Breach

This Friday on Eastside 89.7 FM's Cinemascape show I'll be passing judgement on Billy Ray's Breach starring Chris Cooper, Ryan Philippe and Laura Linney. Tune in at 17:30 to hear my thoughts on this sombre but enthralling thriller about the biggest information breach in the history of the FBi.

Latest News

As a huge fan of Run Lola Run, last night I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to interview Franka Portente about her role in the forthcoming Australian feature Romulus, My Father. Directed by Richard Roxburgh and starring Eric Bana, the film marks the first time that she has worked in Australia and judging by her enthusiasm for the project, it will not be her last. We also chatted about her roles in Blow, The Bourne Indentity and, of course, Run Lola Run.

In a busy weekend I also talked to director Michael James Rowland about his new film Lucky Miles. The interview will appear in a future issue of Filmink magazine. The film will be shown at this years Sydney Film Festival on Wednesday 20th at the State Theatre. Check out www.sydneyfilmfestival.org for details.

Talking of the Sydney Film Festival the line-up has been announced and its fabulous. David Lynch's Inland Empire, Jonathan King's Black Sheep, Scott Walker: 30th Century Man, Timur Berkmambetov's Day Watch and Samuel Jackson starring in Black Snake Moan are just a few of the festival's highlights. Keep posted for regular reports nearer to the festival.

The Tide is High

This Friday I'll be reviewing Terry Gilliam's extraordinary Tideland on my regular spot on Eastside 89.7FM's Cinemascape show. Visually stunning, this is one of the most disturbingly unpleasant films it has been my pleasure to watch in recent memory. Unsurprisingly Tideland has split audiences everywhere it has been shown and promises to do the same when shown in Sydney. Tune in at 17:30 to here the thoughts of a confused lifetime long Gilliam fan. If you thought that Brazil was as pitch black and depressing as Gilliam can get then you will be in for a surpise; Monty Python this is not!

Jessica & Me

As luck would have it, and thanks to the guys over at http://www.thecelebritytruth.com/, here's some footage of yours truely asking Jessica Alba a few questions during the Fantastic Four event. Obviously the camera focus's on Miss Alba slighty more than me but if you listen closely enough you can hear my dulcit British tones...ENJOY!

Fantastic Four Surf Sydney

This evening I entered the press pit at the red carpet event in Sydney celebrating the forthcoming release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The stars of the film; Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffud, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis all attended and I was lucky enough to chat to them about the making of the film, working with special effects and what we can expect from the sequel. Here's a few photos I took at the event. Keep checking the site for details of when my interviews will be published.

Burke & Wills on the radio

This Friday I’ll once again be appearing on Eastside 89.7 FM’s Cinemascape show. Tune in at 17:30 to hear my critique on Burke & Wills, the debut film by Mathew Zeremes and Oliver Torr; the films writing, directing and producing team. The duo also found the time to star in the low budget Australian feature that was shot in just 9 days for under $20,000.

Cinema Retro Issue 8

The latest issue of Cinema Retro is with us and it's looking like the best yet. I'm probably slightly biased as the issue features my article on the making of the Mario Bava classic Danger: Diabolik but any magazine that puts Our Man Flint on the cover is a must buy in my opinion. Check out the cover image and the first page of my article. For details of where to purchase one of the finest film magazines around go to www.cinemaretro.com

Acolytes Set Visit

This week I was lucky enough to be flown up to Brisbane to visit the set of Bloodlust director Jon Hewitt’s Acolytes. Featuring Smoking Aces and Star Wars Epsiode 1: The Phantom Menace star Joel Edgerton; the film is a twisting thriller that, from what I saw on set, promises to be a chilling and shocking ride. I look forward to writing up the trip in a future issue of Shivers. Thanks, as always, to Fiona Searson for arranging the trip.

Easter news

Happy Easter! While you're happily chomping away on your chocolate eggs it's time for a news update!

The latest issue of Filmink, on the shelves now, features two of my recent interviews. Edgar Wright chatted about the making of Hot Fuzz and gave me sneak peak at his work on Rodriguez and Tarantino's Grindhouse while Greg McLean talked all things crocodile for his latest horror action film Rogue.

The May issue of Film Review features my Vox Pops chats from Sydney's Dendy Opera Quays cinema. This time around we found out what Australian audiences thought of The Queen.

Shivers #132 continues my coverage of the making of The Ferryman with my chat with the always charming John Rhys Davies.

Issue 8 of the excellent Cinema Retro will be out soon and features my article on the making of Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik!

Finally you may recall I chaired a question and answer discussion at the Eternal Sunshine of the Academic Mind symposium at Sydney University. I've now been asked to contribute to a publication covering the event and have written the afterword on Cult Film & Religion. It gave me the wonderful opportunity to wax lyrical about two of my favourite directors; Ken Russell and Alejandro Jodorowsky, in particular their films The Devils and The Holy Mountain. Keep posted for a publication date.

You're Nicked!

For those of you Sydneysiders near a radio this afternoon I'll be reviewing Edgar Wright's fabulous Hot Fuzz at 17:30 on Eastside 89.7 FM's Cinemascape show. The director's follow up to Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and this time around he pays hommage to the action films that filled the shelves of every video store during the Eighties. With a little Dirty Harry thrown in for good measure! Wright's love of cinema shines through in every scene, I can't wait to see what he does with his mock trailer featured in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse.

Danny Boyle's Sunshine

Space suites inspired by Kenny from South Park, recreating the solar system in London’s East End and pitching a film about eight astronauts in space strapped to a bomb, these were just some of the topics covered by Danny Boyle last Sunday at Popcorn Taxi’s exclusive screening of his new film Sunshine at Sydney’s Bondi Junction.

The Scot who gave us Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, was in fine form as he discussed his cast, “Big stars just don’t work in space; it just humbles everyone.” He continued on this train of thought discussing the benefits of using a less than stellar line up of Hollywood talent. “If you don’t have big stars the audience has no idea who’s going to die next!” he laughed.

The event brought back memories of the London NFT’s Guardian Lectures and I very much look forward to the next Popcorn Taxi event. For the record, Sunshine, the film that Boyle wanted to be “more NASA than Star Wars,” is fabulous. Doing for the Sci-fi genre what 28 Days Later did for horror. Boyle’s new movie harks back to such luminaries as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris and you can’t give higher praise than that.

For my full thoughts on the film listen to Cinemascape on Eastside FM nearer the time of the film’s release next month.

C.R.A.Z.Y DVD review

This wonderful French Canadian production follows the confused younger years of Zak Beaulieu. A misfit in his father’s eyes and seemingly sexually confused from the moment of birth, he hides himself in music and is seen as a freak by his brothers, a nerd, a biker and a jock. None of them can understand what is happening with their strange little brother.

The soundtrack is amazing; David Bowie’s Space Oddity, Pink Floyd’s Shine on You Crazy Diamond and The Cure’s 10:15 Saturday Night all accompany some beautiful scenes as Zac battles his homophobic, Patsy Cline obsessed father and tries to find his place in the world. It may sound clichéd but director Jean-Marc Valleé handles the material with a deft touch.

Zac’s teenage years are played by Marc-Andre Grondin, a confident performance that combines the naivety, curiosity and confusion of the teenage years, all set to the glorious music of the time. He goes through all the trends of the Seventies, though Eighties. Glam rock, Punk, Goth, he tries them all, much to his families bemusement, and they form the soundtrack to his early teenage fumblings as he tries to unravel his confused sexual leanings. The films trump card is the use of music to depict the change in time and thus the acceptance of sexual preferences and the politics that accompany them. Michel Côté is also excellent as Zac’s father; an irascible rogue who’s adoration of the Fifties chanteuse Cline has affected his whole family and given Zac his passion for all forms of music. Their love hate relationship forms the core of the film.

C.R.A.Z.Y is wonderfully provocative, sprawling and highly recommended on all counts and Madman Entertainment’s DVD sweetens the deal with a few nice extras including The Making of C.R.A.Z.Y and the theatrical trailer. Add to that a thumping 5.1 mix and you have a must buy on your hands.

Bobby

This Friday at 17:30 I’ll once again be appearing on Sydney's Eastside 89.7 FM’s Cinemascape show. This time around I’ll be discussing my thoughts on Emilio Estevez’s love letter to assassinated presidential candidate Robert. F. Kennedy entitled Bobby. Shot just two days after Andy Warhol in 1968, the much loved politician’s death still resonates today and the ex-brat pack star has managed to pull together a quite astonishing cast together to depict the Kennedy siblings last moments. Obviously an adoration of the Kennedys was a prerequisite as there is no way that a line up of this many Hollywood stars would normally appear in such a low budget movie. A quick glance at the credits brings up Sharon Stone, William H Macy, Demi Moore, Elijah Wood and Lyndsey Lohan and there are many many more. As a huge fan of The Breakfast Club and Repoman I’ve kept an eye on Estevez’s career since and I have to admit he’s done a commendable job considering he wrote, directed, produced and starred in Bobby. However, he may have bitten off slightly more than he can handle in places, his inexperience showing at times and a few of his high profile actors just don’t perform well but on the whole this is a sterling effort, not quite a classic but well worth a watch. Tune in to hear my thoughts.

Caught by the Fuzz

Last week I was lucky enough to interview Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright about his new film Hot Fuzz, once again starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Wright delightfully describes the film as an Agatha Christie set piece as if directed by Brian DePalma. The interview will appear in the next issue of Filmink.

Smokin' on the radio

For those readers in the Sydney area I'll be making my regular appearance on Eastside 89.7 FM's Cinemascape show. This Friday at 17:30 I'll be reviewing Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces. With an amazing cast, the director of Narc manages to channel the spirit of Guy Ritchie into an entertaining, if derivative, thriller that desperately wants to emulate Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels but doesn't quite make it. Tune in to hear my thoughts.

Kenny DVD review

When you think of that tried and tested comedy genre the mockumentary, most will think of Ricky Gervais’ and Stephen Merchant’s The Office or the cinematic work of Christopher Guest like Best in Show and The Mighty Wind. Well now there is a new pretender to the throne so to speak. The low budget, toilet obsessed box office smash has hit the DVD market running and Madman Entertainment’s excellent DVD is the perfect way to pay Kenny and his friends a visit. Telling the story of Kenny, a toilet operative, the film is a non stop barrage of filthy, yet well executed, toilet humour and beautifully judged characters. An uplifting story of the Aussie battler making a better life for himself; Kenny breaks the shackles of his family and his work colleagues when he travels to a toilet convention in the States.

A family affair, the film is written, directed and performed by the Jacobson brothers, Clayton and Shane with added input by their father Ronald. Shane takes the title role of Kenny and gives an amazing winning performance. His dialogue is beautifully judged despite the lowbrow subject matter. Ronald almost steals the picture as Kenny’s grumpy old dad. In fact the crews inexperience only comes to the fore during the films final third when Kenny leaves Australia. The fish out of water aspects are funny and you desperately want Kenny to get together with his newfound friend but the whole section suffers from pacing problems that are only rectified when he returns to Australia to deal with the toilets at the Melbourne Cup. That’s probably slighty harsh as Kenny is a fabulous little comedy and an outstanding artistic and commercial success for the first time filmmakers. It’s a very Australian comedy and all the better for it. Highly recommended.

Madman have out together a wonderful DVD package including a fantastic selection of extras. You get 11 deleted scenes, an audio commentary by director Clayton Jacobson and Kenny and the original theatrical trailer. They also throw in the Kenny Toilet Quote Companion to sweeten the deal. It’s a 16 page booklet full of all your favourite quotes from the film, Kenny's toilet tips and philosophies from the 'Dalai-Lama of Waste Management'

Available from www.madman.com.au

Billy Crystal

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending the Australian national press conference of 700 Sundays, the new one man show by Billy Crystal. The When Harry Met Sally star was in fine form as he fielded questions from the press joking about his age, “the damn internet has got it wrong'!" His long lasting relationship with his wife, “we see other people. Let's just say Hugh Jackman and I are pretty close,'' and Jewish culture “700 Saturdays? You fly for 15 hours and you find the one Jew who says `Hey, why not 700 Saturdays?' Why not 700 Thursdays, you know, come on, Thursdays I close the store early to get ready for Fridays. Unbelievable.'' He brought a smile to even the most cynical of journalist's face.

Lucky Miles

On February 22nd I'll be travelling to South Australia to attend the world premiere of Michael James Rowland's debut feature Lucky Miles, the opening film of The Adelaide International Film Festival. Produced by Blink Films; the film tells the tale of 3 men lost in the Australian desert, it's a black comedy about difference, distance and dud maps. For information on the festival check out www.adelaidefilmfestival.org.

For those of you listening to Eastside 89.7 FM last week you would have heard me review Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration. Not a bad effort but when compared to Best in Show the film has to be called a disapointment. A shame; when I interviewed Parker Posey last year she certainly built up my anticpation but unfortunately For Your Consideration isn't worth considering.

Morricone Conducts Morricone DVD review

Having seen the maestro perform at London's Royal Albert Hall a few years back it was with great excitement when I opened up a package from Umbrella Entertainment containing a copy of Morricone Conducts Morricone and I'm happy to announce the disc doesn't disappoint. To be honest though how could it when the great man has some of the greatest soundtracks of all time up his sleeve.

Some of the magic is obviously lost in translation, the thrill of seeing a full 200 piece orchestra and choir performing classics from movies like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in The West and The Mission, in the flesh cannot replicated, no matter how good the sound system but Morricone Conducts Morricone makes a valiant stab at it. The camera work is a bit static at times and the use of stills is formulaic at best but if you close your eyes and let the aural majesty of Morricone's music weave its magic, you simply just can't go wrong. The fact that he plays passages from my favourite soundtrack of all time Once Upon a Time in America probably makes me slightly biased but this disc is highly recommended, in fact the only real downside is the lack of any music from Danger: Diabolik

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all. Well 2007 has already been a busy year, here's the latest publications that have featured my work.

The last two issues of Shivers magazine, issues #130 and #131, have featured my previews of The Ferryman and The Disturbed respectively. Future issues of the magazine will feature my interviews with director Greg McLean on Rogue and actor John Rhys Davies on The Ferryman.

Issue #5 of Smoke & Mirrors will feature my interview with Bruce Woloshyn, the visual effects supervisor on Night at the Museum and the most recent Film Review magazine includes my interview with A Clockwork Orange star Malcolm McDowell. As always I have also been conducting my regular vox pops interviews for Film Review in Sydney; the latest being The Queen outside The Dendy Opera Quays. The fabulous Cinema Retro magazine will also feature my large feature on the making of Danger: Diabolik in the next issue.

Finally I have recently been invited to be a member of The Sydney Film Festival. It's a tremendous honour and I very much look forward to working with the festival in the future.