Produced by: Anthony Bregman, John Carney, Peter Cron, Rebecca O’Flanagan and Robert Walpole.
Main Cast: Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Orén Kinlan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Cinematography: John Conroy
Edited by: Stephen O’Connell
John Carney is a brilliant and honest filmmaker who is attracted to outsiders and people with real emotional turmoil. They tend to be at crossroads in their lives and are struggling with their dreams and relationships. He also loves musicians, flaws and all. In Begin Again (2013), a washed-up musical executive, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, meets unhappy singer-songwriter, Keira Knightley and their first-world romance is played out to bittersweet consequences. Similarly, in Sing Street (2016), a troubled teenager comes of age through his 1980’s pop band and bittersweet romance with a rebellious and equally-troubled schoolgirl. Notice a pattern? Well, this style of music, gritty city backdrops and salty romances were established in Carney’s breakout hit, Once (2007) and are continued in his current underdog musical comedy, Flora and Son (2023).
Flora and Son (2023), believe it or not, is set in Dublin and centres around a single mum, Flora and her delinquent teenage son, Max (Oren Kinlan). Eve Hewson is the foul-mouthed-council-estate-joker, who uses anger and black humour to hide her feelings of insecurity and loss. A mourning for the loss of youth having brought up a child virtually single-handed. Her relationship with Max’s father, Ian (Jack Reynor) is fractured to say the least and they spit sarcastic barbs at each other as shared custodians of disaffected Max. While leaving her cleaning job at a middle-class household, Flora finds a battered guitar in a skip. Attempting to bond with Max, by giving him the guitar, Flora finds herself shunned. She then opens another bottle of wine, picks up the guitar and gives it a crack herself.
Taking online guitar lessons from charming and chilled American musician, Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Flora initially flirts but then knuckles down to learn the plucking instrument. The stakes aren’t particularly high here, but the feelgood acoustic numbers from Carney and co-composer, Gary Clark, certainly breeze along nicely and breath gold onto the screen. Max’s white-rap-Irish-hip-hop tracks are pretty good too and the video he and Flora make is really funny. Thus, you get the theme again from Carney that music helps to connect and heal and provide salvation to the most troubled of human situations. Overall, Flora and Son (2023), is a slight but enjoyable film with enough earthy humour, strumming harmony and kicking beats to please most.
31st RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW – ACTORS-TURNED-DIRECTORS!
As the Office Manager for the Raindance Film School, it is always exciting when the Raindance Film Festival is about to start. This year it runs from Wednesday 25 October 2023 to Saturday 4th November 2023 in Central London. All the amazing details can be found here: https://raindance.org/festival/
There are so many brilliant films to choose from, so it can be an impossibly difficult decision to narrow down one’s choice. If you have the time I recommend you buy a Festival Pass and go and watch everything. If you’re not fortunate enough to be able to do this you could thematically link your cinema choices.
I am always interested in following the careers of actors who become directors. The well-respected director, Dan Attias once said that, “. . . the best training he had for directing was being an actor.” Indeed, there are many great actors who have become fine film directors, including: Clint Eastwood, Jordan Peele, Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Greta Gerwig, Denzel Washington and Ben Affleck. So, here are four brilliant actors-turned-directors who have films screening at the 31st Raindance Film Festival.
DAY OF THE FIGHT (2023)
The opening gala film is written directed by Jack Huston and promises to be an incendiary drama of power and redemption.
Okay, the ultra-talented Adam Ethan Crow was not specifically an actor. Yet, he was certainly a prominent presence on the stand-up comedy scene, before turning his abundant skills to filmmaking. His latest film, Warhol, is a multi-stranded drama that connects various characters to powerful effect.
Paul Laight is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and blogger. In 2005, he formed Fix Films and has written and produced many shorts and other promos. Many of his films have been screened all over the world at various film festivals. Paul is currently working on feature and short film scripts for future productions. His work can be found here:
Based on: American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
Produced by: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti and many more.
Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema
*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***
One wonders if Christopher Nolan sees himself reflected, on some subconscious level, in the character of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Both are geniuses within their chosen field, and both have had their critics who do not always agree with their choices. The intrinsic difference is that the work of Oppenheimer and his team of scientists created one of the most expensive and deadly weapons the world has even seen. His actions led to destruction and death on a mass scale. Christopher Nolan, on the other hand, merely creates expensive drama and destruction on a cinema screen for our entertainment.
J. Robert Oppenheimer is clearly a complex character to bring to life on the screen. Indeed, scientists are not always the most riveting of characters, nor particularly cinematic. Especially since they spend their days in laboratories, classrooms and have their heads buried in books. Thus, visually speaking it is a constant challenge for filmmakers to present such biopic narratives. Moreover, thematically, and philosophically there is much internal conflict to wrestle with. Especially someone as (in)famous as Oppenheimer. I mean, how does a man overcome the guilt of being responsible for the deaths of so many people?
Having said that, Oppenheimer, as the leader of the ‘Manhattan Project’ at Los Alamos, could also be interpreted as the saviour of lives. The invention of nuclear weapons is an act of aggression, but paradoxically also a shield of peace. Such is the fear generated by such a devastating tool we will never know how many lives the existence of nuclear bombs has saved. Unfortunately, human beings find other ways to kill each other. That sadly will never stop. Does Nolan explore these themes within the intense three hours of cinematic propulsion, Oppenheimer (2023)? It is certainly there in the subtext, but perhaps not as pronounced as I would have hoped.
Adapting American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is highly intelligent and clearly professionally researched. It is also, when compared with the often-baffling Tenet (2020), simply structured. Events from Oppenheimer’s early life, post-war troubles with the United States government and the key stages of the ‘Manhattan Project’ are cut together in juxtaposing timelines throughout the lengthy running time. Nolan builds from the Senate and court hearings Oppenheimer faces after the war, where his security status is threatened with revocation due to his alleged association with the Communist party before the war.
That McCarthyistic-Red-Scare-paranoia was vilifying genuine heroes such as Oppenheimer is quite incredible, but unsurprising. I mean, here is a man, who served his country to personal cost and his own mental degradation. It is therefore a measure of his character, as presented via Cillian Murphy’s formidable portrayal, that he refuses to break in the face of constant questioning of his patriotism and commitment to America. I felt that the constant jolts from the Senate hearings, where Robert Downey Jnr’s, Lewis Strauss, is seeking election, to Oppenheimer’s security status “trial,” brought about an overly repetitive and talky series of scenes which bogged down the emotions for me.
Where the film truly blooms is when Oppenheimer makes his scientific breakthrough, builds his team of geniuses and the construction and testing of the nuclear weapons at Los Alamos. There is palpable suspense (even though we know what happens) in the race with the Germans to make the bomb first. Imagine if the Germans had won the race? It does not bear thinking about. The history of the world would have been irrevocably altered beyond comprehension. Nolan also does an effective job of keeping the scientific language at an understandable level, as he promotes personalities over jargon. Indeed, Nolan’s ultra-talented ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jason Clarke, Florence Pugh and the best of the lot, Robert Downey Jnr, are all superbly marshalled by the director.
As well as being rich in history and thematic power,Oppenheimer’s (2023) visuals, allied with Hoyte Van Hoytema’s pristine cinematography, are unsurprisingly impressive. Nolan makes the choice to switch between black-and-white and colour photography. This is initially jarring but works with the shifting character perspectives it is intended to denote. On the other hand, I would say the pulsating sound design and score felt overbearing at times. Similarly, one could argue the overload of cutting, aural battering and switching of film colour stock combine to overload the viewer and remove emotional and dramatic resonance.
Oppenheimer (2023) is another Nolan masterwork as he and Cillian Murphy will surely get Oscar nominations. Lastly, the film works best as a bullet-pointed history lesson, a fine tribute to a complex and flawed genius, and a powerful damnation of United States paranoid politics. However, the solipsist nature of Oppenheimer’s character study and crowd of talking heads often becomes dizzying, watering down the drama and emotion of this immaculate and nuclear work of cinema.
A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting by Neil Marshall Stevens
As a filmgoer many people are willing to be frightened and induce anxiety and be sickeningly entertained through horror cinema. But why go out of your way to scare yourself? On the other side, many others in society consider horror films to be depraved and lead to copycat crimes. I am not one of those individuals. I love horror. I love gore. I love watching and telling horror stories. I love being scared in the dark by sounds and images from the silver screen.
Other than being entertained on a primal level, horror cinema distracts me from my own mortality too. This artificial dread paradoxically relieves me from the fear of the end. It’s a way for me to face my fears head on, but safely hidden behind my popcorn.
Further, the horror genre provides one of the most shared experiences for audiences at the cinema. Collectively, this group experience scares us and provides ultimate relief by the time one leaves the cinema. Indeed, horror films are often a staple for teens or young adults looking for thrills on a Friday or Saturday night. They can also make great date movies that allow you to get closer to someone as you both share the fear in front of you.
Don’t ever forget that horror cinema is big business. Often on a very low budget. The Blair Witch Project (1999), Eraserhead (1977), Paranormal Activity (2007) and the seminal, Night of the Living Dead (1968) are all great examples of low-budget horror films which did incredible numbers at the box office. Which is why if you’re a horror screenwriter or looking to get into creating fear on screen, A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting by Neil Marshall Stevens is an invaluable guide to get you started.
Neil Marshall Stevens is a screenwriter and film lecturer with many credits to his name. His book explores the nature of fear and developing the concept of fear within the horror genre. The opening chapters look at the science and biology of what scares us as a species. Are we born with such fears, or do we learn them? After which the writer digs downs into the specifics of what scares people and animals. We are animals after all. This takes in a plethora of phobias, creepy crawlies, urban legends, and things that go bump in the night. Stevens also superbly analyses the many fears prevalent within the real world and our nightmares. The final chapter exercises further cement the theories and concepts with valuable practical advice.
The second half of the book introduces the brilliant idea of the ‘Toolbox of Dread.’ Here Stevens takes some famous horror films and horror conventions and illustrates how filmmakers unnerve and frighten audiences. The ratcheting of suspense, fake tension and the classic jump scare are all explored in depth. These chapters certainly gave me great confidence when I write my next horror screenplay.
Stevens also further develops these ideas in analysing a treatment and scenes from his unproduced screenplay Horrorvision. Not only does this provide an excellent insight into the writing process, but it drills down into how to create tension and dread on the page. Ultimately, Stevens developed Horrorvision in 2000, but it never went into production due to the budget size and being too similar to another project.
I really connected with this book. It gave me a whole new set of approaches and ideas to bring to my next horror projects. It is written in an intelligent and digestible style and gave me a renewed appreciation of the horror film genre. Yes, of course many horror films can be exploitative and often produces some truly terrible movies. However, when directed by the horror experts such as: George A. Romero, James Wan, Ari Aster, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, and Julie Ducournau, to name a few, horror becomes a powerful and primal expression of the cinematic form.
Michael Wiese Productions (MWP) was launched in San Francisco in 1976 primarily to produce films. Today, the company is known worldwide having published some 200 books. Some of the bestsellers have been translated into 28 languages, are used in over 1000 film courses, in the Hollywood studios and by emerging filmmakers.
THE CINEMA FIX PRESENTS: 10 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2022!
Happy New Year and welcome to 2023!
I am slightly tardy on the list of my favourite films of 2022 as I had a couple of latter 2022 reviews to catch up on, plus the day job has been quite hectic.
Well, I thought it was a great year for cinema releases. It started slowly but improved steadily throughout with some tremendous films released in the latter half of 2022.
I say cinema releases, but we are now in an era of the streaming platforms threatening the multiplexes with their existence. I treat them all the same now and my list contains choices watched both at home and in the cinema. As long as they are new releases and I saw them in 2022, they qualify.
Obviously, I have not seen every new release from 2022, so if there are any glaring omissions from my list please recommend away!
As an aperitif I include my ten favourite films of 2021. Good luck and bon voyage in 2023!
ANOTHER ROUND (2020) THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021) MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (2020) MINARI (2020) PIECES OF A WOMAN (2020) THE POWER OF THE DOG (2021) THE RENTAL (2020) SOUND OF METAL (2019) WEST SIDE STORY (2021)
“I loved everything about The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). The look, the performances, the pacing, the locations, the script, the themes, the humour, the tragedy and Carter Burwell’s phenomenal score are all absolutely first class. . .”
BONES AND ALL (2022)
Bones and All (2022) is directed with glacial majesty by Luca Guadagnino. He expertly blends the genres of horror, period drama, rites-of-passage, romance and road movie with a well-balanced approach to tone. Extracting attractive performances from Chalamet and Russell, their onscreen chemistry is potent and touching.
CODA (2021)
“Unashamedly manipulative and occasionally cloying, Coda (2021), is a big-hearted familial comedy-drama with many powerful messages. Following your dream, respecting those around you and loving your family are integral to this feelgood film. . .”
DECISION TO LEAVE (2022)
“. . . did the exquisitely directed and intelligently scripted, Decision to Leave (2022), need to be so evasively complex and full of radiant ambiguity? The ending especially is both poetically exquisite and frustratingly cryptic. With a Park Chan-wook film, would I have it any way?“
DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022)
“Doctor Strange 2 (2022) is a big, dumb, fast-paced, scary, fantastic, mystical, surprising and funny chunk of visually stunning fantasy cinema. Benedict Cumberbatch is on superb hand-waving, cape-throwing, shape-shifting, death-defying, hair-flicking, multiverse-jumping, father-figuring form magically anchoring Sam Raimi’s directorial box of tricks!“
“I cannot praise Elvis (2022) enough as a cinematic biopic and musical spectacle. While the choppy editing style is jarring at the start, once the film settles down into a groove, Butler’s stunning incarnation shines through amidst the gospel, rhythm and blues, rap, rock, pop, ballad and protest songs throughout the scintillating soundtrack.”
EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE (2022)
“. . . Kwan and Scheinert succeed with Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022) because as well as a machine-gun splattering of hilarious ideas and gags combined with some pretty lofty themes, this film ultimately has a hell of a heart.”
THE MENU (2022)
“The Menu (2022) is a fantastically twisted and funny genre film. Fiennes, Taylor-Joy, Hoult and Hong Chau are on terrific acting form. Further, the production design and cinematography make the visuals succulent and palatable. Ultimately, for those who love food, fear and vengeance, this film is certainly best served hot!”
“. . . the scale and ambition of the film is to be totally admired, as is the vibrant direction by S. S. Rajamouli. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, as the lead revolutionaries, are bona fide film stars. Their energy, physicality and charisma on screen really grabbed me, but amidst the kinetics there is also a big emotional heart within RRR (2022)!”
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2022)
“. . . while the characters may not be the most likeable, that is never Ostlund’s aim. His desire is to critique capitalist hegemony through both high and low brow humour, style and form. He succeeds, making Triangle of Sadness (2022) one of the most thought-provoking and exhilarating cinema experiences of the year.”
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, John Leguizamo, etc.
Cinematography Peter Deming
*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***
I love cinema and films like The Menu (2022), as much as I love food and drink. Wow, some of the food shown on screen looked absolutely delicious, while some of it was that weird cuisine so gorged on by the pompous moneyed folk of this world. I must admit that I have had an unhealthy relationship with food. I have been an overeater and also overweight. I am a food addict, notably sugar and alcohol. I have attempted to control it with various dietary ventures. Low calorie, low carbohydrate, low sugar, running, gym, fasting, temperance and other (un)successful attempts at moderation have ensued. Presently, I am pretty fit from a cardio perspective, and twenty kilos lighter than I was ten years ago. But I could do much better.
I’ve always strived to eat healthily, but fine dining was never really for me. It was only when I met my wife eight years ago that I was introduced to gourmet dining and the dreaded tasting menu. Aside from the over-priced food, I just find those posh restaurants too pretentious for a working-class boy from Battersea. Yet, I would go out with my wife for a treat and eat at some wonderful restaurants in Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Cornwall, London and many more. Some were amazing and some I found were not really value for money. The personality cult of the celebrity chef continues to thrive also. Aside from enjoying Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares they’ve never really interested me. Yet, I was onboard while imbibing the skewered satire of The Menu (2022). Because it’s a sharply scripted horror film which comes to the boil slowly before delivering a killer set of courses throughout.
It’s best to experience The Menu (2022) without knowing too much. The surprises in the inventive script are a constant joy. The setting is an exclusive and expensive restaurant on a remote island called Hawthorne. The host, menu architect and epicurean is celebrity chef, Julian Slowik. Chef is portrayed with intense control and focus by Ralph Fiennes. Slowik finds himself worshipped by his kitchen acolytes, who adhere to his every demand. He is brilliant and to be feared, like many a charismatic cult leader before him. Eat your heart out, Gordon Ramsay.
Arriving by boat to the blighted isle are twelve restaurant-goers such as a team of rich finance guys, a once famous Hollywood actor (John Leguizamo) and his PA, a wealthy middle-aged couple, a food critic (Janet McTeer) and her yes-man assistant, plus the mis-matched couple, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult). Tyler is a sycophantic fanboy of Slowik’s food and career, something that later comes to horrifying catharsis. Indeed, as well as the mysterious menu, many of the guests are harbouring a secret that this hell’s kitchen is more than prepared to burn.
Structured, unsurprisingly, around the courses of a tasting menu with titles separating each dish, the food delivered is both imaginative and beautifully presented. Margot’s character pushes back on what she considers to be both ostentatious and insubstantial food, much to Tyler’s annoyance. Their conflict intersperses the rising suspense that derives from Julian’s menu, which raises the stakes gradually, before events truly reach boiling point. In Slowik’s restaurant the customer is definitely NEVER right. Similar toReady or Not (2019), The Menu (2022) is a fantastically twisted and funny genre film. Fiennes, Taylor-Joy, Hoult and Hong Chau are on terrific acting form. Further, the production design and cinematography make the visuals succulent and palatable. Ultimately, for those who love food, fear and vengeance, this film is certainly best served hot!
Raindance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the UK. Holding the 30th festival in 2022, Raindance is based in the heart of London’s buzzing West End film district.
Raindance Film Festival is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the British Independent Film Awards. Selected shorts will qualify for Oscar® and BAFTA considerations.
Festival Sections: – World-renowned programme of the best UK and international independent films. – House of Raindance – talks and panels at Genesis Cinema – Raindance VRX programme for virtual reality and new media Networking events – Attracting 16,000 visitors including 500 industry professionals into London.
The 30th Raindance took place between October 26 – November 5 2022 in Central and East London. I attended many of the amazing events.
Opening Night Gala and Film – Corner Office (2022)
The opening night Gala at the Waldorf Hotel, was a fantastic event and Jonathan Pryce and Vanessa Redgrave deservedly received Raindance icon awards.
The opening gala was preceded by the opening film. Starring the cast-against-type, Jon Hamm,Corner Office (2022) is a fine surreal comedy. He portrays an office worker who finds a room in the office which no other worker can see. Is he crazy or the sanest person in the company? Joachim Back directs a stylish and offbeat indie cinema treat!
House of Raindance at Genesis Cinema
At the wonderful Genesis Cinema, near Stepney Green in East London, the Raindance Film Festival created the House of Raindance and Backyard cinema marquee full of fantastic industry events and screening. These included: panels with industry professionals from TooFar Media, Paus TV, and Celtx; masterclasses with filmmaking experts and retrospective screenings of classics such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Memento (2000) andOld Boy (2003).
Closing Party and Film – Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game (2022)
After watching over 15,000 feature and short film submissions, the Raindance programmers delivered an array of amazing cinematic works. Films screened from all over the world included: Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls (2022), Iguana (2022), Pantafa (2022), Karaoke (2022), Little Axel (2022), Swallow (2022), Razorlight: Fall to Pieces (2022); and many shorts programmes including Raindance Film School Student Showcase, Queer, Horror, Radical Agendas and Transient Venture strands.
Having opened with a brilliant film, Raindance 30th Film Festival closed with another entertaining one too. It was the romantic, heroic and comedic 1970s period film, Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game (2022). It’s the story of Roger Sharpe, the young midwesterner who overturned New York City’s 35 year-old ban on pinball machines. Influenced stylistically by Martin Scorsese, it is a niche but fascinating and bumping slice of American legal historia. Safe to say to the closing party at Genesis Cinema was flipping marvellous too.
See you next year at the 31st Raindance Film Festival!
Screenplay by: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner Story by: Baz Luhrmann, Jeremy Doner
Produced by: Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick, Schuyler Weiss
Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, David Wenham , Kodi Smit-McPhee etc.
*** MAY CONTAIN HISTORICAL SPOILERS ***
Since 1992, Baz Luhrmann has directed only six feature films. Each of them, aside from the lower-budgeted, Strictly Ballroom (1992), is a gigantic and epic extravaganza, full of colour, imagination, verve, energy, music, poetry and larger-than-life characters. Even Strictly Ballroom contains many of the stylistic and formal elements which would become part of Luhrmann’s oeuvre. I pretty much feel this auteur’s excessive approach to filmmaking including the fast-cutting, opulent settings, big musical numbers, all-star casts, plus grandiose and melodramatic narrative delivery are always a wonderful spectacle to experience.
Arguably, adapting the American novel, The Great Gatsby (2013), in this periphrastic packaging, took away from the enigma and majesty of Fitzgerald’s classic. However, with Elvis (2022), Luhrmann and his incredible production team, marry such genius excessive style with the perfect subject matter: the King of Rock and Roll! Because in colliding the life, music and films of Elvis Aaron Presley with Luhrmann’s stunning methodology brings to the screen one of the best films of the year Indeed for Luhrmann, Elvis (2022), is evidently a stylistic, subjective and thematic labour of love, marking it as his best film to date.
I wasn’t even going to watch Elvis (2022) at the cinema. I’d recently seen Spencer (2021) on Amazon Prime and was happy to have streamed that. While that eerie adaptation was a valiant attempt to breathe life into the ghost of Diana. An elegiac attempt to explain the oppressive result of her naïve choice to land her Princess dream. With Kristen Stewart’s exceptional impression rescue breathing Diana’s tragic existence, I knew the story. I knew enough to care for someone whose mental health was discarded by the heartless Windsor’s. But the monarchy have been killing the working class for years, so why should I care deeply for one singular spoilt individual? Similarly, I pondered whether I wanted to watch another film about Elvis Presley. A God-given talented singer, heartthrob, actor, musician and legendary performer had a story I was already familiar with. But, I am so happy I overcame my ignorant prejudice because Elvis (2022) is a humdinger of a part-musical-part-biopic-part-drama-part-American tragedy.
Elvis (2022) is structured around the memories of shadowy manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). He is suffering illness in his old age, close to hospital demise. Parker is a grotesque in a billowing gown, drifting around the nightmarish Vegas slot-machines as Elvis’ voice echoes within his mind. Is it the guilt or the morphine? The story flashes back to a younger Parker promoting country singers at a travelling Carny. Until that fateful day when he hears a miracle on the radio, a young singer who everyone thinks is Black. But he isn’t. In the markedly racist times of 1950s America (has it really changed in certain States or Police departments?), a Black singer won’t sell records like this white dude will. Seizing his chance Parker attends Elvis’ first gig and witnesses a phenomenon. An attractive, sexual, gyrating and angelic powerhouse with an incredible voice who sends sex-waved into the audience, especially the teenage girls.
A star is born, and it takes a star to play a star. Take as many bows as you want, Austin Butler. He is a genuine phenomenon in Elvis (2022). Of course, the wardrobe, postiche and make-up artists work wonders to help recreate Elvis’ iconic looks as the narrative flashes through various stages of Presley’s devastatingly successful career, Yet, Butler just lights up the screen, producing acting fireworks in a physically, spiritually, emotionally and musically astounding screen presentation. It is not an impression, but a tour-de-force for a relatively unknown actor who has jettisoned his career to glory.
Butler, lives and breathes the King. This rendition and great direction from Luhrmann make you feel tragic empathy for a career which was manipulated and controlled by grubby gambling addict, Parker. Hank’s portrayal of the Colonel feels unnatural and theatrical compared to Butler’s organic turn. Perhaps that was the intention? Deliver a pantomime villain to boo and hiss at. Although, Hanks’ cigar-chomping and jowly make-up made me think the evil touch of Orson Welles’, Captain Hank Quinlan, had somehow been resurrected.
I cannot praise Elvis (2022) enough as a cinematic biopic and musical spectacle. While the choppy editing style is jarring at the start, once the film settles down into a groove, Butler’s stunning incarnation shines through. Overall, I was enlivened by, not only the constant remixing of Elvis Presley hits, but Luhrmann’s choice to alloy gospel, rhythm and blues, rap, rock, pop, ballad and protest songs throughout the scintillating soundtrack. Much, quite rightly, is made of how much diverse music influenced Elvis’s formative life and how he connected with Black musicians of the era. Luhrmann also ensures we are aware of how much of a threat Presley was seen by the establishment due to the sexual nature of his sang satanic verses. Sent to Germany to prevent him demonising America, his comeback special after seven years in movies is one of the finest movie set-pieces I have seen in many a year. Funny, rocking, poignant, effervescent, beautiful and astounding, just like Elvis, the man and myth, and Elvis (2022) the film.
[Book Review] Hollywood Game Plan – Carole M. Kirschner
The sniping words of despotic Hollywood executive, Buddy Ackerman, in the scathing film satireSwimming With Sharks (1994), echoed around my mind.
“Because there are no story-book romances, no fairy-tale endings. So before you run out and change the world, ask yourself, ‘What do you really want?’”
It’s a vital life question. What is it you really want? If you’re drawn to the dream factory, to Hollywood, that celebrated capital of mythmaking and stardust where do you start? Well, Carole M. Kirshner’s Hollywood Game Plan is definitely for you. In a fabled town where apparently nobody knows anything, I have to say I knew so much more after reading this.
Who is Carole M. Kirshner I hear you ask? Because, like me, you may be dubious of such Hollywood guides which offer to demystify the process of getting ahead in the film and television industry. Never fear as the author has walked the walk and talked the talk in Hollywood, grafting her way up to a senior-level Hollywood executive for CBS and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment.
Yet, Hollywood Game Plan is not the work of a jaded burnt-out hack. Rather, it’s a dynamic and positive journey structured from start to finish to help you achieve the goal of getting a job in Hollywood. If that is what you really want then read on.
One of the book’s major strengths is a well-designed spine that teaches the reader the basics, getting us prepared for the long Hollywood road trip ahead, training our brains for obstacles that may come our way, and not filling one’s mind with dreamy possibilities. There is hard graft ahead through research, networking, pitching, phone calls, interviews, more networking, staying positive, facing rejection, and having a never-say-die attitude. As the author states finding a full-time job in Hollywood is a full-time job in itself.
The writing throughout is punchy and unpretentious. There is real honesty that leaps from the words on the page. Moreover, I was especially impressed by the goal-oriented aim of the book. If you’re like me and enjoy hitting targets then Carole M. Kirshner’s chapter exercises really build what she calls that “Los Angeles Armour.”
Indeed, how to write a killer C.V., perfect a covering letter, find a mentor, write, and pitch your own personal history, and even how long to wait before you follow up on a hot lead are just a suggestion of the priceless advice in this book. It will most definitely get you ahead of the competition during the Darwinist task of moving up the Hollywood food chain.
Because it is survival of the fittest in Hollywood. You’ve got to work to earn your lucky break. There’s rarely such a thing as overnight success. As well as the target-based exercises there are many testimonials from professionals within Hollywood, including those who have taken Carole M. Kirshner’s Hollywood Game Plan course. These and the informative appendices at the back of the book provide an invaluable set of tools for the journey ahead.
So, in conclusion, ask yourself what you really want? If it’s a job in Hollywood and you’re out of shark repellent, barbed spears, and a protective underwater cage, you could do worse than arm yourself with Carole M. Kirshner’s enlightening book, Hollywood Game Plan.
Why the canine is considered to be the appropriate animal to represent a character who overcomes great loss and adversity is fascinating. On further digging one will find that etymological history of the term, Underdog, derives from the second half of the 19th century, where its first meaning was “the beaten dog in a fight”. Two dogs fight and the losing one is the underdog. Quite simple and obvious really. It makes sense then that the term has also been used in sporting and filmic language down the years. Here the underdog is a team or individual who faces an insurmountable opponent where defeat is most likely. To then gain victory against the odds makes the winning oh so much sweeter and glorious.
So, for my occasional Six of the Best series I’d like to explore and list some of the finest underdogs from cinema. I’d also like to consider certain conventions from within this subgenre. Clearly, I could just choose six films about sport, so I am going to work a bit harder and provide some less obvious choices too. Hope you agree.
** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS **
ROCKY (1976) – The individual underdog!
The individual underdog is synonymous with sporting films.Cinderella Man (2005), Eddie the Eagle (2015), Rudy (1993) and The Karate Kid (1984) are just some of the fine narratives which have used the individual overcoming the odds to triumph. Obviously, though the greatest of all time is Stallone’s working-class journeyman, Rocky Balboa, rising up from the gutters of Philadelphia to seeing stars and finding love in the ring. Reflected in Rocky’s incredible journey is Stallone’s own underdog story of a struggling actor, who had to sell his dog, wrote a brilliant script, determined to play the lead, earned his break and became one of the biggest film stars of a generation.
REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000) – the team underdog!
Like the individual underdog sports film, cinema is brimming with crowd pleasers about a bunch of unlikely oddballs or losers joining forces to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Usually, the team underdogs will overcome singular divisions, while learning about themselves to find formidable communal fighting spirit. The Bad News Bears (1976), The Mighty Ducks (1990), The Longest Yard (1974/2005), Miracle (2004) and the aptly named Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) are but a few of these excellent team films. However, Remember the Titans (2000) is one of the most powerful sporting team movies featuring Denzel Washington as T. C. Williams High School coach, Herman Boone, whose team not only overcomes sporting obstacles, but political ones including institutional racism and widespread bigotry outside and within the school system.
NIGHTCRAWLER (2014) – the villain as underdog!
Here’s a character which is incredibly difficult to write and even more problematic to define due to the paradoxical nature of their personality. If you’re doing bad things can you be considered an underdog? I mean is the underdog’s victory earned and can an audience root for the villain? I think one of the greatest underdogs and most unreliable of protagonists is Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects (1995). But he was a trickster, genius and fake underdog. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom tops Verbal for me. At the start of the film, Nightcrawler (2014), he has absolutely nothing. But his conniving, planning and preparedness to go the extra mile and expand his media business via sabotage and eventually murder are an unforgettably dark underdog journey.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011) – the superhero underdog!
The superhero genre staple for both heroes and villains often finds a character acquiring by accident, fate or design abilities which transform them into beings of immense and fantastic power. The likes of Superman, Thor, and Wonder Woman are god-like superheroes, however, the likes of Steve Rogers, as Captain America, grew from humbler beginnings. Rogers is an admirable underdog because he doesn’t like bullies, his character never knew when he was beaten, he comes from working-class stock and he’s an anachronism as character tension comes from not fitting into the present. Rogers is not a god or scientist or billionaire, but the little guy with a big heart who becomes a hero.
ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) – the legal underdog!
It’s a sad indictment of humanity and the capitalist system that there are so many films showing the evil wrongs corporations have perpetuated against people and the environment. Dark Waters (2019), Silkwood (1983),Class Action (1991) andErin Brockovich (2000) are but a few of such stories where individuals fight against an unjust legal system which strives to protect the rich and powerful from accepting responsibility for the heinous damage they have wreaked. Erin Brockovich is an especially positive example of an individual who, despite her lack of education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) involving underground contamination. Brockovich also overcame sexist attitudes in the workplace too which placed certain judgements on the way she behaved and dressed. Brilliantly portrayed by Julia Roberts in the film, Erin Brockovich is a true underdog hero of a generation.
SPARTACUS (1960) – the epic underdog!
Having recently read Kirk Douglas’ enlightening memoir, I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist, I have to say it is one of the most excellent books about filmmaking and politics I have experienced. Douglas took up the cause of underdog screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who having served prison time for refusing to name names to the Joseph McCarthy led House of Un-American Activities Committee, was blacklisted in Hollywood. Writing under a series of fake names, Trumbo scribed the screenplay to the epic Spartacus (1960), with Douglas as the eponymous hero who rises up from slave to Gladiator to leader, defeating the Romans in many battles before dying a martyr. One can see Trumbo’s underdog fight reflected in Spartacus’ epic journey and the fact that Douglas eventually placed Trumbo’s name in the credits of the film was testament to his powerful writing and unjust treatment by the nefarious American government.
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The Cinema Fix presents 