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Soda predicts…. the Oscars

So we didn’t do too badly at predicting the BAFTAs, let’s see if we can improve with our guesses at what will win the Oscars. And again, what we think will win, not what we want. (more…)

Posted on March 3rd, 2010 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

BAFTA - The results

Faith is the winner in the office, correctly predicting 6 out of 11 winners. Now to work out a suitable prize, or maybe wait to see how the Oscar predictions fare. (more…)

Posted on February 22nd, 2010 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

Matthew Barney exhibition and DVD offer

There is currently a Matthew Barney exhibition taking place at the Sadie Coles gallery in London which is well worth a visit.  (more…)

Posted on February 11th, 2010 by Frances | Permalink | No comments | Share This

Soda predicts… The BAFTA winners

A spreadsheet has been circulating the office, gathering our votes for who will win at the BAFTAs. What we think will win, not what we want to win. So here’s what the Soda office has its money on… (more…)

Posted on January 29th, 2010 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

What we’re looking forward to (film-wise) in 2010

After giving you our film highlights of 2009 we now look forward to what’s ahead. So here are a few lists from us on our hot tips for 2010.

Ben (Sales Manager)

• I am Love - A great festival buzz that mentions a stand out performance from Tilda Swinton

• Lebanon - Any film that’s billed as next year’s ‘Waltz with Bashir’ peaks my interest.
• Green Zone - Greengrass and Damon - Bourne by a different name? That’s no bad thing.

• Crazy Heart - Jeff Bridges playing a broken down, alcoholic country singer? Surely a tear jerker only your mum would fall for? errr, well yeah probably, but the trailer makes it look really good! Honest.
  

  Crazy Heart (image via filmofilia.com)

• Shutter Island - Scorsese’s first foray into horror (Unless you count Shine a Light) makes me hugely excited.
• Legion - This looks tremendously silly and balls to the wall fun.
• Cemetery Junction - Very interested to see what the Merchant and Gervais team can bring to the big screen.
• Bad Lieutenant - Loved the original and sneered at the first mention of a remake. But wait a second, what’s this? Herzog and Nic Cage not trying to be an action hero? Very intrigued indeed….
• Headless Woman - Have been interested in seeing this since Peter Bradshaw’s article way back in November LAST year : http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2008/nov/24/latin-america-festival
• La Danse (SODA) - A wonderfully lyrical look behind the scenes at The Paris Opera Ballet, from America’s defining voice in documentary film making.


La Danse (image via www.style.com)

• Double Take (SODA) - A clever, witty and surreal blending of Cold War paranoia and hitchcockian absurdities.

Edward (Managing Director)

• A Prophet - Audiard consistently impresses and surprises in equal measure, I’ve missed this at Cannes and London and am really looking forward to seeing it, like WHITE RIBBON I think it will be a real ‘experience’


A Prophet (image via www.cinemaisdope.com)

• Mammoth (SODA) - much misunderstood, let’s hope this future classic finds it’s audience beyond the industry gate keepers.


Mammoth (image via blogs.laweekly.com)

Frances (Acquisitions and Content Manager)

• Howl Okay so James Franco with the smallest of paunches and thick glasses still doesn’t really look like Allen Ginsberg, but I have super high hopes. This year’s Milk?


Howl (image via http://theplaylist.blogspot.com)

• Youth in Revolt Advance reviews haven’t been particularly strong but Michael Cera playing alongside Michael Cera, not really sure how far wrong that can go.


Youth in Revolt (image via gmanreviews.com)

• Mammoth (SODA) Lukas Moodysson is easily one of my favourite directors and I love that he hasn’t and never will make the same film twice, which could have been the easy route following the success of Show Me Love.

Posted on January 6th, 2010 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

Soda’s Top 5: Part 9

And our last but no means least contribution comes from our Communications Manager, Faith Taylor.

Top 5 films of the year:

Milk - Of all the oscar films out early this year, this is the one that has stayed with me.
The Hangover - Manages to blend obvious gags with subtle, intelligent wit. So good I saw it in the cinema twice.
Hurt Locker - Absolutely gripping experience.

Hurt Locker

Fish Tank - Exceptional. Performance of the year from Katie Jarvis.
A Serious Man - I’m not a fan of everything the Coens do, but when this ended I wanted at least an hour more.

Honourable mention goes to Il Divo, for the best sequence of the year, if not the decade.
[If anyone can find an image/clip of this, please let us know!]

Top films of the decade:
Infernal Affairs
Talk to Her
No Country for Old Men
Elephant
Brokeback Mountain
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Magnolia

Posted on December 18th, 2009 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

Soda’s Top 5: Part 8

Our penultimate top 5 of the year is brought to you by our Content Co-ordinator, Jamie Heatly:

Top 5 films of the year

The Hurt Locker - Tense, bewildering and brilliant. Unravels war’s addictive brew of fear and testosterone.
Let The Right One In - Perfectly sparse, dark Scandinavian beauty.
3 Monkeys - Veiled crimes draw you into an intriguing, murky Istanbul.
Drag Me To Hell - Proper, entertaining, jumpy horror - Raimi doing what he does best.
The Wrestler - Rourke is mesmerizing, and altogether honest, as a crumbling man coming round to a crumbling America

The Wrestler

Top Soda film of the year

Modern Life - Beautifully photographed, slow burning immersion into a fading rural existence…a bit like going back to Hereford for Christmas.

Modern Life

Top films of the decade

Gomorrah - A great de-glamourising, gutter-up look at Italian organised crime
There Will Be Blood - Jonny Greenwood’s amazing score envelops the film and perfectly unsettles the tone.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - A weary-eyed, dusty tale of pilgrimage and redemption down on the Mexican border. Nice.
Finding Nemo - Incredible…UP pales in comparison. One of the best kid’s films ever.

Finding Nemo

Mulholland Drive - Mysterious, stylish, masterful Lynch
The Man Who Wasn’t There - A favourite film. Stunningly shot, and wonderfully scripted - creates a thick, blackly comic atmosphere as only the Coens know how. Billy Bob Thornton puts in a superb laconic performance as the Barber and Scarlett Johansen shines as Birdy.
Silent Light - More transcendent work from Reygadas, and worth a watch for the opening shot alone.

Defining film of the decade

No Country For Old Men - Anton Chigurh as an unflinching, amoral force of nature ushering in a new age of terror, leaving the old lawmen blinking in the dust. Broody, bloody, witty desert brilliance.

No Country For Old Men

Posted on December 17th, 2009 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

Soda’s Top 5: Part 7

Today sees a return to the blog for our former Online Co-ordinator, Marie Foulston who is now the Innovative & New Markets Executive at Screen West Midlands:

I did 6 months of Soda service this year so I’m back again to offer 50% ’s worth of a Top 5 post. Whilst I can put together a list of my favourite films of the year, I can’t hand on my heart call these the best of the year considering I have a list longer than my arm of films I wanted to but failed to catch this year, I promise to make amends as soon as I can.

Films of the Year
In the Loop: Armando Iannucci’s colourfully worded writing at its best. Its quite rare that a film genuinely makes me laugh (please note: I’d had 3 glasses of champagne before seeing Knocked Up so that doesn’t count)
Fish Tank: Powerful, beautiful, emotional.
Wendy and Lucy: ditto what Kate said a few posts below.
Where the Wild Things Are: Sad and magical, truly reminded me of the highs and lows of years spent in the playground.

Where the Wild Things Are (Not a still from the film, but I'm hoping Marie wont mind. ~ Frances)

Zombieland: Surprised to be adding this here. I truly thought I didn’t have room to love another Zombie film, but I was wrong. It’s not perfect it’s entertaining and it was just right.

Favourite Soda Film of the Year
Home: Dark humour, great colours and very stylish (yes I know it’s like the Baftas, “how can it be best film of the year, and not also be best British film the year”, re; Wendy and Lucy above but I’m trying to spread the love)

Home

Defining Film of the Decade:

Donnie Darko. Frances got there before me, but I can’t not duplicate the response (but I’ll do so with more enthusiasm) as there has been no film from the noughties I’ve watched as many times as I have Donnie Darko (I think 5 of those were at the cinema). Maybe it’s because it’s one I’ve had the more distance from, so ask me again in 5 years and we’ll see if it stands up.

Posted on December 16th, 2009 by admin | Permalink | 4 comments | Share This

Soda’s Top 5: Part 5 & 6

Two shorter lists today from our Managing Directors, Edward Fletcher and Eve Gabereau.

(Edward)
Top 5 of the year
White Ribbon
Genova
Up

Up

Fish Tank
Shifty

Favourite Soda Film
Wendy and Lucy

Wendy and Lucy

(Eve)
Top 5 of the year (in order)
1. Home
2. Wendy and Lucy
3. The Wrestler
4. An Education

An Education

5. Three Monkeys

Gratuitous extras
1. Inglourious Basterds - for a fun/clever blockbuster
2. (500) Days of Summer - for a fun/clever romantic comedy

(500) Days of Summer

3. Julie & Julia - for a fun/clever drama

Posted on December 15th, 2009 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This

Soda’s Top 5: Part 4

The fourth part is from Acquisitions and Content Manager, Frances Harvey.

Top 5 of the year
Milk Sean Penn was a worthy winner of the Best Actor Academy Award. An important film, superbly made, with a faultless cast - particularly Emile Hirsch (and any scene where he is dancing).

Milk

Bright Star I apparently am wrong for not liking The Piano, but I loved everything about Bright Star. Visually stunning and heartbreaking, though second viewing was marred by a mouse in the cinema.
Delta Saw this after a long day in Cannes and it destroyed me. The last shot still haunts me.
Fish Tank I annoyingly missed the first fifteen minutes, but I can’t imagine that could undo the rest of the film. Just amazing.
Where the Wild Things Are Spike Jonze has made a film which makes me sad to not be discovering it as a child. It reminded me of how I felt when I saw Labyrinth for the first time. Magical.
and just off my top 5, my guilty pleasure of the year, Role Models I watched it once on the plane to New York, twice on the way back and since the DVD release it’s accompanied pretty much every hangover.

Favourite Soda Film
Home, fresh and exciting filmmaking. A stylish debut feature.

Home

Top 5 Films of the Decade
Couldn’t limit it to 5, sorry.
Old Joy My first acquisition. A perfect portrayal of a fading friendship.
Elephant
Werckmeister Harmonies
Last Resort My favourite Paddy Considine performance ever.
Etre et Avoir JoJo, cutest kid ever. And great lessons in photocopying.

Etre et Avoir

Dancer in the Dark A relentless spiral of hell, but a musical.
Forest for the Trees More relentlessness, I mistakenly took someone who started a new job the following day.

Defining Film of the Decade
Donnie Darko Maybe just defining film of the beginning of the decade, but I’m stumped to think of a better one.

Donnie Darko

Posted on December 13th, 2009 by admin | Permalink | No comments | Share This