Hallowe'en Tricks & Treats

Just as every holiday season has its schedule of releases (Summer blockbuster, Christmas-themed family movies, Easter childrens films tying in with their Spring break etc), Hallowe’en too has become a breeding ground for the undead to attack the box office.

With horror film franchises creeping up to be regular favourite-fixations on-demand, on TV and on the big screen during this period (Saw, Hostel, Paranormal Activity in recent years), there was an identified gap in the market that would provide dark humour targeted at a younger audience that weren’t able to watch gory slasher films.

What started with the success of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas – a mixture of fairy tale, bedtime story, Christmas film and dark humoured musical – all keeping in mind a younger audience, has begun a trend with an increased acceptance that schoolchildren will watch genre films that have them in mind. Today there’s Sinister and Silent Hill for the teenage and adult crowd and the trilogy of Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania and ParaNorman to entertain the younger crowd and get them out for a Hallowe’en film. The success of children’s films isn’t to be underestimated. Big earners in recent years have mostly come from children’s films (even disastrously rated and reviewed ones, ahem Top Cat), beating big box office competition.

The Harry Potter franchise has a lot to answer for. Not only did it introduce younger children to the cinema going experience but it also revived school trips to the pictures and family outings. The 8 films in the series dominated the box office for the decade the series was showing (2001-2011), which in turn meant that those who started young with the first film are now part of the paying audience graduating to teen flicks and the wider film-going experience. Even if they only watched the Harry Potter films, the trip to the cinema was now a routine that they’d not want to break free from. The Twilight saga (4 films over 2008-12) captured the newly christened “tween” audience and every studios searching for the next franchise to both feed those they’ve raised and also entice the next generation in the same way these films have done. The superhero franchises were typically tested as being targeted at a strong male 18-24 year old audience, which changed when extremely dark and violent worlds such as those portrayed in Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy defied box office expectations. A far cry from the caped crusader’s campy television show starring Adam West which had its roots firmly planted in a child-friendly zone. Through the success of the X-Men films (which cleverly translated the male-female balance and issues in print onto the big screen hitting a wider demographic), Spider-Man movies and the single and joint outing of the Avengers, it’s clear that the youth market is the wheel that makes the box office go round. Cue a fresh reboot of Star Trek and a bubbling announcement that hands the reins of the Star Wars franchise to a family friendly and youth-oriented Disney and no self-respecting box office analyst can say they didn’t see this one coming.

So this Hallowe’en indulge in the unsurprising child-friendly films that are showing at the local multiplex (including a new Madagascar film in Europe coinciding with its on-demand release in the US) and witness the daytime queues to see the trilogy of spooky-ish films that are ParaNorman, Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania.

After all, Hallowe’en isn’t about ghosts, goblins, exorcisms and possession. It’s about candy and trick or treating – which sounds very similar to a film-going experience to me.

Skyfall

'Skyfall' arrives in a year which celebrates 50 years of a cinematic icon that has flown the British flag and inspired countless on-screen replicas to date. With the enviable position of probably recovering its complete $150million budget before it even opens in the US, there is no doubt that Bond is back and that too, with a bang.

Everything fans loved about Casino Royale and its introduction to Daniel Craig’s Bond is stamped into the feel of 'Skyfall'. Providing an even deeper glimpse into James Bond’s past and origin, 'Skyfall' succeeds in maintaining the level of entertainment expected from a Bond film and exceeding its recent predecssors in terms of story, presentation and an impeccably brilliant Bond villain divinely assayed by Javier Bardem.

The opening sequence is (as expected from any Bond movie) fast paced, full of action and one that launches you into the world within which MI6 operatives that lay their life on the line for their job. Possibly bettering Casino Royale’s opening sequence while echoing its rooftop antics, 'Skyfall' is beautifully picturised from start to finish by Roger Deakins. His eye illuminates Bond’s dark world sketching out parallels of dimly lit tunnels with bright neon lights where shadows dance in battle fluidly choreographed and narrating the stark contrast of good versus evil. Exotic locations are captured creatively and you’ll forgive the barrage of brand tie-in adverts before the film when you see what that funding has helped make possible. From Istanbul to Shangai, even London is elevated in character by Deakins’ lens adding to a cinematic experience that makes 'Skyfall' a bigger Bond.

Daniel Craig is older, tired and more rugged as the double-O-agent who is now battle-damaged and deemed unfit for duty yet finds his feet through returning to a place from his past that crafted his persona. When sparring verbally with Naomie Harris or tongue tied with the heavenly and enigmatic (as well as underused) Berenice Marlohe, Craig succeeds at delivering a performance that helps the character rise above his environment and is comfortable in his own skin. The aging Bond is perfectly mirrored in a seemingly redundant M (Dame Judi Dench) whose last hurrah as the character is her best yet. Javier Bardem’s delectable portrayal of Raoul Silva jumps from the screen as layers of his character are unravelled with both delight and terror. Bardem has gifted us with a Bond villain truly deserving of the title, which has been missing in recent times. His walk, dialogue delivery and haunting eyes engage in subtle shootouts with Craig’s that ooze the presence of two stalwarts in their field fighting on different sides of a thinly drawn line. Ralph Fiennes is given a good introduction to the franchise and settles into his chair with ease, dropping throwbacks to the M of old that will leave Bond fans with a sense of familiarity.

With nods to the history of the franchise, while setting a bold new direction for James Bond, 'Skyfall' succeeds in upping the game and providing a thrilling episode of the world’s favourite secret agent that Ian Fleming would be proud of. Brilliance flashes through in Sam Mendes directing as he provides a serving of Bond that is well paced, gripping and lives up to the expectations of those hoping for a resurrection for the franchise and character. 'Skyfall' is a noteworthy entry in the Bond franchise that will ensure the world remembers the name James Bond for at least another 50 years.

'Skyfall' is on general release in the UK and releases in the US on November 9.

Break in Transmission

There will be a temporary break in transmission of this blog as we discuss some exciting developments. This blog was started with a love of film and has attracted 1000s of views daily, tweets about our site and Facebook posts exceeding our expectations - THANK YOU! Don't worry, we won't be gone long, a few days at most. Watch this space (and go watch a movie).

Harvey Weinstein at the London Film Festival

Fresh from announcing The World Dance Awards at MIPCOM, Harvey Weinstein attended the 56^th London Film Festival to deliver a much-anticipated and packed keynote speech last night.

Aside from some political jibes about Mitt Romney and mentioning the lack of historical knowledge of film in Hollywood, Weinstein’s main comments were about piracy on the internet which he said was killing the industry. With sites such as YouTube hosting pirated clips from films “doing the industry a massive disservice”, he went onto say companies like Google and Apple were “getting paid and not the actors”.

He criticized the consolidation of media companies stating it would create a “central bureau” allowing “six companies to end up owning a 500-channel universe” making it more difficult for smaller and independent films to reach an audience without the support of members of this consortium, who may demand franchises and remakes.

“These companies make movies to make money," he said. "We too want to be profitable, but also to do something worthwhile and innovative."

A few days ago. when speaking about his joint venture with Michael Flatley at MIPCOM, he confessed “The movie business to some extent is shrinking, and we have to look for new horizons,” when talking about The Weinstein Company’s foray into television. He also responded to a question about digital services like YouTube and Netflix by stating:

"I think it all matters, but at the end of the day it's good stories that rule everything. I think more of a premium should be placed on content and a lot of the work that independent producers do."

Comment:

Whereas piracy is a growing problem in the film and television industry, market research has repeatedly shown that viewers will happily pay for content – they just don’t want to have to wait for staggered releases or deal with region censorship (such as in the recent Avengers case).

Joss Whedon’s Avengers film was downloaded and widely circulating pre-release on home video but still managed staggering figures in home media sales, including download. In the UK, many were importing discs from the US showing frustration at the lack of extras on the UK release and censorship mistake.

Weinstein’s comments also discard the success and following some independent films are able to reach through avoiding the box office and studio system. Through crowdfunding, private investment and a boom in low-to-no budget filmmaking (thanks in part to actors’ willingness to do these films), it has been seen that some filmmakers have raised the entire funding for their film privately and then sold it at a profit to the same audience that is consuming digital downloads and systems like Netflix.

Harvey’s speech has certainly inspired a lot of debate among filmmakers some of which have never worked outside the studio system, but his advice that “good stories rule everything” is the ethos of many new and independent filmmakers who have a shoestring budget and focus more on storytelling than anything else, compensating for what they lack in production values.

We may not completely agree on the future and where things are heading, but Harvey, it’s always great to talk about it with you. 

Buzkashi Boys

Sticking to the tradition of discovering new talent, the 20th Raindance Film Festival gave the award of "Short Film of the Festival" (which automatically qualifies for the Academy Award shortlist) to Buzkashi Boys.

Congratulations guys and good luck. Here's some news coverage of the film.

London Film Festival opening night: Frankenweenie

Mutts, Mayhem and the Macabre: Frankenweenie hits the sweet spots in a dark and innocent way.

Tim Burton has made a career out of the dark and twisted. His fairytale, which became The Nightmare Before Christmas has spawned an excess of merchandise, release, re-release, 3D release and 3D re-release to great success. The man who brought us Beetlejuice and paved the way for a Batman with an edge is back with a bang. He made it acceptable for Batman to unleash his violent frustration on Gotham’s underworld because he had his innocence stolen from him witnessing the grisly death of his parents. The same innocence that young Bruce Wayne had as a young boy returns in Victor Frankenstein.

Following his father’s advice directly leads to death of the only one who understands him and shared his world, his beloved dog Sparky. The scene when Sparky dies and the connection between him and his owner is lost reflects Victor’s despair and emptiness perfectly.

The young boy uses science to resurrect his dog and when man messes with nature, you know the rest.

Presented in black and white 3D, Frankenweenie has a surreal feel about it which complements the subject matter adding to the dark tone of the film. The comedic moments light up the screen and the touching story of innocence, childhood and the loss of innocence is presented in a way only Tim Burton could have delivered.

Adults and children alike will enjoy Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and with half term holidays round the corner, Hallowe’en and Christmas coming up as well as an onslaught of merchandise related to the film available, it’s clear Tim Burton and Disney will hit the mark with this one which is destined to have a long shelf life at the box office and on home video/on demand.

Homages to Burton’s other works as well as the horror genre are done with gleeful delight and the film resurrects a feelgood factor missing from recent children’s films which have seen style take precedence over story and emotion. Wonderfully weaving the events of the story together with empathy and a reminder of innocence, Tim Burton brings a modern day stop motion classic that easily outdoes any CGI rivals in every stake.

Frankenweenie is a film that will undoubtedly be revisited again and again due to its ability to captivate the inner-child in all of us and dazzle with a different kind of spectacle that’s a visual delight. With mutts, mayhem and the macabre, Frankenweenie hits the sweet spot in a dark and innocent way.

Frankenweenie opens in UK theatres from October 17^th. A travelling exhibition on the making of the film is currently at the British Film Institute. 

When it Happens to You

Molly Ringwald is no stranger to the art of storytelling. From an early age, her life has been interlinked with the notion of stories more than the average person. Whereas we all remember our favourite bedtime stories, playground yarns and more, Molly fondly recalls being sat with her father being his eyes and describing what was happening on screen as he took her to the movies. This responsibility was one he entrusted her with, (his favourite child to watch films with, by her own confession). She’d sit in a dimly lit auditorium watching ‘Reds’, and honing her observational and listening senses through translating what was on screen to her blind father. In a simple way, she became a storyteller.

By the age of six, she was performing on an album by her father’s band, The Fulton Street Jazz Band, singing words written by another that evoked emotion and told stories in short designed to entertain. Later she would expand her artistic repertoire and begin acting on television, in film (gaining iconic status) and on stage (she famously nailed it in her portrayal of Sally in London’s West End production of ‘When Harry Met Sally’). She became a part of the stories others wanted to tell, bringing to life the characters seen on screen and on stage.

She met her husband, Panio Gianopoulos - a writer, and they became parents. The bond with storytelling continued as she embarked on the journey that leads to sleepless nights, involves hearing the tales of other children from their parents and sharing her own experiences as a mother with fellow parents in what is a time-old tradition where every adult grows older and wiser learning about childhood diseases they never knew about, become experts in dressing wounds and nursing injuries as well as take on the roles of helper, teacher and friend, revelling in the joys of watching your child grow.

With her debut novel, ‘When it Happens to You’, she switches from being the one who breathes life into characters created by others into the one who crafts a story and leaves you wanting more. While a film tells you what a character is like through visual actions and a physical portrayal which in Molly’s case resonates with her audiences even thirty years after she assayed them, in books we rely on the author’s words to stir up our imagination and help our minds conjure up the world we’re reading about. The way a character dresses, walks, reacts is more personal and if the writer is talented enough they’ll hook you within a few lines and you’ll have a connection with the world they’ve created.

‘When it Happens to You’ is a book of short stories all based on the theme of betrayal – a feeling which the author feels is one of the universal experiences that unites us. She doesn’t hold back and relishes the opportunity to take us down a path of interlocking short stories that captivate and draw you in emotionally, creating empathy with each character as well as moral dilemmas that mirror experiences we have all had or heard of. As a storyteller, Ringwald excels in toying with her readers. She’ll place them in a pre-constructed scenario, flesh out the characters through dialogue and exposition and then introduce an element of betrayal which may be one of many. There are moments where the reader is left holding their breath while continuing reading out of anticipation of how the situation will unfold, not daring to exhale and break the tension of what they’re absorbing. These moments are not few and far between but almost in every story.

It’s not that the author has set out to purposefully create this experience but a credit to her writing that she manages to find the emotional points that connect us, affect us and could destroy us. Each one is life altering and within the safety of the universe Ringwald has created, a tapestry of emotional, physical and mental betrayal leaves its indelible fingerprints.

At a recent discussion of the book, Ringwald said she sometimes doesn’t know how the story is going to end when she’s writing it and prefers to build the characters and then put them in situations. Developing the characters creates the situation and dilemma. Like life, she’s managed to replicate what happens to all of us. With none of us knowing what the next moment will hold, yet sure of who we are and the world around us, it takes only a split second for everything to be turned on its head.

The other masterstroke is that Molly Ringwald in her debut novel has managed to create all these aspects within short stories. With the constraint of the parameters of a short story, she manages to bring the reader into the world of her characters and get them to feel what they’re going through. With the confines of the medium, there is an urgency to connect with the audience soon and she manages this with ease.

With ‘When it Happens to You’, Molly Ringwald, the actress, achieves the impossible: she escapes the baggage of her early Hollywood career generating a legion of new fans who will follow the work she’s creating now rather than fondly remembering how she defined their youth. This is the introduction of a bold and fresh new writer whose ability to permeate the subconscious and translate the human experience onto the page will undoubtedly delight booklovers and fill our heads with a whole new world again and again.

‘When it Happens to You’ is available as a hardback book and on all digital platforms including Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iBooks stores. It is published in the UK by Simon & Schuster.

Raindance is Over.

With the expected empty feeling we're left with now that the Raindance Film Festival is over, it's time to dust off the old black-tie suit and prepare for the London Film Festival which opens with Tim Burton's Frankenweenie tonight. 

Reports that it only opened on the weekend with $11.2M may seem low but given it's a movie that will appeal to both children and adults, the word of mouth that is spreading fast and that this will be the only movie released this week that will still be playing during Hallowe'en and beyond, the figures do not spell box office failure just yet. The merchandise at all Disney Stores is getting a lot of love from all ages and Frankenweenie looks set to exceed naysayers doom-and-gloom forecast by more than a whisker. You heard it here first.

On another note, it's great that Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter will receive honorary fellowships of the BFI too. Let the London Film Festival begin!

See you at the movies.

Last Day at Raindance

Tomorrow is the last day at Raindance and it's not too late to watch something that will give you a taster of the wonderful films playing in the festival.

Three great documentaries - one on the banjo narrated by Steve Martin (insert funny gag here while banjo music strums in the background) for the music-inclined, The Hidden Hand which explores extraterrestrial life and alien-human interactions by those who are apparently in the know about it and one for the romantics on those addicted to love.

After School Midnighters looks great although I haven't seen it yet. It's an animated piece about an anatomy model who comes to life after midnight and the animation seen in the scene played at the awards this evening had us all in stitches, so we're lucky to have caught a glimpse of this before its final screening.

If you missed the festival's shorts, don't miss tomorrow. There's the Best International Shorts at 3pm and Shorts Program 14 at 5pm. This starts with the sci-fi, thought-provoking work of Rory O'Donnell called AutoDrive. I managed to catch this short film at the cast and crew screening last week and it creates an unsettling feeling that stays with you after the film has finished. It'll definitely make you think twice about using your car's navigation system and is worth going to the shorts program for. 

Aside from the closing night film Salt (and after party) you can also catch some good films like Cinema Six, Bad Hair Friday, City Slacker and From Tuesday to Tuesday.

There's one more day of being immersed in indie film like never before and then its back to the diet of junk food cinema that's currently playing at the box office (seriously, have you seen Resident Evil: Retribution? That's the first film I've seen in a while that made me almost throw popcorn at the screen in hope of waking the film up. Ugh.)

See you tomorrow at Raindance. 

Overheard at Raindance

"The London Film Festival starts in a few weeks, never heard of Raindance before."
"It's got some cool stuff on."
"Yeah? BFI are going real dark and opening with Tim Burton's Frankenweenie this year, it's going to be edgy. What did Raindance open with?"
"Here Comes the Devil. They're showing a film about a vegetarian cannibal too."
"Whoa...."

(Conversation at the Raindance counter by a bespectacled lady wearing a black polkadot dress and a beautiful look that could raise the dead. If you're reading, you're gorgeous.)

Dark Hearts

'Dark Hearts' is a sumptuous and seductive film which sets the tone for the film from the opening scene itself. An artist named Colson (Kyle Schmid) paints a haunting painting as his brother Sam (Lucas Till) arrives from out of town to stay with him for a while.

Colson takes Sam out on the town and we are introduced to his art dealer (played to perfection, with quirks, ticks and expressions in her eyes as haunting as the paintings, by Juliet Landau) and the lead singer of a band Fran (Sonja Kinski) who Coulson quickly begins an affair with. His desire is only satiated when he has “captured their essence” in his paintings and so begins what is a rollercoaster of twists and turns in a film that plays on the audience’s expectations while delivering a Lost-Boys-meets-David-Lynch world that could have been plucked from the 1980s. A psychological thriller with plenty of murder, blood, brotherhood and art that is difficult to pigeon-hole into any category, 'Dark Hearts' is a guilty pleasure that shows what the Raindance Film Festival is all about.

Schmid plays a possessed artist to the hilt, showing a metamorphosis throughout the film that brings everything into question. A solid performance, Schmid is overlooked in the Best Actor in a Feature category in favour of Lucas Till, who may be sought after actor at present but provides a repressed performance in 'Dark Hearts'. Sonja Kinski is the breakout performer. Looking every bit the superstar and portraying the dark and mysterious Fran with ease, Kinski manages to effortlessly entice the camera to hover over like a spirit before setting it on fire and watching it burn. She excels in the emotional scenes with her manager and with Schmid, both creating an on-screen chemistry that crackles with deviousness. This is undoubtedly the discovery of the festival in a film that entertains in unexpected ways with allure, seduction, crime and betrayal.

Director Rudolf Buitendach has crafted a brilliant film which delivers on every level. Like the artist in the film, his canvas is filled with his passion and its evident that he knows what the audience wants and how to present it. Watching 'Dark Hearts' is an additional pleasure knowing you're seeing something magical unfold as Buitendach announces his arrival with panache and flair. A new cult film is born.

If you haven’t seen 'Dark Hearts', you will soon as it is destined for bigger things as are its talented director and cast.

Overheard at Raindance

"Confine is great, Daisy Lowe did a great job and so did her sister - they're so alike!!"
(Heard after the second screening of 'Confine' by a young man referring to Daisy Lowe's double role, which they obviously didn't realise was played by two people - a compliment in itself).

Best of the Fest

The Raindance 20^th Film Festival has only a few days left. If you’ve missed it so far, you’ve really missed out. But fear not! Here’s a recap of the best of the fest so far and some of these will be repeated in the next few days.

5.  Shorts.

Raindance has always nurtured and supported short films even finding some of them avenues of release when others have shunned them. The short films shown previously have launched careers and this year is no different. If you missed a program don’t you dare miss the rest. With 3 more shorts programs still showing, be sure to catch High Octane City which repeats in around 20 minutes (hurry!). You won’t be disappointed and if you can’t make that then catch the repeats of Best International Shorts and Gone Astray. I’m still reeling from wondering what the hell happened in ‘Fangst’, the amorous anarchy of ‘Romance’, the sweetness of ‘Superhero’ and the return of Ralph Macchio (from The Karate Kid) in ‘Danko Jones’. Seriously, do yourself a favour and don’t miss any more.

4.  Bill Martell’s Workshops.

Less a lesson in craft and more a jovial discussion with interesting facts, Bill Martell provides great fuel for writers’ fingers to get them tapping away. Particularly if you have the idea and are exploring a genre. ‘Jaws’ was recently released on Bluray and no-one’s come close to recreating the terror since. Bill knows and explains why as well as goes through why the first ten pages of a script are crucial to hooking a producer, investor and filmgoer and right now he’s talking about the “found footage” phenomenon which is about to burn up the charts with “Sinister” and “Paranormal Activity 4”. Some would say Bill’s inside knowledge is an omen of things to come. Don’t miss these if you’re writing. The sessions are every day and cheaper than chips.

3.  Confine.

Low budget, taut thriller that’s high in tension, unpredictable and has great performances by Daisy Lowe and the lovely Eliza Bennett (currently ruling the stage in Loserville). If you want a great indie low-budget thriller starring the stars of tomorrow, look no further. Confine satisfies on every level. Sadly you can’t catch this film anymore, but you’ll probably read more about it later when its released and kick yourself for not watching it at it’s world premiere at Raindance.

2.  Banaz – A Love Story… and other documentaries.

The documentaries this year at Raindance have outdone every year gone by without a doubt. From ‘The Lottery of Birth’ and ‘Trashed’ which got fantastic receptions and awakened audiences to a world before them that they couldn’t see even with their eyes prized open (and have been called “life changing” by some audience members) to ‘Despite the Gods’ which puts the term “reality TV” to shame, documentaries are eye openers you can’t miss. ‘The Hidden Hand’ will expand your world beyond the earth today and the one on the man in black, Johnny Cash, showed the timeless icon like never before by someone who knew him extremely well. Banaz a Love Story has affected me deeply because the topic is something completely unexplainable yet presented so brilliantly by a new filmmaker who goes the extra mile for the cause of highlighting an honour killing which should never have happened. Mistakes by the authorities are highlighted, a young woman’s life is taken and documentary filmmaker Deeyah is granted unprecedented access to get to the bottom of the story and how it unfolds in a hope to spread a message that will make sure it never happens again.

There’s still more to come including one on the sex trade industry, one on the banjo and another on couch surfing. Just let’s forget about ‘Sunset Strip’.

1.  Dark Hearts.

This delightfully delectable dark comedy horror is the highlight of the festival so far. Breakout performances, a star is born in Sonja Kinski, Kyle Schmid is superb and the soundtrack makes you feel you’re in the film. Definitely the film of the festival so far, ‘Dark Hearts’ delivers on every level.

There’s still so much to see. What are you waiting for?