A lot has been made of this film, as it’s Judd Apatow’s third film, following his successes with 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and there’s a lot worth praising. As usual with his work the film walks a fine line between being a comedy or a drama, leaning more for the emotional punches that just happen to be funny. Continue reading →
We are a rather fortunate bunch. Our grandparents only had two chances to see a film: either when it came out in theatres or if it popped up on television, which is what made the annual television screenings of The Wizard of Oz such a big deal. It was not until VHS revolutionized the industry and films could be watched whenever we desired. Combine this with the communication powers of the internet and a film that never got past screenings in New York can suddenly make a ton of cash and notoriety.
With such fortunes, I find it our job as film enthusiasts to promote our favorite smaller films as a counter-weight to the advertising juggernauts that rumble across our cultural plains. Continue reading →
Since George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, all of the great zombie films have provided us an undead lens through which a facet of human civilization is focused upon: Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead tackled race and conspicuous consumption, respectively; Danny Boyle used our fear of disease to look into the heart of man in 28 Days Later, only to find the “Rage Virus” within all of us. Pontypool continues in this vein as the best zombie* film since Boyle’s resurrection of the genre, utilizing the fear of the unknown to look at the power of language. Continue reading →
Darren Aronofsky (<em>left</em>) and the Unknown Interview Lady (<em>right</em>).
As was the same with the Sam Mendes talk: I was able to get a last minute ticket for the Darren Aronofsky event that had been sold out. I secured a front seat and the following video footage below. I did not have enough memory on my camera to cover the entire talk, so the rest is dictated word for word from my old school tape recorder (I really need to buy a digital one…).
Worth highlighting are his thoughts on 3D, music from his films cropping up in shitty trailers and sports events, and why some people hate The Fountain towards the end of Part 6. Please leave your thoughts at the bottom.
Welcome everyone to my film diary. While I am waiting to start school here in Edinburgh, I’m working on my film knowledge and jotting down ideas. I will dedicate this journal to the discussion of cinema (and even some literature), but right now the big thing is the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
The fest is one of the largest in the U.K. and will be showcasing Sam Mendes’ Away We Go, the sci-fi film starring Sam Rockwell, Moon, and talks with directors Sam Mendes, Darren Aronofsky, and King of the B’s himself, Roger Corman. Unfortunately I was unable to get tickets in time for Mendes and Aronofsky. However, I feel my uncanny ability to meet bands like Everclear, Queens of the Stone Age, Papa Roach through cunning and persistence will be helpful in getting into the talks in some way.
Here is a list of the events I’ve bought tickets for (and in brackets the events I’ll try to get into):
June 17 Away We Go
June 18
[Sam Mendes: In Person]
June 19 The Hurt Locker (from the director of Point Break)
June 20
Roger Corman’s The Intruder, starring William Shatner. (This was the best trailer I could find for the film, but it’s still good for some background on the film and Corman)
Moon (sci-fi film with Kevin Spacey and Sam Rockwell)
June 26 Pontypool (radio dj gets reports of strange things going on outside)
The festival begins tonight with Away We Go and I’ll post my thoughts tomorrow. If there are any films you see on the site that you would recommend, please comment.
The Filmsmith
The Filmsmith 
Darren Aronofsky: In Person
Darren Aronofsky (<em>left</em>) and the Unknown Interview Lady (<em>right</em>).
As was the same with the Sam Mendes talk: I was able to get a last minute ticket for the Darren Aronofsky event that had been sold out. I secured a front seat and the following video footage below. I did not have enough memory on my camera to cover the entire talk, so the rest is dictated word for word from my old school tape recorder (I really need to buy a digital one…).
Worth highlighting are his thoughts on 3D, music from his films cropping up in shitty trailers and sports events, and why some people hate The Fountain towards the end of Part 6. Please leave your thoughts at the bottom.
Continue reading →
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Posted in Edinburgh International Film Festival, Filmmaking, Interviews
Tagged 3D, Batman, Cinema, Clint Mansell, Darren Aronofsky, Edinburgh International Film Festival, EIFF, Filmmaking, Frank Miller, Hubert Selby Jr., Mickey Rourke, Movies, Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Robocop, Steroids, The Fountain, The Wrestler