaginative, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking in the Festival”. So congratulations A Prophet, you can pop that on the mantelpiece next to The Incredible Suit’s There Will Be Blood Trophy, which celebrates overlong, tedious, overrated tosh with an excessively high Fidget Factor. Hooray!

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3 comments :

  1. Mrs Incredible Suit4 November 2009 at 13:28

    "There were some people, although I’m not sure who they were. In fact there were two characters who were so similar that I thought they were the same person until the last ten minutes when they suddenly appeared in the same scene. I looked around to see if anyone else was surprised by this but they had all died of boredom."

    Updated from MIS. I accompanied TIS to this viewing and although I can't give it the "Brill" review I recently awarded to Up, I wasn't suprised by the 'two people who weren't the same' appearing in the same scene. Make of that what you will :)

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  2. The Incredible Suit4 November 2009 at 17:13

    I make of that that you weren't sitting next to a man whose breathing was so laboured that I thought he might die at any moment, hence your ability to concentrate on the film. Which makes me the better person because I cared about a fellow human being whereas all you want to do is watch films all day long.

    PS What's for dinner tonight?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alex Illi25 September 2019 at 21:30

    Mr & Mrs :)

    ReplyDelete

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