Film Fatale would like to thank everyone for their support and interest in this blog and is delighted to inform its readers that the official Film Fatale website has now launched. All future content, as well as original, can be found at www.filmfatalemagazine.com.
We hope you enjoy. See you there.
Jennifer Tate
Editor-in-Chief
Saturday 19 May 2012
Monday 30 April 2012
The Cabin in the Woods
7/10
Pros: A clever satire on its own genre with many twists and curveballs.
Cons: No conventional scares, if that’s what you’re after.
Reading a basic synopsis or even looking at the movie poster of The Cabin in the Woods will instantly give you the wrong and most inaccurate idea of what’s to unfold in this twisted horror movie that turns out to be both a satire and celebration of the genre the film fits into.
Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (the latter in his directorial debut), The Cabin in the Woods contains cleverly put together and unexpected twists that make it almost compulsory not to go into too much detail about the quickly advancing plot.
The opening scenes depict two completely different sets of characters. The first scene introduces us to the middle-aged Sitterson and Hadley (respectively played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) in their everyday suits and swapping banalities at what appears to be an ordinary workplace.
The next few scenes introduce us to a quintet of stereotypical and attractive teenagers: Dana (played by Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Frank Katz) and Holden (Jesse Williams) as they embark on a trip to Curt’s cousin’s vacant cabin in the woods - which as veterans of this genre will understand, never quite works out as well as planned. As they arrive and settle in, we recognise predictable props and locations that would provide a field day for a horror-buff with a tick-sheet. There’s the predictable creepy guy that they run into at the petrol station. The secluded cabin is eerily decked with haunting works of taxidermy. And there’s even a lake - which we guess will become the location for the predictable horror scene that’s ever repeated in mundane horror films.
But mundane and predicable The Cabin in the Woods is not. As an intoxicated game or truth and dare leads the quintet into the basement and we gradually become more acquainted with Sitterson and Hadley (remember those support-type employees we met in the first scene?), we learn that The Cabin in the Woods is actually a cleverly written nerve-jangler that’s more of an allegory than a scream-raising gore-fest.
I can’t reveal too much at the risk of spoiling the film’s well-thought-of curveballs and its clever nod to horror films’ finest conventions. The concept behind The Cabin in the Woods is both disturbing and imaginative and is revelatory of its genre’s clichéd and foreseen turn of events. It’s scary, but not in the conventional horror sense. I might have just said too much.
94 minutes.
Released: 13th April 2012.
By Jennifer Tate.
Twitter: @JennieTate
Pros: A clever satire on its own genre with many twists and curveballs.
Cons: No conventional scares, if that’s what you’re after.
Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (the latter in his directorial debut), The Cabin in the Woods contains cleverly put together and unexpected twists that make it almost compulsory not to go into too much detail about the quickly advancing plot.
The opening scenes depict two completely different sets of characters. The first scene introduces us to the middle-aged Sitterson and Hadley (respectively played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) in their everyday suits and swapping banalities at what appears to be an ordinary workplace.
The next few scenes introduce us to a quintet of stereotypical and attractive teenagers: Dana (played by Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Frank Katz) and Holden (Jesse Williams) as they embark on a trip to Curt’s cousin’s vacant cabin in the woods - which as veterans of this genre will understand, never quite works out as well as planned. As they arrive and settle in, we recognise predictable props and locations that would provide a field day for a horror-buff with a tick-sheet. There’s the predictable creepy guy that they run into at the petrol station. The secluded cabin is eerily decked with haunting works of taxidermy. And there’s even a lake - which we guess will become the location for the predictable horror scene that’s ever repeated in mundane horror films.
But mundane and predicable The Cabin in the Woods is not. As an intoxicated game or truth and dare leads the quintet into the basement and we gradually become more acquainted with Sitterson and Hadley (remember those support-type employees we met in the first scene?), we learn that The Cabin in the Woods is actually a cleverly written nerve-jangler that’s more of an allegory than a scream-raising gore-fest.
I can’t reveal too much at the risk of spoiling the film’s well-thought-of curveballs and its clever nod to horror films’ finest conventions. The concept behind The Cabin in the Woods is both disturbing and imaginative and is revelatory of its genre’s clichéd and foreseen turn of events. It’s scary, but not in the conventional horror sense. I might have just said too much.
94 minutes.
Released: 13th April 2012.
By Jennifer Tate.
Twitter: @JennieTate
Sundance London: LUV Review
2 STARS.
When Uncle Vince (Common, the Chicago rapper and hip hop artist), freshly released after 8 years behind the bars, teams up with his sister’s son Woody (Michael Rainey Jr) and decides to teach the clever 11 years old “what it takes to be a man” by venturing into the gangsters’ lairs in Baltimore, inevitably suspense unfolds.
LUV, a feature film debut for director and writer Sheldon Candis (her premiere at Sundance) takes us along the 24 hour journey of this unlikely pair. Persistent Woody (a fatherless black child who lives with his granny - Lonette McKee - in the suburbs of Baltimore) is determined to find his missing mum against the odds (we assume she could be a drug addict in North Carolina) while his Uncle Vince is forced to make deals with criminal gangs desperate to set up his own business and start a new life.
LUV is an emotional rollercoaster that alternates hope and despair of the two protagonists in 95 minutes packed with escalating violence, homicides, tears, irksome soundtracks and the improbable twists in the screenplay (by Justin Wilson and Sheldon Candis). The talented actors with their intriguing surrogate father/son relationship bring warmth to an erratic gangster story as we wait for the implausible finale.
By Giorgia Scaturro
LUV, a feature film debut for director and writer Sheldon Candis (her premiere at Sundance) takes us along the 24 hour journey of this unlikely pair. Persistent Woody (a fatherless black child who lives with his granny - Lonette McKee - in the suburbs of Baltimore) is determined to find his missing mum against the odds (we assume she could be a drug addict in North Carolina) while his Uncle Vince is forced to make deals with criminal gangs desperate to set up his own business and start a new life.
LUV is an emotional rollercoaster that alternates hope and despair of the two protagonists in 95 minutes packed with escalating violence, homicides, tears, irksome soundtracks and the improbable twists in the screenplay (by Justin Wilson and Sheldon Candis). The talented actors with their intriguing surrogate father/son relationship bring warmth to an erratic gangster story as we wait for the implausible finale.
By Giorgia Scaturro
Friday 27 April 2012
Robert Redford kicks off the inaugural Sundance London Festival
The first ever Sundance London festival kicked off yesterday morning at the O2 arena with an eye-opening press conference attended by its president and founder Robert Redford, its director John Cooper and the chief finance and strategy office for AEG Europe, Alex Hill.
Robert Redford discussed his decisions to take the indie-maven event to London and expressed his hopes to make it an annual event. “The festival had grown to such a degree that we wanted to move internationally but I was reluctant to do that for a while because I didn’t want growth to just be about growth – it had to have some meaning to it,” explained Redford, “but it felt like it was ready. We decided to bring a scaled-down version of what we do – sort of the alchemy of what we do – in the mountains in Utah in January, bring it here and just see how it was received.” The Academy Award-winning actor discussed his hopes that what they do in Sundance would have some appeal in London and that there’s a good response to their diverse and independent films, “another part of the hope would that it would inspire support of that same type of creativity here in London. Finally, of course is the main objective that we started with: to create opportunities for more artists and more voices to be heard and to extend that opportunity to more audiences in other parts of the world.”
The four-day festival features an attractive blend of music performances, talks and screenings of feature films, documentaries and shorts. Redford explained the importance of film and music’s relationship, referencing the importance music had on his 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “I didn’t see it at the time because I thought it was stupid; you know you suddenly had a scene where a guy was singing ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ and it wasn’t even raining. How wrong was I?” said the 75-year-old, “Music is so important to film and it’s played a great role in film. I see the future as a hybrid and since that hybrid was on the horizon, we wanted to show that we were with it and bring music with film here to show how that there is a connection now that’s growing stronger and stronger.”
Originally founded in 1981 by Redford in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, the non-profit festival secures a space for independent artists to explore their stories free from commercial and political pressures. Talking about his own stellar career – which has seen him star in countless Oscar-winning films -, Redford discussed his appreciation for independent filmmaking. “I’ve been fortunate to work both sides of the aisles,” he said, “Starting early on in my career working in large Hollywood films was fun but it didn’t totally satisfy a need I have – which was for something a little more risky, therefore low budget and more independent. Starting Sundance was basically to enlarge the category for film and to include those people that might otherwise be shut out by the mainstream way of thinking.” Redford explained that Sundance was not to deny or eliminate big Hollywood blockbusters because “they are obviously very satisfying on a world-wide basis. I just feel that there’s a hunger for other kinds of films as well.”
Redford also explained his cautiousness over the worldwide success of his independent showcase. “Our becoming successful is always something I pay attention to; not losing who we are and the way we do things. Success has a dangerous side to it, which is something that I’ve been aware of my whole life,” he said.
The internationally revered festival started independently with just one theatre and no financial support. “Over time, I realised that there was some value to (starting from scratch) because it coincided nicely with the artists who came who started from scratch,” Redford said, “We were representing that segment of our society and when growth and success comes, then that could threaten that. You could start reaching for the money and in that reach you could lose yourself, so it’s something that we try to watch very, very carefully.” John Cooper, the director added, ‘the short answer to that is that you don’t lose your soul when Redford’s at the helm.”
The three panellists were naturally asked if there was a feature in particular that they would recommend everybody seeing. However, it was only Alex Hill, of AEG, who could single out a particular film. “There’s something for everyone,” Hill said, “I’m into great cinematography so I’m really keen to watch Chasing Ice.” Robert Redford said that he was going to be “diplomatic” in saying that he wouldn’t single out one film over the other, “I think they all represent different points of view about American life and that’s what we hoped would happen, so I look at it as more of a collective”. Cooper mentioned that he was “curious about Queen of Versailles because it’s a film that’s a metaphor for America" and that he was “curious to see what the British audiences” thought of it, but later added after Redford’s response that that was his answer too.
London film festival runs 26-29 April at the O2 arena.
By Jennifer Tate. Twitter: @JennieTate
Robert Redford discussed his decisions to take the indie-maven event to London and expressed his hopes to make it an annual event. “The festival had grown to such a degree that we wanted to move internationally but I was reluctant to do that for a while because I didn’t want growth to just be about growth – it had to have some meaning to it,” explained Redford, “but it felt like it was ready. We decided to bring a scaled-down version of what we do – sort of the alchemy of what we do – in the mountains in Utah in January, bring it here and just see how it was received.” The Academy Award-winning actor discussed his hopes that what they do in Sundance would have some appeal in London and that there’s a good response to their diverse and independent films, “another part of the hope would that it would inspire support of that same type of creativity here in London. Finally, of course is the main objective that we started with: to create opportunities for more artists and more voices to be heard and to extend that opportunity to more audiences in other parts of the world.”
The four-day festival features an attractive blend of music performances, talks and screenings of feature films, documentaries and shorts. Redford explained the importance of film and music’s relationship, referencing the importance music had on his 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “I didn’t see it at the time because I thought it was stupid; you know you suddenly had a scene where a guy was singing ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ and it wasn’t even raining. How wrong was I?” said the 75-year-old, “Music is so important to film and it’s played a great role in film. I see the future as a hybrid and since that hybrid was on the horizon, we wanted to show that we were with it and bring music with film here to show how that there is a connection now that’s growing stronger and stronger.”
Originally founded in 1981 by Redford in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, the non-profit festival secures a space for independent artists to explore their stories free from commercial and political pressures. Talking about his own stellar career – which has seen him star in countless Oscar-winning films -, Redford discussed his appreciation for independent filmmaking. “I’ve been fortunate to work both sides of the aisles,” he said, “Starting early on in my career working in large Hollywood films was fun but it didn’t totally satisfy a need I have – which was for something a little more risky, therefore low budget and more independent. Starting Sundance was basically to enlarge the category for film and to include those people that might otherwise be shut out by the mainstream way of thinking.” Redford explained that Sundance was not to deny or eliminate big Hollywood blockbusters because “they are obviously very satisfying on a world-wide basis. I just feel that there’s a hunger for other kinds of films as well.”
Redford also explained his cautiousness over the worldwide success of his independent showcase. “Our becoming successful is always something I pay attention to; not losing who we are and the way we do things. Success has a dangerous side to it, which is something that I’ve been aware of my whole life,” he said.
The internationally revered festival started independently with just one theatre and no financial support. “Over time, I realised that there was some value to (starting from scratch) because it coincided nicely with the artists who came who started from scratch,” Redford said, “We were representing that segment of our society and when growth and success comes, then that could threaten that. You could start reaching for the money and in that reach you could lose yourself, so it’s something that we try to watch very, very carefully.” John Cooper, the director added, ‘the short answer to that is that you don’t lose your soul when Redford’s at the helm.”
The three panellists were naturally asked if there was a feature in particular that they would recommend everybody seeing. However, it was only Alex Hill, of AEG, who could single out a particular film. “There’s something for everyone,” Hill said, “I’m into great cinematography so I’m really keen to watch Chasing Ice.” Robert Redford said that he was going to be “diplomatic” in saying that he wouldn’t single out one film over the other, “I think they all represent different points of view about American life and that’s what we hoped would happen, so I look at it as more of a collective”. Cooper mentioned that he was “curious about Queen of Versailles because it’s a film that’s a metaphor for America" and that he was “curious to see what the British audiences” thought of it, but later added after Redford’s response that that was his answer too.
London film festival runs 26-29 April at the O2 arena.
By Jennifer Tate. Twitter: @JennieTate
Thursday 19 April 2012
Top 10 Sorority Films
In celebration of Whit Stillman's long-awaited return with Damsels in Distress - his first feature film since 1998's cult-classic The Last Days of Disco - Premier PR have compiled an exciting list, looking back at the most favourite films involving sisterhood and college life.
Damsels in Distress is in cinemas from 27th April and follows the story of transfer student Lily (Analeigh Tipton) as she tries to navigate her way around college life in the "it" group - you can read our review here.
Damsels in Distress (2012)
The comedy directed by Whit Stillman follows the story of a transfer student named Lily, played by Analeigh Tipton, as she tries to navigate around her new university after meeting a determined group of girls. Lily finds herself following the trio of girls in their mission to transform their male dominated campus by turning students away from depression and low standards.
Sorority Row (2009)
Sorority Row is a horror thriller that revolves around the murder of a sorority girl and the mysterious murders of her sorority sisters months following her death. The bonds of sisterhood are questioned as the sorority girls attempt to uncover the identity of the serial killer slowly killing them off.
The House Bunny (2008)
The House Bunny is a hilarious comedy about a former playboy playmate that is determined to prove her youthfulness by returning to the college social circuit. Too old to be admitted to the popular sorority, Shelley, played by Anna Farris, takes on the role as house mother. She makes it her mission to revamp the ostracized girls of the unpopular sorority that she resides over.
Sydney White (2007)
Sydney White is a romantic comedy following the story of a sorority legacy, Sydney White (Amanda Bynes) as she attempts to fit into her mother’s sorority. Based off of the classic story of Snow White, Sydney must learn how to successfully navigate through her freshman year and the daunting Greek life system.
Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blonde is the story of sorority president turned Harvard grad, Elle Woods played by Reese Witherspoon. As the film opens audiences immediately enter the world of all things Greek as Elle and her friends primp and prance in their large sorority house. Her ditsy sorority sisters, Margot and Serena, enthusiastically support Elle through all her trials and errors as she reaches the top.
Dying to Belong (1997)
Sorority life isn’t always easy and the made for television film, Dying to Belong, depicts those hardships in a social circle where dangerous forms of hazing are accepted. Hilary Swank stars as a former sorority hopeful who goes on a mission to uncover the death of her friend, who she suspects was killed during a ritual hazing.
Confessions of a Sorority Girl (1994)
Confessions of a Sorority Girl is a made for television film set in a 1950s American university. Jamie Luner stars as Sabrina Masterson, a manipulative college student who will do anything to win her mother’s approval by becoming the president of her sorority.
Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
Revenge of the Nerds is the 1984 film classic, satirizing college life. The film chronicles a group of nerds trying to stop the harassment from their university’s popular fraternity and sorority. With help from the less popular, more geeky sorority, the nerds rise to the top!
The House on Sorority Row (1983)
The House on Sorority Row is a cult classic slasher film about a group of sorority girls whose prank goes horribly wrong. Six sorority girls find themselves in a bind when they accidently murder their housemother when trying to pull off a prank the night of a bid party. After trying to cover-up the murder, the girls begin to be killed off one by one by a mysterious killer.
Black Christmas (1974)
Black Christmas is a 1974 cult horror film about a group of sorority girls who are terrorized by an escaped mental patient returning to his childhood home, turned sorority house. The girls are killed off one by one after continuously receiving taunting phone calls from the assumed killer. How’s that for a Christmas break?
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS will be released in cinemas nationwide April 27.
Thanks to Premier PR for images and copy.
Damsels in Distress is in cinemas from 27th April and follows the story of transfer student Lily (Analeigh Tipton) as she tries to navigate her way around college life in the "it" group - you can read our review here.
Damsels in Distress (2012)
The comedy directed by Whit Stillman follows the story of a transfer student named Lily, played by Analeigh Tipton, as she tries to navigate around her new university after meeting a determined group of girls. Lily finds herself following the trio of girls in their mission to transform their male dominated campus by turning students away from depression and low standards.
Sorority Row (2009)
The House Bunny (2008)
Sydney White (2007)
Legally Blonde (2001)
Dying to Belong (1997)
Confessions of a Sorority Girl (1994)
Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
The House on Sorority Row (1983)
Black Christmas (1974)
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS will be released in cinemas nationwide April 27.
Thanks to Premier PR for images and copy.
Shadow Dancer Review
8/10
Pros: Shadow Dancer is suspense-filled and deeply moving.
Cons: Grim, sad and hard-hitting – as grey as the Belfast skies that decorate it.
It might not be often that a grim and hard-hitting film about the Irish troubles is recommended passionately, but Shadow Dancer, directed by James Marsh, is an atmospheric and moving thriller that’s definitely worth a see.
It tells the story of struggling single mother Collette (Andrea Riseborough), who lives with her young son, mother and hardliner IRA brothers in 1990s Belfast. Still guilt-ridden by the death of her young brother - who was shot to death in 1973 in their neighbouring streets while running an errand which she forced upon him - Collette atones her guilt as a loyal and radicalised member of the IRA.
The organisation’s high-ranks – including her brothers Connor and Gerry (Domhnall Gleeson and Aidan Gillen) – have sent her to London where her mission is to plant a bomb on London’s tubes. The action scene is harrowing in itself, as a nervous, tattered and frantic Colette grows paranoid with every stranger’s glance. When she steps onto the platform, she spots that she’s been spotted and in a thrilling and suspense-filled chasing scene, she is eventually taken to Mac (Clive Owen), an MI5 officer who gives her an ultimatum: go to prison for 25 years or return to Belfast as an informer.
Torn between the choice of never being a mother to her son or turn against the rest of her family and all she believes in, Collette is eventually persuaded to place her trust in Mac on his basis that, “nobody dies and nobody gets hurt”.
As she returns home to spy on her family and the even higher-ranks of the IRA, the trepidation becomes almost unbearable to handle. Constantly under pressure to deliver information to Mac on an assassination her brothers are planning, Collette also faces suspicion from the ruthless IRA Kevin Mulville (David Wilmot), who isn’t taking any of her frenzied excuses. When the plot is ambushed by British Security Forces, the trepidation hits a peak and from there, the plot spirals into riveting and unexpected destinations.
Andrea Riseborough is brilliant in her role as the twenty-something mole; her tired face convincingly displaying the expected worn and fret and Clive Owen is as slick and confident as he normally is.
Written by Tom Bradby, Shadow Dancer is not a feel-good film – in fact, it’s as grey as the Belfast skies that decorate it. But the palpable and chilling film is deeply moving, serving as a realistic account of the gritty reality of what it must have been like at the foreground of such a sad and sore time.
100 minutes.
Released: 24th August 2012
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Pros: Shadow Dancer is suspense-filled and deeply moving.
Cons: Grim, sad and hard-hitting – as grey as the Belfast skies that decorate it.
It tells the story of struggling single mother Collette (Andrea Riseborough), who lives with her young son, mother and hardliner IRA brothers in 1990s Belfast. Still guilt-ridden by the death of her young brother - who was shot to death in 1973 in their neighbouring streets while running an errand which she forced upon him - Collette atones her guilt as a loyal and radicalised member of the IRA.
The organisation’s high-ranks – including her brothers Connor and Gerry (Domhnall Gleeson and Aidan Gillen) – have sent her to London where her mission is to plant a bomb on London’s tubes. The action scene is harrowing in itself, as a nervous, tattered and frantic Colette grows paranoid with every stranger’s glance. When she steps onto the platform, she spots that she’s been spotted and in a thrilling and suspense-filled chasing scene, she is eventually taken to Mac (Clive Owen), an MI5 officer who gives her an ultimatum: go to prison for 25 years or return to Belfast as an informer.
Torn between the choice of never being a mother to her son or turn against the rest of her family and all she believes in, Collette is eventually persuaded to place her trust in Mac on his basis that, “nobody dies and nobody gets hurt”.
As she returns home to spy on her family and the even higher-ranks of the IRA, the trepidation becomes almost unbearable to handle. Constantly under pressure to deliver information to Mac on an assassination her brothers are planning, Collette also faces suspicion from the ruthless IRA Kevin Mulville (David Wilmot), who isn’t taking any of her frenzied excuses. When the plot is ambushed by British Security Forces, the trepidation hits a peak and from there, the plot spirals into riveting and unexpected destinations.
Andrea Riseborough is brilliant in her role as the twenty-something mole; her tired face convincingly displaying the expected worn and fret and Clive Owen is as slick and confident as he normally is.
Written by Tom Bradby, Shadow Dancer is not a feel-good film – in fact, it’s as grey as the Belfast skies that decorate it. But the palpable and chilling film is deeply moving, serving as a realistic account of the gritty reality of what it must have been like at the foreground of such a sad and sore time.
100 minutes.
Released: 24th August 2012
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Friday 13 April 2012
Delicacy Review
8/10
Pros: Charming and quirky with the right dose of delicacy.
Cons: The mismatched pairing of Nathalie and Markus is a little far-fetched.
David Foenkinos directs and adapts his bestselling novel of the same name and presents Delicacy: a charming and heartfelt romance that might just make you shed a tear.
Audrey Tautou stars as Nathalie Kerr, a beautiful and successful Parisian with the world at her feet. In her local café, over apricot juice, she meets and bonds with Francois (played by Pio Marmaï), a handsome French man with whom she eventually falls in love and marries. The first half an hour is - what can only be described as – lovely, as David Foenkinos and his brother Stéphane direct a sweet documentation of the soul-mates’ love and adoration for one another to a backdrop of sugary music and the romantic setting of Paris.
One day, however, Nathalie learns that the love of her life has been tragically killed in a car accident, finding herself in a deep state of shock, grief and misery. The subsequent scenes follow Nathalie’s mourning on her three-year path back to a normal life: she buries her head into her work and eventually grows more successful, gradually getting used to living and being alone.
As Nathalie slowly crawls up the career ladder, she notices an unwelcome admirer: her married boss Charles (played by Bruno Todeschini) who’s inappropriate advances she passionately rejects to his dismay. Successful, handsome and charming, Charles can’t understand why she’s not attracted to him, forcefully urging her over dinner to move on from her late husband.
But Nathalie isn’t ready to move on…or at least she doesn’t think she is. That is until she falls for her co-worker Markus Landi (played by François Damiens), a lanky and balding Swede in daily dress of sad jumpers, who unexpectedly reinstalls her zest for life.
Markus can’t believe his luck (Nathalie is his boss and the girl of his dreams) and neither can the rest of their co-workers – who all believe that their gorgeous and sassy friend is way too good for the gawky and bearded admin worker. The news particularly doesn’t go down too well with Charles, who later invites Markus out for a drink to see what Nathalie sees in her – making for an almost uncomfortable scene to watch.
Overall however, Delicacy is a visual treat: a heart-warming tale that manages to tug at every heartstring with its ability to make you laugh, cry and dream. The only criticism would be that the film’s unlikely pairing might actually translate to the audience as a pairing too unlikely. But even shallowness can’t spoil this gorgeous film.
Released 13th April 2012.
108 minutes.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Pros: Charming and quirky with the right dose of delicacy.
Cons: The mismatched pairing of Nathalie and Markus is a little far-fetched.
David Foenkinos directs and adapts his bestselling novel of the same name and presents Delicacy: a charming and heartfelt romance that might just make you shed a tear.
Audrey Tautou stars as Nathalie Kerr, a beautiful and successful Parisian with the world at her feet. In her local café, over apricot juice, she meets and bonds with Francois (played by Pio Marmaï), a handsome French man with whom she eventually falls in love and marries. The first half an hour is - what can only be described as – lovely, as David Foenkinos and his brother Stéphane direct a sweet documentation of the soul-mates’ love and adoration for one another to a backdrop of sugary music and the romantic setting of Paris.
One day, however, Nathalie learns that the love of her life has been tragically killed in a car accident, finding herself in a deep state of shock, grief and misery. The subsequent scenes follow Nathalie’s mourning on her three-year path back to a normal life: she buries her head into her work and eventually grows more successful, gradually getting used to living and being alone.
As Nathalie slowly crawls up the career ladder, she notices an unwelcome admirer: her married boss Charles (played by Bruno Todeschini) who’s inappropriate advances she passionately rejects to his dismay. Successful, handsome and charming, Charles can’t understand why she’s not attracted to him, forcefully urging her over dinner to move on from her late husband.
But Nathalie isn’t ready to move on…or at least she doesn’t think she is. That is until she falls for her co-worker Markus Landi (played by François Damiens), a lanky and balding Swede in daily dress of sad jumpers, who unexpectedly reinstalls her zest for life.
Markus can’t believe his luck (Nathalie is his boss and the girl of his dreams) and neither can the rest of their co-workers – who all believe that their gorgeous and sassy friend is way too good for the gawky and bearded admin worker. The news particularly doesn’t go down too well with Charles, who later invites Markus out for a drink to see what Nathalie sees in her – making for an almost uncomfortable scene to watch.
Overall however, Delicacy is a visual treat: a heart-warming tale that manages to tug at every heartstring with its ability to make you laugh, cry and dream. The only criticism would be that the film’s unlikely pairing might actually translate to the audience as a pairing too unlikely. But even shallowness can’t spoil this gorgeous film.
Released 13th April 2012.
108 minutes.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Thursday 12 April 2012
Daniel Craig as Bond to open 2012 Olympics.
In celebration of the forthcoming London Olympic Games this summer, it has been reported that James Bond actor Daniel Craig and cult director Danny Boyle have collaborated to make mini-movie The Arrival. The short film will be played to an estimated audience of over one billion people (that’s 15% of the world population) on the night of the opening ceremony on 27th July 2012.
According to reports, the film shows Craig as Bond travelling to Buckingham Palace, where he’s informed that his latest mission is to open the 2012 Olympic Games Ceremony. After he has been briefed, he is transported to the Olympic stadium in Stratford, East London, where he reportedly parachutes into the arena.
It is not yet confirmed whether Craig will actually appear for real at the games but it serves as an excellent advertisement for the forthcoming Bond motion picture Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes and set for release in November this year. The latest Bond film stars usual cast members Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, as well as Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes and Helen McCrory.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
According to reports, the film shows Craig as Bond travelling to Buckingham Palace, where he’s informed that his latest mission is to open the 2012 Olympic Games Ceremony. After he has been briefed, he is transported to the Olympic stadium in Stratford, East London, where he reportedly parachutes into the arena.
It is not yet confirmed whether Craig will actually appear for real at the games but it serves as an excellent advertisement for the forthcoming Bond motion picture Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes and set for release in November this year. The latest Bond film stars usual cast members Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, as well as Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes and Helen McCrory.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Gemma Arterton to join The Wright Girls
Gemma Arterton has reportedly signed on to play one of the leading roles in Relativity’s dark comedy-thriller, The Wright Girls.
The film - which will be a loose remake on the Japanese motion picture 2LDK – will centre on two young actresses who live together and are co-stars on a successful TV show. To their fans and press, they are best of friends but in reality, they share a mutual disliking for one another and the tension reaches a boiling point when the two go to drastic lengths in competing for a coveted film role.
Bert Royal (writer of Easy A) is onboard to write the script, whilst Andy Fickman (director of She’s The Man and The Game Plan) is set to direct.
The role of the other female lead is yet to be confirmed, however Megan Fox was thrown in the rumour mill a few months ago.
Gemma Arterton was most recently seen in Tamara Drewe in 2010 and can be next seen in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters opposite Jeremy Renner - set for release next January.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
The film - which will be a loose remake on the Japanese motion picture 2LDK – will centre on two young actresses who live together and are co-stars on a successful TV show. To their fans and press, they are best of friends but in reality, they share a mutual disliking for one another and the tension reaches a boiling point when the two go to drastic lengths in competing for a coveted film role.
Bert Royal (writer of Easy A) is onboard to write the script, whilst Andy Fickman (director of She’s The Man and The Game Plan) is set to direct.
The role of the other female lead is yet to be confirmed, however Megan Fox was thrown in the rumour mill a few months ago.
Gemma Arterton was most recently seen in Tamara Drewe in 2010 and can be next seen in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters opposite Jeremy Renner - set for release next January.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Mirror Mirror Review
7/10
Pros: A guilt-free cinematic escape with impressive costumes.
Cons: The occasional bad gag, but it’s all in the name of fun.
Kicking off 2012’s fairy-tale trend is Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror; the first-to-be-released of the two films based on the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tale set for release this year.
Compared to the darker and more grown-up Snow White and the Huntsmen – due out in June and starring Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron - this portrayal of the fair beauty that befriends seven dwarfs to escape her evil stepmother is the frothy and childlike take; colourful and easy-to-watch.
It stars 23-year-old Lily Collins, daughter of Genesis’s Phil, who is perfect as Snow White – the princess and prisoner to her evil Queen stepmother played brilliantly by Julia Roberts. Since the death of White’s father, the evil, lavish and power-mad Queen has turned the Kingdom’s once happy town into a poverty-stricken neighbourhood robbed of their hard earnings to pay for the Queen’s extravagant taste in parties and fine catering.
For the Queen however, there are troubles in paradise, as her vulgar spending becomes the cause for her spiralling financial debt. When Armie Hammer arrives in town as the fabulously wealthy Prince Alcott, she gets an idea: through the help of her enchanted mirror and malicious spellbinding, she will convince Prince Alcott to marry her and her financial problems will be a thing of the past.
However, Prince Alcott only has eyes for Snow White, who in this telling – far from needing a prince to save her from her begrudged and evil stepmother (although this does come in handy) - is feisty, independent and makes it her own mission to save the deprived townspeople exploited by her stepmother.
Upon White’s escape from the kingdom, she comes across the seven dwarfs in the snow-covered woods. However unlike other takes on the fairytale, this septet, apart from equipping Snow with useful sword techniques and defence mechanisms to save her townspeople and defeat the evil stepmother, has little to offer the film – most notably in their comic value (or lack there of).
There have been many criticisms towards this film, most notably for its straightforwardness and its occasional bad gags – all of which I deem to be unfair. Mirror Mirror is no doubt aimed at the child and tween age group, but there are sufficient doses of satisfying adult humour and sarcasm here that make this film a pleasurable and guilt-free watch. It’s not perfect, I’ll give you that, but to look at through non-judgemental eyes, it’s a bold and magical film, decorated wonderfully by the late designer Eiko Ishioka’s designs, who bows out on a high note with her fantasy-like and self-designed ornate costumes. Overall, Mirror Mirror is a healthy dose of guilt-free escapism.
Released: 2nd April 2012.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Pros: A guilt-free cinematic escape with impressive costumes.
Cons: The occasional bad gag, but it’s all in the name of fun.
Kicking off 2012’s fairy-tale trend is Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror; the first-to-be-released of the two films based on the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tale set for release this year.
Compared to the darker and more grown-up Snow White and the Huntsmen – due out in June and starring Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron - this portrayal of the fair beauty that befriends seven dwarfs to escape her evil stepmother is the frothy and childlike take; colourful and easy-to-watch.
It stars 23-year-old Lily Collins, daughter of Genesis’s Phil, who is perfect as Snow White – the princess and prisoner to her evil Queen stepmother played brilliantly by Julia Roberts. Since the death of White’s father, the evil, lavish and power-mad Queen has turned the Kingdom’s once happy town into a poverty-stricken neighbourhood robbed of their hard earnings to pay for the Queen’s extravagant taste in parties and fine catering.
For the Queen however, there are troubles in paradise, as her vulgar spending becomes the cause for her spiralling financial debt. When Armie Hammer arrives in town as the fabulously wealthy Prince Alcott, she gets an idea: through the help of her enchanted mirror and malicious spellbinding, she will convince Prince Alcott to marry her and her financial problems will be a thing of the past.
However, Prince Alcott only has eyes for Snow White, who in this telling – far from needing a prince to save her from her begrudged and evil stepmother (although this does come in handy) - is feisty, independent and makes it her own mission to save the deprived townspeople exploited by her stepmother.
Upon White’s escape from the kingdom, she comes across the seven dwarfs in the snow-covered woods. However unlike other takes on the fairytale, this septet, apart from equipping Snow with useful sword techniques and defence mechanisms to save her townspeople and defeat the evil stepmother, has little to offer the film – most notably in their comic value (or lack there of).
There have been many criticisms towards this film, most notably for its straightforwardness and its occasional bad gags – all of which I deem to be unfair. Mirror Mirror is no doubt aimed at the child and tween age group, but there are sufficient doses of satisfying adult humour and sarcasm here that make this film a pleasurable and guilt-free watch. It’s not perfect, I’ll give you that, but to look at through non-judgemental eyes, it’s a bold and magical film, decorated wonderfully by the late designer Eiko Ishioka’s designs, who bows out on a high note with her fantasy-like and self-designed ornate costumes. Overall, Mirror Mirror is a healthy dose of guilt-free escapism.
Released: 2nd April 2012.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Angèle et Tony Review
3/10
Pros: A touching ending that almost wins us over.
Cons: But by then, we’re almost past caring.
Written and directed by Alix Delaporte, the French film Angèle et Tony follows Angèle, a troubled young woman (Clotilde Hesme) who returns to Normandy to face her troubled past after a stint in jail for the supposed murder of the father of her child.
Back in Normandy, she attempts a reunion with her estranged 9-year-old son Antoine, now content in being raised by his devoted grandparents. Struggling to win her son’s forgiveness, Angèle’s life is now a seedy tale of sleeping with strangers for ‘Shanghai Action Men’ for her son and shoplifting clothing from local stores. Her wobbly attempts at riding the bikes that she steals becomes a metaphor for her rocky return back to her stable surroundings.
In comes Tony (Grègory Gadebois), the plump fisherman and fellow title character, who Angèle meets through a personal column and who she quickly moves in with to escape her parole hostel. Angèle is quickly accepted into the fishing community and begins working alongside Tony’s mother to sell what he catches from a quayside stall, whilst she slowly attempts to rebuild a relationship with her young son who wants nothing to do with her.
The story kicks off with an extremely slow and dull start and the two title characters seem mismatched and chemistry lacking. The ending is well directed and produced but by then, we are so confused as to why we should care about Angèle and her life that the scene doesn’t mean as much as it should. There’s a particular scene in the movie where Angèle head butts a wall to convince the shop assistant who caught her stealing that she’s not worth the hassle of dealing with. Unfortunately, she almost convinces us.
Released: 4th May 2012
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Pros: A touching ending that almost wins us over.
Cons: But by then, we’re almost past caring.
Written and directed by Alix Delaporte, the French film Angèle et Tony follows Angèle, a troubled young woman (Clotilde Hesme) who returns to Normandy to face her troubled past after a stint in jail for the supposed murder of the father of her child.
Back in Normandy, she attempts a reunion with her estranged 9-year-old son Antoine, now content in being raised by his devoted grandparents. Struggling to win her son’s forgiveness, Angèle’s life is now a seedy tale of sleeping with strangers for ‘Shanghai Action Men’ for her son and shoplifting clothing from local stores. Her wobbly attempts at riding the bikes that she steals becomes a metaphor for her rocky return back to her stable surroundings.
In comes Tony (Grègory Gadebois), the plump fisherman and fellow title character, who Angèle meets through a personal column and who she quickly moves in with to escape her parole hostel. Angèle is quickly accepted into the fishing community and begins working alongside Tony’s mother to sell what he catches from a quayside stall, whilst she slowly attempts to rebuild a relationship with her young son who wants nothing to do with her.
The story kicks off with an extremely slow and dull start and the two title characters seem mismatched and chemistry lacking. The ending is well directed and produced but by then, we are so confused as to why we should care about Angèle and her life that the scene doesn’t mean as much as it should. There’s a particular scene in the movie where Angèle head butts a wall to convince the shop assistant who caught her stealing that she’s not worth the hassle of dealing with. Unfortunately, she almost convinces us.
Released: 4th May 2012
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Boy Review
10/10
Pros: An emotional, but uplifting film that’s well made and well directed.
Cons: If only it could have lasted longer…
Boy is a short-film funded by the British Airways Great Briton’s programme ahead of this year’s London 2012 Olympic games. It follows the tragic tale of carpenter (played by Timothy Spall) and his dealing with the exceptional grief of the loss of his son, whose talent for cycling showed promise and hope for the forthcoming games.
Spall’s job is maintaining the Velodrome track at London’s Olympic Park, which understandably provides many sad memories for the heartbroken father, as he struggles to come to terms with his son’s death.
Although an unusual storyline and tone for a short film set to celebrate the Olympics and its build-up, Boy is heartfelt, showcasing the dedication, devotion and spirit that go into the international and colossal ceremony. Spall as the grief-stricken father is excellent, convincingly playing a role involving heartache, triumph and closure.
Written by up and coming screenwriter Prasanna Puwanarajah - whose screenplay was selected by a panel of judges which included Richard E. Grant –, the nine-minute, word-free film is set to captivate internationally with its tear-inducing and heartfelt qualities as it’s screened on all British Airways long-haul flights until September.
A sad note to welcome the Olympics on, yes, but Boy is a beautiful tale, demonstrating the impact of sincere and dedicated acting, proving that words are often unnecessary accessories in dramatic filmmaking. Just remember to pack a tissue in your hand luggage.
Directed by: Justin Chadwick
Produced by: Barnaby Spurrier
With huge thanks to all at Cake Group for providing images and videos.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Pros: An emotional, but uplifting film that’s well made and well directed.
Cons: If only it could have lasted longer…
Boy is a short-film funded by the British Airways Great Briton’s programme ahead of this year’s London 2012 Olympic games. It follows the tragic tale of carpenter (played by Timothy Spall) and his dealing with the exceptional grief of the loss of his son, whose talent for cycling showed promise and hope for the forthcoming games.
Spall’s job is maintaining the Velodrome track at London’s Olympic Park, which understandably provides many sad memories for the heartbroken father, as he struggles to come to terms with his son’s death.
Although an unusual storyline and tone for a short film set to celebrate the Olympics and its build-up, Boy is heartfelt, showcasing the dedication, devotion and spirit that go into the international and colossal ceremony. Spall as the grief-stricken father is excellent, convincingly playing a role involving heartache, triumph and closure.
Written by up and coming screenwriter Prasanna Puwanarajah - whose screenplay was selected by a panel of judges which included Richard E. Grant –, the nine-minute, word-free film is set to captivate internationally with its tear-inducing and heartfelt qualities as it’s screened on all British Airways long-haul flights until September.
A sad note to welcome the Olympics on, yes, but Boy is a beautiful tale, demonstrating the impact of sincere and dedicated acting, proving that words are often unnecessary accessories in dramatic filmmaking. Just remember to pack a tissue in your hand luggage.
Directed by: Justin Chadwick
Produced by: Barnaby Spurrier
With huge thanks to all at Cake Group for providing images and videos.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Monday 26 March 2012
Titanic 3D Review
7/10
Pros: A boat trip down memory lane. But with turbo engines.
Cons: If it didn’t float your boat (sorry) first time around, there’s nothing new here for you.
Colossal. Herculean. Gargantuan. If you look up titanic in a thesaurus, you’ll discover larger-than-life adjectives. And that’s just what Titanic is: a monumental beast of a film. Could there be a better candidate for the 3D treatment?
But Cameron’s tackling a conversion job (because the film was shot in 2D). And we’ve seen it all before. The boat sinks. No danger of spoilers, then. So, the question is, could the $18 million dollar budget have been better spent on pioneering new scripts?
Probably. But this is the grande dame of cinema, and there’s a case for justifying her encore. The hailstones of ice and cascading water flourish with the effects. But the most heartfelt difference 3D makes is to the overall depth and scale.
The story does the same heart-wrenching job as before. Watching legendary scenes, like Leo sketching Kate in the nude, are reminiscently titillating. Rose tosses Jack a coin, and says that as a paying customer she expects to get what she wants. As paying customers ourselves, we too are expecting. And what we want is served up plentifully.
This re-release isn’t a lifejacket for the 3D industry, but a reminder that our relationship with cinema is founded on emotion, and not effects.
The older Rose is looking back nostalgically. And, as viewers of this 1997 stalwart, so are we. The audiences will come flooding back with as much gusto as the spanking new 3D torrents of water. In our world, Cal Hockley was right, ‘God himself could not sink this ship’.
Released: 6th April 2012
By Natasha Lunn
Twitter @natashalunn
Pros: A boat trip down memory lane. But with turbo engines.
Cons: If it didn’t float your boat (sorry) first time around, there’s nothing new here for you.
Colossal. Herculean. Gargantuan. If you look up titanic in a thesaurus, you’ll discover larger-than-life adjectives. And that’s just what Titanic is: a monumental beast of a film. Could there be a better candidate for the 3D treatment?
But Cameron’s tackling a conversion job (because the film was shot in 2D). And we’ve seen it all before. The boat sinks. No danger of spoilers, then. So, the question is, could the $18 million dollar budget have been better spent on pioneering new scripts?
Probably. But this is the grande dame of cinema, and there’s a case for justifying her encore. The hailstones of ice and cascading water flourish with the effects. But the most heartfelt difference 3D makes is to the overall depth and scale.
The story does the same heart-wrenching job as before. Watching legendary scenes, like Leo sketching Kate in the nude, are reminiscently titillating. Rose tosses Jack a coin, and says that as a paying customer she expects to get what she wants. As paying customers ourselves, we too are expecting. And what we want is served up plentifully.
This re-release isn’t a lifejacket for the 3D industry, but a reminder that our relationship with cinema is founded on emotion, and not effects.
The older Rose is looking back nostalgically. And, as viewers of this 1997 stalwart, so are we. The audiences will come flooding back with as much gusto as the spanking new 3D torrents of water. In our world, Cal Hockley was right, ‘God himself could not sink this ship’.
Released: 6th April 2012
By Natasha Lunn
Twitter @natashalunn
Thursday 22 March 2012
Boy: A preview at Soho Hotel
This morning, at London’s Soho Hotel, actor and director Richard E. Grant unveiled the highly anticipated Boy, a nine-minute short written by up and coming British screenwriter Prasanna Puwanarajah.
London-born Prasanna was selected by hundreds of entries to be mentored by Grant on the production of this film, as part of the Great Briton’s programme, and the result is phenomenal with every vital second tugging at the heartstrings.
The Olympic-inspired story is a heartbreaking tale following a carpenter (played by Timothy Spall), who maintains the Velodrome track at London’s Olympic Park and who’s dealing with the loss of his son, a professional-cyclist, who had many Olympic hopes.
The film is set to be seen by as many as six million customers over the next coming months as it will be shown on all long-haul British Airways flights from April until September.
Although an unusual storyline and tone for a short film set to celebrate the Olympics and its build-up, Boy is heartfelt, showcasing the dedication, devotion and spirit that go into the international and colossal ceremony. Spall as the grief-stricken father is excellent, convincingly playing a role involving heartache, triumph and closure.
Grant, Spall and Puwanarajah as well as director Justin Chadwick attended the screening this morning and as the lights came up, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight: Timothy’s wife Shane Spall advocated to the British Airways representative that they ought to hand out complimentary tissues on their flights due to the film’s tear-inducing qualities.
“The story itself is so beautiful” Spall said, “It was the first time I’ve watched it and it’s not nice seeing your face ten-feet tall but I was bawling my eyes out.” Due to his busy schedule, Spall took some convincing to star in the film, but the crew – eager to feature the revered actor - eventually persuaded him, agreeing to work and film around his hectic schedule. At the end of the film, Spall said how grateful and glad he was that he eventually took part in the inspiring project. “It’s amazing to have this inspiring film made in the middle of an economic shit-fight”, he added.
Richard E. Grant, who was on the judging panel, talked about the selection process and his attraction to Prasanna’s script: “I knew from the moment of reading it that it was the right one. It was far and away ahead of everyone else’s. A lot of the other scripts were about grandmother’s and 16-year-olds in council estates – they were too grim, but Boy, although it dealt with heartache and loss, went through all of the judges like an electric current.”
Prasanna, 31, is relatively new to the screenwriting process. As an Oxford medicine graduate, he gave up his career to pursue his dreams in screenwriting and acting. He has appeared in many theatre productions including Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Hamlet and is also being currently recognised for his playright ‘Nightwatchman’, which is currently showing at the National Theatre, London. On the incredible opportunity bestowed upon him, Prasanna – who wrote approximately ten drafts for the word-free short – explained: “Richard never let me dilute the original intention. It was such an incredible and unusual experience and opportunity”.
In the run up London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, British Airways will also be launching an exclusive pop-up venue: Flight BA2012. It will feature a three-in-one art gallery, as well as a dining lounge and cinema – which will showcase Boy – along with other works of the BA Great Britons – on selected dates. To find out more visit: www.facebook.com/britishairways.
The trailer for Boy:
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Monday 19 March 2012
The Dangers of the New Girl: A Warning to High-School Cliques
Whit Stillman’s recent release of Damsels in Distress got me thinking about the new girl. You know the one: the new addition to the local high-school who looks sickly sweet and innocent upon her entrance but by the end of the film usually has her cemented co-stars in a tailspin (apt expression courtesy of Damsel in Distress’s Greta Gerwig).
The new girl to this day remains a classic and popular character of choice for filmmakers of Hollywood teen movies. In Damsels in Distress, it comes in the form of Lily (played by Analeigh Tipton), whose independence and lack of vocal fear rocks the boat of her new friendship clique, led by the narcissistic and elitist Violet (Greta Gerwig) and her devoted minions, Rose and Heather.
One of my favourite trouble-causing, cinematic new girls (although, she wasn’t actually new to the school, but to the clique) is Winona Ryder as the sassy and self-possessed Veronica Sawyer embedded in a trio of popular, but backstabbing girls in 1988’s cult-classic, Heathers. Ryder’s self-assured wit and reluctance to believe the school hype of the clique she has just joined placed next to her manufactured and nasty female peers is refreshing and alarmingly funny to watch, producing cult one-liners that remain implanted into my favourite film vocabulary lists of all time.
Ryder’s disapproval with the three Heather’s malicious acts of course, drastically shapes the filmic direction and results in radical new-girl consequences, being the murder of her ‘frenemies’ with the help from her rebel boyfriend Christian Slater, which they mask as suicides. Heathers is the model example of the extensive lengths that the new girl will go to and the dangerous effects of her burgeoning popularity.
Although Damsels in Distress’s new girl doesn’t even touch Ryder’s antics in Heathers, it offers us a glimpse of the still existing attractiveness of the new girl character, and why she is such an essential ingredient to many of teen movies’ success stories.
So why do find ourselves attracted to the new girl? Maybe it’s the well-used use of her non-conventional attractiveness which is a welcome change to the excessively groomed blondes that she joins (think: a pre-plastic Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls) or maybe its the refreshing lack of self-awareness and confidence next to her confident sassy peers that makes us sit up (think: Brittany Murphy in Clueless).
Another revealing example of the new girl and her perilous effects is Robin Tunney as the San Franciscan Sarah in teen-witchy cult film, The Craft. Looking like the walking example of a Californian, innocent girl-next-door, Sarah arrives in a Los Angeles Catholic school and is sharply snapped up by a trio of self-styled outsiders (Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk and Rachel True), who have been eagerly awaiting a suitable fourth corner to join their supernatural coven.
But as Sarah joins the paranormal clique and the strength of their witchcraft summits, all naturally goes unwell. People are hurt. Friendships are tested. And it all comes back to Sarah, who having recognised the consequences of their revengeful spells, threatens to leave the circle when it’s at its strongest – a threat that doesn’t sit well with the original members, sending the plot into an irreversible turmoil.
The new girl is always an interesting character in teen movies. She’s the cause of laughter, excitement, jealousy, backstabbing and general problematic chaos. She might let you date her attractive older brother (Bring It On) but she might also steal your boyfriend (Mean Girls). Future cliques of teen movies: think twice before inviting the new girl into your circle. She might just land you in a tailspin.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
Damsels in Distress is released in UK cinemas on April 27th 2012.
Thursday 15 March 2012
Damsels in Distress Review
8/10
Pros: An offbeat comedy that’s a welcome return for Whit Stillman.
Cons: If this isn’t your style of film, you might have some trouble warming to it.
Ending his thirteen-year directorial silence, Whit Stillman returns to filmmaking with Damsels in Distress, his first self-written and self-directed feature film since his cult classic, The Last Days of Disco.
This offbeat comedy follows Greta Gerwig as Violet, the dynamic leader and head supervisor of an East Coast College's teenage suicide prevention centre and her two devoted minions: the ditzy Heather (Carrie Maclemore) and the self-assured Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke).
The pastel-coloured trio dedicate themselves to the rescuing of their fellow pupils from the depression, grunge and general low-standards that they believe inflict their school by offering guidance and general support to their fellow pupils and dishing out complimentary scented soaps to the smelly culprits of the girls’ daily ‘nasal shocks’.
When new girl Lily (played by Analeigh Tipton) arrives on campus, spotting her a mile off, Violet takes her under her wing and into her clique, introducing her into their ‘urban haute bourgeoisie’ lifestyle - which Stillman has a knack for exposing, first demonstrated in his 1990 film, Metropolitan - that evolves around helping their community for the greater good and general teenage elitist problems involving potential suitors and self-identity.
The film is comical to watch, with most of the witty one-liners falling out of the mouth of Violet, who believes and justifies her decisions of handing out complimentary doughnuts to at-risk and depressive students and encouraging their tap-dancing as suitable therapies to promote their wellbeing.
From first glance, Damsels in Distress looks like your average run-of-the-mill high-school rom-com, but trust that it’s not. When the cracks begin to show in the girls’ seemingly sorted lives, we are presented with a quirky-style of filmmaking that has us sympathising with the girls and cheering them on, as they demonstrate the inward confidence and identity struggles that are masked by their self-asserted demeanours.
Told in a chaptered format, this film is a unique and pared-down narration of problems surrounding America’s teenage elite and although it might not suit everyone’s tastes, it’s a welcome return for Stillman – the voice of America’s independent cinema – who is now armed with another cult-classic under his belt.
Released: 27th April 2012.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Pros: An offbeat comedy that’s a welcome return for Whit Stillman.
Cons: If this isn’t your style of film, you might have some trouble warming to it.
Ending his thirteen-year directorial silence, Whit Stillman returns to filmmaking with Damsels in Distress, his first self-written and self-directed feature film since his cult classic, The Last Days of Disco.
This offbeat comedy follows Greta Gerwig as Violet, the dynamic leader and head supervisor of an East Coast College's teenage suicide prevention centre and her two devoted minions: the ditzy Heather (Carrie Maclemore) and the self-assured Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke).
The pastel-coloured trio dedicate themselves to the rescuing of their fellow pupils from the depression, grunge and general low-standards that they believe inflict their school by offering guidance and general support to their fellow pupils and dishing out complimentary scented soaps to the smelly culprits of the girls’ daily ‘nasal shocks’.
When new girl Lily (played by Analeigh Tipton) arrives on campus, spotting her a mile off, Violet takes her under her wing and into her clique, introducing her into their ‘urban haute bourgeoisie’ lifestyle - which Stillman has a knack for exposing, first demonstrated in his 1990 film, Metropolitan - that evolves around helping their community for the greater good and general teenage elitist problems involving potential suitors and self-identity.
The film is comical to watch, with most of the witty one-liners falling out of the mouth of Violet, who believes and justifies her decisions of handing out complimentary doughnuts to at-risk and depressive students and encouraging their tap-dancing as suitable therapies to promote their wellbeing.
From first glance, Damsels in Distress looks like your average run-of-the-mill high-school rom-com, but trust that it’s not. When the cracks begin to show in the girls’ seemingly sorted lives, we are presented with a quirky-style of filmmaking that has us sympathising with the girls and cheering them on, as they demonstrate the inward confidence and identity struggles that are masked by their self-asserted demeanours.
Told in a chaptered format, this film is a unique and pared-down narration of problems surrounding America’s teenage elite and although it might not suit everyone’s tastes, it’s a welcome return for Stillman – the voice of America’s independent cinema – who is now armed with another cult-classic under his belt.
Released: 27th April 2012.
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Tuesday 6 March 2012
This Must Be The Place Review
7/10
Pros: Frances McDormand, Harry Dean Stanton and the soundtrack.
Cons: Penn’s childlike persona might prove annoying to some.
There’s a moment in This Must Be The Place where you feel deeply satisfied; as if the promise of two Academy-award winners in the cast (Sean Penn and Frances McDormand), the Talking Heads as the soundtrack (the trailer memorably shows lead singer David Byrne performing the title song to a crowd) and the completely baffled storyline (we’ll come to that in a second) delivers as pledged. However the first twenty minutes are actually the best of the film, bursting at the seams with comic value and apt songs, but then… it falls a bit flat.
Cheyenne (Penn) is a 50-year-old former rock-star. His oddball appearance of dyed black, Edward-Scissorhands-esque hair, gothic clothing and full face of slap makes him a laughing stock in his local supermarket. He lives off his royalties just outside of Dublin with his devoted wife and firefighter Jane (McDormand, who is brilliant as per) and spends his days hanging out at the mall with his teenage-goth friend Mary (Eve Hewson), whose suffering is alleviated by Cheyenne’s careful friendship and music recommendations.
One day, Cheyenne receives a call informing him that his father – whom he hasn’t spoken with in thirty years – is dead. Depressed, bored and now confused, Cheyenne must conquer his fear of flying and return to New York to face the music that he’s been avoiding for three decades. What comes next is an extended self-discovering road trip across America as Cheyenne seeks revenge on Aloise Lange (Heinz Lieven), the Nazi war criminal who humiliated his father back in Auschwitz.
The characters he meets along the way are welcome additions to the plot. There’s Rachel (played brilliantly by Kerry Kondon), a waitress and single mother, who to Cheyenne’s amazement is familiar with his work with Mick Jagger. There’s a touching part of the film where Rachel’s son encourages Cheyenne to reunite with his guitar as he sings the title song to the backdrop of Rachel sobbing.
But Cheyenne leaves Rachel and her son behind so quickly that we don’t get to know enough about Rachel and her story. There’s also Harry Dean Stanton, as Robert, who nudges Cheyenne in the right direction but like in many of his films, Stanton doesn’t garner enough screen-time.
In retrospect, this film is much more enjoyable looking back on it. The dull middle of the film aside, it’s an emotional story of self-discovery that proves a worthy way to spend two hours. No doubt Penn’s persona will divide opinion between annoying and endearing, but with its creditable supporting cast, don’t let that put you off.
Released: 6th April 2012.
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: JennieTate
Pros: Frances McDormand, Harry Dean Stanton and the soundtrack.
Cons: Penn’s childlike persona might prove annoying to some.
There’s a moment in This Must Be The Place where you feel deeply satisfied; as if the promise of two Academy-award winners in the cast (Sean Penn and Frances McDormand), the Talking Heads as the soundtrack (the trailer memorably shows lead singer David Byrne performing the title song to a crowd) and the completely baffled storyline (we’ll come to that in a second) delivers as pledged. However the first twenty minutes are actually the best of the film, bursting at the seams with comic value and apt songs, but then… it falls a bit flat.
Cheyenne (Penn) is a 50-year-old former rock-star. His oddball appearance of dyed black, Edward-Scissorhands-esque hair, gothic clothing and full face of slap makes him a laughing stock in his local supermarket. He lives off his royalties just outside of Dublin with his devoted wife and firefighter Jane (McDormand, who is brilliant as per) and spends his days hanging out at the mall with his teenage-goth friend Mary (Eve Hewson), whose suffering is alleviated by Cheyenne’s careful friendship and music recommendations.
One day, Cheyenne receives a call informing him that his father – whom he hasn’t spoken with in thirty years – is dead. Depressed, bored and now confused, Cheyenne must conquer his fear of flying and return to New York to face the music that he’s been avoiding for three decades. What comes next is an extended self-discovering road trip across America as Cheyenne seeks revenge on Aloise Lange (Heinz Lieven), the Nazi war criminal who humiliated his father back in Auschwitz.
The characters he meets along the way are welcome additions to the plot. There’s Rachel (played brilliantly by Kerry Kondon), a waitress and single mother, who to Cheyenne’s amazement is familiar with his work with Mick Jagger. There’s a touching part of the film where Rachel’s son encourages Cheyenne to reunite with his guitar as he sings the title song to the backdrop of Rachel sobbing.
But Cheyenne leaves Rachel and her son behind so quickly that we don’t get to know enough about Rachel and her story. There’s also Harry Dean Stanton, as Robert, who nudges Cheyenne in the right direction but like in many of his films, Stanton doesn’t garner enough screen-time.
In retrospect, this film is much more enjoyable looking back on it. The dull middle of the film aside, it’s an emotional story of self-discovery that proves a worthy way to spend two hours. No doubt Penn’s persona will divide opinion between annoying and endearing, but with its creditable supporting cast, don’t let that put you off.
Released: 6th April 2012.
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: JennieTate
Monday 5 March 2012
La Femme du Vème (The Woman in The Fifth) Review
4/10
American writer and college lecturer Tom Ricks (Ethan Hawke) travels to Paris to reconcile with his estranged wife and be a part of his daughter’s life once again. Unfortunately things start badly for Tom and he finds himself in a run down hotel clutching only a dreadful French accent, his passport and a toy Giraffe. When the shady Algerian hotel owner Sezer offers him a room until he gets back on his feet and then subsequently a job, Tom sets about trying to win custody of his daughter.
Enter two women; Margit (Kristen Scott Thomas) a French/Romanian translator and seductress, educated in England and Widower to a little known Hungarian writer. And Ania (Joanna Kulig) a Polish waitress who just loves to serenade Tom to tears. Confused yet? You will be!
It becomes apparent from the opening scenes that Tom has done something rather unforgivable, quite what he has done is never explained along with a lot of other things. Who is Mr Monde? What happens in the ‘other room’? Why oh why is there a scene where he uses a translator when he shows an excellent grasp of the French language throughout the entire film!?
There are so many things that made this film disappointing but if I were pressed to name one it would have to be the relationship between Tom and Margit which doesn’t exist (ah the irony!). You would expect from the billing and trailer that this is essentially a love affair between Hawke and Scott Thomas. Well their screen time together cannot be more than 10-15 minutes throughout the entire film and it isn’t used wisely. They barely get going before she utters the words “I know you inside and out...” and “You have a voice I believe in you.”
Well sorry but I don’t believe in you!
You get the feeling that this is one of those films that makes sense to those that have read the book. Everyone else is just confused or left reaching so far up their own arse to make sense of it that they run the risk of slipping a disk at the post cinema discussion.
Very disappointing.
Released: 17th February 2012
By Jake Raynor
Twitter @ThatBoyOntTelly
American writer and college lecturer Tom Ricks (Ethan Hawke) travels to Paris to reconcile with his estranged wife and be a part of his daughter’s life once again. Unfortunately things start badly for Tom and he finds himself in a run down hotel clutching only a dreadful French accent, his passport and a toy Giraffe. When the shady Algerian hotel owner Sezer offers him a room until he gets back on his feet and then subsequently a job, Tom sets about trying to win custody of his daughter.
Enter two women; Margit (Kristen Scott Thomas) a French/Romanian translator and seductress, educated in England and Widower to a little known Hungarian writer. And Ania (Joanna Kulig) a Polish waitress who just loves to serenade Tom to tears. Confused yet? You will be!
It becomes apparent from the opening scenes that Tom has done something rather unforgivable, quite what he has done is never explained along with a lot of other things. Who is Mr Monde? What happens in the ‘other room’? Why oh why is there a scene where he uses a translator when he shows an excellent grasp of the French language throughout the entire film!?
There are so many things that made this film disappointing but if I were pressed to name one it would have to be the relationship between Tom and Margit which doesn’t exist (ah the irony!). You would expect from the billing and trailer that this is essentially a love affair between Hawke and Scott Thomas. Well their screen time together cannot be more than 10-15 minutes throughout the entire film and it isn’t used wisely. They barely get going before she utters the words “I know you inside and out...” and “You have a voice I believe in you.”
Well sorry but I don’t believe in you!
You get the feeling that this is one of those films that makes sense to those that have read the book. Everyone else is just confused or left reaching so far up their own arse to make sense of it that they run the risk of slipping a disk at the post cinema discussion.
Very disappointing.
Released: 17th February 2012
By Jake Raynor
Twitter @ThatBoyOntTelly
Babycall Review
5/10
Pros: Chilling Norweigan thriller with convincing acting
Cons: Slightly predictable with a hollow ending
Babycall is a Norwegian thriller that’s as chilling as it is humdrum. It tells the story of Anna (Noomi Rapace) and her eight-year-old son Anders (Vetle Qvenild Werring) who have both escaped the alleged violence and brutality of the boy’s father. They move into a faraway eerie apartment block, eager to start their lives afresh, free from the abuse that has brought on Anna’s evident extreme anxiety and paranoia.
Constantly fretting for her son’s safety, Anna lives her life in fear and doesn’t know what to do with the daily dragged-out hours that haunt her whilst Anders is at school. Wandering around town aimlessly, she goes to buy a baby monitor - which offers Anna brief solace to social workers’ requests to her to let Anders sleep in his own room - and befriends the salesman Helge (Kristoffer Joner), who with a dying mother, is facing some problems of his own.
One night, Anna is awoken to screams from the baby monitor and rushing to her son’s room to see him fast asleep, Anna begins to worry that the two are not alone. What follows next are a mixture of chilling and moving scenes: we are comforted and hopeful of Anna’s budding friendship with Helge, but unsettled by twists and turns that portray Anna’s paranoia as dangerous rather than protective.
Rapace’s convincing portrayal of Anna and her obsessive protectiveness over her son (“You know Mummy loves you and can’t live without you?” she says to him) is disturbing and riveting to watch, but director Pål Sletaune falls short of convincing us to care about the characters and unraveling plot as much as we feel we should and the final minutes portraying the twist are slightly disappointing, if not predictable.
Overall, the unsettling 96 minutes of this film is still worth a watch - but maybe one to avoid if you’ve recently purchased a baby monitor.
Released 30th March 2012
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Pros: Chilling Norweigan thriller with convincing acting
Cons: Slightly predictable with a hollow ending
Babycall is a Norwegian thriller that’s as chilling as it is humdrum. It tells the story of Anna (Noomi Rapace) and her eight-year-old son Anders (Vetle Qvenild Werring) who have both escaped the alleged violence and brutality of the boy’s father. They move into a faraway eerie apartment block, eager to start their lives afresh, free from the abuse that has brought on Anna’s evident extreme anxiety and paranoia.
Constantly fretting for her son’s safety, Anna lives her life in fear and doesn’t know what to do with the daily dragged-out hours that haunt her whilst Anders is at school. Wandering around town aimlessly, she goes to buy a baby monitor - which offers Anna brief solace to social workers’ requests to her to let Anders sleep in his own room - and befriends the salesman Helge (Kristoffer Joner), who with a dying mother, is facing some problems of his own.
One night, Anna is awoken to screams from the baby monitor and rushing to her son’s room to see him fast asleep, Anna begins to worry that the two are not alone. What follows next are a mixture of chilling and moving scenes: we are comforted and hopeful of Anna’s budding friendship with Helge, but unsettled by twists and turns that portray Anna’s paranoia as dangerous rather than protective.
Rapace’s convincing portrayal of Anna and her obsessive protectiveness over her son (“You know Mummy loves you and can’t live without you?” she says to him) is disturbing and riveting to watch, but director Pål Sletaune falls short of convincing us to care about the characters and unraveling plot as much as we feel we should and the final minutes portraying the twist are slightly disappointing, if not predictable.
Overall, the unsettling 96 minutes of this film is still worth a watch - but maybe one to avoid if you’ve recently purchased a baby monitor.
Released 30th March 2012
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Thursday 1 March 2012
Café De Flore Review
6/10
Pros: French magic and a pleasing soundtrack
Cons: Confusing with an anti-climax
Café de Flore is not for everyone. It portrays the stories of two different decades in parallel, expressing the heartbreak and obsession that takes place therein.
We first see Antoine (Kevin Parent), a DJ and a recent divorcee with two daughters in present-day Montreal. His new relationship with Rose has burdened him with ex-wife-rooted guilt and a misbehaving teenager who both resent his moving on.
Next we see Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis), a struggling single mother in 1969 Paris. Her devotion and unhealthy obsession to her seven-year-old son Laurent, born with Down’s syndrome, is tested when he develops a trouble-causing and obsessive friendship with a girl from his class.
Director Jean-Marc Vallée chips and chops through different decades, entertainingly portraying the assorted characters’ heartbreaks and struggles and Parent, in his first acting role, puts on a stirring performance.
However, the first half is very confusing to the viewer who wouldn’t be judged for struggling to understand who’s who and what’s what. We constantly wonder how the two stories connect: our first wonders being provoked when we learn of Laurent and Antoine’s mutual penchants for a piece of music called Café de Flore. But when we’re eventually rewarded the twist, it doesn’t tug as hard as we want it to.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable watch and is cushioned next to a pleasing soundtrack of Pink Floyd and Sigur Rós, but there’s a lacking and when the curtain closes, a sense of disappointment surfaces. Café de Flore is not as good as it want to be.
Released: 11th May 2012 (UK)
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
Pros: French magic and a pleasing soundtrack
Cons: Confusing with an anti-climax
Café de Flore is not for everyone. It portrays the stories of two different decades in parallel, expressing the heartbreak and obsession that takes place therein.
We first see Antoine (Kevin Parent), a DJ and a recent divorcee with two daughters in present-day Montreal. His new relationship with Rose has burdened him with ex-wife-rooted guilt and a misbehaving teenager who both resent his moving on.
Next we see Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis), a struggling single mother in 1969 Paris. Her devotion and unhealthy obsession to her seven-year-old son Laurent, born with Down’s syndrome, is tested when he develops a trouble-causing and obsessive friendship with a girl from his class.
Director Jean-Marc Vallée chips and chops through different decades, entertainingly portraying the assorted characters’ heartbreaks and struggles and Parent, in his first acting role, puts on a stirring performance.
However, the first half is very confusing to the viewer who wouldn’t be judged for struggling to understand who’s who and what’s what. We constantly wonder how the two stories connect: our first wonders being provoked when we learn of Laurent and Antoine’s mutual penchants for a piece of music called Café de Flore. But when we’re eventually rewarded the twist, it doesn’t tug as hard as we want it to.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable watch and is cushioned next to a pleasing soundtrack of Pink Floyd and Sigur Rós, but there’s a lacking and when the curtain closes, a sense of disappointment surfaces. Café de Flore is not as good as it want to be.
Released: 11th May 2012 (UK)
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter @JennieTate
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