The Divide (2011) - movie review...

What's it about?
A brutal post-apocalyptic thriller in which a group of survivors hide in the shelter beneath their building, and begin to succumb to the pressures and psychosis of the situation.
Who would I recognise in it?
Michael Biehn, Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia, Ashton Holmes, Rosanna Arquette.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
From the director of Frontiers (which I haven't seen), and Hitman (which I saw, and thought was thoroughly "meh" at best), didn't instill a huge amount of confidence in me, but after watching the gritty trailer - and, much to my excitement, discovering that Michael Biehn was in this flick - I figured I'd give it a punt on the basis of those two elements in its favour.

Launching with the bombs already being unleashed upon the city of New York, it's clear from the get-go that the film is in an awful hurry to get somewhere - something that doesn't particularly work in the film's favour when, a quarter of an hour in, a bunch of hazmat-suited, gun-toting goons bust in, kidnap the only child in the group, and take her ... an action that is explained with barely a shred of reason, even during a brief excursion outside of the shelter's door minutes later. It makes for a curious screenwriting decision which ultimately proves more of a distraction, than the haunting mystery writers Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean were probably intending it to be.

With that distraction aside however, the film is able to get stuck into the meat - the story of how these everyday people descend into violent madness within the confines of this bomb shelter. This is both the strongest and weakest part of the movie - the scant characterisation and back stories afforded to the cast of characters is at worst nearly non-existent, but at best it provides Michael Biehn as Mickey the building manager, to really sink his teeth into a gently drawn character. Mickey was once a fireman, but the horrors of 9/11 changed him forever into a man who is slowly killing himself after losing not only his men, but his family - these discoveries are made with a pleasing sense of subtlety that gels perfectly with Biehn's powerful performance that is absolutely the most distinct highlight of the entire flick; the man deserves many more meaty roles such as this.

Click "READ MORE" below to find out more...

Obscura (2012)...

This experimental short, about someone who may, or may not be, a Crime Scene Photographer, was inspired in-part by Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up, as well as the book Another Way of Telling by John Berger and Jean Mohr.

The main theme of the short is the idea – as proferred by Berger and Mohr – of the clash between the photograph, and the memory of the moment that the photograph resembles, as well as the connection between the camera lens and the human eye.

 

 

The film is pieced together from a variety of disparate fragments of footage and photographs that I have gathered over many years on different formats. In addition to newly shot footage and images, there are pieces of footage originally shot for other projects from years passed by, as well as photographs (and light-sensitive photographs) dating back to 1999. Stylistically the film is a sort of 'visual collage', that combines the new with the re appropriated old, which speaks to further themes of the short – namely the idea of fragmented memory, how a picture is not viewed in the mind's eye as a whole, but rather in individual elements that make up that whole picture. For example – an alleyway is broken down into key images: the height and close proximity of the surrounding buildings which created the alleyway, the old exterior light on one wall, and the tangle of steel and barbed wire atop the locked entrance to the alleyway.

 

 

The idea for the film initially came about when I dug out from a drawer, an old stills camera that belonged to an uncle – a Zeiss Ikon Contina I from the 1950s. I drew intrigue from the classic styling of the device, as well as the mechanical consistency of the lens, shutter, and winding operations, which ultimately fed not only into the editing of this strange little experimental short, but also the underlying ethereal plot.

 

 

View the film embedded below, or directly via my YouTubeChannel HERE.

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Obscura - a new short film...

This is an experimental mood-piece about someone who may, or may not be, a Crime Scene Photographer. It was inspired not only by Antonioni's "Blow-Up", but also "Another Way of Telling" by John Berger and Jean Mohr, in which they wrote about, and illustrated, the idea that there is a friction between the photographed moment, and the memory of the moment itself, which the photograph resembles.



It was pieced together from a disparate range of various photographs and footage that I have gathered over the years (specifically, in this case, between 1999 and the present day). Enjoy.

Trailer Fest: "I Know That Voice"...

John DiMaggio - better known as the voice of Bender from Futurama, and Marcus Fenix from the Gears of War franchise, to the masses - is currently working on a new documentary called "I Know That Voice", which is all about the amazing voice talent behind some of our favourite shows (and, increasingly-so nowadays, videogames) from decades past to the present day. It looks ruddy good if you ask me, and this is a definite must-see in my opinion - I can't wait to see it!



The doc was brought to my attention when listening to the latest episode of Rob 'Pinky from Pinky & The Brain' Paulsen's excellent podcast "Talkin' Toons", which brings members of the voice acting community in to discuss their life and work, and is a merry old time indeed.

You can also listen to more DiMaggio (with Billy 'Fry from Futurama' West) on the latest Nerdist podcast too - check that out here.

Triple Bill Mini Musings: Nightmares, Real & Imagined...

We Need To Talk About Kevin:
What's it about?
Lynne Ramsay's devestating drama based on the book by Lionel Shriver details the tormented life of a woman whose first-born, the eponymous Kevin, simply isn't right, and in the wake of a horrid tragedy she struggles to come-to-terms with what happened.
Who would I recognise in it?
Tilda Swinton, John C. Reiley, Ezra Miller.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Once considered "unfilmable", Ramsay does a stellar job of injecting an unhinged and fractured sense of craftsmanship as she manages to maintain control over a film which jumps forward and back through various points in time. Pertinent information is scattered throughout, at first with dark mysteries attached, and later on doused in chilling realisation. Ezra Miller (and his younger counter-parts) gives a powerful performance as Kevin, a true embodiment of evil, Tilda Swinton is nothing short of captivating as the tortured mother who is plagued by guilt, anger, frustration, and horror at having an extremely strained relationship with Kevin since his birth, and John C. Reiley provides a welcome counter-balance to the tension as the nigh-on-totally oblivious father. Presented with a memorable visual flair, it can be tough/draining viewing, but it is always a rewarding experience. Great.

Click "READ MORE" below for Poltergeist II, and Deranged...