Public Enemies

This morning at 11:30am I produced Cinemascape on Eastside 89.7 FM. The show featured reviews of John Woo’s epic Red Cliff, Chéri reuniting director Stephen Frears and Michelle Pfeiffer and I passed judgment on Michael Mann’s excellent Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.

Sydney Film Festival round-up

Here’s my long overdue round up of this year’s Sydney Film Festival, the event may have been reduced to 12 days but they certainly packed in a plethora of entertaining films to keep even the most discerning film goer satisfied in the cold Sydney Winter.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee featured an all star cast including Robin Wright Penn as the eponymous Pippa. It’s almost impossible to imagine how director Rebecca Miller could go wrong with line up including Alan Arkin, the stunning Monica Bellucci and Julianne Moore. The film was a gentle but entertaining journey through a fascinating life that had become stagnant. The film also coaxes a decent performance out of Keanu Reeves.

A Good Man was one of the huge surprises of the festival, one of those rare life affirming films that manages to be moving, poignant and hilarious. The documentary follows the life of Chris, a down to earth Aussie farmer whose wife Rachel suffers a stroke few weeks after they discover they are pregnant. Despite the fact that she loses all control of her body apart from her eyes the couple have get married, have children and continue a loving relationship. As his farm and finances take a plunge, however, he decides to invest a new project to raise money for his farm, he builds and opens a brothel.

The Canadian shocker Pontypool opened like a vintage John Carpenter film. Claustrophobic, brooding and ominous, the atmosphere created by director Bruce McDonald ratcheted up every inch of tension but unfortunately the film didn’t manage to maintain its grip. Set in small town radio station, the film follows the gradual discovery of a horrific, unseen, event taking place while Grant Mazzy broadcasts his morning show. As the shocking truth gradually reveals itself to the DJ and his production team, their panic is palpable until you actually discover what the truth is. It’s fair to say that the plots of most horror films often lean towards the ridiculous but for Pontypool it asks a huge leap of faith from the audience that just isn’t remotely believable and the film lost any tension it had built up.

As a huge fan of the Pusher trilogy, Bronson was on my must see list the moment I read through the festival program and it most certainly did not disappoint. From its astounding central performance to the breathtaking visuals created by the director this is the prison movie that Stanley Kubrick never made. The use of overwhelming classical cues, stark stately backgrounds and shocking moments of savage violence recall A Clockwork Orange as the story of Britain’s most violent criminal unfolds before you.

Although much of its thunder had been stolen by Lucky Miles director Michael James Rowland’s ABC telemovie The Final Confessions of Alexander Pearce, there was much to enjoy in Jonathan auf der Heide’s Van Diemens Land. Taking an ultra realistic approach and benefiting greatly from the beautiful cinematography of Ellery Ryan. Talking of stunning visuals Zift, made in Bulgaria, was beautiful to behold, despite its brutal subject matter. The stunning black and white photography filled up the scope framing with beautiful image after beautiful image and definitely benefited from being viewed on the big screen.

My favourite film of the festival so far was Michael Jai White and Scott Sanders’s Black Dynamite. The loving homage to the blackploitation genre of the 70s fused Superfly, Shaft and Dolemite and stuck it to the man with a hilarious comedy full of jive talking turkeys, afros, flares, kung fu. It’s the best spoof since the Zucker’s took flight with Airplane. Another hugely entertaining surprise was Gustave de Kervern & Benoît Delépine’s Louise Michel, a pitch black tale of murder, hitmen and two very lonely and bizarre characters drawn together when a angry group of usurped staff decide to hire a hitman to kill their ex-boss. The week did, however, end with two disappointments with Catheine Breillat’s turgid Bluebeard and David Caesar uninspiring Prime Mover. The latter a particular frustration as Michael Dorman and Emily Barclay both give their all in the lead roles.

Woo’s Red Cliff, is the biggest film ever made in China. With a storyline that moulded the country as we know it, this is a bravura piece of filmmaking. The final on screen battle, lasting over 45 minutes, is breathtaking, a flaming sea of fire, hundreds of extras, explosions, flying arrows, much slow motion heroism, throat slashing mayhem, blood letting galore and a cup of tea that changed the face of the country forever. A long heart felt project. Woo looked thrilled to be introducing the edited ‘Western’ version of the film, the Eastern version came in two parts running over 5 hours. As he told us on the red carpet, “Red Cliff is about the epic battle fort in China almost two thousand years ago. It’s a heroic adventure but it also has a theme of friendship, love and courage and that’s what we really need in movies nowadays.”

Pitch black comedy came in the unlikely form of Tony Manero. A Chilean film about a middle aged man obsessed with John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever. From taking part in a television look a like contest to hosting his own dance ‘spectacular’ he will stop at nothing to live his dream. When a cinema stops showing his favourite film and replaces it with Travolta’s other 70s dance sensation Grease he kills the projectionist. The film’s understated style and realistic performances only add to this off kilter comedy.

Teri Hatcher hit the red carpet to promote Henry Selick’s Coraline, working the press and keeping the hoards of autograph hunters happy. “I think it’s a classic fairy tale but at the same time it’s fresh, maybe even twisted. Coraline becomes a hero and a real role model as she has to save her family and bring them back together.” She adds, “I had a great time. Henry Selick, the director, is amazing; it was just a lot of fun. When I finally got to see it, I couldn’t believe I had a chance to be in it, I’m very proud.”

The winner of this year’s audience prize was Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Five Minutes in Heaven. Starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbit, the filmed followed two lives that were inextricably linked after a young member of the IRA cold bloodedly kills to make his name. Years later Neeson plays the murderer and Nesbit, the brother of the diseased. Both have demons to exorcise and a meeting is set up to be filmed for television. The film’s masterstroke is the exploration of how reality shows and interviews can deeply affect the subject. The performances, from both leads, are extraordinary and after the hiccup that was The Invasion, Hirschbiegel shows that Downfall was no flash in the pan.

Ted Kotcheff’s restored Wake in Fright was amazing on the big screen. Thought lost, since 1972, until it was found in a skip in Pittsburgh; the Canadian director’s harrowing look into Aussie life in the outback shows a side of the nations countrymen that most Aussies would like to forget existed. Kotcheff, the man who gave us First Blood and Weekend at Bernie’s was in attendance along with actor Jack Thompson and the films editor, the man who led a one man crusade to find the film, Tony Buckley. The trio also took part in a very entertaining interview session.

The last day was jam packed including the excellent Roman Polanski documentary Wanted & Desired and a complete screening of Steven Soderbegh’s Ché which has just been reviewed on this site. On the big screen the epic production thrills, exasperates, stuns and bores. Soderberg has to be commended for this mammoth undertaking and the scenes of guerrilla warfare are expertly executed. Del Toro was fabulous as the titular hero but you left the film feeling you still didn’t really know much about the man behind the face that launched a million T-Shirts in the 70s. A valiant effort but no Cuban cigar!

Dead Snow was a joy from beginning to end. Harking back to the gory days of early Sam Raimi and Pete Jackson; the film took a group of Norwegian twenty somethings and introduced them to a platoon of defrosted Nazi zombies. The juxtaposition of the bloody attacks and gratuitous plasma against the icy mountains and brilliant white snow was beautifully judged and with severed tongue firmly in cheek this was the perfect way to end the festival. Those not in the know headed to the State Theatre for the closing gala screening of An Education.

Quentin Tarantino heads down under

The arrival of Quentin Tarantino to Australian shores just gets more exciting by the minute. If the Australian premiere of Inglourious Basterds at MIFF wasn’t enough he has now joined forces with Popcorn Taxi for a very special event. He is bringing over his own print, in fact the only known in existence, of the Ozploitation killer crocodile classic Dark Age. He will introduce the screening and conduct a Q&A after the film with stars John Jarratt and Nikki Coghill. The event takes place on Tuesday August 4th in the art deco surroundings of the Cremorne Orpheum, for ticket details head to www.popcorntaxi.com.au. Talking of Melbourne International Film Festival I’ll be heading down to the city for the Inglourious Basterds premiere and will be having a few words with the great man as well as interviewing one of the film’s stars Christoph Waltz. Come back soon for lots more MIFF interview news.

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince

This week on Cinemascape I'll be reviewing Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince; not that my opinion will have much effect in this instance as the film has been smashing box office records where ever it opens. The show also features reviews of My Life in Ruins with Nia Valdalos and The Escapist starring Brian Cox. Tune in to Eastside 89.7 fm at 11:30am this Thursday to listen to the show.

Brüno

Today on Eastside 89.7fm I produced Cinemascape and reviewed Sasha Baron Cohen's Brüno. Once again delving into his comedic past, he now plays the flamboyant gay fashionista Brüno who aims to become the most famous Austrian since Hitler. As in Borat, Cohen is at his best when testing the often shocking views and values of those around him and despite myself I must admit I laughed all the way through. To go into anymore detail would spoil much of the humour, it is definitely one of those films you do not want to hear anything about before you see it. The show also featured reviews of documentary Every Little Step and Last Ride starring Hugo Weaving. It's been a busy few weeks and last week I forgot to post that I also reviewed the marvellous Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on the show.

Land of the Lost

Today marks the Australian release of Land of the Lost. A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be part of the Land of the Lost press frenzy that took place before the film’s World Premiere in Sydney. In the afternoon I interviewed director Brad Silberling about the film and his previous work on Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and Casper. He had only handed over the final film days before and was in high spirits prior to the main event. Then in the evening I walked the red carpet and entered the press pit to have a chat with the film’s star Will Ferrell who seemed thrilled to be part of the film, a remake of the old 70s TV show. “When I heard the premise that they were going to ignore the kitsch style special effects and go for the realistic ones and play the comedy off of those it sounded like a lot of fun to me.”

“It was Will,” pipes in Silberling. “At some point Will was talking to a couple of friends and he, like I, was an original viewer of the show. His manager and producing partner Jimmy Miller tried to sort out how to get the rights to the show to potentially adapt it. It was just circumstance that I got involved; Will and I have known each other for a very long time but have never worked together. I was writing a piece and had a role in mind for Will, we were just having lunch. He said OK, I want to talk to you about Land of the Lost. He wanted to make the movie and there was also a threatened SAG strike. I had been an avid watcher but hadn’t set eyes on the show for thirty five years. It was fantastic when he told me, I just started cracking up. My memory bank immediately refilled with the images that stayed with me. The concept of taking a comedic sensibility and then selfishly harnessing the elements of the show that we remembered was kind of fantastic.”

It’s obvious the pair have an innate love for the source material but after last weeks US box office results it seems that the money paying public are not wearing the same rose tinted glasses. It will be interesting to see if the casting of Ferrell had a detrimental effect on viewers but it seems that those who loved the show do not want to see the Old School comic messing with their childhood memories. Ferrell does, however, finish by talking about his proposed Sherlock Holmes project with Sasha Baron Cohen that you would have though would have run out of steam following the soon to be released escapades of Robert Downey Jr and Guy Ritchie, “We just met a couple of weeks ago, just trying to figure out if we can still do it. We have both been so busy so we probably wouldn’t have a chance to do something until next year.”

I also reviewed the film today on Cinemascape on Eastside 89.7 FM for anyone living in the Sydney area.

Check out www.rollcreditsonline.com & www.cinemaretro.com for more Land of the Lost.

Eternal Sunshine of the Academic Mind: Essays on Religion and Film

Some of you may remember I chaired a Q & A last year at the University of Sydney symposium entitled Eternal Sunshine of the Academic Mind. I was asked to write the epilogue for the recently published journal for the event on religion and cult films and it is now online at http://escholarship.usyd.edu.au/journals/index.php/SSR/index so please head to the site and check it out.

Gomorrah

This Thursday at 11:30am I'll be producing Cinemascape on Eastside 89.7FM. This weeks show includes my review of the highly acclaimed Gomorrah along with discussion on Seth Rogan's Observe & Report and Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York. Tune in if you are the Sydney area.

Popcorn Taxi - Acolytes Photos

Here are a few photographs from the Popcorn Taxi Acolytes screening I hosted in March this year. I conducted an on stage Q&A with the films director Jon Hewitt and one of the stars of Acolytes, Michael Dorman. Anyone with an interest in cinema based in Sydney or Melbourne should keep on checking www.popcorntaxi.com.au for forthcoming events. Newly announced screenings include State of Play with a Q&A with director Kevin McDonald and Bananz with a chat with director Ceri Levy.

All photographs (c) Popcorn Taxi & Will Reichelt.

Angels & Demons

Tomorrow morning at 11:30 I will be appearing on Cinemascape on Eastside 89.7 FM. This week the show will feature reviews of J.J. Abram's Star Trek, Defiance starring Daniel Craig and my thoughts on Angels & Demons, the sequel to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code; once again directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. Tune in!

The Baader Meinhof Complex

At 11:30am today I’ll be reviewing Uli Edel’s amazing The Baader Meinhof Complex on Cinemascape. Harking back to the gritty political thrillers of the Seventies the film tells the story of the rise and fall of the infamous Red Army Faction which rose against the German Government in the late Sixties organizing bombings, robberies, kidnappings and assassinations. The action is expertly handled, in particular a recreation of the riot that welcomed the Shah of Iran on the streets of Berlin; an event in history that marked the moment that the Baader-Meinhof gang truly united . Spanning a decade, this is a film of breathtaking vision and scope that doesn’t pull any punches. It's a pleasure to see Edel return to the sort of form he showed with his earlier film's like Christiane F and Last Exit to Brooklyn. To hear my full review along with discussion of John Polson’s Tenderness and Christophe Barratier’s Paris 36 tune in to Eastside 89.7 FM.

Latest news

It's been a busy few weeks so here's a round up of what's been happening. The last issue of Filmink Magazine featured my set report on Jon Hewitt's Acolytes along with my interview and profile of one the film's young Hanna Mangan-Lawrence. The next issue will also feature my in depth chat with Ted. V. Mikels, the idiosyncratic director of The Astro Zombies and The Doll Squad, about his films, his bizarre life living in a castle with seven wives and how he maintains his extraordinary moustache.

Drum Media will soon be featuring my interviews with actor Garry Waddell about his debut performance in the infamous Pure S**t, the Australian feature that was banned in 1975 for it's graphic depictions of heroin abuse and Natalie Basingthwaighte, the ex lead singer of Rogue Traders and host of So You Think You Can Dance about her own chainsaw weilding feature debut in the horror film Prey. It will be interesting to see how the actress's family friendly image will deal with the much rumored lesbian shower scene and excessive gore. Check out www.prey-thefilm.com for more details regarding the film's release.

I have also started writing for the new UK website Roll Credits, the new site edited by my old Film Review editor Nikki Baughan, my first article being a preview of this years SFF. This years festival is already shaping up nicely with screenings of Henry Selick's Coraline, John Woo's Red Cliff, the Canadian horror flick Pontypool and Armando Iannucci's In the Loop. The full line up will be announed on May 13th.

Keep on checking www.cinephilia.net.au and www.digital-retribution.com for my DVD reviews.

Dragonball Evolution

This morning I will be producing Cinemascape on Eastside 89.7 FM. The show features reviews of Fast & Furious, once again starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, the genre bending JCVD and my thoughts on the live action adaptation of the hugely popular Japanese manga Dragonball Evolution starring Justin Chatwin, Chow Yun Fat, James Marsters and Eriko Tamura. Tune in at 11:30am to hear the show.

The Boat That Rocked

Tomorrow I'll be once again gracing the airwaves on Cinemascape on Eastside 89.7 FM. This weeks show includes discussion on Adam Elliot's stop motion feature Mary & Max, the latest Dreamworks animated epic Monsters Vs Aliens and my review of the new Richard Curtis comedy The Boat That Rocked. The film follows the trials and tribulations of 1966 pirate radio station Radio Rock and features a huge cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Rhys Darby, Kenneth Brannagh and Nick Frost. Tune in at 11:30am to hear if the film sinks or swims on the strengths of the talent involved.

Mike Patton sings Danger Diabolik

As a huge fan of Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik I just had to share this You Tube clip of Mike Patton performing the Ennio Morricone penned theme tune Deep Deep Down, originally sung by Christy. The track, seen here played in concert in Amsterdam with a full choir and orchestra, will form part of Mondo Cane, an upcoming album by Patton, Aldo Sisillo and Roy Paci, featuring live and studio recordings of Italian pop covers from the 50s & 60s. After the fabulous Fantômas The Director's Cut album, I must admit I'm looking forward to this one.

A Night of Horror Film Festival

This Thursday marks the opening night of Sydney’s A Night of Horror festival. The event runs for just over a week concluding on Friday April 3^rd with a screening of Toby Wilkins’ much heralded Splinter. The opening night features Brøken, the sophomore effort from Sean Ellis, followed by the Green Carpet Sydney premiere of I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer. I will be hosting a Q&A on stage with the creative force behind the film Doug Turner and Stacey Edmonds so please come along for a bit of gory cricketing fun. The festival also includes an extensive short film programme and a wealth of full bloodied features including Mum and Dad, Family Demons, Midnight Movies and Reel Zombies. For full screening details and ticket information please head to www.anightofhorror.com. Don’t forget to check out my festival blog while you’re there.

POPCORN TAXI - STOP PRESS

Actor Michael Dorman has been added to the line up for the Popcorn Taxi screening of Jon Hewitt's Acolytes. The actor, best known for his performances in West and Suburban Mayhem, has a busy year ahead in the horror genre with Acolytes, the Spierig brother's Daybreakers and Christopher Smith's Triangle all being released in the coming months. The actor will be joining the director on stage for some, hopefully, lively discussion with yours truely. Tickets are available at www.popcorntaxi.com.au and the event kicks off at 7pm at the Greater Union Bondi Junction.

Acolytes - Popcorn Taxi screening

On Monday 16^th March I will be hosting the Popcorn Taxi screening of Jon Hewitt’s Acolytes. I'll be interviewing Jon, live on stage, after the film along with a few yet to be announced special guests. For ticket details please head to www.popcorntaxi.com.au. The screening takes place at the Greater Union Bondi Junction and things kick off at 7pm. Hewitt's career has given us such low budget classics as Bloodlust (the only Australian film to be banned in the UK) and Redball. Having visited the set and already seen the film I can promise that the audience is in for a treat and Jon is always a fabulously irreverent interview. Please come along and say hello.

Cinemascape changes timeslot

If you were tuned in to Eastside 89.7 FM last Friday you would have heard the final Cinemascape to be broadcast on Friday afternoons before the show chances timeslot. I produced the show and reviewed My Bloody Valentine in 3D, the film that brings a new dimension to the 80s slasher film. We also discussed Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Last Chance Harvey. The show will be now be aired every Thursday at 11:30am so please tune in and keep on listening.

The International

Later today at 6pm on Eastside 89.7 FMs Cinemascape show I’ll be reviewing Tom Tykwer’s new Hollywood thriller The International. Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts; the film attempts to fuse the 70s Political thriller and the director’s hyper kinetic style he developed on his breakthrough feature Run Lola Run. A timely condemnation of the banking system and how far the huge corporations will go to make money, this intriguing plotting device takes Interpol Agent Louis Salinger (Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Watts) on a whirlwind trip around the globe, stopping of in Berlin, Madrid, Istanbul and NYC and the film’s use of locations assures the film is always visually arresting. In fact, despite the potential boredom of number crunching and banking procedures, when the film works, as in a sensational shoot out in New Yorks Guggenheim, it’s breathtaking. When it doesn’t, however, it falls father flat. The two leads try hard but are not given much to work with. Owen has played the dishevelled everyman fighting for the truth one too many times now and Watts character is given nothing to do except follow Owen’s lead. Saying that the actors are always watchable and there is enough going on to elevate The International above your standard Hollywood thriller, it’s just a shame that more of Tykwer’s Euro aesthetic didn’t shine through. For more of my thoughts tune in this evening.