I'm a bit late on this, but following his death at the age of 79 I wanted to post something about Edward Woodward.
Edgar Wright (who directed him in Hot Fuzz) has a very warm tribute to him here (with a follow up featuring contributions from Joe Dante and Peter Jackson here) and Simon Pegg's memories of working with him on the same film can be seen here.
Most obituaries seem to have focussed on his TV career - fair enough; he was in two huge TV series across three decades, and most people will recognise him from one of those, but his film career should not be overlooked.
Those obituaries that do mention his film career have concentrated on his role as Sgt. Howie in the classic (I'll omit the ubiquitous "cult" from its description - when a film has been remade it surely enters the mainstream) The Wicker Man. A wonderfully crazy British film, no doubt, but if I had to pick my favourite film of his, I'd plump for the 1980 Australian film Breaker Morant. I'm glad to see Simon Pegg mentioned it in his tribute.
A military courtroom drama, based on a true story and set during the Boer War, Woodward plays the title character, a poet and one of three Australian soldiers on trial for shooting prisoners. You get the feeling Aaron Sorkin, writer of A Few Good Men saw it a few times before he wrote the play that film is based on.
It was a film I'd read about (it gets a mention in Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero, for example), and wanted to see it but hadn't seen until, in a happy coincidence, it popped up on TV on my birthday in 2002.
Scapegoats in a war the British Empire want to end, the men are hamstrung in their defence from the start, and the way the men take their inevitable fate is choking in its stoicism. If you haven't seen it, I don't want to spoil it, but I recall an interview with Woodward a few years ago where he said that he and Bryan Brown, playing his colleague Lt. Peter Handcock, had improvised a moment right before the end, only to find out that is what the real Morant and Handcock had done at the same point.
Fans of his character in The Wicker Man, the pious Police Sargeant Howie, will be interested to note that in this film Woodward exclaims (in a sly dig at the outcome of the trial) "I'm a pagan." The best line, however, is (save for Woodward reading one of Morant's poems in voiceover) the final one of the film, which you can find in the title to this post.
The DVD is available on Amazon for less than a fiver. I can think of worse ways to spend an evening as the nights draw in.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Saturday, 14 November 2009
An Attempt At A Summary Of The Week's Film News, Kind Of...It May Not Be Very Good...
...but nothing has been posted here for a while (due to tyrannical essays). The best measure to counteract this? Copy and paste from pre-existing news items and pass it off as one's own...
(all text in bold is quoted directly from source)
ARONOFSKY’S NEXT FILM NEWS
Darren Aronofsky’s next film, THE BLACK SWAN now has the announced cast of Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey and Vincent Cassel.
“Portman and Kunis are rival ballerinas vying for the same spot, a vacancy left by Ryder's character as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. What moves this into the crazy Aronofsky category is that Kunis may or may not be a figment of Portman's imagination. Hershey would play Portman's mother and Cassel would be the "sinister" director of the ballet.”
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
DAVID BOWIE’S SON’S NEXT FILM NEWS
Summit will be producing Duncan Jones’ next film, called SOURCE CODE. Apparently this script has been doing the rounds for a while and a lot of people are impressed with it. Jones’ previous film, Moon, was his own script so this would be a departure in that respect (I don’t know if a one film trend an auteur make). Personally I didn’t like Moon. I thought it was predictable and obvious (in that sort of way where it pretends it isn’t predictable and obvious). In its defence, however, the film looked beautifully retro and I did watch it immediately after Antichrist.
Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to star. The one-liner is “a soldier wakes up in the body of a commuter who must solve the mystery of a train explosion”
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
SGT. ROCK NEWS
I Am Legend and Constantine director, Francis Lawrence, and screenwriter, Chad St. John, have been brought on to finally make real Joel Silver’s long standing obsession to make a Sgt. Rock film. Guy Ritchie had a stab at it a while back but he is now working on LOBO (another Silver produced, comic book adaptation).
The new found life in the project is due to Warner Brothers seeing the success of INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and the forthcoming Captain America film (both WWII set).
Source: Empire
THE DISNEY SHUFFLE
“In the biggest executive departure since the arrival of Rich Ross as chairman, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group president Mark Zoradi has exited his post.
Zoradi, a 29-year Disney veteran, oversaw global marketing for the entire theatrical slate and was one of the most powerful studio executives in the field. His tenure delivered numerous $1bn-plus domestic and overseas years including an extraordinary run of 12 consecutive $1bn years at the box office during his time as president of Buena Vista International (BVI).
He was a close friend of ousted chairman Dick Cook. Ross now gets to appoint his own choice to the role after recently announcing the departure of Miramax Films president Daniel Battsek
Zoradi assumed the post of president of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group in July 2006 after having led the studio’s international distribution and marketing arm formerly known as BVI for 14 years.
He joined the Disney fold in 1980 as marketing manager for Walt Disney Home Video during the beginning of the home entertainment boom, eventually moving into television as marketing director for the Disney Channel.
In 1985 he entered the feature business as director of sales for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. He was named vice-president and general manager of Buena Vista Television and from 1987 to 1992 led the rapid growth of this business unit and was responsible for ad sales, finance, administration and operations.
In 1992 Zoradi set up the stand-alone BVI, generating $16.8bn from 1995-2006.
Source: Direct quote from Screen Online
OLDBOY REMAKE
To the dismay of many of my peers, I had never seen OLDBOY until a month ago. My reluctance was foolishly because it was so recommended. It did, however, astound me. So as I am usually for remakes, sequels, etc, the prospect of Will Smith and Steven Spielberg adapting OLDBOY for an American audience excited me dearly – especially as they were to adapt it from the source text (Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya's manga) as opposed to Park Chan-wook's 2003 film.
Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately purely on the fucking fanboy backlash that it would provoke) the project has fallen through. Although some will see this as a success – “Hooray, now we can keep OLDBOY to a niche instead of it being Americanised and thus never find as larger audience as it could (an audience that would hopefully then be encouraged to look into the Korean cinema that birthed it)”, more alarmingly is that a studio, Mandate and Dreamworks, could not reach an agreement with Will Smith and Steven Spielberg. The recession climate renders even those two names unbankable.
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
WILL SMITH WILL EVENTUALLY BEAT YOU. ALWAYS.
Will Smith is set to star in a film adaptation of Daniel Keyes' novel Flowers For Algernon. I remember this book fondly from my Year 9 English days. It seems to be standard Seven Pounds and Pursuit of Happyness Oscar fodder that Smith seems to churn out yearly. Indeed, “Cliff Robertson when he took home the Oscar for the 1968 version Charly.”
Produced “at Sony by Smith's own production company Overbrook Entertainment”, I’m sure Smith will have a lot of say in the process. Tracy Nyberg (I Am Legend and Hancock) is to produce.
Source: Empire
BEGBIE THREATENS BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY
“Trainspotting actor urges cinema chains to give 'a wee leg up' to the British film industry
Actor Robert Carlyle has called on cinema chains to "give a leg up" to the British film industry by reserving at least one screen in multiplexes to show UK productions.
Speaking at the Bafta Scotland awards in Glasgow on Sunday, the Trainspotting and Full Monty actor said, "I look at all these multiplex cinemas, 15 and 20 screens. They are basically wall-to-wall American product. You will be lucky if you find any British subject in there at all.
"I don't see why there's anything wrong in giving our industry a wee lift up, a wee leg up, and reserving one of these screens, just one of these screens for a British product.
"We make stuff and we bury it. You don't get to see it and what's the point in that? Reserve something so people will then vote with their feet."
Carlyle, who can currently be seen in SGU: Stargate Universe on Sky1, was in his home town to pick up the Scottish Bafta award for best television actor for his performance in Samantha Morton's The Unloved, beating Doctor Who's David Tennant to the prize.
He added that he was unlikely to shoot a film in Britain in the near future due to problems getting movies made and distributed.
He said: "I'm not going to be hanging about making films in Britain for quite a wee while, to be honest with you.
"The major problem for me is it's getting harder and harder to make these types of films, more and more difficult to get the finance."”
Source: Direct quote from Guardian Film
YOUR MOBILE PHONE MAY NOT RUIN THIS FILM
Orange, the France Telecom-owned mobile operator, has signed a deal with number of French film bodies to invest $120.2m (€80m) over the next three years in French and European cinema.
The deal has been signed with the Bureau de Liaison des Industries Cinematopgraphiques (BLIC), Bureau de Liaison des Organisations du Cinema (BLOC) and ARP, which covers producers, directors, distributors and exhibitors in France.
Orange Cinema Series (OCS) will invest the cash through its pay-TV service Orange Cinema Series and about 60% of that will be committed to pre-buying French films and the rest invested in film co-productions.
It has also committed to spending 25% of the budget to acquiring French-language films with a budget of $8m (€5.35m) or less, and it will also support film distribution and exhibition, specifically promoting digital.
Orange has also committed to compensating rights holders for the use of content on the interactive features of the Cinema Series service, such as catch-up TV.
The mobile operator and content provider has been increasingly investing in film over recent years through its production arm, Studio 37. It works with a series of independent producers and has co-produced films includingm Riad Sattouf’s first film Les Beaux Gosses.
OSC, launched last November, is available on TV, PC and mobile phone. It offers programmes and a large selection of films on a five dedicated channels.”
Source: Direct quote from Screen Online
MONOPOLY? YOU WANT TO MAKE A FILM ABOUT…MONOPOLY?
Following David Fincher’s next film on Facebook, Sir Ridley Scott is to base a film on a similarly ludicrous source, Monopoly. However, both very talented directors. It’s just…Monopoly?
Producer Frank Beddor, has shed some light on the subject to the LA Times.
"I took the approach of thinking of the main character falling down the rabbit hole into a place called Monopoly City," he says. The main character is envisaged as a dorky Manhattan real-estate agent who's also an obsessive Monopoly player. A magic chance card transports him to the city where Monopoly money is currency, and where the evil Parker Brothers (what, not the Waddingtons?) must be defeated.
"It tries to incorporate all the iconic imageries -- a sports car pulls up, there's someone on a horse, someone pushing a wheelbarrow," says Beddor, also mentioning recurring sight-gags with Uncle Pennybags (the guy on the box) showing up in different guises.”
Pamela Pettner (CORPSE BRIDE, MONSTER HOUSE, 9) is to write the screenplay
Source: Empire
THE LION’S WHIMPER
“The studio with the famous lion logo and library of James Bond films appears to be headed for the auction block to recoup some $3.7bn in debt
The MGM lion, a star of cinema since the 1920s, may be looking for a new home amid rumours that the studio is to be sold off in the Hollywood equivalent of a fire sale. Reportedly saddled with debts totalling $3.7bn (£2.2bn), the company looks likely to sell its MGM and United Artists libraries to the highest bidder in the next few weeks.
Variety suggests that the studio's film archive, which includes the lucrative James Bond adventures, may be snapped up by a major company such as Time-Warner. The famous logo featuring Leo the lion could well be auctioned off separately. Either way, it appears that the heyday of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is officially over.
Founded in 1924, MGM operated under the motto "Ars Gratia Artis", a Latin phrase meaning "art for art's sake". The company enjoyed a long and profitable heyday thanks to the success of films such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind and Singin' in the Rain. It scored what was arguably its biggest hit in 1959 with the Oscar-winning Ben Hur.
In recent years, however, the company's output has dwindled and it has become increasingly reliant on money generated by the 007 franchise. MGM has released only three pictures in 2009: The Pink Panther 2 and the remakes Fame and The Taking of Pelham 123. All of these were co-productions with other studios.”
Source: direct quote from Screen Online
HOORAY FOR SCORSESE, AGAIN.
Martin Scorsese will receive the Cecil B DeMille Award for his “outstanding contribution to the entertainment field” at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 17, 2010.
The award, voted by the board of directors of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was announced by Vera Farmiga at a press conference this morning [12].
The show, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will be broadcast live coast-to-coast from The Beverly Hilton.
Scorsese received two best director Golden Globes for The Departed and Gangs Of New York. He earned five additional Golden Globe nominations, including four as best director (Casino, Age Of Innocence, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull) and one for best screenplay for Raging Bull with Nicolas Pileggi.
Steven Spielberg won the Cecil B DeMille award last year and previous winners include Warren Beatty, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams and Michael Douglas.
Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture history.
Nominations for The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be announced on December 15.”
Source: Direct quote from Screen Online
*all text in bold is quoted directly from source.
Trailers I Procrastinated With This Week...
UP n the Air
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/upintheair/medium_co-pilot.html
Clash of the Titans
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43026
Kick-Ass
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43027
-the ‘superhero’ Red Mist has the best power ever seen. A gun.
(all text in bold is quoted directly from source)
ARONOFSKY’S NEXT FILM NEWS
Darren Aronofsky’s next film, THE BLACK SWAN now has the announced cast of Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey and Vincent Cassel.
“Portman and Kunis are rival ballerinas vying for the same spot, a vacancy left by Ryder's character as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. What moves this into the crazy Aronofsky category is that Kunis may or may not be a figment of Portman's imagination. Hershey would play Portman's mother and Cassel would be the "sinister" director of the ballet.”
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
DAVID BOWIE’S SON’S NEXT FILM NEWS
Summit will be producing Duncan Jones’ next film, called SOURCE CODE. Apparently this script has been doing the rounds for a while and a lot of people are impressed with it. Jones’ previous film, Moon, was his own script so this would be a departure in that respect (I don’t know if a one film trend an auteur make). Personally I didn’t like Moon. I thought it was predictable and obvious (in that sort of way where it pretends it isn’t predictable and obvious). In its defence, however, the film looked beautifully retro and I did watch it immediately after Antichrist.
Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to star. The one-liner is “a soldier wakes up in the body of a commuter who must solve the mystery of a train explosion”
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
SGT. ROCK NEWS
I Am Legend and Constantine director, Francis Lawrence, and screenwriter, Chad St. John, have been brought on to finally make real Joel Silver’s long standing obsession to make a Sgt. Rock film. Guy Ritchie had a stab at it a while back but he is now working on LOBO (another Silver produced, comic book adaptation).
The new found life in the project is due to Warner Brothers seeing the success of INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and the forthcoming Captain America film (both WWII set).
Source: Empire
THE DISNEY SHUFFLE
“In the biggest executive departure since the arrival of Rich Ross as chairman, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group president Mark Zoradi has exited his post.
Zoradi, a 29-year Disney veteran, oversaw global marketing for the entire theatrical slate and was one of the most powerful studio executives in the field. His tenure delivered numerous $1bn-plus domestic and overseas years including an extraordinary run of 12 consecutive $1bn years at the box office during his time as president of Buena Vista International (BVI).
He was a close friend of ousted chairman Dick Cook. Ross now gets to appoint his own choice to the role after recently announcing the departure of Miramax Films president Daniel Battsek
Zoradi assumed the post of president of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group in July 2006 after having led the studio’s international distribution and marketing arm formerly known as BVI for 14 years.
He joined the Disney fold in 1980 as marketing manager for Walt Disney Home Video during the beginning of the home entertainment boom, eventually moving into television as marketing director for the Disney Channel.
In 1985 he entered the feature business as director of sales for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. He was named vice-president and general manager of Buena Vista Television and from 1987 to 1992 led the rapid growth of this business unit and was responsible for ad sales, finance, administration and operations.
In 1992 Zoradi set up the stand-alone BVI, generating $16.8bn from 1995-2006.
Source: Direct quote from Screen Online
OLDBOY REMAKE
To the dismay of many of my peers, I had never seen OLDBOY until a month ago. My reluctance was foolishly because it was so recommended. It did, however, astound me. So as I am usually for remakes, sequels, etc, the prospect of Will Smith and Steven Spielberg adapting OLDBOY for an American audience excited me dearly – especially as they were to adapt it from the source text (Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya's manga) as opposed to Park Chan-wook's 2003 film.
Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately purely on the fucking fanboy backlash that it would provoke) the project has fallen through. Although some will see this as a success – “Hooray, now we can keep OLDBOY to a niche instead of it being Americanised and thus never find as larger audience as it could (an audience that would hopefully then be encouraged to look into the Korean cinema that birthed it)”, more alarmingly is that a studio, Mandate and Dreamworks, could not reach an agreement with Will Smith and Steven Spielberg. The recession climate renders even those two names unbankable.
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
WILL SMITH WILL EVENTUALLY BEAT YOU. ALWAYS.
Will Smith is set to star in a film adaptation of Daniel Keyes' novel Flowers For Algernon. I remember this book fondly from my Year 9 English days. It seems to be standard Seven Pounds and Pursuit of Happyness Oscar fodder that Smith seems to churn out yearly. Indeed, “Cliff Robertson when he took home the Oscar for the 1968 version Charly.”
Produced “at Sony by Smith's own production company Overbrook Entertainment”, I’m sure Smith will have a lot of say in the process. Tracy Nyberg (I Am Legend and Hancock) is to produce.
Source: Empire
BEGBIE THREATENS BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY
“Trainspotting actor urges cinema chains to give 'a wee leg up' to the British film industry
Actor Robert Carlyle has called on cinema chains to "give a leg up" to the British film industry by reserving at least one screen in multiplexes to show UK productions.
Speaking at the Bafta Scotland awards in Glasgow on Sunday, the Trainspotting and Full Monty actor said, "I look at all these multiplex cinemas, 15 and 20 screens. They are basically wall-to-wall American product. You will be lucky if you find any British subject in there at all.
"I don't see why there's anything wrong in giving our industry a wee lift up, a wee leg up, and reserving one of these screens, just one of these screens for a British product.
"We make stuff and we bury it. You don't get to see it and what's the point in that? Reserve something so people will then vote with their feet."
Carlyle, who can currently be seen in SGU: Stargate Universe on Sky1, was in his home town to pick up the Scottish Bafta award for best television actor for his performance in Samantha Morton's The Unloved, beating Doctor Who's David Tennant to the prize.
He added that he was unlikely to shoot a film in Britain in the near future due to problems getting movies made and distributed.
He said: "I'm not going to be hanging about making films in Britain for quite a wee while, to be honest with you.
"The major problem for me is it's getting harder and harder to make these types of films, more and more difficult to get the finance."”
Source: Direct quote from Guardian Film
YOUR MOBILE PHONE MAY NOT RUIN THIS FILM
Orange, the France Telecom-owned mobile operator, has signed a deal with number of French film bodies to invest $120.2m (€80m) over the next three years in French and European cinema.
The deal has been signed with the Bureau de Liaison des Industries Cinematopgraphiques (BLIC), Bureau de Liaison des Organisations du Cinema (BLOC) and ARP, which covers producers, directors, distributors and exhibitors in France.
Orange Cinema Series (OCS) will invest the cash through its pay-TV service Orange Cinema Series and about 60% of that will be committed to pre-buying French films and the rest invested in film co-productions.
It has also committed to spending 25% of the budget to acquiring French-language films with a budget of $8m (€5.35m) or less, and it will also support film distribution and exhibition, specifically promoting digital.
Orange has also committed to compensating rights holders for the use of content on the interactive features of the Cinema Series service, such as catch-up TV.
The mobile operator and content provider has been increasingly investing in film over recent years through its production arm, Studio 37. It works with a series of independent producers and has co-produced films includingm Riad Sattouf’s first film Les Beaux Gosses.
OSC, launched last November, is available on TV, PC and mobile phone. It offers programmes and a large selection of films on a five dedicated channels.”
Source: Direct quote from Screen Online
MONOPOLY? YOU WANT TO MAKE A FILM ABOUT…MONOPOLY?
Following David Fincher’s next film on Facebook, Sir Ridley Scott is to base a film on a similarly ludicrous source, Monopoly. However, both very talented directors. It’s just…Monopoly?
Producer Frank Beddor, has shed some light on the subject to the LA Times.
"I took the approach of thinking of the main character falling down the rabbit hole into a place called Monopoly City," he says. The main character is envisaged as a dorky Manhattan real-estate agent who's also an obsessive Monopoly player. A magic chance card transports him to the city where Monopoly money is currency, and where the evil Parker Brothers (what, not the Waddingtons?) must be defeated.
"It tries to incorporate all the iconic imageries -- a sports car pulls up, there's someone on a horse, someone pushing a wheelbarrow," says Beddor, also mentioning recurring sight-gags with Uncle Pennybags (the guy on the box) showing up in different guises.”
Pamela Pettner (CORPSE BRIDE, MONSTER HOUSE, 9) is to write the screenplay
Source: Empire
THE LION’S WHIMPER
“The studio with the famous lion logo and library of James Bond films appears to be headed for the auction block to recoup some $3.7bn in debt
The MGM lion, a star of cinema since the 1920s, may be looking for a new home amid rumours that the studio is to be sold off in the Hollywood equivalent of a fire sale. Reportedly saddled with debts totalling $3.7bn (£2.2bn), the company looks likely to sell its MGM and United Artists libraries to the highest bidder in the next few weeks.
Variety suggests that the studio's film archive, which includes the lucrative James Bond adventures, may be snapped up by a major company such as Time-Warner. The famous logo featuring Leo the lion could well be auctioned off separately. Either way, it appears that the heyday of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is officially over.
Founded in 1924, MGM operated under the motto "Ars Gratia Artis", a Latin phrase meaning "art for art's sake". The company enjoyed a long and profitable heyday thanks to the success of films such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind and Singin' in the Rain. It scored what was arguably its biggest hit in 1959 with the Oscar-winning Ben Hur.
In recent years, however, the company's output has dwindled and it has become increasingly reliant on money generated by the 007 franchise. MGM has released only three pictures in 2009: The Pink Panther 2 and the remakes Fame and The Taking of Pelham 123. All of these were co-productions with other studios.”
Source: direct quote from Screen Online
HOORAY FOR SCORSESE, AGAIN.
Martin Scorsese will receive the Cecil B DeMille Award for his “outstanding contribution to the entertainment field” at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 17, 2010.
The award, voted by the board of directors of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was announced by Vera Farmiga at a press conference this morning [12].
The show, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will be broadcast live coast-to-coast from The Beverly Hilton.
Scorsese received two best director Golden Globes for The Departed and Gangs Of New York. He earned five additional Golden Globe nominations, including four as best director (Casino, Age Of Innocence, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull) and one for best screenplay for Raging Bull with Nicolas Pileggi.
Steven Spielberg won the Cecil B DeMille award last year and previous winners include Warren Beatty, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams and Michael Douglas.
Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture history.
Nominations for The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be announced on December 15.”
Source: Direct quote from Screen Online
*all text in bold is quoted directly from source.
Trailers I Procrastinated With This Week...
UP n the Air
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/upintheair/medium_co-pilot.html
Clash of the Titans
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43026
Kick-Ass
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43027
-the ‘superhero’ Red Mist has the best power ever seen. A gun.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Blessed at the London Film Festival
In Leicester Square people were getting ready for the closing night gala of the 53rd BFI London Film Festival; Sam Taylor-Wood's debut, Nowhere Boy, about the early life of John Lennon.
However, I found myself across the square in the newest LFF venue, the Vue, in a cinema only two thirds full for a screening of Ana Kokkinos's Blessed.
A late addition to the festival programme (a listing for it does not appear in the festival brochure), this film grew out of the provocatively titled play Who's Afraid of the Working Class?, dealing with the relationships between people on the edge of society of Melbourne.
It is perhaps a good thing that Blessed has no opening credits: a personal prejudice leads me to worry about films with more than two credited writers, and Blessed has four. However, this was far from a hindrance to the film. You don't win the jury prize for Best Screenplay at the San Sebastián International Film Festival when too many cooks have spoiled the broth. The dialogue of the teenagers - so hard for many writers to master - is pitch perfect ("not a spare word", was what my mother said, with whom I saw the film).
The film is split into two sections, "The Children" and "The Mothers", both halves taking place over the same day and night, and telling the different sides of same stories and relationships.
Dealing with issues like child abuse and Australia's Stolen Generations, Blessed is perhaps not an easy film to watch, but it is one that is well worth the effort.
Moments that may appear confusing when first shown make sense when the story is told from the other perspective. A scene that could turn into a cliché (a teenage burglar befriended by his victim) turns into something much darker in a split second. Other than one scene that reminded me of the similarly themed US ensemble piece Where the Day Takes You (Will Smith's film debut, trivia fans), I really cannot recall a film quite like Blessed. I do not wish to give too much away, but I will say one particular plotline is incredibly moving.
Cezary Skubiszewski's somehow uplifting music is worthy of a particular mention.
I am unsure if the film has yet found a distributor in the UK. I hope it does. It also deserves recognition come awards season. Frances O'Connor, in particular should be rewarded for her performance.
During the Q&A Kokkinos that followed the screening, I asked what the reaction to the film had been in Australia. She said it had been largely positive, with a huge resonance for some people. I asked the question because I recall reading that the release of La haine led to questions in the French Parliament, followed by a screening for politicians. One could easily imagine Blessed having the same response in Australia.
Ana Kokkinos said in an interview (WARNING: slight spoilers in the link) that "People are thinking about the film days after." I saw the film on Thursday. It's Sunday now and I'm still thinking about Rhonda, Stacey and Orton.
One final point: The print I saw was the same one that had been shown at San Sebastián, and therefore had Spanish subtitles. It did not detract from the film in any way, but surely a film as important as this deserves more than one print in Europe? I know striking prints is expensive, but if it is prohibitively expensive, then the case for digital projection can only grow.
However, I found myself across the square in the newest LFF venue, the Vue, in a cinema only two thirds full for a screening of Ana Kokkinos's Blessed.
A late addition to the festival programme (a listing for it does not appear in the festival brochure), this film grew out of the provocatively titled play Who's Afraid of the Working Class?, dealing with the relationships between people on the edge of society of Melbourne.
It is perhaps a good thing that Blessed has no opening credits: a personal prejudice leads me to worry about films with more than two credited writers, and Blessed has four. However, this was far from a hindrance to the film. You don't win the jury prize for Best Screenplay at the San Sebastián International Film Festival when too many cooks have spoiled the broth. The dialogue of the teenagers - so hard for many writers to master - is pitch perfect ("not a spare word", was what my mother said, with whom I saw the film).
The film is split into two sections, "The Children" and "The Mothers", both halves taking place over the same day and night, and telling the different sides of same stories and relationships.
Dealing with issues like child abuse and Australia's Stolen Generations, Blessed is perhaps not an easy film to watch, but it is one that is well worth the effort.
Moments that may appear confusing when first shown make sense when the story is told from the other perspective. A scene that could turn into a cliché (a teenage burglar befriended by his victim) turns into something much darker in a split second. Other than one scene that reminded me of the similarly themed US ensemble piece Where the Day Takes You (Will Smith's film debut, trivia fans), I really cannot recall a film quite like Blessed. I do not wish to give too much away, but I will say one particular plotline is incredibly moving.
Cezary Skubiszewski's somehow uplifting music is worthy of a particular mention.
I am unsure if the film has yet found a distributor in the UK. I hope it does. It also deserves recognition come awards season. Frances O'Connor, in particular should be rewarded for her performance.
During the Q&A Kokkinos that followed the screening, I asked what the reaction to the film had been in Australia. She said it had been largely positive, with a huge resonance for some people. I asked the question because I recall reading that the release of La haine led to questions in the French Parliament, followed by a screening for politicians. One could easily imagine Blessed having the same response in Australia.
Ana Kokkinos said in an interview (WARNING: slight spoilers in the link) that "People are thinking about the film days after." I saw the film on Thursday. It's Sunday now and I'm still thinking about Rhonda, Stacey and Orton.
One final point: The print I saw was the same one that had been shown at San Sebastián, and therefore had Spanish subtitles. It did not detract from the film in any way, but surely a film as important as this deserves more than one print in Europe? I know striking prints is expensive, but if it is prohibitively expensive, then the case for digital projection can only grow.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Foxy Feminism
Since its premier at the 53rd annual British Film Festival in London, Fantastic Mr Fox is quickly becoming a hit with parents and children alike and it’s easy to see why. The film’s use of quirky stop motion and music gives it a flare of originality. However, I couldn’t escape the feeling of disappointment (cue familiar eyeroll) at the film’s portrayal of the all too familiar gender roles. Perhaps it was due to the casting of Meryl Streep in the lead female role that caused me to subconsciously prepare for what I thought would be a more modern take on a classic tale. I left feeling disheartened. The only female character with any substantial screen time was Mrs Fox (voiced by Meryl Streep). Furthermore her character operated predominately within the domestic sphere that traditionally has stifled many great female roles. The primary function of Mrs Fox was to act as the ‘voice of reason’ that prohibits Mr Fox (George Clooney) from living his charismatic life of enjoyment and danger.
The climax of the film takes the form of a battle between the displaced animals (led by Mr Fox) and the three farmers Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Bunce (Hugo Guinness) and Bean (Michael Gambon). One of the most memorable scenes in Fantastic Mr Fox is the one in which Mr Fox is shown rounding up and assessing his allies’ strengths. The dominance of masculinity is most striking in this scene and those that follow. The physical battle is shown to be a male arena, with Mrs Fox and the other female characters not permitted to leave the domestic setting. In addition, they are given only fleeting appearances in the narrative, with the possible excepting of the young fox which becomes the source of tension between Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson). The character is never fully explored and left merely as an object of desire for the young males.
Although adults will undoubtedly flock to see Fantastic Mr Fox, the film’s primary audience will be children. As such, it is important that there be a female character for young female, and male, audience members to relate to. This is absent in the film.
Fantastic Mr Fox looks set for cult status, it’s just a cursing shame that Wes Anderson failed to bring Roald Dahl’s classic tale into a modern society.
Rant over.
I want Moore.
Julianne Moore's greatest tool? Her mouth...
Whether she's gasping for breathe in [safe]...
Erupting on a truly deserving pharmacist in Magnolia...
Or struggling to maintain the perfect image of wife and mother in Far From Heaven...
Her mouth is the core, the indicator for the rest of her performance. You can go further with her mousy Laura Brown in The Hours, how her lips struggle to utter a word, or her Barbara Baekeland in Savage Grace, where her mouth is more deadly than any weapon.
Moore's mouth is a cinematic treasure trove, and what makes it all the more delicious is that it is also responsible for one of the most infectious laughs I have ever heard and fortunately a reoccuring presence during her Screen Talk that coincided with the 53rd London Film Festival, where she screened not one but two new films, A Single Man and Chloe. (Both of which I was lucky enough to have seen, and will discuss later).
Humble to the point of frustration (how I didn't scream "YOU ARE A GODDESS" I am unsure), Moore was as intelligent, entertaining and enchanting as her film roles would suggest and any hints of superiority, in any capacity, were distinctly absent. In fact her message was quite clear, acting is simply a job and film is a director's medium, actors are only their vessel for which they can achieve their vision and be a cultural force. This was accompanied by an interesting ancedote of new-mum Moore on the set of Magnolia, where she would instinctively alternate from her role as gold digger in the midst of hysteria to mother rather than complaining "I can't mother my child, I'm in character!". Both interesting scenarios...that would surely scare any child senseless.
The questions - from the The Script Factory's director, Briony Hanson - played safe with general interest; how did you get into X character, how do you find working with X, etc. And the interview progressed rather smoothly (quite unlike my usual encounters with Moore in the cinema), only on a handful of occassions did Hanson trigger the unanticapated from Moore. And in a flash, she was gone. As this flash lasted approx an hour and a half I cannot complain, but the greedy film fanatic inside me naturally wanted more. What about Savage Grace?, future theatre work?, and - most importantly for me - talk about your mouth!
Fortunately there are always her performances to obsess over, and her work in A Single Manand Chloe are worthy additions to her astonishing array of characters. A Single Man is undoubtedly the greater film, and will surely land her a fifth Oscar nomination come March 2010 yet it is Chloe that proves more interesting from the perspective of Moore. It sums up my own feelings on her career; in 'indie' film she rules as Queen, but once she steps into the realm of the commercial she begins to struggle.
The first hour or so acts as a wonderful examination of long-term relationships that have grown loveless and the loss of sexuality. Then a 'twist', more a disjointed change of characters and genre, throws all this good work out the window (teehehe) in a desperate attempt to incorporate a bunny-boiler finale. It is an odd decision that reaps no rewards, unless you enjoy your paint-by-numbers Hollywood thrillers with lesbian overtones (I imagine, to my dismay, many do!). Only Moore comes out unscathed; she could anchor a ship with the automatic empathy she summons. Just look at this failed attempt at a smile for the 'unsuspecting' prostitute she is about to enlist in order to discover her husband's infidelities...
She is wonderful, no?
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Julianne Moore. 23.10.09. 18:30. BFI Southbank.
A sort of unknowing curiousity circled my head as we made our way to our seats in an auditorium that was to be for the next two hours the location for an interview with the one and only Julianne Moore. Certainly the person beside me was almost bursting out of his seat with excitement, anticipation and what was quite frankly a death-defying bubble of love for this woman. But what about the rest of us? Sure I knew who she was. Did I like Children of Men? Of course. Far From Heaven? It frustrated me. Was I really aware of anything else this woman had been in? Not really. So what the hell was I doing amongst all these 'fans' waiting to hear this woman, about whom my lack of knowledge didn't even permit me to form any sort of opinion, and allow us rather insignificant individuals a brief glimpse into her fantastical existence? Well, Michael, I owe it to you. your absolute adoration of this woman is so infectious and admirable that I wanted to be a part of your dreams coming true. Yes I was curious, intrigued, but perhaps, quite ashamedly, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. From what I did know, I wasn't exactly struck down by her glamour, her beauty, or even necessarily her presence. But as she glided into that auditorium, and a room full of heads, mine included, in a split second spun to see this wonderful figure make her entrance, to say I was taken aback is something of a understatement. In that brief moment she owned the room and everyone in it. A head of cascading auburn hair framing what I never thought I'd consider to be one of the most beautifully stunning faces I'd ever seen. Her, again surprisingly, petite figure dressed head to toe in black chic; she was, quite simply, beautiful. And so the interview began. Conducted by Briony Hanson, whose rather impressive back catalogue, including an ownership to co-devising the first ever Sing-along-a-Sound-Of-Music, had earned her the all-empowering position of directing Ms. Moore's deconstruction to us.
With crossed legs and an air of effortless ease, Ms. Moore responds to Hanson's intrusions with a charming wit and infectious laugh, both necessary considering the, shall we say, near-the-knuckle nature of the talk. Why is it that you seem to consistently appear in such controversial roles? Incestuous Mother? Drug Addicted Porn Star? Etc? Well, it's not about the controversy. Boogie Nights is not a film about sex and drugs (although it is), it's about finding yourself. The nudity is not about getting your clothes off, it's not crass, it's not indecent, it's all about the messages: the connotations. And as for the nudity, well, it's a job. Yes, a job. Albeit high profile, but a job nonetheless. Do Oscar nominations put pressure on your next film? No, they get me my next film. They pay the mortgage. That's not to say Ms. Moore goes about her 'job' in a nonchalant, dismissive fashion. No. Into her work she inspires a commitment and a trust so unremitting and so admirable that her success speaks for itself. What this woman is, however, is realistic. Humble. Gracious. A preciously treasured family life forbids her career to become all emcompassing: "No I can't take care of my son, I'm in character" she jokes. A stab a Daniel Day-Lewis? Perhaps. But it made us laugh. Why did you first work with Paul Thomas Anderson? Because his script was beautiful. Why did you first work with Todd Haynes? Because his script was beautiful. Do you get disappointed when your films are criticised? Who wouldn't? Do you have a piece of work you feel most proud of? No, I feel most proud when I'm on set, when I achieve something. The end product is the director's baby, and being in the moment of producing a scene, that's mine.
Perhaps Hanson's questions were slightly repetitive. Perhaps the constant revisiting to Ms. Moore's seeming preference for erotic controversy was arguably in fact a guilty reflection of Hanson's own adoration? Perhaps. But whilst one interviewer's desires were satisfied, so were a whole room of spectator's. Taking her career seriously, but not herself, Julianne Moore is infectious to listen to and a beauty to look at. Her attitude to life is admirable: a woman truly grateful for the hand she has been dealt, but certainly not one to take any of it for granted.
As for me? The cynical but curious spectator amongst a sea of adoration? A little crush? I think so.
With crossed legs and an air of effortless ease, Ms. Moore responds to Hanson's intrusions with a charming wit and infectious laugh, both necessary considering the, shall we say, near-the-knuckle nature of the talk. Why is it that you seem to consistently appear in such controversial roles? Incestuous Mother? Drug Addicted Porn Star? Etc? Well, it's not about the controversy. Boogie Nights is not a film about sex and drugs (although it is), it's about finding yourself. The nudity is not about getting your clothes off, it's not crass, it's not indecent, it's all about the messages: the connotations. And as for the nudity, well, it's a job. Yes, a job. Albeit high profile, but a job nonetheless. Do Oscar nominations put pressure on your next film? No, they get me my next film. They pay the mortgage. That's not to say Ms. Moore goes about her 'job' in a nonchalant, dismissive fashion. No. Into her work she inspires a commitment and a trust so unremitting and so admirable that her success speaks for itself. What this woman is, however, is realistic. Humble. Gracious. A preciously treasured family life forbids her career to become all emcompassing: "No I can't take care of my son, I'm in character" she jokes. A stab a Daniel Day-Lewis? Perhaps. But it made us laugh. Why did you first work with Paul Thomas Anderson? Because his script was beautiful. Why did you first work with Todd Haynes? Because his script was beautiful. Do you get disappointed when your films are criticised? Who wouldn't? Do you have a piece of work you feel most proud of? No, I feel most proud when I'm on set, when I achieve something. The end product is the director's baby, and being in the moment of producing a scene, that's mine.
Perhaps Hanson's questions were slightly repetitive. Perhaps the constant revisiting to Ms. Moore's seeming preference for erotic controversy was arguably in fact a guilty reflection of Hanson's own adoration? Perhaps. But whilst one interviewer's desires were satisfied, so were a whole room of spectator's. Taking her career seriously, but not herself, Julianne Moore is infectious to listen to and a beauty to look at. Her attitude to life is admirable: a woman truly grateful for the hand she has been dealt, but certainly not one to take any of it for granted.
As for me? The cynical but curious spectator amongst a sea of adoration? A little crush? I think so.
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