WonderCon 2012: Aliens, Abe Lincoln & 'Amazing Spider-Man' Hit Anaheim

Watch out, San Diego Comic-Con. Your brother WonderCon has a new home, and apparently, some renewed movie and star power.

Moving south this year from San Francisco to Anaheim, WonderCon unspoiled its most impressive movie slate yet, playing host to summer 2012 blockbusters like “The Amazing Spider-Man,” ”Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” “Snow White and the Huntsman,”  ”Battleship” and ”Prometheus,” plus a host of other comic and genre-friendly fare looking to build buzz among fanboys and girls.

The rain-filled three-day convention attracted its fair share of celebs, too, with Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Michael Fassbender, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill all presumably making the short drive down from Los Angeles.

The highlights:

"Prometheus." This was the panel of all panels to attend on Saturday. Director Ridley Scott, making his highly anticipated return to sci-fi, was joined by red-hot stars Charlize Theron (also on hand for “Snow White”) and Michael Fassbender. Before screening the stunning new trailer, Scott discussed a possible sequel: “If we’re lucky, maybe there’ll be a second part to all of this.” He followed that up, saying, ”The film does leave you with some big, ongoing questions.”

Scott also discussed why he shot the film entirely in 3-D; his background in filmmaking comes from visuals and he finds using CGI and computer animation helpful to progressing his creative process. “What I learned from this film, the more you animate digitally … [the more] you can do anything want … The challenge is “how original you’re going to be.”“

A crowd member asked Scott if it was difficult to return to a genre he built his life on early in his career. The answer: not at all. ”We’re damn lucky to be doing the profession that we do,” he said. ”I am relieved I’m still allowed to do it.”

Getty Images

"The Amazing Spider-Man." Director Marc Webb, producer Matthew Tolmach and star Emma Stone discussed differentiating this reboot from the previous trilogy, saying there will be more of a focus on Peter Parker’s family. “I wanted to create a world that felt emotionally and physically grounded,” Webb said.

Webb brought a five-minute clip from “Spider-Man,” which had some unrendered effects (you can see the wires and green screen), but that didn’t affect the crowd’s warm response. There have been many naysayers regarding Spidey’s reboot, but it’s becoming obvious Webb and his team are beyond passionate about this project. This new footage (coming to interwebs soon?) will no doubt swing a lot of doubting heads the other way.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." A hilarious video from Tim Burton, a producer on the film, introduced the panel for this genre masher, before  Seth Grahame-Smith (author and screenplay co-writer), Timur Bekmambetov (director) and Benjamin Walker (star) took the stage and introduced a meaty action clip. 

When talking about Lincoln, Walker said he wanted to play someone who is “strong” and “makes compassionate decisions.” Plus, he just wanted to “cut some heads off.” Bekmambetov discussed the feature adaptation process, saying they wanted to “keep the tone and fun of book,” but also wanted to bring something new and fresh for the book’s fans, revealing that there is a central villain that was added for the film version.

"Battleship." Director Peter Berg and stars Brooklyn Decker and Alexander Skarsgård joined the WonderCon game to talk about this unlikely “adaptation.” 

"Frankly, it doesn’t lend itself as the most logical thing to adapt into a film," said Berg, who brought a new trailer and two clips — the first introducing Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), brother to Skarsgård’s Stone, who clearly has his eyes on Decker’s character (and why shouldn’t he?), and the second giving us a nice juicy look at the movie’s alien life forms, which appear to be ape-like E.T.s in full metal jackets.

Getty Images

"Snow White and the Huntsman." Director Rubert Sanders was joined by stars Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart (who went at it a bit at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con) for a look at this dark take on the classic fairytale, unveiling a five-minute clip full of knights shattering to pieces, mythical creatures and dwarfs.

When asked about her stunts, Stewart admitted she hurts herself a lot, and had a fear of riding horses because she shattered her wrists riding as a kid. Theron, meanwhile, won first f-bomb-dropping honors at the convention, when describing her character, Queen Ravenna: “Everyone has an idea of her, and there’s something nice about f**king with that idea.” When someone in the audience asked her how she played evil so well, Theron brought the house down: ”That’s because I’m a bitch … Picasso had his blue period, this is my bitch period.”

"Resident Evil: Regeneration." Writer/Director Paul W.S. Anderson took the stage to show a new teaser, which is a lot like the first one we saw back in January. ”We wanted to make it the biggest and best ‘Resident Evil,’” he exclaimed. “It’s an epic movie.”

Anderson’s partner-in-crime (and life) Milla Jovovich joined soon after, and proved yet again that she loves herself a Con, screaming “MORTAL KOMBAT!!!” into the mic upon her arrival. Someone from the audience brought up the fact that she’s the first female action hero to do five films in the same franchise. This note pumped up Jovovich as she talked about her character in the series, and how even though she’s a complete badass, she still cannot get used to the world that’s been overrun by zombies. A sequence of action-packed clips followed.

"Looper." This panel was another anticipated showcase, mostly because we haven’t seen a thing about Rian Johnson’s time travel movie. That changed with the presentation of the incredible first trailer, featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a time-leaping assassin contracted to take out an older version of himself (Bruce Willis).

The film is very noir-heavy and Johnson has made Gordon-Levitt almost unrecognizable by giving him a prosthetic nose. Johnson and Gordon-Levitt talked about their relationship (they first worked together on Johnson’s first film, “Brick”) and it’s very clear they have built a solid friendship. Gordon-Levitt had profuse praise for the future legacy of his director, saying “They [moviegoers] will talk about him just as much as they do Chris [Nolan] and Steven [Spielberg].” We hope so.

Source: MTV Next Movie

'The Raid: Redemption' Is a Roundhouse Kick to the Head

Have you ever wondered what “Die Hard” would be like if John McClane knew how to roundhouse-kick people in the face and disarm bloodthirsty, machete-wielding henchmen? If so, "The Raid: Redemption"is your answer.

Indonesian martial arts movie “The Raid” is set up almost like your favorite video game. A SWAT team needs to secure and lock down an overcrowded, run-down building seized by a ruthless crime lord. While getting debriefed on the way, our hero, Rama (Iko Uwais of “Merantau”), learns this raid has never been successfully done before, and chances are slim everyone will make it out alive.

In order to seize this building and its owner, the team must silently power through 30 floors infested with killers, gangsters, mobsters and pretty much anyone this cruel man has in his pocket. And all of these people are armed with guns and blood-stained machetes. The plot thickens, as they say, when the bad guys find out the good guys are there and seal the place off. Things quickly turn into a body-breaking game of survival.

What sells “The Raid,” and what we are here to see, are the incredible fist-pumping fight scenes everyone’s been gushing over. You will be left slack-jawed. Every once in a while, a new filmmaker comes along and turns a genre upside down. Writer-director Gareth Evans has just opened a new floodgate for action films using the innovative Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat, which consists of controlled body movements and literally means “to fight artfully” (thanks, Wikipedia!).

Evans and star Iko Uwais (who’s trained in Silat) collaborate for a second time, combining this art in the most claustrophobic areas of a broken-down building with knifes, guns and pretty much any weapon that’s likely to give you tetanus. Imagine you’re at the dead end of a skinny hallway empty-handed, and a handful of goons are coming at you with dirty machetes — your only choice is to use your surroundings and adopt or die. Kill or be killed.

Uwais and his choreography team construct these fights in an unbelievably violent, raw and exciting manner; at the same time, Evans is using the camera like an invisible person, just there watching this mayhem as it happens. Every long take and shot is impressive, and Uwais, as the lead, has the heart and passion of a young Bruce Lee. He was born to be an action star.

Our only complaint about “The Raid” is that it ended.  Good thing this is Part 1 of a trilogy.

Source: MTV NextMovie.com

VIDEO INTERVIEW: THE RAID: REDEMPTION WRITER/DIRECTOR GARETH EVANS

We have been quite loud about our love for Gareth Evan’s second feature, The Raid: Redemption. That’s because, well, this movie is just plain badass. Science doesn’t lie!

I haven’t seen a film this adrenaline-fueled in a long time and was super jazzed when I got some time to sit down with writer/director Gareth Evans to talk about the film and its much anticipated sequel. Among the few things we discuss in this interview, Evans breaks down how he creates a fight scene - from writing to figuring out the choreography to shooting — it’s very fascinating.

Source: Twitch Film

VIDEO INTERVIEW: THE RAID: REDEMPTION COMPOSERS MIKE SHINODA AND JOSEPH TRAPANESE

As if The Raid: Redemption wasn’t already cool enough when it got picked up by Sony Pictures Classics immediately after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, writer/director Gareth Evans and company wrangled in musicians Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese to revamp the film’s score. As one of the front men in Linkin Park, you already know who Shinoda is. He was hand-picked to take on this project as his first film score, and he brought in Trapanese, who collaborated with Daft Punk for Tron: Legacy. Trapanese’s work can be heard in the latest M83 album, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.” Long story short, this guy also knows his shit.

I sat down with the two to talk about their collaboration process. What’s so engaging about their collaboration is that these guys come from completely different musical backgrounds but have teamed up to create one of the best scores of the year. Also, Shinoda liked my self-award winning bright blue corduroy pants, which is what we are talking about at the beginning of this interview. Enjoy!

Written on Twitch Film

Q&A: 'Descendants' Author Kaui Hart Hemmings on Writing as a Man

"The Descendants" author Kaui Hart Hemmings wants you to know she was just being silly when she tweeted about “The Artist” cast and crew at the Academy Awards, a tweet the Huffington Post dramatized as an “insult.”

Hemmings is currently promoting the Blu-ray/DVD release of “The Descendants,” the Academy Award-winning movie starring George Clooney and cowritten and directed by Alexander Payne. We talked to her on the phone last week, and aside from the Twitter gossip, Hemmings discussed her involvement during the making of the film, why it was important to have this story told from a male perspective and what people should take from her first novel.

When you were writing the book, when did you know it was finished?
You know, I don’t ever think I knew it was finished. I guess it’s like that with anything, you sort of feel it. I gave it to my husband and my agent and they thought it was in good shape, so that was that. At some point you just need to declare it the end because you can always look back and see a different change or little edits here and there.

Fox

I find that it interesting that you wrote “The Descendants” from a male perspective. Will you elaborate on what made you want to go that route?
It made the most sense for him to tell the story. I didn’t want to do it from a child’s perspective or a teenager’s. He was a character who I thought had most at stake in this situation and had the most to lose. He just seemed like the most interesting person to tell the story.

With it being your first novel, obviously it’s like your baby. It must have taken a lot of trust to put it in the hands of someone else to make it into a feature film. What was it about [screenwriters] Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who got your blessing to write the film into a feature?
I actually didn’t work with them. By the time I was involved with it in any way, it was Alexander Payne [who] wrote it — he started from scratch. Anything he did I automatically trusted because it’s Alexander Payne. I never really thought of the book as my baby, it’s just a book. I was happy to hand [the book] over to him and help him if he needed it. I was curious and excited to see what he would do.

I read that you had a lot of input on the making of the film. How much were you involved, and what part of the process did you spend most of your time on?
I was involved whenever they wanted me to be there. They wanted to see Hawaii, and so I showed them locations. They asked what a certain person would wear, and I would give them some ideas on that. They asked about music, they asked about casting and the homes and what would be in those homes. Every single detail I was consulted on … it was a huge range.

Also Check Out: Watch 4 Clips from “The Descendants”

So after someone reads the book or sees the film, is there something specific you’d like for them to take away from it?
You know, no. [laughs] I guess I never wrote for someone to take something specific away. I think people will take different things from it … and that is satisfying to me. I think this film speaks to such a variety of people, from young to old, rich to poor. Each person [should] define their own way into it, and upon leaving, bring their own things out.

I read an article in the Huffington Post regarding your infamous Oscar tweet about “The Artist” [which read, “The Artist people were in line in front of me and now I smell like cigarettes and entitlement”]. I’d love to hear your side of the story, because I’m pretty sure you were just goofing around.
That’s funny, yeah. There is no side of the story — it was a tweet. [laughs] Twitter is like, you sort of take on a persona. It was pure joke, pure one-liner punchline, and I happened to be behind the people in “The Artist” as they were getting into their limo and they were all smoking. It could have been a completely different joke if the cast of, I don’t know, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” were in front of me. It was just a funny tweet.

Source: NextMovie

SUNDANCE 2012 REVIEW: QUENTIN DUPIEUX'S WRONG HAS ALL THE RIGHT STUFF

Writer / director / composer / editor / cinematographer / auteur / weirdo Quentin Dupieux is a guy who pulls the mat right out from under the Hollywood norm and takes bold and colorful chances. Last year, Dupieux created a feature-length film about a killer tire called Rubber. He broke every rule he could and created something pretty fucking incredible. With Wrong, Dupieux turns a little story about a man’s quest to find his missing dog into a mind-bending, chopped and screwed reality where almost nothing makes sense. Dear reader, this ain’t your average Homeward Bound.

Dolph Spring (Rubber's Jack Plotnick) is having a bad week. He wakes up every day at 7:60AM (not a typo), but on this day, something is different. As he goes to feed his companion, the love of his life, his dog Paul, he can't find him anywhere. To make matters worse, he shows up to work - a travel agency where it rains inside the office - and is told that since he was fired three months prior  (he still shows up pretending to work), he needs to leave the building and never ever come back. So Dolph sets out to find Paul and along his journey he meets the strangest people who may be connected to Paul's disappearance. These include professional pet lover Master Chang (the incredible William Fichtner), Private Detective Ronnie (Steve Little), his gardener Victor (Eric Judor), and the prettiest pizza delivery girl you'll ever see, Emma (Alexis Dziena).

What makes Dupieux’s movies so infectious is that in the wildly weird universe he creates, there is a brilliant undertone throughout all of the oddities happening. Every character seems to be in on the fun, even if things end up disastrously for them. In the opening credits of Wrong, a van burns in flames while a fireman reads a newspaper and poops close by. His associates watch him. In Wrong people take it upon themselves to paint other’s cars and Dolph Spring winds up impregnating a girl he’s never slept with. This is normal for a Dupieux movie and is just a small introduction to Wrong's universe. This is what sells Wrong. Like Rubber, Wrong bends and breaks every cinematic rule-of-thumb. Dupieux knows what he wants, whether it makes sense or not, and it works. 

Everyone in the film creates their own charm, but it’s Fichtner who steals the show as Master Chang. As Chang, Fichtner embodies this champion pet lover and truly makes the character his own. To aid Dolph on his search, Master Chang gives him two books he’s written about pet love, My Life, My Dog, My Strength Volumes One and Two. The very awkward methods in his books are supposed to aid Dolph but wind up making him almost lose his mind - or what’s left of it, anyway.

Dupieux doesn’t care about standards and brings all the right goods to Wrong. He’s batshit crazy and takes us on wild and hilarious ride of absurdity. Bringing the fun into arthouse cinema, Wrong will leave you strangely addicted to Dupieux’s world. 

Source: Twitch Film 

SUNDANCE 2012 REVIEW: BONES BRIDAGE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS A RIVETING LOOK AT THE SIX MISFITS WHO FOREVER CHANGED THE SKATEBOARD REVOLUTION

“We pioneered the way to make money at skateboarding." - Lance Mountain

Before the 80’s skateboard boom, the industry had hit another downward spiral so bad it had been coined the “Dark Ages.” Zephyr, the world’s biggest in-your-face skate team at the time had disbanded and the sport started fading away (again). Soon after, Stacy Peralta (one of Zephyr’s former riders) built and managed a new team with fresh, young talent. He scouted and handpicked them by way of contests and friend recommendations. Six riders would make up this team: Rodney Mullen, Lance Mountain, Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, and Tommy Guerrero, and they would be known as the Bones Brigade. Not knowing it at the time, these six misfits would forever change the skateboard revolution. Decades later, skateboarder-turned-skateboard-coach-turned-filmmaker Peralta flawlessly and passionately documents this story, appropriately titled Bones Brigade: An Autobiography.

Bones Brigade is a talking heads documentary which means there are first-hand stories being told and, at times, things get intense and very unapologetic. Peralta gave all of the skateboarders room to completely express themselves and open up about the most exciting and difficult times in their careers. Nobody wants the world to know things that make them rattle - particularly not stars of a sport based on bravado - but these guys courageously share just that - it’s tragic, heartfelt, and inspirational.

Peralta has tackled other subjects in his film career - surfing and the most notorious gangs in recent history, the Bloods and Crips - but telling stories about skateboarding is what he was born to do. He first garnered Hollywood’s attention with the moving story of the Zephyr team called Dogtown and Z-Boys. Just like the Bones Brigade team, the Z-Boys just wanted to skate. They didn’t care about money or fame.

I was an avid skateboarder throughout my teen angst years and grew up watching and idolizing these guys, so I went into this film completely biased. I know, I know, you’re not supposed to do that, blah blah blah, but this is so nostalgic and I’m the writer so I’ll do whatever the hell I want. However, Bones Brigade defines itself as a film about people who passionately believed in something special. You don’t need to be knee-deep or even care about skateboarding to fall in love with this film. Bones Brigade: The Autobiography is a masterpiece.

Source: Twitch Film

SUNDANCE 2012 REVIEW: SMASHED IS A COMPELLING LOOK AT THE AWKWARD SIDE OF FACING SOBRIETY

Young and in love, married couple Kate and Charlie Hannah like to get smashed. Like GG-Allin-meeting-your-Christian-parents smashed, someone is going to vomit and piss themselves at some point in the night. They spend their days in bars getting drunk and nights having unconscious sex. The good life, right? 

Things change, however, when Kate - Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a knockout career performance - a school teacher, throws up in the middle of class from sipping too much whiskey before entering the building one morning. The crack she smoked for the first time while being black out drunk the night before may have also played a part.

When question by school authorities Kate tells them she’s pregnant and now must sober up and figure out how to get out of this unfortunate lie. With help of the school’s vice principal, Dave - Nick Offerman, who says his most awkward line in his career ever - and newfound friend Jenny - the always wonderful Octavia Spencer - Kate decides to get sober. She begins to clean up and her marriage to Charlie (Aaron Paul) is put the ultimate test as he continues his efforts to hitting the bottle as hard as he can. She’s a work in progress and he’s a train-wreck just waiting to happen.

Alcohol addiction is no laughing matter but co-writer/director James Ponsoldt transforms this disease into an honest, somber, and often good-humored story. Being a guy who’s butted heads with alcohol, I can see Ponsoldt understands that even with living a great life, even with being super happy, alcohol often sneaks up, takes control, and sends your life spiraling in all kinds of horrifying directions, completely out of control. It’s like being damned to only listen to Michael Bolton for all eternity - nobody wants that.

With that being said that this is a light-hearted and real look at a young alcoholic, driven by a strong lead we can relate to and care for during the awkward, sad, and hilarious moments when she’s desperately trying to take control. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) is absolutely terrific. She simply gets it. She gets the rigid and painful experience of giving up something that was once so fun and innocent. Winstead was born to be a star. 

Most films dealing with booze-loving people tend to have their actors a lot older, but Smashed catches it at its most youthful, the absent-minded stage, the mid-twenties. Ponsoldt paints the dangerous-but-oh-so-fun portrait of a drunk woman trying to better herself and it’s smashing. 

Source: Twitch Film

SUNDANCE 2012 INTERVIEW: HELLION WRITER/DIRECTOR KAT CANDLER

Filmmaker Kat Candler is a goddamned rarity. Having been in the industry over 10 years now, she’s constantly working on new projects, winning awards, and remains one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. I would put her in my pocket and take her everywhere if I could.

Candler’s latest short film, a story about three hell-raising boys called HELLION, is making its world premiere in just a few days at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Yesterday I interviewed her via email, to discuss the film and the challenges of making it while also working as a RTF lecturer at the University of Texas. Goddamned rarity, I tell ya! Enjoy!

HELLION is a character study. How difficult was it to tell this style of a story in under seven minutes?

Making shorts is hard. Period. Telling a full story in six minutes—yikes. I had as many drafts of this 7-page script as I would for a feature—about eight to ten. I just kept tweaking things, looking at the structure, the arc, the little nuances … All the same principles apply—getting in and out of scenes, jumping into the story crazy fast. You just don’t have time to waste. And in the editing room working with our editor the ultimate bad ass David Lowery, we just kept looking at the tiny little love handles to shave off … or cutting full scenes, which we did. “You know, Kat we don’t really need that opening scene.” - “Shit, you’re right. Cut it.” Over the years, I’ve learned not to be precious with everything and be cool with lopping things here, chopping things there. As long as it serves the ultimate story, I’m cool. But I’ll say it helps working with people who are smarter and more talented than you are. It makes you look smart and talented.

You nailed how boys play out their teen angst years (I was a little asshole as a kid and got spanked all the time, so I know firsthand). I would love to hear more elaboration on the story and why you chose the fire as the boy’s weapon of destruction.

You were an asshole kid? No way! I, on the other hand … was not … an asshole child. I was the girl who never did anything wrong because she was terrified of getting in trouble. Except for the night my dad found piles of molding vegetables under our dining room table. I secretly put veggies under there for months. And I would’ve gotten away with it had it not been for those damn roaches! And that was the only time I ever got spanked. So, yeah, this short doesn’t come from any of my own experiences. My mom told me the story about the day her three younger brothers set fire to their dad’s jeep … and the repercussions when my grandfather came home. That story stuck with me for a long time. And the fact that my Uncle Frank (the youngest) kept the secret of what really happened for years. Literally, until they were adults.    As far as the fire goes … young boys, chaos and fire = awesome. Lord of the Flies is one of my all time favorite books and ever since seeing Over the Edge so many years ago— yeah, I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff. Sadly, we wanted a much bigger fire, but with the situation in Texas last summer we weren’t able to go quite so crazy. For the feature, we’ll go full out. We’ll burn everything.

From a viewer’s perspective, the film quietly hints that the boys are from a broken home. If true, why do you think that’s important background information to show? Do you think most kids at this age act out aggression due to being young and absent-minded or from a specific cause?

In my mind and the mind of the actors we know what happened to mom. But we definitely don’t explain it in the film. We just know she’s not there. And it’s something that weighs heavy on the entire family and how they deal with each other.   I’m knee deep in writing the feature and the mom’s absence plays a huge role in this family’s world. I think in general kids do pretty stupid shit just because they’re kids and they’re figuring things out. But when there’s real upheaval in their lives, they have strange and unique ways of how they cope. All kids are so different from each other, but I think when kids are lashing out or being destructive it’s just a reflection of what they’re dealing with inside. And the fact they don’t know how to deal with it. They get super angry but don’t know how to manifest it in a healthy manner. God, I just sounded so clinical.

A lot of your films seem focused on teenage adolescence. What do you find appealing about this age group that makes you want to tell stories about it?

Kids are cool. Plain and simple.

So far you have written and directed two features, and a handful of shorts. Do you find it more challenging to wrap up an entire story in less than feature-length film or more difficult to stretch an entire story to at least 90 minutes?

They’re both challenges in and of themselves. I write way more features these days, so I think it’s probably easier for me to spend that page length to develop characters. It’s like a huge puzzle and you have all of these pieces to work together and it’s a lot of trial and error and crafting. I don’t know. I love writing. It’s more fun working on features because of the research. Last fall after having shot the short version of Hellion, Kelly Williams (Producer), Jonny Mars (Actor) and I drove out to Kelly’s hometown of Port Neches (tiny town in east Texas) to research a feature version. We had a blast visiting this small town world and finding all of the nuances of it that I couldn’t dream up in my head without seeing it and breathing it, y’know? I don’t know. Features are fun. I’m that little girl -who never got in trouble mind you- because she who would sit alone in construction sites with her Barbies and matchbox cars creating up her own little universe.

Aside from being a filmmaker, you’re an RTF Lecturer at the University of Texas. Regarding ‘Hellion’, how difficult was it to manage your time at school and working on-set?

I was teaching the summer we shot Hellion. Um, I’m used to juggling so much, it wasn’t too difficult. Especially working with Kelly who was incredible to work with. That guy has his shit together and it was so nice not to have to worry about anything but actually directing. And it was cool, because my students who were in class that summer kind of got to experience pre-production and production along with me. I would come to class with reports of how things were going, what went wrong, what was awesome. And I used a lot of my old students on set.

On your official website you have five feature films currently in development. Are you a robot? If not, when do you find time to sleep and what are your plans for all of these features currently in development?

No, I’m not a robot, but in my earlier years, I did work for an AI company. No joke. Our break room was called Skynet. It was weird. Ask anyone close to me, I’m constantly working. I’m a freak like that. I don’t sit still. Over the holiday break, I got mad and was all, “Can someone please speed up this vacation! We have to get back to work. We have shit to do!” I’m constantly writing at least one, usually two or three features. As far as what’s in development … Jason Wehling and Jonny Mars are producing my teen comedy feature, Nikki is a Punk Rocker, which was a 2011 IFP Emerging Narrative Participant. We’re crossing our toes and fingers super tight it goes into production this year. I love that project so much. I’m in revisions on the Hellion feature I wrote these last few months. Kelly and I are hoping to give that bad boy some legs. I’m in draft four on a script about a death metal band. I gotta come back from Park City and wrap my brain around that one a little more. And I have two kid films that I’m in love with that I wrote a long time ago that are more in vein of my short Love Bug. But they’re bigger beasts to tackle. The Spider in the Bathtub which was a 2009 Tribeca All Access participant involves heavy animation mixed with live action. And my beloved Brain Brawl is a huge kid ensemble piece. Recently I’ve tugged on Kelly’s shirt about those ‘cause they’re totally up his alley.

Final and probably most challenging question: have you ever caught producer Kelly Williams smiling? 

Kelly Williams is a sly bugger isn’t he? Sometimes I can’t tell if he’s serious and it freaks me out. “Kelly, for real, you hate babies? Really?” Then he’ll crack that little smile of his and say, “Nah man, I don’t hate babies.”  … “Okay, thank god. Cause babies are cool and cute.” 

Kelly Williams is one rad dude that I’m so lucky to be working with. He’s good people.

Sundance Screening Days/Times:

Saturday, January 21, 6:00 p.m.
Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City

Monday, January 23, 7:00 p.m.
Redstone Cinema 7, Park City

Wednesday, January 25, 9:00 p.m.
Broadway Centre Cinema 6, SLC

Friday, January 27, 2:30 p.m.
Prospector Square Theatre, Park City

 

In which I pop half my collar and talk to Paul Dano about BEING FLYNN. 

In which @timheidecker and @ericwareheim walk out in the middle of our interview, ending my career as a journalist.

Retrospective Interview: Jean-Claude Van Damme

There are three actors in this world who I will always have an adoration for, and Jean-Claude Van Damme happens to be one of them. Growing up, I was a scrawny kid who got his ass-kicked a lot and Van Damme helped me escape to the fantasy world and believe that one day I’d grow up to be just like him - big, tough, non-shit taker. That day never came but I still loved all the films he made pre-STREET FIGHER. It wasn’t until JCVD that Van Damme got back to what he initially seemed to have lost, his passion for film.

Two weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to interview Van Damme on behalf of his latest film, ASSASSINATION GAMES. After punch-dancing my happiness (I’m serious, that really happened), I did an interview with him via email. Unlike a lot of the straight-to-DVD movies he has done in the past, ASSASSINATION GAMES has some heart to it. In the film, Van Damme plays a lone assassin who teams up with another gun for hire (played by Scott Adkins) to take down a vicious mob boss. 

Among the things we talk about in the interview, I got Van Damme to open up about his brilliant and somewhat candid performance of himself in JCVD, why his last few films haven’t had his signature moves, and where his career is heading. Check it out after the break!

For my first question, I want to talk about your character, Brazil, in ASSASSINATION GAMES.  He reminds me of Léon in Luc Besson’s LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL - he keeps to himself, he’s dangerous, and he adores something other assassins wouldn’t (in Léon’s case, a plant; in Brazil’s, a violin). With that, did you draw an inspiration from other characters in cinema? If so, who?

The idea was to give some personality to the character through some idiosyncratic behaviors. This technique as you have observed in your question, gives both contrast and depth to a character and certain aspects of a performance. There are so many great actors that we have seen do this over the years. Often, small behaviors that become associated with a given character lead to what many consider to be very memorable performances.

I noticed you didn’t do your signature splits or roundhouse kick in the film. Do you plan on bringing either back in future roles?

These moves have never gone away, but they weren’t in the script and didn’t really fit the character. Not every film is in the genre of Time Cop or Blood Sport.

In ASSASSINATION GAMES you play the violin; how much experience did you have playing prior to signing on to the film?

That is an interesting question. I watched the Godfather quite a few times, and Harpo Marx, that is really the extent of my violin knowledge. No one has suggested I quit my day job and take up the violin.

This is director Ernie Barbarash’s first film with two big martial arts stars. I read that you already signed on to his next feature, THE BUTCHER. What was it about Barbarash that made you trust he could make a great action film?

Ernie has a pretty broad background in the film industry. He is a writer, producer and director depending on which film he was involved with. Ernie has had exposure to a range of films including action and science fiction. I was impressed with his attention to detail and character development. He really pays attention to this. I found that we were able to work as an effective team. In this case, you could say that working together, 2 guys had “triple impact.” We really hit it off.

JCVD really broke the wall of illusion for action stars, helping fans understand the boundaries of real life and fantasy. In the film you proudly put your real life on display with a sense of humility and delivered the most honest and best performance in your career. I’m not alone when I say you should have gotten nominated for an Oscar. Do you plan on or currently have any serious projects in the works?

JCVD was really complex for me. On one level it gave me a chance to really stretch the envelope of my acting and to demonstrate what I am capable of. At the same time, the story, although it touches on certain aspects of “me,” is very much a fictionalized version of me. This was really fun to play with. I am definitely interested in continuing to push the envelope on my acting range. I have several projects ranging from comedy to action comedy in the works, I can’t really tell you much about them at this point, but I will be able to in the near future, and I think the audience will really enjoy it.

How difficult was it to deliver the six minute monologue you gave in the film? How much was improvised according to your actual life?

I am not Fidel Castro, so I can’t do the 8 hour monologue, but as my wife and kids would tell you, 6 minutes is not a problem for me. In the monologue I expressed what I felt was in the heart and soul of the character. I had an easy time getting into character in this film, and the monologue came quite naturally. As you know this type of monologue is in flavor more French than American. I was worried that non-Francophone audiences might not get it, but overall it seemed to work well.

This is more of a selfish question but I have to ask: which film of yours from the ’90s is your favorite and why?

Actually, I am asked this question with some frequency. It is a great question and very tough to answer. When you are an actor, how you feel about a film is often a combination of both the story and certain things that may have taken place during the making of the film. It is also a function of where my head was at during the making of a given film. I have always enjoyed Double Impact, I had a great time making that film. I also enjoyed Blood Sport but for different reasons. It was early in my career, my acting had less range but it was a very honest performance. So…..the answer in a sense is there is not a favorite, I will leave that part up to the audience. In most cases though, I have some great memories of the making of most of my films.

For the final question I want to ask about THE EXPENDABLES 2. There are rumors floating around that you will have a role in the film and that it would be as the villain. Can you confirm this? If not, is there anything you can say if you are in the film?

I think that Expendables 2 will be a very good film. It will build on Expendables, which was very well received. I would be proud to be a part of it, but I will let the Producers do the talking on this one.

Source: Twitch Film

A Whale of a Writer: HitFix.com Film Editor Drew McWeeny

"Whale of a Writer" is a new feature at Gordon and the Whale in which our very own Editor-in-Chief, Chase Whale, picks the minds, souls, and keyboard-clenched fingers of other writers in the movie blogging industry. Each new WoaW interview will be uniquely tailored for its subject, with fresh questions each time around, questions that aim their harpoon right for the heart of what makes each subject special and what makes each of their contributions unique, interesting, and informative.

Two years ago when I first attended Sundance, I had the idea of interviewing fellow bloggers, writers, and journalists who I looked up to; it really intrigues me how a person got into this business and managed to make a living out of it. At the time, not many people knew who I was, and therefore my soul wasn’t courageous enough to ask anyone if I could pick their brain. After some exposure and gaining trust and friendships, I decided it was time to execute this column and I’m very proud to announce my first subject: Mr. Drew McWeeny, Film Editor for HitFix.com. McWeeny has been around the blogging world for a very long time and has put a lot into the success of Harry Knowles' Ain't It Cool News and his new home, HitFix. In this 48 minute audio interview, McWeeny talks about some of his favorite film festivals, the movies that first opened debate with him, how he got started in writing, some of the frustrations (as well as rewards) of being a blogger, and a few other topics that are hopefully as interesting to you as they are me. This is my first of hopefully many “Whale of a Writer” entries, and I must tip my hat to McWeeny for allowing himself to be my guinea pig in this hopefully successful project.

 For awesome updates about Drew’s journalistic life, follow him on the Twitter!

Source: GATW

A Whale of a Writer: Film Critic Eric D. Snider

"Whale of a Writer" is a new feature at Gordon and the Whale in which our very own Editor-in-Chief, Chase Whale, picks the minds, souls, and keyboard-clenched fingers of other writers in the movie blogging industry. Each new WoaW interview will be uniquely tailored for its subject, with fresh questions each time around, questions that aim their harpoon right for the heart of what makes each subject special and what makes each of their contributions unique, interesting, and informative.

I’ve been aware of Eric D. Snider and his work for a few years now, but it wasn’t until Sundance 2010 that I officially met him. Snider is one of those guys who’s very easy to strike up a conversation with - he’s friendly and knows how to throw a good joke into the conversation (most of the time). I remember first chatting with him in the “Internet Cafe” at the Yarrow hotel; Rusty (Gordon) asked him to read over his most recent review and, sure enough, Snider did. At that time, nobody really knew who we were, just a couple of misfits who got a chance to attend Sundance, so it was nice to get beneficial feedback from someone Rusty and I had both admired for some time. With all of that, I thought it was appropriate to have Snider on as my second guest for this experiment. Also, if I fucked up, he would laugh, make a joke of it, and I’d beat myself in the chest like Mark Wahlberg did in FEAR. (Thanks for not laughing at my questions, Eric.) In this interview, Managing Editor Kate Erbland confesses her love for Snider via me, we dive into Snider’s life growing up as a journalist, and how he first started getting paid to write (which I found extremely interesting). We also discuss how he balances comedy and information in his reviews without going overboard. Oh, there are some other fun questions asked, too.

For awesome and hilarious updates about Snider’s journalistic life, follow him on the Twitter!

Source: GATW

Cannes 2011 Review: MELANCHOLIA

Writer/Director: Lars von Trier
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård, Brady Corbet
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

mel·an·cho·li·a [mel-uhn-koh-lee-uh, -kohl-yuh] – noun 1. a mental condition characterized by great depression of spirits and gloomy forebodings.
2. (often initial capital letter) the planet hiding behind the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 79260 miles (10x the size of Earth) and heading towards Earth, threatening the end of mankind.

This morning at the 64th Festival de Cannes, Lars von Triers’ MELANCHOLIA screened for press. Having seen his previous work (ANTICHRIST, BREAKING THE WAVES, and DANCER IN THE DARK are the films most memorable to me), I walked in prepared to be fucked with. Amongst a few things, von Trier is known for shock cinema and striking visuals. The most shocking thing about MELANCHOLIA is that he doesn’t tease the audience, but instead he guides them into the world of emptiness that weighs down on someone when their emotionally confused state has lead to them coming to a complete halt. Ironically, I walked out of MELANCHOLIA with a feeling of hope and understanding. MELANCHOLIA is a powerful piece of beautiful and haunting cinema.

MELANCHOLIA takes place in a mansion (with its own golf course) the size of a castle owned by millionaire scientist John (Kiefer Sutherland) and his wife, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). The couple is throwing a wedding reception for Claire’s sister Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and her new husband Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) in their home. When we meet the newlyweds, they are late to their own party and everyone has been anxiously awaiting their arrival. As the night progresses, we learn that something is very, very wrong with Justine - she’s not happy and it seems that there is nothing that can fill her emptiness. The night ends, everyone leaves (including Michael), and Justine, Claire, John, and their son Leo spend the next five days together in the mansion, wondering where Justine went wrong. An even bigger possible tragedy is on the horizon, however, as we learn that there is a planet ten times the size of Earth that’s been hiding behind the sun, called “Melancholia,” and it’s headed straight towards us, threatening the end of the world. As this newly discovered planet travels ever closer, Justine’s sadness changes, for better or for worse. MELANCHOLIA is not about the end of the world, but the end of a feeling: happiness. Everyone around Justine just wants her to be happy, but she can only feel everything but that. To understand sadness, you must feel it sometime in your life; von Triers’ heart is filled with sadness and we see it in his films. Unlike his previous works, in which he aimed for us to feel the pain, in MELANCHOLIA, he wants us to understand it. I would go as far as to say that this feels like his most personal film to date. Von Trier is known to create works that feels misogynist, but in MELANCHOLIA, things have taken a dramatic turn and it’s the women who are strong. Dunst’s Justine appears to be weak and helpless, but she is at war with her sadness - there’s a lot of fight in her. Dunst dresses herself in Justine’s melancholy and gives one hell of a performance. This is Dunst at her best - she’s brilliant and darling and the camera loves her. Charlotte Gainsbourg is now a von Trier alum, and it’s very apparent why: she can bring her desperation and depression down to a painful viewing experience, which is exactly what von Trier wants.

MELANCHOLIA also has a fairly large ensemble cast at von Trier’s disposal, but the most notable performances here are John Hurt as the sisters’ free-living father, Udo Kier as the embarrassed wedding planner, and Kiefer Sutherland as the reasonably irritated brother-in-law who’s too proud. MELANCHOLIA is oftentimes very hard to swallow, and we know from the first frame that our characters’ story will not continue past the last frame. There are movies that are so good, but so painful that it’s a breath of fresh air when the end credits begin. This is not one of those films. Only von Trier can create a terrific story about sadness that we want to see carry on past that last frame. Grade A+

Source: GATW

Cannes 2011 Review: DRIVE

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Hossein Amini (screenplay), James Sallis (book)
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman
Studio: Film District

Since walking out of the Grand Lumière from seeing DRIVE, my mind has been racing. I’ve never watched a film and felt so conflicted on how I viewed it. I was battling myself, wanting to like this film but had some major issues with it. Did I love DRIVE? Did I hate it? Days after that theater exit, I could not get DRIVE out of my mind. DRIVE was driving me crazy. (Sorry - I’ll try to hit the brakes on the puns.) As Pauline Kael discussed in her essay “Trash, Art, and the Movies,” all it takes is the smallest thing in a film for it to completely capture your heart. Something under the hood of DRIVE captured my heart; director Nicolas Winding Refn has admirably crafted a fine piece of retro-noir cinema.

Ryan Gosling is Driver, stuntman driver by day, getaway driver by night. Wherever his life ends up, driving must be in it. You will not catch him without his silver jacket with a large scorpion embroidered on the back - it’s his security blanket. He keeps to himself, having his employer Shannon (Bryan Cranston) handle all of his business deals. Driver’s life faces a head on collision when he falls for next door neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), whose husband just got out of jail on good behavior. Driver is a rarity when it comes to being a gentleman, wanting to help a woman and her family to safety - including the jealous husband - rather than tangle himself in a love triangle. Shannon sees a lot of potential and money in Driver and convinces local mob boss Bernie Rose (a brilliant and vicious Albert Brooks) to loan him money to build the perfect stock car. Bernie’s ethnically-confused associate Nino (Ron Perlman) doesn’t want anything to do with this - he hates Shannon. Driver is a lonely cowboy - a silent warrior. He doesn’t have to say a word and you know exactly what he’s thinking. In order to make this movie work, you need an actor who can speak in high volume without saying anything. Gosling has really turned almost every performance he’s done in the last five years into award nominated roles. There’s a reason for this: Gosling is marvelous to watch on screen. He’s charming, tough, and smart. In BRONSON, Refn created poetic violence. With rich colors and a riveting theatre-like appearance, our scene of violence becomes beautiful. He brings that same vision to DRIVE in one very memorable scene which I do not want to spoil but do want to address - this scene alone is the reason why we go to see movies. Along with the scenes that will stick with me each time I talk about this film, Refn’s choice of music will always repeat in my head when I think of DRIVE. Using an ’80s keyboard pop influenced score by Cliff Martinez and electronic music by various artists, the music sets the tone and feeling for every scene its used in. When the beats calmly bump in the opening scene of the movie, don’t be surprised if you notice your feet quietly tapping along with them. What’s upsetting about DRIVE is the flimsy character development for a few of our key roles. Driver’s love interest, Irene (Carey Mulligan), can be missed with a blink of an eye. Mulligan has proved at her young age she can lead a film to Oscar nominations, so being a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her secondary character is a bit disappointing; I would have liked to see more of Irene. Perlman’s Nino doesn’t know if he wants to be taken serious or as a joke; as big and bad as we have seen Perlman in films like HELLBOY, ALIEN: RESURRECTION, and BLADE 2, seeing him overplay the stereotypical idiot gangster is slightly off-putting. What we know about Brooks’s Bernie is that he is a cruel man and will sacrifice anything and anyone threatening his name and empire. His scenes as this ruthless gangster are so terrifying and impressive that his screen time is satisfying enough. Brooks is mostly known as a comedian - a funny man whose characters always wind up in funny situations. Here he steps away from that typical character and mops the floor with most mob bosses we’ve seen on screen. I must address that I have not read the book (of the same name) this film was adapted from, so my nitpicks could possibly be dismissed if Refn built our characters based on how the book reads them. As you read this review, you see the reasons why I want to keep revisiting this film and the racetrack I call “excellent filmmaking” it keeps driving on. Grade: A+

Cannes 2011 Interview: SNOWTOWN co-writer/director Justin Kurzel

There’s a reason why IFC Midnight (SUPER, STAKE LAND) picked up Justin Kurzel’s SNOWTOWN - it’s an impressive piece of haunting cinema. Disturbing and hard to swallow, Kurzel’s feature directorial debut seals the deal that his man will continue to have a career making movies. I tried to do a video interview with Kurzel at Cannes, but was off trying to get a sassy French woman to wine and dine me* while he was busy showing his film to distribution companies, so we settled for an email pass-off. Not sure if you’re aware of what SNOWTOWN is about, so read my review and then came back to this page to read the interview. In this interview, we discuss finding the right Jon Bunting, why Kurzel chose the tragic story of Snowtown, Australia, and how he broke the ice during some really difficult and awkward scenes. Enjoy!

GATW: SNOWTOWN is based on a true (and really fucked up) story. How difficult was it to stay true to the facts while creating your own spin to it?

JK: The screenplay was based on two books and also court transcripts. Shaun and I did our own research as well which filled in some more intimate aspects of the case. The events scripted are pretty close to the real events however you know with all films based on truth they are interpretations and the people in the film are always characterisations. Its important that you stay as close as possible to what happen but also be aware you are telling a particular story and the events and characters must fit the themes and ideas you are interested in.

GATW: Some of the brutal murders from Bunting didn’t make it into the film. What was the process of deciding which would make the cut and which wouldn’t? JK: Yeah, there were 11 murders that they were convicted for and some of the details presented in court about those murders were truly horrific. We made a decision at the beginning to not make the violence the leading character of the film like most Horror/Slasher films do. We wanted make sure whatever murder we expressed on screen was directly related to Jamies major turning point and intitiation. The murder of his brother to us was integral to Jamie’s psychological journey and for you to understand the hold which John had on him. Most of the other murders are suggested through tape recordings which we felt for powerful devices to communicate to the audience who was missing or had been murdered.

GATW: John Bunting is one of Australia’s most notorious killers. What was the process like finding the right person to accurately portray him?

JK: We knew from the beginning we didnt want to portray him in a one dimensional way, you know here comes the serial killer and you can pick him a mile off. What we found interesting was that John was a pretty normal bloke in the community, he was very sociable and he was able to win the trust of the community and the family very easily. So we wanted him to be charismatic, approachable, someone who was a good listener and wanted to be around people. Dan came in for an audition and had so many likable qualities. People really gravitate to Dan and he loves people. He makes you feel at ease and it was this quality especially at the beginning of the film which I felt was essential in understanding why the community looked for answers in John.

GATW: This appears to be Lucas Pittaway’s (Jamie) very first film. Some of his scenes are pretty uncomfortable and painful to watch. How did you break the awkwardness on set? JK: We made sure in rehearse we all got to know each other extremely well and made a pact that we trusted each other and for this time while filming we were prepared to be brave and go to places that were very confronting and dark. We also knew that when the scene finished we could hug, hold each other and be able to turn the tap off and come out of those scenes. Lucas was incredibly brave, in fact all the cast were and I am indebted to their boldness and dedication to finding a truth in their performances.

GATW: Like the brilliant ear-cutting scene in RESERVOIR DOGS, a lot of the violence happens off-screen, leaving it to the viewer’s imagination. What made you want to use that method vs. more visuals?

JK: It was our biggest debate at the beginning while writing as to what violence do you show and what do you suggest and it is a very subjective and difficult decision. How do you get people close to this kind of Brutality without losing them. To us we didnt want to sanitize the violence but we also needed it to be always connected to Jamies journey and point of view. The scene with the brother was always the most important in the film. It made an audience get a glimpse of a brutality rarely scene while also understanding why Jamie participated in his brothers murder and why John found power and satisfaction in taking someone’s life. My intention was for the audience to be taken to the edge of the cliff and to look into the abyss and hopefully feel as though they were still being held and not allowed to fall. But this is very subjective and violence on film is a visceral thing and everyone responds to it in different ways.

GATW: What made you decide to make SNOWTOWN as your first feature?

JK: I came from the 10 minutes away from where the events occured. I was extremely curious as to why something like this happened in a place i grew up in, where i spent my childhood. I think the script found a way of understanding how the community was implicated and affected which I had not known about before. The subject matter was just so compelling, I couldnt stop thinking about it or putting down the books, I just knew it was the film i needed to make.

GATW: The score is so fitting and perfect for the film. Can you discuss the process working with your brother for the music?

JK: Right from the beginning Jed and I knew the music had to inform the cut of the film and provide the very intimate perspective of the lead character Jamie Vlassakis. We didin’t want the music to be leading you through the film emotionally, it couldn’t be there to manipulate what to feel. It had to be much more impressionistic and provide the very tense and claustrophobic pulse of Jamie’s descent towards hell. Jed came up with the main Snowtown Pulse and it became so influential that it gave us a new beginning and end of the film. I think it is an astonishingly sophisticated score, which not only affects you intellectually but most importantly emotionally. Its a muscular, visceral score and integral to the psychological journey in the film

GATW: What’s next for Kurzel?

JK: I am developing a black comedy with my brother Jed who did the music for Snowtown which Warp Films are producing, hopefully we can make it next year.

*napping

Source: GATW

Cannes 2011 Review: SNOWTOWN

Director: Justin Kurzel
Writers: Justin Kurzel (story), Shaun Grant (story and screenplay)
Cast: Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, Craig Coyne

Australian films have a large spot in my heart. This came about last year when I fell in love with THE LOVED ONES, RED HILL, HESHER, ANIMAL KINGDOM, and THE SQUARE - all Ozzie cinema. There’s just something about filthy revenge stories that captures my full attention. Just a few days ago I saw a new Outback Film, Justin Kurzel’s SNOWTOWN, which carries the recently popular Ozzie trend - revenge. SNOWTOWN is a disturbing and at times very hard to watch, but it’s fueled with rich acting and excellent storytelling. SNOWTOWN takes place in Snowtown, South Australia and is based on the true story of Australia’s most notorious killer to date, John Bunting. Our central character is Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway), one of three brothers who is sexually molested by his trusting neighbor. They live in an area of Australia where you can get out on bail the same day for being a pedophile, but good luck finding a job if you’re caught stealing. When their mother finds out, she calls in Bunting (Daniel Henshall in a marvelous performance) to help her rid the neighbor from the neighborhood. What she didn’t know is Bunting didn’t have heckling revenge on his mind - he, along with Jamie, would go on a Pedophile vigilante killing spree, which becomes and unsettling chain reaction of violence.

SNOWTOWN was co-written and directed by Justin Kurzell, which marks his first feature. This is a film that needs a director who understands the story of the Snowtown murders and why they happened – nobody wants a pedophile to get off (no pun intended) a free man. Kurzell understands the difficult subject matter, and tells the story in a brave and daring manner. It’s not an easy one to make; what started as a story of justice ended up being a story of self-righteousness, killing people he chose, who were gay and obese - anyone he just did not like. Henshall’s take on Bunting is nothing short of creepy brilliance. He takes Jamie under his wing - like a father Jamie never had - manipulating and confusing Jamie. Jamie’s not sure to love him or stay far, far away from him. SNOWTOWN marks Pittaway’s first credited acting performance and I do not think it will be his last. Channeling ANIMAL KINGDOM’s Joshua “J” Cody (James Frecheville), Pittaway’s Jamie is quiet, reserved, and often unable to control his path in life. Unlike J, things do not get better for Jamie; in fact, they get far, far worse. Jamie is a character that needs an actor who can look emotionally unstable throughout the majority of the film and Pittaway nails it. We often want to someone, anyone, to get this young man out of the life he’s be born into, but seeing how helpless he is himself, the sympathy fades as the movie carries on. I did not know this film was based on a true story until the closing credits, which makes this story so much more terrifying. Kurzel crafted a raw feel to that story; and as brutal as the film is, I will be visiting SNOWTOWN again. Grade B

Source: GATW

TIFF 2010 Review: Richard Ayoade's SUBMARINE

Editor’s note: This review was originally published on September 18, 2010 as a Toronto International Film Festival review. 

Writers: Richard Ayoade (screenplay), Joe Dunthorne (novel)
Director: Richard Ayoade
Cast: Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine

Here we go folks, my favorite film of the festival - SUBMARINE. Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) wants the simple things in life: love, his parents to be happy together, light arson, and the world to express their sorrow when he dies. Oh, and he’s only 15. His love interest is Jordana (Yasmin Paige), whom Oliver notices has eczema from staring at her so much, and his parents are Lloyd (Noah Taylor) and (Sally Hawkins), whose love begins to burn out when an old, mulleted flame comes back around. These are the most important people in Oliver’s life for the duration of SUBMARINE. Well, and the girl who falls into the pond, she’s pretty important, too.

Our love story is set in motion when Oliver, Jordan, and a small group of people chase around a girl in the woods. While tossing her bag around to one another close to a pond, Oliver accidentally knocks the bullied girl towards the pond, sending her well on her way into the water and him to regret. He types her an apology letter and gives it to her only friend, the lunch lady, but it never gets to the girl  - Jordana gets ahold of it and swears to show the school if he doesn’t do a few things for her. In high school, a bad reputation is just as bad as death. Soon after, Oliver and Jordana are going steady, and they embark on a journey throughout the film doing things that people who are too cool for the world do. They sit and stare at each other in an isolated bathtub on the beach. They set fires in trashcans and watch the flames. It’s beautiful. Oliver’s parents growing-stale-fast marriage frames up the second part of SUBMARINE. As Oliver finds love, the Tates are losing it. Papa Tate doesn’t talk much and drinks water from the same unwashed glass every day, and Mama Tate starts acting weird when her former flame Graham (Paddy Considine) moves in next door. Graham is a motivational speaker of sorts, and has a gnarly mullet and dresses like a ninja. SUBMARINE was written and directed by Richard Ayoade, who’s best known as Moss on The It Crowd. Ayoade knows how to use sarcastic, awkward, and twisted comedy, and he spreads them out  perfectly throughout the film. At the beginning, Oliver ponders how people would react to his death. Cut to fake news specials, candlelight vigils, and interviews with fellow schoolmates talking about how cool he was. At another point in the film, Oliver  discusses with the audience that his parents haven’t had sex in over eight months, and he knows this because he’s been keeping tabs on the way they dim the lights in their bedroom. Dark comedy like this is relatable, at least to me, and makes the movie much more personal. Ayoade takes us into the mind of Oliver, and shows us the truths and consequences of being a rebellious teenager. Everyone in this film plays their characters well, but it’s Craig Roberts who brings out the awesome in our Oliver. Oliver is the guy you wish you would have known in high school, but were too proud to speak to at the time. He’s young and wants to live forever. He’s the misfit that shows us how to understand those who are different. SUBMARINE is a story about growing up all while not wanting to get older. It’s what HAROLD & MAUDE would have been if they had met in high school. Grade A+

Source: GATW