Reviews
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Melancholia, Columbiana Red State Warrior +Many more
Remade in America What is the key to a successful remake?
Robot Love
Are we learning to love our cold metal counterparts?
Cowardly Has the Venice Film Festival lost its heart?
Lion?
Contents
September Features
October 2011
Page 4: The Lion With a Thorn in its Paw Page 7: A Quick Guide to Film Festivals Page 8: Robot Love Page 12: Remade in America Page 16: Spotlight on The Palace Page 20: The Town That Movies Built Regulars Page 3 Editor’s Note & Contributors Page 36: Things to See in October
Reviews Section Page 25: Red State Page 26: Drive Page 27: Crazy Stupid Love Page 28: Troll Hunter Page 29: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Page 30: Fright Night Page 31: Warrior Page 32: Columbiana Page 33: Friends With Benefits Page 34: Jane Eyre Page 35: Melancholia
Contributors Editor’s Note Editors
Joshua Hammond: Editor-in-Chief joshua@pictureshow-magazine.com Dale Pearson: Editor
Words
Joshua Hammond Dale Pearson Alex Ulyet Benjamin Schwarz Chris Binding Edward Mason
Art
James Dunn: Front Page Graphic
Online
Find us at pictureshow-magazine.com Like us at facebook.com/ pictureshowmagazine Follow us @PictureShowMag
Welcome back to PictureShow!!! Hopefully some of you are new readers and some of you have returned because you just couldn’t get enough. Well. we don’t blame you. This month’s issue of PictureShow is superb, we’ve had to cut quality articles just so we could fit everything in for you all. Once again we have covered a number of topics in our articles and features and have reviewed some of the biggest films out this month. The team at PictureShow is also growing considerably. We’ve doubled the number of folks working on the magazine since last month and it really shows in the variety of our articles and reviews. This coming month we all return to our different Universities but that will not stop us from getting an issue of PictureShow out every month. We are all extremely enthusiastic about this magazine and the potential we think it has. Once again, have a read. We hope you enjoy it and tell us what you think of the magazine. See you next month Joshua Hammond, Editor-in-Chief
The Lion with a thorn in its paw Why is the Venice Film Festival losing out to its competitiors?
BY DALE JOCASTA PEARSON
The Toronto Skyline
T
sible was because the sheer number of festivals that existed in the world was far fewer. Venice was able to his month saw the coming found itself on its own terms, on its of the world’s oldest surviving film own ideas of what mattered in film. festival - Venice film festival (or ‘Mostra Internazionale d’Arte CinBack in the present day, Venice ematografica’, for the more contifinds itself in a world consisting of nental readers). Since 1932, it has literally thousands of yearly film become an essential space on the festivals. There are independent calendar for many film buffs. It is film festivals, asian festivals, horhowever, if you believe the cries ror festivals, emerging filmakers of some, a film festival in decline. festivals, Latin-American festivals, Many point to its enthusiasm over animation festivals, documentary the last ten years to simply become festivals, art and technology festia Hollywood launch pad, othvals and even (since 2005) online ers point out that its non-english film festivals. This is not to menspeaking films have, in recent years, tion the festivals such as Cannes, been less than impressive. The tradBerlin and Toronto, who all aim for egy behind the Venice’s decline, is the same broad international apthat the festival is not really in depeal sought after by venice. There cline at all, but that the film world is no ‘build it and they will come’ around it is actually in ascendance. mentality here, these days you have to have an edge, and, unforVenice’s problem is not necessartunately, Venice no longer has one. ily a decline in the quality of its films (though this has been a maThere was a time when we could jor criticism in recent years, espelook towards venice for the new cially with regards to its domestic talent, gaining their ‘big breaks’. italian films) Its problem has been Its European base, artistic integthe apathy with which it has been rity, and the fact it was working recieved by the public. People just outside of the Hollywood system don’t seem to care anymore. In the meant that Venice was a hotbed same way a tree falling in the woods of burgeoning filmmakers. Venmight make make no sound, a film ice’s ability to do this, however, has festival with no public attention been undermined and superseded cannot continue to be successful. by film festivals such as Sundance. And so this year, the Golden Lions Sundance’s focus on independent may have come and gone, but the film-making has meant that, in refact that nobody seemed to notice, cent years, it has been the leading meant that films oldest award statlight in undiscovered film-making uette is severely lacking in shine. talent. Because Sundance’s focus is so specialised, Venice, which alIn its youth, Venice film festival ways had a view to the broader film found itself in world where the key world, has not been able to keep up to the success of a film festival was in the eyes of the public and the far simpler: you arranged a festival, media, with regards to new talent you made a fine selection of films, you attracted the public and the press, and once your reputation was made, the years simply snowballed from then on. There was a real ‘build it and they will come’ attitude. The reason why this was pos-
A major reason certain film festivals are treated with such anticipation is because they often act as an indicator for the awards season in the new year. The leading leader in this particular field, recently however, has been the Toronto Film Festival. Its ‘People’s Choice award’ has correctly predicted two Academy Award Best Picture winners in the last four years (Slumdog Millionaire and The King’s Speech). Venice’s commitments to international film has meant that when it comes to preempting the Oscars, it cannot quite keep up with its Canadian counterpart. Furthermore, the pressure it has come under from the success of Toronto can be seen to be the reason for Venice’s jump towards the American market (The past decade has saw a significant rise in the number of English-speaking films winning the Golden Lion) at the expense of its international identity.
Because of Venice’s leap towards America, the Golden Lion cannot even be considered to be the ‘anti-Oscar’, as Cannes film festival’s Palm d’Or is regarded as. The palm d’Or, usually given to more ‘alternative’ films, and often with an international focus, is greatly prized by those who tend to seek non-mainstream recognition. Because Venice is stuck halfway between alternative and mainstream, the Golden Lion doesn’t really win the affection of anybody.
Venice might show Japanese Anime one year, but why would any fan of Japanese Anime take note of venice, when there are countless Japanese Anime festivals already in existence who will do a much more comprenhensive job?
Every year, venice will bring great films to the fore. This year’s festival saw the release of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Faust, for example. Because of its history and its heritage, it is unlikely that venice will go away. But to exist in the modern market, you need to have If Venice’s competition from the more than just a few great films, other ‘big’ film festivals weren’t and you need to have more than enough, the competition it recieves just history and heritage, you need from the niche, genre-defined film to have an edge - you need to have festivals would appear to be the a focused speciality, to make your straw that broke the camel’s back. festival count for something, and At one time, Venice’s broadness it is becoming increasingly apparwas part of its appeal. But now, its ent that Venice simply does not. broadness means that, to Joe Public; it lacks clarity. For example,
Three Golden Lions
A quick guide to Film Festivals Cannes Film Festival
Where: Cannes, France When: Late Spring, usually May Why go? The Cannes Film Festival is certainly one of the most luxurious and well renowned film festivals in the world. Over the two week festival Cannes plays host to both Hollywood megastars and indie up and comers. During the festival the Croisette becomes a bustling area of energy and enthusiasm from everyone involved. Main Prize: Palme d’Or
Venice Film Festival
Where: Venice, Italy When: Early September Why go? The Venice Film Festival is the oldest Film Festival in the world. It’s programme is always nicely varied. Though it’s reputation may wax and wane it is a lovely way to end the summer. Top Award: Golden Lion
Berlin Film Festival
Where: Berlin, Germany When: February Why go? Berlin International Film Festival is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world. Here you can rub shoulders with critics and fans at the same time. Berlin is generally held in the same respect as both Venice and Cannes. Top Award: Golden Bear
Toronto International Film Festival
Where: Toronto, Canada When: Mid September Why go? Currently seen as the most influential film festival in the world, Toronto has grown considerably in both status and size over the last two decades. Its biggest prize, The People’s Choice Award is voted for by attendees of the festival. The lack of a jury appears to have helped TIFF to award some of the biggest films of the last decade. Top Award: People’s Choice Award
Sundance
Where: Utah, US When: January Why go? Sundance has earned its reputation as one of the leading independent film festivals in the world. Its eclectic programme marks it out. Many of the worlds most prominant and prolific directors got their big break at Sundance giving it an almost legendary status. Top Award: Grand Jury Prize
Seattle International Film Festival
Where: Seattle, USA When: Late May-Early June Why go? SIFF is another festival that awards it’s biggest prize according to an audience ballot. SIFF is regarded as a festival for “the audience” rather than for “the
industry”. There is also a Secret Festival in which the audience does not know what it is going to see and cannot reveal what they have seen afterwards. Top Award: Golden Space Needle
Hong Kong International Film Festival
Where: Hong Kong, China When: March Specialities: Asian Cinema Why go? The HKIFF is renowned as a festival for discovering new asian cinema whilst simultaneously being a good platform for filmmakers to release films into the Chinese market. Screenings are held in some of the most incredible locations such as The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and The Hong Kong Arts Centre. Top Award: None
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Where: Annecy, France When: June Why go? AIAFF focusses solely on animated films and, as such, awards a great deal of films that are frequently unnoticed by other larger festivals.It is also in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. Be sure to catch the open air projetion on the edge of Lake Annecy. Top Award: None
Robot Love
BY BENJAMIN SCHWARZ
Moon, 2009
Gerty: the face of a newer friendlier robot?
I
t is the enduring irony of Science Fiction that the fiction part has frequently been used to criticise the science bit. Films have been particularly gloomy on the subject for many years, keen perhaps overly keen- to point out that man’s imminent destruction will be self-inflicted, or at least inflicted by its own creations. From Metropolis (1927) to The Matrix (1999), we have been told that we are at the mercy of our own murderous machines, but since the crest of the new Millennium, a spate of films taking a softer view have emerged. If Hollywood is to be believed, our murderers have reformed, becoming more personable and friendlier than ever, but this is not because they themselves have changed: rather, they are a reflection of our changing attitude towards machines in general. From its inception as an independent genre, SF has acted as a mirror to contemporary concerns, and in so doing it has questioned the validity of ideas we take for granted. H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, for example, launched a devastating attack on the idea of Progress, extrapolating that our obsession machines will ultimately lead to an evolutionarily divergent and morally reprehensible underclass. Over the passing decades and into the era of film, a hatred of machines had been thoroughly maintained. The Time Machine itself underwent numerous adaptations,* but it is through other films that it would evolve. Metropolis (1927) featured a striking scene in which the protagonist prostrates himself Christlike on the arms of a machine resembling a clock, but it was the Maschinenmensch (machine-person) which focussed our hate onto a new, now unmistakeable image.
This image is the iconic representation of the android (or more accurately gynoid) in film. The figure of the android differs from merely the machine because it is explicitly one which appears human (as per it’s Greek roots - the prefix andr- or gyn- meaning man or woman, combined with the suffix -oid meaning like, so literally like a man or woman). Suddenly the machine had a face: no longer was it a disparate idea connecting factories and mills, but a single entity onto which hate could be projected. As Adam’s face was to God, so the Maschinenmensch’s was to our own - dimly familiar but abhorrent for it, a parody of our own supposed perfection and an implicit threat to our superiority. The eyes were featureless, the face cold and stiff like a death-mask, betraying a complete lack of emotion. In essence it was artificial, fraudulent, a clear fake; and yet in a scene of stunning contemporary special effects, it became indistinguishable from humans. These traits lead to two distinct forms that the 20th Century robotic enemy generally took: the surreptitious imposter and the psychopathic killing machine. Gort of
* 1960, 1978 and, god help us, 2002.
Metropolis, 1927 The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and the Terminator of The Terminator (1984) are famous examples of the latter - physically implacable as well as emotionally. The sense cultivated from characters like these is one of alienation; that somehow the machine mind is completely incomprehensible and incompatible with our own. Machines of this ilk tend to be rigid in characterisation, heavily drawing the audiences’ attention to their artificiality by the way they move and think. Often, there is no attempt to hide the fact that their mind runs on strict and unbending rules created by computer codes. The Terminator may wear the skin of a human and superficially belong to the imposter type, but at no point is the audience in any real doubt as to whether he is a machine. The second type is arguably more interesting and has almost certainly planted the seeds for peace in our war against the machines by implying a question: what if the imposter is so convincing that there is no meaningful difference
Hal 9000 between it and humans other than origin? Blade Runner (1982) certainly did this, as did Arnie’s second incarnation in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), but bizarrely so does the most infamous SF villain of all time, 2001: A Space Oddysey’s (1968) HAL-9000. All of these characters did terrible things, and yet we are driven to feel sorry for them. HAL slaughters its crewmates in cold blood and yet his rendition of ‘Daisy’ is at least emotionally chilling and at most, heart-wrenching. One could argue that this is because the disguise has worked; David Bowman who accompanies HAL on the voyage, even referred to it as a ‘crewmate,’ implying a certain humanity. Did we really see the Terminator transcending its programming and becoming like a real father to John, or is this a misfiring in our brains telling us to sympathise things that should be unsympathetic as toasters? Either way, the seeds had been planted, and the 21st Century
showed a very different view of machines. Consider your day to day lifestyle. You might own a smart-phone, a machine capable of providing you with new senses that tell you what the weather is like without you directly experiencing it or when someone you know wants to communicate with you. You might have a pace-maker or a hearing aid, devices that alter damaged parts of your organic body to improve their function. You almost certainly have access to the internet, the biggest mess of cybernetic loops in known existence. And all of this because of your incredibly intimate relationship with machines. It is not really surprising at all, then, that characters like C-3P0 of Star Wars (1970, 80 and 83) and the trio from Silent Running (1972) are becoming less like exceptions and more like the rule. Around the turn of the new
century, there has been a deluge of unambiguously friendly machines including but not limited to: Data (Star Trek: Generations, 1994), almost all the toys in Toy Story, Toy Story 2 & Toy Story 3 (1995, 1999 and 2005 and yes, they are definitely machines), Andrew Martin, (The Bicentennial Man,1999), The Iron Giant (1999), David (A.I. Artificial Intelligence, 2001) pretty much the entire cast of Cars & Cars 2 (2006, 2011), Sonny (I, Robot, 2004), WALL-E & EVE (WALL-E, 2008) and GERTY (Moon, 2009). What all of these characters have in common is a recognisable humanity. Just like the evil infiltrators of earlier films, these characters challenge our notion of what it means to be human and what it means to be a machine, but contrastingly their apparent humanity is embraced. This is because the concept of the line between man and machine being extremely blurry is becoming less of a
troubling question and more of a fact of modern life - if we ourselves are becoming more cyborgic, why not embrace it? This change in perception and consequent portrayal of robotic characters is perhaps best shown in the contrasts between GERTY and HAL. GERTY is quite clearly a reference to HAL: both are androids in everything but form, both are tasked with the wellbeing of humans and both have a calm, human-like but monotone voice. Duncan Jones, Moon’s director, by citing such an infamous SF character, is drawing the audiences’ attention to the differences between the two robots -magnifying them in fact. The obvious point to make here would be that GERTY is benign and HAL is not, and that in itself qualifies the point of friendlier robots emerging. But perhaps more interesting are the signs that Jones is injecting more humanity into GERTY than Stanley Kubrick did into HAL, making him
are bad and humans are good, and that’s just how it is because ... it just is. It also fails to address the extreme irony of a situation where a bunch of luddites get their kicks by being technophiles and matrixjunkies. Despite purporting to hate the machines, none of them are as cool outside of it, and all of them have a great time pretending to beat each other up with imaginary kung-fu. There will always be films ‘batting for the other side’ as it were, just as there were friendly machines in films before there were iPods, but what seems clear is that the balance of power between the two batting sides is shifting significantly. This does not make The Matrix a bad film - far from it - but when the revolution for machine rights comes, Neo and his gang of hypoThis is the problem with films like crites will be first against the wall. The Matrix (1999), a stick in the mud right at the end of a century of hate, purporting organic purism and refusing to see anything but in black and white - machines more hybrid; more of a cyborg than a pure machine. HAL was represented on his interface as an unblinking red light, as terrifying and intangible as his form, which was basically incorporeal. GERTY’s interface was a yellow face which changed with his emotions. His form was easy to grasp: a box on rails with an arm for affecting his environment. GERTY certainly didn’t look human, but he was housed like one, fixed to a single place at a single time and thus given a certain sense of fallibility unlike the terribly god-like HAL. It’s almost as if we’ve come to a compromise with the machines, that we’re meeting them half-way as we emerge from our old notions of black and white.
Remade in America
BY JOSHUA HAMMOND
What is the key to a good foreign language remake?
R
emakes are commonplace in today’s film industry. Studios constantly raid their own back catalogue for viable titles that were either missed the first time around or still have the potential to make some more money. Recently there has been a boom in remakes of foreign language films for an english speaking audience. A great deal of highly praised foreign films will get shortlisted for an Englishlanguage remake and an inevitable question always arises. The financial motivation for making an english language remake is large, but what is the key to an artistically and critically successful remake? The Departed is a good example of how a director can remake a story rather than remaking the film. The Departed is based on the 2002 Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs. The story is a tale of the battles between the police and organised crime syndicates, members of the police are planted as moles in the criminal gangs and children from the criminal community are trained from a young age to move into the police force for the gangsters. The Director of The Departed, Martin Scorsese, took key elements of the original film and changed the rest significantly. The Departed is approximately 2 ½ hours long whereas Infernal Affairs was considerably shorter, Scorsese took the story from Infernal Affairs and expanded on it, making it a largely rewarding experience. The Departed is a good model for future foreign language remakes, rather than simply remaking the story with a new setting Martin Scorsese fully immersed his story in Boston. Scorsese’s remake was loaded with American culture. The setting change from Hong Kong to Boston was important, as the different
From this: Infernal Affairs
communities in Boston became key elements in the story. Scorsese gave more time to individual characters and explored more of their relationships. When looking at The Departed as a model, the key to a good foreign language remake is to fully explore the different culture in which the new film is set.
To this: The Departed
Oldboy has been one of the most successful Asian imports to other markets, both critically and commercially. In 2004 it won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and it has taken just shy of $15million at the worldwide box office. When dealing with such a well know and well received title, such as Oldboy Over the last few months Mandate it is worth looking at how it could Pictures have slowly been putting succceed as a film in it’s own right. together their remake of 2003’s South Korean masterpiece Oldboy. The key could be that, Oldboy itOldboy is the story of a man who is self was not an original title, it was captured and locked up for 15 years based on a manga comic of the for no apparent reason. He spends same name. As such it could be the time training and when he is seen that Spike Lee is looking to released into the world he goes in make a different interpretation of search of his captors. It is brutal, the source material. This was the beautiful and brilliant. The names apparent reason behind the Coen that are attached to the project are Brothers’ remake of True Grit in huge. Spike Lee is directing, Josh 2010. There were considerable difBrolin has signed to play the lead ferences between the manga and character and Christian Bale is be- the original film and Lee could foing courted to play the antagonist. cus on elements Park Chan-Wook avoided in his adaptation. It seems
A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop
unlikely that a director as crea- more reason to watch the original. tive and as influential as Spike Lee is going to simply tread the same In the middle of the 2000’s there path Park Chan-Wook did in 2003. was a huge influx of remakes of Asian horror films. Ju-On, Ringu Certain remakes have adopted and One Missed Call were all rethe approach of remaking a film made by American Studios for shot for shot, the only discern- the english speaking audience. able difference the remake and the Largely these american remakes original is the actors and the lan- were criticised for a startling lack guage. There have been a number of originality, bad direction and of shot for shot remakes in the terrible acting. The original films last few years. Let Me In, the Matt were incredibly influential and Reeves remake of the Swedish have become ingrained in the pubvampire film Let The Right One In, lic consciousness since their readopted a shot for shot approach. lease. The remakes, on the other When watching Let Me In there hand, were made cheaply and inis little to be admired, aside from effectively without any respect for the faithfullness of its adaptation the original movies or themselves. of the original film. Even though There appears to have been little to there was a crucial difference in warrant the remakes of these movsetting between Let The Right One ies, however, these films are not In and Let Me In, Reeves failed to bad because they were remakes. explore this and the film suffered These films were bad for the same as a result. The audience appeared reasons many low budget films, to respond to this, the movie only rushed into production, are bad. made $25million, making it one of the lowest grossing releases from a The relationship the USA has with major studio in 2010 By adopting foreign language remakes is largely the shot for shot approach Reeves one sided. Though the appetite for ensured that Let Me In would remakes has grown abroad. The be seen as a largely unnecessary first Chinese remake of an Ameriventure aside from giving people can film was released in 2008, a
remake of the Kim Basinger film Cellular. Cellular is an odd choice of film to remake, Cellular was not well received and took an average amount at the box office. What Cellular did have was potential and it’s remake, Connected, did well. Zhang Yimou recently released A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop, a remake of the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple. Yimou moved the action from Texas to China and added his own flourishes to make the film his own, in particular by adding lashings of slapstick humour. Audiences responded and tripled the film’s budget at the box office, even the Coen Brothers’ loved the new take on their film and contacted Yimou to tell him. It would appear that even when remaking english-language films into a foreign-languge, the same rules apply. It is crucial to understand and immerse the remake into the new culture and make it a “Chinese film” or an “American film” rather than a “Chinese remake of an American Film”.
Aside from Spike Lee’s version of Oldboy there are many other remakes hurtling towards cinema screens. Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures are attempting another remake of Godzilla, in the hope that they can avoid all the problems that beset Roland Emmerich’s 1998 version. Warner Bros also have plans to create a live action remake of Akira, set in a dystopian New York rather than Neo-Tokyo. The production has been mired in controversy and disruption, the current director attched to it is Jaume Collet-Serra, known for his remake of House of Wax (the one where you get to see Paris Hilton die).
Kiss Bang Bang. Though these films are not yet shooting the key to their success may be how well they adapt a foreign title into a new culture.
sion in the same way Scorsese did with The Departed and Yimou did with A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop. It would be foolish to doubt a man of Fincher’s excepDavid Fincher’s remake of The Girl tional talents and he may have creWith The Dragon Tattoo is highly ated one of the best remakes of reanticipated. The film bucks the cent years. It will be interesting to trend of recent remakes and avoids see how he made the film his own. changing the location of the story. Instead, Fincher has opted to sim- It seems unlikely that Hollywood ply remake the film in the english will ever end it’s love affair with language. The reasons behind this remakes of foreign films. Foreign are apparent, though it does feel markets are a goldmine for ideas odd. The Swedish location plays and cheap film properties. Some an intrinsic part of the story in remakes have provided us with the novel and the film adaptation, new stories and something to reto remove the action from Swe- member. Some have not. Think den would appear odd to fans of of remakes like cover songs; some There are also plans for a remake of the series and any new audiences. are good and some are bad but the Death Note, a wildly succesful Japa- As such, David Fincher may have best ones always change something nese property, which is to be direct- found it difficult to give his film a aside from the person performing. ed by Shane Black, director of Kiss distinct feel from the original ver-
David Fincher’s new The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Spotlight on The Palace
BY CHARLOTTE HAMMOND
The Palace Cinema entrance
PictureShow Magazine values independent cinemas and this month we went to The Palace Cinema in Longridge, Lancashire to celebrate their 35th Anniversary.
The History Celebrating 35 years under the current ownership, The Palace Cinema, Longridge is one of the oldest surviving cinemas in the country. As with other cinemas of the early twentieth century it began in a music hall, in a former market building. The music hall opened in 1912, owned by impresario, film maker and distributer of silent movies, Will Onda, who opened Preston’s first cinema in the Temperance Hall in 1908. Films were originally shown there as short features within variety programme. There were up to 22 cinemas in Preston at its peak, many of which were small community cinemas. Although there were intervals when the Palace operated as a roller and ice rinks, as well as a bingo hall, it continues to offer the people of Lancashire an experience rarely found elsewhere – as owner Dorothy Williamson says “there is no-one else like us”. Dorothy and her late husband John started their film business in the early 1960s running a Super 8 rental shop in the town, Dorothy points out that this was the first film library in the country, they also operated holiday film clubs in Wales during Easter, Summer and October half terms. Building their business showing 16mm films at children’s parties and medical films in hospitals or doctors surgeries demonstrating new techniques such as open heart surgery. John hankered for his own cinema and bought The Palace in the mid 1970s.
The People After renovating the interior they opened with The Jungle Book in 1976. Jaws stands out as one of the biggest film events of those early
days, with youngsters who had been previously chucked out on their ears and banned for raucous behaviour pleading with Dorothy to be let back in to see the Spielberg classic, thankfully she relented on the final night. In the early 1920s the cinema employed a quarry man as a ‘chucker outter’ to deal with similar behaviour, he also introduced the programme and drew the raffle in the interval – top prize was a bar of chocolate. No longer able to physically chuck people out Dorothy now operates a policy of not admitting under 15s unless they are accompanied by an adult. The 35th anniversary celebrations included a mixed programme for a week, on Friday and Saturday there was a double bill of The Man in the White Suit and Passport to Pimlico, there was almost a full house, though Whistle Down the Wind had the biggest audience of the week, beating Mrs Henderson Presents; Reach for the Sky; Mamma Mia; Calendar Girls; The Railway Children and The LadyKillers.
the audience enjoy. The pair truly listen to their customers, recently they showed Bridesmaids further to a customer request. Despite it not being usual ‘Longridge material’ Bridesmaids played to a packed house for the 2 night run. True to its moniker, films with a royal theme are very popular. Dorothy remaks “people really like films with a royal theme, people here are very patriotic, some people even have union jacks in their gardens, so anything with royals, Colin firth or Judy Dench is popular.”The Kings Speech was a winner with the Longridge set. Dorothy and Michael usually avoid films with an 18 rating as they feel they are too extreme, likening 18s to the old X ratings and consider ’15 to be the new 18’. Given Michael’s own career at The Palace, this would seem to be a more recent development.
Michael met Dorothy and John when he was a 9 year old customer at the Super 8 shop, he was given a projector for his 10th birthday and was invited to The Palace when he Choosing which films to show was 11. John showed him some is shared between Dorothy and Michael Johnson the projectionist, they choose their programme based on their knowledge of what
The Auditorium
of the smaller jobs such as opening the curtains and dimming the lights before being trained up to show films. Michael first ran his own operation when he was 14, his first film was Porkys, with an X rating, as he was too young to watch the film, his dad was in the projection room watching the film to be sure it wasn’t damaged while he managed the projector. Michael has a full time job, he works here for ‘the love of it’, he also does reviews on local radio. His love of cinema and 35mm film is palpable, not impressed with digital technology, he intends to hang on to 35mm as long as possible, preferring the light and the way it presents on the screen. When asked about 3D films he remarked “3D will die a death, it is a gimmick to force cinemas to go digital, we’re not going down that way, you can’t beat 35mm so we’re not worried about it.” Dorothy’s granddaughter also works as an usherette, she has a tray she keeps in the freezer with ice creams, she comes into the auditorium and asks customers if they want anything.
The Cinema The Palace is set up like a traditional cinema. When you enter you are greeted by the smiling faces in the quaint lobby. While the lobby is homely, the auditorium is grand, with deep red velvet curtains and pristine velour seats. Even when The Palace is not celebrating there is organ music before the curtain goes up and the atmosphere is thrilling, only stilled as the audience respectfully stand for the National Anthem. It is clear why people travel from miles around for a night at The Palace.
on the final night of the birthday celebrations buzzed with enthusiasm. The cinema was packed including the double seats at the back which were full of more mature couples drinking tea, coffee and hot chocolate - a bargain at 50p a mug. A night at The Palace will not break the bank, entrance is just £4 per person, the concessions are reasonable, popcorn is £1.50 and chocolates 50p, Dorothy’s view is that if the tickets and the concessions are affordable she is more likely to have a full house, prices have not risen for 2 years.
The love The Palace has for films is shared by the customers, the lobby The Lobby
Michael’s Corner: The Projection Room
Palace this was heightened by the audience gasping, pointing at the screen and so engrossed in the action that they prompted the characters on the screen. A political and sociological commentary on the relationship between workers and mill owners, at one point Bertha, speaking on behalf of the workers, insists that Sydney takes a tea break, ‘we fought for it’ she states, reinforced by a man in the audience who loudly backed her up – ‘too right’ sounded from the back row. Longridge is, after all, surrounded by mill towns. Preston cotton martyrs shot dead during the general strike of 1842 are remembered here with pride.
The Night
The action is divided between laboratory scenes and those set in typical Northern terraced streets, as Stratton runs through the streets in For their 35th Anniversary, his glowing radioactive suit we get The Palace put on a series of an impression of the dependency classic films and crowd pleas- the locals have for the status quo. ers. The week of celebrations Typical of films in the 1950s, raculminated in a fantastic diation and all things atomic were double bill of Ealing Com- viewed with suspicion. One character asks ‘you scientists, why can’t edies; The Man in The White you just leave things alone?’ In the Suit and Passport to Pimlico interval, people came into the lobby still laughing at the action and The Man the White Suit 1951 looking forward to the next feature. Alec Guiness stars as Sydney Stratton, a Cambridge graduate interested in developing state of the art fibre. Guiness plays Sydney as an aloof determined character so obsessed by his ambition that he is unable to see the likely consequences of creating indestructible fibre. Stratton is so fixated on his goal that he is not able to see relationships developing or how he is missing opportunities. An Ealing comedy, much of the humour comes from anticipating complications or disasters moments before they occur. At the
Passport to Pimlico (1949) Set during rationing in Britain and focussing on what might happen if we didn’t all stick together. Based on a real life event between the Netherlands and Canada, the East End area spends the summer as a Burgundy enclave. The small community, struggles through the siege orchestrated by the British Government of the day with some hilarity and some pathos. The audience is taken through the dilemmas of how to police the new state, how to get food and wa-
ter and manage immigration without the support of the state. The message is laid on a bit thick, but made palatable by the comic performances of Stanley Holloway as Arthur Pemberton, the community leader and Philip Stainton as PC Spiller, forced to wear a pith helmet instead of his police uniform and declare ‘Blimey, I’m a foreigner’. The context of the Berlin Blockade resonates through the film, though watching it 60 years on tempers the commentary and allows us to enjoy the full comic effect. The films went down a treat, the audience laughed out loud and gasped with surprise at scenes first seen many years before. Each film was applauded at the end. As we made our way through the lobby Michael and Dorothy were there to see us out, handing us gifts like children leaving a party, making sure we had enjoyed it and hoping to see us again soon. The hats were especially welcome given the driving rain which beautifully reflected the end of Passport to Pimlico – ‘Back in England now’.
The Town that Movies built...
BY ALEX ULYET
Video Gaming is moving into a new age, no longer are we following simple blips around a screen, as we did with Pacman and Space invaders. The order of the day is culturally-loaded ‘quality’ games, such as L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption - games that aim to recreate historic culture in a rich and allusive environment.
The high-artistic ambitions of these games is clear - Red Dead Redemption was even premiered at a film festival - the first ever video game to do so. And through a defined practise of referencing and pastiche, these ‘new’ video games
have garnered artistic recognition where it all began - GTA: Vice City by alluding to their film coun- - the first great video game to create terparts with successful results. a rich artistic narrative with a policy of reference, reference, and refBecause of this recent surge in the erence again. Here a are a selection ‘filmic’ video game, PictureShow of the films Vice City relied upon thought it should take a look back to to create that undeniably 80s feel:
Rambo
Rambo
The in-game Evacuator trilogy spans the 80s and 90s in the GTA universe and Exploder: Evacuator Part II, starring Jack Howitzer, is featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The film is mostly based around a patriotic portrayal of the Vietnam War and is a spoof of Rambo and the too-similar sequel Rambo II: First Blood, as there are numerous plot similarities. Lines from the Exploder include ‘I’ll cry when I’m done killing’, something that wouldn’t feel at all out of place in either film. The radio commercial for the Evacuator and its sequel expose Rockstar’s more liberal leanings and a deeper political criticism of the 80s, as the film is ‘rated ‘PG’ for patriotic garbage’ and advertisements contain a military authority telling Jack he is married to America, as well as parodying the armies relationship with a Vietnamese freedom fighters, an image cultivated by the government to support America’s claim to war. The Chiansaw Bathroom
Scarface Scarface is one of the more successful crime films of the 80s. The 2 hour-50 minute epic gangster thriller is probably the biggest influence on the plot of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as the game revolves around the cocaine trade of 1980s Miami portrayed in the film. Both are rags to riches stories revolving around money and the corruption of the American dream and both chart their protagonists’ rise to the top. Allusions to Scarface, which make up the world of Vice city include the Malibu Club (named Babylon Club in Scarface) and, indeed, the similarities between the two protaganists themselves, even down to the same hideous hawaian shirt. Hidden in Vice City, we can even peruse the blood-stained bathroom and apartment in which Tony Montana infamously takes a chainsaw to Columbian Drug dealers. Inside there is even a chainsaw that players can wield as a weapon. Rev away, as this is the closest you’ll ever come to being Al Pacino.
Over The Top Rambo isn’t the only film starring Sylvester Stallone that Rockstar poke fun at, as demonstrated by Push Up. The film, featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, is a much amplified satire on Sly’s 1987 film Over The Top. In Over The Top, Stallone plays a struggling protagonist whose son has lost faith in him and the only way he can regain this trust and love is by becoming a star of the arm-wrestling world. The plot is exactly the same in the fictional Push Up, but replacing arm-wrestling for a press-up contest. When compared directly, it is hard to see which one is a parody, as both are nauseously cheesy and clichéd, once again proving that though it had its moments, the 80s wasn’t all great. The film also encompasses elements of another of Sly’s big hitters, Rocky IV, as the final conflict in Push Up also seems to simultaneously resolve the cold war. How handy.
Sonny Crocket and Rico Tubbs
Miami Vice For many, in cultural terms, Miami Vice wasn’t just a product of the 80s, Miami Vice *was* the 80s. From the clothes people wore, the music they listened to, down to even the guns they bought, Miami Vice highlighted certain aspects of 1980s Miami which rapidly set the precedent for the whole of the USA. It is no surprise then, that Vice City Utilises this iconograhy to create a distinctly 80s world. The name of the game itself reflects this influence, as does the inclusion of the Miami Vice theme song (Crocket’s Theme by Jan Hammer) on the radio. The fastest car in Grand Theft Auto is a replica of the Ferrari Testarossa, made famous by Miami Vice, in which polices detectives arrive. The detectives themselves are always in pairs: one black and one white, each sporting the infamous t-shirt under Armani jacket and an uncanny resemblance to the Miami Vice lead characters. Though small, there are countless other inclusions that are blatant references to the series, all of which instantly draw the audiences in to a scene of 1980s Florida which is recognisable.
Friday the 13th/Halloween
Slightly less culture shaping, but no less intrinsic to the atmosphere, were the countless 1980s teen horror films Vice City parodies. Mentions of Knife After Dark, the ‘rated R for retarded’ movie, pop up everywhere in the bright 80s setting of GTA: Vice City, from posters to radio adverts, it is set as one of the blockbuster films in the game. The fictional film itself is about Danny, a young boy in a quiet, suburban setting who decides to wield a knife (supposedly after dark) and go on a killing spree. Admittedly, this could be a parody of any of the slasher flicks that were so popular in the 80s, but the reference to Danny’s hockey mask makes it pretty obvious that the Friday the 13th films are the ones in the firing line. The result is the recreation of an 80s world, with increasing cultural depth.
Vice city almost becomes a who’s who of retro pop culture references, and with regards to Scarface and Miami Vice it is easy to see how they have influenced the plot or stylistic aspects. But even the less conspicuous allusions, to Rocky or Friday the 13th, all add to the overall 80s ambience that the game seeks to achieve, providing an authenticity that has made the game so endearing.
The extent to which Rockstar has committed itself to producing a deep and accurate product does not just indicate the quality of their company, it shows the extent to which cinematic history comes to represent a cultural history and becomes inseparable from it. The very fact that we are able to recognise these allusions, despite them being cleverly hidden and transformed to surreal parodies indicates just how ingrained
they are with our view of history. And so, as the ‘cultural video game’ becomes more prominent, with its vast avenues to literally explore a culture of the past, one thing is clear; as the archetypal Vice City shows, the creation of the past comes from our familiarity with films, and not the history books.
Creating a Web of the past: highlights of Vice City
The fictional band Love Fist are a spoof of 80s cult Gordon Gekko movie This Is Spinal Tap (1984). Just like the characters they are based on, Love Fist have over the Strolling the streets of Vice City is a Gordon Gekko looktop pyrotechnic rock shows and hilariously vulgar a-like saying ‘greed is good’ every so often, a reference songs (such as Dangerous Bastard and Fist Fury). to Michael Douglas’s character in Wall Street (1987).
The taxi company in Vice City is called KaufThe constructions vans that can be found in Vice man Cabs, a reference to Andy Kaufman’s City are labelled with ‘Top Fun’ on the side, and starring role in the 1980s TV show Taxi. the lettering is reminiscent of the 80s film Top Gun.
Crossing the boundaries between the game and the generations of film that inspire it, 1980s star Not only does the colour scheme and look of Ray Liotta voices the protagonist Tommy Veryour Vice City mansion match Tony Mon- cetti. There is even a Goodfellas-esque black tana’s, the security cameras inside do not show tracksuit available for the character to wear. the outside of the Vercetti Estate, but the security footage from the security cameras in Scarface.
Red State Red State follows a group of three teenage boys who travel to a remote village after they are promised sex by a woman on an internet site. Once they arrive, the internet siren drugs and captures them for a nearby fundamentalist church, Five Points, who have very different plans for the three young men. Red State sets itself up like a standard horror, three kids go into the woods looking for sex and booze only to stumble across something more unsavoury, however it shifts to other genres more than once. By the end of Red State it feels more like an action or siege movie with a political edge than a horror and it becomes confusing to think about when the tone changes. Even though Red State is a vast departure for Smith, you can still feel his presence in the film - “nuckin’ futs” ideas for one film (see Dogma) or fails to pull off a being a prime example of his more regular dialogue. simple premise (see Zach and Miri make a Porno). Red State has both problems, Smith has so many ideas that The first half of the movie is rather well written. Smith he has been working on for some time (this film was abandons his traditional Askewniverse style and the announced over 5 years ago) and he tries to cram them film starts off incredibly creepy. Michael Parks is very into a simple horror film with a religious leaning. Judggood as the Fred Phelps-esque preacher, Abin Cooper, ing by the writing in the first half of the movie, Red perfectly mixing charm, religious rhetoric and a litState had real potential that it does not live up to. JH tle bit of crazy for his performance. The whole film revolves around Cooper, he controls his congregation with scripture and wordplay. Aside from Parks the rest of the cast is given relatively little to do, Mellissa Leo is rather under used for an academy award winner, as is John Goodman. There are also a number of cast members from prominent TV shows such as Breaking Bad, Buffy and True Blood who barely appear on screen. When the tone changes, the film becomes more of a siege movie. Smith begins abandoning characters from earlier in the film in favour of others. Red State almost feels like two films spliced together, when taken as a whole the movie is more like a religioushorror-siege-satire-drama film. If you find that confusing then you have a good idea of what the film is like. Smith’s writing is absolutely all over the place. The man has a million points he’d like to make, but he seems to have problems making them effectively. The horror elements of the film are much more effective and it is Parks’ performance that will be remembered. It is a shame that the tone changes so severely especially as there seems to be little need to. Kevin Smith’s career has certainly had it’s ups and downs over the last 20 years. From his era defining Clerks that thrust him into the spotlight, his work has suffered the same problems Smith either has too many
(Marlin from Finding Nemo) into a very convincing gangster. The car chases in the film are incredible, and when coupled with Cliff Martinez’s soundtrack it becomes impossible to take your eyes off the screen. The soundtrack for Drive is clearly influenced by 1980’s thrillers. It is a very clever mix of pulsing, throbbing House music and aching classical pieces. Martinez has really excelled himself working on this picture and listen out for his work on the upcoming Steven Soderbergh picture, Contagion.
Drive Drive revolves around the life of a stuntman living in LA, who is a talented getaway driver at night. After he befriends his neighbour Irene and her young son and husband, he moves to make their life a lot easier by getting rid of their debt to the mob. 2011 has definitely been Ryan Gosling’s year. Following his performance in last year’s Blue Valentine he has found himself in 3 of the years most anticipated movies. It is almost a relief to find that his performance in Drive is superb. Though the idea of a “strong, silent type” is a little old fashioned, maybe even clichéd, Gosling brings something new to the table. Gosling constantly draws you into his character, even if “Driver” is just listening to music in his car, you are drawn to him. “Driver”, himself is delightfully unhinged, speaking very rarely but communicating a lot through his eyes and his body movements. The scenes between Gosling and his young co-star, Kaden Leos, are particularly good, showing a realistic relationship between a man and his young neighbour. There are many allusions to Clint Eastwood’s, Man with No Name, the toothpick is constantly in Gosling’s mouth and the same stare with the same terrifying intensity is a joy to watch. Director Nicholas Winding Refn, knows how to direct a thriller. Last years Valhalla Rising about a one eyed Viking was a brutal, bloody and brilliant film. Drive continues in a similar vein, it certainly has it’s own bloody moments, but the blood pumping intensity is what counts. Refn gets the best out of each of his actors and even manages to make Albert Brooks
Unlike many “cool” films, Drive never feels like it’s trying too hard. The dialogue avoids being fashionable, there is no Sorkin-esque rat-a-tat, no Tarantinolite cultural references. Drive’s screenwriter is much smarter than that. His sparse dialogue requires that actors act, rather than read from a script. To an extent the chase scenes are understated, the fist of which occurs in a regular Toyota, chosen by the characters because it’s the most common car in America. A great deal has been made of the violence in Drive, though in reality it is quite restrained. The body count is around 8 people (plus or minus some anonymous goons). The violence is not lingered on or drooled over, instead it is alluded to, shown in the shadows or flickered onscreen in the briefest of shots. Drive manages to be a thrilling an taught for every one of it’s 100 minutes, even if nothing seems to be goin on on-screen. Drive is absolutely astonishing. The performances and set pieces are so good that you’ll be desperate to find a toothpick to chew as you leave the cinema and the next car you buy will probably be a Mustang. Keep an eye on what the people involved do next. JH
Crazy Stupid Love After Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) learns that his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) wants a divorce and has cheated on him with her co-worker David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon), he decides to try and restart his life and “regain his manhood” with the help of a young player, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Crazy Stupid Love looks like a relatively ordinary romantic comedy, there’s a couple in turmoil , grand gestures and a sad moment where it rains a lot. When looking beyond the surface it becomes apparent that Crazy Stupid Love is in fact an exceptional romantic comedy. The romantic comedy genre has become stagnant is recent years, people have tried to revive it, but the genre has never reached the same dizzying heights it did in the 1990’s. There are a wealth of new rom-com’s out at the moment such as Friends stration of his skills and it shows why it was a good with Benefits and What’s Your Number, but Crazy thing for him to move onto bigger projects. Crazy Stupid Love surpasses them by a considerable length. Stupid Love is most definitely a big project, the cast is huge both in size and status, there are a number of The key to Crazy Stupid Love lies is the quality of it’s different storylines going on at once and it is a tescast. The cast is incredibly talented, in both a come- tamant to the Directors, Glenn Ficarra and John Redic and dramatic sense. Steve Carell has been the best qua, skill that it is carried off remarkably well. JH thing in comedies before but never as part of a cast like this. Ryan Gosling makes one of his first mainstream appearances in quite some time as Jacob and frequently looks as though he could steal every scene he’s in. Julianne Moore’s Emily is superb and touching as a charatcer in real turmoil. Even the supporting cast with smaller parts is of exceptional quality, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei are in less scenes but are so memorable for a variety of reasons. Bacon’s David Lindhagen is both lovely and terribly creepy at the same time, which gives rom-com audiences something they’ve not seen before, real conflict. Crazy Stupid Love separates itself from the pack by being incredibly funny. Rom-com’s have a tendency to become maudlin and saggy affairs or convoluted and too hard to follow. Crazy Stupid Love avoids this completely, there is rarely a time where there is not something to laugh at on screen. The relationship between Jacob and Cal is particularly special, the male version of a makeover montage is a joy to behold. Steve Carell’s Cal brings this whole film together and whilst the audience may not always agree with his actions they always find him funny and in a rom-com it is important not to forget the “com”. (See Friends with Benefits review) Crazy Stupid Love marks Steve Carell’s first on screen role since he left The Office. It is a superb demon-
signs and sizes, from schizophrenic three headed geriatrics to lumbering 300 foot behemoths with their own individual characteristics and hierarchies. However Otto Jesperson as the ‘Troll Hunter’ steals the show with a variety of specialist gadgets and powerful screen presence paired with deep characterisation as a humanitarian within an oppressive system; recalled emotionally in an incredibly poignant speech where he recounts committing government ordered genocide of a troll community to make way for land development. Perhaps the funniest point in the film is that evidently ‘trolls are stupid’ and need human intervention in the form of Hans and veterinarians to sustain and observe their populations. This leads to outlandish educational dialogue explaining troll lifecycles and the science behind how trolls turn to stone or explode when exposed to sunlight. Despite moments of seriousness and set pieces of sustained threat the film humour is incredibly tongue in Troll Hunter cheek. Otto Jesperson’s deadpan one liners, the trolls Over the last decade Norwegian and Finnish cin- attraction to ‘Christian man’s blood’ and the ridiculous ema produced some absolute cult gems, with the measures taken by the environmental agency to explain nazi zombie horror Dead Snow and demonic San- away troll attacks produce some genuinely comic mota parable Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale among ments. Aswell as this the immersive handheld camera many of the strange and wonderful creations. The creates a horrific sense of perspective in relation to the latest film to literally emerge from the mountains is overbearing presence of the trolls and encapsulates the Andre Ovredal’s Troll Hunter, a faux documentary desolate expanses of the real Norwegian wilderness. following a group of student filmmakers who mistakenly stumble upon the Norwegian governments As a concept Troll Hunter could have been made into best kept secret that trolls exist. However the film a sub-standard b- movie but thankfully the tasteful surpasses the generically familiar ‘found footage’ use of effects, along with quirky humour and political film with a hybrid of horror, humour and spectacle satire renders it a film in touch with its audience but that makes it a thoroughly entertaining experience. also with its own culture and folklore. As a fun satisfying cinematic experience Troll Hunter is near perfect. The narrative follows the three student filmmak- See it before Hollywood inevitably remakes it. CB ers investigating a series of bear poaching incidents within the local area before tailing an enigmatic looking hunter into the mountainous wilderness looking to question him about the incidents. After meeting the hunter and having their disbelief destroyed by a terrifying encounter they band up with the troll hunter himself Hans Trolljegeren, whose dissatisfaction with his work and lack of rights solidifies his agreement for the crew to film him in his exploits. What follows is a brilliantly mysterious expose documentary as Hans encounters a number of different trolls in various desolate locations while avoiding the ever pervasive presence of bureaucratic forces attempting to stop the footage going public. As the main spectacle of the film the trolls are surprisingly impressive with a variety of inventive de-
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Getting to the end of this review without the use of the word ‘marmite’ may be tricky, but your faithful reviewer shall endure because such a word wouldn’t do justice to just what Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is all about. In what, on first inspection, has all the hallmarks of a true modern classic, Thomas Alfredson’s adaptation of the John le Carre novel of the same name tells the story of the inner workings of the British Security service in 1970s London. A disgraced ex-intelligence officer, George Smiley, (Gary Oldman) must use his experience and expertise to track down the supposed mole in ‘the circus’ - MI6’s highest circle. The narrative explores the highly secretive and paranoid nature of the 1970s security services, as well as the dispondency involved in fighting a cold war with no real apparent virtue. The film’s look is sublime. In terms of attention to detail, thought-out camera shots and and a well defined aesthetic, it is easily comparable to some of film history’s greats. And what you will find is that all this visual quality will urge the viewer on to *want* to love this film. And whilst it’s true that its visual brilliance does buy the slow-moving plot some time, the unfortunate and conclusive truth is that all the firstrate cinematography in the world cannot buy this film enough time. Whilst defenders of the film will argue that it’s meant to be slow, the point is that the film becomes jarringly slow - and for that, the film suffers.
or quotable artistry. And in view of the phenomenal cast they had to deliver it, this is a great shame.
I’m not going to use ‘marmite’ to describe this film because it’s not a question of loving it or hating it, although many viewers will fall in to one category or another. It’s a question of the film having such brilliance and being such dross at the same time. The only way I can come close to describing it is by saying, imagine you were lucky enough to be treated to dinner at the Savoy. You’re overwhelmed by the grandness of the lobby, impressed by the fine service, and as you take your seat opposite your date for the evening, you feel that you’re evening is about to be the best you’ve ever had. Then imagine that the maitre d’ presents you Individually, there are some brilliant scenes, a scene with a Big Mac and chips. Some might claim that this in which Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) has is what they came for, (it’s the sodding Savoy, after all!) to procure documents from his own side, particularly but I, for one would be mortally disappointed. DJP springs to mind. Its fastastically tense in parts. But the problem is, the film does not do enough to string all these moments of brilliance together, in the form of a plot that works as a single entity. There is too little variation in development, the tempo never changes, and certain concepts are not developed fully enough. The ambigulous and seemingly omnipotent idea of ‘the circus’ is neither presented as being darkly veiled in mystery nor developed as a set of characters in any way. Instead it is kind of just there. Because of the this, the film’s final revelation has no sense of punch. Furthermore, there is some really quite ordinary dialogue. It may look as good as the Godfather, but don’t let this fool you into thinking you are listening to the Godfather. Whatever the intention of the dialogue may have been, it carries no sense of artistic brilliance as either gritty realism
Credit should also go to David Tennant in one of his first big cinema roles. Tennant’s Vincent strays farthest from the original character than anyone else’s. Tennant’s take on Vincent as a Midori swilling magician is certainly fun to watch, especially in the numerous arguments he has with his assistants. Christopher MintzPlasse is good as Brewster’s old friend Ed. Mintz-Plasse has been somewhat typecast as a high school geek over the last few years, unfortunately in Fright Night he does not reach the same heights as his previous roles as McLovin in Superbad or Red Mist in Kick Ass. Though the use of 3D is largely ineffective, the film stands well without it. The CGI is also rather sloppy, the fully vampiric version of Jerry looks unconvincing and slightly cartoonish and bring back bad memories of Van Helsing. Make up could have been a better way to go. However, the main issues with the film lie with Charlie Brewster. Brewster monotonously moves from scene to scene conFright Night stantly in peril and isn’t really used to much effect Fright Night is a remake of the 1987 classic vampire movie. except to bring all the better characters together. The plot follows a high school pupil, Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) as he becomes increasingly concerned All in all Fright Night is a good comedy-horror. It is that his neighbour, Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. certainly a respectful remake of the original and takes a good deal of it’s own new directions. Whether you are Remakes are difficult to do well (see our article on a fan of the original movie or not it is worth a look. JH page 12), if you go too close to the original version then there appears to be little point to the new film. If you stray too far, you risk the wrath of the fans of the original film and your fanbase is alienated. Though it may appear that the only horror films we see these days are remakes or sequels it is worth understanding that Horror films have always been remade. There are countless different versions of Dracula starting from Nosferatu all the way up until Francis Ford Coppola’s overbudgeted mess of a movie in 1992. Fright Night is a good example of how a film can be remade, harnessing the key elements of the original, doing away with some of the outdated bits and emerging with a newer slicker movie with a great deal to be admired. Director Craig Gillespie handles Fright Night well, both the comedic and horror elements of the movie sit well together. It certainly helps that his cast has worked well in comedy before. It must be said that the star of the show is Colin Farrell. Farrell clearly relishes his time on screen, simultaneously being seductive and repulsive as he watches every move the characters make. Jerry is an old school vampire, he does not sparkle if he sees sunlight, he has little regard for human life and it is a joy to watch Farrell work.
Warrior In the last decade and a half, the line between sports and entertainment has been blurred past the point of recognition, so far in fact that the cleverly named sports entertainment industry, championed by the likes of World Wrestling Entertainment and Impact Wrestling, has become one of the most lucrative in the world. The debate as to whether the world of mixed martial arts, in which Warrior is set, falls into this category is ongoing. It’s quite clear the film embraces the combination of drama and athleticism found in the industry as this is exactly what we are given, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing. The two leads, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton lead an almost entirely male cast as two brothers with a strained relationship and several suitcases of emotional baggage. Both come from different walks of life (Hardy a US Marine and Edgerton a physics teacher), but they both coincidently (how fortunate) find themselves fighting in a MMA tournament. The role isn’t Hardy’s most challenging and he doesn’t have a lot to work with, but he makes the best of being a gruff brooding Marine. Edgerton’s character relies on humour and mystique and he carries the role well. Both men look the part, especially Hardy, whose skin looks like a too tight T-shirt over his ample muscularity. Unfortunately the plot is built on an amalgamation of clichés: two estranged brothers, with a father who is a recovering alcoholic and a mother who struggled to raise the children, one who is a bankrupt, caring man who is forced to fight to support his family and the other a soldier turning his years of personal grief into saving a comrades life. It seems the script has tried to compile all the most frequently used tear jerking moments and squeeze it into a two hour film, very loosely based around violence. Given the fact that the cast is almost entirely dominated by men and we are plunged into a man’s world where violence is king, it seems almost counterproductive to devote so much time to the airing of emotional histories. Along with this, scratching under the surface of the film reveals some irritating inconsistencies. The tournament itself, while intended to find the toughest man in the world, is limited to light heavyweights only (as is the way in real MMA tournaments), including much lauded professional wrestler Kurt Angle as one of the competitors. Tantalising as the prospect of Angle’s entrance in the MMA universe is, sticks out as a flawed attempt at authenticity. The brief moments of combat are
outrageously exaggerated: one punch knock outs and over the top wrestling moves don’t happen. All this exaggeration marks the film as trying to establish mixed martial arts as a dramatic spectacle rather than a sport. These problems don’t completely ruin what is an otherwise watchable film, and perhaps realism isn’t everything. But combined with the recycled plot aspects, Warrior is just another clichéd sports movie trying to convince us that there is an emotional undercurrent to violence and that worldwide MMA tournaments are the way brothers resolve their issues. There isn’t and they don’t. AU
ed opportunity to get ‘under the skin’ of the character. The script ranges from bad to awful, with gems cropping up such as a nine year old Cataleya declaring, “I want to be an killer”. Such lack of subtlety immediately reduces the films credibility to nothing more than that of a trashy action flick. Perhaps all these inadequacies stem from the problem is that this genre has been done so many times that Colombiana has too many comparatives with films such as Salt; (trained female assassin on a personal vendetta) except instead of using some imagination and intelligence, such as when Jolie evades capture by the CIA in Salt, Saldana resorts to hiding in every available airduct and trying to kill bad guy Marco (Jordi Molla`– Bad Boys 2) with a toothbrush. The attempts at wowing the audience are wasted as it all lacks gumption and uniqueness to set it apart from the rest of the crowd.
Columbiana Colombiana, the latest action blockbuster flick to hit the big screen with a murder/gangs/revenge–related twist is nothing more than sheer genericism. The film begins with the parents of a nine-year-old girl, Cataleya being gunned down by a gang in Bogota, Colombia (hence the title). She manages to flee, escapes to America and grows up with her uncle and grandmother in Chicago. The plot then moves on considerably to a now grown up Cataleya (Zoe Saldana - Avatar) conducting organised murder after organised murder, in a bid to gain revenge on all who played a part in her parents death. One of the obvious contentions is with the plot. The storyline is very inconsistent, and at times baffling. The middle section in particular is still a bit of a mystery to me. The lull that you find after one shooting spree ends and before another begins results in a confused lack of cohesion, which a solid plot and script would have prevented. The director, Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3) fails to fill this lull with anything meaningful or emotive to connect the dots and make the film feel ‘complete’ to the audience. Only in the closing minutes is the vendetta carried out, with hand-to-hand combat, rockets and gunfire a plenty. Although a lively and satisfying ending, it seemed to feel like a rushed and unimaginative way to end what was a near life long aim for Cataleya. The film also completely neglects to show how Cataleya acquired and honed her skills for fighting and shooting as a child from her uncle. Instead the plot jumps abruptly over this topic moving from childhood to adulthood with no illustration of the transition from child to trained assassin. It’s a wast-
With an enthusiastic but unconvincing performance from Saldana, a shamefully bad script and an overly familiar plot, Colombiana falls in the category of an attempt at a Hollywood blockbuster that unfortunately has fallen rather wide of the mark. With many films of this nature being made every year, standing out from the crowd is crucial in order to get bums on seats in cinemas. This film however has stuck to the usual formula of explosions, bad one-liners and skimpy outfits that makes this nothing more than (I use the word again) – generic. By not breaking the mould, the film will never top the box office and soon will be relegated to the sale shelves of retailers across the country. While some may enjoy it for exactly what it is, those expecting something different will most certainly be disappointed. EM
Friends With Benefits Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) are two hot single friends who decide to have sex for fun without attachments or emotions until they get real relationships. Would you believe that it does not all go to plan? Director, Will Gluck, released Easy A at around this time last year and if you want more of the same sharp, referential and literary humour then it is probably worth finding Easy A on DVD. Friends with Benefits is nothing when compared to Gluck’s previous movie. It must be said that Friends with Benefits does all start rather well, it sets itself up to be a rom-com that satirises and plays with the formula of previous rom-coms in the same fashion as Easy A and High School movies. The writing in the first half hour is quite funny and both Kunis and Timberlake have charm in spades. However once all the good jokes are over the film freefalls into a nosedive of predictability, unnessecary characters and storylines and a plot that has all but run out of steam.
the last few years (Gould in particular is hilarious in Modern Family) but their comedic talents are wasted.
As the plot drags on, the characters become more and more annoying. It gets to the point where you no longer want the characters to get together, or even be in the same room together because they just harp on at one As such it can be said that Friends with Benefits thinks another for no reason. The mood becomes spoiled and a lot more of itself than it actually is. Both our protagwhat could have been a very funny film from a promising onists mock and make fun of traditional Hollywood director becomes a flaccid cesspool of convention. JH romantic comedies, which is rather lazy, whilst simutaneously falling into the same boring traps as every other rom com, which is even lazier. Friends with Benefits is also completely unaware that a remakably similar idea was covered (no more successfully) by Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher 6 months ago, making it considerably less edgy than it would like to be. The problems are multiple. Whilst Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake have both been seen in Oscar winning movies in the last 12 months they do relatively little here to bolster their reputations. Both fit into the stereotypes laid years ago, whilst they do acknowledge their “issues” and how annoying they are it does little to appease the audience when they make the same mistakes characters made in romcoms years ago despite their “awareness” of them. It appears that no-one has told Gluck that “wacky and unreliable” family members is a comedy tactic that has been used for generations but never with such little reward as in Friends With Benefits. The supporting cast has such a forgettable bearing on the plot that it seems silly to mention them. It is worth noting that Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins and Nolan Gould have all been in superior comedies to this in
future. Fassbender delivers his lines in the same plodding nature throughout the film which is certainly not something we are used to seeing from him. There is none of the menace or charm we’ve seen in his roles in Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds or the upcoming Shame. Judi Dench is a staple of period dramas and plays her role in the same way she has been for over 20 years. Other members of the cast are notable British actors but fail to distinguish themselves, Jamie Bell and Sally Hawkins are particularly disappointing.
Jane Eyre
Director Cary Fukunaga shoots the Derbyshire countryside with considerable skill. The countryside certainly looks beautiful and intimidating at the same time. For such a yound director he shows a great deal of talent. Moira Buffini’s screenplay is quite accurate to it’s source material. However, there are certainly changes that show characters in different lights which lead to a considerably more “Hollywood” ending.
There is not enough here to distinguish the 2011 The story of Jane Eyre is told through flashbacks to Jane Eyre from previous adaptations or even othher childhood, and her progression into adulthood. er period dramas. However there is at least one The audience learns about her history and her intrigu- noticable performance and Fukunaga’s directing relationship with the mysterious Mr Rochester. ing skill comes through. Jane Eyre is certainly an easy Sunday watch and can be enjoyed as such. JH Adaptations of Jane Eyre are released either on TV or in film roughly every 10 years. This has made it difficult for every new adaptation to try and distance itself from the previous versions in order to establish itself. Members of the audience will have their favourite versions and unfortunately the 2011 Jane Eyre does not distinguish itself entirely from older versions. However, there is a lot to be said for this new adaptation. At the centre of the film is Mia Wasikowska’s Jane. Wasikowska is without a doubt the best thing about this movie. Wasikowska’s Jane is both ordinary and exceptional there is a surprising depth to her performance. Wasikowska’s filmography is increasingly challenging and it will be interesting to see where she goes from here. Wasikowska’s appearance seems perfect for the role of Jane. Even when dwarfed by the vast countryside, the eye is drawn to Wasikowska’s deathly white and waifish appearance. It should be noted that Wasikowska’s British accent is also getting considerably better showing a great deal of growth since last years Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast do not follow Wasikowska’s lead. Michael Fassbender, somehow feels absent from the whole movie, as though his mind was on the bigger more exciting pictures in his
Melancholia Director Lars Von Trier is no stranger to controversy. From the gratuitous sex and violence of Anti – Christ to his recent expulsion from Cannes 2011 for “Nazisympathising” comments, his thought provoking films tread the fine line between art and bad taste. His latest export Melancholia, described by Trier as ‘a beautiful film about the end of the world’, departs from the expected controversy baiting as a visually compelling and emotionally visceral account of world apocalypse. The film follows the lives of two sisters Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) in the formalities and aftermath of Justine’s lavish wedding. Justine’s initial discovery of an unusual star in the sky later turns to horror when it is revealed to be a passing planet on course for earth. The knowledge of impending disaster, firmly established by Trier in the films opening montage of apocalyptic imagery, distorts the wedding into a macabre last supper of performed formality which Justine cannot bear. As she sinks deeper into melancholy and depression isolating and shunning her colleagues and husband, harsh truths are confronted and the world begins its slow decline.
as an emotional and visual assault to the senses.
However, for a film described on the basis of apocalypse the narrative does lag somewhat at times and certain set pieces feel melodramatic and forced. But in contrast to familiar Hollywood apocalypse film tropes of survivalist heroes and hopeful endings, Von Trier’s depressing concept of facing the void and accepting obliteration as opposed to fighting is more realistic Trier has a history of selecting strong female leads and than we would like to admit. As a thought provokKirsten Dunst’s award winning performance is realistic ing, visually astounding and emotionally affective and textured in a film punctured by experimental stywork, Melancholia is an incredible and although Von listic visuals and self- referential moments. From bold Trier can’t keep his mouth shut at the best of times, scenes of nudity to transitions from tormented victim he can undoubtedly craft incredible cinema. CB to maternal leader, her maturation as an actor has led to a well deserved Cannes best actress award. A brilliant ensemble cast also adds a touch of class including a stoic John Hurt as Justine’s father and astrology enthusiast Kiefer Sutherland, desperately using scientific rationale and reasoning to deny disaster and maintain hope as suicide becomes increasingly tempting. However this is not easy summer viewing. Von Trier’s surreal and shocking images occasionally intervene including uncanny imagery of dead birds falling from the sky and Justine having extramarital sex on a golf course with a stranger. An overwhelming sense of nihilism also shrouds the film and as the named planet ‘Melancholia’ gets overbearingly closer to earth and characters de –materialise and crack under pressure it is evidently a film about confronting mortality, aptly paraphrased in Justine’s utterance ‘life on earth is evil and we are all alone’. When this message is combined with the intimate characterisation and lack of hope it creates a tone of unbearable apathy, cemented by the films explosive finale
Things to see in october
O
nce again the team at PictureShow has sifted through a mass of film programmes to bring you a concise guide to the best and most interesting film shows in October. With Halloween approaching there’s a lot of spooky goings on. Central
West Bromwich
The Public Dead by Dawn Horror Marathon The Mist Zombies of Sugar Hill Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn Mum and Dad Audience Choice 28th October The Public’s Dead by Dawn Horror Marathon is the best Halloween Special Event we have seen this year. From contemporary classics such as
The Mist to the bizarre blaxploitation zombie horror Zombies of Sugar Hill. This is possibly the best way to spend the 28th of October.
Shrewsbury
The Old Market Hall Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival Throughout October The Shropshire Rainbow Film Festoval is a prominant LGBT film festival in the centre of Britain. It’s aims are to educate and raise awareness as well as to put on some cracking shows.
Wolverhampton The LightHouse Days of Heaven 12th October The Evil Dead 31st October Wolverhampton’s The LightHouse is also putting some things on just for Halloween. The original The Evil Dead is showing on Halloween Night. However, earlier in the month we have Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven with one of Richard Gere’s best performances.
North West Beetham
The Heron Winter’s Bone 14th October In the tiny village of Beetham in Cumbria there is The Heron Cinema. On the 14th of October they are showing Winter’s Bone, a detective story set in the deepest southern areas of the USA. Winter’s Bone was remarkably well received after it’s release last year and is well worth a look.
Chorley
Chorley Empire Community Cinema A Stitch in Time 6th October Sadly Norman Wisdom recently passed away. Though The Chorley Empire Community Cinema is keeping his memory alive with a showing of A Stitch in Time. Wisdom’s slapstick comedy Stockton on Tees is timeless and A Stitch in Time is one of his best. ARC The Orphanage 31st October
North East
Lancaster
The Dukes Labyrinth 18th October Halloween Mystery Film 30th October
Stockton’s ARC is showing one of the creepiest films of the last few years. The Orphanage is a Spanish film, produced by Guillermo Del Toro, director of Pan’s Labyrinth. Using a mixture of old fashioned scares and creepy visuals.
The Dukes Cinema in Lancaster is showing Berwick-upon-Tweed the 1986 Jim Henson film Labyrinth. Featuring The Maltings Theatre David Bowie as the Goblin King and a pleth- Mary Poppins 9th October ora of Henson’s puppet creations, Labyrinth is Top Gun 14th October both terrifying and endearing at the same time. The Maltings Theatre in Berwick-upon-Tweed The Dukes are also refusing to tell anyone is showing a series of classic movies. Here at what they are showing on Halloween. There PictureShow we’ve picked out Mary Poppins are clues to the film an their website but you and Top Gun. Both films are incredibly fun to would not want to ruin the surprise would you? watch and are a treat to see on the big screen
South
London Clapham Picturehouse Tricks 17th October Clapham Picturehouse is showing the 2007 Polish film, Tricks. It follows the story of Stefak, the youngest child in a single parent family as he searches for his father. The Phoenix Cinema The 400 Blows 6th October Blue Velvet 13th October The Phoenix Cinema has recently undergone a staggering renovation and is also known to be film critic, Mark Kermode’s favourite cinema. It was the first place he ever saw The Exorcist.
Their Eyes, an Argentinian crime film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2010.
South East Saffron Walden
Saffron Screen Lady and The Tramp 16th October Saffron Screen are howing the much loved Lady and The Tramp 56 years after it’s first release. Many cinemas are showing aa digital version of The Lion King this month, but Saffron is showing something much more special.
In October The Phoenix is showing The 400 Blows, a superb example Woodbridge of French New Wave Cinema and one The Riverside Theatre of Francois Truffaut’s most successful. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 30th October Also Showing is David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Cine Lumiere Amelie with Q&A with Jean Pierre Jeunet 12th October The Secret in Their Eyes 18th October
South West Bath
Little Theatre Cinema A Clockwork Orange 10th October Quadrophenia Cine Lumiere specialises in european films 11th October and throughout October there are some real gems on show. Amelie is a well known and As part of the BMW: Origins season, the well loved French film starring Audrey Tau- Little Theatre Cinema in Bath is showtou. Many of you will have seen the film, ing A Clockwork Orange and Quadrophebut, Cine Lumiere have also bagged the di- nia on successive nights. Both focus on the rector for a Q&A session at the end of the youth of Britain in different circumstances. film. Definitely worth sticking around for. Cine Lumiere are also showing The Secret in
Wales
Milford Haven The Torch Theatre Nosferatu, Symphony of Horror 3rd November The Torch Theatre is showing the original 1922 version of Nosferatu. The film very closely resembles the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. With incredible visuals and music for 1922 it’s a gift to be able to see this on a big screen.
Scotland Edinburgh
The FilmHouse La Piscine 6th October West Side Story 14th October The FilmHouse in Edinburgh is showing two superb films from the 1960’s. La Piscine is the emotional and erotic tale of three friends as they holiday in the Cote d’Azur. West Side Story is a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet which substitutes rival families for rival gangs in New York. The film went on to win 10 Academy Awards in 1962, more than any other musical film. Glasgow Glasgow Film Theatre Happiness 18th October The Bird With The Crystal Plumage 19th October Glasgow Film Theatre’s programme for October is incredibly varied. On the 18th they are showing Todd Solondz’ Happiness. Happiness is an incredibly dark animated film
that follows a family as they deal with the father’s peadophilia. The film is incredibly graphic and has sexual themes. It may be animated but it is definitely NOT for children. GFT is also showing the Dario Argento classic, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. A tale of murder and mystery, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is an accomplished thriller with film noir elements.
PictureShow Magazine will return on the 7th of November.