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You are here -> Lifestyle / Film & TV Saturday, 22 November, 2008
PLANETNOTION TELEVISION!
CAMERA-FOLK AND FILM EDITORS WANTED!
Planet Notion is looking for guys and dolls to film and edit features for its new TV channel, PNTV. Accompanying Notion to artist interviews, gigs, fashion shows, festivals and international events, you will be skilled, passionate and full of ideas about how to produce shit-hot video content. Camera-folk will be experienced and ideally have their own equipment, or at least access to equipment, while editors must be able to turn projects around quickly, and with stylistic flare. If you can both film and edit content, we would especially like to hear from you! These casual, unpaid positions would be ideal for those looking to develop their showreels, and to get the chance to travel, film major artists and top events.
 
Please email lucy(at)musichqmedia
(dot)com if you’re interested in getting involved, cheers!
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Double re-release for two classic dance movies Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance
Double re-release for two classic dance movies Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance
01/10/2007
Two of the most celebrated dance films of all time Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance which are being re-released on the 1 st Octoberas special edition DVD’s.Both films are packed with a host of new features bound to interest fans of the film with new content ranging from interactive games and documentaries to dance classes with John Travolta! The re-release of Saturday Night fever also marks the 30 th anniversary of the film. When John Travolta slid across a Day-Glo dance floor bearing the infamous white disco suit, an iconic moment in film was born. Travolta captured the hearts of the world with his portrayal of a struggling working class guy from Brooklyn whose only release was the dance floor and the soulful beats of disco music, brought alive by the legendary Bee Gees. No film has ever been copied, parodied and referenced in popular culture quite as much as the 1983 classic, Flashdance. Whether it’s the ‘chair’ scene in Mawby’s bar or the ‘audition’ scene that clinches the young star’s place in the academy, Flashdance has inspired a long list of pretenders and fashion trends since its release. For further details about both films please visit: http://www.paramount.com/
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Fat Freddys Drop & Inside The Smiths
Fat Freddys Drop & Inside The Smiths
15/09/2007
INSIDE THE SMITHS TIBB STREET FILMS DVD OUT NOW FAT FREDDY’S DROP: FANTASTIC VOYAGES VOLUME 1 DVD OUT NOW Here’s the thing: I know absolutely nothing about music. I used to know loads when I was younger but somehow in the last five years I’ve lost quite literally all of my CDs with the exception of ‘Slippery When Wet’ by Bon Jovi and a copy of ‘Jeremy Clarkson’s Drivetime Rock’ that came free with The Sun in 1998. Bit of a problem really considering I write for a music magazine. If they ever find out about it I’m fucked. So I was a little panicked yesterday morning when I received a bunch of music DVDs to review. These included a film about Fat Freddy’s Drop, who I’ve never heard of, and The Smiths, who I’ve sort of heard of. The Smiths, you might not be aware, were a band in the 80s who made musical songs. Also, I sat next to two guys in primary school called Nathan and Peter Smith. Nathan had really bad eczema and bits of it used to fall off into my pencil case. This, however, isn’t really relevant. ‘Inside The Smiths’ is a documentary about Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke, the drummer and bassist in the band. They recount the journey they made from forming the group in 1982 up until 1987 when Morrissey left to star in ‘Men Behaving Badly.’ That was him right? The main lesson to be drawn from the film is, if you’re going to be a musician, for fuck’s sake don’t be the drummer or the bassist. Hardly anyone will know who you are while you’re in the band and fucking no-one will know you afterwards. It’s all a bit sad watching these two washed-up rock stars reminiscing about the time when they used to be somebody and touring the world in economy class to go to shitty little Smiths nostalgia nights like an indie rock version of Pat Sharpe. You kind of wish someone would just take them aside and enrol them on a Learn Direct computer course so they can make something of their lives. Sad. I get the impression that I might really like Fat Freddy’s Drop. They’re a funky kind of jazz-ska group thing (See! I literally don’t know what I’m talking about) from New Zealand. Sadly the DVD is let down by its impenetrable menu system which tells you nothing about what’s on it or how you get to it. I managed to find a couple of music videos that were quite good and, bizarrely, a recipe section, but that’s about it. There could well be a three hour musical remake of ‘Silence of the Lambs’ on the DVD for all I know, but I’m fucked if I could find out. Maybe you’ll have more luck.
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Unknown
Unknown
14/09/2007
UNKNOWN DVD RELEASED 20 th AUGUST Right. Bit of a complicated one this. Just bear with me… After a violent struggle five men wake up in a remote warehouse with no recollection of who they are and how they know each other. A vat of radioactive waste has been spilled in the fight causing them to pass out and lose their memories. One is tied up, one has had his head kicked in, and another has been handcuffed to a pipe. A mysterious caller phones to inform the others that he has collected the ransom money and he’s on his way to ‘take care of’ the hostages. Problem is no-one knows who they are. Yep. That old chestnut. So, I guess my main thought here is that Hollywood producers seem to have a slightly idealistic faith in the transformative powers of radioactive goo. Having been exposed to a massive dose of poisonous chemicals, the only side effect anyone suffers is short-term memory loss for exactly 82 minutes of suspenseful narrative. Aside from that they’re basically fine. Having done GCSE chemistry (A*: thanks) I can tell you that contact with radioactive material gives you neither memory loss, superhuman powers or makes you The Joker. In reality you just get cancer and then slowly die. Sorry to put a downer on things. That aside, this is actually a really well acted and cleverly structured film. The cast is incredibly strong and includes Joe Pantoliano – Ralphie from The Sopranos – who, I think, is my favourite actor in the world. One thing that weirded me out slightly was the casting of Jim Caviezel – Jesus in ‘The Passion Of The Christ’ - in the main role. He’s very good and everything but it’s just a little bit weird seeing Jesus of Nazareth the son of God and master of the Universe shooting some guy in the face.
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KNOCKED UP
KNOCKED UP
13/09/2007
KNOCKED UP CINEMA OUT NOW It’s the age-old story; successful upwardly mobile television presenter (Katherine Heigl) goes to nightclub, gets pissed, has unprotected sex with roly-poly acerbic jewish stoner (Seth Rogen) and gets up the spout. It sounds more like horror than comedy, but this is the premise of the new film from ‘40 Year Old Virgin’ writer/director Judd Apatow. The press release accompanying the screening talked of Apatow’s ‘consistent ability to take awkward situations we face in our own lives and mine them for optimal laugh-out-loud reactions’ – yet I found this scenario difficult to relate to. This is probably because I am what’s known as ‘middle class’; thereby making me immune from accidentally impregnating people, or indeed consequences in general. The trouble with ‘Knocked Up’ is that it does not know whether it is a romantic comedy or a gross-out frat pack caper, and the two elements do not always sit well together. To be fair, the film has some very funny moments - a heated exchange with a disenchanted bouncer and a mushroom-induced fascination with five different types of chair are both hysterical, as is Heigl and Rogen’s attempt to have sex without harming their unborn child. Yet it lacks a central comedic powerhouse performance that the likes of Steve Carrell and Will Ferrell afford these types of films, and Rogen, whilst certainly funny, lacks the frenetic energy to carry it alone. Ultimately, ‘Knocked Up’ seems to promote the idea that if you are an overweight loser and you manage to drunkenly inseminate a beautiful girl, then eventually she will fall in love with you and you’ll get to keep her. I would test the theory out myself but, of course, that sort of thing would literally never happen to me…
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Shortbus
Shortbus
25/08/2007
Shortbus ‘‘Shortbus’ is a (post?)modern erotic comedy exploring the lives of a group of New Yorkers using sex to symbolise their various emotional problems. Meet Sofia, a sex therapist who (yikes!) has never had an orgasm and James and Jamie, a gay couple trying save their failing relationship with new sexual partners. At Shortbus they discuss art, music and politics. Oh, and fuck the shit out of each other while they’re at it. Director John Cameron Mitchell told me that the aim was to confront the anxiety many of us have regarding sex by examining it up close and uncensored. Being explicit about something diffuses its tension; hence scenes of hardcore Supersex designed to break through the audience’s pain barrier (is that called the hymen?). I’ll happily admit I’m the kind of person whose idea of talking dirty involves using phrases like ‘That’s terrific!’ at various intervals, so I was always going to struggle with the gay threesome where a guy sings ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at top volume into the parted anus of his boyfriend who himself is using a third man’s erect penis as a microphone. Yep. Just a little bit rich for me. At its most controversial, a guy contorts himself into a fiendish yoga position to perform oral sex on himself. Before seeing ‘Shortbus,’ autofellatio was on the list with paragliding and EuroDisney as things I vaguely wouldn’t mind experiencing some day. However, having now seen it in all its squalid glory – including the climax where he tearfully ejaculates into his own mouth – I’ll leave it. Stealing the show is Justin Bond, playing himself as Shortbus’ mistress. He spouts enigmatic filth like ‘That’s Alice, she’s got a cunt like a wizard’s sleeve,’ before leading us into the ‘Sex Not Bombs Room,’ for a mass orgy. Curiously, the sight of so many lithe naked bodies slithering over each other isn’t that erotic. It reminded me of all the snakes from ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.’ Basically , I wouldn’t describe ‘Shortbus’ as a porn film; the purpose of the sex in this movie isn’t to titillate or arouse. In this post 9/11 world exhausted with the paranoid politics of Blair and Bush, only acts of extreme liberalism can counter the forces of extreme conservatism that control our lives. That at least is the chat-up line I’ll be using at Brannigans tonight. I’ll let you know how I get on... CINEMA UNIVERSAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT [OUT NOW]
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The Chumscrubber
The Chumscrubber
24/08/2007
The Chumscrubber Exposing the murky underbelly of suburban America is hardly an original concept for a movie, but the impressive cast of ‘The Chumscrubber’ promised at least an intelligent and substantial variation on this hackneyed theme. Despite some good performances however, Ralph Fiennes, Jamie Bell et al could not stop this creaky great juggernaut from thundering over the welltrodden path to its inevitably boring conclusion. A botched kidnapping by some drug-hungry teenagers goes too far, whilst the parents of all involved remain oblivious, so wrapped up are they in their nauseatingly suburban lives. Mayhem is wreaked, lessons are learned, order is restored. Yawn. The name ‘Chumscrubber,’ if you’re wondering, refers to the lame computer graphic of a headless boy that pervades the movie. It appears on posters, comic books, and most frequently in a computer game, where the words ‘I am the Chumscrubber’ are repeated in a supposedly terrifying wheezy techno voice. The somewhat surreal presence of the Chumscrubber is reminiscent of the rabbit in Donnie Darko – a much better film, incidentally, of this genre. The Chumscrubber embodies the social diseases that riddle this particular suburban community, but for me it embodies all that is wrong with the movie: it is superficial, derivative, and has been and will be done better elsewhere. CINEMA ICON FILMS [OUT NOW]
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Emmanuelle: Uncut
Emmanuelle: Uncut
23/08/2007
Emmanuelle: Uncut ‘Emmanuelle’ is probably the most famous soft porn movie of all time. If you’re 14 you will fucking love this film. I’m 24 and I quite like it too, though I probably live much the same kind of life as a 14-year-old – better in fact cos I don’t even have to do homework, how cool is that! ‘ Emmanuelle ’ tells the story of a beautiful young French woman who is sexually awakened through a series of erotic adventures (officially the best type of adventure) when she follows her husband to Bangkok. Its star, Sylvia Kristel, is perfectly cast, bringing a sense of innocent purity as well as sexuality to the role. Mind you, that was 30 years ago; I imagine she’s a bit of a jaded old fuck-coffin by now. In almost every way , this is a film designed to help sad single men slap themselves off. It even has its own ‘wanking theme’ – a cheesy musical refrain that comes in just before the sex scenes, presumably to let you know that the good stuff is on its way. Unfortunately, like so many other films of the genre, ‘Emmanuelle’ insists on including a slimy intellectual veneer to justify its existence. Towards the end we meet Mario, an aging lothario who teaches us his Philosophy Of Sex. ‘I want us to journey into the unknown, beyond the looking glass of reality,’ he tells Emmanuelle as she is being done up the bum by a sweaty Thai peasant. If you’re still watching by this stage, it means you’ve got about 5 minutes left so you probably want to crack on. Otherwise this pretentious wank is the only one you’re going to get. DVD OPTIMUM PICTURES [OUT NOW]
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The All Together
The All Together
04/06/2007
"There was this big-jawed yank in a suit, right, waving a gun around – in the middle of the street! – bawling at this preening, cocky little wide boy about whose fault it was that stuff had gone wrong. How messed is that?" This is a sentence I have never heard uttered by a single person. Why, then, is it a scenario I have come across in every British film of the last ten years? Sigh. It is not a trend The All Together seeks to buck. Derivative and comfortable like metaphors about slippers, the film manages to be a pastiche of every Britcom caper you've seen and is remarkable mostly for two things: a dead squirrel with an erection and male characters spending their time on the toilet. Martin Freeman (you know – Tim, Office, etc) hates television. Ergo, he is a TV producer and depressed. His flatmate makes pornographic taxidermy under the ostensible aegis of Art while freeloading off him. Naturally, this status quo cannot remain. Two drawn-out set pieces later, they are the hostages of the aforementioned Noo Yoik mobster and preening young English wannabe desperate to appease him (Danny Dyer, with weird second chin uncredited). Writer-Director Gavin Claxton is an odd man. Never have I, nor (please Lord) will I ever again see the naked, pasty thighs of so many men as they strain to squeeze one out. I also doubt I shall ever see two stuffed foxes in the missionary position again. Which all adds up to classic DVD fayre: several men in a room on sofas scratching their balls and guffawing as their free hand reaches for beer or pizza. And that, I’m sure you'll agree, has its moments. Much like The All Together. THE ALL TOGETHER CINEMA LIONSGATE FILM OUT NOW REVIEW BY MICHAEL LEWIN
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Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
04/06/2007
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Ghosts of Cite Soleil
Ghosts of Cite Soleil
19/05/2007
Did you know that Wyclef Jean has just been appointed a roving ambassador for Haiti to try and lure back investors and tourists to the country after years of violence and civil unrest? It was in the papers, you know. You should probably read more. In any case, the musician has now provided the score to 'Ghosts Of Cite Soleil,' a documentary following brothers and renowned gang leaders 2Pac and Billy through one of the most turbulent periods in Haitian history. Used as political pawns between the existing government and advancing rebels, they find themselves locked in an unwinnable battle that can only end in tragedy. Aside from violence, the brothers’ most fluent method of expression is music - railing against a world that offers them no hope. This is real gangster rap, addressing real problems and involving real danger. Its commercialised American equivalent looks like a particularly jolly Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in comparison. The film is so slickly edited and goes along at such a pace that you continually have to remind yourself that it is not a work of fiction - a dark and sobering thought. This is powerful, important filmmaking which deserves to be seen; though I doubt it will do much for the Haitian tourist industry... GHOSTS OF CITÉ SOLEIL REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT Out Now REVIEW BY ED COLEMAN
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Fast Food Nation
Fast Food Nation
18/05/2007
Going into the film of Eric Schlosser’s best selling book, you expect something like a Michael Moore polemic, or 'Supersize Me.' These are not good documentaries, but they succeed in making a point, however facile it may be. This film would kill for facile. For some inexplicable, unfathomable, impenetrable reason, Schlosser and director Richard Linklater have decided to transform one of the most successful non-fiction books of recent years into a fictional narrative. The result is patronising and self-defeating. The script is unbearably heavy-handed, including lines such as 'This burger is really disgusting,' and long, long monologues about the Patriot Act in the middle of apparently naturalistic scenes. Alongside these lectures are 'comic' episodes, such as one in which the marketing team at Mickey's try to come up with a new slogan for their flagship meal, The Big One. Their favourite is 'I've got a Big One.' This feels more like the broad satire of 'Thank You For Smoking' than a serious critique of consumer culture. The tone is, to say the least, confused. And to say slightly more, ludicrously inconsistent. The only reason I can think of why Schlosser might choose to undermine his book in such a way is a desire to spread its message to a wider audience. Bruce Willis and Avril Lavigne make cameos here. That’s right, Avril Lavigne. She’s a better singer than she is an actor. And I don't say that lightly. There is something devilishly ironic in a movie that claims to be so resolutely against commodification selling its soul in such slick and slimy packaging. 'Fast Food Nation' reminded me of the new genre of movies ('The Constant Gardener,' 'Blood Diamond') that sacrifice their art to their politics. Except in this case, such a sacrifice was completely unnecessary - this didn't need to be a fictional film. As it is, not only does it sacrifice its art to its politics by turning a narrative into an ashen invective, it also sacrifices its politics to its art, by turning fact into fiction in the first place. It is a film without either art or politics. It is not a film. It is a waste of two perfectly good hours. FAST FOOD NATION RECORDED PICTURE COMPANY Out Now REVIEW BY SIMON BIRD
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Coming Soon...
Coming Soon...
28/03/2007
The first ever motion picture to feature sound, The Jazz Singer, was released in Hollywood California in 1927. 80 years later it seems we’ve pretty much run out of things to make films out of. Literally every major Hollywood blockbuster coming out in 2007 is either a sequel, a prequel or a remake of something that’s already been done. This is a bit worrying really as there’s probably only so much longer them Hollywood big shots can carry on doing this until they really start scraping the barrel. In 2008 expect to see the release of Coronation Street the Movie as well as Spiderman 4 through 30 and Ocean’s a million. In the meantime, this is Notion’s guide to what’s coming your way in 2007... Spiderman 3 [MAY 4] Some kind of alien hybrid technology thing makes Spiderman go all evil for a bit. Scary! 28 Weeks Later [MAY 12] My friend Ed’s in this. Apparently Robert Carlyle eats his face. Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End [MAY 25] Why are pirates called pirates? I don’t know, they just Aarrrrggh. Ocean’s 13 [JUNE 8] Ocean’s 12 was, let’s face it, a bit shit. This was mainly down to the bit when Julia Roberts’ character pretended to be Julia Roberts and the whole film disappeared down some nightmarish postmodern vortex. Hopefully they won’t do that in this one. Live Free or Die Hard [JULY 6] Not many people know this, but Bruce Willis is actually 130 years old. But he’s still the hardest muthafucker in show business. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [14 JULY] How many more of these have we got to have? Surely everyone’s got the idea by now. The Simpsons Movie [JULY 27] Wicked! This is going to be amazing I reckon. Check out the previews on youtube. Transformers [JULY 27] Live action version of 80s cartoon. This is probably going to be really silly. Still it shits on He-Man. The Bourne Ultimatum [AUGUST 10] I’m not being funny, but I reckon I could take Matt Damon in a fight and I’m basically a physical coward. You can tell him I said that. Text: Matt Harvey
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