NXNE FILM
MEDIA SUMMARY REPORT Prepared By GAT PR
Interviews completed
Friday May 23 AMusicBlogYeah.com Cam Carpenter Tuesday June 3 Daytime Cam Carpenter Wednesday June 4 Winehouse Magazine Steve Morris Thursday June 5 Montreal Rampage Steve Morris 680 News Regina Russell and Franck Banali Friday June 6 Strictly Docs Steve Tozzi Monday June 9 Live With Culture Ron Hawkins Wednesday June 11 Strictly Docs Regina Russell Sirius Radio Steve Morris Thursday June 12 Frameline Cam Carpenter Friday June 13 Sirius Radio Ron Hawks Monocle Maximon Monihan
NXNE expands film fest focus By Julianna Cummins – 05.20.2014 http://playbackonline.ca/2014/05/20/nxne-‐ expands-‐film-‐fest-‐focus/ The NXNE festival will feature films not focused on music for the first time this year, in an effort to broaden the overall offerings at the festival. Since the festival’s inception 20 years ago NXNE has continually expanded to offer more than music and now features films, comedy, art and programming focused on technology and innovation. The expansion of the film program was part of overall desire to make the festival more all-‐encompassing of the entire entertainment field, said Cameron Carpenter, film programming manager with NXNE. This year’s lineup includes several Canadian projects, including Brendan McCarney’s Born to Ruin and Dave Brown and Daniel Williams’s Luck’s Hard. Non-‐music focused films set to screen during the festival include the silent film La Voz De Los Silenciados and William J. Stribling’s Lies I Told My Little Sister. The festival will screen about 30 films in all this year, Carpenter said. He received about 500 submissions for this year’s festival, compared to the approximately 150 submissions he’s received in previous years. While he said the festival lineup will likely always include several music-‐focused films, he does hope the expanded festival can help promote up-‐and-‐coming Canadian filmmakers. “A great film is a great film, but we like to feature Canadian talents as well,” Carpenter told Playback Daily, noting that six of the 10 feature films to screen in the festival are Canadian. While the festival will gauge the audience’s reaction to the expanded film offerings, Carpenter said he believes the festival will feature films from across multiple genres in the future. “I think now that we have opened the floodgates…I think it will be all-‐encompassing again next year,” Carpenter said.
NXNE expands to include film By Emmanuelle Charlier – 04.23.2014 http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/other-‐festivals/nxne-‐expands-‐to-‐include-‐ film/5070953.article?blocktitle=HEADLINES&contentID=40295 Toronto’s North By Northeast (NXNE) is expanding its film festival programing beyond music-‐ themed movies to include films of all genres. NXNE Film top brass revealed (23) the initial line-‐up, which includes the world premiere of the Canadian film Luck’s Hard (pictured) from directors Dave Brown and Daniel Williams. The roster also features North American premieres for silent film La Voz De Los Silenciados (The Voice Of The Voiceless) by Maximon Monihan and horror-‐comedy Whoops! from Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts. “Being the 20th Anniversary of NXNE and the 14th year for our festival, we wanted to broaden our horizons this year and add features which are not necessarily about music,” said NXNE Film programmer Cameron Carpenter. The film festival runs from June 13-‐15. To view the full line-‐up click here.
NXNE expands to include film By Emmanuelle Charlier – 04.23.2014 http://article.wn.com/view/2014/04/23/NXNE_expands_to_include_film/
Toronto’s North By Northeast (NXNE) is expanding its film festival programing beyond music-‐themed movies to include films of all genres. NXNE Film top brass revealed (23) the initial line-‐up, which includes the world premiere of the Canadian film Luck’s Hard (pictured) from directors Dave Brown and Daniel Williams. The roster also features North American premieres for silent film La Voz De Los Silenciados (The Voice Of The Voiceless) by Maximon Monihan and horror-‐comedy Whoops! from Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts. “Being the 20th Anniversary of NXNE and the 14th year for our festival, we wanted to broaden our...more
NXNE 2014 Scheduler launches today By Darrell – 05.21.2014 http://www.thescenemagazine.ca/nxne-‐2014-‐scheduler-‐launches-‐today/#
The essential NORTH BY NORTHEAST (NXNE) Schedulizer launches today as the festival also announces the Canadian premiere screening of Richard Linklater’s newest film Boyhood for NXNE Film, plus new NXNE Music programming. The NXNE Schedulizer allows fans to create a personalized schedule at http://nxne.com/schedule, with must-‐see NXNE events that will take over Toronto June 13-‐22, 2014. In partnership with Hot Docs, NXNE Film adds eight more exciting films to its already stacked line-‐up, screening June 13 – 15 at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. New programming includes the Canadian film premiere of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette; the Canadian premiere of Vann ‘Piano Man’ Walls: The Spirit of R&B, a feature about a musical pioneer; the world premiere of Born to Ruin, a candid look at the Toronto-‐ based band, Wildlife, as they record their sophomore album; the world premiere of Panama, in which two back-‐up dancers from the Van Halen video for Panama reunite and learn how their lives led down two different paths; the Canadian premiere of C.T.R.L., a short about a hacked love story; Sad Monster, a short in which a young girl deals with a monster in her closet; At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst, a much anticipated short about Toronto’s legendary venue The Big Bop; and music videos making theatrical debuts, including Fear and Delight by The Correspondents, and Organs by The Uncluded. NXNE Music will feature performances by: Pissed Jeans, who were featured on The Very Best of Sub Pop 2009-‐2013: Live at the BBC 12” EP for Record Store day 2014; Veronica Vasicka, called “Electronic Music’s Own Archaeologist” by The New York Times; Sylvan Esso, that NME called “heartfelt, human electronica that pulses with a folksy emotion.”; Made in Heights, a pop duo featuring vocalist Kelsey Bulkin and DJ Sabzi of Blue Scholars; Har Mar Superstar, the stunning showman signed to Julian Casablancas’s Cult Records; retro rock trio Shannon and the Clams from Hardly Art Records; Bloodshot Bill, described by CBC Music as “a howling blues-‐rockabilly-‐and honky-‐tonk-‐flecked maelstrom of pomade, sweat and wild-‐ eyed determination”; Frankie Cosmos, who Pitchfork calls a “prolific young NYC songwriter”; Joywave, who recently released their debut EP How Do You Feel; and The Shoe, an indie-‐pop duo featuring Lem Jay Ignacio and Jena Malone of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
NXNE Film Stands Alone For First Time, Says Film Programming Manager By Jennifer Cox – 05.29.2014 http://www.craveonline.ca/film/articles/697009-‐nxne-‐film-‐stands-‐alone-‐for-‐first-‐time-‐says-‐ film-‐programming-‐manager
Film program for North By Northeast is much more varied this year. Cam Carpenter, NXNE Film Programming Manager, is pumped about this year’s incredibly diverse and unique projects. “The film fest is kicking of NXNE so we’re running films before the music starts, which means it’s sort of standing alone for the first time,” he explained. “It’s great because so many people are coming in and have crammed schedules where sometimes they don’t have the chance to see the movies.” Also, going into the 14th year of NXNE Film, all the featured films are about a myriad of topics, not just exclusively about music, which in the past they were. “With the 20th anniversary of NXNE, we decided to open it up and make it a bigger film fest, so we opened it up to every genre. It’s a big experiment but we’re excited.” A few highlights: -‐ “Boyhood,” written and directed by Richard Linklater and starring Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke. “It played at Sundance and Berlin, and it’s premiering in Canada here. To have the Canadian premiere is fantastic!” -‐ “Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie,” which is, “A great Quiet Riot movie with Frankie Banali and he’ll be up to talk about the movie as well.” -‐ “La Voz De Los Silenciados”, a silent film about South American deaf children who are brought to NY. “It’s very intense and based on a real story.” -‐ “Born To Ruin,” another Canadian rock band film that follows Toronto-‐based group Wildlife. Photo: Riot On The Dancefloor
Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – Film at NXNE By Bob Segarini – 05.30.2014
http://bobsegarini.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/cameron-‐carpenter-‐the-‐abcs-‐of-‐rocknroll-‐film-‐at-‐nxne/
Well it’s almost that time of year again. Beginning on Friday June 13th it’s time for the 20th Annual NXNE Festival and the 14th edition of the film festival. I started working on the film portion three years ago when my girlfriend Wendi-‐Jane Hayden had to step away from being the Film Manager after ten years of dedicated service. I worked with the amazing Ambrose Roche, head programmer, for my first year and then last year stepped up as the main programmer with Dani Barr stepping up this year as the Film Manager.
During my first year we mainly screened at the now closed National Film Board of Canada and ran bigger features at venues such as The Toronto Underground and the Royal on College Street. Last year we moved everything up to The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, and they will once again be our hosts this year. It is a fantastic theatre with a great screen, brilliant sound and an enthusiastic and dedicated staff. The fact that it is licensed is an added bonus. We started a series earlier this year under the name of “The Film Should Be Played Loud” where we have a local DJ spinning for an hour before the movie, beer specials and a total rock’n’roll vibe. We have screened films featuring The Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, Goldfrapp and this Saturday will be screening the great Martin Scorsese concert film “The Last Waltz”. Doors at 8:00 PM and the film begins at 9:30 PM.
The schedule is now set for the NXNE Film Festival and here is the low down on what we are screening. For the first time the festival will be screening non-‐music related films as well as the kind of rock docs that have made us famous.
5 Must see films at NXNE 06.01.2014 http://www.quipmag.com/5-‐must-‐see-‐films-‐at-‐nxne/
Boyhood, Canadian Premiere Director: Richard Linklater (USA) Since 2002, Linklater has been making annual films about lives being lived, using the same actors. This is a story about Mason, from his teen years to college, with all of the everyday burdens that come with it; from his annoying sister to divorced parents. This is another year in Mason’s life. Screening: June 14, 6 PM, Bloor Hot Docs La Voz Des Los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless), North American Premiere Director: Maximón Monihan (Guatemala / USA)
The heartbreaking story of a death of a teenager brought to New York City to be enslaved by the international criminal ring under the pretenses of Christian Sign Language School. The film has been in Official Selection in 7 of the World’s largest film festivals. This is a silent film (no dilaogue) about modern day slavery. Screening: June 13, 6 PM, Bloor Hot Docs Lies I Told My Little Sister, Canadian Premiere Director: William J. Stribling (USA) Loosely based Stribling’s family, this film is about a family trip to Cape Cod that follows the death of an older sister. The plot of this critically acclaimed film revolves around a nature photographer and her younger sister. Screening: June 15, 3 PM, Bloor Hot Docs Riot on the Dance Floor, Canadian Premiere Director: Steve Tozzi (USA) This film is about one of New Jersey’s most radical clubs, City Gardens, and it’s infamous promoter. This is the place that had an influence on the fame of bands like Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Beastie Boys, just to name a few. The story is told through in-‐depth interviews and Thrasher Magazine’s Ken Salerno’s photography. Screening: June 13, 9:30 PM, Bloor Hot Docs Whoops!, North American Premiere Director: Sam Robinson (UK) in attendance A dark comedy about a regular Northern family who spend their nights covering up accidental murders by their loving mother, Rose Clements. Accidents happen. Screening: June 14, 12:30 PM, Bloor Hot Docs
2014 Toronto NXNE Festival Guide to Tunes, Laughs & All Things Art By Brent Gladney – 06.02.2014 http://beforelastcall.ca/blog/2014-‐toronto-‐nxne-‐festival-‐guide-‐to-‐tunes-‐laughs-‐all-‐things-‐art
NXNE Festival hits its 20th consecutive year in existence, so you know they’ve got to be doing something right.
Seen by many as one of the most hotly anticipated festival events of the summer, North by Northeast (NXNE) in Toronto is marking its 20th year in 2014 and is expanding to cover 10 days, from June 13th – 22nd. Originally just a music festival, the event has grown to include other endeavours such as film, interactive, comedy and art. NXNE 2014 Dates (10 days) June 13th – 22nd NXNE is hosted by the city of Toronto and takes over the city for its entire run, incorporating downtown venues, open stages, parks, waterfronts, alleys, airports and anywhere (which is everywhere) that art can flourish. Before you dive into the madness, check out our info guide to understand what’s what and make sure you have your head on straight. NXNE is a festival with many categories, hidden events and parties you don’t want to miss out on. Let’s get started.
NXNE FILM
Not quite as old as the festival itself, the Film portion of NXNE isn’t far behind. Introduced in 2001 and screened from the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, the films shown at NXNE aren’t just music-‐related (though those are the focus) but include lots of debuts from filmmakers all over the globe. Previous film-‐directors who have had films screen during NXNE include Stewart Copeland of The Police fame, Guy Maddin and Rob Heydon.
NXNE: 10 Days of Music, Movies, Comedy, and More 06.05.2014 http://www.seetorontonow.com/annual-‐events/north-‐by-‐northeast-‐festival/
1000 BANDS -‐100+ COMEDIANS – 17 FILMS – 10 SLEEPLESS DAYS North by Northeast (NXNE) has become the Canadian festival destination for emerging artists and major-‐label headliners, for music filmmakers, and for digital interactive innovators bridging the gap between technology and the arts. Consisting of five event-‐ packed streams – NXNE Music, NXNE Film, NXNE Interactive, NXNE Comedy, and NXNE Art – the festival creates an essential gathering spot for artists, industry professionals, and fans. Over the course of 10 sleepless days and nights, NXNE Music offers the hottest music and the freshest music-‐related ideas-‐all within a few kilometres of each other. NXNE 2014 presents over 1000 international, national and local musical acts at 46 official festival venues in downtown Toronto. No wonder it’s the most anticipated summer music event in Canada! For film aficionados, NXNE Film will be screening 17 of the year’s best music-‐themed features, documentaries, shorts, and experimental films from around the world. Directors, producers, actors and musicians often attend the screenings – many of which are world or Canadian premieres. NXNE Interactive (NXNEi) is a digital interactive media conference like no other. Bringing together content-‐creating artists, tech entrepreneurs, digital marketing gurus, web business experts, and social media aficionados for four days of workshops and presentations, it explores the newest ideas about the intersection between creativity and the interactive world. Finally, NXNE Comedy and NXNE Art are the two most recent streams to be recognized at the festival. Check out more than 100 standup, sketch, and improvisatory comics representing the best of contemporary comedy. Then admire countless art exhibits, projections, and installations at a dozen different locations around the city.
RIOT ON THE DANCEFLOOR (@NXNE Review) By Nick Watson – 06.05.2014
http://blacksheepreviews.com/riot-‐dancefloor-‐nxne-‐ review/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Black_Sheep_Reviews+(Blac k+Sheep+Reviews%3A+A+film+review+site
RIOT OF THE DANCEFLOOR: THE STORY OF RANDY NOW & CITY GARDENS Directed by Steve Tozzi
Many (many) moons ago, there was a nightclub in Trenton, New Jersey, that would go on to house American debuts by Sinead O’Connor and A Flock of Seagulls, and employ a young bartender named Jon Stewart (The Daily Show). Bands like The Ramones and Rollins Band, Fugazi and Bad Brains would fill this once car dealership building with loud alternative music to loads of screaming and often violent fans. But probably the most well known figure from City Gardens was its primary booking agent and DJ, Randy Now, whose New Wave nights transformed the club into one of music history’s most famous venues. RIOT ON THE DANCE FLOOR gathers up as many people as it possibly could and interviews them, their voices played out against still photos of the club, its patrons and performers. Their memories are as dirty as one could imagine the bathrooms were at a punk and alternative venue, but everyone has something positive to say about their experiences with Randy Now, the film’s main star. The movie not only chronicles the evens of the infamous club, but Now’s life from a full time postal worker to a full time promoter and fixture in the New Jersey music scene. Directed by Steve Tozzi, his first film suffers from two high set backs: the length and the extremely specific content. If you have no idea about the Trenton club, why would you want to sit through almost 2 hours reminiscing about the glory days with a bunch of men who are now over 50? Those who have an interest in the bands and have been to the club itself will find more than enough to keep them satisfied, but for the majority of us who have never been to City Gardens, the film is a tad too specific. The history segment of Trenton, NJ seems a little misplaced in the movie and drags on just a bit too long in the middle of the movie as well.
VOICE OF THE VOICELESS (@NXNE Review) By Nick Watson – 06.05.2014 http://blacksheepreviews.com/voice-‐voiceless-‐nxne-‐review/ LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS (VOICE OF THE VOICELESS) Written and Directed by Maximon Monihan Starring Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz Taken from an apparent real life case that was solved by the NYPD, VOICE OF THE VOICELESS follows a young Deaf girl as she is taken away from her home somewhere in Latin America under the promise of being enrolled in a Christian school for the Deaf in the United States. Upon landing in NYC she is quickly brought into a house with a group of other Deaf youth, stripped of her clothes and personal belongings and locked in a cramped room in the basement. Olga (Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz) finds herself in the middle of an underground slavery ring where she is forced to rely on the pity of the Hearing population and sell moist towelettes and claim the money is going towards her Christian education. Silent and free of any audible dialogue, VOICE OF THE VOICELESS brings us into a world that is terrifying beyond imagination, the mere thought of what happens (and really did happen) brings not only chills to my spine but ignites something we should all be angry about. But the movie doesn’t ask us for pity, nor does it create too much sympathy for the main character until about 3/4 of the way through the film, when Olga decides that enough is enough. What happens is terrible, don’t get me wrong, it is just that director, Maximon Monihan, has chosen to use an hour of the film to repeat the same situations over and over, like beating a dead horse. The repetitive nature of the narrative becomes quickly tiresome and makes the film drag on, especially by the half way mark. Zentz is quite believable as Olga, however it makes me wonder why an actual Deaf actor (and there are lots of them) wasn’t used, along with any sign language in the movie. But the lack of language and communication throughout the film does effectively convey the sense of isolation that the Deaf community goes though, and the story is an important one we should all know; the movie itself just suffers from its own shortcomings.
NXNE 2014 PREVIEW By C.J. Prince – 06.09.2014 http://waytooindie.com/news/nxne-‐2014-‐preview/
As the name implies, North by Northeast can be seen as a sort of partner to Austin, TX’s South by Southwest. The festival takes place in Toronto from June 13-‐22, and will see plenty of bands, comedians, films, artists and more show off their stuff. Like SXSW, NXNE is expanding its horizons beyond music and into film. Up until now the festival only screened films involving music, but in its 20th year the program has expanded to include non-‐music related films. In advance of this year’s festival, we were able to catch 6 films set to play between June 13 and 15 at the gorgeous Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. This is merely a sampling of what’s available, as short films and music videos will also be screening with select titles. By far the most anticipated film in this year’s line-‐up is Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, which will have its Canadian premiere on June 14th. But don’t forget to take a peek at what else is playing at NXNE. And I don’t just mean the films either. There are hundreds of live acts playing the festival, so be sure to spare some time and look at what else is going on at the festival. Read on to see our thoughts on the 6 films playing, along with dates and times. You can find more information, including how to buy passes, at www.nxne.com. If you don’t want to buy a pass, you can buy individual tickets for the films here.
Riot on the Dance Floor Screens Friday, June 13 at 9:30pm
Riot on the Dance Floor is a documentary about City Gardens, a club in Trenton, NJ that was home to a surprisingly vibrant music scene. Club promoter Randy Now booked a wide variety of acts at the club throughout the 80s and 90s. Bands like Nirvana, Black Flag, R.E.M., Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, Bad Brains, De La Soul and The Ramones are just a few of the bands that played City Gardens over the years. The club was seen by some as a sort of CBGB for suburban kids in New Jersey, and the eclectic bookings by Now (reggae, punk, metal, soul, alternative, etc.) gave the club a legendary status to those who knew it. Director Steve Tozzi interviews locals, members of bands that played over the years and Now himself to paint a picture of City Gardens as a truly unique, and mostly unheard of piece of music history. Stories of the club helping establish Ween, Butthole Surfers trying to burn down the place, and a notoriously awful show by the band Venom are a few of the more entertaining pieces here. Tozzi constructs a pleasant, nifty documentary, although it might be a little alienating to people without any knowledge of the alternative scene. For those with some familiarity, watching everyone wax nostalgic about City Gardens from Jello Biafra to Jon Stewart (he was a bartender at City Gardens for several years) is fun to watch. Tozzi gets a little too indulgent, letting his film run close to the 2 hour mark and dedicating too much time to Trenton’s past, but it isn’t long before another crazy anecdote gets the film moving again. And despite all of the focus on the club itself, Tozzi makes sure that Now is the film’s centerpiece. Randy Now may be an unsung hero, but Riot on the Dance Floor makes sure he finally gets his due.
Whoops! Screens Saturday, June 14 at 12:30pm
Whoops! is pretty nonsensical, but its concept is a fun one. Rose Clements (Elaine Glover) is a caring but clumsy wife and mother of two. Rose is accident prone, but in a very particular way: her mistakes end up inadvertently killing someone. Her first kill happens when she mistakes a man in a parking lot for a stalker trying to attack her. She leaps out and hits him in defense, only to take out one of his eyeballs with her car keys. Rose’s husband Dave (Philip Rowson), fearing how the death will look to the authorities, hides the body. It doesn’t take long before Rose unintentionally kills again, and for the cops to start suspecting the happy couple. It’s odd how almost all of Rose’s murders happen as a result of her fear of getting attacked by a man. Someone could take it as a kind of commentary on the very real fears women have, and how badly things end up for them when they act on it, but that might be giving Whoops! too much credit. This is primarily a silly, dark comedy, and it’s surprising how much it works. The cast is strong, with Olwen May getting most of the laughs as the hard-‐headed cop investigating Rose’s killings (also good: Paul Tomblin as one of Dave’s dim-‐witted co-‐ workers). Dave’s decision to cover up his wife’s crimes is a little far-‐fetched, along with how May’s character manages to solve the case, but the entire film is so inherently ridiculous it feels silly to complain about implausible behaviour. Unfortunately Whoops! falls into the usual horror/comedy trap of going for a sentimental climax. This is a film more about getting laughs at Rose and Dave’s deathly incompetence, not about their loving relationship. Still, Whoops! is a gory little romp that, despite its copious amounts of blood, is pretty harmless.
Luck’s Hard – Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins Screens Saturday, June 14 at 10pm
The winner of the most Canadian film in the NXNE line-‐up will probably go to this film, a profile of Canadian singer-‐songwriter Ron Hawkins (probably known most from the band Lowest of the Low) and the new direction he’s taking his solo career: touring with a backing band and recording a double album with them. Directors David Brown and Daniel Williams spend some time on the music, but prefer to profile Hawkins along with the members of The Do Good Assassins. Fans of Hawkins’ music, seen as a small but fiercely dedicated group in the film, will definitely have a good time with Luck’s Hard. The doc operates more as a puff piece than a serious work, something that would probably work best as a bonus feature on the band’s double album, but for the most part Hawkins and his band get by on their inoffensive charm. Brown and Williams admirably try to expand the scope of their work, using Hawkins as a symbol for a standard DIY indie artist and exploring how these kinds of artists can hack it in today’s music scene. A few choice moments, like the band’s bassist explaining why Toronto is one of the best music scenes in the world, are tailor-‐made for the NXNE crowd but the film’s appeal will still be limited. If you’re a fan of Hawkins, or interested in his music (some of which you can sample here) Luck’s Hard is worth catching during NXNE.
Well now you’re Here, There’s No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie Screens Sunday, June 15 at 9:45pm
Regina Russell’s film finally answers the question “What would a 110 minute documentary about Quiet Riot be like?” The answer is, somewhat unsurprisingly, a bit of a mixed bag. The first 45 minutes are engaging and thorough, as Russell culls together her own interviews along with archival footage to give a brief history of the 80s rock band’s heyday. Vocalist Kevin Dubrow and drummer Frankie Banali made up the nucleus of the band, as one interview subject puts it, and their album “Metal Health” ushered in the glam metal era. “Metal Health” actually dethroned “Thriller” on the charts, and bands like Poison and Twisted Sister probably wouldn’t have been as successful if Quiet Riot didn’t pave the way for them. The band’s story ends on a tragic note in 2007 when Dubrow died of a drug overdose, but the doc’s second (and weaker) half dedicates itself to following Banali’s attempts to restart the band with a new vocalist. Banali is clearly resentful of Dubrow’s death, looking at it as an act of selfishness that took away his career, and the doc’s look at Banali’s coping is one of the strongest part of the film, but it’s all too brief. Unfortunately it’s bogged down by an overindulgent runtime and stale touring segments, the kind of material with no appeal to anyone who might not be a fan of the band. Russell also proves to be pretty weak as a director, with several blatantly staged sequences that have more in common with a Bravo reality series than a piece of documentary filmmaking (also of note: a title card at the end reveals Banali and Russell got engaged after she finished filming). Those issues in the second half aside, Russell still crafts a decent “rock doc” any fan of the band or metal music will find fulfilling.
Voice of the Voiceless Screens Friday, June 13 at 6pm
Give credit where it’s due: Writer/director Maximón Monihan clearly has a strong vision for his debut feature. The Voice of the Voiceless takes the point of view of Olga (Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz), a Central American deaf girl, and the film’s audio mix replicates Olga’s hearing. That means no audible dialogue, just low frequencies and dull thuds for anything especially loud. It’s a bold choice for a first-‐time filmmaker, but it doesn’t necessarily constitute a successful one. Olga is lured to New York City under false pretenses of joining a sign language school. In reality, an international crime syndicate tricks her into becoming their slave. Day after day Olga gets on subway trains handing out “I am deaf” cards asking for donations, all of which go to her captors. Monihan spends a considerable chunk of his film repeating Olga’s daily routine to show off its mundane horrors, but this constant repetition does more to induce boredom than emphasize Olga’s horrifically banal routine. Monihan’s choice to go for a pseudo-‐silent film is admirable, but the execution is seriously lacking. Eventually subtitles come into the picture, and information is relayed in ways that are either too vague to understand (I had to refer to the film’s official synopsis in order to understand that Olga was lured under the pretense of joining a school) or so blatantly defined it’s hard not to laugh (a box of rat poison saying POISON FOR RATS in massive lettering). The result is a tonal mess, a film that carelessly veers between broad, possibly unintentional comedy and cheap, miserablist drama. Still, Monihan deserves some credit for trying something so unorthodox with a fact-‐based drama (Monihan was inspired by an article about a racket similar to the one in the film that went on in NYC for years). Ultimately it’s an interesting but failed experiment.
Lies I Told My Little Sister Screens Sunday, June 15 at 3pm
Written by a woman in her 60s with no screenwriting experience and directed by a 21 year old NYU student, Lies I Told My Little Sister is one of the more torturous films I’ve had to sit through in a long time. Cory (Lucy Walters) and Jane (Michelle Petterson) are getting over the recent loss of their older sister Sarah (Alicia Minshew) when Jane suggests the entire family go on a weekend getaway to Cape Cod. Jane is an overly protective wife and mother who resents Cory’s free spirited lifestyle working as a nature photographer, so naturally they’re bound to clash once they spend time together. Will Jane and Cory be able to get along? Will everyone learn to move on from their recent tragedy? Will Cory happen to find love during her short getaway? The answer to all of those is yes. Lies I Told My Little Sister is a twee indie hellscape, the sort of Sundance bottom feeder that feels more like a parody than an attempt at something sincere. Writers Jonathan Weisbrod and Judy White infuse their script with false profundities and metaphors so bad (“The past is the past, and you can’t wear it around your neck like a garlic clove”) even Zach Braff would cringe at them. Every conversation and dramatic moment ends with characters laughing together or hugging because feel-‐good movies do that, I guess. It’s all meant to be realistic or relatable, when the exact opposite is true. Lies I Told My Little Sister looks like aliens came down to earth and tried to make their own version of a heartwarming family dramedy. I didn’t think there could be a more inhuman film this year than Under the Skin, but here we are. On the (very minor) plus side, the cinematography and cast are surprisingly good, but that’s kind of it. If you love montages scored with ukulele, glockenspiel and pounding piano riffs sounding like rejected Spoon songs, you might enjoy yourself. For me, the cloying non-‐stop attempts at ‘snappy dialogue’ and cutesy moments were insufferable. The film ends with Jane’s precocious son gathering his family around a campfire, making them hold hands and say “Om” together. “Are we Buddhists now?” Jane’s husband asks. “No,” Cory says, looking up at the stars. “We’re just alive.”If that doesn’t make you want to claw your face off, Lies I Told My Little Sister might be right up your alley.
Let’s Ruin it With Babies Screens Sunday, June 15 at 6:30pm
Way Too Indie was able to see Let’s Ruin it With Babies earlier this year at the San Francisco Indiefest. In our review herewe said it was an “über-‐cute road flick with real drama and savvy, hard-‐hitting humor.” Be sure to read our review, as well as our interview with director/writer/star Kestrin Pantera.
Other films screening at the festival: Born to Ruin (screens Saturday, June 14 at 3pm) -‐ This music documentary follows Toronto-‐ based band The Wildlife over 3 months as they record their sophomore album. The doc promises it will “inevitably change the common perception of life in a music studio.” Boyhood (screens Saturday, June 14 at 6pm) -‐ Do I need to say anything more? Richard Linklater’s coming of age tale is unprecedented in that it filmed its main character’s coming of age in real time; Linklater began shooting in 2002, periodically filming more scenes over the years until finally wrapping in 2013. The film has been a massive hit at Sundance, Berlin and SXSW, and now NXNE is happy to host its Canadian premiere. For those who can’t wait until July, this is your chance to catch one of 2014ʹ′s most-‐anticipated films. Vann “Piano Man” Walls – The Spirit of R&B (screens Sunday, June 15 at 12:30pm) – Vann “Piano Man” Walls might not be well-‐known, but his influence sure is. The piano player worked as a musician at Atlantic Records, helping record some of R&B’s biggest songs (including Joe Turner’s “Chains of Love”). The documentary follows Walls’ history in the music business along with the recording of his final album.
FESTIVAL NORTH BY NORTHEAST 06.10.2014 http://www.grandtoronto.ca/events/festival-‐north-‐by-‐northeast/
Aujourd’hui dans sa 20e année, North by Northeast Festivals et Conférence (NXNE) est devenue une référence dans les festivals canadiens consacrés aux artistes émergents ou renommés, les cinéastes, comédiens hilarants, visuels, sonores et autres artistes ou encore les innovateurs comblant le fossé entre technologie et arts. Vu comme l’événement musical de l’été le plus attendu au Canada, NXNE Music, NXNE Film, NXNE Interactive, NXNE Art et NXNE Comedy sont des rendez-‐vous incontournables pour les artistes, l’industrie et le public. Nous sommes basés à Toronto, mais souhaitons apporter une perspective internationale à notre programmation. NXNE dure 10 jours et 10 nuits, attirant plus de 350 000 participants, et générant des retombées économiques annuelles d’environ 50 millions de dollars à la ville de Toronto. Dates importantes: NXNE Film: 13-‐15 juin NXNE Art: 16-‐22 juin NXNE Comédie: 17-‐22 juin NXNE Interactive: 18-‐21 juin NXNE Musique: 18-‐22 juin
NXNE 2014 Preview: Film By Angelo Muredda – 06.10.2014 http://torontoist.com/2014/06/nxne-‐2014-‐preview-‐film/ On the heels of Canadian Music Week’s surprisingly deep bench of screenings last month, NXNE has upped its ante in time for its 14th annual film program. Camping out in the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema for the course of the festival at large, NXNE Film has assembled a motley crew of music-‐related and concert titles. For the first time, it’s also branched out and scored some premieres from beyond that relatively narrow field, bringing in at least one title that would be a coup even for an alpha festival like TIFF, and attempting to position the fest— perhaps a bit prematurely—as the northern heir apparent to SXSW.
Boyhood When: Saturday, June 14, 6 p.m. Where: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) The pièce de résistance this year is surely Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s long-‐gestating and long-‐awaited semi-‐fictional biography of average kid Mason Jr., running from his early adolescence through to his 18th birthday. A major success at Sundance and Berlin (where it won the Silver Bear for Best Director), Boyhood is the kind of experiment you’d expect from the scrappy Texan filmmaker. Linklater reportedly started shooting when star Ellar Coltrane was just seven years old, and reassembled his small cast (including Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as his parents) for a few weeks each year, between other projects, such as his critically lauded Before trilogy.
The Voice of the Voiceless
Still from The Voice of the Voiceless.
When: Friday, June 13, 6 p.m. Where: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) What most of the titles lack in star power, they try to make up for in conceptual gumption. One of the more promising selections in that regard is Maximón Monihan’s The Voice of the Voiceless, a Brechtian silent film about a young Central American deaf woman lured to Brooklyn and sold into the service of an international crime syndicate. The Artist it isn’t.
Let’s Ruin It With Babies
When: Sunday, June 15, 6:30 p.m. Where: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) Ambitious in a more personal sort of way, Kestrin Pantera’s Let’s Ruin It with Babies stars the director (and professional cellist) and her real-‐life partner Jonathan Grubb as a couple with diverging views on whether to settle down and procreate or endlessly prolong their adolescence. We found it a bit twee, but it’s certainly the best film at NXNE to feature a mobile karaoke bar.
Riot on the Dance Floor
When: Friday, June 13, 9:30 p.m. Where: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West)
Those seeking something a bit closer to the festival’s live offerings may wish to forgo some of these scripted films in favour of the Canadian premiere of Steve Tozzi’s documentary Riot on the Dance Floor, an oral history of City Gardens, the famed New Jersey club that gave a spotlight to artists as varied as Nine Inch Nails and New Order. Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back When: Sunday, June 15, 9:45 p.m. Where: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) Quiet Riot fans—and we know there are a few—will want to take in Regina Russell’s Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back, a profile of the ‘80s hair metal band behind the memorably titled “Cum on Feel the Noize,” if only to catch drummer Frankie Banali in person. At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst When: Saturday, June 14, 3 p.m. Where: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) Finally, we’d be remiss not to mention the local At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst. Steve Heretik’s profile of the Big Bop, the dearly departed brickwork all-‐ages venue that once played host to some of the luminaries of Toronto’s underground music community and now houses a CB2 outlet, promises some insight into the history of Queen West via its biography of the purple monstrosity. R.I.P. the Big Bop; long live gentrification.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM TORONTO'S NORTH BY NORTHEAST FESTIVAL (NXNE) By Alan Jones – 06.10.2014
http://grolschfilmworks.com/ca/features/toronto-‐north-‐by-‐northeast-‐festival-‐nxne-‐highlights
Toronto's North by Northeast festival (NXNE for short) has been growing steadily over the past decade since the first three-‐day festival was held in 1995. Originally made in the image of SXSW, the festival has, like its Austin brethren, expanded beyond music to showcase film, comedy, and art. When our not-‐so-‐beloved mayor traveled to Austin earlier this year, it was part of an effort to turn Toronto in to a “music city,” with NXNE being the focus. As a result, this year's musical line-‐up is considerably more impressive than year's past, at least in terms of star power. While the film selection is usually the forgotten little brother of the festival, easily overshadowed by the music, the programmers seem to be trying a little harder this year. Richard Linklater's much adored Boyhood will be making its Canadian debut at the fest before, presumably, ending up on everyone's top ten list. The rest of the programme is pretty spotty, veering from sycophantic musical documentaries about bands you don't care about to genteel indie comedies that will put you to sleep, but we waded through it looking
for the best options. If you're in Toronto this weekend, you could do a lot worse than checking out some of these films at the Bloor Hot Docs cinema. La voz de los silenciados (AKA The Voice of the Voiceless)
Described as “Chaplin meets Eraserhead” and a “magical-‐neo-‐realist, modern day silent film,” I was fairly apprehensive about Maximon Monihan's debut feature. But the suggested surrealism is played lightly, and the film is “silent” because the film's protagonist can't hear. Monihan uses a distorted low-‐frequency, vibration-‐heavy sound design to replicate the experience of a person with impaired hearing. Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz plays Olga, a Guatemalan teenager promised an education in New York. When she arrives, the promised school is actually a house full of deaf children locked in an uncomfortable basement by night and forced to travel the New York subway by day, selling towelettes to strangers. A contemporary Oliver Twist story, Olga brings back her earnings to this film's own Fagin figure, a crotchety old American woman (Pamela Guthrie) with several abusive henchmen to keep her orphans in check. Though obviously produced on a tiny budget, former professional skateboarder Monihan makes up for his limitations with his strong sense for visual storytelling, proving that there's at least one Brooklyn-‐based filmmaker with a DSLR who's interested in more than whining white people and their problems Van “Piano Man” Walls – The Spirit of R & B I'm a little confused about the reasons for premiering this film, about a legendary sessions piano player from the post-‐WWII halcyon days of rhythm and blues, in 2014, given that most of the material appears to have been shot before Walls's death in 1999. As a result, it feels a bit like an A & E Biography special, before that channel devoted itself to reality television. Director Steven Morris catches up with Walls in the early 90s, as his legacy was being reconsidered and he emerged from decades of obscurity to make a new album. Beginning
his career in Columbus, Ohio, Walls soon moved to New York and became a sessions player for Atlantic Records, putting work in on recordings by Ruth Brown and Big Joe Turner. After his work in New York, Walls began touring the United States and Canada with various bands before marrying a Jewish Canadian woman and settling down in Montreal. Though his film verges on unapologetic hero worship, Morris covers this period with an emphasis on detail, and offers interviews with prominent figures like Smokey Robinson, Jerry Wexler, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, and Walls former piano student, Mac Rebenneck aka Dr. John. Even if the doc is stylistically by-‐the-‐book, the piano man makes up for it with his consummate showmanship and excellent tunes.
Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back: The Quiet Riot Movie Quiet Riot is best known for “Cum on Feel the Noize,” a cover of a 1973 Slade song that thrust Los Angeles's greasy glam metal scene in to regular rotation on MTV and helped Quiet Riot's 1993 album Metal Health become the first heavy metal album to reach number one on Billboard. They didn't make great art, but their success helped launch a wave of stadium-‐ready hair metal tracks that would populate karaoke nights for decades to come, so I'll let you decide if that's a worthwhile legacy. Predictably, Regina Russell's documentary tells us the story of Quiet Riot's rise to fame in the manner of an E! True Hollywood Story, from living on couches off Hollywood's Sunset Strip, to getting signed and screwed by their manager, to frontman Kevin DuBrow's cocaine addiction (detailed in surprisingly candid home video footage) and the band's subsequent collapse. The film is less predictable when it switches to the year's after Dubrow's death and details drummer Frankie Banali's attempt to take the band on tour with a new singer. His ensuing struggles create a farcical mirror to This is Spinal Tap, with an overbearing drummer presiding over a revolving door of incompetent singers, the first of whom is a middle-‐aged man holding down a day job as a house
painter even as he tours with the band. I was initially curious as to whether the director of the film was taking these comical problems as seriously as Banali, and had my suspicions confirmed when the film's epilogue announced her engagement to drummer. The Quiet Riot Movie, like Quiet Riot itself, is kinda dumb but kinda fun. Watching a bunch of middle-‐aged men with big stupid hair fret over fan perception, as if they weren't purely a nostalgia act by now, is comedic gold, whether it was intended to be or not. S h o rts
In addition to its feature line-‐up, NXNE is also playing an impressive selection of short films and music videos. On the Corner of Queen & Bathurst is a look at The Big Bop, a Toronto institution that served as an all-‐ages venues for the city's adolescent hardcore kids. Heretik's (that's the director's name – he's probably a punk) short doc is neither saccharine nor unsentimental and takes a nice look at how gentrification has changed the neighbourhood in the past decade. In his music video for The Uncluded's “Organs,” director Rob Shaw uses stop motion animation to show insects getting killed so they can donate their titular body parts. The titular sad monster of Kurt Dettbarn's Sad Monster is a po-‐faced imaginary creature that wanders Toronto's urban landscape after being kicked out of a little girls's imagination. It's really just a guy in a big monster mask walking around the city, but the creature design is cute and the Where the Wild Things Are vibe is poignant.
Gimme Your Answers (Beyond the Stage): An Interview w/ Cam Carpenter By Alicia Atout – 06.11.2014 Ever wonder what happens beyond the stage and screen? Well we do. These roadies, managers, guitar techs, programmers, lighting directors, publicists (and even positions you may not have known about) make the music and film you love come alive! In a recent interview, A Music Blog, Yea? spoke with NXNE film programmer Cameron Carpenter. Cam has been a part of the NXNE Film Festival team for the last four years and has attended every NXNE since its inception 20 years ago. This year, come celebrate 14 years of NXNE Film at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema from June 13th-‐15th and 22nd. And, if you want to know what tricks are reel-‐y pull behind the scenes of our favourite films, read our new interview with Cam below: AMBY: Hey Cam, thanks for speaking with us today! How did you first get into your industry? Cam Carpenter: I first got into the music industry in the late seventies working as a publicist for Quality Records. Since then I have worked for various major and independent labels. I have attended every NXNE since the beginning. My girlfriend worked as the Film Festival Manager for almost ten years and when she was unable to continue three years ago I stepped up to help. AMBY: Please briefly explain to our readers what you do as Film Fest Manager of NXNE. Cam Carpenter: The job involves screening all of the submissions, which start arriving in September, and then deciding which films best suit our program. After that I work closely with The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and come up with our schedule. We also coordinate with guest producers who are coming to town to provide them with a enjoyable NXNE experience.
AMBY: Which artists and films do you look forward to seeing the most this year at NXNE? Cam Carpenter: I love all of our films this year, it is the first time we have included non-‐ music features and I am looking forward to the audience reaction to each and every one. With close to 500 submissions it was very difficult to come up with the final schedule. With regards to the music side of things I am looking forward to seeing some band in a crowded bar that I have never heard of who completely blow me away. It seems to happen every year at NXNE. AMBY: What is the craziest thing to happen to you while working a major event? Cam Carpenter: So far so good at NXNE film and nothing catastrophic has happened. It has been cool to hang out with the likes of original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and British punk film maker and friend of The Clash Don Letts. AMBY: What is the best and worst thing about programming such a large-‐scale festival? Cam Carpenter: The best thing is the opportunity to watch so many great films and documentaries every year and the hardest thing is not being able to include them all. It is also great to watch a film that debuted at NXNE achieve success internationally on the film circuit. AMBY: Which venues and theatres in Toronto are your favourite? Cam Carpenter: I love The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and, growing up in the east end of Toronto I was pretty well raised at The Fox Theatre. For live venues I love The Bovine Sex Club, The Horseshoe Tavern and the intimacy of The Rivoli. AMBY: Which three albums changed your life? Which three films changed your life? Cam Carpenter: The debut album by The New York Dolls, David Bowie’s “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars” and “Marquee Moon” from Television. On the film side I always loved “Citizen Kane”, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Dr. Strangelove”. AMBY: What do you do for fun outside of loving music and film? Cam Carpenter: I write a weekly column about music at http://bobsegarini.wordpress.com/ and I can play a pretty mean game of euchre or cribbage. AMBY: And lastly, what’s something about you that nobody knows yet? Cam Carpenter: I am fast becoming a good lawn bowler and have my sights on a championship season this summer once NXNE is over.
NXNE: "Sad Monster" Will Make You Smile By Caitlin Marceau – 06.11.2014 http://www.ixdaily.com/the-‐grind/nxne-‐sad-‐monster-‐will-‐make-‐you-‐smile If you didn't already know, Toronto will be hosting their NXNE festival from June 13th, this upcoming Friday, until the 22nd of the month. The festival promises to bring new and innovative art, comedy, music and film, something that Sad Monster does in under seven minutes. The Canadian short film, directed and produced by Kurt Dettbarn, focuses on a monster who's no longer wanted by the little girl whose closet he inhabit. The film follows him wandering, lost, his life now seemingly without purpose, all while Dettbarn's original song also entitled Sad Monster plays in the background. The short features beautiful forest scenery, aesthetically pleasing city and home shots, not to mention a post-‐eviction scene that will make you giggle.
Despite the lighthearted tones of the piece, including the sweater clad monster himself, the film actually strikes a chord with audiences. The film seems, at times, like it could be a look at what happens after Monsters Inc. ends and they're no longer needed, or the toys Andy leaves behind in Toy Story 3. Although it will make you smile, it's also guaranteed to make your heart ache as the feeling of abandonment gets stronger with each passing second.
NXNE: "Whoops!" Is A Bloody Good Film By Caitlin Marceau – 06.11.2014 http://www.ixdaily.com/the-‐grind/nxne-‐whops-‐bloody-‐good-‐film Starting this Friday, June 13th, until the 22nd of the month NXNE will be taking place in Toronto. Art, music, comedy and film will all be featured in the multimedia festival which promises to entertain all who go. We at IX Daily got to take a sneak peak at some of the films which will be debuting at the festival, including the British film Whoops!, directed by Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts, which will be making its North American premier at NXNE. And as great as it is to see UK film making its way into the fest, is the film actually worth seeing? Absolutely! Whoops! is a dark comedy that, according to their IMDB tagline, is about "Rose Clements-‐ loving mother and wife-‐ is quietly stacking up a body count of accidental murders..." And it couldn't be more true. Throughout the film we watch as Rose, as played by Elaine Glover, tries her best to keep her family from falling apart while she accidentally kills off half the neighbourhood, much to the dismay (and support) of her husband Dave, as portrayed by Philip Rowson. This movie will have you busting a gut from start to finish, while simultaneously questioning whether or not you're a decent person. The comedic style of the movie is dry as a bone, finding humour in how ordinary they treat the extraordinary. The laughs are drawn from audiences effortlessly, which just shows how expertly Watts and Hipwell adapted Sam Robinson's story. One memorable section of dialogue includes the married pair debating what to do with one of Rose's victims.
5 FILMS TO CATCH AT NXNE 2014 By Courtney Small -‐ 06.11.2014 http://cinemaaxis.com/2014/06/11/5-‐films-‐to-‐catch-‐at-‐nxne-‐2014/ The 2014 edition of NXNE kicks off on Friday bringing the world of music, film, comedy and technology to numerous venues across the city. Running from June 13th to June 22nd, the festival is a popular event each June. This year the film portion of the festival will be unveiling the Canadian Premiere of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Creating waves along the festival circuit, Boyhood has been one of our most anticipated films of the summer. Along with Boyhood, here are a few other films that have piqued our interest at this year’s NXNE festival:
Boyhood
Canadian Premiere | Director: Richard Linklater Filmed from 2002 to 2013, ‘Boyhood’ covers 12 years in the life of a family. Mason and his older sister, Samantha, learn to face the realities of growing up, while their divorced parents cope with the ongoing challenges of parenting in an ever-‐evolving landscape.
La Voz De Los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless) North American Premiere | Director: Maximón Monihan Based on the true story of a crime ring that was busted by New York Police in 1997, this 80-‐minute silent film paints a searing picture of contemporary slavery using non-‐actors, Brechtian stylization, a brutal subway landscape, and isolation through deafness. The film follows Olga, a hearing-‐impaired teenager from Central America who is lured to New York City under the false promise of attending a Christian sign language school.
Vann ‘Piano Man’ Walls: The Spirit of R&B
Canadian Premiere | Director: Steven Morris This film is for anyone who is curious about the origins of rock n’ roll. Vann “Piano Man” Walls was a rhythm and blues pioneer. Morris’ film follows Vann and several of his peers (including Dr. John, Ry Cooder, Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun, Ruth Brown, etc.), through an intimate voyage in to the studio as Vann produces
the final album of a career that spanned more than 65 years. Wrapped around this recording project is the story of his fascinating life and his lasting contribution to a musical form now heard all over the world.
Panama
Canadian Premiere | Director: Chris Connelly In this short film, two backup dancers from the Van Halen video for “Panama” reunite 30 years later, only to find out that their lives have gone in two very different directions.
Lies I Told My Little Sister Canadian Premiere | Director: William J. Stribling Following the death of her oldest sister, Cory Webber, a globetrotting nature photographer, is talked into a vacation to Cape Cod with the intention of bringing her family together. During the trip she must deal with her family, rehash old childhood memories, and discover some revelations about her late sister.
La Voz de Los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless) (2013) By Chris Edwards – 06.11.2014 http://silent-‐volume.blogspot.ca/2014/06/la-‐voz-‐de-‐los-‐silenciados-‐voice-‐of.html
Long ago (in the 90s) I fell in love with a video game called Out of This World. The game’s protagonist was a scientist, transported to an alien planet where he could understand neither the language nor the motives of the natives. Out of This World was unsettling, because its designer, Éric Chahi, sought to make it art. The game featured a character in isolation, but it also evoked isolation through its game play, using music sparingly—often relying on tones, rather than whole melodies, to make a point about how bad the player’s situation had become. Action sequences were intercut with cinema scenes of dough-‐headed aliens talking urgently but inscrutably. When the player failed a task—which was often—he returned to the same starting point; usually a prison of some kind, from which he had to escape all over again. Talk to men and women of my vintage about Out of This World and they’ll tell you it was fun. But what they’ll really want to talk to you about is how it made them feel.
One artwork suggests another. I thought of Out of This World many times while watching La Voz de Los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless), a contemporary silent film by Maximón Monihan, an American director with a background in skateboarding and skateboarding films. Here again we are presented with a protagonist plucked from her own environment and placed in a new one both hostile and difficult to understand. Again we have a narrative broken down into a series of quests, bookended by sameness, repetition. And again there is an undertone of horror. But while the game’s hero was lost among aliens, in this case, our hero is lost among her fellow humans. She is displaced not just geographically, but linguistically. Because she is deaf.
Olga (Janeva Adena Calderón Zentz) is a Central American teenager from, it seems, a loving family. At the start of the film we see her parents being visited by a polished couple, selling the promise of special education for Olga: a school for the deaf in America. Olga’s parents are duped, and the girl is effectively sold into slavery on the streets of New York City. Not as a prostitute, though. She becomes one of those hearing-‐impaired peddlers who place a note on your coffee shop table, or next to you on the subway, informing you that they are deaf and asking for a donation. Olga’s profits are absorbed by the cartel to whom she’s been sold. If she returns to the home short, they zap her with a stun gun. If she tries to escape, they’ll kill her parents.
None of this is upbeat. But while the film is disturbing throughout, it is not merely, or even mostly, a drama. The Voice of the Voiceless is an avant-‐garde film, with the same strengths and weaknesses such films tend to have. It is intriguing in concept and execution, but, as a consequence of that, it can leave us emotionally detached from its main character. Monihan’s protagonist is one for whom sound exists only in the imagination (we don’t know if Olga was born deaf) or through its physical manifestation as vibration. The soundtrack to the film is, like Out of This World’s, an ominous, intermittent one—often not melody at all, but just repetitive, muffled thumps and whooshes that a hearing-‐impaired person might hear, or think she hears, or simply feel. The effect on the viewer is restrictive—we are placed more firmly inside this character’s head than most. We’re almost trapped there.
Yet I didn’t feel so connected to Olga herself. Yes I rooted for her—you could hardly do otherwise. But the film’s ongoing visual and aural experiments made her feel more like of a participant in those experiments than a fully realized young woman. She worked for the moments, rather than the moments working for her. Any silent film made today is experimental on some level, because to make one now is to deliberately refuse some tool of expression made readily available. This refusal will be so obvious that it must have a point. You can’t help but ponder it. But maybe you can ponder it too much.
kept wondering why the film was in black and white. Was this an homage to past forms? Or was it, more likely, a feature-‐length counterweight to one remarkable dream sequence, in which Olga is placed back in her tropic homeland, awash in full colour? Visually, we achieve verisimilitude here; but not aurally: the trees and fruits in this sequence, and even the girl herself, squawk and shriek in a distorted mimicry of urban sounds. This sequence is fascinating and memorable and I applaud it, but does it saying anything more about Olga’s geographic, physical and psychological isolation? She is necessary for this sequence, and it is cool to see, but it does nothing for Olga. You may feel differently. Zentz has apparently been called the “Guatemalan Shelley Duval”—a comparison both stylistically and anatomically apt. Like almost everyone else in the main cast, she is a non-‐ actor, yet a well established artist in other areas. I don’t know if Monihan’s choice to use non-‐actors adds any dimensions to The Voice of the Voiceless, but these women and men certainly have presence, and perhaps this is due in part to their own artistic achievements. They know what grabs attention. They know what works. And in Zentz’s case, that often means appearing before the camera in her wan glory, and letting it gobble her up. I told you what happened when you died in Out of This World: You returned to your prison, destined to repeat your task in hopes of a better result. Likewise, we see Olga tossed from her bed each morning in scenes that seem identical, sent on her way to make money for someone else. That, at least, is something we can all relate to. Like Olga, we all have the choice to adapt to our circumstances or try to escape them. You know what? I’d like to see more modern silents like The Voice of the Voiceless. But I’d like to hear them even more. Good on these artists for taking up the challenge. Where to see La Voz de Los Silenciados: La Voz de Los Silenciados screens this Friday, June 13th, at Bloor Hot Docs Theatre in Toronto. The screening is part of this year’s North by Northeast (NXNE) arts festival.
Ron Hawkins Pushes His Luck By Christopher Jones – 06.11.2014 http://www.livewithculture.ca/music/ron-‐hawkins-‐pushes-‐his-‐ luck/ Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins won’t be playing live at North By Northeast next week but they are a feature of NXNE Film, the mini-‐festival taking over Bloor Hot Docs Cinema this weekend (June 13 – 15). Hawkins and DGA are the subject of Luck’s Hard, a documentary about the making of their 2012 debut album, a double-‐disc called Rome. Ultimately, it’s a movie about talent, tenacity and disappointment. As good as it is, Rome fails to set the world on the fire but the band affirms its determination to fight on. As Hawkins told me this week over coffee at the Drake Hotel, “It’s the only skill I can put on paper and back up with any kind of proof.” “I get frustrated every four years or so and flap my gums about retiring but my friends say I’m physically addicted to it at this point. So yeah, I’ll probably keep doing it until I can’t do it anymore, until it’s physically or financially impossible.” Hawkins can rightly claim the mantle of local hero here in Toronto. As co-‐leader of defunct rock quartet The Lowest of the Low, he made a name for himself in the early 1990s as a scrappy, tireless talent. But the Low broke up in 1994 and Hawkins went on to perform as a solo artist and leader of Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails. He reunited with his Low bandmates a few times in the 2000s then broke up “for good” in 2013 when guitarist Steve Stanley announced that he was out for once and for all.
Does any group ever really break up for good? Hawkins reckons Lowest of the Low truly is done at this point and that’s ok with him. “I don’t think it’s in me to change gears again,” he says. “I’m pretty thrilled with what I’m doing now, it allows me to do everything I need to do as a songwriter. I’d say there’s more breadth with DGA than there is with Lowest of the Low. The Low was a band that did a few things really well but sometimes the wheels were coming off and that was part of the charm of that band.” “Our last tour ended at Massey Hall and it was quite clear to me that people really wanted to hear Shakespeare My Butt (1991). Does the world really need another Lowest of the Low record? I’m not so sure. When I listen to that record I find it charming but I hear the naiveté. I think I’m writing much better songs now.” For the past decade Hawkins has been truly independent, no label, no agent, he’s done it his way on his terms. He’s toured Australia and even China on his own, and he’s had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. For whatever reason, Hawkins has a particularly strong following in Buffalo, NY, at least as strong as here in Toronto. In Luck’s Hard, drummer Jesse Capon observes, “We’re playing to the church of Ron (at Mohawk Place in Buffalo). These people got his back in a way I’ve never seen.” Hawkins acknowledges that he and the Low and the Rusty Nails busted their humps on the road but he attributes much of his longevity to the luck of being in right place at the right time. “I got my foot in the door just in time to build an audience that would sustain a career,” he says. “We worked really hard but we got in at the right time. Had that not been the case I’d probably telling you a different story right now, you can only swim upstream for so long.” One thing that’s not in question is Hawkins’s perpetual passion for music. “The joy of doing this is still super front-‐loaded for me,” he says. “I still love the magic and inspiration of writing songs and not really knowing how that happens. I’m still as mystified by it as I ever was. It’s really exciting to have something in your life that you can’t fully explain, can’t pull it apart and tell how it works. So that’s a big joy for me. And bringing it to the band to work on and then recording, I love recording. So by the time 6 or 8 months goes by I’ve already gotten 90 per cent of my joy out of it.” The audience at the Bloor on Saturday night will see plenty of joy up on the screen. WHERE/WHEN: Luck’s Hard at the Bloor Hot Doc Cinema (506 Bloor Street West), Saturday, June 14 at 10 pm; tickets $11 (wristbands $50 for all NXNE Film Fest screenings)
NXNE: Riot on the Dance Floor Review By Derek Deskins – 06.11.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/11/nxne-‐riot-‐dance-‐floor-‐review/ Director: Steve Tozzi Country: USA Genre: Documentary | Biography | Music Official Site: Here Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. As children, we imagine a future where our dreams come true. We see our future selves on a foundation of ideals, embodying all that we could hope to become. These are images of adults that are fulfilled completely by an occupation that is directly in line with our greatest aspirations and favorite pastimes. However, as time passes most of us are forced to settle. The dreams we held so dear must face harsh reality, and the need to bring in a steady income often derails what we once yearned so dearly for. Riot on the Dance Floor is ultimately the profile of a man that attempted to balance his loves and the demands of a money hungry world, showing us just how oppressively that world can push back. When thinking of a showcase for a multitude of growing music scenes in the 80s and 90s, few would immediately list Trenton, NJ as the ideal location. Even fewer would imagine that a former car shop would be the host to just such an emergence. But that is exactly what happened on the unsuspecting and somewhat unsafe Calhoun Street. The minimalist warehouse, stocked with secondhand sound equipment and rundown amenities played host to a range of music acts that would go on to become household names, from Bad Brains to Nirvana to Green Day. The iconic City Gardens was a breeding ground for emerging artists that were often unable to get booked anywhere else. Behind it all was a schlubby man child with bad teeth, a shock of receding red hair, and above all else, a deep and all-‐ encompassing passion for music. By day, he was a lowly mailman, but by night, he was Randy Now, music promoter and unlikely facilitator of the underground music scene. Riot-‐on-‐the-‐dance-‐floor Riot on the Dance Floor on the surface is the story of City Gardens, how it came to be and what it was able to accomplish. However, throughout its runtime it carries with it another story with an emotional connection of closer proximity. It is the story of Randy Ellis and how he became Randy Now. It’s appropriate as City Gardens and Randy Now are two creations that cannot live
independently. They are forever symbiotically connected, in need of the other to thrive. Assuredly City Gardens has the more interesting stories and a host of individuals are happy to recount as many as their remaining brain cells will allow, but Randy’s is the more complex and worthy of exploration. There have been plenty of music venues, and the film is more than willing to list those for you, but none of those other places had Randy, and that was the difference. The excitement of the film’s director, Steve Tozzi, is palpable. While the camera remains steady, his vibrations of exuberance are constantly present as he sits down with a bevy of musicians that are more than happy to recount there beginnings in the sketchy nightclub. The many stories are interesting, and even for those that had never been to City Gardens, or until now were unaware of its very existence, they are certainly entertaining. However, they lack a cohesiveness and propelling forward momentum. Time is lost for much of the film down the drain of nostalgia, leaving the story of the growth of City Gardens perpetually in the dark. Taking the easy way of anecdotal history, the audience is left treading water, without a prevailing vision or message with which to guide them. Tozzi attempts to weave City Gardens’ and Randy’s stories together, but often becomes sidetracked by the sexier of the two. It is much more fun to listen to the tales of debauchery and outlandishness sanctioned by City Gardens. However, these sections come off as hollow, shiny exteriors with little inside. The emotional depth comes from Randy, and while it is impossible to not here is name mentioned with City Gardens, he only lingers on the outside edge. Randy defines uncool, yet that is what makes him so accessible. His mediocrity in life belies his creative success in his passion. This isn’t a man that made millions or lived a rock star life, but rather a guy that tried to turn his love into his profession. There is an inherent sadness that pervades all of the moments with the Randy of now. This is the story of a man that lived as close to his dream as he could, before it was snatched from his hands and changed into something different. These moments are the film’s greatest strengths, for they reflect the fear of so many dream chasers: that others will ruin what you always longed for. We hope to ride the highs of Randy Now, but deep down it is the fears of Randy Ellis’ lows that keep us on the safer path. While the multitude of nostalgic musician stories amount to extended wheel spinning narratively, at the very least Tozzi captures them well. He fuses the archival footage, photographs, and modern retellings in a manner that is captivating. You are transported to the grungy City Gardens and come as close to living in the pit as the present allows. Nevertheless, the greatest trouble with nostalgia is that is leaves you reminiscing for a time that is completely gone, and this is the film’s downfall. The film ultimately feels incomplete and a bit trivial in its exploration of City Gardens’ past. Riot on the Dance Floor hints at a greater and more emotionally complex story in its flitting with Randy, however it falters before fully exploring this territory. It is disappointing as these segments hint at a much greater film chronicling the struggles of realizing your dreams. Instead we are only left with another in a long line of ruminations on how everything was so much better yesterday.
NXNE: Let’s Ruin it With Babies Review By Brandon Isaacson – 06.11.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/11/nxne-‐lets-‐ruin-‐babies-‐review/
Let’s Ruin it With Babies (2014) Cast: Kestrin Pantera, Jonathan Grubb, Eva Kim Director: Kestrin Pantera Country: USA Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance Official Site: Here Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. Writer/director/star Kestrin Pantera’s directorial debut Let’s Ruin It With Babies wears its LA vibe quite openly. The movie begins with a Kickstarter video, in which a woman states over 70s disco, “Ladies and gentleman welcome to the RVIP Lounge…The RVIP Lounge is a mobile karaoke unit housed inside of a customized RV. It serves as equal parts transportation and entertainment. Transportainment.” How cute? One may shudder, as surely the film ahead will be filled with cutesy LA hipster dialogue, costumes and themes. This genre has become so common at film festivals that it can be treacherous terrain in terms of providing a surprising or unique experience.
Kestrin’s film definitely does not surprise. One quirky indie movie line of dialogue in the film is “Sounds like your engine just ate a family of armadillos.” Kestrin’s character Channing reminisces on a trip to Napa Valley in her apartment filled with stringed instruments, a Macbook, an African woodcarving and a hip yellow chair. Wholly unique themes are explored, such as feeling like you’re not ready for a baby, trying to regain the feeling of a younger age, dealing with the temptations of cheating and being thrust out of one’s comfort zone into a situation in which one must survive like an ordinary person. While nothing original, it’s clear that Kestrin is unabashedly embracing her character’s hipster vibe. After all, this is actually her life to some extent. The RVIP Lounge is a real business. Kestrin and Grubb are actually married. Most humorous of all, she actually got pregnant during the shooting of this film. The reality of the situation beckons a sincere story but Let’s Ruin It With Babies is not that. At the beginning of the film, Channing and her husband Chaz (Jonathan Grubb), announce that they’re going to have a child. Despite having agreed to this, Channing is fearful of this process and the prospect of losing her freedom. The couple is about to embark upon a road trip with their new RVIP Lounge, however Chaz gets a once-‐in-‐a-‐lifetime job offer and chooses not to go on the trip. Channing decides to go herself and brings along a small group of employees. Conflicts arise between Channing and Chaz during this road trip, and between Channing and her employees. The journey is meant to be her passage towards discovering whether or not having a child is right for her. The notion of exploring this question through a mobile karaoke adventure sounds more enjoyable than it ultimately is. In terms of technique, Let’s Ruin It With Babies is perfectly fine. It’s not completely crisp and refined like a Hollywood film but it also doesn’t have a distinct visual or sonic identity either. Very few images or sounds, if any, will stick with viewers beyond a fortnight or less. Combine that dullness with a relatively typical thematic premise and you’re not left with much to hold on to. Even worse, foolish decisions throughout the film are met with virtually no consequences in the end. During the film, Channing asks a friend if she remembers their previous summer’s trip to Napa Valley. Could a trip to one of the most revered wine countries in the world be that forgettable? Apparently despite whatever actions she may take, Channing is going to be fine with her forgettable vacations to Napa Valley in the future.
NXNE 2014 Review: Riot on the Dance Floor (2014) – or – Suburban angst 06.12.2014 http://www.the-‐filmreel.com/2014/06/12/nxne-‐review-‐riot-‐on-‐the-‐dance-‐floor-‐2014/
Randy Ellis, or Randy Now as he was known, went from being a local DJ in New Jersey, to the most important promoter for unknown acts. Most of the bands will be instantly familiar, but Randy was booking them before anybody had heard of them, sometimes even booking foreign bands for the first time in the U.S. All this hard work took place in City Gardens, an underground club in New Jersey. Through interviews with former patrons, staff, and the bands that had played there, viewers learn the history of Randy Now, and the unforgettable City Gardens. Club names like CBGB is something that everybody has heard of, but what may be one of the most important clubs around, is one that you may not know. City Gardens was a club in New Jersey, in a rather rough neighbourhood, and one that showcased bands out of the mainstream. The list is too long to mention, but includes some of the biggest names, and all before they really made it. That was all thanks to Randy Now, the promoter who filled City Gardens for years, and the story is fascinating. Catering to punk, new wave, ska, and any alternative band out there, the club embodied the punk ideology, and Randy Now shared his love for music there. The stories are frequently outrageous, but you can see the love these bands had for the club, and the impact that it made in the community. Is Riot on the Dance Floor Worth Watching? A must see for fans of alternative, underground, 70s and 80s music. If you ever spent time in a mosh pit, you’ll want to spend time with this movie. Riot on the Dance Floor Screening Time Friday, June 13, 2014 at 9:30 pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
A guide to surviving NXNE
By Sofia Luu – 06.12.2014 http://thevarsity.ca/2014/06/11/a-‐guide-‐to-‐surviving-‐nxne/
This year’s North by Northeast (NXNE) lineup might just be one of the most stacked the city’s ever seen. With over 1,000 bands and a wide range of comedy, art, film, and interactive events, even thinking about June 13–22 can be a bit of a nightmare. Don’t despair: we’ve put together a list of seasoned festival survival hacks so that you can make the most of the week ahead. 1. Earplugs are key Seeing St. Vincent perform at Yonge-‐Dundas Square in all her glory is pretty cool, but you know what’s not cool? Tinnitus. While not all live acts will play deliberately loud, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t protect your ears from hearing damage. Standard foam earplugs are cheap and come several to a pack for all your concert-‐going needs. 2. Wristband does not mean guaranteed admission. If you picked up a music pass this year, you’re given priority admission to all official music and comedy events. However, this does not mean you have the ability to walk up to any given venue and walk in with the wave of your arm. Some venues are smaller than others.
And yes, if it’s a popular show like Danny Brown or Mac DeMarco, it will be busy and there is a good chance that, if worst comes to worst, you’ll be turned away at the door. If you opted out of the pass this year, look up the event info ahead of time. Check to see the admission cost and whether or not it’s all-‐ages. If you have a feeling it’s going to be a busy night (and you’ll probably be right), then go early. Even if it’s not, get there on time and get the most out of your $10 by catching all of the acts. 3. Toronto transit kind of sucks, we know. Toronto is always a busy city. When World Pride begins near the end of NXNE, it’ll be downright chaotic. You can rely on the TTC to get you where you need to go — eventually. But if you’re hoping to get from Yonge-‐Dundas Square to The Garrison within 15 minutes, forget about it. The Dundas streetcar is notoriously slow when you need it to be on time. Honestly, there is no better time to try city cycling than now. You won’t be able to make it across the city in five minutes flat, but it certainly beats running late and missing a set or two because the streetcar is delayed 20 minutes. Otherwise, be realistic. Don’t exhaust yourself trying to get from one end of the city to the other every hour or so; give yourself wide windows of time between acts, and prioritize the bands that are most important to you. 4. Hydrate yourself before you wreck yourself. If you’re going to be running around the city dancing up a storm, you’re going to need plenty of hydration. Drink lots of water. If a venue does not allow you to bring in a water bottle, don’t be shy to ask for a cup at the bar. 5. Have a plan. Take a good look at NXNE’s lineup, and take note. Who do you want to see? Who do you need to see? Who sounds interesting? NXNE is a great time for you to catch all the bands that are making a splash on the blogosphere right now. Once you have a wish list, look at the schedule. There will be conflicts. Be ready to compromise as you make up your schedule. If you’re having trouble choosing between bands, look up where they’re from and prioritize out-‐of-‐towners over local bands. There is a better chance that you will be able to catch a Toronto act in the weeks following NXNE than one that came all the way from Australia. 6. Have fun, keep it cool. Missed a set? Don’t get too bummed out. Be open-‐minded about who you see at NXNE. While it might be the perfect chance to catch your favourite rapper three times in a week, NXNE should be a time for discovering new talent, whether it’s a local act you never gave a chance, or an up-‐and-‐coming artist whose first show in Toronto just so happens to be at the festival. If you’re attending with friends, be accommodating with everyone’s choice of acts. Ultimately, don’t stress out — let yourself be surprised by what the festival has to offer, and soak it all up in the June sunshine with a beer or two and some good company.
There’s an awesome film festival, too By Norman Wilner – 06.12.2014 http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/nxne/2014/story.cfm?content=198393
NXNE Film used to be about the music, man. But now the festival is expanding that component into dramatic features and documentaries, chasing “the best films across all genres.” All screen at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. The most anticipated title in the series, the Canadian premiere of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, tracks a kid named Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from first grade to his high-‐school graduation. Given Linklater’s deft hand with soundtracks, I’d be willing to bet Mason’s evolving musical taste becomes a key storytelling tool. Additional fictional features include Kestrin Pantera’s Let’s Ruin It With Babies (see review, this page), starring Pantera and her real-‐life husband, Jonathan Grubb, as a 30-‐something couple pondering familyhood; William J. Stribling’s family drama Lies I Told My Little Sister, and Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts’s dark British comedy Whoops! (see review, this page), starring Elaine Glover as a woman with terrible luck and a mounting body count. Maximón Monihan’s The Voice Of The Voiceless is a silent film – based on a true story – about a deaf teenager (Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz) lured into a human slavery ring in New York City.
The lineup also has its share of musical themes. Riot On The Dance Floor celebrates New Jersey’s City Gardens mosh club and its impresario, Randy Now; Luck’s Hard follows Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low as he assembles the Do Good Assassins and sets out to record a double album; Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back (see review, this page) looks at the life of Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali, who will attend the screening. WELL NOW YOU’RE HERE, THERE’S NO WAY BACK: THE QUIET RIOT MOVIE (Regina Russell, U.S.). 105 minutes. Sunday (June 15), 9:45 pm (DJ set starts at 9). Rating: NNNN The spine of Regina Russell’s documentary about 80s hair metal heroes Quiet Riot is the relationship between drummer Frankie Banali and lead singer Kevin DuBrow, which ended abruptly when DuBrow died of an overdose in 2007. Banali is the principal focus of Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back, as he tries to rebuild the band and keep himself together in the process. The looming tragedy gives the documentary weight, even when the band looks like a gang of idiots straight out of This Is Spinal Tap. There’s a lot of fun to be had in sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, but there’s also a price to pay for all that excess. And Russell honours that truth by staying clear-‐eyed even when her subjects are at their bleariest. LET’S RUIN IT WITH BABIES (Kestrin Pantera, U.S.). 79 minutes. Sunday (June 15), 6:30 pm. Rating: NNNN Actor and short filmmaker Kestrin Pantera draws considerably on her own life for her feature debut, casting herself as a Los Angeles entrepreneur, and her real-‐life husband, Jonathan Grubb, as her on-‐screen partner, who decides he wants to think about children just as her latest project – a mobile karaoke enterprise – seems about to take off. The 30-‐something debate between living unencumbered and starting a family is nothing new, but Let’s Ruin It With Babies crafts an engaging, articulate argument – and unlike certain other indie filmmakers who make movies about hipsters, Pantera understands that her characters might come off as obnoxious but lets them be who they are anyway. It makes all the difference in the world. WHOOPS! (Tony Hipwell, Miles Watts, UK). 89 minutes. Saturday (June 14), 12:30 pm. Rating: NN Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts – who previously collaborated on the charmingly deadpan web series Zomblogalypse – move up to features with this gruesome, self-‐aware comedy of errors. Rose Clements (Elaine Glover) is a London realtor with a terrible habit of accidentally killing people in spectacularly violent ways. Her devoted husband, Dave (Philip Rowson), is always there to help her clean up, though he’s getting a little tired of it. Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers did more with a similar premise two years ago, but that movie was actually interested in its psychological and social subtext. Whoops! is as cutesy and superficial as its title, with a mugging performance by Glover and filmmakers who are just goofing around with makeup effects.
Carpenter builds NXNE film program By Jon Muldoon – 06.12.2014 http://www.beachmetro.com/2014/06/12/carpenter-‐builds-‐nxne-‐film-‐program/
When the 20th North By Northeast music, film and interactive festival hits on June 13, Beacher Cameron Carpenter will be there in the thick of things, just the way he likes it. While he’s worked for years in the music industry, working in public relations, A&R and other roles, Carpenter is also the film programming manager for NXNE, a role he said he’s taken up almost by chance. “I’m a music guy who kind of fell into film,” he said. While he’s not schooled in movies, Carpenter said the appeal of movies can be measured by the same test as great music – provoking an emotional reaction.
“I still can’t drop Trufault quotes or reference French New Wave films, but I’ve definitely developed an eye for it,” he said. “If I’m moved by a story, I figure others will be, too.” For the first time, the film portion of NXNE is opening the festival, at the Bloor Hot Docs theatre. “It’s one of the most beautiful theatres in the city,” said Carpenter. The films are also no longer limited to music themes. While that made selection a longer process – applications jumped from an average of 150 to about 500 – Carpenter said the quality of the films at this year’s festival is higher than ever. Carpenter grew up in the Beach – he wrote a music column for the Malvern school paper, mostly in order to get his hands on free records – and fell in love with the movies at the Fox. He said Beachers are likely to find at least a few films in the lineup that will appeal to whatever their sensibilities may be. “If you’re a fan of the Fox and their programming, you’ll definitely find something to love,” he said. Just a few of the highlights of the film program, according to Carpenter: • Richard Linklater’s latest film Boyhood – NXNE will host the Canadian premiere of the movie. • Born To Ruin – the world premiere of Toronto director’s Brendan McCarney. This is the third year running that a McCarney film has premiered at NXNE. • Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back: The Quiet Riot Movie – Carpenter said the film is one of the best music documentaries he’s seen, and the director will be on hand for the screening. • La Voz Des Los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless) – This will be the North American premiere of this modern-‐day silent film about a deaf teenager caught up in the world of immigrant trafficking. For the full lineup, check out nxne.com. And if you happen to be checking out the music scene during the festival, keep an eye out for Carpenter. “I’ll be out there every night looking for new bands.”
NXNE Festival Celebrating 20 years in Canada 06.12.2014 http://bayobserver.ca/nxne-‐festival-‐celebrating-‐20-‐years-‐canada/
North by Northeast (NXNE) is celebrating their 20th year anniversary in Toronto, running from June 13 to June 22nd. The Festival includes: music, art, film and comedy. Alongside an interactive session for networking between newcomers and industry professionals. The festival is largely focused on music and is set to showcase 800 bands procured from all across Canada and the International Stage. Attendance is expected to be greater than last year’s 350,000. The festival will also be featuring 30 films and 150 comedians set around various venues. NXNE is geared to be one of the best summer music and entertainment festivals. The Bay Observer will be featuring select festivals this season and NXNE is very worthy of making the trip down to Toronto. Exclusive interviews and coverage will be featured in our upcoming edition as well. There are a couple ways to gain access to the festival – Music only Wristband ($149) or the Platinum Badge ($599) providing exclusive access to all events, Film Wristband ($50), and Comedy Wristband ($50). Detailed Information here. NXNE Film: June 13-‐15 & 22 NXNE Art: June 16-‐22 NXNE Comedy: June 17-‐22 NXNE Interactive: June 18-‐21 NXNE Music: June 18-‐22
Everything You Should Expect at North By Northeast (NXNE) 06.12.2014
http://notable.ca/nationwide/yp-‐life/Everything-‐You-‐Should-‐Expect-‐at-‐North-‐By-‐Northeast-‐NXNE/
Just as Luminato Festival wraps up, another jam-‐packed arts festival takes over Toronto. North by Northeast (NXNE) offers yet another reason to love this city in the summertime. Beginning tomorrow (Friday, June 13th) to Sunday June 22nd, NXNE will feature over 1,000 bands (see: an influx of sexy musicians) as well as a huge range of comedy, art, film, and interactive events. There’s something for every type of art lover throughout the 10-‐day festival. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, NXNE is broken into five streams– NXNE Music, NXNE Film, NXNE Interactive, NXNE Comedy, and NXNE Art. The thing is, even if you tried (and trust us, we’ve thought about it), it’d be impossible to do it all. For that very reason, it’s pretty difficult to choose a ‘best of’ list, but here are some notable things you definitely need to know about NXNE.
Film
For film lovers, NXNE Film will screen 17 music-‐themed features, documentaries, shorts, and experimental films from around the world, many of which are world or Canadian premieres. In a partnership with Hot Docs, NXNE films will screen at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. Our choices include: -‐ The Canadian premiere of Richard Linklater’s newest film Boyhood starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette (it only took 12 years to make…) -‐ The documentary At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst that explores the life and death of the iconic Big Bop -‐ The sure to be musician favourite, Born To Ruin, a documentary that offers a candid look on life in the music studio -‐ The North American premiere of modern day silent film La Voz De Los Silenciados The getting-‐the-‐band-‐back-‐together tale in the documentary Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie.
LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS plays NXNE 2014 By Ryan McNeil – 06.12.2014 http://www.thematinee.ca/nxne2014vozdelossilenciados/
Tomorrow night, The North by Northeast Festival begins in Toronto, and so for the next four days I’ll be highlighting some of the titles playing as part of its film programme. For a festival dedicated first-‐and-‐foremost to music, there’s a high amount of cheek in beginning the festivities with a silent film…but that cheek will bring audiences something quite special to get the ball rolling. LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS (or VOICE OF THE VOICELESS) is the story of Olga (Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz), a deaf teenager from Latin America. She is sent to New York City by her family under the pretence that she’ll be attending a special school for the deaf. When she arrives though, the rug is pulled out from under her
as she discovers that the “school” is a front. It is in fact a ring of immigrant trafficking that brings in cash by getting its deaf “students” to beg for money in the subway. Stuck in a life of slavery, we see the situation through Olga’s eyes and experience the silence as she would through her ears. The film is truly striking and audacious. Almost entirely filmed in black and white, Olga’s New York is as cheery as a Joy Division record. Her expressive eyes always front and centre, we are forced to watch (since there isn’t much to hear). It is because of this that we are all the more shocked by the heinousness of her situation, sensing her feeling of dread and helplessness. The only sliver of hope we are given is in the step-‐and-‐repeat rhythm of her routine (wake up, get dressed, load up on pamphlets, work the subway, return to the house, cash-‐out, eat, bathe, go to bed). The predictability of it almost lulls us into the feeling that there is at least a measure of protection for Olga in the big scary city. Unfortunately, routines that lull can also lull one right off their guard. When the film isn’t laying into us with sharp imagery, it is drowning us with deafening silence. Ordinarily, a silent film relies on a score to underline its mood and ideas; not here, though. With a touch that can only be described as “ballsy”, director Maximón Monihan reduces the soundtrack down to dull thuds and waves. We hear something that might approach what Olga hears, forcing us to not only see the world as she sees it, but hear it as she hears it. It’s arresting and uncomfortable – forcing us to zero in that much more on every facet of this terrible situation. The result of it all is a film that is both daring and original – a story that pushes “silent film” down an alley that not many of us want to walk down unaccompanied. It takes a genre that has been around since the dawn of the medium, and shoves it face-‐first into the harsh realities of the new millennium. LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS is fascinating, engaging, and shocking…and it dares its audience to really sit up and listen. LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS plays NXNE 2014 tomorrow night, Friday June 13th – 6pm at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
THE MAILMAN’S MOSH PIT By Steve Gow – 06.12.2014 http://www.strictlydocs.com/the-‐mailmans-‐mosh-‐pit/
For a short time, Randy Now was likely the most fascinating mailman in all of America. In the 1980s, the New Jersey resident balanced his day job delivering parcels as the promoter of Trenton’s run-‐down rock club City Gardens – where he turned an untidy venue into an influential playing field for some of history’s most storied musicians. In the documentary Riot on the Dance Floor, director Steve Tozzi catches up with the eccentric music lover to take a journey down the darker side of underground music and explore the infamous club and its many patrons (which included everyone from The Thompson Twins to Nirvana). On June 13, Riot on the Dance Floor makes its Canadian premiere in Toronto at the popular NXNE Festival and we caught up with Tozzi recently to talk about the Trenton-‐based doc. Gow: Obviously you had some history with the City Gardens – you had been there before. But where did you get the idea to explore it a little bit more in documentary form? Tozzi: I was looking for a project to do and I worked in post-‐production for commercials and film (and) I was working on some documentaries so I really wanted to take on something and I didn’t know if it was going to end up being a short or feature-‐length thing and then my brother who lives out on the west coast sent me this posting that was on this site called The Rumpus, It was titled The Night That the Butthole Surfers Came to Trenton and it was so funny, he just said you have to read this. I never went to that show, I wouldn’t have gone to see them – but I was laughing so much and it really sparked up a lot of memories of the place and how kind of unique it was – that it existed in Trenton, there really wasn’t much around
there; it wasn’t like there was a city built around it like Toronto or New York City or something like that. It was really kind of isolated so it got me to look into whatever happened to this guy, Randy Now. Gow: Did you have any idea how involved it was going to be when you first started it? Tozzi: No, on the production end of things, I’m pretty knowledgeable at how to produce things but in regards to what it would take to find people and really sort of flush out the story, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew that people loved the place and I knew that (Randy had) been around for a long time; in talking to him, I met him in a diner one day and I said, ‘do you keep in contact with anyone’ and he said, ‘sure, I dealt with the bands directly’. I never knew what a promoter did; I knew that they got the show out there in regards to advertising and stuff; I really didn’t know to what degree he was (invested) in making these shows…because of that, he had all these connections. Gow: Of all the people you do have in the film, who was the one person you just had to have? Tozzi: Ian MacKaye (Fugazi) met with us pretty quickly but I only wanted him but Henry Rollins (Black Flag) is one of the most important people we got; he was actually the last person we got after about three years of shooting at that point. The main reason was that he played there with two different bands, he did spoken word, he lived in Trenton for a while…(Randy and) he were very, very close; he would stay with Randy and all this sort of stuff so also for who he is, really entertaining, really sharp-‐witted guy – not to have him in the film would’ve felt like it had a hole in it. Gow: There is a section in the film where you go into detail about the history of Trenton. Why did you think it was important to slip out of the music and talk about the city’s rich history? Tozzi: It was kind of a thing that was always trying to see if I wanted to do and in what way and the main reason was – I did a Kickstarter campaign and we did really well and I got an email from a guy who donated and said, ‘look, I’m from Trenton and I really like what you’re doing but I’m really nervous about one thing – that you’re going to portray the city as just this evil backdrop’. Because everybody we met, no one said anything glowing about Trenton, not one person, (so he asked) can you please not (dump on Trenton) and I thought that was really bold and I said ‘would you mind talking to me’ so we had him come down –he’s actually the guy in the film, he’s the guy who talks about it. And because of that, I (thought) it would be good to give people an idea, why was this place important and how was it important. Gow: One last question for you – what do you think it is about behind-‐the-‐music documentaries that people like to see? Tozzi: I think if you’re interested in the music, that automatically will pull you there. If you like Ween and you like punk rock and bands like Fugazi, it kind of pulls you in but I think you’re always sort of hoping – at least I am when I see them – is that I’m going to learn something about them that I didn’t know or about their life and how they do what they do that someone in the audience or is a fan is not expecting…I always feel that if I get a little bit of that out of a music film, that I feel like I’ve walked away with something good and I definitely tried to do that.
NXNE: Whoops! Review By Asher Gelzer Govatos – 06.12.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/12/nxne-‐whoops-‐review/
Whoops! (2013)
Cast: Olwen May, Andrew Dunn, Elaine Glover Director: Tony Hipwell, Miles Watts Country: UK Genre: Comedy | Drama Official Site: Here Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. Britain has produced a fair number of dark comedies with murderer protagonists, the greatest being the Ealing Studios classic Kind Hearts and Coronets. The new film Whoops! attempts to follow in that lineage, with a twist: Rose Clements is a faithful wife and mother who just keeps accidentally murdering strangers. It’s a setup with a lot of potential, but Whoops! ends up as a swing and a miss, a surprisingly toothless and dull spin on the crime comedy genre. The premise, of course, is utterly ridiculous. Rose (Elaine Glover) lives happily with her husband Dave (Philip Rowson) and two children. Aside from the occasional advance made by her leering boss, her life seems devoid of conflict. Yet she keeps slipping up, perhaps because of her nervous disposition. Every time a man approaches who looks even vaguely threatening, Rose tenses up and attacks,
leading to her kill through unlikely circumstances (she stabs one victim’s eye out with her keys, and hits the jugular of another with a broken clipboard). Dave, fiercely loyal and dependent on Rose, helps her cover up these accidents by disposing of the bodies. Rose also attempts to atone for her crimes through acts of kindness, but her contrition does not extend to turning herself in. Meanwhile the local police and sensationalistic television news wonder if the crimes are disconnected flukes, or the work of a dastardly serial killer. All this feels like the set up for hilarious hijinks, and Whoops! is certainly pitched like a comedy, even a manic, screwball one. Both Glover and Rowson go over the top in their performances, pumping energy into their characters. And there are goofy minor characters galore, the best of which is Dave’s burnout helper Callum (Paul Tomblin), whose clueless charm helps offset the overabundance of stoner jokes that float around him like a haze from one of his skiffs. The plot twists and turns, spiraling further and further out into cartoon land. Yet in the end the film lacks one essential element needed to make a comedy work: a punchy script. The screenplay, written by co-‐directors Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts, feels like a working draft, one of those barebones affairs where the intent was to come back in later and add more jokes to spice the thing up. Plenty of moments occur when something shocking gets juxtaposed with something “normal”, but the tension rarely gets parlayed into actual humor. There were very few moments that made me even smile or chuckle, let alone give a good honest laugh. The dearth of humor serves to make the structure of the film double frustrating – all promise and no payoff, like someone handed you an eclair with all the filling sucked out. The film also makes a few attempts at what I assume is satire, trying to play up the frenzied muckraking of media outlets. This feels equally dull, castrated by the lack of edge in the writing. The film has some points it wants to make about dependency and honest in relationships, but these too get brushed aside. All this sloppiness culminates in a trainwreck of an ending, where bodies pile up in nonsensical fashion and the motivations of the characters feel completely out of whack. Whoops! has enough going for it around the edges that it manages to keep from being a complete fiasco. It has a nice, clean feel to the cinematography, capturing a lo-‐fi feel without seeming cheap. Many of the sets and effects are quite nice, and the cast is uniformly pretty solid. Indeed, the film is more than competently directed; Hipwell and Watts clearly have chops behind the camera. If only their keenness of eye had extended to their own screenplay, Whoops! would have been more than just a soporific might have been.
Here’s an essential guide to what to see at North by Northeast By Brad Wheeler – 06.13.2014 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/heres-‐an-‐essential-‐guide-‐to-‐what-‐to-‐see-‐ at-‐north-‐by-‐northeast/article19159982/ Do you remember how you celebrated your 20th birthday? Exactly. So, it is no surprise that North by Northeast (NXNE) gets a little wild in 2014 upon its own two-‐decade marking. Here’s a guide to help you make merry with the annual affair of music, film, comedy and interactive media, at venues across the city’s downtown.
Yes, in his backyard
Local fellow Tim McCready, a self-‐described “emperor, wizard, hermit and pope,” hosts his annual backyard barbecue/concert. Call in sick and bring your own booze to his party at 159 Manning St. (June 20, noon to 11 p.m., $20, limited room for holders of passes and wristbands; tickets at Soundscapes and Rotate This).
It’s a screen
Everybody’s talking up the Canadian premiere of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, a film covering 12 years of a family’s life, starring Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke (June 14, 6 p.m., Bloor Hot Docs Cinema). But the musicologists among you might wish to check out Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B, a story of a lost piano man and a documentary on the origins of rock and roll (June 15, 12:30 p.m., Bloor Hot Docs Cinema).
NXNE goes soft? Forget the standing-‐room clubs and settle into the chairs that are cushy-‐for-‐tushy at Massey Hall, a velvety venue that for the first times opens its big red doors for NXNE. Holders of festival wristbands and badges get first crack at seats for shows headlined by the alt-‐Afropop troupe tUnE-‐yArDs (June 19), space-‐rockers Spiritualized and Montreal’s bluesy, Fleetwood Mac-‐inspired Barr Brothers (June 20) and the moody, sublime R&B duo Rhye (June 21).
A streetcar named Squirtcar
We’re not sure it’s the better way, but it’s a different way. A Queen Street streetcar (rebranded by water enhancer MiO) is a moving venue for 100 passengers nightly (June 18 to 21, between Dufferin and McCaul streets). Non-‐stop comedy and music will happen, with appearances by cool comedian Reggie Watts, Macaulay Culkin’s strange Pizza Underground project and others.
How to succeed by really trying
Digital media empire Vice Media is a big presence here. Co-‐founder Suroosh Alvi is interviewed by Reggie Watts (June 20, at the festival hub at the Hyatt Regency, 370 King St. W.) and Vice hosts a mini-‐festival on Toronto Island, with Pusha T, Future Islands, Omar Souleyman and much more (June 19, 3 to 11 p.m.). Also on hand for the festival’s Interactive component is Marc Maron, who chats about his wildly popular (and fantastic) WTF podcast (June 18, 4 p.m.). Not your average singer-‐songwriters Nothing against the James Taylors and Jack Johnsons of the world, but for festivals such as NXNE the joy is seeking out talents more off beat. We give you Giant Hand (the odd, folk-‐bluesy introvert; June 20, 11 p.m., Handlebar), St. Vincent (the indie-‐rock heroine Anne Clark; June 20, 9:10 p.m., free, Yonge-‐Dundas Square), Mac DeMarco (the sharp tunesmith but off-‐the-‐wall performer; June 20, 11 p.m., Opera House and June 21, 7:30 p.m., free, Yonge-‐Dundas Square) and Courtney Barrett (the slack Australian alt-‐rocker; June 20 to 22, Silver Dollar Room). I’m with the wristband The policies relating to attending festival happenings are mysterious, but basically there will be three lines to each event: Badge, Wristband, and Walk-‐Up, with priority access given to platinum badges ($599) and wristband holders ($149 covers music and comedy; $50 covers just comedy or just film). The complete breakdown is at nxne.com/tickets.
AUX does NXNE Film: 10 movie hits, misses, and oddities By Allan Tong – 06.13.2014 http://www.aux.tv/2013/06/aux-‐does-‐nxne-‐film-‐10-‐films-‐10-‐reviews/
Since its inception nearly 15 years ago, NXNE Film has grown into a vital part of the festival. In the process, they’ve also into a name on the Canadian independent film circuit, largely because their films—and there are 30 this year—cover everything from comedy, to rock docs, to historical explorations of B.B. King. Here are 10 hits, misses, and film oddities on offer at this year’s NXNE. Films are listed chronologically, in the order they screen; the full schedule and all pertinent details are available at NXNE’s website.
Authentic: Young Rival’s Journey Through Canada
NXNE films opens with Hamilton rock trio Young Rival driving across Canada in a packed mini-‐van, playing gigs great and small in places obscure and large. They meet interesting characters along the way, like the bearded eccentric who runs an antique museum in middle-‐of-‐nowhere Saskatchewan, and hit obstacles, like the idiot shattering their van window trying to steal their gear. Forget drug parties and wild groupies—welcome to life on the road. Between these vignettes, Young Rival discusses issues relevant the modern musician, like the importance of gigging and how uselessness of CDs in the age of downloading (though vinyl is cool for collectors). They’re likable fellows and they play solid rock, but not a hell of a lot happens in this 88-‐minute film; the speed bumps on their journey are minor, and their emergencies aren’t urgent enough to make an audience sit up and watch. So, the cops bust their gig in St. Catherines. Where’s the footage? Is this the only band in the world that never fights? The band members seem so chummy. Authentic rolls at cruising speed when actually a sudden detour, car chase or crash would enliven the ride. Thursday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
All Out War
Most of the movies screening at NXNE are rock docs that profile an artist or a band in a flattering (i.e. hagiographical) light. Not so for All Out War; it’s a true film which follows four b-‐boys as they travel across North America to compete in a breakdancing championship in Toronto. The goal? To vie for The King of The Ring. Machine, Alien Ness, Dyzee and Casper are the four young men who carry that dream, and they hail from different parts of Canada and the U.S. One grew up in the tough housing projects of the Bronx, where desperation fuels his ambition “to be somebody”; a kid from L.A. wants to win to make up for his old man’s failed dreams of being a musician; the Torontonian b-‐boy escaped into dancing to break a drug habit; and the most stable b-‐boy teaches breakdancing in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Director Robert Pilichowski has an instinctive feel for the music and dance form, and his editing is stylized, yet disciplined. He coaxes revealing interviews out of his subjects, and the dancing is superbly shot by Christopher Romeike—and whether you’re a fan of breakdancing or not, you will enjoy All Out War. Thursday, June 13 at 9:15 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
B.B. King: Life of Riley
It’s amazing that no one has told B.B. King’s life story on film. Until now, that is. The legendary bluesman gets the full treatment here, starting with Morgan Freeman’s narration, and the film includes interviews with Eric Clapton, Bono, Carlos Santana, Slash, Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Ron Wood, and others. They celebrate King’s shimmering vibrato and honey-‐sweet string-‐bending—the stuff King’s been performing for an astonishing 64 years.
The filmmakers take us to the Mississippi cotton plantation where King toiled as a child, where we learn that the kind white plantation owner actually bought young Riley his first guitar. Interviews with King’s surviving friends trace Riley’s evolution from gospel singer to DJ at WDIA, a legendary black radio station, and finally to his emergence as the Beales Street blues boy (hence his initials). Meanwhile, British bluesmen like John Mayall, Mick Taylor and Peter Green attest to the influence King (and other black Americans) held over the English in the sixties. The heart of this film, however, lies with King himself, who tells his life story with charm and clarity, and surprisingly, he and his second wife are candid about King’s numerous infidelities. True, the film sings King’s praises a little too much—ignoring the fallow ’70s and early ’80s, when King’s music fell out of fashion—but Life of Riley is the definitive cinematic statement on Mr. Riley B. King. Friday, June 14 at 6:45 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
If We Shout Loud Enough Double Dagger was a punk group from Baltimore that started as a self-‐conscious concept band; they wrote songs about graphic design (i.e. type faces). In 2011, they called it quits and documented their final tour, which forms the basis of If We Shout Loud Enough. Band members and associates tell their story, which is set against the backdrop of the Baltimore underground music and arts scene that thrived on a DIY ethos. While there’s nothing terribly wrong this film, it likely won’t appeal to many folks outside Maryland—especially all 98 minutes of it. Friday, June 14 at 6:00 p.m. at The Drake Hotel Underground. 1150 Queen St. W.
Mistaken For Strangers
There are two pairs of brothers in The National; they’re all family, except for lead singer Matt Berninger. To remedy that, Matt invites his brother Tom, a slacker still living with his folks, to work as a roadie on a tour across the States; he also shoots behind-‐the-‐scenes footage. His camera collects a video scrapbook: a gig is delayed as roadies plug in a bass guitar, German director Werner Herzog can’t get into a show because nobody gave the box office the VIP list, and band members unglamourously cop Zs in an airport lounge. However, the real sparks fly between Matt and Tom: Tom misses the bus call, keeping everyone waiting, or Matt tears a strip off him for spilling cereal on their hotel room floor. A poignant moment comes when their mother explains how Matt always cooperated as a child, while Tom always quit things like the baseball team. These siblings moments are funny, but completely real—anyone can relate to these characters, which elevates Mistaken For Strangers above the typical rock doc. A highlight of NXNE. Friday, June 14 at 4:00 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
Charlie is My Darling
This is a rare screening of a vintage documentary following The Rolling Stones’ tour of England and Ireland in 1965. The film was recently released on DVD, but it’s worth seeing the young Stones (with Brian Jones) on the big screen. According to producer and then-‐Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, the film was named after drummer Charlie Watts because he was the most photogenic. I’m not sure about that, but here’s one thing I am certain of: Director Peter Whitehead captures the flavour of the time and a portrait of a hungry, young band about to ride to superstardom. To put it in context: At the time, “Satisfaction” was topping the charts around the globe and the Stones are hailed as true rivals to The Beatles. Like Beatlemania, young girls chase the Stones wherever they go, and reduce their concerts to screaming parties. Whitehead filmed the Stones just a few months after D.A. Pennebaker followed Bob Dylan around England in the classic Don’t Look Back, and the films share a fly-‐ on-‐the-‐wall style, intercutting between interviews of young fans (girls of course, but also long-‐haired guys emulating their idols) and The Stones tuning backstage. It’s a treat watching Mick and Keith compose around a piano and send up Elvis, but the film’s greatest accomplishment is capturing the Stones on the cusp of revolutionizing rock music and pop culture. P.S. Catch the charming short film preceeding Charlie, called Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?—it’s about the London crosswalk outside Abbey Road Studios that The Beatles made famous. Friday, June 14 at 9:15 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
The Global Groove Network
The Global Groove Network is Courtney James’ love letter to DJs. After delivering a crash course in disco/house/electronic music—starting, of course, in the ’70s—GGN lands on Toronto’s scene. MuchMusic’s Electric Circus is heralded for spreading the gospel across Canada. GGN then explores the art, craft and even the science of DJing. In one hilarious scene, electrodes are attached to the skulls of DJs, and a McMaster Univeristy neuroscience lab concludes that DJ brains are like no other, because they processs rhythm better. (Surprise!) Next, James travels to places like Sweden and, of course, Ibiza to survey the global club scene. GGN excels when it journeys to the Amazon rainforest to trace the roots of dance music to tribal drum music and explores how today’s internet is spreading the beat. Several DJs around the world weigh in, including Sander Kleinenberg, Donald Glaude, Arno Cost and Toronto’s Manzone & Strong. GGN is told in a chummy, first-‐person voice through fast, fun editing that threatens to smother the film, but nonetheless, it remains infectious. On the flipside, James inserts his personal life into the film, which is meant to add a personal touch, but is actually intrusive. Despite its flaws, GGN is worth grooving to. Saturday, June 15 at 9:15 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
FILMAGE – The Story of DESCENDENTS / ALL Before Nirvana and Green Day, there were The Descendents. They rose out of the late-‐’70s punk scene in L.A., and stood out from the crowd with their unusually melodic songs. Band leader and drummer Bill Stevenson drove the band, which would sucessfully fuse melodies into hardcore, before lead singer Milo Aukerman decided he had enough of the rock ‘n’ roll life and retired to study biochemistry. Stevenson then turned the band into All, named after their last album. Though Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Mike Watt (Minutemen), Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion) appear, FILMAGE is really told by the band whose reflections are illustrated by animation, still photos and occasional video. The film could use other voices, but will more than please fans of the band and California punk. Saturday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W. A.K.A Doc Pomus Doc was born Jerome Felder, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn who was crippled by polio, which made him an outsider for life. That pain attracted him to the blues, which he began to sing as a teenager under the stage name Doc Pomus, and eventually led him to the Brill Building, the legendary songwriting machine of the ’50s and early ’60s. Pomus became rich and famous for writing hits for Ray Charles (“Lonely Avenue”), Ben E. King (“Save The Last Dance For Me”) and Elvis movies. This doc collects interviews with Dr. John, Ben E. King, Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin, Dion, Leiber and Stoller, and BB King, while Lou Reed (who started in the Brill Building) reads from Doc’s diaries. They paint a portrait of a mensch who was charismatic and kind, but suffered because of his disability. All this rings true, but this portrait feels too sweet and possibly sanitized, probably because the film was co-‐produced by Doc’s daughter. Doc alludes to being a curmudgeon and you wonder if living apart form his wife led to infidelity. Aside from glossing over his personal life, A.K.A Doc Pomus succeeds in profiling one of pop music’s greatest songwriters. Sunday, June 16 at 1:00 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W.
A Universal Language
Yuk Yuk’s comedy chain founder Mark Breslin had a good idea: Let’s do an Israeli comedy festival. So, he gathered six Canadian stand-‐up comics (Jews and Gentiles alike) and took them to the Holy Land. The tour would deepen the understanding among Canadians of Israel and the Middle East, but in fact it wound up being a social experiment. After all, Breslin is a champion of free speech, and he’s also taking his comics into a war zone. The problem? He and Aaron Berg, Sam Easton, Mike Khardas, Rebecca Kohler, Jean Paul, and Nikki Payne learn that you can’t say a hell of a lot in Israel. Sex jokes? No way. Sexism (in a place where Orthodox Jews force women to sit in the back of the bus)? Risky. Politics? You gotta be kidding. Jean Paul, in fact, is slammed for making an innocuous joke (by Canadian standards) about an Israeli magician. Apparently, just mentioning the word “Israeli” is offensive. Unfortunately the offended audience members are not interviewed in the film to explain their feelings. The audiences in Israel are dead, and so the stand-‐up routines in A Universal Language lack energy and bite. Instead, the film turns into a journey for the comics as they visit places such as the Wailing Wall, and deepen their own understanding of the complicated Israeli-‐Palestinian issue. Unfortunately, the comics’ effect on Israelis remains a mystery in the end, since the audience is kept at a distance throughout this film. Sunday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W
NXNE Film to Present Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD; Launches Schedule By BWW News Desk – 06.13.2014 http://www.broadwayworld.com/toronto/article/NXNE-‐Film-‐to-‐Present-‐Richard-‐Linklaters-‐ BOYHOOD-‐Launches-‐Schedule-‐20140612#.U7wPOV4trSN In partnership with Hot Docs, NXNE Film adds eight more exciting films to its already stacked line-‐up, screening June 13 -‐ 15 at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. New programming includes the Canadian film premiere of Richard Linklater's Boyhood starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette; the Canadian premiere of Vann 'Piano Man' Walls: The Spirit of R&B, a feature about a musical pioneer; the world premiere of Born to Ruin, a candid look at the Toronto-‐ based band, Wildlife, as they record their sophomore album; the world premiere of Panama, in which two back-‐up dancers from the Van Halen video for Panama reunite and learn how their lives led down two different paths; the Canadian premiere of C.T.R.L., a short about a hacked love story; Sad Monster, a short in which a young girl deals with a monster in her closet; At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst, a much anticipated short about Toronto's legendary venue The Big Bop; and music videos making theatrical debuts, including Fear and Delight by The Correspondents, and Organs by The Uncluded. Single NXNE Film tickets are now available at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema or online at www.bloorcinema.com.
NXNE 2014 Review: Whoops! (2013) – or – Unfortunate accidents 06.13.2014 http://www.the-‐filmreel.com/2014/06/13/nxne-‐review-‐whoops-‐2013/
Rose Clements (Elaine Glover) is a loving mother, and loyal wife, but she’s been having difficulties lately. She keeps accidentally killing people, and it’s up to her husband, Dave (Philip Rowson), to help clean up the mess. As more bodies begin turning up, the police start to put the pieces together, and now, not only do Dave and Rose have to keep hiding bodies, but they must also keep their horrible bad luck a secret. This British black comedy manages to keep the laughs rolling, while also delivering a healthy dose of bloody moments. Much of the humour comes from the quick dialogue, and there are quite a few moments where you can miss the joke if you’re not paying attention. Once the bodies begin piling up, it’s comedy gold. Watching Rose and Dave try to figure out how to get rid of the evidence is hilarious, and a kids birthday party is the setting for the best moment. Glover and Rowson do a great job as Rose and Dave, and the chemistry between the couple adds to the laughs, with Dave being a much too loyal husband, and Rose the paranoid accidental killer. Throw in a few bumbling detectives, and you’ve got a winner. The real surprise is the end, which you won’t see coming, and an extra little gag before the credits roll. Is Whoops! Worth Watching? Perfect for some great laughs, of a more darker variety. If you’ve always had a taste for British humour, you can’t go wrong. Whoops! Screening Time Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 12:30 pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
BANG YOUR HEAD
By Steve Gow – 06.13.2014 http://www.strictlydocs.com/bang-‐your-‐head/
Fictional band Spinal Tap may have set the modern image of the American heavy metal band but Quiet Riot were living the excess long before Tap ever ‘smelled the glove’. In the documentary Well, Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back, filmmaker Regina Russell roots through the “Metal Health” hitmakers’s many X-‐rated archives to explore how the Los Angeles act may have helped to ignite the raging popularity of hair metal in the 80s. The poignant but punchy rock doc examines the overkill of success Quiet Riot enjoyed after overtaking Michael Jackson on the charts with “Cum On Feel The Noize” not to mention the astonishing number of musician changes throughout the band’s life. Mainly however, Russell follows everlasting drummer Frankie Banali (who lives with the director) as he attempts to restart the band years after the tragic 2007 death of friend and frontman Kevin DuBrow. The film will be making its Canadian Premiere in Toronto on June 15th as part of the NXNE Festival and Strictly Docs had a chance to catch up with Russell to gab about the film’s goals, the band’s groupies and the glamour of the 80’s: Steve Gow: Your film picked up an award at the Newport Beach Film Festival so clearly its premiere in Toronto is not the first time its been seen, but how has the festival circuit been for you?
Regina Russell: Well, its only been the one so far. It was a packed house and people were going crazy, they were laughing and crying and cheering – it was really good. I could not have wanted more. Gow: Well, it’s a fun movie and its eye-‐opening too. For you, what was the most fun going through all that Quiet Riot archived material that you had? Russell: There was a lot to go through and a lot of it was stuff nobody had seen so it was an embarrassment of riches for a filmmaker and playing around with it and making use of some of this material really helped me make the film. I feel like without it, it wouldn’t be the same. There’s a lot of stuff people haven’t seen before – with the groupies and the drugs and stuff like that. When have you ever seen actual film of bands backstage in the ‘80s – not a recreation, not a scripted movie, not a telling of it through talking heads – but actually seeing how they live. Gow: It’s a bit like watching Spinal Tap but its all real. Is it true, too, that I had read you had something like 50 hours of just (groupie) boob footage to go through? Russell: (laughs) Well, that was the ‘C’ version. There was a lot of (makes a gesture for oral sex). Gow: (laughs) Right. I understand. Obviously you are very close to Frankie; as a filmmaker what’s the challenge in trying to be objective and show warts and all? Russell: That was my goal all along. I felt like it was disingenuous and it would be hard for anyone to enjoy if it had that feeling of trying to be puffy, you know what I mean? In order for the audience to root for you – which is what you want; obviously I want the audience to be on their side – so I feel like in order to do that, you have to be vulnerable and you have to show the warts and all to get them on your side. So its kind of counterintuitive – the more you try and polish something, the less likeable it is. All along, I felt like it had to be real and its hard to convince your subject that as your filming. Gow: Is it tough for Frankie to watch? Russell: I think the first couple of times, there were a few things that were tough. Now that he’s seen it, and seen how an audience reacts to it and sees that they are on his side, he likes it now. Gow: One of the interesting aspects about the film is that he does come out of retirement and decides to restart the band – partly in tribute to Kevin but also part of it is the fact he sees this resurgence in 80s music, particularly metal. Why do you think ‘80s music has had this turnaround? Russell: Its far enough behind us in the past that its reached that nostalgia level. The people that were young at the time that it was popular, we’re kind of the generation that’s in charge right now and we’re the ones that are spending money and we’re the ones that are going out and – I was going to say buying records, but no one buys records anymore…its fun, that’s what it was for us, going out and having fun and now that we’re all older, if we want to go see something, we’re going to go see something we liked when we were young. Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back premieres at Bloor Cinema in Toronto on June 15 as part of NXNE.
NXNE Film | June 13-‐22 By Sara Alexandra – 06.13.2014 http://torontoyouthshorts.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/nxne-‐film-‐june-‐13-‐22/
As if this year’s NXNE schedule wasn’t packed with enough excitement already. Now celebrating it’s 14th consecutive year of MUSIC+FILM+INTERACTIVE+COMEDY+ART, this year’s festival is bigger and better then ever. The NXNE Film programming selection showcases works from all around the World with many North American and Canadian premieres. NXNE Film series screens at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema from June 13th-‐15th & 22nd. This year’s programme divulges outside the usual scope of music-‐related films, and dip into a wide selection of genres from art to politics. Film Wristband’s are a guaranteed no-‐ cover access to all NXNE Films and cost $50 for the entire festival. Get out see and see some NXNE MUSIC+FILM+INTERACTIVE+COMEDY+ART. NXNE FILM SCHEDULE At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst • Born To Ruin • Boyhood • C.T.R.L. • “Fear and Delight” (The Correspondents) • La Voz De Los Silenciados • Let’s Ruin It With Babies • Lies I Told My Little Sister • Luck’s Hard • “Organs” (The Uncluded) • Panama • Riot On The Dance Floor • Sad Monster • Vann ‘Piano Man’ Walls: The Spirit of R&B • Well Now That We’re Here, There’s No Way Back • Whoops
NXNE 2014: La Voz de los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless) 06.13.2014 http://www.skonmovies.com/2014/06/nxne-‐2014-‐voice-‐of-‐voiceless.html
The NXNE film line-‐up begins with the modern silent film La Voz de los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless), which is inspired by actual events. Olga (Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz) is a deaf teenager from Central America, who travels to New York under the false pretence that she is attending a “Christian Sign Language School.” However, it turns out that the school is just a front for a criminal empire, who forces Olga to beg on the subway. Olga is forced to use her imagination to escape from these criminals and gain her freedom. The Voice of the Voiceless is a film that mimics what it is like to be deaf. While the plot of the film is completely silent, the film still features muffled sound effects, which is presumably what a deaf person like Olga hears everyday. While I get the point for including these muffled sounds in the film, they do get a little annoying after a while and the film might have been better if it was completely silent. For the most part, the audience is left to figure out the plot by the actions of screen, with there being no dialogue or subtitles, save for a quite enjoyable fantasy heist sequence in the middle of the film. There is much repetition within the plot of the film, which almost makes it seem that the story was trying to stretch itself to feature length and might have been better as a short. Voice of the Voiceless is also a very experimental film at times, which includes a sudden and disorienting full-‐colour dream sequence. Despite some issues, Voice of the Voiceless is still an interesting piece of modern silent cinema.
WHOOPS! plays NXNE 2014 By Ryan McNeil – 06.13.2014 http://www.thematinee.ca/nxne2014whoops/
When you get married, there’s an unspoken agreement that you enter into. Whether you know it or not, you are agreeing to find lost things, reach high things, go pick-‐up desired things, and help dispose of icky things. Disposing of a body your spouse has killed? Turns out that’s part of the unspoken agreement too. As WHOOPS! begins, we watch Rose Clements (Elaine Glover) walk down a darkened street after hours. She’s on her way home, carrying her high heels in-‐ had, minding her own business, and only slightly worried about her safety. Behind her, a jogger approaches with his hood pulled up…but thanks to a moment of panic, Rose believes that he means her harm and takes a swing. She impales the jogger’s temple with her stiletto, killing him instantly. Freaked over what to do, she calls her husband Dave (Philip Rowson) and confesses that “It’s happened again”.
That’s right folks – this isn’t Rose’s first kill. Not even her first kill via blind panic. That’s already happened once before, again while walking down a darkened street after-‐hours. Then – like now – Dave felt it best to sidestep responsibility. So together Dave and Rose dispose of the bodies. However, they aren’t heartless killers. Upon discovering that their victim holds an organ donor card, they haphazardly remove what they can and leave it in an unmarked cooler in front of the local hospital. Unfortunately, Rose and Dave aren’t all that good at hiding evidence, and the local authorities begin to look into the deaths…and they don’t care whether they were followed with the word “whoops” or not. WHOOPS! is a film that is well-‐suited to the beginning of a humid and sticky summer. It is light, breezy, and comes built with a certain degree of cheek. It’s not out to postulate, shock, or subvert. It wants to refresh us with mild absurdity, and treat us to something sweet. While nobody is going to confuse WHOOPS! with the next big thing, at its core there’s a central idea that rings true for so many of us. Time and again, so many of us want to keep control. We see the car careening into the ditch, but believe that if we steer into the skid that we can avoid the chaos. We all want to look like heroes, look like we have the answer. We’re afraid to admit that we’re out of our depth – afraid to ask for help. It’s difficult to articulate why: perhaps we’re afraid of seeming weak, perhaps some of us just don’t know how. However, as we see in WHOOPS!, owning up to being out of our depth is not such a bad thing. It could have kept a few more people alive, kept Rose’s nerves from becoming quite so frazzled, and underlined what happened as a pure accident. It’s pride and panic that lead to so many of our mistakes nowadays – with a heavy emphasis on pride. Perhaps the moral of WHOOPS! is that if we had a little bit less of it, we might not make such a mess of things. WHOOPS! plays NXNE 2014 tomorrow afternoon, Saturday June 14th – 12:30pm at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
Five Reasons to Attend NXNE 2014 By Megane Rach – 06.13.2014 http://www.musicvice.com/previews/five-‐reasons-‐to-‐attend-‐nxne-‐2014
It’s that time of year again – the city turns into a cultural hub, abuzz with the excitement surrounding another installment of the multifaceted music and arts event, NXNE. Kicking off with the NXNE Film Fest June 13th (yes, it’s Friday the 13th, so get ready), it’s a nine-‐day experience packed with an overwhelming amount of talent. There is a staggering number of musicians playing clear across Toronto for the now 20-‐year-‐old festival, from local artists to internationally recognized acts. Here we have the top five reasons YOU need to check out at North By Northeast 2014.
5. Art, Comedy, and Interactive conferences
While everyone remembers the massive music festival NXNE brings, there is much more to the festival to promote Toronto’s arts and culture. The art festival runs from June 16th-‐22nd, including the NXNE Art Lounge, with installations by top artists, technologists and architects; Urban Takeover, which sees local and international artists convert Toronto’s cityscape into a transformative installation that brings attention to lost space, alleyways and pedestrian areas. NXNE Comedy, running from June 17th-‐22nd for its fifth year. Reggie Watts, Marc Maron and Andy Milonakis are only three of the 100+ comedians performing around the city. Finally, interactive speakers will be offering panels and presentations from June 18th-‐ 21st. Presentations range in subjects from the music industry, fashion, social media, filmmaking and even the internet itself.
4. Film Festival NXNE Film is celebrating its 14th year of the showcase at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. June 13th-‐ 15th and the 22nd, more than 15 films will be screened, including “At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst”, a short documentary about the life and death of The Big Bop, and “Boyhood“, the much-‐anticipated Richard Linklater project filmed over the span of 11 years.
3. International artists A thing Toronto does well is play host to artists not only from around Canada, but from around the world. NXNE in particular features hundreds of artists for this year’s festival, making it overwhelming to narrow down any one set to see. With different genres from many different countries, NXNE offers a little something for everyone. Some of my most anticipated international acts include Liverpool, U.K.’s Dan Croll and Baltimore, U.S.A.’s Future Islands. Dan Croll creates wildly upbeat and fun tunes, combining his affinity for folk elements, electronic beats and African polyrhythms to make auditorily pleasing music you can dance to, such as “From Nowhere“. Croll plays the Horseshoe Tavern, Wednesday June 18th, at 1a.m. and again at Wrongbar, Thursday June 19th, at 1a.m. While they already have four albums under their belt, synth-‐centric trio, Future Islands have made waves so far this year, gaining recognition for their incredibly catchy single, “Seasons“. Future Islands is part of the House of Vans showcase at VICE Island, Thursday, June 19th, at 8:30p.m., and the Red Bull showcase at Tattoo on Queen St. W., Saturday June 21st, at 12a.m.
2. The many Toronto artists to support
Here we have the home-‐court advantage with the leagues of talented and interesting artists from the GTA. While there are WAY too many to particularly narrow down, some of those to look out for are as follows: UKAE Pop/indie-‐rock outfit with soulful and impressive vocals surrounded by catchy riffs and rhythms to get people moving. They play The Silver Dollar Room on Friday, June 20th, at 10p.m. Ark Analog
Made up of Dan Werb of Woodhands and Maylee Todd, DJ/Electronic duo Ark Analog offers a fun and infectiously “dancey” vibe for crowds to be able to groove. Find them at Wrongbar on Friday, June 20th, at 1a.m., and Tattoo on Saturday, June 21st, at 11p.m. Beliefs Hazy, shoegaze-‐inspired group Beliefs make their rounds with three “fuzzy dream pop” infused gigs for this years’ festival. Beliefs will be at M for 159 Manning on Friday, June 20th, at 1:45p.m., and again that night at The Garrison, at 11p.m. Their final NXNE gig is at Smiling Buddah, Saturday, June 21st, 8p.m. Amity Beach This indie-‐pop quintet kicks off summer in every essence of the word with their catchy hooks and upbeat tunes. They play Cameron House on Wednesday, June 18th, at 1a.m.
1. The interesting venues and showcases
While we’re used to bar-‐ hopping from venue to venue to catch gigs in the city, NXNE offers more outside of the bar scene, and in some cases, “outside” being the operative word. House of Vans @ VICE Island offers a free event on the Toronto islands, featuring artists such as Pusha T and Future Islands. A ferry will be going back and forth to from city to island at set times, starting at 2:15p.m. and continuing until 1:15a.m. The MiO Squirtcar turns a TTC streetcar into a wholly unique venue moving along Queen St. Reggie Watts, The Pizza Underground and Army Girls are a few of those performing on the weekend commute. On top of the outdoor park shows, NXNE offers all-‐ages shows around the city, featuring gigs that allow those below drinking age to enjoy a piece of the festival. We all remember our first show as teens, and these shows give teens today a chance to get in on the NXNE action that includes a vast number of Toronto-‐centric bands as well as the heavy-‐hitters. The following are all playing at Yonge and Dundas Square: Sleigh Bells, Thursday, June 19th, 9:10p.m. St. Vincent, Friday, June 20th, 9:10p.m. Alvvways, Saturday, June 20th, 6:30p.m. Spoon, Saturday, June 21st, 9:10p.m. Juicy J, Sunday, June 22nd, 9:00p.m. While this hardly scratches the surface of the entire festival, the entirety of NXNE details can be found here, including wristband prices, schedules and artist lists. Keep your eyes here on Music Vice for reviews, interviews and photos of the festival. Get yourself ready for NXNE, we’ll see you there!
'Riot on the Dance Floor' Slam Dances To NXNE Film Fest (VIDEO) 06/13/2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/13/riot-‐on-‐the-‐dance-‐floor-‐nxne_n_5490411.html
NXNE may be best known as a music festival, but it has also expanded to incorporate film and interactive, too. Which is not to say that music isn't still involved in these new branches. Take "Riot on the Dancefloor," a documentary about Trenton, New Jersey punk club City Gardens, an iconic and relatively dangerous dive bar that once counted Jon Stewart as a bartender and boasted bands like Nine Inch Nails, New Order and Nirvana on it's filthy stage. "I did the film because I never understood why the place worked, why it got so popular for the bands to play there. I knew nothing about what it took to put on a show and how clubs like City Gardens functioned, nor did I truly understand the role of what a promoter did," explains director Steve Tozzi. "Trenton, NJ was as perplexing a capital city as the club was a viable venue to me. I guess there was enough with just those two elements to carve out the story. The club wasn't a beautiful place, nothing to save historically so there wasn't in my mind any reason to humanize the building in the story, no SAVE OUR CLUB moment to have. Randy, the club's promoter, was a face to the club. The heart and soul of what that place was came from him. With Randy in the story it all made perfect sense." Riot on the Dance Floor plays at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto on June 13 as part of NXNE.
Watch cool flicks at NXNE By Jason Anderson – 06.13.2014 http://www.thegridto.com/culture/film/watch-‐cool-‐flicks-‐at-‐nxne/ Along with the music and interactive festivals, NXNE claims yet more space in this jam-‐ packed weekend for a film fest, too. New indie flicks and scrappy music docs dominate the slate at the Bloor – one of these could be just what you’re looking for. THE BIG-‐DEAL PREMIERE Boyhood Critics ran dangerously low on superlative supplies after the Sundance premiere of the latest offering by filmmaker Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke, the team behind the Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight trio of films. A big reason for all of Boyhood‘s acclaim —which makes its Canadian bow at NXNE before opening July 11—is the unique achievement it represents. Linklater shot the film a little bit at a time in order to capture all the changes experienced by his young star Ellar Coltrane as his character ages from 5 to 18. (Hawke and Patricia Arquette play his parents.) Luckily, it doesn’t take so long to watch, though Boyhood’s admirers might be happy if it did.
THE QUARTERLIFE-‐CRISIS DRAMEDY Let’s Ruin It With Babies Life is complicated, and that’s true even if you’ve got a nice husband, loads of L.A. hipster friends, and a traveling karaoke service that’s about to break big (that is, as long as your tricked-‐out RV doesn’t break down). Writer-‐director Kestrin Pantera may risk attracting some scorn for the more self-‐indulgent elements of this semi-‐autobiographical first feature, in which she plays a young woman who struggles to reconcile her ambitions with her hubby’s drive to procreate. But a flintier sense of humour often emerges from the cuteness.
THE DOC FOR NOSTALGIC PUNKS Riot on the Dance Floor: The Story of Randy Now and City Gardens Even the most thuggish old hardcore fan may get misty-‐eyed at this engaging, if somewhat exhausting, history of City Gardens, a rock club in Trenton, N.J. that served as a gob-‐filled Petri dish for the nascent alternative and punk scenes of the ’80s. Steve Tozzi’s film includes great archival photos by Thrasher’s Ken Salerno and plenty of choice reminiscing by the people who knew the place well, including Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Dean Ween, and former employee Jon Stewart (yup, he tended bar there in the ’80s).
Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back: The Quiet Riot Movie Directed by Regina Russell By Matthew Ritchie – 06.13.2014 http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/NXNEFilm/well_now_youx2019re_here_therex2019s_no_way_b ack_quiet_riot_movie-‐directed_by_regina_russell
Dealing with the death of a friend is hard, but when that friend happens to be a business partner and co-‐leader of the '80s hair metal band Quiet Riot, things can end up being a lot worse. Such is the case with Frankie Banali. An accomplished drummer of the John Bonham variety, Banali rose to fame after years slaving away in the L.A. music scene thanks to the success of his band's third studio album, Metal Health.
Buoyed by the celestial vocal cords of friend and frontman Kevin DuBrow, as well as the band's breakout single, "Cum on Feel the Noize," the long-‐running sunset strip act became a walking VH1: Behind the Music, specializing in cocaine, boobies and having a good time. Kurt Cobain and co. quickly made the previous decade an afterthought for those looking to rock and roll all night and party every day, but Quiet Riot raged on, performing at whichever dive bars or state fairs would have them (The Simpsons even made a joke about it). But while reality and adulthood caught up with Banali and the band's long list of previous performers, Dubrow continued to party on, ultimately passing away in 2007 after an accidental overdose. Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back catches up with Banali shortly after his friend's death, capturing his attempts to move on from the loss while subsequently hunting for a new singer to take his place. In the process, the film manages to perfectly document the often untold truths of a life in the entertainment industry. Filmmaker Regina Russell, predominantly known for her acting roles in '90s blockbusters (Hook) and vaguely erotic sounding features (something called Sex Court: the Movie) offers the most intimate portrayal of the popular '80s act. With such heavy subject matter, she even manages to inject a healthy dose of humour into the proceedings by showcasing the band's Spinal Tap-‐esque revolving door of performers, as well as the band's bruised egos. (One such scene depicts current bassist Chuck Wright, desperate to receive the respect he deserves years after performing bass on Metal Health's titular track, offering a young German fan to sign their copy of the album, only to be rejected for not having his name on the CD reissue or "officially" being an original member.) A rather low-‐key affair compared to other rock'n'roll biographies, Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back is a must-‐see for all '80s rock aficionados and fans of the decadent decade. Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back plays at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto on June 15 as part of NXNE.
Riot on the Dance Floor Directed by Steve Tozzi By Matthew Ritchie – 06.13.2014 http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/NXNEFilm/riot_on_dance_floor-‐directed_by_steve_tozzi
When it comes to the world of music, punk rock may have the most nostalgic group of listeners. Sure, other genres suffer from their fair share of purists who pride themselves on reminding the next generation that things were better in their time, but punk as an art form has always held a certain cultural significance not only for those who lived it, but those who wished they'd experienced it. Case in point: Riot on the Dance Floor, Steve Tozzi's new documentary about club promoter Randy Now and his Trenton, NJ punk haven, City Gardens.
Now (real name Ellis) was just your average music-‐loving mailman living in the Garden State, working during the day to pay his bills and hosting an increasingly popular New Wave DJ set at night. Disappointed by the lack of concerts in the area, he took it upon himself to transform the then derelict City Gardens (a bar in one of the city's more bleak neighbourhoods) into one of the scene's most happening venues. Although not remembered as well as similar meccas like Max's Kansas City and CBGBs, City Gardens was able to carve out a particular niche in the East coast punk scene, thanks to performances from the likes of the Descendents, Fugazi, the Fall and Joan Jett, as well as more popular acts like Flock of Seagulls and R.E.M. Riot on the Dance Floor charts City Gardens' path from industrial indie club to hardcore haunt, and subsequently traces Ellis' rise from a promoter known for upping the punks to your average fifty-‐something music geek. Featuring interviews from the likes of Ian Mackaye, Jello Biafra, Dave Brockie, Mickey Ween and more, Riot on the Dance Floor delivers an inspiring oral history on one of punk rock's most important palaces, but ultimately falters due to its mixed message and lack of linear narrative. Whether it's stories of warring skinheads or witnessing the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes nearly burn City Gardens to the ground mid-‐concert, each of the film's talking heads helps illustrate the importance of the venue on local punks, but it's the depiction of Ellis that will leave less committed viewers wondering what all the fuss was about. In one scene, a modern day Ellis can be seen standing amongst his expansive record collection, wondering if the personal and financial cost of a life in the music business was worth it. Then, at the end of the film, the director posts a caption urging young music fans to "support their local scene" – a somewhat perplexing statement, given his interview subjects' general favouritism and fondness for the actual venue over the man who risked his personal well-‐being (and any hope of a retirement plan) to bring it to life. Nevertheless, Riot on the Dance Floor is a worthwhile watch for those interested in the genre, thanks to its illuminating portrayal of one of the East coast punk scene's best-‐kept secrets. Riot on the Dance Floor plays at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto on June 13 as part of NXNE.
NXNE 2014 REVIEW: BORN TO RUIN By Jordan Adler – 06.13.2014 http://thetfs.ca/2014/06/13/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐born-‐ruin/#.U5t1GXxOUcA Toronto indie rock band Wildlife want their second album to be a reflection of their maturity and depth. However, when keyboardist Tim Daugulis starts suffering due to an alcohol problem, he threatens to derail the group’s project. Filmmaker Brendan McCarney joins the group at two recording studios as the five-‐piece rock band experiences some growing pains. Born to Ruin gets its title from a song off the group’s second album, On the Heart. It’s only one letter away from the title of Bruce Springsteen’s most popular track, and it’s clear The Boss is an influence on the band. Their anthems of love and heartbreak are big and aching. Fans of the group will find the studio sessions mesmerizing, as the band members collaborate with producers and then clash with each other to get the record made. However, for the uninitiated, Born to Ruin has some memorable tunes but not much else. Except for Tim’s alcohol struggles, much of the rest of the group are ordinary guys who mostly agree on the band’s creative direction. There is little conflict or dramatic arc. McCarney mostly just shoots studio life as regular: the group plays music, listens to their recordings, and offers some insight into what they would do differently. When one of the band members mentions that for the new album, Wildlife would “have to try hard to make it interesting,” it seems that the director does not have the same creative agenda. Is Born to Ruin essential festival viewing? No. Unless you are a die-‐hard fan of Wildlife, Born to Ruin is a tepid look at life in a recording studio. Born to Ruin screening times Saturday, June 14, 2014 – 3:00 pm – Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
NXNE 2014 REVIEW: LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS By Mark Hanson – 06.13.2014 http://thetfs.ca/2014/06/13/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐la-‐voz-‐de-‐los-‐silenciados/#.U7bAJV4trSN Olga is a young deaf woman from Central America who comes to New York City under the pretense of being accepted into a Christian sign language school. Once there, she is ushered into a crime ring – forced to hustle for money on the subway by day and then locked in a basement to sleep with a group of other illegal immigrants by night. What sets La voz de los silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless) apart from any other real life trafficking drama of recent years is that it assumes Olga’s perspective quite literally. Taking the form of a silent film, we hear no dialogue — only the muffled soundscape of Olga’s world. This technique, coupled with the gritty black-‐and-‐white photography and rapid-‐fire editing, makes for a disorienting cinematic experience. It effectively captures what thousands of immigrants go through daily in the US. The audiovisual detail in getting us inside Olga’s head space is impressive, especially considering that its writer-‐director Maximón Monihan’s first feature. Monihan doesn’t pull any punches with the story either. This is bleak stuff (and supposedly based on a true story too). But while it’s no doubt tough to watch at times, you can’t look away either. As Olga is subjected to further injustices by her handlers, we cling to the hope that she’ll catch a break. Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz (in her first movie role) plays Olga with an authentic wide-‐eyed innocence. Yet as fragile as she looks, she never breaks, managing to find moments of happiness even when there seems to be nothing to hope for. She is the pulse of the film and you won’t forget her. Is La voz de los silenciados essential festival viewing? Yes, check this out. La voz de los silenciados is a ridiculously accomplished debut feature that brings to mind gutsy low-‐budget work like Darren Aronofsky’s Pi. It’s also a powerful message movie in its own right. La voz de los silenciados screening times Friday, June 13, 2014 – 6:00 pm – Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
NXNE 2014 REVIEW: RIOT ON THE DANCE FLOOR By Ada Wong – 06.13.2014 http://thetfs.ca/2014/06/13/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐riot-‐dance-‐floor/#.U6Rssl4trSM
In New York there was CBGB, and in New Jersey there was City Gardens – a warehouse nightclub that operated through the 80s into the early 90s where virtually every ‘next big name’ in New Wave, Punk, and Heavy Metal played a gig. City Gardens played host to The Ramones, Nirvana, The Pixies, REM, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Green Day to name a few. Steve Tozzi’s documentary Riot on the Dance Floor looks back at the legacy of City Gardens and its driving force: DJ/Promoter Randy (Ellis) Now. We relive the hedonism and the music through interviews with Randy Now himself, past clubgoers, former staff including former bartender turned The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, and performers that have taken the stage there. For those who know, be it the venue itself, or the indie music movements of the time, the stories rehashed in Riot on the Dance Floor are sure to invoke much nostalgia. We hear stories of a band who found their car stolen after a gig, or how the venue’s disintegrating “US Motors” sign would shower clubgoers with falling shards as they entered, and it’s like sitting back with a bunch of regulars reminiscing about old times. The Torontonian equivalent of this might a conversation about the golden age of the El Macambo. Now this is good and well if you’re from Toronto and know the El Mo, but for an out-‐of-‐towner, the novelty of the conversation may wear off quickly. This is what happens with City Gardens and Riot on the Dancefloor. Tozzi has created a documentary love letter to Randy Now, the city of Trenton, and this famed venue. He explores the intricacies of indie music roots, the finer workings of running a club, and selects interviewees with unparalleled insight. However, at times it gets so entrenched in the details that the average audience is not going to go along for the ride. Often it feels as though there is no proper segue between one topic to another other than the interviewee has decided to change subjects from one sentence to another. Perhaps he could have found a better way to sequence his interviews. Is Riot on the Dance Floor essential festival viewing? Riot on the Dance Floor is an in-‐depth work of musical passion. If you’re up to speed on the significance of City Gardens, come from Trenton, New Jersey, or avidly follow the bands who launched themselves at this humble venue, you will enjoy this film. For the average viewer: beware of getting left behind. Riot on the Dance Floor screening times Friday, June 13th at 9:30pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
NXNE14: WHOOPS!
By Courtney Small – 06.13.2014 http://cinemaaxis.com/2014/06/13/nxne14-‐whoops/
In the black comedy Whoops!, the term “till death do us part” takes on a whole new meaning. From the outside Rose and Dave Clements (Elaine Glover and Philip Rowson) seem to have the perfect life. Their respective careers, she is a real estate agent and he has his own building company, are going well and their two inquisitive kids are angels for the most part. If it was not for the accidental murders that Rose keeps committing, one doubts that the couple would have anything to argue about. Neither Rose nor Dave can quite figure out why Rose has developed an uncanny ability to kill individuals who cross her path. However, when a skittish Rose unintentionally wields her broken stiletto heel into the chest of an unsuspecting jogger, it is Dave who is left to clean up the mess. The fact that this is the second time that such a thing has occurred in a few scant weeks does not sit well with Rose’s devoted hubby. Frankly, Dave cannot help but wonder if his loving wife may actually be a serial killer. Dave is not the only one pondering the recent rash of murders. When severed body parts begin appearing around town and at organ donor clinics – fortunately the victims had their donor cards filled out – both the media and local police being to take notice. As the bodies
pile up, and the likes of Inspector Mary Hickson (Olwen May) get closer to piecing the crimes together, Rose and Dave struggle to keep their secret hidden while trying to maintain the appearance of normality.
The plot of Whoops! may wear similar garb as modern blood soaked horror comedies, however it feels more akin to John Walters’ comedy Serial Mom. Trust me, as a fan of Walters’ 1994 comedy, this is a good thing. Though directors Tony Hipwell and Matt Watts sprinkle in moments of red splatter, most notably in a scene involving Rose’s lecherous boss (Andrew Dunn), the film does not linger on these moments. Hipwell and Watts wisely focus most of their energy on the humour rather than the gore. Infusing the film with subtle sight gags, such as Rose browsing the ”killerpedia” website, and witty banter, Whoops! works best when it takes satirical jabs at the serial killer genre. It is rather surprising that the film does not exploit this more. Sure there are great pop culture moments, such as when a character states that only Tom Hardy could play him if a movie was made about the murders, but there is plenty of room for Hipwell and Watts to push the boundaries even further. Especially when you factor in the fine performances from the two leads. Aside from having genuine chemistry and good comedic timing together, Glover and Rowson do a nice job of portraying a normal couple who find themselves in way over their heads. Glover, in particular, offers the right mixture of innocence and devilish curiosity to keep us guessing about her motives. Glover and Rowson manage to hold our interests even when the film occasionally dips into a little too familiar territory at times. Though it would have been nice had Whoops! been more biting, the performances and sly dialogue make for a rather enjoyable romp. Screens Saturday, June 14,12:30 PM, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
SCOPING NXNE CINEMA By Emer Schlosser – 06.13.2014 http://www.weraddicted.com/scoping-‐nxne-‐cinema/
The film portion of this year’s NXNE festival runs June 13 to 15 in the Annex at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. A variety of fictional and documental films fill the lineup. It kicks off tonight with the Guatemalan/American film La Voz de los Silenciados (The Voice of the Voiceless), directed by Maximón Monihan. Based on a real case, the story follows Olga, a deaf teenager lured to NYC from Latin America under the false pretence of admittance to a Christian Sign Language School. Instead of Christianity and schooling she finds herself enslaved in a criminal immigrant trafficking ring. La Voz de la Silenciados screens at 6pm. Next up at 9:30 is Riot on the Dance Floor, featuring photography from Thrasher Magazine’s Ken
Salerno, interviews, archival footage and a storyline to paint the gritty picture of New Jersey’s club City Gardens and its promoter, Randy Now. Saturday starts at 12:30 with Whoops! – the story of an accidental serial killer and her doting husband who cleans up after her morbid klutziness. Mid afternoon movie is Born to Ruin at 3pm. This one goes into the studio with Toronto-‐based band Wildlife as they record their second album. Prior to this screening is the short On the Corner of Queen & Bathurst, a look at a place many Addicted editors personal spent some time in our yoot: the Big Bop. (Looking forward to a trip down purple, loud, dirty memory lane.) Richard Linklater’s Boyhood is up next at 6pm. We grow up with Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from school days to college and peak into his life filled with an irritating sibling (aren’t they always when you’re that age?) and divorced parents (Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette). Top the night off with Luck’s Hard – Ron Hawkins & The Do Good Assassins at 10pm. This is the story of how a backup band for a solo album morphs into the formation of a new band. The musicians will be in attendance. The weekend wraps up on Sunday four final slots. Vann “Piano Man” Walls – The Spirit of R&B, has its Canadian Premiere at 12:30. Discover a true pioneer in the world of R&B as he records his final album to cap off a 65-‐year career. A must-‐see for self professed music historians and fans. Take a turn from documentary into dramedy at 3pm with Lies I Told My Little Sister, the story of a jet-‐setting nature photographer who gets dragged on a family trip to Cape Cod following the death of her younger sister. The mood lightens at 6pm with Let’s Ruin It With Babies; a quirky romp about a woman who compares motherhood to death versus the Hollywood-‐expected elation. This refreshingly honest take has warmth and humour (check out the trailer here, it put a smile on my face and a desire to go on a karaoke bus road trip!). Last but not least is Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie, at 9:45. Follow Frankie Frankie Banali, drummer of Quiet Riot, as he strives to make a life for himself and his daughter and make up the hole left after the death of one of his bandmates. Tough and humorous, just like life.
Van “Piano Man” Walls: A conversation with director Steven Morris By Chaka V. – 06.13.2014 http://www.thewinehousemag.com/nxne-‐van-‐piano-‐man-‐walls/ Film: Van “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B Director: Steven Morris Showtime: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, Sunday/June 15, 12:30pm If there were ever a documentary that genuinely earned the title “a labour of love” it is director Steven Morris’s film Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B. Van “Piano Man” Walls was one of the legendary and influential rhythm and blues pianist of his era (as well as songwriter, studio musician, and professional recording artist), playing on numerous illustrious recordings before he vanished. Industry insiders had long believed he was dead until legendary musician, Dr. John, officially reintroduced him to the public during his Montreal Jazz Festival show 25 years ago. Morris soon learned about the genius blues man’s return and befriended him, before setting out to document Wall’s unheralded career. It would take the Canadian director nearly 20 years to bring this passion project to theatres. Prior to its NXNE premiere, I enjoyed a lively conversation with Morris where we discussed race records, talking to legends (Dr. John, acclaimed producer Jerry Wexler, the great Ruth Brown and Ahmet Ertegün, founder of Atlantic Records, among others), and, of course, the obscure and brilliant Van “Piano Man Walls.” TWM: You became aware of Van “Piano Man” Walls from a class with Craig Morrison? SM: Yes. It was a night course [in 1990].
TWM: When did the idea to do a doc about Mr. Walls come to you? And why did you feel compelled to do it? SM: Well, I can’t even recall—it’s been almost 25 years. But I had ended up in Van’s home–I had just moved to Montreal, I was starting life all over again and I ended up befriending him. It was overtime that the idea started to develop [but] Van was really inaccessible about the whole idea–he clammed right up. It took me many years to gain his trust but eventually I came to understand that the old bluesmen, they didn’t expect to talk to anybody unless they were paid, which went against all of my instincts in documentary filmmaking. But I cut him a cheque and he finally started to open up for me. You know, those old blues guys, they lived from one paycheck to the next. TWM: Yes they did. SM: I was foolish to not figure that out sooner, but I’m a slow thinker and a slow learner. But Van, he was a slow kind of a guy anyway. The only thing he got excited about was a gig. So trying to get him to commit to the film project was really hard. But then, finally, I earned his trust and we established a friendship, and that’s how it started. TWM: You just answered my next question, which was how receptive to this documentary was he? Did it take some convincing? That’s interesting about his reluctance. SM: He had been messed over for his copyright and royalty and things like that, so he was really mistrustful of me. I’m sure that he just felt that I was going to mess him over, one more guy who was going to mess him over, and that was the last thing on my mind. I wouldn’t even know how to do such a thing. TWM: I could sense, when watching the film, your genuine adoration and curiosity towards him and his work. How many years did it take you to gather footage for the documentary? And why is it only coming out now? SM: Well, it’s a long answer and I don’t want to bore you to death. Van was an extremely important musical figure but he was obscure. No one knew him or knew his musical history. I have hundreds of refusal letters here, no one was interested. They all said the same thing, “Come back when it’s finished.” Then I was programmed at the National Film Board of Canada and they had a change in management and the new guy threw the project out—that set me back a lot. And another thing is, two fundamental interviews that I felt I needed, neither one of them was coming up with a yes. The first was Jerry Wexler [Gerald
"Jerry" Wexler], he was really difficult for 10 years –perhaps the greatest producer of his era. And the lawyer who established the Rhythm & Blues foundation, Howell Begle. TWM: Yes, with Ruth Brown. SM: Yes. Howell Begle was busy building a media empire, or trying to save one, as their legal counsel, and he had no time for me. And both interviews I felt were crucial, one because Jerry Wexler had established the term “Rhythm & Blues” [R&B], rather than race music. Begle, of course, was the driving force behind creating the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. So, I only got to Howell Begle in 2011 in Boston. TWM: Wow! SM: And this is years after years of trying. And it’s not that he didn’t want to, it’s just that he never had time for me. So I had to be patient, and also, in that interim I was looking for investors, and I found an angel investor in Toronto. TWM: It’s wonderful that you remained so persistent, because Begle and Wexler – in my opinion— illuminated so much of the history and the backstory regarding the time period Walls was making music. I never knew who created the term R&B—I knew about race records. I think for a younger generation, it’s so important to learn about these people. SM: Well, our American premier went down in Memphis [Tennessee]. I was really chuffed that we started in the States, and there [Memphis], because there’s such a rich musical history in that city. A lot of black Americans came to the screening and they were saying, “Hey, man, we didn’t even know our history,” and they were all half my age or more. I’m quite shocked, actually, that the young people are reacting quite positively to this film. TWM: I knew about race records because I research music quite a bit. But there’s so much important information in this film that makes it a must see for music lovers in general. SM: You know, I’ve considered myself an amateur musicologist my whole life—I’ve read hundreds of books on music, and I have thousands of records and CDs. For years, like a book club, I’ve had a music club in my home and we exhaust a theme, [for] six weeks—I do it
twice a year. It’s kind of the culture I’ve tried to create. I wouldn’t call myself an ambassador but I do hope that this film, to some degree, becomes an ambassador for all of that era of music that preceded rock n’ roll. TWM: It’s another important piece of the music documentary dialogue we’ve had over the last couple years, which include docs like 20 Feet from Stardom [2013, directed by Morgan Neville]. SM: I loved that film! TWM: Me too. It was fantastic! And Searching for Sugar Man [2012, directed by Malik Bendjelloul]. SM: Yes, I saw that film too. I ran to see that film the day it opened in Montreal because the British press had picked up on that film a year or two prior, and I was dying to see it. TWM: I think 20 Feet from Stardom and your film filled in many important gaps. And both gave voice to artists who contributed so much to music but were undermined during that time. It’s great to see them get their due, get to speak and be heard. SM: Well, you know, history is not just about famous people—you don’t have to be famous to be a hero. And Van, to me, he was a musical hero. Luckily enough, one of the reasons that I could bridge the gap between him and me, because he was…he was great about other subjects but the subject of the film he avoided. But he knew I had records of his in [my] collection, so that was perhaps the beginning of our relationship. TWM: When you were at the National Film Board [in Montreal] watching Walls play–now in his eighties but still so nimble, agile and passionate on the piano–what was that experience like for you, because you knew that he was making his final album and you were documenting it? SM: Ah, it was so exciting! It had taken me years to get to that point and…I have a little secret to tell you, Van got absolutely plastered, and I mean dead drunk, the night before [chuckling]. But he had not been in a proper recording studio, and in a proper context, for almost 40 years. He was nervous, and I was too preoccupied to understand that. He was a difficult guy to get organized. His live was a life of chaos–that was normal for him. So to get
it all together, it was really tough, so I was shocked that he would do that. You know, I misunderstood him. I misread him and he wasn’t happy with me at all. Anyway, we finally get to the studio the next day–he’s hung over. There’s a guy there and he’s tuning the piano. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a guy tune a piano but when you’ve been riding B flats [for] 10 minutes, well, you start to want to crawl up the walls. I was very tense. But, you know, Van, he was an old pro, and when we were ready he popped right up for the occasion. He was there and he was on. It was only [later] watching all of the footage over and over again during the editing process that I started to notice that he moved with a lot of pain, he suffered from arthritis. But the second he sat down at the keyboard he was transformed. TWM: He seemed like a young man when he played. He looked so joyous, excited, showing off and being a little cocky. It was exciting to watch. SM: Totally! He was always up for that occasion. And I guess it’s what drove him to live to such an old age because he lived very hard. He was a hard livin man. He was on the road all the time. He was a heavy drinker. He had a really wild life [chuckles]. I heard some stories. I took he and his wife [Ruth] on a road trip, they had a gig in Toronto so somehow I ended up driving them there and back, and I spent a couple of days with them there. And there were no cameras so he was really happy, and I heard some wild stuff, man. Oh, you can imagine, a black guy with a white chick moving to Montreal in the late ‘50s [laughs]. TWM: Do you mind sharing a story? SM: I don’t mind sharing at all. We’re driving back from Toronto and there’s a long curve in the road at Kingston, and Ruth–Ruth was hard of hearing so she spoke very loud–she’s screaming at Van, and she’s saying, “Van, do you remember the night I was driving? We had the top down…,” because he always drove Cadillac convertibles. He and his buddy, two black guys, [are] in the back seat, standing up drunk. The two chicks are in the front and they pass a cop car, and of course the cop car pulls them over. And Van says, “Yeah I remember that.” And she says, “Remember you cried when he dumped all the whiskey in the ditch,” [laughing]. The cop dumped all the bootleg whiskey in the trunk of the car in the ditch. Who knew what he had paid for it. And then she says, “Do you remember asking me for the purse?” Now that was a euphemism, for them, for the cash because he had these strange habits, he wouldn’t touch cash. It was only his wife who could manage the cash, he only touched it
under absolute urgent circumstances and he needed the cash to buy off the cops. Like, crazy wild lifestyle. TWM: True, and when you see a man in his eighties you don’t think about their past wild lifestyle. SM: You sure don’t. And at that age, he’s entitled to respect too. And we forget that he was once a wild young man, and I love that track of Ruth brown where she sings, “Wild, wild, young man, likes to have a good time,” and he’s riding the piano [laughs]. TWM: How did he feel when his album [In the Evening] was nominated for a Juno? I don’t recall it being mentioned in the film, but did you win? SM: No, we lost to a guy I had once interviewed—Colin James. Colin James is a really fine man. He’s a beautiful human being. I didn’t feel bad at all losing to him. And he was with a big record company and they had the promotion budget and everything, we didn’t have that. But Van…I really wanted to go to Vancouver for the ceremony. Van didn’t like to fly but I had so many Air Miles, I said, “Van, let’s fly first class. We’ll take Ruth and we’ll just have a good time.” And he says to me, “I’m only going if I know I’m going to win,” [chuckling]. TWM: He wanted to be sure. SM: And I said, “It doesn’t work that way,” [chuckling]. He was a likeable rogue. He was a likeable old fart—I just loved him. TWM: It feels like a film could have been made about your friendship with Mr. Walls. You were like this odd couple, the grumpy bluesman and you. You kept championing him even after his death, which is beautiful. SM: Well, you coined the term “odd couple,” I always thought we were the strangest friendship. But it was a friendship, and on his death bed—I used to visit him in the hospital. He loved to read the bible, and I would ask him if I could bring my prayer book, the Anglican book of prayer, and I would read him prayers—and it was the only time in his entire life that he ever inquired about my film project. He was really happy about the album but he never once expressed any interest in the film until the very end. I guess, of course, he was taking inventory.
TWM: In regards to his legacy. SM: Yes, the legacy. And I did promise him then that I would finish the film. And then I felt maybe that I jinxed it because I was having so much trouble finishing it and I started to…I kept saying to myself, “Steven, you promised him that you’d finish the film, so you better get it done.” TWM: Yes. SM: And I couldn’t get it done, I was having great difficulty. I think it’s the first film in the history of the National Film Board to have been thrown out. I took that as a compliment [laughs]. TWM: You mentioned reading the bible at his bedside, and that reminds me of the great discussion you had with Walls about church music. So many contemporary artists no longer use it as a foundation for their sound, how has that changed the sound of music in your opinion? Do you still hear that church foundation? SM: Not at all. Not at all. These people, of that era, had this sense of community and it was a powerful sense of community. Whereas people [today] are making music in front of their computers, all alone, and they’re using, not artificial instrumentation but whatever the word is, drum machines…
TWM: Programs. SM: Yes. So it has an entirely different feel. I think Van’s music is timeless. I think it’s organic. Whereas, I try, I go to see a lot of shows, I’m very curious about new bands and such. But a lot of it, for me, feels derivative or imitative. But that doesn’t mean…like, I quite enjoyed your article–Patti Cake. TWM: Thanks! SM: Yeah, I liked her because she had the courage to admit that she liked Celine Dion—a lot of people won’t say that. TWM: And Bette Midler. SM: And Melanie. I’m 60, so Melanie was really big when I was a teenager, and I really liked her. She [singer Kritty of Patti Cake], to me, seems like she is real, like her values are maybe communal. So there are exceptions to my view of modern music being sanitized. TWM: That’s great. She’ll love to hear that. Walls played with great heart. Are there contemporary artists that you feel are continuing that tradition? SM: There’s a great guitar player named Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters. He’s been through really hard times. He had to give up his instruments and give up his career and then he came back. He’s on Stony Plain out in Edmonton. He’s on a Canadian label but he’s an American guitar player. He’s back at it now. He would be about my age–he’s not new, but he incarnates for me what the whole blues spirit is. He’s more blues/rock but he knew Van, he backed him up once. So I do like him. I’m very proud to see him carrying the flame— although he’s not a piano player, he’s a guitar player. But, you know, somebody said to me once that Van played the piano like a Fender guitar–I liked that analogy. To me there’s a strong relationship between the guitar and Van’s piano style. TWM: It’s funny that you say that because I’m a guitar/drums girl—though I play neither— and listening to Walls play the piano, it was the first time that I thought, wow, I could listen to him all night. He makes you want to move. I could also listen to Dr. John talk all night! Dr. John and Walls had such a special loving relationship, which was evident in the film. Who were some of your highlights to talk to? Because you spoke to some of the greats of the greats.
SM: I did. I feel so privileged. You know, I met so many cool cats working on that film. Like Dr. John— it don’t get any better than that. TWM: No it doesn’t. SM: And he’s got his own joual, to me it’s so rich— and to be in his presence. You know, he was totally responsible for bringing Van back from obscurity, and I had the chance to thank him for it! Then I met Jerry Wexler, he was a hero of mine when I was a boy. His name was on half the records I owned. You know, he was really difficult. If you ever read his memoirs [Rhythm and the Blues] he talks about his temper, and I was a victim of that temper. It took me 10 years to finally get down there to interview him, and guess what? The cameraman kept the camera rolling after the interview was over and Mr. Wexler apologised to me. TWM: He did? SM: He said, “You were organized. You were professional. And I apologize for giving you such a rough time over the years.” I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. TWM: That’s so cool. SM: Mr. Ertegün [Ahmet Ertegün, celebrated founder of Atlantic Records], [is] another wonderful man. I’m thinking how in the world am I ever going to get to this guy. I pick up the phone, I’m thinking that I’m going to go through a thousand gatekeepers. I get his secretary and she says to me, “Mr. Ertegün will speak to you in a moment.” So all of a sudden I’m live on the phone with Mr. Ertegün and I’m totally unprepared because I’m thinking this is going to take a year to try and get to him. He says, “Mr. Morris, when do you want to do this?” [Laughs]. It was that complicated for him! I said, “Oh, how about next week?” And then I was on the road down to meet him. In fact, I’ve never said this publicly before, when Van passed on, his widow Ruth had financial difficulties and Mr. Ertegün came to her rescue. TWM: That’s so great. SM: Like, he was a really cool cat too. He came from noble blood–his father was the Turkish ambassador to England and to the United States. He was a very sophisticated individual. In fact, he never spoke English to me off camera, he insisted we speak French–it was his mother tongue. After these episodes I’d just pinch myself, like, Steven, did you really just do
that? These guys wanted to tell their stories too. And they were of Van’s age and era and I respected them. I hope I conveyed that respect for them. TWM: In my opinion, you did—I felt it. Who is the documentary for? SM: In French they say “le grand public” – it’s for the general public. But I didn’t start off that way, I’m discovering it now. I’m getting some legs in the festival world, I’m screening it for people–full houses—and this film’s for everybody. I never thought that. I thought it was for the like minded souls who like music like me, but no, we all love music. Everybody loves music! So, it’s for the grand publique. TWM: What I love is that NXNE, which attracts such a diverse and younger crowd, and JAZZ.FM91, which brings in the sophisticated mature set, have supported this film. How does it feel to get this joint support for a film you struggled to bring to the world? SM: I get emotional thinking about it. This is my Canadian premiere. This is where I come from. I’ve lived in Quebec for most of my life but my cultural roots are English Canadian, so I’m finally going home with this film.
Five films to watch at NXNE By Philip Brown – 06.13.2014
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/06/13/five_films_to_watch_at_nxne.html
As NXNE hits its 20th anniversary, the festival has expanded into a cross-cultural event. This year the film section is larger than ever, offering more than just music-‐based movies for festival goers in search of flickering escapism. The lineup includes Richard Linklater’s decades-‐in-‐the-‐making Boyhood, which has been making the festival rounds in advance of a late summer release, but the program runs deeper than that and is filled with oddball gems that might never screen in Toronto again. In the interest of offering indoor kids an alternative to the weekend’s endless list of NXNE activities, here are five wonderful movies worth skipping a concert for. Let’s Ruin It With Babies: This movie about a collection of aging hipsters facing the twin challenges of babymaking of a cross-‐country road trip on karaoke party bus sounds obnoxious and is, but knowingly so. Director Kestrin Pantera gleefully mocks her characters’ superficial and self-‐important lives, yet never reduces them to one-‐note jokes. Hipster-‐ bashing is easy. Painting a three dimensional portrait of idiotic hipsters that makes the audience love them is hard and somehow that’s the trick that Pantera’s gentle comedy pulls off.
Riot On The Dance Floor: Steve Tozzi’s documentary covers the brief, yet legendary history of Randy Now and his Jersey music venue City Garden. Now helped launch the career of dozens of underground bands in the ’80s with a unique venue that even featured Jon Stewart as a bartender. The film starts off as an aggrandizing slice of music history before transforming into a moving portrait of a music promoter who played a crucial role in many careers, yet ended up impoverished and forgotten. Without ever forcing his hand, Tozzi creates a moving portrait of the often thankless lives of the people on the fringes of the music industry. The Voice Of The Voiceless: This Guatemalan production uses a silent film esthetic to depict the tragically true story of a deaf teenager brought to New York by exploitative human traffickers. Reduced to a sentence, the film sounds gimmicky and often is (frequently slipping into surrealism and silent comedy interludes). Yet by the end, the gimmick somehow suits the material, providing a poignant metaphor for the protagonist’s disconnection from her surroundings and offering a stylish twist on a sadly familiar tale. Perfect for viewers with ringing concert ears looking for a cathartic cry. Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back — The Quiet Riot Movie: Once again proving how eerily close to reality This Is Spinal Tap always was, director Regina Russell covers the seemingly endless rise and fall of heavy metal pioneers Quiet Riot in this hysterical documentary shot over several years and failed comebacks. With an ever-‐changing lineup (no one in the current incarnation can name all of the previous members), replacement singers who flub lyrics to the most famous songs, karate interludes, state fair confessions, and discussions about glutton free pasta between aging headbangers, the doc is frequently as funny as any metal parody without ever disrespecting its subjects. Comedic documentaries about middle-‐aged metalheads are practically their own genre now (see Anvil, please) and this is one of the more entertaining entries to date. Whoops! This deadpan and particularly British comedy follows a pair of young parents through a series of accidental killings. Written and directed by zombie comedy veterans Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts, the film is almost too low-‐key in its depiction of slapstick murder mistakes and the awkward ways the couple attempts to make things right (like anonymously donating organs in beer coolers), but the laughs arrive consistently and unexpectedly enough to overcome the flaws. If nothing else, it’s certainly the cutest movie ever made about a killing spree and that’s a unique achievement.
NXNE 2014: Whoops!
06.14.2014 http://www.skonmovies.com/2014/06/nxne-‐2014-‐whoops.html
This dark British comedy focuses on the couple of Rose and Dave Clements (Elaine Glover and Philip Rowson). Rose is an immensely clumsy woman and has the grisly habit of accidentally murdering people she comes into contact with, often leaving her stressed out husband Dave to clean up the mess. Even though Rose and Dave try to continue to live a normal life, things start to get complicated as the police begin to clue in to Rose’s murderous ways. Whoops! has a very simple, yet effective premise of a seemingly normal woman, who just happens to have the habit of accidentally murdering the people around her. While Rose is genuinely appalled by these grisly killings, the film also takes the time to hint that these murders may be more the result of subconscious homicidal desires, rather than being pure accidents. Dave is tasked with disposing of the bodies and becomes increasingly stressed out by his wife’s murderous tendencies. However, at the same time, he is reluctant to allow Rose to turn herself in, even though she fears that she will do more harm if she doesn’t. Despite its dark subject matter, Whoops! is a fairly light-‐hearted film, which is quite enjoyable to watch. While the deaths in the film are quite gory, they are also obviously played more for laughs than shock value. In addition, despite being a budding serial killer, Rose remains a likeable and sympathetic character throughout the film. Altogether, Whoops! is fairly entertaining dark comedy.
NXNE 2014: Lies I Told My Little Sister – Film Review By Ilse De Mucha Herrera – 06.14.2014 http://www.theartsguild.com/nxne-‐2014-‐lies-‐i-‐told-‐my-‐little-‐sister-‐film-‐review/
Director: William J. Stribling Writers: Jonathan Weisbrod, Judy White Cast: Lucy Walters, Michelle Petterson, Ellen Foley Runtime: 98 min Rating: STC With a rise in the making of small projects and independent films, it is becoming harder and harder for low scale productions to make their way into renowned film festivals. This is why it is always interesting to see the lineup of films that stood out from an ever growing pool of hopefuls, and managed to enthrall and move the viewer in such ways that they become timeless. Lies I Told My Little Sister deals with very strong themes of a broken family, and the hardships the passing of a loved one brings. With this ominous premise, it promises to deliver an inspiring story of love and loss. Cory Webber (Lucy Walters) is a nature photographer who has lately been struggling with keeping her family together. After her older sister Sarah (Alicia Minshew) dies from cancer, all she has left is her mother and her younger sister Jane (Michelle Petterson), who is extremely adamant in pretending the family is happy and united, despite what everybody knows is the truth. After they all travel to Cape Cod in order to revive some memories of
their childhood, they must struggle with learning how to be a family that has one giant missing link that used to keep the balance in everybody. Not only will the trip force Cory to confront the reality of her close relatives, but she will also discover how other elements of her past will help her improve her well being, and make her stronger in order to confront the challenges of the future. The talent of the film is relatively unknown, and it stars Lucy Walters, who some might know as the woman who Michael Fassbender´s character in Shame pursues in the subway. It seems like this cameo gave Webber some leeway into bigger scale acting, and her future seems promising. However, her abilities are still lacking, and this you can definitely tell, and the acting throughout the film leaves much to be desired. This is not to be blamed exclusively on some of the inexperienced actors, as the screenplay is also somehow ordinary and awkward at times, especially when it tries to bring the film comedic undertones, which are mostly delivered by ex Blue’s Clues star Donovan Patton who plays Jane’s husband (fun fact if you ever wondered what happens after working in a children’s shoe!). The cast chosen to be a family really struggles to project this on screen, and their chemistry makes it a tad hard to truly buy into the idea that they are a family. However, this does help the film when it tries to show a disjointed and disoriented group that is trying to rekindle their affection for each other. Although the story has a variety of very dramatic elements, everything seems to be dealt with in a very standard fashion, where the heroin learns to accept her family and herself through a trip, and the movie becomes quite predictable.
Despite the story of the film holding some rescuable elements, the truth is that nothing in this film is special enough to really make an impact, whether it be acting, cinematography, or screenplay. Everything about it is mostly underwhelming, and it evokes the feel of a made for TV movie. Despite this, there is certainly a ¨home-‐made¨ feeling around the film which gives hopes for the director to one day achieve something more substantial, would he continue to pour the same passion into his projects. The cast certainly have potential, and it will be interesting to see what they can make of different screenplays and opportunities.
NXNE14: PANAMA
By Courtney Small – 06.14.2014 http://cinemaaxis.com/2014/06/14/nxne14-‐panama/ Music has a unique way of capturing a particular moment in time. A few mere strums of a guitar solo or a particular drum beat can instantly transport us to a key event in our life. A first kiss, a time of heartbreak, that brief period when we forgot proper decorum and simply let loose, etc. These cherished memories can drift away over the course of time due to factors such as age and additional life experiences. There are some, however, who are desperate to hang on to these moments at all costs. It is why we still see individuals of a certain age rocking the teased hair and 80’s fashion. It is this clinging to nostalgia that is at the core of Christopher Connelly’s hilarious short film Panama. In the film, Cindy (Denise Jones) is eager to introduce her boyfriend Mark (Josh Blacker) to her old classmate Rory (Ken Lawson). Upon meeting it is obvious to Rory, though not Mark, that the two men had met years earlier. It turns out both men were backup dancers in Van Halen’s “Panama” video 30 years ago. While Mark’s life has moved on, Rory still holds a grudge that Mark broke the promise he made years ago of non-‐stop partying. Rory even scolds Mark for ruining his dream by stating “we were going to be on the tour…the ‘Hot for Teacher’ video”. Through these two very different men, Connelly is able to weave a comedic quilt that captures the history of music and political conflict since 1984. Mark’s life as a soldier is a vibrant tableau of wars and musical discoveries. He references battles in Bosnia and Iraq in the same breath as acid house music and the post-‐9/11 emergence of bands with “The” in the title. While Rory clings to the rebellious innocence of the past, Mark symbolizes both the pleasure and pain that comes with growth and experience. Featuring a sharply written script and wonderful performances, Panama brilliantly explores both recent history and the way music keeps us connected to the past. Screens (w/ Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie) Sunday, June 15, 9:45 PM, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Steven Morris’ Labour of Love Documentary Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B By Althea Wilton-‐Forbes – 06.14.2014 http://montrealrampage.com/steven-‐morris-‐labour-‐of-‐love-‐documentary-‐vann-‐piano-‐man-‐ walls-‐the-‐spirit-‐of-‐rb/
As recently as 2012, Montreal filmmaker and freelance journalist Steven Morris reached out to some of the key musicians and enthusiasts of early R&B music to celebrate the life of a friend. Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B had its American premiere in Memphis in April and comes to Toronto for NXNE 2014 this weekend, finally finding an audience after more than 15 years of highs and lows in getting it made. “Some people weren’t interested in being part of it, initially,” Morris said. “I phoned people like Jerry Wexler almost every day for 10 years until he finally said yes.” Wexler, who died in 2008, was one of the most important record producers of the early era of R&B, back when it was called “race music” – a term which outraged Wexler for its racist connotations. “Jerry was the one who actually coined the term ‘Rhythm & Blues’, so to be invited into his home in Florida — he was in his eighties at the time — and see pictures of him and Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles on the wall, some of my heroes growing up… It was amazing.” Along with Wexler, there are clips of the late Ahmet Ertegun, head mogul of Atlantic Records through the most fertile period of R&B music, the 1940s to the 70s. Ertegun was more than willing to talk about the financial problems that many of his artists suffered, where they were paid only a fraction of what their recordings earned. Not unscathed was Ruth Brown,
“Queen of R&B”, who talked about the dwindling years she worked as a bus driver and a maid to survive. By chance, she attracted an admirer of her older records, Howell Begle, who got angry on her behalf and decided to use his connections as a media lawyer to do something about it. “Mr. Begle kept saying no to an interview over the years, but once he retired, he finally agreed to it,” Morris reminisces. “When I showed up with my cameraman, he was so excited to tell his story. He was pretty hyperactive in the beginning and I had to say to him, ‘I want to start filming. Give me a second.’ (Laughs) But he had so much to say about what he went through to get more money for these artists.”
For “Piano Man” Walls, who played with Ruth Brown and played on popular tracks like “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, Morris’ film gave him a fitting tribute just before he died of cancer, which may have been what inspired Walls to record a last album with Montreal’s Stephen Barry Band, a session with Vann at the piano leaving the younger guys in the dust. Footage of Walls performing in New York at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation gala, where he was honored with a Pioneer Award with greats Aretha Franklin, Ry Cooder and Smokey Robinson in attendance makes you wish you had a time machine. The bond between Walls and Morris, who was in his mid-‐thirties in the 90s, is the generational respect that circles the heart of what you see in the film. “Vann knew he was a pioneer, but he didn’t romanticize his life; I was the one who did, which was a hurdle to overcome in the beginning. Vann didn’t want to talk about his hardships, you know, living in obscurity and just trying to make a living doing legion shows or playing piano in church. He came to Montreal at a time when the night-‐life scene had a reputation for being wild and he figured he’d work a lot because of that. But the music business is fickle. Still, he went where he wanted to go.” Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B screens at NXNE 2014 in Toronto on June 15 at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 12:30pm.
NXNE: Vann “Pianoman” Walls: The Spirit Of R&B Review By John Townsend – 06.14.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/14/nxne-‐vann-‐pianoman-‐walls-‐spirit-‐rb-‐review/
Vann “Pianoman” Walls: The Spirit Of R&B (2014) Director: Steven Morris Country: USA Genre: Documentary Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. There is a point in Steven Morris’ documentary Vann “Pianoman” Walls: The Spirit Of R&B when the tone noticeably changes. Prior to this moment the film has primarily focussed on the the quiet blues man of the title but with a distinct change in mood Morris strays into altogether different territory and it this unexpected turn that sadly detracts from what is a heart-‐warming and little known story. Harry Eugene Vann is without doubt one of the most influential artists of the early blues scene and subsequent rhythm and blues movement. With his distinctive sound and innovative piano playing style Walls was among the premier artists attached to Atlantic records during the sound’s heyday of the late 40′s and early 50′s and was known as the session musician, writing and performing on tracks with stars including Big Joe Turner to Ruth Brown. A change in musical styles heralded a decline in demand however and Walls
spent much of his later life performing in clubs and bars, but always playing and always held in high regard. The story of the pianoman is hugely interesting in itself; an almost tragic tale of a largely forgotten man who influenced so many artists in American musical history. The problem is that Morris seems to either realise there isn’t enough content to fill a documentary film on its own, or decides there is a bigger story to tell. That bigger story surrounds the lack of royalties paid to many of the stars of Atlantic records. This switch, this change in direction at the midpoint of the film is slightly disconcerting. There is no doubt this is also an interesting section of history but it doesn’t blend that well with the loose biopic of a quiet and unassuming man who just wanted to play the piano. In opening up the story of unpaid royalties the film then asks more questions than it answers and perhaps instead of being squeezed into the third act of this part of the documentary should have had its own more detailed expose. You almost feel that the preceding story of Walls is there purely to create a sympathetic figure as a figurehead for the following fight against the corporate power of Atlantic and this is somewhat disappointing. As there isn’t nearly enough time spent on this section it is unclear as to whether the filmmaker wants to offer up founder and chairman Ahmet Ertegun as the villain of the piece or still holds him in the high regard he undoubtedly deserves as a musical pioneer. The strangest interview though is with the lawyer who represented the affronted and underpaid “talent” as he can barely contain his fervour as he waves apparent evidence at the camera while not convincingly explaining exactly what the crime is. Disappointingly there are at least three different documentaries squeezed into Morris’ single film and none are given enough time and attention. Thankfully the final moments return to Walls as he is clearly the heart of the film and the one with whom the audience will most identify. He was a man with a singular talent and passion, and to his credit he never once mentions money. Walls a quiet, almost reluctant speaker preferring to express himself through his extraordinarily talented fingers. If nothing else this film will make you want to look up his back catalogue, and more than once your feet will be tapping away as he plays.
NXNE 2014 Review: Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B (2013)
06.15.2014 http://www.the-‐filmreel.com/2014/06/15/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐vann-‐piano-‐man-‐walls-‐spirit-‐ rb-‐2013/ Beginning in 1945, Vann “Piano Man” Walls kicked off a career that spanned decades, and saw him become an integral part of R&B music over the years. Almost forgotten, and largely uncredited throughout his early career, Walls married and moved to Montreal, spending his days playing in Legions and small venues. In the 90s, Vann opens for Dr. John at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and finds success once more. It’s not unusual to hear a story like the one in Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B. Despite his astounding talent on the piano, Vann is never truly recognized for his work until much later in his life. The film offers a look at his impressive career, as well as following Walls in the creation of his final album. His talent is tremendous, and listening to Walls play is a highlight of the film, but some of the most powerful stories come from his troubled past. While he creates some of the more popular hits of the time, Walls is constantly ignored, playing as a house musician for Atlantic Records. His name doesn’t always appear where it should, and racist attitudes find him being left behind. He eventually receives the praise he is due, but it’s shocking how this great talent was taken advantage of for so long. Is Vann “Piano Man” Walls: The Spirit of R&B Worth Watching? Anybody who can appreciate musical talent will be blown away by Walls performances, and the stories of his life, and career, have to be heard.
NXNE14: LIES I TOLD MY LITTLE SISTER By Courtney Small – 06.15.2014 http://cinemaaxis.com/2014/06/15/nxne14-‐lies-‐i-‐told-‐my-‐little-‐sister/
Death has a way of exposing holes within even the tightest of families. It only takes the tragic removal of one peg to highlight how fragile the bonds were to begin with. The way in which death ultimately restructures the family dynamics is at the core of William J. Stribling feature length debut, Lies I Told My Little Sister. Cory Webber (Lucy Walters) is a globetrotting nature photographer who reluctantly agrees to go on a family vacation to Cape Cod. Organized by her younger sister Jane (Michelle Petterson), the trip, which includes their mother and Jane’s husband and son, is meant to reignite some of the old family traditions. Although Jane may not admit it, Cory knows deep down that Jane’s newfound interest in family gathering has more to do with their sister Sarah’s (Alicia Minshew) death more than anything else. Truth be told, no one in the family, especially Cory, has really come to terms with her passing. The glue that seemingly held them all together, Sarah’s absence has impacted the family in unexpected ways. Cory, who used to torment her little sister, struggles to understand Jane’s paranoia and overprotective parenting. Jane is put off by Cory’s selfishness and the fact that she was not around when the family needed her most. Even their mother Laura (Ellen Foley) is battling her own internal guilt about pursing her artistic passion while Sarah carried the burden of raising her siblings. Lies I Told My Little Sister hits a lot of the beats one would expect from this type of film. There is Cory drowning her pain with alcohol, the dilemma of taking a dream job or staying with family, and even the re-‐emergence of an old flame (John Behlmann). However, even these moments cannot take away from the overall effectiveness of the film. There is an emotional honesty that really transcends the conventional plotting. The conflict between Cory and her family is one that we can all identify with. Though the film is told from a female perspective, the themes are universally. Family is one of the few things in life that drive us crazy, but we cannot stand to live without. The fact that Cory and her clan are dealing with grief in their own unique ways only further complicates matters. Fortunately for Stribling, the strong performances from his cast keep the various conflicts grounded in reality. Lucy Walters in particular does a wonderful job in the lead role. Her vulnerability feels natural, and she nicely hits all the right emotional notes. Despite some of its conventional plot devices, Lies I Told My Little Sister is a film that offers nice look at the emotions that bind families together. The characters are relatable without having to sacrifice their complexities. As is often the case, it takes tragedy to remind us all how important it is for families to live in the now.
NXNE 2014: Boyhood
06.15.2014 http://www.skonmovies.com/2014/06/nxne-‐2014-‐boyhood.html
12 years in the making comes director Richard Linklater’s chronicle of a young man’s life from childhood to college. Six year old Mason Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) is a young boy, who lives with his divorced single mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), with the kids receiving regular visitations from their father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke). As the years pass by, Mason learns the hardships of growing up, as he copes with his mother’s new lovers, relationships, and trying to find out what the point of life is. Richard Linklater filmed Boyhood a few weeks every year from the summer of 2002 until October 2013. The result is a film, where we watch this child age before our very eyes. It is quite amazing how well the film pulls this off and it is easy to forget that Mason began as a child at the start of Boyhood’s 2h46m running time. The film makes a clever use of pop culture references to help clue the viewer into exactly when a scene is taking place. This includes songs that are playing in the background, news reports that are playing on TV, and even the model of cellphone that the characters are using. The plot of Boyhood often seems very vignette-‐based at times, since each time jump seems to deal with a single event of Mason’s life. However, as the film goes on, these events gather together and help to define the person that Mason becomes. Altogether, Boyhood is not only a huge filmmaking achievement, that is unlikely to be done again, but it is also an excellent and emotional story about growing up and what exactly the point of life is.
Boyhood Directed by Richard Linklater By Matthew Ritchie – 06.15.2014 http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/NXNEFilm/boyhood-‐directed_by_richard_linklater It's a simple enough storyline, but its execution is anything but. Boyhood, Richard Linklater's 12-‐year epic, tells the tale of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) a young boy from a broken family attempting to find his place in the world. As the boy starts out at the age of six, the film unfolds like time-‐lapse photography, offering brief snapshots of his life from Grade 2 to 12, culminating with his first day as a college freshman. In the process, we get to take part in Mason's (and, to a degree, Coltrane's) physical and emotional transformations, watching as he learns about death, love, soft hands and what it means to be a man. Taking the experiment first laid out in Linklater's Before trilogy and expanding it to unheard of new heights, Boyhood (originally known as "The Untitled Twelve Year Project") began filming in 2002 and was completed shortly before its premiere at Sundance this year. Recorded a few weeks out of the year for over a decade, the film was pieced together on the fly into 12 separate short films. However, viewed end to end in a linear format, Boyhood felt less like a traditional drama and more like I was witnessing my own life unfold, complete with heartbreak and pudgy pre-‐teen years. To help document the film's transition through time, Linklater offers more than just the usual haircuts and fashion changes to capture the story's chronological ascent. Instead, Boyhood is rich with obvious and not-‐so obvious props from popular culture, using everything from Bondi Blue iMacs, 20Q balls, iPhones and GameBoy Advance SPs to allow Mason to not only wax poetic in his later years about his generation's reliance on technology, but help you to witness it firsthand as well. While it may seem strange for the film to have its Canadian premiere at NXNE — a festival and conference primarily known for its focus on music — it's Boyhood's soundtrack that helps us understand the passing of time. From Coldplay's "Yellow" to Arcade Fire's "Deep Blue," astute listeners will be able to ascertain Mason's milestones more easily, with even critically-‐panned tracks of the past 12 years from artists like Soulja Boy and Cobra Starship transporting listeners back to 2007 and 2009, respectively. Featuring an ensemble cast including Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, as well as relative unknowns Lorelei Linklater (the director's daughter) and Coltrane, it is the film's younger core that steals the show, as we witness their progressions from self-‐aware supporters to marquee method actors. (It's hard to fully comprehend the foresight Linklater and co. must have had to cast Coltrane at such a young age, because while he barely resembles Hawke in the film's early years, his silver screen son is certainly the second-‐ coming of Troy Dyer or Jesse at the film's climax). However, no words could fully describe the feeling one gets from watching Boyhood, a film that is nearly three hours in length, but, much like our youth, feels like it is over before its fully begun. Boyhood is not so much a film as it is an experience, and a lifetime-‐defining one at that.
RIOT ON THE DANCE FLOOR (2014) By Andreas Babiolakis – 06.15.2014 http://www.liveinlimbo.com/2014/06/15/film/riot-‐dance-‐floor-‐2014.html Steve Tozzi’s music documentary on the renown City Gardens is heartfelt in tone. It has Randy Now’s recollections of his life as an avid music fanatic. We see Randy Now course through job after job either to be closer to music or to have the money to be able to. He worked as a mailman. He worked as a DJ. He’s been on the radio. He’s run events. Most significantly, he’s run City Gardens: The New Jersey hotspot for eccentric bands. The movie doesn’t tell too much of a linear story but instead has two running narratives. The first is Now’s nostalgia of the venue and how hard it is for him to separate himself from it. He’s poured his heart and soul into City Gardens and we see it. We don’t need a big story on how he was class president at school or how he won some race and gave his prize to the runner up. All we have to do is hear him talk fondly of his many passions to instantly feel warm. Riot on the Dance Floor succeeds in having a very likable focus so it wastes very little time trying to convince us to like him even more. That’s where the second narrative comes in. We see many musicians talk about City Gardens and Randy Now and because many of these musicians were given a chance by Now they speak so highly of him and so wide eyed about the starts of their careers. We see Ween talk about the Butthole Surfers’ performance at the venue as Ween opened for them. We see Henry Rollins recollect his confusion when he played the same night as the black metal hyperbole known as Venom. We see all of these smiles while we also see Randy Now being fully aware that he has run a lot of his money out the door feeding his passion for music. He’s fully admitted that he has no retirement fund. He cheerfully talks about his massive record collection (which includes some extremely bizarre entries ranging from the weirdest Christmas albums to ‘Hitler Inferno’) and then says that it is this very same collection that has prevented him from retiring. While this movie doesn’t tell a story a lot of the time it does catalogue many fond memories. While the memories end up being a sum of why City Gardens had to close down (because of violence or the rise of lawsuits, for instance), most of the film is having many familiar musicians sit around us in a circle as we scan across the room and look at each person talking. It’s a partially informative film but mostly a film that wishes to celebrate the opportunities Randy Now has given. The film is like City Gardens itself: Not fully put together
but a very welcoming experience. With delight, Riot on the Dance Floor will charm any viewer and it will grab a chair in the hearts of extreme music fans. I had an interview with director Steve Tozzi and, as there was way too much to record here, I have transcribed parts of it here. How are you doing today, Steve? I’m doing good. I’m quite busy with the film and moving it around at festivals and stuff like that, so there’s a lot to do. It’s not my full time job in any way but it feels like a full time job. I’m good, I’m really good. What is your real full time job if you don’t mind me asking? Oh sure. It’s–I’m actually like–I do a couple of different things, but my main, sort of, work that I do is I do effect directing. I do directions for commercials and films. I’m a designer. I deal a lot with animations for commercials and films and stuff. So that’s what I do with my days. Working with these documentaries (such as It Might Get Loud) with the title work and the effects and everything, is that what made you want to start your own documentary or? Yes. Sure in a way, yeah. I was doing this work for other filmmakers. When you work with the director there is no separation. Your director is going to want to be a part of that process. You’re around the film for a long time, so I was around those films for several months. So you see the process and how it goes. Riot on the Dancefloor has an interesting concept. How did you get upon jumping into this story? I used to go to the club [City Gardens]. New Jersey is right between Philadelphia and New York so basically the whole state, I grew up there my whole life, there’s a major highway that goes through it and most of us took that highway to go to New York or to go to Philly, and New Jersey doesn’t really have a city that was really getting behind music at the time. There were clubs. It wasn’t like there weren’t clubs but a lot of them were like bars, cover band clubs. You’re not going to pack the house with a cover band. You’re not going to pack the house with a local band. So when this club showed up on the scene, in the early 80′s, this was another way of making some money because it would be on a night they didn’t play, so there’s a place where you could play for a thousand plus. On top of that it wasn’t like you were dealing with a promoter. This is a guy [Randy Now] that bands actually liked to work with so it was a big deal. [In regards to NXNE] Do you find that these festivals are replacing community built clubs and bars or do you think they are still going strong in their own way? I think they’re going strong in their own way. I don’t think they’re going to replace that, like the local bar and the local great band that would show up and play and were like “this is
amazing and no one knows about it and I don’t want anyone to know about it” because I don’t want them to go away. I think that’s going to exist, but I think it’ll coexist with stuff like NXNE and what they do, which is amazing, you know, by the way. They’re giving exposure to bands that’re just starting out and have a nice buzz, but they’re at that, kind of, lower end of the beginning of their career and they’re getting this huge exposure which I think is just, that’s what you want to happen. There were things like this earlier on but I’ve heard more of these festivals popping up that show hundreds of bands over the course of their time which I think is doing these bands a lot of service. [on the topic of on screen interviewees] How does that work? Is it strictly professional or did you end up hanging out with Ian Mackaye [Fugazi], or anything, afterwards? Musicians are always friendly. The people we interviewed were really accommodating, like Ian Mackaye was very accommodating to us and he knew we had a group of people coming down to visit him and he flew us right at the end of his tour, he was very friendly. Some of our crew knew him from the past. My crew wasn’t necessarily a traditional film crew. They were people who worked or played or went to the club that would become waiters or photographers or what have you and they helped me make the film. Instead of having a traditional crew who really didn’t know about the subject but they could handle a camera, I had all the production. When the people on my crew became producers and all that, they opened doors to get some of these artists, so when they met up again it was like “hey! they knew each other back in the past”. So there was always a bit of a reunion moment with everyone which was really nice. So it’s professional, of course, we’re doing an interview, but we’re not really a reporter coming in. They [bands] know this is a much bigger thing. They want to be represented properly. They want to make sure that I’d get everything that I need. So there’s a lot of help. I wasn’t asking the traditional “tell me about your band” “tell me about the important of Black Flag”, it wasn’t those sort of stale questions you ask a band. It was really about “what do you remember about dealing with the club”, “how was it dealing with the promoter” [Randy Now], “what was your impression of him”? Because people don’t know that. I thought people really didn’t understand that end of it, that, “what’s the behind the scenes of putting a show on in a rock club?” Is there a next documentary in mind? If so, is it music related in any way? I actually just started to talk to somebody about doing something that is music oriented. It’s kind of unexpected how right it was and what the story’s about, it’s bigger in a different way. I am looking at another music project because I do like the subject. I think it’s time to build film around subjects that haven’t been put out there already like the traditional band film or rockumentaries. It’s where my interest currently is. So I kind of want to peruse that in different ways. I’m hoping, I can’t really confirm it yet, but I’m hoping I actually get to do this next project. Give you something I can really develop again.
NXNE: Lies I Told My Little Sister Review By Kamran Ahmed – 06.15.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/15/nxne-‐lies-‐told-‐little-‐sister-‐review/ Lies I Told My Little Sister (2014) Cast: Donovan Patton, Eddie Ritchard, Lucy Walters Director: William J. Stribling Country: USA Genre: Comedy | Drama Official Site: Here Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. A film about emotional repair and renewal, Lies I Told My Sister (2014) balances urgency with comedy to convey the silver linings of any circumstance, even that which involves death. It is hardly unique that an independent film with a heavy topic should rely on affable characters and brevity; though sincere and intimate at times, the film is aloof enough to be a rather light experience for the viewer. While depressing during certain moments, Lies I Told My Sister is ultimately quite an uplifting tale of perseverance and self-‐affirmation. Entertaining throughout, the film does many things right, but its lack of complexity and its rather conventional style make it rather forgettable. Beginning in medias res with hand cam footage, only used a few times in the film, Lies I Told My Sister brings one immediately into the action. Cory Webber (Lucy Walters) panics on the phone with her little sister, Jane (Michelle Petterson), as she pleads a man for a flight during a heavy storm. Unwilling, Cory is left unable to attend to her sister’s needs. At this point, we are unsure what happens here or when in the narrative it is supposed to be. This choice of non-‐linear editing maintains a mystery for some time, as the viewer tries to piece everything together. It turns out to be a flashback, as we will discover during a highly sensationalistic scene halfway through the film. Flashbacks are used several times to illustrate how their older sister, Sarah (Alicia Minshew), passed away from cancer. Lies-‐i-‐tolf-‐my-‐sister In a Happy Gilmore like introduction, the next scene, which is shot to be like archival footage, shows the three women as children, playing in the backyard and in the house. Cory
narrates in voice-‐over about her upbringing and how she told her little sister lies simply because she always believed them. Quaint music plays in the background; it’s easy for the viewer to gain emotional interest in the characters because of this scene. Once underway, the film sticks mostly to formal conventions. In a continual rhythm of establishing shots, shot-‐reverse-‐shot editing, a relatively quickened pace, and sprinkled in moments of comedy, Lies I Told My Sister is not difficult to read. There is little in off-‐screen action, and much of the time, it almost seems theatrical in how everything that could be shown is shown. While not a flaw of the film, it is certainly characteristic of amateur filmmaking and scriptwriting. Despite being told that little Jane is a gullible baby and that Cory is a tough middle child, the film repeats this again and again to make sure the audience gets it. Big-‐eyed Jane wears baby blue and Cory puts a hat over her eyes to show her disinterest. It can feel a little insulting to avid film viewer, but to the casual film viewer it can actually give them a sense of satisfaction in registering thematic intentions of the film.
On a trip to Cape Cod, the family attempts to rehabilitate their once whole and happy dynamic. Since the loss of their father years ago, they never returned to Cape Cod, a place where much childhood happiness occurred. Since the loss of Sarah, Jane, a protective and motherly figure, has been trying to connect with Cory, the one sister who spent most of her time globe-‐trotting, gallivanting, and away from family. This trip is not only a way for the family, or for sisters, to reconnect however, it is a way for Cory to reconnect with her past in order to look forward to a brighter future. Throughout much of the film, the dialogue—especially between Cory and her best friend, Deena (Eddie Ritchard)—is reminiscent of Sex and the City. The film certainly has feminine qualities which do not in any way detract from the story that is being told; however, the point of view may align more closely with female viewers. Lucy Walters, Michael Fassbender’s subway girl in Shame, proves herself to be a strong female lead. Besides her gorgeous red hair, Walters shows great dramatic acting chops and her quirkiness and wit is rather delightful. Her Russian accent is incredible and charisma drips off of her. The rest of the cast, however, is less than interesting. Jane is a one-‐dimensional character needed only for Cory’s development, her husband is a stock character with nothing to add to the plot but a bit of comedy, and the mother is really just their as a figurehead to complete the family. Unfortunately, the cast is not as affable as they attempt to be, and Lucy Walters basically carries them on her back. After a climactic fight scene between Cory and Jane, they film begins its denouement. Somehow, this confrontation causes a shift in Cory’s behavior, conveyed through her definitive act to through her phone in the ocean. She welcomes the future, which involves rekindling a past romance and tending to her best friend’s needs in a way she never did with Sarah. The inspirational motif here, which is capitalized by quotes from Shakespeare and Khalil Gibran, is somewhat weak in that the confrontation between Cory and Sarah is hardly dramatic enough to cause such a major change. While the past effects the present, and removing the past is a way to a brighter present, Lies I Told My Sister doesn’t leave the viewer with the feeling that Cory is in a necessarily better place. She will continue to struggle, no doubt, and the ‘happily ever after’ suggestion comes with great conflict. The film’s catharsis offers resolution, however, in that two offerings are made. On the one hand, life’s plays feel interconnected and determined under some particular plan; on the other, life’s plays feel arbitrary and chaotic. In either case, it’s okay. As Cory realizes, a year after her sister told her, it’s better to just be alive and in the moment.
NXNE14: BOYHOOD By Courtney Small – 06.16.2014 http://cinemaaxis.com/2014/06/16/nxne14-‐boyhood/
There are certain moments in cinema that are so rare they are truly transcendent. The moments in a film which not only awaken our communal senses, but also notify us that we will most likely never have such an experience again. That film which is so daring in its innovation that it cements its place in history for both its execution and sheer audacity. This once in a generation type of experience occurred recently while observing Richard Linklater’s ambitious Boyhood, a film that had literally been 12 years in the making. Shot on and off for 12 years starting in 2002, Linklater’s film is a living diary of adolescence. The film tells the story of Mason, a lad who we witness grow from gangly boy to brooding teenager to laid back college student. Throughout the years we watch as Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater, who play Mason and his sister Samantha respectively, grow up before our eyes. The changes are often subtle but each new hair cut and facial change ushers in a new stage in life. Likes flies on the revolving wall that is Mason’s life, we observe the ups, downs and overall mundane activities that come with youth and family. Mason’s mother (Patricia Arquette) and father (Ethan Hawke) are divorced and, at the beginning of the film at least, fit the struggling single mother and deadbeat dad tropes to a tee. As Mason and his older sister endure all the awkwardness that comes with adolescence, we also see the family structure
evolve as well. This includes bouts with less than stellar stepfathers and Mason observing his own parents actually grow into responsible human beings. Boyhood is a film in which the overall experience is more pertinent than the plot. Like the artist Mason hopes to become, Linklater is fascinated with the minutiae of everyday life. Instead of focusing on the conventional rhythms of the big game, he is more interested in what is happening on the sidelines in between plays. It is this naturalist approach that makes Boyhood such a captivating film. Clocking in at just shy of three hours, there will no doubt be those who will surely dismiss Boyhood as nothing more than a lengthy gimmick. They are wrong. While there is often a fine line separating art and stunts, Linklater never crosses it. He is one of the few directors who fearlessly experiments with the medium of film in a way that manages to remain accessible for audiences. One of America’s most important, and in some ways underappreciated, filmmakers, Richard Linklater has been redefining how we look at American cinema for the past 23 years. His best works have an uncanny ability to make us reflect on the complex nature of human relationships. We feel akin to the characters in his films because they experience many of the trials and tribulations that we do. One does not need to be born in the 70s to identify with the youthful angst of Dazed and Confused. Nor does a person need to be in a current relationship to connect with themes of love and aging in the Before trilogy. The same is true for Boyhood. It is nearly impossible to watch the film and not immediately be transported to a particular moment in our own life. The youthful bravado that came with lying about a first sexual encounter, the quest to find an identity, or the sting of breaking up with one’s first true love are all moments in life we can connect to. The fascinating thing about Boyhood is that, even at 2 hours and 43 minutes, if Linklater had decided to make the film four hours, it still would have felt brief. We are so swept up in seeing Mason’s life, and by extension Coltrane and ourselves, evolve on screen that we are eager to follow him in the stages of adulthood as well. Of course, as the title suggests, this is not possible. Boyhood is all about a moment in time. Using the art of film as a means to not only document a particular stage in life, but to also try and make sense of it in a unique way. While documentaries, such as Michael Apted’s Up series, have successfully captured the stages of life from childhood to adulthood, Boyhood finds a mesmerizing way to achieve this in the realm of fiction. It is a cinematic achievement not only for its construction, but the emotions it manages to pull out of us. Boyhood is an experience that should not be missed, it is one of the best films you will see this year.
NXNE 2014: Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie – Documentary Review By Isla De Mucha Herrera – 06.16.2014 http://www.theartsguild.com/nxne-‐2014-‐well-‐now-‐youre-‐here-‐theres-‐no-‐way-‐back-‐the-‐ quiet-‐riot-‐movie-‐documentary-‐review/
Poison, Ratt, Cinderella. These are names that most people who have lived through the eighties, or have been exposed to the music of the time have heard repeated for their legendary sound and style. Quiet Riot, however, is well remembered but less respected, as they have gone through numerous rough patches throughout their history, which has gained them fans and critics alike. Through Quiet Riot Movie, the spectator will gain firsthand insight inside the lives of those members who remain, and how to them Quiet Riot remains a dream and a life style. Filmmaker Regina Russel follows Frankie Banali, drummer for quiet Riot, as he tries to bring the band back together, and as he explores the complicated history of his band and its impact in the music world and in himself. Through interviews with Banali, other members of Quiet Riot, and other musicians, a complete picture of what it was like to live the Rock Star dream comes together, only to show that the status comes with as much tragedy as it does satisfaction. The film uses the recent nostalgia trend in order to create a portrait of an era that knew no limits, in which young people found their voice, and people like Frankie Banali found their calling.
Since I personally am not very familiar with the history of metal bands in the eighties, and have never felt particularly close to the genre, I was very skeptical to believe this documentary was going to be even remotely entertaining. I was very pleasantly proven wrong however, as I was left with knowledge of something that was completely unknown to me, but which had elements of struggle and camaraderie that I found easy to relate to. The documentary is effective because it provides such a complete outlook into the inner workings of the band, and makes the spectator a firsthand witness to things like auditions (which taught me that auditions in real life can be as bizarre and outlandish as movies make them out to be), and the training of new members and the effect they have on the band’s morale and image. For fans of the band this will certainly be a very good opportunity to connect even more with the music that they love, but I also strongly encourage those with little knowledge on the subject to give the film a go, since it provides all different types of insight, not only into the music industry, but into the interpersonal relationships that are born through having a musical act. I never thought I would get so severely invested in the future and well being of an eighties metal band that I barely even knew, but by the end of the whole thing I was seriously rooting for the future of Quiet Riot to be bright, and that really says a lot about how compelling the documentary is. Not only does it project a sympathetic light on the remaining members of the band, but it also provides an honest and earnest outlook into the actual lives of rock stars, which now that their prime has past live mostly in suburban homes with small dogs. It was very interesting to see things that challenge the common conceptions of what leading life as a musician really entails.
NXNE 2014: Whoops! – Film Review By Isla De Mucha Herrera – 06.16.2014 http://www.theartsguild.com/nxne-‐2014-‐whoops-‐film-‐review/
Director: Tony Hipwell, Miles Watts Writers: Tony Hipwell, Miles Watts Cast: Elaine Glover, Philip Rowson Runtime: 89 mins Rating: STC British humour has always distinguished itself for creating complicated storylines that take somewhat fantastical or highly unlikely events and incorporate them into everyday life. There is something highly appealing of seeing the fabric of routine disrupted by unforeseeable events that change a character’s life in the most entertaining ways possible. Whoops! is one of those comedies that takes the unlikely and transforms it into a feature comedy that is sure to appeal to those who enjoy a darker humour. Rose (Elaine Glover) is an ordinary mother and wife who makes a living working for a real estate company. She seems to have the perfect husband and children, but lately strange things have been happening to her that she cannot control. She has found herself accidentally murdering people she believes to be chasing or trying to harm her, and although she only wished to protect herself, she always seems to take it too far. Luckily, her husband Dave (Philip Rowson) is eager to help her dispose of the bodies as quickly as possible, with the hopes that their extraordinary circumstances will go unnoticed. Despite wanting to keep a level of normalcy, the police have started to look into these inexplicable murders, and Rose and Dave will have to work together in order to prevent their perfect life from coming apart.
No matter how somber the premise might sound, the film is actually very lighthearted, and you can tell the actors had fun doing it. There is something quite interesting masked behind the comedic tone of the film, and that is the reason why Rose happened to murder people when she felt unsafe. Although probably just used as a plot device, the constant return to the topic of harassment makes for interesting food for thought in an otherwise unapologetic film. The movie has several of these more serious instances, including its interesting take on the detectives who are set to find the killer, portraying them in a light that somehow seems much more realistic than the stylish and heroic British detectives such as the popular Sherlock. The detectives in the film take murder lightheartedly, and they don’t hesitate on commenting on the victim’s bodies as if they were merely toys. Although some may find it crude, I thought it was a refreshing and earnest look on what regular folks would be like if they had been desensitized to horrific acts of murder.
As you may have guessed by the title, this movie does everything but take itself seriously. With plenty of prosthetics and special effects, the film is chock full of what you could call comedic gore. Due to many of these elements, I found it hard to take anything else in the film seriously, but I salute the director and writer for wanting to provide the audience with something new and unexpected. It certainly reminded me that British humour always comes up with quirky ways to create new comedies that truly differ from the more well-‐known American comedies. If you are a gore fan you will certainly find amusement in the film’s less than convincing prosthetics and their various uses of blood squirting that although hilarious to some, might affect some other viewers in a different way.
BOYHOOD (2014)
By Andreas Babiolakis – 06.16.2014 http://www.liveinlimbo.com/2014/06/16/film/boyhood-‐2014.html
NXNE starts off its festival with a film portion that is comprised mostly of documentaries. Although it is a fictitious story, Richard Linklater’s film Boyhood is as much of a documentary as any of the other films shown, if not more so. We get a story written by Linklater but we also get a real depiction of the years of adolescence in the United States of America. This movie is special because it not only tells a story of maturation over a twelve year period, it was literally shot over twelve years. We see people actually age before our eyes without other actors or make up jobs to create illusions. We follow the main four actors, played by Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Lorelai Linklater and Ethan Hawke, through many family concerns, realizations about life (for the children and adults alike) and moments of bonding. A day after having seen the movie, it is still unclear as to how this movie was even put together. Did Linklater shoot many hours worth of material and tape together the parts that fit the most as a whole, or did he have everything planned to be shown as is this whole time? Many movies try to mimic the sensation we experience as human beings where we will find a connection between things we experience in life. This often appears strategically put together. It took a film like Boyhood and twelve years of hard work from many to finally achieve this affect in its truest form. So the desired experiment was conducted. Was it a success? Of course, as the film was made. The most important thought that follows immediately afterwards is whether or not this project was good. Linklater didn’t just focus on getting the job done, but he worked so hard on making it worthwhile that the film is strung together with so many subtle nuances that almost every new scene is a moment where your eyes may start to water. You’ll see an event in the movie and then you’ll see a photograph of that event in the background much later on. To know that that photograph actually aged and literally captured that moment in both the film and real life is such a small but earth shattering realization. That is the most miniscule example of the power this film possesses as well. The entire soundtrack is made up of songs that fit each year and Mason’s (Ellar Coltrane) personal tastes. We start off with material like Blink-‐182′s music from Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and get The Suburbs’ era Arcade Fire near the end. We see an evolution in technology, ranging from the many kinds of Apple products (computer, iPod and phone) and their evolutions to video games. We see Mason playing Halo on the Xbox, and at the time of production the game probably looked like a digital breakthrough. To us twelve years later, we notice how dated the game looks. The movie never tried to make the game look dated, either, as it was filmed right when it came out. We don’t need action to make these near-‐three hours go by; Not when we have both nostalgia and astonishment to tug us by the arm in virtually every scene.
We have Arquette and Hawke putting on performances we’d expect from them. Arquette is extremely real and feels like that mother figure that goes from a time-‐out giving meanie to being the person we are scared to leave behind once we leave for college. She never changes her character, either. She’s the same person the entire film, so it makes the later parts of the film all the harder to deal with. We go from seeing her all of the time to not seeing much of her at all, and that’s because Mason’s getting out into the real world more. With the many tribulations her character goes through in the film, to see her victories (whether it be through her kids or her lectures) is such a rewarding experience. Hawke’s character is the father that doesn’t always get a chance to see his children, so we don’t really see Hawke as often as you’d imagine. When we do see him, though, he makes it all worthwhile. His evolution may be the saddest in the entire movie, as we see that dad that many kids would brag about for being the coolest dad in town turn into just a father. However, this is a good thing as he has become a stronger member of society and has gone further with his successes. He’s left his immaturity behind. It just hits the hardest because we see his son become the badass Hawke once was and we know his son, too, will one day become an even better person once he discovers his role as an important figure (just like his father did). These parents evolve so well during the film, and the children, new to acting when they first started shooting the movie, progress in such a different way. Coltrane is shy at first and really quiet with his actions on screen. As the movie goes on and Coltrane gets more comfortable with the movie and himself, his character really begins to shine. Linklater as Mason’s older sister is always Mason’s older sister. At a young age, she teases him and sings pop songs often. In her teens, she dyes her hair and has an attitude. When she’s an adult, she’s always there for Mason despite always seeing him as a younger brother. There is much more to the movie than just seeing people age. We get confrontational moments involving alcohol abuse, sexual discovery and heartbreak. Even if these moments are short, they are pivotal for the entire movie. We see Mason only get threatened once by kids at school, and the rest of the movie he’s reserved and soft spoken. We see alcohol being the root of evil, and suddenly just seeing a beer can on screen is worrisome. We also get a number of jokes that only work because of how ironic they are. We see Hawke and Coltrane talk about Star Wars back in roughly 2008 and wonder what it would be like if they ever made a new film. Lo and behold, it is 2014 and a new Star Wars film is being made. There is no way Linklater knew that there would be a new Star Wars film, but that accidental joke made the entire audience erupt in laughter. This time capsule will make you laugh over the changes in style, the predictions of the future (or the now, for us) and our own childhoods. The most interesting aspect of this project is that none of the footage looks older or newer than the rest. Linklater somehow made the entire film look consistent in quality, and it adds so much magic to the already astounding film. He achieves shots I cannot even solve (how on Earth was that baseball scene shot with the characters clearly watching this monumental game?). The movie doesn’t work with a set in stone plot but rather an overarching message that we get at the very last scene as the movie abruptly ends. It ends quickly but it ends at the right time in Mason’s life. There’s a reason why Mason is obsessed with photography, why his sister clings onto pop culture, why his mother repeatedly tries to find love and why his father begs to know what it means to be a father. It’s the same reason why Richard Linklater created, sweated over and believed in this project. Life is about the now but it’s also about the entire picture. We may have had films like Avatar and Gravity show us the future of movies visually, but now we have Boyhood’s highly raised bar for character development in films.
WELL NOW YOU’RE HERE, THERE’S NO WAY BACK: THE QUIET RIOT MOVIE (2014) By Andreas Babiolakis – 06.17.2014 http://www.liveinlimbo.com/2014/06/17/film/well-‐now-‐youre-‐theres-‐way-‐back-‐quiet-‐riot-‐ movie-‐2014.html
Quiet Riot’s reputation as being one of the first heavy metal bands to smite the charts is a pretty obvious story. What may not be as obvious is the bands’ story on an emotional level. With the documentary Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back: The Quiet Riot Movie, you don’t need to be a Quiet Riot fan, or even a heavy metal fan, to understand what loss feels like. You don’t need to be a party animal to understand the highs and lows of a rock star lifestyle. With Regina Russell’s clear passion for the subject (she is engaged to Quiet Riot drummer and the film’s main subject Frankie Banali), we get some uncomfortable truths about Quiet Riot as they are the words of rock stars who do not beat around the bush. Everything feels genuine on screen, because everyone is serious enough about their craft here to expect the utmost honesty at all times. If someone is annoyed, they will mention it without hesitation. This carries a punch when it comes to the topics of line up switches and the death of singer Kevin DuBrow back in 2007.
We look at the history of the band and we have a whole cast of fans and peers there to share their stories, whether it be for a while (Dee Snider appears for much of the documentary) or just for a word or two (John 5 quickly makes an appearance). A lot of the history and the current situation of Quiet Riot is humorous. A lot of it is funny because it tells rock folklore which is backed up with clear evidence. Case in point: Bassist Chuck Wright’s countless struggles with his gear. A lot of the film works through running jokes that are never repeated too many times, so the burdens are real but our tolerance of them remains high. We even wait for these occurrences to pop up again. When we see Quiet Riot as a band now straining to get a vocalist or to continue as a band, it’s depressing because we see members of a constantly changing line up, who themselves have also left and rejoined the band, who are here merely because they cannot quit their biggest passion. With a step in the past and a lunge to the future, this documentary is what you’d expect from a rock documentary, but it is something much more to those wanting more questions answered. With legacies at stake, we really get an insight as to how the dust settles. We see the train refusing to stop. The lengthy title is a message to us as much as it is a message to members of Quiet Riot both old and new. No more is Metal Health just an album to rock out to. No more is the genre simply one to bust out the alcohol to. There’s a sense of respect for Quiet Riot gained after our sit down in Banali’s study. We still find entertainment through their music, but we do so with a recollection of the dedication that fueled this machine for decades. I managed to interview director Regina Russell and the questions and answers can be found below. What attracted you to documentary filmmaking in the first place? How has this experience differed mentally from your other experiences with acting and fashion? I was an actress for 20 years and learned film making from being on film sets and from some amazing mentors. I owned a clothing store and did some fashion commentary and hosting which is just one of my many interests over the years. I have always, as long as I can remember, wanted to make a documentary. I kicked around a few topics here and there but never seemed to find that great story until now. I was just waiting for the right story. You are engaged to Frankie Banali so making a documentary on Quiet Riot is no surprise. Did you learn anything more about the band that you didn’t know before? Yes, I knew only about as much about Quiet Riot as the average person before I started. I became a historian on the band to make this film. I did a lot of homework. I could tell some of the interview subjects wondered if I knew that much about the band when I sat down with them, as I expected they would. I had to really become a walking textbook on Quiet Riot so I could get great interviews and carve the story together. What was the biggest reward you had making a documentary? Did anything you found while researching really stand out as striking? The greatest reward so far was the experience of showing it to an audience for the first time. I didn’t know about how this band had paved the way for their genre and that their success had created the hair metal craze. That was one of the things that really made me want to do it.
What was your experience with Kickstarter? Your target was reached, so it worked out. Is it a site you highly recommend or do you feel that your success was lucky/pertains mostly to what your documentary was about? We were one of the first to use any crowd funding platform. This was in 2010 when no one was doing it. We got a lot of flack from people who said how dare we ask for money for a profit venture. It was just such a new concept. But it is fundraising which is not exclusivly done for charity. If you are offering rewards for cash it’s like any school bake sale but some people were aghast. We did offer some great rewards and made our very modest goal which didn’t begin to cover the budget of the film. Of course since then everyone and their mother has done crowd funding. Some major Hollywood players have raised millions this way and it’s totally accepted now. The down side is that now it’s almost over used and there are so many campaigns competing for funding. I may do it again someday. I think it’s important to have a realistic goal, offer unique rewards and hire a publicist to promote it. How did your film get into NXNE? Did you approach them or did they approach you? I thought it would be a great fit for us and I submitted. Did your documentary teach you solely about Quiet Riot or did you learn a lot about rock n’ roll culture as a whole? I don’t think I learned about the culture because I lived it. Can you find a large contrast between music culture now and the way it was back when Quiet Riot were first starting out? Girls used to flash their boobs at musicians on stage and now they lift their skirts. Do you see more documentaries in your future? If so, do you have any ideas as to what about yet? You know, I may do more docs at some point as I love documentary films. I really want to do something scripted next but you never know. What is some advice you can give to aspiring filmmakers? Was there a secret ingredient to the recipe of this film that really made it all come together? I wish I had some great advice and I wish there had been a secret ingredient! This was four years of filming them with no plan or idea of what was going to happen, feeling like nothing was happening at all and hashing and re hashing story lines over and over and over until I had my story and then taking that apart and redoing it a few times. So if there is a secret ingredient please someone share it with me. LOL Hard work is the secret ingredient!
You’ve still got time to check out NXNE! By Matt Alexander – 06.18.2014 http://parkbench.com/blog/youve-‐still-‐got-‐time-‐to-‐check-‐out-‐nxne/ What began as a ragtag rouges gallery of local unsigned artists 20 years ago, has now risen to become one of Canada’s premiere music festivals for indie artists and major-‐label headliners alike. Modeled after the popular South by South West festival, North by Northeast (NXNE) is a 10-‐day, citywide arts festival that centers on live music, film, and digital media. Since last year, NXNE, added a host of comedians and visual artists to their lineup as well. This year, from June 13th until the 22nd, approximately 800 different bands and artists will be playing gigs at 50 different venues around the city. Every night during the festival, the bars associated with NXNE will typically have six different bands come on stage and do their thing before they send everyone packing. Fans have the opportunity to witness popular headliners perform their acts in the intimate settings of low-‐key bars around the city like the Hoxton, Lee’s Palace, and the Garrison. St. Vincent (pictured above), Juicy J, A$AP Ferg, and Mexican Slang are a few of the many artists that will be present in Toronto for NXNE. A notable piece in this year’s edition of NXNE Film is “At the Corner of Queen and Bathurst.” It’s a short documentary being aired at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, an independently owned theatre dedicated exclusively to showcasing documentaries. The film is all about the shutting down of one of Toronto’s first punk music clubs called “The Big Bop.” The building was recently gentrified and replaced with an upscale furniture store and this film serves to shed some light on the varying opinions around the gentrification of Queen West as a whole.
NXNE: Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back Review By Jacqueline Valencia – 06.18.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/18/nxne-‐well-‐now-‐youre-‐theres-‐way-‐back-‐review/
Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back (2014) Cast: Steven Adler, Frankie Banali, Glenn Hughes Director: Regina Russell Country: USA Genre: Documentary | Music Official Site: Here Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. After the success of their 1983 breakthrough album, Metal Health, things exploded for Quiet Rock and thereby opening the doors for hair metal bands such as Twisted Sister, RATT, Poison, and Bon Jovi. Quiet Riot went against the grain and never gave into the changes that brought about disco, new wave, and grunge. The rock documentary Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back, deals with the evolution, disintegration, and continual resurrections of the band through the life of its quintessential drummer Frankie Banali.
In 2007, when original lead singer Kevin DuBrow died of an accidental cocaine overdose, Banali was forced break up the band to deal with the loss of his best friend. This, in turn, led to a great deal of soul searching and a refocusing of life for Banali as a single father and a musician with no band. After watching the Grammys and various other organizations pass over honors for DuBrow, Banali felt compelled to reform the band for tribute’s sake. It was also a means for him to work doing what he did best, drumming in Quiet Riot. Now-‐that-‐were-‐here First time director Regina Russell follows Banali in his struggles to put together a band that has had its share of various changes. In some ways, Russell uses this as a humorous look at the band who took its music seriously, but it’s lifestyle as rock and roll as possible. Banali goes through major stages of grief in the film. He blames DuBrow for much of the stress and sense of unstableness he feels. Interviews with friends, musicians, and family, reveal an intimate portrait of Banali as both a nurturing and very hard driven individual. The film starts off very much like a rock documentary featuring infiltration of hard drinking and drugs to the band back stage. However, after DuBrow’s death, much of the footage becomes sentimental, but it doesn’t linger too long there. Soon after when Banali and the group reform and find a new singer, the story becomes more about the drama in making Quiet Riot work again and seeing how they can move forward with it. It’s heavy stuff, but Russel manages to keep the tone light by reflecting on some of the onstage and on camera blunders as well. While triumphs do happen, some cringing moments occur, and not much is left unsaid. There are few times bassist Chuck Wright’s equipment fails, newcomer Mark Huff forgets his lines, Banali expresses his resentment with DuBrow, bruised egos burn, and tantrums are all on display. The power of nostalgia does make for a compelling documentary here, but the hook for Russell is in the quiet reveal of her subjects. At its core Well Now You’re Here… showcases a universal story of making the pieces of changing puzzle fit time and time again. Poignant moments include Banali giving away his drumsticks to a star struck fan. The fan looks up at his hero as if he was looking into the face of a god. It’s a classic heavy metal moment and one that will ring true to anyone who loves Quiet Riot. Well Now You’re Here…is an entertaining documentary, not only for the 80s music fan, but for those who love music and a peek behind the scenes at the glamour and unglamorous lives of rock stars.
NXNE: The Voice Of The Voiceless Review By Anubha Dey – 06.18.2014 http://nextprojection.com/2014/06/24/nxne-‐voice-‐voiceless-‐review/
The Voice Of The Voiceless (2013) Cast: Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz, Kevin Tamayo, Ricky Powell Director: Maximón Monihan Country: USA Genre: Drama Official Site: Here Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne. Directed by Maximon Monihan, La Voz De Los Silenciados is a silent (except for certain sound effects) film based on a true story. Olga, a deaf and a dumb girl, gets offered to be a part of a Christian school for the differently abled. Leaving her protective life she comes to the city all alone and gets tricked into a money making sham run by an old but powerful lady. How will Olga cope up with the harsh reality of life and fend for herself? Watch it to know.
The entire film is silent except for a rumbling noise that is heard by the deaf protagonist. There are also no dialogues. The fact that this film has been made in a way to let the audiences know how the protagonist feels and experiences the world around her is remarkable. Even though the film in itself didn’t keep me hooked exactly later on, I shall point that this method of filmmaking is only reminding us of the exciting times that lay ahead in our dynamic field. The-‐Voice-‐of-‐the-‐voiceless-‐ 2013 Maybe because there were no dialogues, certain scenes are unclear for me, especially the end. Also there were various inconsistencies in the storyline that if I didn’t know this was a true story would have been hard to swallow. Couldn’t the young girl contact police after being let out so often in the day instead of buying food? Or couldn’t she simply runaway and go back? Or at least tell a stranger in the train about her plight? I wish I knew when and how the actual incidents had actually occurred because nothing else would probably explain why she was getting herself embroiled in the scheme when she probably had other options. The latter half of the story did show some spunk in the protagonist – but it didn’t last. I also wish a little more care would have been taken for the framing, and the set, and the camera placement. Acting seems artificial, and there is a lack of chemistry between the actors – which sometimes is very visible. Again, this was a wonderful attempt, interesting concept which can be worked upon. The film is B/W, and at times the extreme harsh tones of black and white give a very unsettling feeling. The editing is also sharp and quick – movements have been quickened and the film is fast paced. All this combined with the rumbling sound has an eerie effect. Good acting of a defenceless naïve girl by Olga. The film is easy to comprehend, but at certain times seems repetitive (to probably establish her routine.) The sets also seem a little fake and dry in places – because of the harsh lighting. The main actresses acted well though – the portrayal of a defenceless, naïve and slow girl was excellent – so much that it her dumbness at times really annoyed me and I wanted to shake her up and tell her do something. In all the film was an eye opener regarding the kind of horrific crimes that take place in the world and how innocent people are victimized.
BOYHOOD (@NXNE review) By joseph Belanger – 06.18.2014 http://blacksheepreviews.com/boyhood-‐nxne-‐review/ BOYHOOD Written and Directed by Richard Linklater Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke Mason: Yeah, the moments. It’s constant. It’s like it’s always right now. Say what you will about writer/director, Richard Linklater, but you can’t say he isn’t willing to take big risks for his art. His latest, and dare I say it, perhaps his greatest, BOYHOOD, epitomizes dedication to one’s craft and cements Linklater as one of today’s most daring, and brilliant, directors. The undertaking of this project is just enormous and the fact that he pulls it off is impressive enough in itself; that he was able to not just make this happen but also make what may be one of the most unique films ever made, is a feat that may never be matched again, at least not like this. Allow me to explain. In 2002, Linklater began shooting what was then dubbed, “The 12 Year Project”. He cast a then 7-‐year-‐old, Ellar Coltrane, as Mason Jr., the main subject of the film and, for the next 12 years, Linklater, Coltrane, and a group of actors as eclectic as Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke would get together to shoot a series of short films whenever they could sync their schedules. Although surely a logistical nightmare, the effect of watching Mason grow both physically and emotionally before our eyes is well worth all of their efforts. It helps as well that Coltrane himself is extremely likeable; his talent maturing on screen just as he does. And no matter how much Mason changes over the years, you can still see the boy he once was in his eyes.
BOYHOOD doesn’t follow any traditional plot line per se. It just follows Mason as he grows from age 5 to about 17 or 18, when he graduates high school and heads off to college. When we first meet Mason, his mother (Arquette, who has never impressed me like she does here, ever) is struggling to make ends meet and they haven’t seen their father (Hawke) in a year and a half. His mother decides to go back to school to get a better job, which means Mason and his sister, Samantha (Lorelai Linklater, the director’s daughter) must move and it won’t be the only time either. Over the years, people come in and out of their lives tangentially through their parents and take turns in shaping the people they will turn out to be. The flow of events is natural, organic and effectively efficient in execution. And while the events that take place in Mason’s childhood may not be what you or I lived through, there will always be elements of growing up that will remain universal. It isn’t just about Mason at the end of the day either. We get to see snippets of all the important people in his life too and we get to know them through his eyes as well. While we get complete arcs for his mother and father, the people who are only in Mason’s life briefly are often even more tragic as never know what becomes of them after they aren’t in Mason’s life anymore. The manner in which they’re presented is also telling as the editing informs the viewer to even more insight. One minute, Mason’s stepfather (Marco Perella) is teaching him how to play golf and everyone is happy; the next, he is buying alcohol in case people come over; then cut to a drink being poured months later where clearly, no one is happy anymore. It almost feels too intimate at times but that’s perhaps because true intimacy like this is rarely captured so authentically on film. Throughout the years, Mason and Samantha would spend random weekends with their father. Having worked with Linklater on his “Before” series, Hawke seems to have found a filmmaking partner who truly brings out the best in him. As Mason’s birth father, he comes back for some of the bigger, more father specific moments in Mason’s life. His dad is there to teach him how to throw a football around and to take him to ballgames, but he is also there to shape his musical tastes, his political views and to be there for everything from the
sex talk to the first time he breaks up with a girl. Being absent most of the time makes the moments they do spend together have to count more and you can see how hard Hawke is working to leave his mark on his children, which is endearing as we know he is impressing upon them but he genuinely doesn’t know if he is or not. BOYHOOD is nearly three hours long. This may sound intimidating but really the topic warrants the time spent on it. It never feels lengthy; in fact, it always feels like a privilege to be watching. Linklater has made a great time capsule movie too. The passage of time is seen through the physical changes in the characters themselves of course, but Linklater also does not shy away from stamping the time repeatedly on his film by pointing at cultural or political events. For instance, we know it is the fall of 2008 at one point because Mason refers to the three best films of the summer being TROPIC THUNDER, THE DARK KNIGHT and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. (The kid has taste too!) Linklater never specifically tells us when in time it is, or that some time has actually taken place, but he always allows us to piece it together ourselves with visual cues, which again only further draws the viewer in closer to his film.
Often times, BOYHOOD feels more like a series of memories than anything else. As many people can only remember their childhoods as fragmented moments, some significant, some seemingly irrelevant, it felt to me as if we as an audience were privy to Mason’s personality being formed right in front of us. If these were the boyhood memories he still remembered, then these would be, by nature the one’s that had the most influence over him at the most influential time of his life. In that sense, BOYHOOD takes on a much more precious meaning, as these are the moments that made Mason a man.
NXNE 2014: Boyhood
By C.J. Prince – 06.19.2014 http://waytooindie.com/news/nxne-‐2014-‐boyhood/
Shot periodically over a 12 year period, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood chronicles the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) between the ages of 6 and 18. That kind of scale for one project isn’t exactly unheard of (Linklater’s Before trilogy takes place over 2 decades, and Michael Apted’s Up series has been going on for over 56 years) but the fact that he’s condensed it within one film makes it an unprecedented experience. With that kind of ambition it isn’t unreasonable to expect something monumental in the end, but surprisingly Boyhood emerges as nothing more than a pleasant slice-‐of-‐life film. Aside from some melodramatic moments early on, Linklater keeps things loose as our glimpses into Mason’s life are mostly relaxed or subdued. The aimless, shaggy dog approach both help and hurt the film. The way major events merely pass by everyone might be the most true-‐to-‐life aspect of the film (Arquette’s final scene, one of the strongest in the film, addresses this aspect directly), but by the end there’s a distinct, lacking feeling as a result of Linklater’s filmmaking. The film amounts to a nice collection of the kind of naturalistic scenes Linklater excels at, but none of it comes together in a wholly satisfying way. In other words, it’s less than the sum of its parts. Just don’t take any of this the wrong way. Boyhood is a good film, and the experience of watching its cast age over 2 and a half hours makes for a unique (but not especially remarkable) experience. It’s just that, considering all the effort put into the film (and the fervent response it’s received since premiering at Sundance), “good” feels disappointing in this case.
NXNE 2014 Review: Riot on the Dance Floor By Emily Andersen – 06.19.2014 http://scenecreek.com/nxne/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐riot-‐dance-‐floor/
Riot on the Dance Floor is a compelling documentary by director Steve Tozzi that chronicles the exciting career of Randy ‘Now’ Ellis, a DJ turned promoter for a New Jersey club named City Gardens. The venue became a renowned setting where huge crowds of all ages flocked to watch a variety of bands that ranged from hardcore punk to reggae. What the increasing popularity of this venue highlighted was the revolution of the local music scene. As a result of Randy Now’s keen ear and appreciation for new wave music he was able to feature artists like Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, and Nine Inch Nails (to name only a few) who were lesser known at the time. What Riot on the Dance Floor presents is an exhilarating behind-‐the-‐scenes look at underground music told from the perspective of band members and fans who frequented City Gardens. What ties all of their tales together is the story of Randy Now, an unlikely champion of new wave music. After struggling to promote bands while simultaneously working full-‐time as a postman, Randy eventually left behind the security of a steady job in favour of working in the music business. He became dedicated to convincing musicians he loved into playing at a dingy club in a small town stuck between New York and Philadelphia. What occurred as a result of Randy’s persistence was the creation of a place that housed an inspiring and ground-‐breaking combination of music genres. What supplements the stories and interviews that are interweaved throughout the documentary is archival footage as well as iconic photography from Ken Salerno. The stark visuals contrasted with sometimes shocking reminiscences paints the intense history of a venue that strove to create a respected music scene in a small town. Championing musicians and genres that were disregarded by the general public, City Gardens and Randy Now endeavoured to promote local artists and indie bands in a place where misfits were always welcome. However, despite many years of success, as time wore on the venue faced many changes and was forced to close down. What it left behind was a legacy similar to that of other infamous music clubs like CBGB. Despite the number of bands that Randy booked in his career (a total approximating over 4,000 bands while he worked at City Gardens), and despite the number of people he drew to the club, Randy’s career was not a lucrative one. Left with no savings and no pension, Randy’s fortune became one comprised only of memories. Yet despite his lack of financial success, what Randy’s story ultimately highlights is that with creative control and total conviction, anyone, anywhere, can revolutionize their surroundings to reflect a greater passion.
NXNE 2014 Review: Lies I Told My Little Sister By Emily Andersen – 06.19.2014 http://scenecreek.com/nxne/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐lies-‐told-‐little-‐sister/
Director William J. Stribling presents the story of a family struggling to heal after a painful loss in the emotionally driven film Lies I Told My Little Sister. The movie focuses on Cory, a thirty-‐year-‐old nature photographer, who is haunted by guilt after the death of her vibrant sister Sarah. As a result of Sarah’s passing, Cory’s strained relationship with her other sister Jane becomes increasingly turbulent, especially after Cory reluctantly agrees to join her family on a vacation to Cape Cod. The resentment between the surviving sisters builds throughout their time together, eventually forcing them to come to terms with their childhood and with themselves. What Stribling’s film effectively highlights is the fragility and fleetingness of life. In brief flashbacks Cory recalls moments she shared with Sarah before her death. Despite Sarah’s positivity and willingness to accept the injustices of her fate, Cory struggles to deal with the unpredictability of life. As a result, Cory becomes increasingly disconnected from her family. In an attempt to reconnect with Cory, Jane organizes a trip to Cape Cod, a place where they frequently vacationed with their parents as children. Amidst the scenery of their childhood, Cory and Jane recall their past, drudging up memories from the history of their tumultuous relationship. What makes Lies I Told My Little Sister engaging is the ways in which the two actresses realistically portray the relationship between two siblings. Whether it is their petty arguments, rivalry, or love for one another, the relationship between Cory and Jane is, at times, very relatable. There are a few setbacks in the film, especially during scenes that strive to connect emotionally with the audience. There are many instances that lack poignancy, and there are similarly many instances where attempts at humour and charming insight fall flat. Despite these problems, the film does manage at times to feel heartfelt. During these moments of sincerity, the film reveals a glimpse at the silver lining of trauma, as the tragedy that Cory and Jane endure causes them to revaluate their childhood, their family, and their beliefs about what it means to truly live.
NXNE 2014 Review: Boyhood By Matthew Hoffman on 06.23.2014 http://scenecreek.com/nxne/nxne-‐2014-‐review-‐boyhood/
In 2002 director Richard Linklater began a film about the life of a five-‐year-‐old boy named Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane. Over the next twelve years Linklater continued to film Coltrane, which resulted in the film Boyhood. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette play Mason’s divorced parents, with Linklater’s own daughter Lorelei appearing as Mason’s older sister. The entire cast is fantastic, and audiences will quickly forget that they are watching a group of actors, but are instead watching an actual family. The idea of shooting a single film for twelve years is remarkable to begin with, but it’s not simply a gimmick in the case of Boyhood. The experiment itself is not entirely foreign to Linklater, who revisited characters Celine and Jesse every nine years for his Before trilogy. Boyhood is genuinely an excellent film and once things get moving viewers will forget that the film they are watching took twelve years to make, as even at two-‐and-‐a-‐half hours long, the film moves quite quickly. Linklater never tells us exactly what year it is, but we are able to figure it out ourselves by the music played, mentions of politics, and the evolution of Ethan Hawkes facial hair. Come Oscar time everyone will certainly be talking about this film. Don’t miss out on one of the most magical experiences of the year and see Boyhood as soon as possible.