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23 is a debut film
magazine showcasing new and upcoming talent along with interviews, and
critical reviews of
current releases. We pride ourselves on representing our work through minimalist Illustration and Graphic Design Our cover features the exciting prospect of a sequel to Frank Miller’s Sin City 2 Welcome to Issue 1 of 23 magazine.
REVIEW
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Frozen
10 UPCOMING
Sin City 2
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FEATURE
David Fincher
FROZEN REVIEW
Disney is at it again with a prince, a princess and a queen in "Frozen." In one sense, then, this animated feature for the holidays is frozen in the studio's fairy tale past. Yet the film transcends its various borrowings and occasional stumblings with a modern, exuberant spirit that draws heat from Broadwaystyle musical numbers and, before and after everything else, from marvelous 3-D animation. The superstars here are the animators. If you thought there was only so much to be done with ice and snow as visual fields, think again along the lines of prismatic crystals, epic storms and fantastical structures built on water's gift for freezing itself into see-through art.
During the preprince preface, two young princesses in a kingdom called Arendelle command most of the attention: Anna and her older sister Elsa, who are voiced respectively, and beautifully, by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. In the screenplay that Jennifer Lee based ever so loosely on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen"—Ms. Lee also directed, with Chris Buck —Anna is a sweet little scamp who grows up to be a joyous woman, while Elsa has a superpower that's a curse. She's a cryogenic Carrie, or a female version of Frozone, from "The Incredibles." Whenever she's swept by strong feelings, she fires off subzero salvos ranging from icicle daggers to sheets of ice that can hurt, kill or, as is the case after she becomes queen, turn her kingdom's radiant summer into shivering winter.
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route. Anna's traveling companions are an earnest rustic named Kristoff, who cuts and sells ice for a living (his business has taken a hit from the local climate change); Kristoff's mute but savvy reindeer, Sven; and a funny little snowman, Olaf, whose
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Voiced respectively, and beautifully, by Kristen
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Comic relief crops up, of course, en
Bell and Idina Menzel
habit of detaching and reassembling his body parts recalls Mr. Potato Head from Pixar's "Toy Story" trilogy. A creature of Elsa's magic powers, Olaf doesn't understand that warmth isn't his friend. This is perilous for him but good for us, because he gets his own musical number, a charming song-and-dance routine in which he dreams a dream of radiant summer.
More Songs from ‘Frozen’ Imperfections crop up too; this film won’t be mistaken for one of the animated classics that Disney was turning out in the 1990s. A couple of consultations with a gathering of rocklike trolls is one too many. Anna’s dual attachment to Kristoff and Prince Hans blurs the story’s focus, since it has her chasing
Reduced to its emotional essentials,
between her sister’s mountain and
however, “Frozen” comes up strong,
Arendelle. And Elsa’s supposedly
with several surprises. Anna isn’t
fierce guardian, a gigantic snowman
one of them. She’s exactly the free
called Marshmallow, is a nondescript
spirit she seems to be, and all the
monster who should have been sent
more endearing for it. But Hans is
back to the drawing board.
more complicated than he seems. And Elsa’s plight speaks, and sings, to the pain of isolation. Always a good girl as a child, rigidly perfectionist as a young adult and terrified of unleashing the full force of her feelings, she’s a heroine for our times..
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SIN CITY 2 UPCOMING Even though Robert Rodriguez
includes The Departed, Body of
For what it’s worth: Sin City 2
has been promising that he will
Lies and London Boulevard.
(like its predecessor) will
City movie sooner than later (since last summer, at least), it wasn’t until Dimension Films
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in fact be making a second Sin
A Dame to Kill For seems to be coming together nicely
The non-linear narrative
be utilizing lots of
structure of the Sin City
digital imagery, in order
books and movies allows for
to bring the unfriendly streets
City: A Dame to Kill For, that
Rourke to reprise his acclaimed
of Basin City to life; thus,
most fans accepted the news.
turn as scarred brute Marv
post-converting the movie
(without any continuity issues).
to 3D would be a relatively
Dimension Films has unveiled
Rodriguez also previously
simple task. That’s all assuming
another press release – this
indicated that Rosario Dawson
Rodriguez goes for more of
time, revealing that A Dame
is onboard to return as Gail in
an immersive effect – and
to Kill For will hit theaters
A Dame to Kill For. Meanwhile,
doesn’t use it as a gimmick.
in the U.S. on October 4th,
Alba is expected to portray two
(Say, splashing the camera with
2013. In addition, the studio
versions of Nancy Callahan: one
blood during fight scenes.)
has confirmed the return of
before and after the events of
important players like Jessica
“That Yellow Bastard” (the third
Overall, A Dame to Kill For
Alba and Mickey Rourke, while
section of the first Sin City
seems to be coming together
also teasing the involvement of
movie).
nicely – later than many
officially confirmed the project – fully titled Frank Miller’s Sin
other “huge names” in pivotal roles.
would’ve liked, for sure, but However, despite the
hopefully the end result will
importance of Dwight in the
justify the eight-year break
A Dame to Kill For is expected
“Dame to Kill For” storyline,
between movies.
to combine elements of the
Clive Owen is unlikely to return
original Sin City graphic novel
in that role – since, in Miller’s
Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame
(of the same name) with new
source material, the character
to Kill For October 4th, 2013.
original story material cooked
underwent plastic surgery
up by Miller – who was assisted
between the events of “Dame
by William Monahan, the Oscar-
to Kill For” and Miller’s “The Big
winning screenwriter whose
Fat Kill” book (which served as
resume
the second main section of the first Sin City).
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D AV I D F I N C H E R INTERVIEW Mark Salisbury: David Fincher, let's
DF: Well, the technique of using
MS: For that we applaud you. And
start at the end, as Button does,
someone else's head has been around
then you started to make pop videos,
and talk about The Curious Case
for many years – they use it in
just when pop videos were being
of Benjamin Button. It's kind of a
stunts, to have people jumping over
taken seriously.
departure for you, in that it's a love
burning buildings on motorcycles
story, but with an unhappy ending.
and stuff. So they'd lop off the heads
DF: Were pop videos ever taken
and put the actor's head on the
seriously?
MS: This project has been around for
body. Initially, in discussions with
a long time. You read it 16 years ago?
Brad, he said that he didn't want to
MS: Well, more than they are now.
play seven or 15 years in somebody's
People don't watch them now.
DF: Yeah, I read the first draft that
life, that he wasn't interested in
was deemed unfilmable. And over the
organising that kind of a hand-off.
DF: OK, yeah, for good reason. It's
years, I heard about who had it and
But if we wanted him to play the
interesting, I just grew up in a really
who was going to try
whole of somebody's life, that was
interesting and bizarre place in a
something that would interest him.
bizarre time. There was a real nexus
next. I read Eric Roth's draft in 2001/2002.
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of things. From third grade, I was
I just grew up in a really MS: So what was it interesting and bizarre about this draft that place in a bizarre time
“
sucked you in?
making movies
in 16mm, and every year, in
film class – and everybody took film – they'd give you a song, a 45 and they'd say, "Make a film to this song," because there was no sync sound.
DF: I just thought the final image of a
Now, we knew that Benjamin needed
So you'd go out and shoot stuff with
74-year-old woman holding a seven-
to be four feet tall and 85 years old.
your friends, and it was made to that
month-old baby and helping him
There was also the question, not
song. People went, "We want you
through death, I just thought it was a
just of the character's stature as
to make a film to this song," and I
beautiful way to end a love story.
he's learning to stand and get out
thought, "I actually know how to do
of a wheelchair and walk on two
that. That may actually be the only
MS: We have to talk about how
crutches and then with a cane; but
thing I do know how to do." That
you created this amazing character,
there was also the makeup issue.
was a good gig for me.
Benjamin Button, with CGI and Brad
Silicone appliances – probably 80%
[Pitt]'s head on other people's bodies.
of ageing in the movies are silicone
Let's not forget that it wouldn't
appliances – It's called "skulling".
have worked if Brad wasn't fantastic,
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MS: So did you treat them as a film
I'd been making videos for 10 years, and this sounds
school?
stupid but I'd been there for six or seven years and felt like I had been there forever. I mean, I moved there in
DF: Yeah. I hate to say this because
1984 and started Propaganda Films in 1987, so I'd been
I took millions of dollars from people
doing commercials and videos for eight or 10 years before
to do these things. But the day that
anybody gave me a shot at making a movie. And I wish
they started to put your name on
they hadn't.
it was a horrible day for me. I just thought it was so cool that you
MS: The film we can't mention.
could try out this stuff and no one would ever ... you know, they'd blame
DF: Yeah, let's not.
it on Michael Jackson. [audience laughs]
MS: But there's this fantastic quote that I found, where you said of Alien 3 that "a lot of people hated Alien 3, but
MS: But movies were always the
no one hated it more than I did."
goal, when you were making videos like Express Yourself, that Metropolis
DF: I had to work on it for two years, got fired off it
thing.
three times and I had to fight for every single thing. No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it
DF: Yeah, we thought that was good
more than me.
fun. I don't know, she came up with that idea. She was like, "I wanna do
MS: At the risk of opening old wounds, what did you take
Metropolis," and I thought, it's her
from that experience that has subsequently helped you in
million bucks.
your Hollywood career?
MS: At what point did Hollywood
DF: It was a baptism by fire. I was very naive. For a
notice you? Was there one video
number of years, I'd been around the kind of people who
that put you on their radar?
financed movies and the kind of people who are there to make the deals for movies. But I'd always had this
DF: No. You know, Hollywood always
naive idea that everybody wants to make movies as
pretends not to notice you. I don't
good as they can be, which is stupid. [audience laughs]
know. In a weird way, you have to be
So I learned on this movie that nobody really knows, so
in LA long enough before anybody
therefore no one has to care, so it's always going to be
will realise that you're serious about
your fault. I'd always thought, "Well, surely you don't want
it. The last thing they want to do is
to have the Twentieth Century Fox logo over a shitty
enable people who aren't going to be
movie." And they were like, "Well, as long as it opens." So
dedicated to their cause.
I learned then just to be a belligerent asshole, which was really: "You have to get what you need to get out of it." You have to fight for things you believe in, and you have to be smart about how you position it so that you don't just become white noise. On that movie, I was the guy who was constantly the voice of "We need to do this better, we need to do this, this doesn't make sense". And
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“
It was a baptism by fire. I was very naive MS: So after that experience, you went back to making videos. Did you think that was it as far as features were concerned?
DF: No. I figured that there were people who had made worse films than I had and they were still working, so I figured I'd get one more shot. So finally, I got a script by a guy who was kind of in my world, and thinking about films the same way I was, and revered the same kinds of movie that I revered – Andy Walker, who had written a script called Seven. He couldn't get it made and had rewritten it 13 times in order to make it more "likeable". So this script was floating around and my agent, who said, "You know, New Line is interested in this. You might like this, and they might want to make it with you, so maybe you should read it." So I read it, and got to the end, with the head in the box, and I called him and said, "This is fantastic, this is so great because I had thought it was a police procedural; now it's this meditation on evil and how evil gets on you and you can't get it off." And he said, "What are you talking about?" And I talked about the whole head-in-the-box thing, she's been dead for hours and there's no bullshit chase across town and the guy driving on sidewalks to get to the woman, who's drawing a bath while the serial killer sneaks in the back window. And he goes, "Oh, they sent you the wrong draft." And he sent me the right draft, and there was a guy driving across town on sidewalks, serial killer sneaking in the back window. And I said that I wasn't interested in doing that. So I went and met with Mike De Luca, who was ostensibly at the time running New Line, and I said that I really liked the first draft, not the 13th draft. And he said, "Me too." So I asked what he was going to do, and I was laying out what I wanted to do on it. And then he said, "If we develop this and get into a dialogue about changes that could possibly be made to this material, there's no way that we could make this version of it, because I'll have 15 people looking over my shoulder who are going to be reading these pages as they come in. But if you say that you'll make this movie, starting in six weeks, we can make this version of the movie." So I said, "OK, let's go do it. Put the head in a box." And that's how the movie got made.
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23 By Emily Nuttall BA Graphic Design Level 2