Out to Space

Another burst of talented flame.

I felt offended when someone gave his opinion that Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart was a crap song. It shaped the rock music in the early 80’s which evolved from the raging Punk Rock. You can still hear its echo in the music today. Although I am a fan of New Order, I hardly know Joy Division apart from their most popular piece of music and the suicide of the lead singer, Ian Curtis. Joy Division Documentary has given me insights about them.

The Director, Grant Gee stylises the film with old clips and photographs creating the right mood for the group. The movie pivots on Ian Curtis, straightforward from forming the band to his death. People involved in the band, in the exception of the band’s families, tell us about their pathway rock stardom. Not so different from other super group, it takes talents, good timing and lucks. The major drawback is Ian’s illness and depression and on one knows how to deal with it.

It seems like Ian is just another troubled artist driven by success to end of his life. However, he is a good example of a mental disorder person is unable to connect to the world. His lyrics shows how has been lost on his own and no matter how deeply his massages strikes the audience, he would not get the sympathy back.

16 doses of shorts from UK masters.

It seems unreal that someone put my favourite filmmakers on the same disc: Ridley Scott, Peter Greenaway, Mike Leigh and even Martin Parr, who are more recognised as a documentary photographer. It is the compilation of early works that gave them the launch pads to their big career. You can find that shorts are likely be more freely creative, sometime more indulgent than feature length films. But that craft of producing a long movie is another complex story. And this proves how these directors still keep the their own story telling style.

The usual themes are about coming of age which is fair enough that artists’ first picks are close to themselves. Anyhow, growing up in the UK is just a tad out of my cultural references. They are just too bleak for my liking. The piece I like the most is Telling Lies by Simon Ellis with its humour and simple graphics. His first feature debut will be released soon. Watch out for this guy.

There are more in this Cinema 16 series: European, American, European (US Edition) and World which is due in early 2008. Can’t wait to see more.

Sick of YouTube? Here is Brightcove lets you have more control you shared video over the Internet.

This the video I made a while ago is a compilation of my early photography. It started off with point-and-shoot camera then I found a medium that I could express my relationship with the world. Look and see how things change.

Let’s get naked. We are human after all.

With generosity from Dymocks, Stilgherrian and I have a chance to preview the French version of Lady Chatterley’s Lover which is released in Australian cinemas in October. It swept this year 5 César Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress.

A young, intelligent woman, Constance (Marina Hands) gets married with a wealthy, upper-class, half-paralysed man, Clifford Chatterley (Hippolyte Girardot). The unhappy marriage turns her to have an affair with his gamekeeper, Mr Parkin (Jean-Louis Coullo’ch). The original novel by D. H. Lawrence was a taboo itself with sex scenes between an aristocrat lady and a working class man. It was banned in many country including Australia.

There is nothing new with the plot of a married woman having an affair in the world of cinemas. They all have their excuses to cross the line. Ask Fracesca’s The Bridges of Medison County, Ada’s The Piano, Ju Dou and many main characters that has their quests beyond a married life. It is a kind of monogamous culture’s fantasy and a universal theme that writers always explore the relationship of a woman with her world, especially, before the sexual revolution and women’s lib movement.

Watching the relationship growing between Constance and Parkin is such a pleasure. They start off with sexual tension and develop into far beyond what she has with her husband—four-letter word, love. They strip their feelings to each other as well as their cloths each time they meet until they part.

Marina Hands beautifully portray Lady Chatterley as such a complex character. She combines naivety and intelligence in a perfect spot. She shines from when she sees herself naked in a mirror. The first sex encounter with Parkin, those eyes tell it all. The final sex scene she runs naked in the rains into the woods for him to catch her and end with floral decoration on her body.

This low-budget French adaptation is directed by Pascale Ferran. She interprets the story to contemporary stand, not just a standard costume drama, less of social context, more of character in depth.

It was limited released in French cinema as opposed to high-financed movies both local and from Hollywood studios. Three hours seem not too long at all giving that it delivers the sensuality in every minute of it.

Recently, BRW magazine announced 50 Australian’s Top Entertainers. The only none-performer in the top ten are James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the Creators of Saw series. The couple won the Hollywood lotto when they got the green light from the studio to finance the film. They make millions of dollars by churning the sequels every year. Saw IV is about to be released this year. I had to see the original on DVD with curiosity.

The story starts with a hi-concept, two men (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell) wake up to find out that they are chained in a filthy bathroom. They don’t know where they are, how or why they got there. They have to play death games of the mastermind, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). While they are trying to get free, a cop (Danny Glover) is relentlessly trying to catch him. And of course, it ends up with ultra-violent climax and now predictable anti-climax.

There are the keys of this franchise’s success. Hollywood is always looking for new horrors but it has not been fresh lately. Jason’s Friday 13th cannot be resurrected any more. They’ve already remade Texas Chainsaw massacre. They’ve borrowed Japanese’s The Ring and The Grudge with sequels. George Romero’s made a come back with another zombie flick. Their last original horror as far as I can recall was Final Destination dated in 2000 and Hostel in 2005.

Saw fills the gap with the evil puppet master. Jigsaw is psycho, intelligent and unbeatable. It’s the combination of Hannibal Lecter, Jason and Se7en’s John Doe. Despite of many holes in the scripts and over-the-top acting of Cary Elwes and Denny Glover, it has the elements that this genre gives, the cinematography, the editing and unnecessary blood scenes.

An Aussie home-grown horror has cracked the international market with Wolf Creek in 2005 but it didn’t have the momentum push and Hollywood backup like Saw. They all are in the new blood of horror filmmakers group called the Splat Pack. Watch out for more blood shed and they make money.