Opening Night Review
Greeted by waiters in balaclavas, we weren’t exactly sure what the opening night of Soundtrack Film and Music Festival would consist of. The opening night was dedicated to a screening of Martin McDonagh’s black comedy Seven Psychopaths. The film, due to be released on December 5th, reunites McDonagh with his In Bruges star Colin Farrell and composer Carter Burwell. The film, also starring Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson and the cutest shih-tzu in the world, tells the story of struggling film-screen writer Marty (Farrell) who is involuntarily drawn into a dog-kidnapping scandal by his ‘psycho’ friends (Sam Rockwell and Walken). Woody Harrelson brilliantly plays the gun-wielding gangster, who wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone in the way of reuniting him with his adorable ‘Bonnie.’ The events that unravel throughout the film provide Marty with all the inspiration he needs for his screenplay, just as long as he lives to tell the tale.
Before the screening of the film the audience were treated to an interview, conducted by one of the organisers of Soundtrack festival, with Burwell himself. Burwell is well known for his work with the Coen brothers and for doing the soundtrack for The Twilight Saga. He went into detail for the reasons why he chose to compose the soundtrack for Seven Psychopaths and spoke about his want for the soundtrack to differentiate from the content of the film, rather than compliment it. He talked about how he consciously stayed away from using stereotypical pathetic fallacy through his music, with the intent that it would create a more emphatic ambiance; this is most definitely shown in the penultimate ‘stand off’ scene.
Seven Psychopaths delivers a crafty cinematic commentary whilst serving up a heaping of sharp dialogue and cheerful (yet bloody) violence. It is highly recommended and is by-far one of the best films to see this December.
Becky Wilson
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