D&CFilm

Iconic images from Steven Spielberg’s overlooked movies

Sean Wilson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:30:47 +0000

War Horse (2011)

If the ending of War Horse proved one thing absolute, it’s that Steven Spielberg is a master of the widescreen image. The film’s extraordinary climactic homage to the fiery colour scheme of Gone With the Wind got me thinking: what other images in Spielberg films effortlessly capture the narrative and themes of their respective movies?

Bear in mind, I’m not thinking in terms of E.T’s glowing heart or Harrison Ford in iconic pose, whip in hand, as Indiana Jones. I’ve cast the net wider to dig out some of the classic images from Spielberg’s overlooked movies, ones which perhaps don’t get their due alongside the likes of the shark in Jaws or the girl in the red dress from Schindler’s List. Here’s a selection.

The Truck in Duel (1971)

One of the most terrifying ‘monsters’ to appear in Spielberg’s canon (it gives Bruce the Shark and the velociraptors a run for their money), the rusted hulking menace of the truck in Duel carries a ghoulish, monstrous personality. Look at the front – those lights and that grill seem to form a leering face, one which bears down on hapless driver Dennis Weaver as he’s pursued through the back roads of California. Spielberg’s masterful suspense thriller remains one of his most accomplished works, mainly because it never offers an explanation as to why Weaver is being chased: the driver is never seen (bar the odd arm or hand), allowing the truck itself to act as the true villain of the piece. Tension is wound so tight that it hits the heights of Hitchcock’s finest.

The Salute – Empire of the Sun (1987)

Spielberg’s World War II epic starring a teenage Christian Bale (an astonishingly mature performance for one so young) was one of his first stabs at truly ‘adult’ filmmaking. Perhaps this is why it was dismissed: at the time, Spielberg was primarily known as a popcorn filmmaker, and his visually audacious movie was criticised by many as heavy-handed and corny. However, the film cleverly puts us in the shoes of the naive central character, a child who fails to comprehend the complexities of the war around him. It’s for this reason that certain images take on an ironic sense of operatic beauty, such as this moment, where he salutes the bravery of the Japanese pilots, little realising that they are part of the Axis forces and therefore his enemies.

The Mutiny - Amistad (1997)

Amistad is a bit ponderous and worthy for the most part but then it had a tough job living up to the brutal, exquisitely filmed opening scene, set aboard the eponymous ship. Led by Cinque (Djimon Honsou), a group of slaves slaughter their captors, leading to the trial that follows – captured by Spielberg in harrowing, messy fashion. The central image of the sequence – Cinque, standing aloft, illuminated by dramatic lightning - might be overdone but it captures the best and worst of humanity in one fell swoop, embodying both his nobility and the capacity for savagery in all of us. Even if Amistad struggles to reach these poetic heights throughout the remainder of its runtime, there’s no denying the power of this image.

Guns at the Ready – Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Midway through Spielberg’s comedy-crime caper, in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s likeable fraudster is pursued relentlessly by Tom Hanks’ stuffed shirt FBI agent, a marvellous moment of free-form expression occurs. A group of FBI agents burst into a room in pursuit of their quarry but instead of focusing on the men, Spielberg keeps the camera focused on the pistols which criss-cross the room at fluid intervals. It brilliantly encapsulates both the playful mood of the film and also the struggle at the heart of the story between law and order. As DiCaprio’s exploits become ever more drastic, so the stakes are raised – wonderfully embodied in this stroke of Spielbergian genius. Few directors are able to combine fun and narrative insight so smoothly.

The Tripod Rises – War of the Worlds (2005)

Much like the truck in Duel, the appearance of the hostile martian invaders in Spielberg’s adaptation of War of the Worlds defies common logic. This is what makes the film so frightening, nowhere moreso than in the brilliant scene where the monstrous tripod rises from the ground to obliterate everyone in sight with its death ray. It’s one of the most unnerving scenes in Spielberg’s canon, the director venturing into horror territory and playing directly into post 9/11 fears of the unknown. He may miss the essential point of HG Wells’ classic novel by updating and relocating it, but maintains its frightening power, aided by John Williams’ chilling score.

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The Artist review: the sound of silence

Sean Wilson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:00:33 +0000

The Artist: a heartwarming crowdpleaser that is in love with films itself

A black and white silent film about silent films that manages not be a dry academic exercise but a terrific, heartwarming crowdpleaser, The Artist is some kind of a miracle. In an age when so much product is forced on the masses, noisy, garish, empty-headed product, The Artist revels in the sound of silence and the warm glow of nostalgia. Thanks to the sheer tenacity of director Michel Hazanvicius, we the audience are transported back in time to bask in the feel of a film that is in love with films itself.

The absence of sound (by and large) of course throws emphasis on the superb score by Ludovic Bource (fluttering away as if mirroring the reverberations of a million heartstrings), and the terrifically cast central performances. Jean Dujardin stars as the arrogant silent film star George Valentin, a man whose limelight threatens to be stolen in the imminent move from silent pictures to ‘talkies’. His fate contrasts with that of young ingenue, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), whose star is very much in the ascendance.

In addition to being an enormously charming movie floated immeasurably by Dujardin’s charisma in the lead role (Valentin’s showboating at the premiere of his new film reeks of classic movie-star appeal), it’s also a very clever one. Throughout the story, we are constantly identified with Valentin’s point-of-view, so even when the world is changing around him and embracing talking pictures, the world stays silent, lest his lose his ‘voice’. At its heart then, The Artist is a classic, old-fashioned tale of hubris, centreing on a man who is terrified about being left behind.

This is wonderfully brought across in a nightmarish, though witty, dream sequence, where Valentin is aware that certain objects cast a sound, but his own voice remains non-existent, even when screaming at the top of his lungs. It’s the perfect marriage of image and theme, akin to Charlie Chaplin filtered through the sensibility of David Lynch. Although the film embraces the traditionalism of Keaton, Lloyd and the like, it does so from a modern viewpoint, securing wide appeal for all audiences.

Playing off Dujardin beautifully is the luminous Bejo, whose expressive face radiates sincerity. Her funny and tender double act with one of Valentin’s jackets is one of the film’s high points but it also foreshadows the poignant events to come, as Peppy reveals herself to Valentin’s lifesaver. Peppy could easily have fallen into caricature of the bitchy or irritating kind but Bejo brings a genuine kindness to the role that makes her a joy to watch.

The supporting cast are also superb, ranging from James Cromwell as Valentin’s butler to John Goodman as the energetic studio boss who firmly believes that the future of movies lies in sound. Brilliant as they are however, the show is almost stolen from under them by Uggie the Dog, Valentin’s most loyal companion.

And for a film in which the shift from silence into sound is depicted as a threat to the central character, the outlook is ultimately a positive one, Hazanavicius celebrating the legacy of silent cinema while suggesting that the move into sound pictures carried its own advantages. After all, there’s more than one way to have a voice. Yet the film’s real magic lies in its ability to wrap up these complex themes in an accessible, poignant and funny package. At a time when noisy, bombastic cinema causes many people to zone out, The Artist realises that silence speaks volumes.

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Orange celebrates film and the BAFTAs with goodies and year-long offers

D&CFilm — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:40:03 +0000

With the BAFTA juggernaut rolling into view – the gongs will be awarded on Sunday, February 12 – it’s great to see a not too shabby showing from the Devon and Cornwall stomping ground – and with the help of Orange Film Pulse you can vote up your own BAFTA faves. On the Orange Film Pulse site you can watch The Aritst, the hot movie of the awards season, plus get a chance to win a bucket-load of BAFTA goodies. And while you do, take a moment to consider the D&C representatives at this year’s BAFTAs.

Unsurprisingly Steven Spielberg’s rendering of Devon author Michael Murpurgo’s tale War Horse features strongly in the lists, up for prizes in Cinematography, Original Music, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Plenty of people were out Spielberg-spotting when the director was on the moor filming for the most beautiful scenes in the film (the ones filmed in Devon, of course!)

A few other D&Cers also make the list. Project Nim, the documentary about getting chimps to talk, by Cornwall’s James Marsh, is up for an award (oddly enough in the Documentary section), and Rango, which had expert advice from Torquay’s Roger Deakins, is shortlisted in the Animation section.

The good movie-loving people at Orange give you excellent year-long opportunities to get out and indulge your viewing pleasure with their host of offers. Orange Wednesdays mean Orange customers can get two-for-one tickets every Wednesday at Odeon cinemas. Orange Wednesdays are superb ways to have an excellent cinematic experience at half the price – which some would say doubles the enjoyment.

And after your Wednesday out, you can spend Thursday in with a new film from Orange Film To Go, which allows Orange customers to download a new film from iTunes every Thursday absolutely free of charge.

And my tip for the top, and favourite film of the year? It’s in the Film Not in the English Language category – Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In. And, yup, it was seen on an Orange Wednesday.

This is the 15th year that Orange have been supporting the BAFTAs, and their commitment to film is undimmed. And all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the movies.

Pop along to the Orange Film Pulse site to revisit past and present BAFTA winners, and even vote for your Orange Wednesdays Rising Star; or watch past films downloaded from iTunes every Thursday with Orange Film To Go.

Viral video by ebuzzing

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Efford’s Nowhereisland animation to be premiered at Plymouth Arts Centre

D&CFilm — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:14:46 +0000

Nowhere Island: inspiring animated filmmaking with Efford-based arts project Take A Part

Alex Hartley’s Nowhereisland – an island traveling around the UK drumming up creative engagement in the London Cultural Olympiad – is coming to the South West, and pupils from High View Primary School in Efford, Plymouth have worked with filmmaker Hana Backland to make a short film about the island’s journey.

The animated film, which was produced by Efford-based arts project Take A Part, will premiere at the Plymouth Arts Centre on February 9.

Nowhereisland will be in Plymouth in August 2012.

Schools in the South West, such as Ilfracombe Arts College and Budmouth College are using Nowhereisland across the curriculum for teaching citizenship, geography and politics.

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Super powers and super parents – a look at the latest releases

Simon Roger Key — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:00:32 +0000

Chronicle

Chronicle: three teenage boys mysteriously develop super human powers

As a fan of Akira, Science-Fiction and the Super-Hero genre I’m intrigued by Josh Trank’s theatrical debut, Chronicle. I wish I could say I was optimistic, but this ‘chronicle’ concerning three teenage boys, who mysteriously develop super human powers – telekinesis, flight, and invulnerability – looks cheesy at best. Just look at the acting in the trailer – one word, hideous!

The narrative revolves around the three leads going from Joe Average to Joe Dangerous, initially using their powers to frighten and bemuse the local inhabitants of their small town, until one, or all of them, are seduced by their powers and begin to use them for ill-gotten gains. Let’s keep those fingers crossed, but if you go expecting a film version of TV’s Heroes, you may well, be rather disappointed.

Carnage

Carnage: Jodie Foster is one of the two sets of battling parents in Roman Polanksi's latest

Who would have thought 2012 would see Roman Polanksi release a film, that I would happily pay money to watch, and particularly after the tiresome drama, The Ghost.

Carnage pits two sets of parents, the Longstreets (Jodie Foster and John C Reilly) and the Cowans (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) against one another. The two couples are attempting to have a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a schoolyard scrap. However, as time goes by so their behaviour becomes increasingly childish, throwing everything into question, in this drama/comedy from the director of Rosemary’s Baby. I’m astounded that Polanski is capable of making a film I actually want to watch, let alone a comedy. Film of the week!

• Catch more previews on The Misanthropic Monkey’s Movie Preview at The Electronic Farmyard

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Dartmoor Arts Project presents Piccadilly silent movie screening

D&CFilm — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:56:39 +0000

Piccadilly: a classic silent movie

If you can’t wait for your fix of silent classic to funky soundtrack, Wurlitza will be performing along to the movie Piccadilly as part of the Dartmoor Arts Project before they get to Plymouth.

According to the BFI, Piccadilly was a film noir before the term was in use and, directed by EA Dupont, the 1929 flick ‘is one of the true greats of British silent films, on a par with the best work of Anthony Asquith or Alfred Hitchcock in the period’.

The event will take place at the Drewe Arms, Drewsteignton, on Dartmoor in Devon on Sunday, February 5 at 7pm. Tickets are 7.50 on the door or book in advance on 01647 281295, email admin@dartmoorarts.com

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Creative England seeks regional experts to join board

D&CFilm — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:30:04 +0000

Creative England is inviting applications from entrepreneurs and professionals working in the digital and games sectors in any part of the English regions, to join its non-executive board.

The Creative England Board currently has eight members: Alison Owen (Ruby Films), Andrew Chitty (Illumina Digital), Bill Lawrence (Reel Solutions), Charles Wace (Twofour Group), Heather Rabbatts CBE (Talent House Media), Jonnie Turpie MBE (Maverick TV), Richard Klein (BBC Four) and Chairman John Newbigin.

Applications are now being invited from entrepreneurs and professionals from the English regions who have the skills and experience to help shape Creative England, and grow the creative economy outside London.

Creative England launched in October 2011, to support the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses, and the talent that feeds them, in every part of England outside London. It is a BFI delegated body for the distribution of National Lottery funds for film, and a recipient of DCMS Grant-in-Aid funds from the BFI to support the strategic development of film in the English Regions. In April it will launch a new £5 million investment scheme to support digital content creating companies in the regions, funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

If you are a leader in the field of your region’s digital or games sector, and you are interested in helping to shape the future of England’s creative industries, send your CV to board@creativeengland.co.uk.

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Four brutal new DVD releases

Tom Leins — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:46:18 +0000

Drive: there's an art-house sensibility to this sleek and stylish thriller with iconic savagery

“What do you do?”

“I drive.”

Adapted from James Sallis’ 2005 novel of the same name, Drive (Icon) is the story of a Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson) who moonlights as a getaway-driver-for-hire when the cameras stop rolling. A loner by nature, the Driver finds himself falling for his next door neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan, An Education), and his life becomes even more complicated when Driver agrees to team up with Irene’s jailbird husband to pull off a small-scale heist to help him pay back a debt. In time-honoured fashion, the scam goes boss-eyed, and Driver finds himself embroiled in an increasingly bloody tug-of-war between a number of LA’s most dangerous criminals. Determined to protect Irene and her young son from the flak heading their way, Driver decides to tackle his enemies head-on.

James Sallis’ existential noir source material is one of the most perfectly distilled crime novels of the last decade, and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, Valhalla Rising) takes the brave decision to slice off what little excess weight remained, and reduce the movie to its absolute core. Situated in the same seedy, timeless LA wasteland as Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Drive depicts a deadly world of trigger-happy heists, shell-suits and morally-compromised anti-heroes.

Gosling is sensational as the toothpick-chewing stunt driver whose shy nature conceals a violent temper, and he is joined by small screen luminaries such as Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) in memorable bit-parts. Regardless of the hype that accompanied Drive, director Winding Refn’s movies are all essential viewing, and although he has squirmed out of the way of mainstream temptation in the past, Drive sees him crash into the Hollywood A-list on his own terms. Despite its sleek, stylish feel and art-house sensibility, Drive is an incredibly violent movie, full of episodes of iconic savagery. All in all, a marvellous, menacing treat, that bodes well for Gosling and Winding Refn’s upcoming Logan’s Run remake!

Rolling Thunder: a Quentin Tarantino fave for its blood-soaked vengeance mission, co-written by Paul Schrader

Co-written by Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader, 1977’s Rolling Thunder (StudioCanal) stars William Devane (best known to modern audiences as Defence Secretary James Heller in ‘24’) as Major Charles Rane, a Vietnam veteran who has endured a living hell after spending seven years incarcerated in the notorious ‘Hanoi Hilton’. He returns to his Texas hometown with his friend Sergeant Vohden (an improbably young Tommy Lee Jones), a mere shadow of his former self. Uncomfortable with his new status as a local celebrity, he struggles to adapt to civilian life, finding his wife engaged to another man, while his son doesn’t remember him at all. As a token of the town’s gratitude for his service, Rane is presented with a red Cadillac and 2555 silver dollars – one for every day he was held captive, plus one for luck – but his happiness is short-lived when a vicious gang of redneck and Mexican thugs show up at his house to steal the silver coins, horribly disfiguring him in the process.

Reputed to be one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourite films – he named his short-lived cult movie distribution company ‘Rolling Thunder Pictures’ as a tribute – it is easy to see why Rolling Thunder gets QT hot under the collar, and its sadistic, blood-soaked vengeance mission was echoed years later in his own Kill Bill double-whammy. The film was originally produced and scheduled for release by Twentieth Century Fox, only for the level of violence in the final cut to prove off-putting to the Fox bigwigs, who sold it on to American International Pictures instead. The film’s negative reputation lived on for many years, and slightly bizarrely, it has only ever been released on DVD in Spain until now. Although the carnage seems pretty tame by today’s standards, Rolling Thunder holds up pretty well, despite a few clumsy narrative mis-steps. That said, it’s well worth persevering for the brutal climactic showdown in a Juarez whorehouse – which recalls Schrader’s work on Taxi Driver a year earlier. All in all, a memorably bleak curio that definitely warrants its belated arrival on home video.

Post-Mortem: macabre and slightly queasy story set against the backdrop of Chile’s bloody military coup

Set in Santiago, Chile in 1973, Post-Mortem (Network) tells the story of Mario Cornejo, a morgue assistant with the unavoidably grim responsibility for typing up autopsy reports performed by the coroners. Set against the backdrop of Chile’s bloody military coup, the first half of the film follows the cadaverous-looking Mario as he becomes involved in a slightly queasy affair with a washed-up showgirl from the nearby cabaret. However, as it reaches its mid-way point, the film swerves into decidedly queasier territory, as Mario’s day-job takes a turn for the macabre, with the coup now in full-flow.

Chilean director Pablo Larraín’s last film, Tony Manero, earned a rapturous critical response following its premiere at the Cannes Director’s Fortnight, with D&CFilm labelling it a bleakly amusing Chilean movie about a glum 50-something sociopath who dreams of becoming Chile’s answer to John Travolta. Post-Mortem is arguably a more ambitious film than Tony Manero, but for all Larrain’s visual flair, the movie lacks Tony Manero’s immediacy, even if it goes on to plumb even darker depths. Whereas Tony Manero took a surreal delight in the antics of a murderous John Travolta wannabe, Post-Mortem is a far queasier affair, with little of the earlier film’s dark humour. Although it is unlikely to tap into the same audience that latched onto Manero, Post-Mortem reaffirms Larrain’s position at the forefront of the Latin American cinema movement, and allows character actor Alfredo Castro (leading man Raul in Tony Manero) another admirably warped role to sink his teeth into.

Largo Winch, The Burma Conspiracy: Bourne-esque action and intrigue, boardroom shenanigans, and Sharon Stone

Based on the enduringly popular Belgian comic book series Largo Winch, The Burma Conspiracy (StudioCanal) picks up where 2010’s entertaining Largo Winch: Deadly Revenge left off. Reformed playboy Largo (Tomer Sisley) is now the newly appointed CEO of his father’s global conglomerate, the W Group. However, when he announces that he intends to sell the company and funnel the proceeds into a humanitarian foundation, his laudable aims are derailed, when he finds himself hauled in front of a UN tribunal and accused of participating in crimes against humanity in war-torn Burma. In true Largo Winch style, our intrepid hero is forced to embark on a globe-trotting adventure to clear his name and wrestle his father’s company back from the brink… Yawn.

Despite its slick bend of Bourne-esque action and intrigue – by way of Rambo 4’s bloody Burmese setting – The Burma Conspiracy lacks its predecessor’s compulsive energy, and the relentless boardroom shenanigans overshadow the sporadically enjoyable array of fight scenes. Sharon Stone – whose career seemingly tanked with the disastrous Basic Instinct 2 – pops up in an incongruous supporting role (much like Kristin Scott Thomas did in the first Largo Winch movie), and adds little to the proceedings apart from her household name. Tomer Sisley offers another confident lead performance as the heroic Largo, but it won’t quite be enough to convince floating voters of the film’s merits. After a surprisingly enjoyable first outing, this laboured second act sees the franchise badly underwhelm, and unless the producers can unearth a more entertaining plot, future instalments seem pretty unlikely. Desperately average.

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New app Animates Exeter on first weekend release

D&CFilm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:19:59 +0000

The Animated Exeter app has had hundreds of downloads in its first few days of release

Digital agency, Rokk Media, based in Exeter, has created Animated Exeter‘s very own free iPhone, iPod and iPad app to accompany the annual Animated Exeter festival held on February 11-19.

Adam Stone of Rokk Media said: “In just two days since launching there have been hundreds of downloads – more than we’ve seen in the same time frame for any other app we’ve launched in the past two years!

“There’s obviously a huge interest in Exeter’s unique animation festival and we’re really proud to be part of it. When we decided to concentrate on developing apps we knew it was going to be a huge growth area, and the launch of the AnimExeter app proves just how crucial to marketing and promotion this medium has become.”

The app provides an easy and engaging guide to events throughout the festival and beyond, but the real appeal is the smart design and the addition of animated effects to make it a fun experience to use.

Susannah Shaw, festival director, is delighted by the massive interest the app is generating.

She said: “Having our own dedicated app gives a terrific boost to marketing our festival, specially one that is this easy to use. Creating relationships with and getting the support of local businesses like Rokk Media are vital to the success of the 2012 festival and the future of Animated Exeter.”

The Calendar of Events, Venues, and Tweets are all dynamic, which means they can by instantly updated without having to publish the app again.

Whether you are interested in an introduction to animation software, an opportunity to talk to industry experts or you just want to watch a selection of Britain’s finest animated films, you will find an event to excite you at this year’s Animated Exeter festival and full details with the Animated Exeter app.

Animated Exeter takes place across Exeter from February 11-19. providing a jam-packed programme, featuring work from celebrated animation luminaries to exciting new talent.

Festival goers can watch over 100 animation films, in addition to attending workshops, exhibitions, industry master-classes, career-planning days, and prestigious award ceremonies including a chance to vote for their own favourites in the British Animation Awards.

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Special science-type screening of George A Romero’s Day of the Dead in Plymouth

D&CFilm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:56:19 +0000

George Romero's Day of the Dead is getting a special airing in Plymouth

Get your zombie face on for a special presentation of George A Romero’s Day of the Dead.

PlymSciScreen – a mashing together of cult, sci-fi and animated film with micro talks from members of the Scientific community – will present the cult movie at the Jill Craigie cinema at Plymouth University, on Thursday, February 2.

This is the group’s first event and they will be looking at the science of zombies with Neuroscience graduate and all round super geek [that's what it says here] Martha Robinson.

For Plymouth Uni students, staff, British Science Association members and Friends of Peninsula Arts this event is free.

For more details, and to get yourself on the guest list, pop along to the Facebook page.

Meanwhile, here’s the PlymSciScreen trailer

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The Artist is the UK Regional Critics’ Film of the Year

D&CFilm — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:21:03 +0000

The Artist: a winner with UK regional film critics

UK regional film critics have announced their Film of the Year is The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius.

This year’s vote was launched at the UK Cinema Showcase event on December 1, 2011, the year’s largest gathering of regional film media in the UK. The vote continued online through to January 20 2012.

The voting constituency was staff and freelance arts and entertainment writers, critics and editors in all branches of UK regional media.

Previous winners of the regional critics’ Film Of The Year title have gone to; The Social Network (2011), Up (2010), Slumdog Millionaire (2009), Atonement (2008), Pan’s Labyrinth (2007).

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Love, marriage… and the other: the latest releases

Simon Roger Key — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:57:41 +0000

House of Tolerance

House of Tolerance: Bertrand Bonello continues his fixation on sex with a movie about the world's oldest profession

The director of The Pornographer, Bertrand Bonello, returns this week with his newest film, House of Tolerance, and casts his eye upon prostitution in the early 20th century.

House of Tolerance explores the last days of an upmarket ‘knocking-shop’, the ladies who work there and the many dangers they face in their ‘chosen’ career. Bonello’s fixation with sex continues, which in itself isn’t problematic, but in one sequence a prostitute has her face slashed and Bonello (apparently), manages to imply that she ‘gets-off’ on it. This of course, is deeply troubling if accurate.

However, the trailer with its use of Lee Moses’ Bad Girl, beautiful ladies and cinematography all make for quite the alluring experience, illustrating Bonello’s skilful manipulation of sound and image – and the power (and danger) of the montage.

The Descendants

The Descendants George Clooney stars in Alexander Payne's latest

Hot on the tails of its Golden Globe win for Best Picture and Best Actor, Alexander Payne’s newest film, The Descendants, which stars George Clooney (Best Actor… doh!) is released nationwide. With Clooney starring, I have little doubt that this will be Payne’s most commercially successful film to date, but will it be as humorous as About Schmidt or 2004′s wonderful, Side Ways? ”No, if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any Merlot!”

Clooney plays Matt King, a land barren and very absent father, that is until his wife is injured in a boating accident, falling into an irreversible coma. This finds Matt at the dawning of a new era, where he must become the responsible parent and reconnect with his estranged daughters. Matt’s grieving process is complicated further when he discovers his soon-to-be-late-wife, was cheating on him and so the chaos (no doubt) ensues.

Watching Clooney play the fool is always a pleasure – he always manages to channel Marcello Mastrianni in Pietro Germi’s, Divorce Italian Style, if you ask me. His fool is always perfectly nuanced and this is unquestionably my film of the week.

.• Catch more previews on The Misanthropic Monkey’s Movie Preview at The Electronic Farmyard

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A trio of acclaimed new releases

Tom Leins — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:00:29 +0000

Junkhearts: riddled with great scenes and super performances

Junkhearts (Soda Pictures) tells the story of Frank (Eddie Marsan, Happy Go Lucky) a traumatised, middle-aged ex-soldier who tranquilises himself with scotch each day to stave off terrifying flashbacks from his tour of duty in Northern Ireland.

On one of his regular visits to the off-licence, Frank meets Lynette (Candese Reid), a feisty black teenager who is sleeping rough in the neighbourhood, and after a tense start, the pair form an unlikely bond, with Frank offering the youngster his spare room. However, the duo’s pleasantly warped version of domestic bliss is thrown into chaos when Lynette invites her shifty drug-dealer boyfriend Danny (Tom Sturridge) to take advantage of the reluctant Frank’s hospitality – nudging the boozy war veteran into a debilitating downward spiral.

Newcomer Candese Reid won the 2011 BFI award for Best British Newcomer for her role in Junkhearts, and while she delivers a memorable debut performance here, the chameleonic Marsan and the menacing Sturridge confidently steal the show, and it will be interesting to watch the latter in Walter Salles’ upcoming version of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road.

Interestingly, director Tinge Krishnan discovered Candese Reid at Nottingham’s prestigious Television Workshop (which offered a springboard for Samantha Morton, Toby Kebbell, and a whole host of Shane Meadows regulars). The Meadows link is an apt one too, as Krishnan’s disturbing feature-length debut recalls the intense career of the man often dubbed ‘the Midlands Scorsese’.

Riddled with great scenes, Junkhearts’ only weakness is the superfluous sub-plot starring Romola Garai (The Crimson Petal and The White) as a drug-addicted businesswoman. What’s more, its significance is fairly predictable – arguably the film’s least subtle element. After a string of well-received short films, director Krishnan has been labelled ‘one to watch’ for some time; despite an unfortunately saccharine conclusion, Junkhearts sees him comfortably repay the faith shown in him, and deliver a memorably corrosive debut feature.

In A Better World: there's a sense of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s early work in the story which challenges the notion that Denmark society is harmonious

After a brief sojourn to Hollywood in 2007 to shoot flame-grilled melodrama Things We Lost In The Fire, Danish director Susanne Bier (After The Wedding, Brothers) returned home to make In A Better World (Axiom Films), a film conceived as a response to misconceptions that Denmark is a harmonious society.

Bier’s decision to spurn Hollywood’s inevitable advances proved well-judged in this instance, and she scooped the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and also the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 83rd Academy Awards, meaning that In A Better World’s reputation precedes it.

The dual-narrative focuses on Anton, a Swedish doctor who bides his time between a Sudanese refugee camp and his idyllic family home in small-town Denmark. In Africa, Anton treats female victims mutilated by a sadistic local warlord known as Big Man, but finds himself troubled when the maniac arrives at the refugee camp demanding treatment for an infection. Meanwhile, back in Denmark, Anton is forced to wrestle with further conflict, with the revelation that his young son Elias is being mercifully bullied by his classmates. However, the situation is flipped on its head when feisty new boy Christian intervenes on Elias’s behalf, setting in motion a chain of events that sees everyone’s fragile world altered forever.

Buoyed by a number of strong performances – particularly from Mikael Persbrandt as Anton, and young William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen as Christian – In A Better World contains a number of electric scenes, not least a menacing early set-piece when Christian confronts the boy tormenting hapless Elias. However, for all of its dramatic strengths, In A Better World feels like a strangely muddled piece of work, and the split narrative sometimes feels like a tame re-tread of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s early work. Viewers familiar with Bier’s previous movies won’t be surprised by the powerful, confident filmmaking on display, but as the movie edges towards its suspiciously neat conclusion it is hard not to feel like a crucial piece of the jigsaw is somehow missing.

The Big Picture: flashes of The Talented Mr Ripley and its duplicitous drama

Based on the 1997 novel of the same name by US author Douglas Kennedy, The Big Picture (Artificial Eye) tells the story of Paul Exben (Romain Duris, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Afterwards), a slick lawyer with a seemingly perfect life. As well as his sought-after partnership in one of Paris’s most successful law firms, Paul has a beautiful wife (Sarah, Marina Foïs) and two young children, on whom he dotes. However, all is not well at home, and Paul’s life takes a dramatic turn with the stomach-churning revelation that frustrated Sarah is having an affair with smug mutual acquaintance Greg Kremer (Eric Ruf).

After drunkenly making a fool out of himself at a dinner party, Paul goes to meet Greg to thrash out their differences, only to lose his cool and become embroiled in a violent altercation with his love rival. After accidentally killing his wife’s lover, Paul is forced to assume a new identity and concocts an elaborate scheme to flee the country – only to discover that fate has a cruel way of catching up with you…

Despite flashes of The Talented Mr Ripley and its duplicitous drama, The Big Picture lacks the 1999 movie’s sinister undercurrent. Further, in spite of an impressively intense performance from the ever-reliable Duris, Eric Lartigau’s meticulous thriller feels a little bit too po-faced at times. Elsewhere, French screen icon Catherine Deneuve cameos as Paul’s mentor, and Niels Arestrup (who starred as Cesar, the fearsome elderly convict in A Prophet) rounds out the cast as a deceptively boozy degenerate who takes a special interest in Paul, but the star-studded cast and elaborate set-up struggle to disguise the film’s hollow core. The Big Picture is a stylish, unusual thriller – with bags of insouciant Gallic flair – but the whole enterprise feels suspiciously pointless, leading you to question whether it is a misjudged case of (admittedly impeccable) style over substance.

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How to Re-establish at Vodka Empire at the Exeter Phoenix: screening, shots, Q&A (and a D&CFilm special offer)

D&CFilm — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:24:46 +0000

How to Re-establish a Vodka Empire: charting Dan Edelstyn's journey to re-launch his great grandfather’s once glorious vodka empire

How to Re-Establish a Vodka Empire is a feature documentary charting the journey of the director Dan Edelstyn as he tracks down his long lost Jewish Ukranian heritage and then attempts to re-launch his great grandfather’s once glorious vodka empire.

The film charts a journey through European times and spaces. It is a story of revolution and romance, exile and entrepreneurship, and at its heart lies a life changing discovery of a vodka distillery in Ukraine.

Ticket holders will be invited to try the vodka featured in the film, Zorokovich 1917 and will be given a free shot on presentation of their ticket (subject to availability and for over 18s only).

Tickets are just £5.50 (concessions £4.50) and include a free Q&A with the film director and subject of the film, Dan Edelstyn.

How to Re-Establish a Vodka Empire is at the Exeter Phoenix on Thursday, February 2 at 8.10pm tickets are £5.50 (£4.50). To book your tickets call the Exeter Phoenix box office on 01392 667080. D&CFilm readers are entitled to a special ticket price of £4.50. Just quote D+CFilm when booking.

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Julian Sands joins Devon filmmaker’s resurrection of British Gothic Horror

D&CFilm — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:46:24 +0000

Actor Julian Sands, with Ashley Thorpe and Mick Grierson of Carrion Films

Carrion Films is set to follow the multi-award winning animated films Scayrecrow, The Screaming Skull and The Hairy Hands with the next ground breaking film in its series of gothic shorts. Borley Rectory is inspired by what director Ashley Thorpe believes to be neglected aspects of British horror heritage. It’s an approach that has led to the Devon-based artist being marked as integral to a British Horror revival.

Carrion Films’ resurrection of British Gothic Horror continues with Borley Rectory – The Most Haunted House in England. the movies is a Carrion Film / Glass Eye Pix co‐production, with directors Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid onboard as exec producers and featuring narration by Julian Sands (seen most recently in David Fincher’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo).

Exec producer Fessenden’s production outfit Glass Eye Pix has been responsible for dozens of celebrated independent films including The Innkeepers, I Sell the Dead, The Last Winter, The House of the Devil and Stake Land, as well as the critically acclaimed Tales From Beyond the Pale series of radio dramas.

Larry said: “It is a pleasure to see how much inspiration Ashley draws from his local myths and surroundings. I believe strongly that the sense of place is an essential character in any good story, and after his wonderful radio play The Demon Huntsman captured the feeling of the Moors, I knew Glass Eye would want to get behind the next Thorpe production.”

Glenn said: “Ashley is a unique and soulful voice within the horror genre, and having already collaborated with him on Tales from Beyond the Pale, it’s a logical and exciting step to jump into another project together.”

Director Ashley said: “Borley Rectory is essentially an animated documentary, inspired by a genuine haunting that caught the world’s imagination during the late 1920’s. It’s something quite old‐fashioned, very textural, with a house very much a projection of the personalities within it – haunted house as voyeur.

“It’s a subject that seized my imagination as a child after stumbling across the legend in the Usbourne Book of Ghosts. So it’s occupied a very strange colourful place in my imagination for a very long time, and I’m thrilled to be making it with people for whom I have so much genuine admiration.”

Borley Rectory is due for completion in winter 2012. Once that happens, Ashley is fully prepared for the next step. “I’m planning for this film to be the catalyst for all of the Carrion Film animations to finally be released on DVD. I also have my first feature in development – Spring Heel Jack – a Victorian gothic which will be the absolute culmination of my endeavors.”

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