Sight and Sound January 2015

BFI Sight & Sound magazine for January 2015. The front cover feature is an article by Tony Rayns taking a critical look at Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai's martial arts epic 'The Grandmaster', a biopic of master Ip Man, alongside an interview by James Bell with the director. In a related piece Leon Hunt looks at the history of Kung Fu films set around the lives of real life masters. Other longer features in this issue are: Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's hit film 'Birdman' starring Michael Keaton as a former movie star making a Broadway comeback with an analysis of Keaton's screen career by Anne Billson; Nick James introduces a list of the top films of 2014 voted on by critics - 'Boyhood' by Richard Linklater is the top film. Pamela Hutchinson looks at the year in silent and archive film with particular emphasis on the centenary of Chaplin's little tramp character; Nick Pinkerton looks at the action films released this year and Kim Newman examines the year in horror cinema. Jonathan Romney also writes a piece about the lack of adult themes in contemporary American cinema. Renowned art critic John Berger writes about the genius of Charlie Chaplin and the enduring power of the little tramp character after a century. Shorter articles this month are: In his editorial Nick James looks at the nature of acting in the cinema, particularly in relation to 'Birdman'. The importance of jazz soundtracks from composer such as Krzysztof Komedia in Polish films of the 1950s and 60s. In her Object Lesson column Hannah McGill looks at tea drinking in films. Five key Marx Brothers scenes. An interview with French documentary filmmaker Julie Bertucelli, whose film 'School of Babel' looks at a multicultural school in Paris. Mark Cousins' column offers the second part of his ideal film school syllabus. Charles Gant looks at the development of the British war film 'Kajaki', set in the Afghanistan conflict. His Numbers column looks at the success of Mike Leigh's biopic 'Mr Turner' and features a list of Leigh's films' UK box office figures. Ben Roberts pays tribute to his BFI Film Fund colleague Chris Collins who died in 2014. Geoffrey MacNab interviews the new Head of the London Film School Jane Roscoe about their plans to relocate and her experience at film schools in Australia. Kieron Corless reports from the Vienna Film Festival and Olaf Moller discusses the festivals strand showcasing 16mm film. A profile of Algerian filmmaker Tariq Teguia. Holly Aylett highlights the potential dangers of the proposed TTIP trade deal between the US and Europe for European culture and cinema. Article on the collaborations between composer Ennio Morricone and director Pier Paolo Pasolini. In Primal Screen Geoff Brown reports from the 2014 Pordenone Festival of silent film. Films of the month are Denis Villeneuve's 'Enemy' starring Jake Gyllenhaal; 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1'; and Christopher Nolan's Sci-Fi epic 'Interstellar'. Other films reviewed this month, as well as those in the major features, include: 'Dumb and Dumber To'; documentary about Studio Ghibli 'The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness'; 'Northern Soul'; "St.Vincent' starring Bill Murray; and biopic of Stephen Hawking 'The Theory of Everything'. In Home Cinema Nick Pinkerton looks at Monte Hellman's 1960s Westerns and Kate Stables reappraises 'Withnail and I' as a new restoration is released. Robert Hanks reviews TV DVD release of Frederic Raphael's 'The Glittering Prizes' and steampunk series 'Penny Dreadful'. Book reviews include Philip French writing on a new study of Terence Davies and his work. In Lost and Found Neil Sinyard discusses Christine Pascal's 1992 French childhood drama 'Le Petit Prince a Dit'. The letters page features a letter signed by a number of female critics and academics responding to an invitation for more female writers for the magazine in the previous edition. Endings looks at the conclusion of John Schlesinger's 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday'. Contains a list of the best films of 2014, focusing on highlights such as 'Birdman,' 'Interstellar' and 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.'