In the opening minutes of Pervert Park, we are introduced to a man recounting a story of loneliness and isolation, detailing how he had trouble building and maintaining relationships and finding his place in the world. It’s one of the most relatable narratives available, and the interview quickly builds a feeling of empathy. That is until he utters the words “then I found this little girl” and we understand how easy it is to create a monster.
Last week, I had the pleasure to talk with Emily Best, who founded the company called Seed&Spark, a crowdfunded film studio. Seed&Spark helps independent filmmakers crowdfund their films, produce them and distribute them. In their own words:
Love Between the Covers is a doc telling the story of the savvy female community that has built a powerhouse industry sharing love stories.
Daniel Radcliffe has certainly blazed his own trail post-Potter, but Imperium takes him out on a limb no one was expecting. Images of him as a white supremacist are certainly startling, so much so that the poster clearly puts his FBI badge front and center to soften the blow. Yep, Radcliffe’s character is only pretending to be Neo-Nazi, but that’s still enough to jar your Potter memories into nightmarish territory.
“Based on a true story.” “Based on true events.” “Inspired by actual events.
We spoke with David Farrier about his weird but great documentary Tickled, how he pitched it and how about how the post-production was.
You may not have signed up for that astronomy 101 course, but you probably should get yourself to a movie theater for Terrence Malick’s universe epic Voyage of Time. It’s sure to be gorgeous, and whatever crazy dinosaur behavior Malick puts on the screen will (allegedly) be explained by Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett, depending on which version you choose. That, or they’ll ramble existentially about the passage of time, because Malick doesn’t need your narrative clarity.
Sexism in film has been a topic of discussion since the rise of feminism, and in particular, since Laura Mulvey’s 1970’s research into ‘the male gaze’ in cinema. Fortunately, modern films are slowly but surely making a conscious effort to break down stereotypical gender roles and tired one-dimensional characters, but when it comes to the classics, many of the limited and restricted archetypes we try to move away from today are showcased in these films. This year, Alfred Hitchc*ck’s mystery thriller Vertigo was voted the greatest film of all time by a BFI poll.
To accompany Pixar’s latest underwater road movie, Finding Dory, we have a similarly ocean-themed short. Pixar’s Piper started as the brainchild of director Alan Barillaro, and tells the story of a young, diminutive sandpiper learning to gather its own food for the first time. Barillaro worked as a supervising animator on several past Pixar features.
Sometimes the right person ends up at the right place at the right time. Whether you believe in chaos or destiny, it’s moments we all recognize as miraculous, and one of those moments happened when Sully Sullenberger safely landed a commercial jet on the Hudson River. People immediately pinned an exorbitant amount of hope on the incident, and Sullenberger unwittingly became an American hero.
Baz Luhrmann, born Mark Anthony Luhrmann, grew up in the tiny village of Heron’s Creek in New South Wales, Australia, a township which boasted a population of just 312 in 2011. Since then, he has revolutionised the Australian cinema scene and is best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, comprising of romantic comedy and underdog tale Strictly Ballroom, a modernisation of Shakespearean classic Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge!, the extravagant and no holds barred musical set in late 19th century Paris.
What happens when a doctor, a goat, and an impotent man converge in small town Kansas in 1917? Something you probably wouldn’t believe if it wasn’t told to you in a documentary or by some other authoritative source, because the story is wild, weird, and very nuts. What happened was that doctor John Romulus Brinkley developed a goat-to-human testicular transplant that cured the impotent man, launching him to fame and fortune while the rest of America sunk deep into the Great Depression.
While not the biggest hit at Sundance or Berlin, Indignation walked away from its festival showings with strong buzz for everyone involved, which should be considered a rousing success given the difficult material it’s based on. The narrative density of the average novel by acclaimed writer Philip Roth has long tripped up filmmakers, leading to outright disastrous adaptations like Portnoy’s Complaint and forgotten mediocrity like Elegy. Indignation, even if imperfect, is shaping up to be a rare Roth adaptation that isn’t brushed aside, if only for the crucial moments it falls on in the careers of its director and lead actor.
Editor’s note: Incidentally, we were working on this article a few weeks before Cimino’s death. Sadly, Michael Cimino passed away on July 2 2016, and with this article, we are paying homage to one of the director’s films that had such a significant impact on the entire Hollywood system.
The Secret Life Of Pets is an enjoyable experience that will have you laughing & engaging with its colourful characters and vibrant locations.