solace in cinema : A vast wasteland of movies

It's Halloween, and as such FoxAtomic the 'yoof' brand from fox has been overtaken by the 'Carnival of Lost Souls' and are delivering us, the public, shots and video from their upcoming slate of movies. They say 'First images from 28 Weeks later', but we all know that's not true. Here (left) is the image from 28 Weeks later (click to enlarge) and they're releasing more throughout the day.

The 'Hills Have Eyes 2' is basically a rehash of the first movie, on what i'm supposing is a much lower budget, this time the people being terrorised are soldiers, not a family. Big Diff.

Those images are here (the site seems to be having some problems, keep checking back to foxatomic)

Half Nelson is just starting to get some exposure on this side of the Atlantic, but in the states it's already being touted for Oscar nominations. Originally shot as a short 'Gowanus Brooklyn' and now turned into a full length feature, 'Half Nelson' is the debut feature from director Ryan Fleck and his writing partner (and real life partner) Anna Boden. Check out the trailer here

Half Nelson is the story of a High School teacher (Ryan Gosling) who forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students, at the same time attempting to juggle his job, his drug habit and his love life.

I met up with them at the London Film Festival to discuss (briefly) their film, and tell them some (bad) jokes… i'm not sure the PR people were expecting that. Apologies for the sound quality of the interview, but I was in a hotel bar recording it on my mp3 player. Also I was so nervous I dropped my load right before the interview.

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I've seen this short before, but I really can't remember where. Maybe it was on a dvd somehwere? maybe it was on tv? pass. Either way it's worth taking a look at.

I'm not a massive fan of shorts, and I think it's because on the whole, they're crap. Low production values, shonky camera work, bad lighting, worse script… ten minutes long feels like its 2 hours.

Then there are the rare breed of short's that actually give you a bit of hope again. This is one of them. (see also.. cashback) 

Watch Scott Smith's 'Ten' here 

While not really provding anything new in terms of content, I have a feeling it will do in time. The official website for Hot Fuzz has gone live and contains all the stuff we've seen already, in one handy location.

The video diaries, the teaser trailers are all up there, about the only thing that is new (well they were on the working title site, but so small it was pointless) are some stills from the film.

My favourite is Simon and Nick rounding up a swan, and of course another reference to Cornetto

The url is www.jointhefuzz.com, but if you don't want to enter your details you can just go here

Michel Gondry is currently filming his new movie 'Be Kind Rewind' starring Jack Black and Mos Def in Passaic New Jersey. Photos from the various sets are starting to creep their way online. The film itself has a a really great premise:

A man (Black) whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video store. In order to satisfy the store's most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films, which include Back to the Future, The Lion King, and Robocop.

They had me at "brain" and "magnetized". The still to the left (click for expanded version) is from a New York times report from the set of the film, you can read that article here (athough you may have to sign-up).

There's also a couple of stills of Jack Black filming a scene I can only presume is from one of the recreated movies, here, here, here, and here

NYT link via cinematical

Ghosthouse pictures are certainly doing a good job of churning out the diary videos from the New Zealand set of '30 Days of Night', there's a new one roughly every week. Even though they're quite short they show glimpses of the production without ever really revealing too much, which i'm sure i've bitched about in the past but really I know it's the best thing for me.

This diary piece is largely made up of Steve Niles doing a piece to camera, discussing the problems they've had, and are having due to the extreme weather conditions. You also see small glimpses of them doing setups in what looks like part of the set for Barrow.

Check out the latest piece on the ghosthouse site here 

Or there's a direct link to the flash video here

well it's actually an interview with Kubrick's widow Christiane, but it's still a really fascinating read if you're into any of his movies.

There's been a bit of public squabbling recently between R. Lee Ermey (Scary Drill seargent from Full Metal Jacket) and Todd Field (director of 'In the Bedroom' and one of Kubrick's protégés). Ermey claimed Kubrick had confided in him, and told him that Cruise and Kidman had manipulated him, and that 'eyes wide shut' was a "piece of shit". Field shot back basically saying that Ermey was full of crap and Kubrick was happy with the film, and Cruise and Kidman basically bowed at the feet of Kubrick. Contentious.

Not that this interview clears up any of that argument, but it's still a great bit of reporting and  gives a little insight into a highly reclusive director.

Read the interview at Timesonline here 

This looks pretty interesting, and is a story that is not often told, Australian soldiers, and their part in the second world war. here's the synopsis:

A platoon of Australian soldiers from the 39th Battalion is sent as forward patrol outside the village of Isurava on the Kokoda track in New Guinea, during World War II, but sustained Japanese bombardment and initial attacks cut them off from their supply lines and communication. Isolated, they endure without food for three days, carrying their wounded. As they emerge exhausted from the jungle, Isurava is about to fall to the Japanese, and they must gather their last ounce of strength and courage to rejoin the battle.

The trailer is certainly worth looking at, so if you have a spare 3 minutes watch it here (direct link)

And check out the official site here

found via the movie-list forum 

Well the trailer for the remake of 'Day of the Dead' dropped online last night, I don't think i've ever been so wrong about anything in all my life. Steve Miner, you made me a liar, and that means the terrorists have won.

The trailer for 'Day' is here and it looks like total garbage. I'm a big fan of Zack Snyder's 'Dawn of the Dead', and yes he added running zombies, but the movie had a great air of tension and held together well (It was better than Land of the Dead, you may not agreee, but i'm right) but this… well it just looks cheap. Running zombies, ok I can deal with, flying/jumping/kung-fu wall running zombies. NO!. I feel like my eyes have been raped.

On a similar note check out the equally schlocky looking movie 'Big Bad Wolf' (via filmstalker) with a guy (that looks an awful lot like John "Out of commission" Kreese from the 'Karate Kid') playing a massive wise-cracking werewolf. The only difference between this and the dawn trailer is I think this actaully knows it's rubbish.

If thats not enough.. check out giant eels stalking the swamps here (via moviehole)

Already in full swing, this years London Film Festival is certainly living up to it's heritage and playing host to so many interesting films, the only frustrating thing is finding time to fit them all in.

Many films that would otherwise not see the light of day on a big screen in this country are being shown. Films from South Korea, The states, Scandinavia, all over Europe… you pull a country out of a hat, if it has a decent film coming out of it, the chances are that the LFF has picked it up.

A sampling of the films I can recommend are listed below, but honestly the best way is to just browse their website and pick out films that you think you'd find interesting as nearly all the films are worth watching, even if it's only once. If you live in London (or fancy a commute) and have time to check out some screenings I can highly recommend it.

Check out the festival website here

Princess (Denmark)
August, a lapsed priest and estranged brother to a pornstar named 'Princess' returns home on learning of his sisters death to care for her young daughter Mia. Blending an interesting mix of quasi-anime style animation, 3D composites and live-action footage the film uses it's style to enhance the compelling plotline rather than mask it. Set in and around the dark world of pornography, the film becomes a sort of Danish version of Kill Bill. August investigates 'Princess's' death, and trying his best to keep Mia's eyes from seedy world her mother inhabited.

Certainly one of the most interesting films at the festival for its execution alone the plot and voice acting is also brilliant and never brings you out of the world the director has worked so hard to create.

If I had to recommend one film from the festival so far this would be it. If you have the time it's definitely worth checking out.Official Site    LFF Screenings
 

The Bridge (USA)
A fascinating documentary focusing on what was (at the time of filming) the worlds number 1 suicide spot, the film investigates (and in many cases shows) the 28 people in 2004 that decided to end their lives there. The Bridge is a brilliant film that deals in an interesting and serious way with a subject that could have been overly sombre.