Saturday 31 August 2013

SONGS ON SATURDAY - DRAWING RESTRAINT 9


This is a silly Saturday feature, because it's called Songs on Saturday, and it's not all about songs. It's all about soundtracks, and this week's soundtrack is Bjork's for Drawing Restraint 9, Matthew Barney's meditation on shintoism. It's Bjork at her most abstract, and her most challenging. There are few original soundtracks this diverse, and what it represents musically is years ahead of just about any other film soundtrack you'll hear. A few tasters below, none of which come even close to giving a true impression of the spectacular scope of Bjork's work as composer on this, her husband's film in which she also stars.



PHILOMENA LEADS REVIEWS OUT OF VENICE


Reviews aplenty from the Lido!

Stephen Frears reunited with Judi Dench for Philomena, and the critics are more impressed this time around than they were with Mrs. Henderson Presents (which won Dench an Oscar nomination eight years ago). The competition title is lauded in a positive review by The Hollywood Reporter's Deborah Young, in which she also credits cinematographer Robbie Ryan and composer Alexandre Desplat. Not so keen on Desplat's contribution, but very much so on Ryan's, is Guy Lodge at HitFix. His B- report is one of the least complimentary. In contrast, Thompson on Hollywood's Matt Mueller comments that Dench and the film take your breath away. Robbie Collin writes in The Telegraph that the film is a long-shot for the Golden Lion, as others have too, but nevertheless rewards it four out of five stars.

Not so well received is The Police Officer's Wife, Philip Groning's follow-up to his acclaimed 2005 documentary Into Great Silence. All reports are that the film is overlong and pretentious, starting with Jay Weissberg's Variety pan. Both he and Boyd van Hoeij at The Hollywood Reporter consider the film 'an endurance test'. Oliver Lyttleton does have some praise for the three-hour film, but his C+ review in The Playlist is far from kind. Not even Little White Lies' David Jenkins seems to like the film much.

The Hollywood Reporter has been super-speedy with getting reviews up from Venice, and here are four more, including three directorial debuts. The Quispe Girls is given an excellent write-up by Jonathan Holland, David Rooney however is not nearly as impressed with La Belle Vie, while Boyd van Hoeij delivers a mixed report of Alienation. Roger Ebert didn't live long enough to see the sequel to 2005's Wolf Creek, which he abhorred, some adored, and for me just bored. The sequel, Wolf Creek 2 (wouldn't you know) screened out of competition at Venice, and Deborah Young confirms that it's rather similar to its predecessor.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ADDS BRADLEY COOPER


Guardians of the Galaxy is just one of a great deal of superhero team-up movies to be hitting our screens in coming years after the success of The Avengers last summer. We'll also have to endure Batman vs. Superman, the new Spider-Man universe, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and dozens more avengers movies, likely. Bradley Cooper is going to provide just a voice for Guardians of the Galaxy, which is weird, since I thought he was only ever hired for his annoying face! He'll play Rocket Raccoon. So there you go.

12 YEARS A SLAVE AND PRISONERS WOW AT TELLURIDE


Two possible awards contenders have been met with the requisite critical reception in Telluride to confirm their potential for plentiful nominations come year's end.

It was inevitable, if you ask me, that Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave would be well-received by critics, after I loved Hunger and Shame so very much. Peter Debruge's Variety report praises pretty much all elements of the film, giving notice to several actors among the starry cast, and noting the disgrace that it took a British director to bring this story to the screen. Among those who receive acclaim from Debruge among several critics is newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, and she, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson (incorrectly credited as Laura) and particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor in the lead are mentioned by HitFix's Gregory Ellwood. 'A mesmerising triumph of art and polemics' writes IndieWire's Eric Kohn in his A+ review. Scott Feinberg notes the film's considerable awards potential in his review of The Hollywood Reporter, which is more a review of the actual screening than of the film.

Once perhaps less of a sure thing, but now a definite contender, is Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, which Stephen Farber describes as 'a difficult subject bolstered by outstanding performances and masterly filmmaking' in The Hollywood Reporter. Kris Tapley has great admiration for Villeneuve's work, alongside the widely praised cinematography by Roger Deakins and editing by Joel Cox and Gary Roach. And Variety's Scott Foundas acclaims the script by Aaron Guzikowski and Hugh Jackman's lead performance, and is one of quite a few to remark on its chances for Oscar nominations. The film will be released on the 20th of September in the US, and on the 27th in the UK.

REVIEW - THE WAY WAY BACK


Not a 'dramedy,' but a drama and a comedy duking it out for superiority. The comedy wins, or at least it ought to. The Way Way Back is a tremendously funny film, sometimes. Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell wander in from a different film, sporadically, and transform an inert teen coming-of-age movie into a sweet, sparkling, vivacious, lively jaunt. They barely pause for breath as they spew some of the finest repartee in film all year, combining sharp, cheeky humour with a grounding in strong, stable character that makes their work addictive viewing. The quality of the comedy in The Way Way Back is so high that it affects your mood throughout the film, even as it becomes ever drier and more formulaic. An affinity with these people (at least the sympathetic ones among them) is developed, though that's at the expense of equity. There are heroes, victims and villains in Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's screenplay. Their narrative arcs (excuse me for a moment while I barf profusely at having used that phrase) are concerned less with whom they become than whom they have been. Only protagonist Duncan (Liam James, if you believe that, cos it's actually Liam Payne in hiding) experiences any meaningful change in his person - the others are merely there to facilitate his maturation. Faxon and Rash aren't too sober in depicting this, though, and encourage us to engage in a bit of fun-poking from time to time. If some of this is much too staged to be successful, they mostly get away with it, due to the aforementioned quality of the comedy. And it does cause you to forgive The Way Way Back's mediocrity in other arenas. Steve Carell is great as the world's most infuriatingly passive-aggressive stepdad-in-waiting, and Toni Collette is once again woefully underused.

Friday 30 August 2013

FABULOUS FRIDAY - CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER


They don't come much more fabulous than Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower. I wondered, in 2006, what the critics bloody wanted. They get one of the best darn melodramas in cinema history, in the most ravishing tones colours, with the most gorgeous, entrancing sounds, and some cracking martial arts and a barnstorming performance by Gong Li, and they complain? They find fault? Surrender to Curse of the Golden Flower, the most beautifully designed film of all time. Oscar nominated (beaten by Marie Antoinette, what an embarrassment) costume by the genius Yee Chung Man, production design (not even Oscar nominated, horrifyingly, though ADG-winning!) by the peerless Huo Ting Xiao, cinematography by Zhao Xiao Ding.


Thirteen more of the yummiest film stills you'll ever see after the cut.

KILL YOUR DARLINGS - TRAILER


Click dat pic to be led away to Rope of Silicon where you can view the near-unbearable trailer for Kill Your Darlings, the pleasantly sanitised version of the classic hipster tale for a modern wannabe-hipster audience. Have a fucking Razzie. America, await this on the 18th of October. UK, the 8th of November.

VENICE REVIEWS ROLL IN FOR GREEN, REICHARDT AND SONO'S NEW FILMS


A couple of very good reports coming in from Venice on Kelly Reichardt's Night Moves. Having built up a strong critical fanbase with recent films like Old Joy and Meek's Cutoff, her In Competition drama / thriller has proven popular among those who've caught it. Oliver Lyttleton's The Playlist review may close with an A- grade, but he has little other than praise for the film. And David Jenkins even goes as far as to suggest that Reichardt be awarded the Golden Lion in Little White Lies.

Sono Shion's Why Don't You Play in Hell? was never going to unite critics, and even those who have responded well to its alternative charms seem to have their reservations with his latest. On one hand, The Telegraph's Robbie Collin, The Playlist's Oliver Lyttleton, and The Hollywood Reporter's Deborah Young sound like they had a blast, but the same certainly cannot be said for Variety's Justin Chang, who describes Why Don't You Play in Hell? as 'a self-deflating bore.'

Not had enough david Gordon Green this year? After Prince Avalanche, along comes Joe, starring Nicolas Cage and Tye Sheridan, Hollywood's luckiest actor (he's also quite talented, actually.) Oliver Lyttleton at The Playlist and Justin Chang at Variety both single out Cage's performance, but Chang does describe Sheridan as 'a bit bland.' One of the most positive responses comes from David Rooney, whose The Hollywood Reporter write-up is another to laud Cage. But somewhat unimpressed is HitFix's Guy Lodge, rating the film a C- and joining a long line of people who have used the word 'grim' in their review of the film.

A couple more reviews courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter from the festival. Emma Dante's A Street in Palermo was not especially enjoyed by Deborah Young, whereas Alessandro Nak's animation The Art of Happiness definitely was.

Earlier, I posted a link to Variety's review of Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson and showing at Telluride. Scott Foundas' take on the film wasn't very good, so here's a second, a resolutely different opinion, from HitFix's Gregory Ellwood.

TELLURIDE REVIEWS FOR FOUR NEW FILMS


There's a clip from Errol Morris' The Unknown Known. Ten years ago, Morris won an Oscar for another similar film about Robert S. McNamara, The Fog of War. Scott Feinberg's review in The Hollywood Reporter is pretty positive. It could be another Best Documentary Oscar contender for Morris.

Other reviews to have surfaced from Telluride recently, all from Variety: Scott Foundas isn't too enamoured with Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin, but it certainly sounds like a most intriguing project. And I'm not too enamoured with his inability to understand the Scottish accent. Get over it. Leslie Felperin is impressed with Yuval Adler's Bethlehem, in particular Adler's command of the craft on his directorial debut. And a report on Sadourni's Butterflies from Peter Debruge mentions the film's avant-garde qualities, which seem to both interest and frustrate him.

TRAILER AND EARLY TELLURIDE REVIEWS FOR PALO ALTO


A couple of decent responses from critics in Telluride on Gia Coppola's directorial debut, Palo Alto. Peter Debruge's report is far from a rave, but it notes many positive details in the film, from Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter. Todd McCarthy is more complimentary in The Hollywood Reporter, praising the acting, cinematography and soundtrack, and noting that the film is 'the best feature film directed by someone named Coppola in a number of years.' It's based on James Franco's collection of short stories by the same name, and Franco has a role in the cast.

US PREMIERE OF 12 YEARS A SLAVE AT NYFF


Steve McQueen's hotly anticipated 12 Years a Slave will have its US premiere on the 8th of October at NYFF. It joins an ever-expanding list of high profile films to show at the New York fest this year. Its world premiere will take place in Toronto a week from now, on the 6th of September.

PHILOMENA TO PREMIERE AT BFI LONDON FILM FEST


Following its world premiere tomorrow at Venice, and preceding its UK theatrical release on the 1st of November, Stephen Frears' Philomena will receive its UK premiere at the BFI LFF on the 16th of October. It joins previously announced festival opener Captain Phillips.

LOL AT TRAILER FOR JAMES FRANCO'S CHILD OF GOD


What is James Franco even doing? Fuck off.

IT'S A MAN'S OUTER SPACE TOO, IN NEW POSTER FOR GRAVITY


More Gravity-related posts in about 10 minutes, I expect.

LABOUR DAY REVIEWS FROM TELLURIDE


Whether they liked it or not, the reaction from most critics at Telluride to Jason Reitman's Labour Day has been admiration. Apparently a major change of pace for the director, responses for the film have not been particularly exultant, but its awards prospects have been noted by many. Gregory Ellwood praises the lead performance of Kate Winslet in HitFix, and gives 'a lion's share of the credit of what works' to Reitman. Another to note Reitman's visual skill is Peter Debruge at Variety, and DP Eric Steelberg also enjoys good write-ups all around. Chris Willman in The Playlist is not the only one to note the narrative contrivances in Labour Day, but his C grade review is nevertheless full of positive remarks. We may have to wait for a longer review from Awards Daily's Sasha Stone, but in her quick take, she too gives notice to Reitman's attention to detail.

Thursday 29 August 2013

THREE-HANKY THURSDAY - FINDING NEVERLAND


Just found this pic of poor James Van Der Beek crying cos he's just watched Finding Neverland.


You'll cry too. A big recommendation! I've seen lots of films from 2004, but this one remains my favourite. I'm an enormous soppy sop sometimes, but all the time when Finding Neverland is on. Nevertheless, it's a beautifully made film, with memorable performances (Freddie Highmore has still yet to top his turn here) and gorgeous visual design. My heart rate soars every time the kite scene comes on! But it breaks every time the final scene (above) comes on. So does James Van Der Beek's.

ALL IS LOST - POSTER


On the 18th of October in North America, audiences will get the chance to see what all the fuss is about with J.C. Chandor's All Is Lost. Robert Redford currently looks like a good shot for an Oscar nomination, but then that's ages away. Here's the poster, but you've already seen it cos it's up there!

JAMES SPADER IS ULTRON IN THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON


The ever-sexual but never-sexy James Spader has been cast as the avengers' antagonist Ultron in the sequel to the massive hit The Avengers from last year. An interesting actor, and by no means A-list, and thus a choice which I thoroughly approve of. The first film gave Harry Dean Stanton a couple of lines, and gave Robert Downey Jr. and entire fucking film, so lets hope the sequel takes a step in the right direction, and lets Spader #walkaway with the entire fucking thing.

ROONEY MARA REPLACES MIA WASIKOWSKA AS TODD HAYNES' CAROL


The Playlist is reporting that a change of casting has taken place regarding Todd Haynes' Carol. Mia Wasikowska was set to play one of the two leads opposite Cate Blanchett. Rooney Mara has taken her place. Cate and Rooney and Todd? I'm so in.

VENICE CRITICS REACT TO TRACKS (JOHN CURRAN)


After yesterday's big opener, Gravity, another woman-versus-the-world film has screened at Venice and has been met with fair reviews. Guy Lodge at HitFix is one of the most complimentary, praising Mia Wasikowska's lead performance, and the cinematography by Australia DP Mandy Walker (who stood a chance, then, of becoming the first female Best Cinematography Oscar nominee in history, and now may do again). Oliver Lyttleton in The Playlist also has good things to say about the contributions by Walker and Wasikowska, and also upcoming composer Garth Stevenson (his score can be heard in this clip, and it is rather nice). Derek Malcolm's brief and not very insightful review in the London Evening Standard rates the film four stars out of five, but it receives just two from The Guardian's Xan Brooks, who comes across impressed with only the film's Outback scenery.

REVIEW - YOU'RE NEXT


If there are several disadvantages inherent in movie buffs making their own movies, there is at least one notable advantage. They know what works and they know what doesn't work. They know what to retain and what to jettison. They know that we can't be hoodwinked easily, and that the same old stale techniques aren't going to achieve anything. There are horror movie tropes worth adhering to, and tropes worth discarding entirely. So Adam Wingard approaches You're Next from the perspective of an audience member who knows what they want, when they want it and how they want it. Exposition? What does it accomplish? We want an introduction to the characters and their inter-dynamics. We want an introduction to the scene, the location, the geography of the space which we will be inhabiting for the next hour and a half. But we know it's a horror film, so we know everything is not OK, so there's no point in pretending. Early, supposedly placid scenes are pervaded by ominous noises on the soundtrack, spooky lighting and framing, confirming our suspicions. And from here, Wingard strikes the perfect tone with near every turn You're Next takes. The violence is shocking but not sadistic. The comedy is clever but not cocky. And, by and large, he knows that there's little to be gained in stuffing his film with jumps and shock scares. He stages things artfully, like he was concerned with more than just creeping us out, but with satisfying us and the stylistic demands we naturally make of a movie, whether intentionally or not. And there's a deliciously wry twang to much of his material, an amusing contempt for those among the company who don't use their brains enough, or maybe use them too much. Sound design and score are excellent. Scripting is smart, but it's only Wingard's talent as director that saves the film from dying a particularly ugly death once its crass BIG TWIST collapses in on proceedings. Acting is decent, but Sharni Vinson in the lead is vivid and magnetic, and if none of the other characters give you much to root for (that may be the point), Vinson more than makes up for that. A resourceful thriller with a resourceful heroine.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

CRITICS GRAVITATE TO GRAVITY AT VENICE


One of the two joys of being in Venice atm is being in Venice atm. The other one is Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi thriller that has opened the film festival to raves! ScreenDaily's Mark Adams describes the film as 'a real pleasure,' and in HitFix, it receives the first A grade that Guy Lodge has meted out this year! I've heard tell that Justin Chang's Variety write-up is chock-a-block with spoilers, so I haven't read it through, but it seems to be very positive. Todd McCarthy takes a similar tone (albeit less revealing) in The Hollywood Reporter. A bumper crop of reviews for Cuaron's highly buzzed first film in seven years also include strong reports from Xan Brooks in The Guardian, Matt Mueller for Thompson on Hollywood, Oliver Lyttleton at The Playlist and Robbie Collin in The Telegraph.

WHAT'S ON WEDNESDAY - AUG 30 - SEP 1


Making cinema plans for the weekend? A few tips:

THE GRANDMASTER

Expanding on Friday after a moderately successful limited release last weekend, Wong Kar Wai's first film in six years is The Weinstein Company's big bet on foreign language success at this year's Oscars. Reviews have been good, and the visuals look as outstandingly pretty as you'd expect from Wong. Americans, go see it!

CLOSED CIRCUIT

John Crowley and Steven Knight's thriller opens today in the US. The Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall-starring film will be hoping to replicate previous late August / early September mild hits for Focus Features The American and The Debt. So instead of seeing We're the Millers again, why not seek this out?

YOU'RE NEXT

Check back later for my review of Adam Wingard's horror / thriller. It debuted to a soft opening in the US last weekend, after having sat on the shelf at Lionsgate for two years (not a reflection on its quality). Make sure it doesn't experience the standard heavy horror drop-off at the box office! Also, it opened here in the UK today, so get your arse off the sofa and get it onto a cinema seat to see You're Next instead!

TRAILER FOR SEBASTIAN LELIO'S GLORIA... EN ESPANOL


Pero some of you might speak espanol!

HERE'S THE TELLURIDE LINEUP


It's the Telluride Film Festival's 40th anniversary, and here are the films which will be screening in Show, the main programme:

  • All Is Lost (J.C. Chandor)
  • Bethlehem (Yuval Adler)
  • Blue Is the Warmest Colour (Abdellatif Kechiche)
  • Burning Bush (Agnieszka Holland)
  • Fifi Howls from Happiness (Mitra Farahani)
  • The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Daniel Geller and Danya Goldfine)
  • Gloria (Sebaistian Lelio)
  • Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)
  • Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski)
  • Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
  • The Invisible Woman (Ralph Fiennes)
  • Labour Day (Jason Reitman)
  • The Lunchbox (Ritesh Batra)
  • La Maison de la Radio (Nicolas Philibert)
  • Manuscripts Don't Burn (Mohammad Rasoulof)
  • The Missing Picture (Rithy Panh)
  • Nebraska (Alexander Payne)
  • On Death Row - Blaine Milam and Robert Fratta (Werner Herzog)
  • Palo Alto (Gia Coppola)
  • The Past (Asghar Farhadi)
  • Slow Food Story (Stefano Sardo)
  • Starred Up (David MacKenzie)
  • Tim's Vermeer (Teller)
  • Tracks (John Curran)
  • Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
  • The Unknown Known (Errol Morris)
  • Winter Rose (Philippe Claudel)

A very strong slate of films headed Colorado's way shortly! Alongside its Toronto premiere, Jason Reitman's Labour Day makes its case for Oscar, and Alexander Payne's Nebraska receives a Midwest screening to kickstart its campaign. Documentaries such as Fifi Howls from Happiness, The Galapagos Affair and two parts of Werner Herzog's On Death Row will show, alongside Cannes favourites like The Past, Palme d'Or winner Blue Is the Warmest Colour, FIPRESCI winner Manuscripts Don't Burn and Un Certain Regard winner The Missing Picture.

If you want more info, Awards Daily has plenty! We love AD!

Tuesday 27 August 2013

TURKEY TUESDAY: THE HOLY MOUNTAIN


Turkey of the week is Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain! Jodorowsky is a maverick for sure, but his 1973 film is a bloody mess. It is exactly as it was intended to be, but it was intended to be a stupid film, and I don't like stupid films. If you like stupid films, watch The Holy Mountain. Boring, pretentious and probably best appreciated whilst on hallucinogens, which is not a good thing, ever. #youhavebeenwarned


DALLAS BUYERS CLUB - POSTER AND TRAILER


Follow the link that is the above poster for Jean-Marc Vallee's awards contender Dallas Buyers Club for the moving trailer to the film. Many are predicting an Oscar nomination for Matthew McConaughey for this one, and I'm hoping, based on the trailer alone, that Jared Leto is in the conversation for one too. 06/12 in the US, 07/02 (yeh, I know) in the UK.

POSTERS FOR KILL YOUR DARLINGS AND THE MONUMENTS MEN


The colour scheme du jour appears to be amber and black. And men. Lots of men. 'and Cate Blanchett' imagine that! A woman! On a movie poster! Very big heads for Dane DeHaan and Daniel Radcliffe below, very small heads for Bob Balaban and that one off of Downton Abbey above. Oh, and very, very big heads for Matt Damon and George Clooney, but that's another matter.


CHADWICK BOSEMAN AND GAEL GARCIA BERNAL IN CASTING NEWS


Two pieces of casting news today. First up is Chadwick Boseman, the breakout star of this year's 42, who has landed the prestigious lead role of James Brown in a new biopic. Poor choice of The Help's Tate Taylor to direct, with Brian Grazer and Mick Jagger among the producers, and Fair Game's Jez Butterworth and John Henry Butterworth having written the screenplay.

Also, Gael Garcia Bernal has been cast as Moises in Jonas Cuaron's Desierto. Jonas is the son of Alfonso, and they co-wrote the screenplay for dad's Gravity. This won't be the first time Garcia Bernal has appeared in a Cuaron film, as he had a lead role in Alfonso's Y Tu Mama Tambien in 2001, which was co-written by Carlos Cuaron. He'll play an illegal immigrant who becomes close to another as they are pursued by a drunken American crossing the border into the US. Production is scheduled to commence in October.

TRAILER FOR DIVERGENT


Yet another YA adaptation. It worked with Twilight. It worked with The Hunger Games. It has worked with nothing else. Will it work with Divergent? My money's on, broadly, no. Directed by The Illusionist's Neil Burger, released in that The Hunger Games March slot next year.

NEW ADDITIONS TO NYFF SLATE


A spot of news on a few new additions to the New York Film Festival lineup. An already larger-than-usual slate adds Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Real to its ranks. The film was released in Japan in June, and has also screened at Locarno and is also on its way to Toronto. Review have been mixed so far. Variety has the story on films featured in sidebar programming, which include Joaquim Pinto's What Now? Remind Me, another film that showed at Locarno. The Revivals section is for restored films, which this year will include Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Mysterious Object at Noon, Alain Resnais' Providence, Leos Carax's Boy Meets Girl and Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence.

NEW CLIP / TRAILER FROM GRAVITY


I know WB's giving away bucketloads of footage from Alfonso Cuaron's upcoming sci-fi film in these clips, but it all looks like it's going to be ten times more impressive in 3D on a big screen, and it also all looks like it's from roughly the same part of the film. This, for me, was the most stomach-churning yet. Not sure if it's a trailer or not - that's what it's posted as on YouTube, but I'll believe that when I see it on a cinema screen. For now, for me, it's a clip.

AUG 23-25 BOX OFFICE REPORT: A MORTAL START FOR THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS


Audiences didn't want to catch any of the new releases this weekend. They wanted to trust word-of-mouth, resulting in strong holds for many films, and weak starts for the newcomers. Lee Daniels' The Butler dropped just 33% and We're the Millers just 27.4%, thus holding first and second place, respectively (We're the Millers for the third weekend on the trot). The World's End's (4) $8.8 million is in line with expectations based on his previous films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. You're Next was a bit of a miss in sixth place. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones performed in line with the other young adult adaptations this year, Beautiful Creatures and The Host, failing to justify Sony's hopes for a franchise with a $9.3 million debut since Friday, $14.1 million since Wednesday on a $60 million budget.

REVIEW - THE GIRL FROM NOWHERE


A pallid drip of a film, Jean-Claude Brisseau's The Girl from Nowhere has it all wrong. This mysterious girl, Dora, does not come from nowhere. She comes from a troubling but interesting history, and has ended up nowhere. Brisseau's Paris apartment, to be correct, but it might as well be nowhere. Was there ever anything to be said for just putting a camera somewhere, waving a wand and hoping some magic happens? The end result has the vibe of uncertainty. The actors don't seem fully comfortable with their characters just yet. It's like they all were in a big hurry to make the film, and had to settle for competent read-throughs rather than developed performances. As the two stand together in their main room, dolled up like a cheap office party, looking like a pair of goats, all gormless and out-of-place, the instinct would be to laugh. The preceding 80 minutes have dulled the senses, though, like a placid barbiturate, so you have my respect if you can muster up even that little cynicism. Artsy flourishes dribble in from time to time, and the obsession with psychology and spiritualism that insidiously pervades this film doesn't give it the colour it's supposed to - it only makes it more inaccessible. Brisseau's expectation that his homeless PYT will be just as savvy on the history of religion, mythology and psychoanalysis as he is makes for one of The Girl from Nowhere's more galling attributes. She appears to be there as boner fodder, but only for himself. It's a wonder he doesn't have a permanent trouser bugle. Him and Woody Allen. Maybe they're both just too old now. I hereby publicly recommend The Girl from Nowhere to everyone I hate.

Monday 26 August 2013

MOTHERFUCKER MONDAY


A new feature on the site, for those of you fucked off that it's Monday and you want a bit of healthy film-related procrastination. There'll also be a bit of non-film-related shit, cos despite all the signs, I do have other interests (that's possibly not true). Depending on what mood I'm in, this could contain links to videos of puppies doing silly things, or snuff porn, you never know; that's all part of the fun!

CRABBIT CLIP
"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY DOES MY HEEEEEAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRT CRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGS I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN'T FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT?"

LASCIVIOUS LINE
Works better if you've seen the bit before this bit.

SANCTIMONIOUS SOUNDTRACK
What do you click?

HELLO HOTTIE
"Who me?"

LACHRYMOSE LINK
FUCK'S SAKE CLICK IT!

DON JON POSTER


Ew. Ew ew ew ew ew.

CLIP AND PICS FROM AFTERNOON DELIGHT


A nice clip from Afternoon Delight if you click the image above. Jill Soloway won the Directing Award at Sundance back in January for the comedy film, which stars the ace Kathryn Hahn, the talented Juno Temple, and Josh Radnor. It gets a limited US release this Friday, the 30th of August.