shine a light

SHINE A LIGHT - BEST OF 2011

2011-12-19T12:28:00.003Z

LIST TIME:

1: DRIVE (Nicholas Winding Refn)

In terms of style, acting, soundtrack, vibe, vision and execution DRIVE was unbeaten for me. Perpetuating the classic themes of the anti-hero and the void within contemporary urban living, DRIVE nailed it, whilst still feeling fresh and thoroughly modern. The Gosling/Winding Refn duo will hopefully continue for many years to come.......im still humming....and a real hero/real human being.............

2: ANIMAL KINGDOM (David Michod)

Released at the start of the year, no other film has lingered with me so long. The final scene shattered my bones and mind in the hungover state in which watched. Remarkable performances combined with incredibly tense and concise direction. A near perfect crime movie.

3: SENNA (Asif Kapadia)

The only movie this year to make a real life tear fall out of my face. An riveting and emotional portrayal of one incredible individual. Fused with incredible storytelling technique from the filmmakers.

4: SUPER 8 (J.J. Abrams)

Nostalgia never tasted so good. JJ Abrams' version of a Spielberg classic is way more than nod to his mentor. It succeeds perhaps by purely being a great retelling of the themes and style of early Spielberg, but Abrams executed this with such sincerity and class I cannot fault it. Someone else, said that instead of blogging about his influences, Abrams' went and did it himself...respect to that! The train crash sequence was probably one of the most exhilarating scenes on film this year. Also outstanding performances from the young cast...Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler.

5: CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (Werner Herzog)

It's weird when a movie shows you something real, yet it's still like a movie. The concept of the 'awakening of the human soul' is a mind blowing idea which Herzog explores this a unique way through showing these incredible 32 000 year old cave paintings. HIs original style of narration will always elevate his films to a different plain of documentary film making and this film pushed that even further. Unlike anything else you are likely to see.

6: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Woody Allen)

Watching this movie with someone I really like and drinking a really good bottle of red, was a particular highlight of the year. This felt like some kind of guilty pleasure as its kind of fairy tale for middle class pretentious folk, but Woody Allen's script and Owen Wilson's delivery were impeccable, sharp, witty and hillarious. A great highlight was Corey Stoll's portrayal of Hemmingway...was nice to be reminded of a great quote, delivered in a wonderfully dry tone...."No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and it affirms courage and grace under pressure".

Also Allen's consistency to cast beautiful woman in his movies clearly knows no bounds!

7: HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI (Takashi Miike)

Whilst Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins was an intelligent kick ass tale of righteousness and contradictions of the Samurai code, Hara Kiri is a much more subtle affiair that is more melodrama than martial arts showcase (however, the final showdown with the shogun's bodyguards is killer!). A powerful family narrative with remarkable visual effects, mise-en-scene and colour pallette's, including a masterfully subtle but powerful use of 3D. So much so that I feel is may weaken its punch if viewed at home. Still though, it was thoroughly rewarding cinematic experience.

8: HUGO (Martin Scorsese)

Being a massive admirer and fan of Scorsese, I was dreading this. The trailer and poster were lame as, and the idea of fluffy kids movie was not appealing....but I still had confidence that there might be something good in it!.....Turns out, Scorsese didn't let me down...far from it! A wonderful movie that remains a fluffy family flick, but there is so much more going on here, and anyone who has ever been emtional drawn into any movie, will take something away from this...its a gentle and happy reminder about why movies matter!....still though, Marty...next time..."go home and get ya fucking shine box!"

9: RED STATE (Kevin Smith)

It's so fucking great when you watch a movie nowadays (especially an American movie) and you literally dont know what is gonna happen next and where it is going. Smith delivered this is in way that was an intriguing as it was entertaining. Although the subject is clearly a mockery of the state of certain insititutions in the US and couldn't help but think that Smith was really showing up the American movie industry. This movie also had one of my crossver sequences, that showed Kevin Smith as a genuinly talented film maker and not just a hero of witty dialogue. The final scene where we find out that the whole disturbing film was a wonderful satire was one of the best payoffs I've had in a movie for a long time.

10: THE GREAT WHITE SILENCE (Herbert G. Ponting)

This is what cinema is here for! A true story like no other. To sum up and depict this story and the men who traveled and shot this remarkable film would be futile here. If it ever plays in a cinema again, you owe it your yourself to see it!

Choosing 10 movies wasn't easy....so here's some more movies that made me feel good, weird, sexy, awkward, warm, cold, intelligent, etc....

KABOOM (Greg Araki) /// MELANCHOLIA (Lars Von Trier) /// MARGARET (Kenneth Lonnergan) /// THE SKIN I LIVE IN (Pedro Almodovar) /// BLACK SWAN (Darren Aaronofsky) /// THE FIGHTER (David O. Russel) /// 13 ASSASSINS (Takashi Miike)

So long 2011...it's been emotional! x

a gun and girl - KASIA KASANOVA - car park kids

2011-11-14T13:47:00.003Z

Here's the first short film from Car Park Kids, a union of myself at this blog and Sam Hiscox Photography. A group of guys who like the same kinda things and want to make the movies that they want to see.

KASIA KASANOVA is based around Jean-Luc Godard's famous quote "all you need for a movie is a gun and girl". With that in mind, we hit out local multistory car park at around 1am one night the other week and let the story unfold. With the help of a few friends and a great tune by The Black Keys we came up with this....

KASIA KASANOVA had its world premier at The Duke's After Dark at The Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton on Saturday 12th November before a SOLD OUT late night screening of PULP FICTION.

Expect to see more stuff from Car Park Kids real soon.....

Harmony Korine, Val Kilmer and the Fourth Dimension

2011-10-18T14:34:00.004+01:00

Three directors, Harmony Korine (USA) Alexei Fedorchenko (Russia) and Jan Kwiecinski (Poland) have teamed up on a new film project which explores the concept on the Fourth Dimension.

The project has been set up by Vice and Grolsch Film Works. It is planned as a 3 short half hour films exploring the same concept that will be showcased together as one feature film. Korine's part features Val Kilmer playing himself as a motivational speaker...Sounds pretty fucking great to me....

"The mandate of the project is to create cinematic experiences with filmmakers that have truly unique approaches to character and story-telling. Inspired by filmmaker (and friend) Harmony Korine, I created a weird (but wonderful) brief that tasks each director to create riveting characters that inhabit supra-normal worlds," says Eddy.

The Fourth Dimension will be out some time next year, find out more about it here...

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/grolsch-film-works-eddy-moretti-val-kilmer-harmony-korine

http://www.grolschfilmworks.com/

WOMEN ON THE ROAD

2011-10-15T12:37:00.004+01:00

My favourite episode so far of this ode to the road of rock & roll. Jessie "Boots Electric' Hughes chats to some of the women who make rock & roll possible...not the groupies and the drug chic wannabes, but some real ladies that make the real good shit of rock&roll possible!

Like most things...woman make it better, including ROCK!

See more of this great series from Marshal Headphones and Vice, HERE

DAISEY LOWE selling phones!

2011-09-17T14:35:00.002+01:00

This is an extremely over elaborate way to sell a camera phone, but Daisy Lowe makes it OK!

More of this here: www.vice.com/xperiaunseen

ON THE ROAD - VICE

2011-09-17T13:58:00.004+01:00

Vice and Marshall Headphones have made a documentary about roadies featuring the guy from Eagles of Death Metal!

There will be nothing to dislike about this...

ON THE ROAD

Check out more here: www.vice.com/ontheroad

and WIN tickets to a screening and a boozy talk with Jesse 'Boots Electric' Hughes here: www.vice.com/en_uk/read/roadies-marshall-on-the-road-jesse-hughes

DRAGONSLAYER - protect yourself, your friends and your family

2011-09-11T02:11:00.003+01:00

I really like the look of this....

"An ugly, brutal, punk rock documentary. I'm not sure why but it needs to exist."

Winner best doc at SXSW this year...so that's a good sign. No idea as to a UK release yet...but will look out for it...you should too!

WORLD FILM LOCATIONS: LONDON

2011-09-08T12:07:00.005+01:00

A while back I was asked to contribute to a book published by Intellect about movies set in London. I did.

Finally the book is ready and will be on sale from Monday 12th Sept 2011.

WORLD FILM LOCATIONS: LONDON focuses on specific scenes from around films set in London and focus on the location and how they represent London through the unique perspective of that film. There are also longer essays on various aspects of London on film. The book is fully illustrated with images from the films and maps of locations.

I personally focused on scenes from:

Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock, 1929)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchock, 1956)

Bullet Boy (Saul Dibb, 2004)

The Bourne Ultimatum (Paul Greengrass, 2007)

There will be loads of great stuff in this book, if you're interested in movies, cities, travel then check it out.

On sale from 12th Sept 2011 at Waterstones, WHSmiths, Amazon, Intellect Books and MoMA (Museum of Modern Art in New York City yo!) There is a whole series of these books being released about cities all over the world, they're going to make for a great collection.

Here's a link: http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/books/view-Book

(apologies for that awful man on the front cover...out of my hands!) Give me Bob Hoskins or Ray Winstone any day!

UNTITLED BEACH VIDEO - (SKATERDATER)

2011-09-08T12:03:00.002+01:00

Me and and some friends shot this to screen before the screening of JAWS at The Duke's After Dark last month. It would have been better if I'd have know what I wanted before I shot and edited it, but its kinda funny anyway!

Tune by The Surf Trio!

Hang Ten!!!

YOU KNOW I'M NO GOOD

2011-08-11T23:47:00.003+01:00

Since this blog was put on hiatus, a sad day occurred in the world of music. Amy Winehouse tragically passed. Her music was pretty fucking great and it will be with us for a long time.

Earlier this year the queen of rock'n'roll Wanda Jackson release her album 'The Party Ain't Over' produced by Jack White (he plays guitar here too). It consisted of covers of old and contemporary tunes.

This take on Winehouse's 'You Know I'm No Good' is rousing reminder of the timelessness of good music and good songs. Old or new, young or old, it doesn't matter....it;s just great music!

eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest

2011-08-11T23:07:00.004+01:00

JAWS was screened at The Duke's After Dark last week...a superb and aweinspiring film that delivers so much in many ways. Genuine terror and fear, adrenline pumped action and raw family and personal emotion that is hard to replicate on screen.

Unfortunately due to technical reasons we missed a significant 5 min chunk of the movie where Quint delivers his iconic, emotive and emotional speech about the USS Indianapolis. We sincerely apologies for this and it was out of our control. Hopefully a brand new re-masterd digital print of JAWS will be released sometime next year and we can screen film in its crystal clear entirety then.

This doesn't make up for the real thing...but here it is...hope you enjoy it. It's a testiment to the power of acting, film making and storytelling.

Apparently Robert Shaw was ridiculously drunk when they we're filming this and he kept screwing up his lines. After several takes, Spielberg decided to call it quits, but Shaw, feeling awful about his shabby performance pleaded to Spielberg to let him have another go...he did and he gave this performance in ONE TAKE! Fuckin' A!

..."show me the way to go home..."

DUKE'S AFTER DARK!

2011-08-11T20:09:00.003+01:00

It's been awhile, but SHINE A LIGHT IS BACK Y'ALL!!!!

Rebooted....I'm starting with the new film night at The Duke of York's...DUKE'S AFTER DARK!

Over the past year there has been rumblings and churnings in the world of late night cinema and as result the screenings of THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, JURASSIC PARK, THE LOST BOYS and JAWS have been huge successes drawing large, lively and enthusiastic crowds to the Duke's for some late night cinematic goodness. Now all these nights are tarnished with same brush...DUKE'S AFTER DARK. This is going to be a bi-monthly night, screening classic and cult cinema, also showing random short movies, music vids and other cinema experiments!

Watching a film is a very personal experience, it's between you and the sensual outpour that breaches the screen. It can make you feel weird, scared, enthralled, confused and engaged. Hopefully it will leave you feeling encouraged, motivated, a bit disturbed and plain satisfied. Whilst this is a personal response, these things are always enhanced by the shared communal experience, whether that be with your friends, your lover or some weird dude sitting next to you. When we're watching a good film together, we can go on a personal experience and simultaneously a shared one. When a good audience watches a great film....awesome vibes are created and it's something worth cherishing.

This is something we want to bring forward and celebrate with DUKE'S AFTER DARK!

We going to bring you those classic film's you've always wanted to see in the big dark room, and those classics you've just never got round to seeing.

Stay with us because ALIENS will be next in late September...

BILL PAXTON'S A HERO!

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dukes-After-Dark/

And keep checking the Duke of York's website for consistent quality cinema: www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/

DJ SHADOW, GOODFELLAS & DAS RACIST

2011-05-19T14:49:00.000+01:00

Last weekend was fun, despite my left foot spazzing out and having to work each day, but I saw two awesome shows that reminded me that Rap and Electronic music are still worth listening too, and I saw my favourite film of all time on the BIG screen!

First off was the almighty DJ Shadow bringing his Shadowsphere tour for the first time to the UK as part of The Great Escape.

The show was a blinder, truly, and you can read more about it at Don't Panic NOW!

But here's some pics I took on my trusty Blackberry

These pics don't do the show justice, but it was incredible, big beats and visual feast!

On the saturday I did my own great escape outta Brighton to the quieter streets of central London to the Prince Charles Cinema just of Leicester Sq, to watch my all time favourite movie, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.

This was my first time watching this in a cinema and it blew my mind. The print may have been grainy and projected off kilter slightly, but the shots, scenes, editing, music (all that make this film stupendous) shone through greater than I could have perceived. The prison dinner sequence was particular highlight...Paulie finely slicing the garlic on a massive screen is quite a moment. The climactic scene of Henry's last day fusing his paranoia and drug addiction with a mad rush to smuggle drugs, look after his brother and cook a family dinner (all at once) is one of the finest examples of editing and use of music ever put on film...thrilling and exhausting to watch...pure cinematic storytelling!..I would go on....but....

Then it was Sunday, and an afternoon show from Brooklyn's finest new Hip-Hop act was beckoning!

Das Racist make music like this....

I got to admit I lost interest in Hip-Hop/Rap music a while ago...but this reminded how good it can be, proper party music, unpretentious, clever, stupid, and full of good vibes!...also they're some real cool dudes...found myself having a chat Heems in a corridor after the show...nice guy!

Once again the Blackberry was there...

(looking forward to seeing what Sam's real photo of them looks like...no doubt you'll find it HERE sometime soon)

So that was last week end...there was more...I ended up drinking wine and buying beef jerky with Doug at 3am...unfortunately I didn't take any photos!

(All photos on this post by Toby King)

Shine A Light presents: Riki Fliks - Movies at Riki Tik's

2011-05-05T14:21:00.000+01:00

Alright, so I'm taking this blog into the real world!

If you live in or around Brighton and are into your movies, then you wanna hear this!

I've teamed up with Riki Tik's to bring you Shine A Lights presents: Riki Fliks! Every Sunday evening we will be screening some classic films of all styles and genres. Screening in the back room of everyone's favourite late night hang out Riki Tik's on Bond Street. We have a great projector, a big old wall, booths and comfy seats and of course a fully stocked bar!...we're also bringing in the popcorn! This will be the perfect way to cap that perfect weekend!

But we want more than to hang with you watch movies and get slightly merry....we want YOUR films! If you have made the BEST SHORT FILM THAT NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN then we want to see it!

Drop in a copy your short/video on DVD to Riki Tik's or get in touch via the facebook page:

www.facebook.com/pages/Shine-A-Light-presents-Riki-Fliks-Movies-at-Riki-Tiks

To kick start Riki Fliks we're going for the big guns with a screening of everyone's favourite crazy man Charlie Sheen in HOT SHOTS! On Sunday 22nd May at 8pm

THE MOTHER OF ALL MOVIES!

More info to come! Hope to see you there....and get involved!

||| THIRD MAN RECORDS ||| Jack White does crackin' vinyl, Wanda Jackson and a whole lot more...

2011-05-03T12:30:00.000+01:00

Been meaning to make some noise about Third Man Records for a while. But here's the low down if you didn't already know...

Third Man Records was originally founded by Jack White in Detroit in 2001. In March of 2009, a physical location was established in Nashville, TN. Third Man Records in it’s current state serves as record store, record label, live venue, and one stop production house with a rehearsal and photo studio, darkroom, and production office and distribution center. All of our records are produced by Jack White in his own Third Man Studio, then printed and pressed right here in Nashville. With our unique set-up we can have an artist recorded and photographed in one day and have records for sale in our store within weeks. In this way we are bringing a spontaneous and immediate aesthetic back into the record business.

This is how music should be, this is a big Fuck You to how awful the music industry has become. Bringing back the immediacy and realness of music, making it raw and untampered with by all the blandness that is around said industry today.

This is neat little product they've released, The Triple Decker Record:

Jack White and The Third Man band has recently bought back 50s Rock'n'Roll legend Wanda Jackson, with an album of covers called The Party Ain't Over and it's one of the best Albums you're gonna hear in a while.

and they sound like this...

"oooo my goodness"

There's a lot more going on at Third Man Records, including new vinyl creations, more great bands, music videos, photography and even Jack White interviewing a livestock auctioneer!

Check it all out here....www.thirdmanrecords.com

Werner Herzog and Cormac McCarthy -

2011-04-21T13:41:00.000+01:00

Werner Herzog is one of the greatest and most prolific filmmakers of the last 30 years. Aguirre, The Wrath of God, Fata Morgana, Fitzcarraldo, The Emigma of Kapspar Hauser, The White Diamond, Grizzly Man, Encounters at the End of The World, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Cave of Forgotten Dreams (to name a few!) Cormac McCarthy is one of the greatest novelists and play writes of the last 30 years All The Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of The Plain, Blood Meridian, No Country For Old Men, The Road.

Both men in their work have developed methods of creating hugely engaging storytelling that also dwells on and are intertwined with a deeper meaning and a longing for understanding of the world that their characters and ourselves are in.

This is a great conversation between this two heavyweights of contemporary storytelling, (and two scientist guys) where they discuss the duality of Art and Science (often perceived as conflicting areas of thought) and how the duality of both things affect their work and the deeper meanings that they allude to.

They also both have AMAZING voices!

Werner Herzog reading Cormac McCarthy (about 38:50 mins in)...doesn't get much better.

FIRST ORBIT - fifty years in space

2011-04-12T10:53:00.000+01:00

50 years ago Yuri Gagarin was the first man in go into space and orbit the earth. Now filmmaker Christopher Riley has made a feature film that recreates that historical voyage. Combining new footage of the earth from the International Space Station and using original footage of Yuri Gargarin himself.

Here's a little preview....

off into the abyss....

(for some reason though, my favourite parts of this footage is seeing all the dents, smears and smudges of the space crafts windows)

Check out more info on this project and an interview with the filmmaker at Nowness.com GO ON!

And here's Nick Cave lamenting about his father fleeing to the moon or something....

Keep exploring the cosmos Nick! Awesome!

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS 3D

2011-03-25T13:03:00.001Z

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS 3D

Dir: Werner Herzog, 2011

An essential 3D documentary, which reveals the REAL benefits of 3D filmmaking and a powerful emotional link to an unknown collective past.

“This is my dictum: you can shoot a porno in 3D, but you cannot shoot a romantic comedy in 3D.” This is Werner Herzog’s perfectly astute theory on the use of 3D in cinema. In his latest film CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS he has made neither a romantic comedy nor a porno, but his profound and unprecedented use of this new technology is not only innovative but also essential in the progression of cinema.

The Chauvet cave in southern France was discovered in 1994, when three cavers clambered through a tiny hole in a rock face, and were astonished at what they found. A massive cave full of hundreds of pristine preserved cave paintings of Horses, Bears, Bison, Leopards, Hippos (and many now long extinct verities of mammals). This is the subject of CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS. Some of these paintings have been carbon dated as 32,000 years old, the oldest known man made paintings. An avalanche around 20,000 years ago sealed this cave from the outside world, holding this astounding paintings inside, perfectly preserved in their original condition, locked away for the ensuing rise of modern humanity.

Werner Herzog is the first (and probably the only) filmmaker allowed into the cave (due to very sensitive climate conditions in the cave access is extremely limited). He agreed to work at an employee of the French Ministry of Culture, charging a fee of 1 Euro for the privilege of filming inside the cave. (With a skeleton crew of three and only one week, a few hours at a time to shoot inside the cave). The images revealed from the cave are truly spectacular. The elegance of the charcoal made drawings and paintings is remarkable, these are not crude or rudimentary images, but full of anatomical accuracies, character, grace and movement (a painting of a Bison has eight legs, suggesting movement, as Herzog describes, ‘almost a kind of proto-cinema’.)

Bringing these images to the viewer in 3D is in this case essential and indeed brings a whole other aspect to this documentary. The content of the cave itself (and Herzog’s meandering, profound, esoteric and often humorous narration) is enough to fill this film with awe, but the 3D cameras have captured the cave and the art in a way that is essential in understanding the works themselves, and in turn bring the cinematic medium to a genuine new artistic level. The walls that these images are painted on are not flat, they are full of curvature, concaving and convexing throughout. The Palaeolithic artists used the topography of the cave wall to create shape and dynamic movements of the animals they were depicting. These images are 3D paintings in their own right, and this use of 3D filmic technology is the first time that is has been used in film for a genuine artistic effect, which is (finally) propelling the medium into a potentially glorious new era. (Herzog does allow a few humorous nods to 3D usage recent movies, in an interview with an archaeologist demonstrating a Palaeolithic hunting spear, the tool is lunged through the screen towards the audience (just as effective as anything in Avatar!))

There is a wonderful sense of irony and (perhaps artistic symmetry/duality) that it takes the oldest known man made images (some claim these paintings reveal the awakening of the human soul) to propel a new artistic visual medium. These concepts are not wasted on Herzog. His musings fill CAVE OF FOROGOTTEN DREAMS with moments of lyrical genius, constantly pushing the viewer to consider wider possibilities and meaning to what we are seeing. On the revelation (from carbon dating) that one of the cave paintings was completed by another artist 5000 years after it was started, leads Herzog to conclude, “We are locked in history, they were not.”

We will never understand the reasons for these paintings, or what the artists were hoping to achieve, but they can perhaps resonate with us through a collective subconscious. We can look at the positive hand prints of the artist with the crooked finger, or wonder if the foot prints of an 8 year old boy side by side with that of a wolf reveal a story of friendship, or a mere coincidence. We can look at these and the intensity of the cave paintings and understand what they are, but never understand fully what they truly mean. It is perhaps this underlying factor that holds the real appeal to their story. Herzog lets this mysterious ‘other’ element linger throughout the film. Something that we know is there, but is for us intangible. This is what makes the films subject so powerful and compelling.

All this and I still haven’t mentioned the mutant albino crocodiles that star in the epilogue of the film! Go see this film for these wonderful creatures and a visual 3D awakening, and then be moved by the powerful human stories that the cave reveals to us.

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS is released TODAY 25/03/2011

Showing in cinemas nationwide. Check the website for details...

www.caveofforgottendreams.co.uk

UMSHINI WAM - bring me my machine gun

2011-03-21T22:43:00.000Z

UMSHINI WAM is a new short film from art house/indie guru Harmony Korine (KIDS, GUMMO, JULIEN DONKEY-BOY, MISTER LONLEY, TRASH HUMPERS...)

Set in a grim post-apocalyptic world (one that closley resembles any contemporary suburban out skirt), the film follows Ninja anf Yo Landi (from Die Antwoord fame) as gun toting Bonnie and Clyde-esque protagonists as they roam the landscape in their onesies and wheel chairs, smoking comically large joints, and ripping off rude wheel chair salesmen.

This is one of those films that you can take or leave, but I personally think there are too many clever, interesting and down right bizarre touches to turn away from this little ditty.
Korine's cheap, quick, no holes barred, Dogme style of film making is always refreshing intriguing and somehow challenging to watch and this outing is no exception .

"you got hologram MAGS?"

This has even made me intrigued by Die Antwoord (?) All I really know about them is that they are some kind of South African Hip-Hop act, who had a successful hit (video) with a weird looking small person. I thought the whole act was either a joke or it was a group taking themselves (and the concepts of Gansta Rap) way too seriously. But maybe I was wrong and just didn't get it either way.

This film does nothing to solve this problem for me, but I like it none-the-less.

NT LIVE: FRANKENSTEIN

2011-03-18T10:48:00.000Z

Last night The National Theatre broadcast live their sell-out production of FRANKENSTEIN to Picturehouse Cinemas across the country. Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller (alternating nightly the lead roles of Victor Frankenstein and The Creature).

This was a remarkable production. Technically and thematically.

A striking and complex set consisting of a circular oscillating and rising stage was sparsely dressed, but helped create a stark mood and aesthetic. The lighting rig compressed of thousands of individual light bulbs, that not only created the illusion of the electricity that brings The Creature to life, but also work's as spectacle in its own right.

The chilling and menacing industrial score and sound effects (courtesy of Underworld) also create a specific mood, which propels this classic novel into a more contemporary arena.

But where this production ultimately succeeds is with the acting and script. Written by Nick Dear, the script is rich and (like the Mary Shelley's novel) is full of suggestions and thoughts on big time issues such as morality, technology, sexuality, parenthood, and ultimately what it is to be alive and the responsibilities that this entails.

These ideas are brought forward by remarkable performances from Benendict Cumberbatch (in this performance as The Creature) who not only performed the role with incredible physicality (the opening 10mins is without dialogue as the creature comes to life and learns how to use his 'body' stumbling and struggling as he learns to move with cohesion). But late, the heavy amount of dialogue that this Creature has is unprecedented. Cumberbatch delivers the lines on a technical level stammering and stuttering (if Colin Firth can win awards for mere mild stammer, then this performance is worthy of so much more acclaim) all the way through whilst keeping a genuine 'human' emotional tone to his passionate character. The Creature, is capable of incredible good, kindness, compassion reason and profound logic. However, as he becomes more aware, evil seeps in (the darker moments of this production are really dark, blackmail, perversion, murder and rape are prevalent.)

Jonny Lee Miller portrays the work obsessed Victor Frankenstein who's character (in comparison) is somewhat soulless and two diminutional, yet full of passion for his own obsessions (one of the key points to the original story), yet Miller performs this with just as much (restrained) intensity as his opposing lead.

By the end of the play however, the characters ultimately merge into one. Both Victor Frankenstein and The Creature are inextricably bound to each other, and by the last scene the audience can see how both actors can play either role.

This concept of alternating leads for this production is inspired. Bringing a different approach and very natural and logical progression to the well known and considered ideas and themes that the original text implies.

"I-CAN-FEEL-THE-BILE-RISE-IN-MY-THROAT. AND-IT-IS-SATAN'S-BILE!"

There will be an encore performance screened at Picturehouse Cinema this Thursday 24th March. Hopefully more screenings will become available, as demand to see this incredible production is ridiculously high.

YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS!

SUBMARINE

2011-03-10T19:13:00.001Z

SUBMARINE is the new British coming-of-age comedy by Richard Ayoade (the guy from 'The IT Crowd, 'The Mighty Boosh' etc. The film follows slightly neurotic teenage Oliver Tate, as he goes about his day to day life trying to get the girl of his dreams, Jordana, whilst simultaneously trying to save his parents shaky marriage. Needles to say, this combo of dilemmas is a tricky one for Oliver to master and his attempts to solve both create a great parallel narrative drive.

But where SUBMARINE really succeeds is in it's stylisation, set pieces and casting. The fIlm is a visual treat, full of wonderfully playful and inventive set pieces and gags that deliver more than immediate aesthetic gratification, and end up resonating as genuine feeling for the (somewhat over stylised) awkward and quirky characters.

There's also a great soundtrack including some new original songs from Alex Turner (supplying some heavyweight crooners) that fit the overall ethos and style of the film perfectly.

A great film for anyone with a big imagination and who has ever been bewildered by what being in love is all about!

SUBMARINE was shown last night (for free) across the country at E4 and Picturehouses Slackers Club and gets a nation wide release on March 18th.

WERNER HERZOG AND WEIRDO THE ROOSTER

2011-03-03T18:23:00.000Z

I'm currently reading this book:

Herzog on Herzog

Edited by Paul Cronin

In which Werner Herzog discusses at length and in great detail aspects of his life, career and films. Full of astounding and remarkable stories and insights from a man who is a true genius of the film medium.

This is a great little tale from Herzog:

Years ago I was searching for the biggest rooster I could find and heard about a guy in Petaluma, California, who had owned a rooster called Weirdo that weighed thirty pounds. Sadly Weirdo had passed away, but his offspring were alive, and guess what? They were even bigger. I went out there and found Ralph, son of Weirdo, who weighed an amazing thirty-two pounds! Then I found Frank, a special breed of miniature horse that stood less than two feet high. I told Frank's owner I wanted to film Ralph chasing Frank--- with a midget riding him--- around the biggest sequoia tree in the world, thirty metres in circumference. It would have been amazing because the horse and the midget together were still smaller than Ralph, the rooster. But unfortunately Frank's owner refused. He said it would make Frank look stupid.

-Werner Herzog

(above image has no connection to Werner Herzog or his work....as far as I know!)

TROLL 2 + BEST WORST MOVIE (via Picturehouse Culture Shock)

2011-03-02T21:05:00.000Z

Troll 2 is one of those soooo bad it's actually amazing kind of films! It has, in some place, been called 'the undisputed worst film ever made"!

It's a typical horror tale of a nice family holidaying in small town nowhere to discover the place is full of some kind of man eating trolls (or goblins....)! And sure enough a series of bizarre, trashy, gross out and inadvertently hilarious scenes ensue! (There's a lot of green slim, midgets dressed as 'trolls', crude make up, faces of old men floating in the air, people turning into plants.....)

Written and directed by (possibly crazy) Italian b-movie maker Claudio Fragasso (went by the name 'Drake Floyd' for this production) and released in 1990, it was named named 'Troll 2' in an attempted to cash in on an earlier film called Troll to which Troll 2 has no production or narrative connection.

This only one aspect of the remarkable and haphazard production. More of which is bought to life in the documentary Best Worst Movie. Made 20 years later, it follows George Hardy, local dentist and star of Troll 2 as he finds out that the weird little film he was once involved has slowly gained a massive cult following in various pockets around the world.

Picturehouse Culture Shock have arranged a special late night double bill with both Troll 2 + Best Worst Movie to give you the full twisted experience of what makes certain films and going to the movies so weirdly special.

The double bill is taking place at the following Picturehouse Cinemas:

Cameo, Edinburgh - 5th March

Duke of York's, Brighton - 12th March

Picturehouse at FACT, Liverpool -15th March

Check out Culture Shock on facebook and for where/when you can see more insane and essential cinema.

EDINBURGH - FEBRUARY 2011

2011-02-22T17:02:00.000Z

I went to Edinburgh. My first time there and first time in Scotland. It's a great place, you should go. Would have been good to be there longer, but I'm sure i'll head back soon...

Great city, great country, great scenery, great whiskey and great company...

Photos by Toby King

Boo Boo Kills Yogi Bear

2011-02-22T00:59:00.000Z

There's a new Yogi Bear movie out. Mixing live action, the lastest CGI, Dan Akroyd, Justin Timberlake and a blonde actress who's been in things like Scary Movie but it's OK to like her because she was in Lost In Translation and it was ironic somehow.

....anyway, needless to say this new Yogi Bear film is awful looking and I imagine the whole movie is largely unwatchable. Shame, seeing as I have fond memories of the original Hanna-Barbera Yogi Bear cartoons.

But this parody of an alternate ending to the new movie nearly made me laugh and cry at the same time....

A mock up of the infamous legend of the assassination of Jesse James by Robert Ford. The clip even uses Nick Cave & Warren Ellis mesmerizing score from the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

"Don't that poster look dusty"

Thanks to Sam Cuthbert for alerting me to this and consistently keeping me amused, bewildered, confused and concerned at least three days a week! Follow him and his truly profound and essential musings on Twitter here twitter.com/#!/offthecuth. If you're lucky enough to live in or around Brixton, or you often frequent the Ritzy, then you can check out his ramblings in print form in their programme.

Here's one last piece of vital information from the original Yogi Bear himself...

according to sta-sta-stistics!...

MANENTINES DAY by Sam Hiscox & Jack Wells

2011-02-18T00:15:00.000Z

It was Valentines Day earlier this week. Fuck that!

Sam and Jack figured different. It now and forever will be MANENTINES DAY!

These talented and troubling individuals are here NOW to show what really counts!

Deal with it! It's real!

MANENTINES!

X X X

HOWLIN' FOR YOU!

2011-02-17T15:14:00.000Z

This trailer, looks amazing!

Howlin' For You

"She'll bang ya, but then she'll hang ya!"

After watching it a couple of times, I wondered why the whole song was in the trailer, and then why the trailer was over 3 minutes long? It was also weird that the song sounded like The Black Keys and those dudes crudely dressed as Mariachi's looked a bit like The Black Keys. So sure enough, this ain't no movie trailer, it's full music video for The Black lips track of the same name in the style of some killer looking action revenge flick!

I think I could handle a whole movie of this...

"I'm pretty sure God would consider it a sin NOT to glorify that ass!"

AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE

2011-02-16T19:11:00.000Z

I intercepted two of my friends linking this trailer on facebook and now I can't wait to catch this documentary...

AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE

This is about the history of some of seedier, nastier elements of cinema....some say that Grindhosue and Exploitation movies are all but gone (for better or worse) from today's cinema but this doc could show how vital elements of these films still run rampant in the film industry today, and how some of the core themes and messages (if you want to call them that) have carried through to todays Hollywood blockbusters. This is the essential dirty side to all that is great a about cinema and the movies.

The movie has a great website too: www.americangrindhouse.com

Not sure of a UK release date yet, but it will surly find a home somewhere soon.

In the meantime, if this has whetted yor appetite then come down to the Duke of York's this Friday 18/02/2011 for a late night screening of Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse/Exploitation/Revenge/Action/Homage Mash up of MACHETE!

ANIMAL KINGDOM

2011-02-10T18:52:00.000Z

Check this....

Loads of Big Hype (and an Oscar nomination) around this movie ANIMAL KINGDOM, about an Australian family and the deep criminal underwolrd of Melbourne. A massive win at last years Sundance festival is always a promising accolade to hold when heading into cinemas, and it has also been paralleled in comparison with (amongst other great films) Michael Mann's Heat...strong all round!

And that tune at the end of the trailer is EPIC!

The film is out everywhere 25th Feb

But if you are a Picturehouse Cinemas Member then you can get tickets for a FREE PREVIEW on Sunday 13th Feb.

WERNER HERZOG - CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS 3D (+ Plastic Bag and Where's Waldo)

2011-02-08T23:29:00.000Z

Werner Herzog is one of the most prolific and outstanding filmmakers still working today. His movies, documentaries, shorts, operas, teachings and general life story display an incredible perception of life and all the big questions that surround us daily. He is known as one of the most hands on directors, often literally putting himself through what he wants to depict in his films. Through his work, we can see a never ending desire for knowledge and to gain experience, whilst also playing with and developing the rules of film and film making.

His back catalogue contains some of the most vital and dynamic examples of what film can be. With Cave of Forgotten Dreams he has now taken a new medium into his hands, by making a 3D documentary that explores the incredible Chavuet Caves, in which hold the earliest known man mad cave paintings.

This film will no doubt be an extraordinary experience, delving into an ancient past with a thoroughly modern medium, with a genuinely visionary film maker.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams is out in the UK March 25th.

Although, Herzog's work is perceived as very deep, serious and full of a sometimes overbearing art-house stigma, there is a lot of humor and playfulness in his films. Some of his style of humor can be seen in this fantastic short film where Hervog narrates as a plastic bag on an Odyssey into time and the meaning of life...

'you may be thinking, "hey, shut up and enjoy the sunset you idiot!", well I don't care what you think!'

And this isn't even Herzog himself, but it's just so good...

...a litany of dreary picture postcards sent from arbitrary locations the world over...

...is zat a scroll? Or merely a rolled up towel? After trying zo hard to find ze scroll are ve sure ve can handle zer real ansvver?

All this and I haven't even mentioned Klaus Kinski, Nicholas Cage or Grizzly Man yet.....!

LAST WEEK - Esben and The Witch, Richard Thompson, The Haunt and Old Mayer

2011-02-08T22:09:00.000Z

Last week was a busy one. In amongst all the films, too-ing anf fro-ing from London and finishing off season 5 of The Wire I also caught three amazing shows and a slick new club launch!

I'm sure you've all heard plenty of noise about Esben and The Witch recently, their debut album Violent Cries was released last week and a tour was commencing. They plaid an awesome show at Pavillion Theatre, Brighton. Dark, moody, melodic, sporadic and so full of atmosphere you could get lost in it. They make complicated music using a range of loops, samples and riffs that they manage to pull together into some kind of musical cohesion. Yet they can also strip their music back to simply three people bashing the shit out of a drum (personal highlight). Great seeing a young band push themselves and music somewhere that results in more than just an immediate passive experience.

Here's their video for Marching Song.

Two days later I caught another astonishing show, the ever great Richard Thompson at The Dome. This guy is old now, but he's still the best damn guitar player I've ever seen and he has a band that puts todays indie boys to shame.

It's hard to find some real new and decent live footage of him and his band (they don't need no MTV vids) but this is a little taste from TV about ten years ago...

If you spend the best part of two hours watching this band play live you'll literally be blown away by the intensity, complexity and incredible natural flow and understanding of music that is impossible to replicate on record. These guys can take a song in 9/8 timing (olde folky English morris dancing like) and mix it with hell raising 80s metal guitar solos (that's not the whole show by the way) and make it sound not only credible but truly remarkable and incredibly visceral.

After that show and being slightly aware that I was the probably by far the youngest person in 2000 capacity venue, I fled to a place where I was probably one the oldest....

("In the right place at the wrong time? That's how I feel every day." Jack White)

The Haunt is a real trendy new dive (literally right on my doorstep), and the opening night saw some great acts such as Is Tropical, Romy XX and Kim Ann Foxman playing to some of Brighton's trendiest new hipsters....I can see many a debauched filled night taking place here...YES!

Pictures by Sam Hiscox

Check out the rest of the opening night here: partiepartie.blogspot.com

Finally, last night I saw my mate Adam's awesome band Old Mayer play at The Green Door Store.

I now have a new love for Metal and my mates screaming...but more on them some other time.....

THE WHITE STRIPES

2011-02-02T20:28:00.000Z

One of my favourite bands formed since I've been around and appreciating real music has ended. THE WHITE STRIPES are done.

Not really a massive surprise seeing as they haven't done anything (as The White Stripes) for over three years, but still, sad that there won't be any more music from the duo. I know they sounded pretty rough around the edges and often out of time (and tune), and Meg really couldn't play the drums for shit, but thats not the point dammit!...(or maybe it was?)

Not only were their tunes great, but their clear links and ties to a shared musical heritage resonated beyond the music of their beloved blues, country and punk. This combined with their self styled image and the progression of their remarkable, striking and original music videos made The White Stripes simultaneously a band steeped in old style roots and references while continuing to push all that is new and exciting about making music.

However, they signed out with a marvelous and eloquent farewell...

"The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to."

www.whitestripes.com/

There are literally so many more great tracks from this band. I'm sure, as they say, 'it will last forever if people want it to.'

:(...............

But just one more shout. They are also responsible for what I do believe is the greatest cover version of all time.....

JOLEEEEEEEENE JOLEEEEEEEEEENE JOLEEEEEEENE JOLEEEEEEEENE.......

BACK TO THE FUTURE ALL NIGHTER @ THE DUKE'S

2011-02-02T19:21:00.000Z

We're all very very excited about the impending BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY ALL NIGHTER!

One of the best trifectas of cinema are running back to back all night long this Saturday 05/02/2011 starting at 11:00PM

You don't need me to tell any of you about these classics, so come on down and enjoy!

Gonna be a great night, pre-book tickets here:

www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/film/Back_To_The_Future

Poster designed by Rhys Wooton

BODIE AND KEROUAC

2011-01-27T17:55:00.000Z

Someone sent me this Jack Kerouac quote the other day, and then today when watching the end of season 4 of The Wire (for the second time...this time knowing what damn tragedy was coming), the two seemed in common conjuncture, like The Wire is like the work of the 'Beat' generation....but with more 'Gang-sta bullshit'!

Please don't watch this clip if you haven't seen The Wire but you intend to (you really want to watcht the whole thing!). And if you have then watch at your own discretion:

BOOOODIEEEEEE!

"I feel old. I been out there since I was 13. I ain't never fucked up a count, never stole off a package, never did some shit that I wasn't told to do. I been straight up. But what come back? Hmm? You'd think if I get jammed up on some shit they'd be like, "A'ight, yeah. Bodie been there. Bodie hang tough. We got his pay lawyer. We got a bail." They want me to stand with them, right? But where the fuck they at when they supposed to be standing by us? I mean, when shit goes bad and there's hell to pay, where they at? This game is rigged, man. We like the little bitches on a chessboard."

Preston 'Bodie' Broadus

BRIGHTON ROCK PREMIER @ THE DUKE'S 26/01/2011

2011-01-27T01:10:00.000Z

Tonight at the Duke of York's Picturehouse, we hosted the European premier of Brighton Rock. In attendance were Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough and the great John Hurt. Loads of press and photographers were down so you'll get a better review of the night somewhere else very soon, but it was pretty special evening to say the least.

But in the meantime....

"It's like those sticks of rock: bite it all the way down, you'll still read Brighton."

Brighton Rock is out properly on Feb 4th.....tickets on sale NOW!

www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/film/Brighton_Rock_2011/

You and Me: and some more good music from Blue Valentine

2011-01-22T12:54:00.000Z

Saw Blue Valentine last week. I really enjoyed the devastatingly accurate portrayal of a relationship coming to an inevitable end. Beautifully shot and filmed by Derek Cianfrance and powerfully acted with restraint and maturity by MIchelle Williams and Ryan Gosling.

The film oscillates between the happy early days of Dean and Cindy's relationship and the painful end six years later. I felt the film dealt with break up (damn sad) scenes on a much more successful level than the more happier moments of their relationship. This isn't so much of a criticism because the crux of the story is what happens when you run out of love for your lover, and it's in these scenes where the film excels, but if the initial romance had been told with the same conviction then it would have lent even greater emotional weight to the couples demise.

That said, there we're elements of Dean and Cindy's blossoming relationship that we're wonderfully done. This is largely down to the choice of music.

This track You and Me an old soul and doo-wop track by an largely unknown group called Penny and the Quaters, is what Dean say's to Cindy is 'Their' song whilst everyone else's 'Song' is lame....

Love the sound of this, can imagine these dudes and that girl singing and playing on one track in one take in some room somewhere a long time ago...music doesn't sound this raw and real too much anymore.

And this scene made me want to reach for my ukulele and learn more than 2 chords on it, Ryan Gosling singing the old Mills Bros classic, You Always Hurt The One You Love

I should probably mention that the trendy lo-fi group Grizzly Bear composed the original soundtrack to the film too....but i didn't really notice it too much!

The best way I can describe Blue Valentine is with a Bruce Springsteen reference (this often the best way to describe and relate to anything). It's like listening to Born To Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, a track of one then a track of the other....

The restless naive optimism of youth and love create a beautiful passionate show, but this then eventually has to yield to a realization and a reckoning of an adult life filled compromise and limitations, yet also bravery in knowing that sooner or later you have to make a stand somewhere.

Deep!

But still, those old time songs still sound so sweet!

RUBBER

2011-01-21T10:40:00.000Z

This trailer has come across my radar over the past few days, and the more I watch it the more I can't wait to see it!

Rubber is about a killer car tire reeking havoc in some quite American desert town. Directed by Quentin Dupieux (aka. Ed Banger Record maestro, Mr Oizo) and featuring music by Mr. Oizo and Gaspard Auge (one half of Justice). Rubber looks like a bizarre hilarious and superbly original little film!

Couldn't decide which of these was better, so here's two trailers:

"The best killer tire movie you'll ever see!"

It's getting a DVD release in April and hopefully find it's way into some cinemas too!

BLACK LIPS AND MARK RONSON

2011-01-19T14:29:00.000Z

Here's a cool little video featuring everyones favourite scuzz rock indie band Black Lips as they set to work on their 7th album. They have never worked with a producer before, but for this one they gone all highbrow with Mark Ronson at the helm.

They end up recording a guitar through a skull!

Will be looking forward to see what they sound like with a real producer recording them, but personally i'll always be fond of their original, scratchy homemade sound.

The Black Lips new album produced by Mark Ronson will be out soon,...

JURASSIC PARK @ THE DUKE'S some special homemade advertising

2011-01-06T22:07:00.000Z

We're all getting pretty excited at the Duke's for our upcoming long awaited and highly sort after screening of JURASSIC PARK! and our micro/rustic advertising campaign is in full swing.

Myself and Rob Beames came up with this poster idea...

Expertly assembled by Flora Maclean

Tonight Me, Tora Colwill and Rob persuaded Jonathan Hyde to unleash his chalk skills and create this masterpiece in the Duke's foyer!

(Jonathan takes some pretty great photos too...www.jonathan-hyde.com have a look)

and finally this found it's way onto my tumblr.

More photos, images and and JP logos on the way!

JURASSIC PARK is showing @ The Duke of York's Picture House, Brighton

15/01/2011 11:30PM

You can buy tickets NOW!

www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/film/Jurassic_Park/

"Mr Hammond, I think we're back in business!"

Pete Postlethwaite 1946 - 2011

2011-01-03T11:55:00.000Z

A bit of a downer to start the year.. the great Pete Postlethwaite has sadly passed today.

Steven Spielberg once called him 'the greatest actor working today' and he made great impressions on all the films and plays he appeared in, always bring great gravitas and conviction to his characters.

Last film of his films I saw was Ben Affleck's Boston crime movie The Town where he gave a great and menacing performance as a florist/Boston gang lord!

He gave other memorable performances in many great films such as Romeo and Juliet, The Usual Suspects, The Constant Gardner, Amistad and this rousing little British movie Brassed Off

....and of course who can forget this

Postlethwiate's 'Roland Tembo' (the man hunting the T-Rex) has all the best lines is this one)

"Oh, you're breaking my heart. Come on! Saddle up, let's get this moveable feast under way!"

"Remember that chap about twenty years ago? I forget his name. Climbed Everest without any oxygen, came down nearly dead. When they asked him, they said why did you go up there to die? He said I didn't, I went up there to live. "

OoooOOooooooOoOoooOo!

Respect to you Postlethwaite!

AN XMAS NOTE TO Y'ALL via TOM WAITS' BLUE VALENTINE (and a vague link to Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams)

2010-12-22T19:39:00.000Z

It's nearly Christmas! Pour yourself a drink...

Probably one os the best Christmas songs...even though there is no mention of Christmas in it itself....

Tom Waits' Blue Valentine is a great great album full of amazing songs. It now shares the name with the highly anticipated movie Blue Valentine. It's been doing the rounds at film festivals this year and has built up quite a buzz about it. The films follows a young couple looking back at their past love as their marriages falls apart.

Looks like a fusion of two other Ryan Gosling films, the look and sparse gritty feel of Half Nelson and the balls out love theme of The Notebook (two films I hold in high regard...for different reasons!). Combine this with Michelle Williams (who hasn't been in a bad film for a long time) and this could be pretty interesting movie...or plain naff!... but here's hoping for the best!

The best 13 films of the year

2010-12-14T12:01:00.000Z

LISTS FUCKING LISTS!

Here it is, in no particular order....

SHUTTER ISLAND (Martin Scorsese)

A remarkable cinematic experience the kind of film Hollywood has forgotten how to make. A genre movie with powerful twist and all aspects of the production are at a top level. Scorsese and DiCaprio doing what they do best, but unlike how we've seem before.

A SINGLE MAN (Tom Ford)

Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Probably the best looking and most stylish film...ever!

INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan)

Just awesome!

ALAMAR (Pedro Gonzalez Rubio)

A remarkable, unique and original blend of drama and documentary. A clever meditation on nature and family.

FOUR LIONS (Chris Morris)

By far the funniest film this year.

ENTER THE VOID (Gaspar Noe)

Visually incredible, a towering achievement of film making. It's not often you see a something as original and compelling as this.

THE RIME OF THE MODERN MARINER (Mark Donne)

If you read my last post you'll see why this so good.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher)

David Fincher's incredible understated direction and Aaron Sorkin's raver sharp script combine to tell one of the most significant stories of this age.

I'M STILL HERE (Casey Affleck)

Big respect to Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck for making an original film with a point, even if both were kind of unclear.

I'M HERE (Spike Jonze)

Spike Jonze's great short film about robots falling in love is standout piece of conceptualized film making. Shame it is yet to get a proper release.

MOTHER (Joon-Ho Bong)

This film is up there with some of the best films ever made. Original, beautiful, dark, comic, tragic with a profound knowledge of the art of cinema. Kim Hae Ja gives the best performance in any film this year.

REQUIEM FOR DETROIT (Julien Temple)

A great documentary about the massive rise and then the massive fall of one of America's greatest cities. A stark reminder of the fragility of the way we live.

THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (Thom Zimny)

A great documentary about a great album. Bruce Springsteen is awesome!

I think it has been a good year!

THE RIME OF THE MODERN MARINER

2010-12-10T14:51:00.000Z

In the decade between 1966 and 1976, 150 000 jobs were lost along London’s dockyards. With them so was a thousand years of history. A way of life, a work force and a community that has now more or less vanished from the public eye and conscious. The Docklands areas of east London were home to the largest port and trading places in the world, and the men and woman who lived and worked on the ships and the docks not only provided the infrastructure that created the wealth and power of Britain but also were integral in creating a sense of place and community that shaped the national identity. In The Rime of The Modern Mariner film makers Mark Donne, Joe Morris and Anthony Rossomando have created a documentary that draws light to this lost world of Dockers and Sailors, showing the colourful past and the barely skeletal remains of an industry that literally made Britain the (Great) modern nation it has become.

Narrated by The Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things front man Carl Barat, The Rime of The Modern Mariner opens with fast and lyrical retailing of characters that roamed the East End dockyards. This then leads to perhaps the film’s most vital aspect. The men of the Stepney Dockers Social Club are nearly all that’s left of a link to the past that was so quickly demolished and built upon. These men tell their stories with amazing coherence and pride, this is amplified by the unspoken stories that are there to see in the old men’s faces. Yet this is mixed with a sense of anger, that the world they new and the communities that lived in and forged were taken from them. Their way of life and their skills were made redundant by forces that were out of their control.

The modern age and the fully encompassing assault of globalisation, has changed the east end of London in such a way as to render it almost unrecognizable to how it formally was. The film takes the viewer on trip on the Dockland’s Light Railway, through Canary Wharf and the other glass corporate tower blocks and sky scrappers that have replaced the once vibrant and integral area of London’s docklands. A stark reminder of how quickly the world has changed throughout the last century.

The second half of the film is about the modern day dock workers and the maritime trade. About 90% of all imports to Britain are still from shipped sources. But the role of the dock workers, the sailors and the ships have changed dramatically and (paradoxically) even though there is more trade than before there are fewer jobs in this dwindling industry, as technology leaves manual labour redundant and what labour there is sent overseas.

The filmmakers, to their credit, handle the history, stories and emotions of the film with great restraint and respect for the subject. Mostly letting the subjects speak for themselves, unedited and honest. Joe Morris and Mark Donne’s images of the lost dock world work in wonderful conjuncture with the close up interviews of the old men who’s creased, worn faces echo the weather beaten forgotten landmarks that still remain, hidden in plain view, around London’s east end. Anthony Rossomando’s subtle and haunting soundtrack, fused with sounds he recorded from ships and dockyards, captures the mood perfectly and fall right in place with the imagery. Made on almost no money, edited and scored in a bedroom and sourced through blagging and perseverance, the film is also a remarkable achievement of guerrilla filmmaking in its own right.

There is an overwhelming sadness throughout this The Rime of The Modern Mariner. It is a demonstration of the soullessness of globalisation and corporate take over. The last laments of the old and dying Dockers are a powerful reminder what the world was like not that long ago and realisation of how quickly things change. But of course things have to change, and as D.H Lawrence said, ‘when things change, something is lost’. Change and loss are inevitable, and whilst this is a sad aspect to life, it is integral to it.

And perhaps it is because of this that The Rime of The Modern Mariner is such an engaging and important film, because it is a vital record of the past, a past that may not need to be sought after, but that should always be remembered.

www.brass-moustache.co.uk

'SOMEWHERE' - The Strokes demo

2010-12-10T12:16:00.000Z

Soffia Coppola's Somewhere opens today, starring Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning as an estranged father and daughter, against the backdrop of wealth and celebrity. This looks as if it's some kind of alt. version of Lost In Translation, and it certainly looks as stylish and classy.

I haven't seen it yet, but I caught the trailer the other day and was totally suckered in by this song, by Julian Casablancas...check it out on the trailer...(wait till about 40 secs in...)

This chilled out electric piano ditty would later become the more edgy and aggressive You Only Live Once

The Strokes front man also had a solo song of his (Out Of The Blue) feature on the trailer for the recent 'modern family comedy' The Kids Are Alright, another healthy dose of Hollywood mainstream leftist/liberal cinema (again I haven't seen it, but I heard it was very watchable)...(...wait till 1:50 in...)

Here's the full song....

I guess The Strokes are still considered by Hollywood to be a useful tool in making your movie seem kinda 'cool' with hip, left-of-center-middling-middle-aged-types!

The tunes are still awesome though....looking forward to new Strokes album next year and hopefully tour...there still one of the loudest, rocking(est), lively acts I'v seen!!!

Photo by Sam Hiscox

Long Time Dead - http://samhiscox.blogspot.com/

BOILED GOOSE!!!! w/JULIAN CASABLANCAS

2010-12-06T01:18:00.000Z

This isn't brand new but I had forgotten how funny and just how good this is!....A BOOMBOX IS NOT A TOY!

[The Lonely Island]
Imagine in your mind a posh country club
The stuffy old money where the poor get snubbed
The spread is bland sauerkraut and boiled goose
There's no way these people will ever cut loose

But then I walk in the room, hold my boombox high
And what happened next, will blow your mind

[Julian Casablancas]
Everything got outta control
The music was so entrancing
Everyone got out on the floor
It was a bunch of old white people dancing

[The Lonely Island]
Now picture if you will a bunch of business men
Stuffed in the boardroom like pigs in a pen
The ties around the necks are like a hangman's noose
In the middle of the table there's a boiled goose

The old people smell makes you want to puke in the sink
These dudes will never dance yeah that's what you think
I stride in the room all young and hip
Hold up my boombox and say listen to this

[Julian Casablancas]
Then everyone started to move
People rejoiced instead of financing
Your preconcieved notions were shattered
By the super old white people dancing

[The Lonely Island]
The big apple, where people never dance
Spirits go down while profits expand
The cops or the dealers, who's got the juice
The street vendors peddling their boiled goose

So many types of people will never get along
Till I bust out my boombox and play this song

[Julian Casablancas]
The music washed away all the hate
And society started advancing
Every demographic was represented
It was a rainbow coalition of dancing
Whoa!
Everyone was wearing fingerless gloves
Whoaaaaaoaaaaaoh!
I saw a Spanish guy doing the Bartman

[The Lonely Island]
Transport now to an old folks home
Where the elderly are tossed on their brittle bones
The orderlies are stealing there's no excuse
Everyday for lunch they eat boiled goose

So I grabbed my boombox and hit the turbo bass
And what happened next was a total disgrace

[Julian Casablancas]
Everybody started having sex
The music was way too powerful
A bunch of old people fucking like rabbits
It was disgusting to say the least
Oh!
A boombox can change the world
You gotta know your limits with a boombox
This was a cautionary tale
A boombox is not a toy

The Strokes Vs. Tron Legacy

2010-12-05T14:29:00.000Z

I kind of doubt that the impending Tron: Legacy will be as cool as this was....

The Strokes - 12:51

But I hope Jeff Bridges and Daft Punk bring something other than 3D to the table....

Tron: Legacy

Irvin Kershner and the best light saber fight

2010-12-02T13:33:00.000Z

Irvin Kershner (1923 - 2010)

RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE

2010-11-25T15:52:00.000Z

A black comedy from Finland about Santa Clause is a seemingly bizarre concept. And the result is really bizarre movie. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is this, and it is awesome! Set the cold, cold Korvantunturi Mountains in northern Finland scientists are setting off explosions on a mountain. Soon enough the local inhabitants starts noticing weird stuff going down, livestock is massacred, children go missing….ears get bitten off!. This reminds one small boy of the real legend of Santa Claus, not the ‘Coca-Cola’ version. When the boy’s father accidentally captures the real Santa in a baited trap, the real version of Christmas reveals its real darkness.

Rare Exports is by far one of the weirdest mainstream films of recent times. A wonderfully original idea, that fuses a unique sense of comedy with action and family drama in way that is largely unparalleled. There are nods to 80s adventure films like ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Poltergiest’, there is an air of young Spielberg at work making kids action films with a dark twist, but Rare Exports might take a little from these types of films and makes its own out of them. It can’t be easy to make a film that is laugh out loud funny and genuinely creepy and keep that balance without one eventually rendering the other void, but this film achieved it consistently. On leaving the cinema a woman from Finland (many native Fins attended and were very enthusiastically vocal throughout) asked me if I ‘got’ the Finnish humor. I think I did, but what I think I ‘got’ most was discovering that this movie was not pandering to any Hollywood type of Christmas, or more to the point what a comedy, action, horror movie should be. Rare Exports will hopefully usher in more unique mainstream movies from other cultures that will as equally and as boldly and as entertainingly showcase themselves.

Also check out this Short Film that would lead to the feature..

Hyvää joulua

Laura Marling - The Needle & The Damage Done (Produced by Jack White)

2010-11-25T13:32:00.000Z

Two of the best artists keeping traditional(esque) song writing interesting and relevant have joined forced to cover a classic Neil Young track!

Laura Marling's pale yet powerful voice combined with her simple guitar picking tehnique fits perfectly with Jack White's organic production style...

FROM INNER SPACE TO OUTER SPACE

2010-11-23T15:02:00.000Z

The SimonSound

‘From Inner Space To Outta Space’ @ The Duke of York’s Picture House

The Duke of York’s Picture House cinema is hundred years old and the September they celebrated what movie going was like back in 1910. But on the night of December 10^th it’s heading straight for the future…but in a retro 60s, sci-fi, psychedelic kind of way (often the only way to go).

The Simonsound will be bringing live rescoring to old 60s sci-fi TV shows, being projected on the big screen (real 16mm stuff), the night will also include a psychedelic projected light show and a live mix by DJ Format.

The Simonsound’s first album Reverse Engineering has been championed by Radio 1’s Giles Peterson, and the show at the Duke’s promise to be the full, visceral experience. Their live set mixes analogue synthesisers, space echo, tape loops, Debbie Clare on vocals and Laura J Martin on vocals, flute and mandolin. A strong visual element is provided by a montage of 50’s and 60’s science, science fiction, psychedelic and space exploration footage. The film screenings will Timelash - a trippy episode of 60’s sci-fi TV series UFO; Space Place – a 60’s psychedelic trip into space with electronic sound; and Kosmodron R. 1999, a wry comic Eastern European animation on the vicissitudes of space flight.

Ian Helliwell will be providing a multi-projector light show to accompany the live music and there will also be special DJ set from DJ Format who will be leaving his old school hip-hop, funk and soul aside and bringing out some of the weirdest and and most unusually pysch rock rarities that you wish you’d been hearing all your life.

This is shaping up to be an awesome night displaying the power and immensity of music and image, fusing old and new, retro and prog(o?) with a spaced out trippy feel that everyone craves on a Friday night! Don’t miss out!

Get tickets at the Duke’s website

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/News/Item/The_Simonsound/

http://www.simonsound.co.uk/

A GONZO BIRTHDAY!

2010-11-23T13:06:00.000Z

This is the best late birthday present I ever got...straight from Owl Farm, Woody Creek. Home of the good doctor!

Thanks Flora! x

Gonzo journalism is a style of reporting based on William Faulkner's idea that the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism -- and the best journalists have always known this. True gonzo reporting needs the talents of a master journalist, the eye of an artist/photographer and the heavy balls of an actor. Because the writer must be a participant in the scene, while he's writing it -- or at least taping it, or even sketching it. Or all three. Probably the closest analogy to the ideal would be a film director/producer who writes his own scripts, does his own camera work and somehow manages to film himself in action, as the protagonist or at least a main character.

Hunter S. Thompson

A NAZI'S TAKE ON 'INDEPENDENCE DAY' - from 'Hella Nation'

2010-11-15T21:16:00.000Z

I'm reading a book called Hella Nation by Evan Wright (Generation Kill). It's about sub-cultures in America. People with 'completely opposing attitudes towards today's dominant culture.' Weird social and political groups of people, that are either self organized and constructed, or exist as a result of the fallout from the society around them.

In one segment of the book, Wright explores a neo-Nazi society calling themselves the 'Aryan Nations' and their religion, 'Christian Identity'.

This segment (about one of my favourite films) made me laugh...and wince.

...Pastor Butler lays the blame for the degeneration of social values on the Jewish influence in Hollywood, citing the movie Independence Day as an example. "A nigger and a Jew save the whole white race!" Pastor Butler says, outraged at the preposterousness of it.

FOUR WINDS

2010-11-13T14:46:00.000Z

FOUR WINDS is an amazing song that I constantly keep rediscovering...so I guess thats more like consistently enjoying (?) but never mind...written by Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and first appeared on the Cassadaga album from 2006 .The song has timeless country sound largely fueled by the distinct violin hook and Oberst poetic lyrics filled with vivid imagery.

It turns out The Killers did a cover of it as b-side to one of their (generic-europopesque-bassy-pop tunes) last year!.....(I do like The Killers...but you know...there's not that much to say about them any more)

Anyway here's The Killers version

...and the original (unfortunately the single version hasn't got the long violin intro...fuckin' MTV!)

Personally I'll take the original and the violin over bassy synths any day....but good songs can take many incarnations...this is one.

...A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl
With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl
She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world
Four winds blowing through her hair...

SIX FLAGS - a real 'Zombieland'

2010-11-11T10:41:00.000Z

Found this on the VBS blog....it's kinda mad...part Zombieland, part Spirited Away, but mostly kinda eerie and tragic and cool...

Here's what the guys and VBS have to say about it:

Somewhere between an apocalyptic zombie hangout and the place where Louisiana’s teens go to swap STDs exists the New Orleans Six Flags theme park. The amusement center has been closed for business ever since it was retrofitted as a water park by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Saltwater deposits in the foundations of the park have compromised the safety of so many rides that the theme park was recently marked for permanent closure. Photographer Teddy Smith got permission from the City of New Orleans to visit the Six Flags and has put together a somewhat stunning film documenting the damage. The result is an eerie collection of images portraying one of pop culture’s trashiest landmarks as a dilapidated husk of abandonment. The only ride to survive Mother Nature’s tantrum was Batman: The Ride. Because Batman is forever.

See the rest at VBS.TV: SIX FLAGS NOLA STILL CLOSED FOR STORM - VBS STAFF | VBS.TV Blog

GIVE ME ALL THAT YOU GOT - THE AGITATOR - 2nd Single!

2010-11-09T16:00:00.000Z

THE AGITATOR are back with another awesome track GIVE ME ALL YOU THAT YOU GOT!

See Derek rabble rousing his way his way through central London...you go with your bad-self bro!

The Agitator - GIve Me All That You Got

A pulsing, raging and up lifting track from Derek and Robert, who continue to make remarkable music that hits the pulse of contemporary life and still works as great music and songwriting in its own right!

...and like everyone else I know... The Agitator does not like David Cameron's (fucking) face!

The Agitator are on tour very soon....go to the website for details and for more tracks!

http://nowisthetimetoagitate.com/

JURASSIC PARK @ THE DUKES - and a video of Jeff Goldblum chatting about acting

2010-11-09T15:10:00.000Z

Oh yeah oh yeah!...We (at the Duke of York's) have finally got our Jurassic Park screening sorted!...

One of the most essential movies for anyone of certain age, and a film that still stands up today as a bench mark in action/adventure movies, and still (in my opinion) an unparalleled achievement in special effects. And a thorough and unique understanding and example of film making and storytelling that is a hallmark of the genius of director Steven Spielberg.

The film also boasts some of the best lines in film history... "...clever girl!"

Brighton's Duke of York's Picture House will be screening a spacial one off screening of Jurassic Park early in the new year...Saturday January 15th @ 11:00PM

Tickets (available soon) from - www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/

In the meantime..here's a recent video from co-star of Jurassic Park, the best 'scientist' actor of recent film history, the one and only...Jeff ("always on the lookout for the future ex-Mrs Malcolm") Goldblum...

'WILD HEARTED PASSION'

(Thanks for this Katy! x)

Get ready...Jurassic Park is back online....HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS!

ENTER THE VOID - sex money power...and everything else...(and The Vice Guide To Film: Gaspar Noe

2010-11-04T02:27:00.000Z

Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Bunuel, Fritz Lang, Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese...Gaspar Noe!

I watched Enter The Void the other day and have been dwelling on it since. There was so much going on in this film on technical, narrative and emotional levels that surpass most concepts of modern film making.

Gaspar Noe has taken ideas and themes from films by the names listed above and has literally ran off with them into his own mind, and created a film of incredible unique beauty and intrigue with a story that may be polarizing for audiences, yet holds masses of material and concepts to dwell on or dismiss, but will no doubt agitate.

The scenes of Oscar's spirit flying over a stylized and real Tokyo, the horrific car crash, the convergence with the air plane and the most up close sex scene (possibly ever) are stand out set pieces that should rank highly in terms of technical achievement for creating a dramatic effect in any film.

A remarkable film...try and see it on as bigger screen as possible with the best sound you can muster...

I missed the opening credits...I wish i hadn't! This is so good!

The good folk at VBS have made a film following Gaspar Noe and the part of the making and immediate reception of Enter The Void. Have a look:

Check out all three parts. The show only really details one side of Noe's style and approach to film making, but it's still a mad little journey into a twisted Japanese underworld you probably wouldn't know about.

SOMETIMES IT'S JUST NEW JERSEY

2010-11-04T01:52:00.001Z

I'm not gonna start a long rant about how messed up American politics and American media are(/is !?) But they really are! So once again it takes comedy and satire to see through the plain obscene weirdness of it all and show things in some kind of understandable reality.

Of course this is quiet deep...but the guy is regularly hilarious, insightful and entertaining on The Daily Show.

"Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the promised land. Sometimes, it's just New Jersey"

If you have never seen it before check it out on either Comedy Central or 4oD

www.thedailyshow.com/

DRAGONFLY LOVE - THEY SHOT ALL THIS ON A PHONE!!!

2010-11-01T18:37:00.000Z

Dragonfly Love - The Film from The Dragonfly Love Project on Vimeo.

I mean seriously just on a damn phone!....respect to that!

NZAMBI - Halloween Special with the Haitian Zombies

2010-11-01T16:24:00.000Z

Halloween was yesterday...hope y'all had fun with the blood and the booze and make up....but here's where the zombie really came from...

In this VBS doc Hamilton Morris sets of for Haiti to explore the concept of Haitian zombies and voodoo magic in Nzambi. Staring of with the case of Clairvius Narcisse. Pronounced dead by two US trained doctors and appropriate paper work filled and death certificates signed. 15 years later Narcisse turns up in his home village, turned into a 'zombie'!

The documentary then endeavors on mission to do a detailed exploration of ideas of 'zombificiation' and voodoo magic in Haiti. Although our host is kinda weird looking and annoyingly-awkwardly-pretentious, Hamilton Morris still knows (scientifically) what he is talking about. This series explores the subject scientifically and historically very thoroughly. Giving great background research on a country, a people and religion that are easily misconstrued and misunderstood by western ideals. Hamilton also explains the actual chemical science aspects with knowledge and in an understandable way.

The series also demonstrates how the modern folklore of zombies, perpetuated by pulp novels and then Hollywood originated from Haitian voodoo mythology....

Watch all Six Parts at VBS now.

Another intriguing aspect of the show, is that it promotes the idea that to explore ideas of 'other' cultures, to look into beliefs, ideals and lifestyles that are fundamentally foreign to your own, requires you to leave preconceived ideas, thoughts and comparisons to things you know on the shelf for a moment...

Clairvius Narcisse

FUTURE SHORTS. ONE. 06/11/2010

2010-10-25T16:18:00.000+01:00

FUTURE SHORTS ARE BACK!

On the 6th November, all over the world...

Join the experience...

www.futureshorts.com/

RESTREPO - real war

2010-10-21T23:35:00.000+01:00

"Their experiences are important to understand, regardless of one's political beliefs. Beliefs are a way to avoid reality. This is reality" (Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington)

Restrepo is a documentary by photographer Tim Hetherington and writer Sebastian Junger. The film follows a platoon of US troops deployed to Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. They were there for over a year in one of the deadliest war zones in the world. Dug in deep and fighting close contact with the Taliban.

Restrepo is without a doubt an incredibly visceral and intense experience and is unusual for a feature length documentary due it's frankness and simplicity of style. The portrayal of the troops and their experiences are honest and delivered without any preconceived narrative or political ideology. The simplicity of the films tag line 'one platoon, one valley, one year' holds true.

This is partly what makes Restrepo stand out as war documentary...it doesn't try to explain any back story, project any repercussions, or even show another side to what's being shown, The film makers have followed through with their mission statement and delivered the 'real thing'.

Perhaps this is why it such a difficult film to write about. There is almost little to comment or criticize about it, because the film goes against what a lot of contemporary documentaries try to do...Restrepo is not trying to swing the viewer in any political or ideological way. It's straight up documentary about people fighting in war us at home are all to quick to forget about and ignore.

On the Restrepo website it states: 'This is war, full stop. The Conclusions are up to you.'

Well...I'm struggling to write some kind of 'review' of this film, but having watched it...here are my conclusions...

As a film, it is unique and engaging and forces the viewer to experience the concept of modern war from the unique position of the soldiers, the people living with the reality of the war. The film does this and stands out as a piece contemporary film making in a time when there so much spin and propaganda in this subject matter. The events the men go through are as in engaging as anything a script writer could come up with. We genuinely see the brutal action and fighting they go through, the frustration of their situation, the boredom of being stuck on a hillside for months on end and the inevitable crude comedy and genuine outpouring of emotion that will come from fifteen men alone in a foreign war zone. Half way through the film I found myself forgetting where they were and what context of the film was, I was too invested with the 'characters' and what they were directly going through at that moment. In this respect the film truly achieved it's goal...I had disregarded my beliefs for a short while and was in the reality.

However, I can't help but feel that this project would have worked better as series of shorter installments. One year is long time, to condense it to 90 mins is I feel asking too much for the story and of the audience to effectively process the information. Perhaps a mini-series of hour long episodes would have served the story better as I couldn't help but feel that there was a lot more going on than what was shown on screen. (I'm sure Sebastian Junger's book 'War' goes into more detail however.)

Despite the film makers intensions to depict the reality of the events, the viewers beliefs and politics are tugged at here. By the end of the film I couldn't help but be left with a bitter taste in my mouth as I wondered 'What the hell were actually doing there and what did they achieve?'

Unfortunately, these haunting questions may have left more an in-print on me than the reality of these soldiers experience. This perhaps is a triumph of the film. By taking the viewer on a reality trip through an experience and showing more directly and first hand what is going on in this world. It is easy to hold an opinion on the rights or wrongs of war, even if you no little about the reasons for or against it. But this film (whether it wants to do this or not) strongly reaffirmed my view that most of the foreign policy regarding the war in Afghanistan is as pointlessly bizarre as anything that happened in Vietnam.

Restrepo will hopefully continue a conversation that needs to be had regarding the wars we (as countries) send ourselves on. Perhaps by not getting bogged down by any political and emotional ideology, Restrepo has demonstrated more effectively and sincerely that these wars and the driving force behind them need to be re-thought and addressed in a dramatically and in a REALISTIC manner.

GO TO.... restrepothemovie.com

THE FUN MACHINE TOOK A SHIT AND DIED

2010-10-19T23:26:00.000+01:00

Queens of the Stone Age are a great band....and this I think probably the best titled song EVER!

Similar but different but just as good, and been listening to this loads still, Grinderman

Palaces of Montezuma

...this is awhile back now...but I keep coming back to this tune at the moment....

There She Goes, My Beautiful World

'the corn flower in the chicory...'

'and Gauguin, he buggered off man and went all tropical..."

'and Dylan Thomas he died drunk in St. Vincent's hospital'

(many a randomly quotable lyric here...)

ALAMAR - a new breed of film?

2010-10-19T16:09:00.000+01:00

Alamar is an amalgamation of many things. It is part documentary, part drama, part environment protection movie, part father/son story, emotional, minimal, melancholy, engaging and incredibly watchable.

It is a Mexican film on the premise of a young boy going on an extended fishing trip with his estranged fisherman father (the back story of the father's relationship with the boys mother is explained in a wonderfully simple, eloquent way by both characters in the opening minuets). What follows a very simplistic depiction of this trip and the relationship that develops between the father and son, and also with the boy and the environment. The coast of the Yucatan in southern Mexico is arguably the main character of the film as is it's depiction on the ocean, the reefs, the wildlife and the way of life of the humans that inhabit the area that are a major driving force of the film.

In this respect Alamar has three major factors to it. The role of nature and the environment, the father/son relationship and also the fine balance between documentary and fiction that film oscillates with in a wonderfully flowing, natural and unique way.

The characters in the film are real and so is the relationships they have with each other, however some of circumstances regarding the actual reasons for trip and the family dynamic are fictionalized. The film never announces itself as either documentary or drama, it merely does what it does, and it does this throughout on its on terms and agenda. And it is this that is the reason for it's artistic and emotional success. The apparent simplicity of narrative and style leads the viewer to draw their own emotions and feelings towards what they are seeing and witnessing. A perfect example of less being more. A cynic could easily call this film boring and pointless. But that would be a truly awful kind of person. Alamar does what so many films fail to do, it lets the viewer think and draw themselves into a story that although is set in a unique place about a unique group of people, it is really a film everyone can relate to and be mesmerized by.

Stephen Graham IS Al Capone and the problem with This Is England '86

2010-10-16T15:35:00.000+01:00

Actor Stephen Graham has came as been proving himself a fine character actor over the last few years playing supporting roles as mostly reckless and fearsome gangster types. Most notably in films like Snatch (Guy Ritchie), Gangs of New York (Martin Scorsese) and Public Enemies (Michael Mann). Arguably his juiciest role has been 'Combo' in Shane Meadows masterpiece This Is England.

When This Is England was released a few years ago, the acclaim and spotlight were focused squarely and intently on director/writer Shane Meadows and young lead actor Thomas Turgoose. And quite rightly so, Meadows had been making the most interesting and exciting British films for the last ten years and was finally getting sufficient acclaim and recognition. And Turgoose indeed played the role of Shaun a young boy left fatherless due to Falklands war who looks to a gang of skinheads for acceptance and comfort with such honesty and conviction that you could see on screen that there was something more to this story than just a role for an actor (Turgoose) and just a film for a writer/director (Meadows). This Is England was a personal story for both this guys. For Meadows it was an expression of his youth seen through the culture and time he grew up with delivering that expression acutely through the medium he had learned to master. For Turgoose his performance was that of a young man who doesn't yet understand the method and practice of acting (he wasn't in any way an actor before This Is England) and more of a cathartic outpouring of his own young experiences and clear forward projection of this young man's potential as an actor.

But anyway, despite all this, I still think the best performance from This Is England was Graham's multi layered portrayal of a confused, disturbed, dangerous young man at specific time in his life and at a significant time of England's recent history.

The fear, comedy, intensity and dramatic reality that Graham bought to the role accompany Meadow's story, script and filmic style perfectly as did Paddy Considine's iconic performance in Dead Man's Shoe's.

The strength of Graham's performance was reinforced by his recent outing in Meadows TV spin-off This Is England '86 which aired earlier this month. I didn't like it...straight up. It had heart, but was a massive case of style of substance. Although the characters were still engaging and enjoyable to watch, the mini series failed to have any real gravitas. Perhaps this was because the show focused on characters that we're devised as supporting roles for a story that Shane Meadows himself described as personal story about a young boy coming to terms with the death of his father (referring to This Is England). Therefore these characters 'Lol', 'Woody', 'Milky', 'Gadget' etc whilst being enjoyable and funny had no real grounding or hinge for the viewer base themselves on whilst watching. However. In the final episode 'Combo' reappears and his short but devastatingly intense performance really salvaged the whole project.

When he finds 'Lol' distraught after the vicious and atrocious attack on her by her father, 'Combo's' explanation, justification and consolation to her is a remarkable and emotionally shattering piece of dramatic acting. For sure credit is also due to Meadows for his superb writing and deliberately restrained directing style, and Vicky McClure and Johnny Harris ('Lol' and 'Mick' (the father)) certainly hold their own in the scene, but this was the one of only two scenes in the whole series that I felt that had any real depth and weight to it. The other is when 'Combo' (Graham again) returns his mother's flat to find a neighbour there and that his mother had died the night before. 'Combo's' reaction is so minimal yet the viewer gets a full impression of the emotional toil that runs through the character. This combined with the more visceral, intense performance from the scene with 'Lol' shows Stephen Graham's acting range as much more than a simplistic 'thug' type as he is normally cast as.

But perhaps, that is why his performances as these types of character are so engaging and intense to watch. Because he can take a simplistic 'thug' type character and make that character a multi layered individual, creating a tension within the viewer (as in the viewer sees a typical character in a different/new light as well as keeping with the pre-conceived ideas of what the generic stereotypical character is) as to make for truly engaging experience.

But from somewhere up north in the 80's to Atlantic City in the 20's. Stephen Graham is now playing a major role as none other than Al Capone in the latest remarkable series from HBO, Boardwalk Empire. Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter (The Sopranos writer) depiction of organised crime during the prohibition era. Stephen Graham's portrayal as a young Al Capone have so far (only four episodes in to date) shown all the hallmarks of his remarkable work with Shane Meadows and also suggests comparrison to the type of performance Scorsese has got out Joe Pesci time and again.

I'm sure in the coming episodes he will have his own "funny how?" speech!

And he can do east coast gangster accent much better than Ray Winstone...(no disrespect Ray!)

Stephen Graham is in loads of up coming films including a Nicholas Cage movie, the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie....http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0334318/

This Is England '86 is on 4od

Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band, via Atom.Smasher

2010-10-08T02:06:00.000+01:00

The songs and music of Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street band share a synergy with the American road and high-ways that is unparalleled. This is just a little joke.

Unfortunately there's not enough room on these for the whole of 'State Trooper'....shame because that really would be fitting....

New Jersey Turnpike ridin' on a wet night 'neath the refinery's glow
Out where the great black rivers flow
License, registration, I ain't got none but I got a clear conscience
'Bout the things that I done
Mister state trooper, please don't stop me
Please don't stop me, please don't stop me

Maybe you got a kid, maybe you got a pretty wife the only thing that I got's been both'rin' me my whole life
Mister state trooper, please don't stop me
Please don't stop me, please don't stop me

In the wee wee hours your mind gets hazy, radio relay towers lead me to my baby
Radio's jammed up with talk show stations
It's just talk, talk, talk, talk, till you lose your patience
Mister state trooper, please don't stop me

Hey, somebody out there, listen to my last prayer

Hiho silver-o, deliver me from nowhere

Anyway...

I did these through Atom.Smasher (http://atom.smasher.org/) have a go if you find your self not sleeping or have too much time on your hands.

Thanks Mat for the heads up! x

why Bruce Springsteen is awesome...(part 5)...The missing link...

2010-10-04T02:07:00.000+01:00

Bruce Springsteen quoting Martin Scorsese -

The artists job is to get your audience to care about your obsessions. The things that you think are more important and more vital and more essential than anything else in the world.

'The writing and the imagining of a world. Thats a particular thing, thats a single finger print all the film makers we love, all the writers, all the song writers...they put there finger print on your imagination.'

So this little chat between men in black shirts was to talk about a NEW but OLD Springsteen album!...effectively the missing link between Born To Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Two LP's of unreleased tracks from the 'Darkness...' sessions, a remastered version of Darkness on The Edge Of Town, a new documentary of unseen footage chronicling the period...and a new t-shirt!!!...damn YEAH!

Full info Here

www.brucespringsteen.net/news/

Bruce Springsteen - "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'" Sneak Peek from Columbia Records on Vimeo.

This is gonna be special!!!

Sally Menke - a great loss for modern cinema

2010-10-04T01:18:00.000+01:00

Quentin Tarantino has only himself to answer too. His films are bold statements bursting out of his own persona and ego, influenced heavily by all the movies and pop culture that goes through his system.

There is however one other consistent individual that has crafted the films of Tarantino. Shaped the stories and help construct some of the most memorable scenes of recent cinema. Film Editor Sally Menke. Sadly she died last week from being over come by the heat whilst hiking in the hills outside of LA.

Few director/editor collaborations have been so successful and offered such a wide range of styles and creating such a variety of moods and emotions. The almost excruciatingly exciting tension of the ear slicing scene in Reservior Dogs, the cooler than cool dance scene in Pulp Fiction, the wonderful play with split screen technique and reaction in Jackie Brown, the opening and closing of Kill Bill ("Bill, it's your baby"...BANG! IN THE HEAD)/("Does she know he child is still alive?") basic perfection.....(and the martial art fight sequences may have made Hong Kong blush), to the awesome car chase and 4 POV car crash in Death Proof, to most recently everything about Inglorious Basterds....the opening interrogation by Hans Landa trying to root out hiding jews in a French farmhouse...probably one of the best crafted scenes ever!

Hopefully Tarantino will continue to create amazing and original films without his 'number one collaborator', but either way Sally Menke's talents and understaning of film and stories will be greatly missed. However, her talent and skill will remain with the films that ain't going no where!

The Guardian Film Blog has much more thorough and well-written obituary and over view...HERE!

SPRINKLE COAL DUST ON MY GRAVE

2010-09-28T16:44:00.000+01:00

A simple, sparse and melancholy 'lil film about a forgotten time, place and people...

Ghosts in the Hollow from Jim Lo Scalzo on Vimeo.

Came across this on this site about all well made and trendy American things...

A Continuos Lean

CARDBOARD CHARACTERZ

2010-09-24T02:50:00.000+01:00

Photos By Toby King

At The Duke of York's Picture House on her 100th Birthday

I'M STILL HERE - (post thoughts)

2010-09-23T14:46:00.001+01:00

I really enjoyed I'm Still Here. I can't say it was a great movie, because it isn't, but it is a pretty cool idea and it shows Joaquin Phoenix is truly a great actor....it also made me laugh...lots!

It is no surprise that the whole thing was a hoax, but maybe a hoax is the wrong word? In the sense that Joaquin quit acting to pursue a hip-hop career then yes it was a hoax, but the scenes in the film are real and largely improvised and spontaneous. The rumors of the hoax had been following the project from the beginning, (the idea of it being a hoax is openly referenced within the narrative of the film) so in a way the hoax became the reality that they were trying to fake. Therefore extending Phoenix and Casey Affleck's intension to make a film that is a comment on celebrity and media culture in this weird modern age.

How successful I'm Still Here is at doing this is up for debate (like I say, it isn't a great film by any means). Some may claim it is a mere vanity project taken a bit too far and the artistic output and/or critique of the media it was trying to portray lacked any major punch.

But whatever you say about the project, you must give credit to the film makers. They had an idea, an original idea to do something new and unique regarding filmmaking and they followed it through...thoroughly. Not just in terms of living a lie for a year and half but also Phoenix's physical change, and his maniacal persona are convincing as a reality and also extremely intriguing to watch. He does make the viewer laugh, cringe, sympathise, empathise with and too his character. Yet he is also often (most of the movie) comes across as a complete arse-hole, rude, obnoxious and petty. But despite his erratic and multiple personalities in the film, they all complement each other as this 'character' ('Joaquin'/'JP'...whatever!) and that could be this film's major triumph. Wether Phoenix was putting this on or not doesn't matter, the 'character' of the film remains and he is actively engaging for an audience.

The film's social comment on todays horrendous media and celebrity culture are perhaps still unclear. Casey Affleck has said that he has found promoting this film hard, not just because he has has to consistently lie about the 'truth' of the project, but because he just wants people to see and wait a few weeks until a real discussion and dialogue on the film can begin.

Joaquin Phoenix has now come out (looking shaved and slim..see video below) and said that he and Affleck wanted to try a new approach to filmmaking. And it seems that Affleck especially wants to try something new regarding how films are publicised. Perhaps in a more held back and natural way, instead of this urgency of opening weekends and audiences knowing everything about the film before they see it. Let the movie have time to get through to people....

Whatever the immediate response to I'm Still Here it is promising to see two young talents in Hollywood directly questioning the system and industry they work in. The world of Hollywood and show biz is a constant struggle and tension between art & expression and business & money, and that conflict of often contradictory ideas that splinter opinion and thoughts on modern culture are here in this film and laid bare, here for the viewer to pick at and ponder if they so choose.

I'm Still Here throws a lot of these ideas up in the air, but maybe fails to catch any again. Regardless of the catching is always interesting to shake things up and see what happens, in this case I guess you left with more questions and wonderings than answers, but you do certainly laugh through a lot of it.

One final note....you gotta give credit to the man...that beard was one hell of a commitment and very thorough he was with it too.

Here is Joaqiun Phoenix explaining more on David Letterman last night (22/10/2010)

I'm not sure that this Letterman guy is the right person for this interview....he really doesn't seem to get it...but I guess that is the whole point?!...Maybe the project of 'I'm Still Here' is on-going?....and yes Dave I think if there is a joke here it is aimed at you...not 'you' as a man, but the nature of your work. Don't take it personally, for it seems were all a part of this one.

Just keep laughing along with it....it might be OK in the end!

BRIGHTON ROCK - DUKE'S 100

2010-09-23T13:13:00.000+01:00

Brighton's Duke of York's cinema had it's hundred birthday last night! Now I am a little fuzzy in the head!

But a great night was had by all and thanks to everyone who turned up. A highlight of the night was a special screening of footage from the new Brighton Rock movie. Optimum releasing were gracious enough to exhibit several scenes from the upcoming film.

This version of Graham Greene's novel is set in the 60s and uses the clash and conflict between the mods and rockers as a back drop for a tale of young love and restless misplaced idealism (with some sociopathic tendencies) in a violent gangland culture.

The opening title sequence echoes the moody atmosphere of Scorsese's Shutter Island and film opens with a tense and violent knife fight underneath Brighton's famous promenade in the pouring rain.

We also see well acted and awkward (purposely so) scene between Pinky (Sam Riley) and Rose (Andrea Riseborough) at a dance. (Both seem perfectly cast)

A highlight was a wonderful crane shot following Pinkie riding his moped through the streets, as he turns a corner the camera rises and reveals a whole convoy of mods on mopeds cruising down the seafront. (It maybe Eastbourne seafront, but lets face it thats one of few places that can still pass as being in the 60s without some major CGI!)

Overall the scenes that were showed looked very promising, the set design, costumes and lighting all were strong and bold and complemented each other well. The film appears to have a certain look and feel that makes it stand out as slick (with girtty feel) and made to a very high standard. It comes across as having a clear and realized aesthetic that will help to convey the emotional core of of the story, through it's setting and look. It also looks like it could be a really good genre movie and not another middle-of-the-road British movie that are all too common currently.

The film also stars Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis and John Hurt....always a good thing.

It's coming out in early February and the Duke's is going to be involved with the launch....something special!...watch this space....