You may not know his face, but Don LaFontaine was one of the great voices of Hollywood. An American voice actor that narrated over 5000 movie trailers and became famous for kicking them off with the words “In A World…”, LaFontaine is one of the inspirations behind comedian and actress Lake Bell’s debut as a writer/director. In A World is a tribute to the voice-over industry, also inspired by Bell’s experience trying to breaking into the cliquey and lucrative voice over scene in Los Angeles. The result is a hilarious film about life in Hollywood from a side of the industry you might not have seen before. In A World, is my first pick of the week.

You may not know his face, but Don LaFontaine was one of the great voices of Hollywood. An American voice actor that narrated over 5000 movie trailers and became famous for kicking them off with the words “In A World…”, LaFontaine is one of the inspirations behind comedian and actress Lake Bell’s debut as a writer/director. In A World is a tribute to the voice-over industry, also inspired by Bell’s experience trying to breaking into the cliquey and lucrative voice over scene in Los Angeles. The result is a hilarious film about life in Hollywood from a side of the industry you might not have seen before. In A World, is my first pick of the week: 




In A World 
Starring: Lake Bell, Rob Corddry, Eva Longoria & Michaela Watkins
Directed by: Lake Bell 
Screening: Saturday 21st March, 8.30pm 

A mix of industry satire, romantic comedy and family relationship drama, In A World is filled with characters that are flawed, funny and instantly likable. Actress Lake Bell also stars in this smart, witty and quirky comedy that tells the story of a struggling vocal coach with aspirations of becoming a voiceover star like her father, a famous movie trailer narrator. Shot in just 20 days, it was a hit at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.




Downhill 
Starring: Richard Lumsden, Ned Dennehy, Jeremy Swift & Karl Theobald
Directed by: James Rouse
Screening: Rialto British, Sunday 22nd March, 8.30pm 

Pilgrimages are de rigueur these days for anyone wanting to “find themselves.” Martin Sheen walked the El Camino de Santiago in The Way, directed by his son Emilio Estevez, and more recently Reece Witherspoon tramped the American Pacific Crest Trail in Wild. In Downhill, a bunch of old school mates and unlikely walkers get together to walk Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire. Gordon (Richard Lumsden) decides it would be a good idea to record the journey “from an observational point of view” and the result is film that’s more mockumentary than documentary. The cameras aren’t so concerned with capturing the beauty of the landscape; instead they focus on the midlife crisis’ that befall these four disgruntled men. Bleak, revelatory and dry, Downhill is filled with a mix of humorous moments, some which work brilliantly, and some which don’t quite get there.  




Zaytoun 
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Abdallah El Akal & Alice Taglioni
Director By: Eran Riklis
Screening: Rialto World, Tuesday 17th March, 8.30pm

Arab/Israeli issues are often at the heart of Israeli director Eran Riklis’ films, including Zaytoun, a gentle drama that took home the 3rd place People’s Choice Award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Possibly in an attempt to appeal to a broader international audience, the film stars American actor Stephen Dorff as Yoni, an Israeli pilot shot down over Beirut in 1982 and taken prisoner by a group of Palestinian refugees, including ten-year-old Fahed (Abdallah El Akal). Grieving from the death of his father, Fahed helps Yoni escape on the condition he takes Fahed to his father’s ancestral land in “Palestine”. Dorff, whose father is Jewish, is an interesting choice to play Yoni. I’m not sure he has the grittiness needed to pull off this role, and even though I appreciated the hopeful, feel good nature of Riklis’ film, Dorff’s performance only added to the predictability of this story. Newcomer Abdallah El Akal is however excellent as Fahed, and the cinematography stunning.