film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Rosalynn Try-Hane

  • Review: A Poem Is A Naked Person

    Review: A Poem Is A Naked Person

    A Poem Is A Naked Person is a fitting testament to the raw talent, creativity and genius in front and behind the camera. 40 years after it was made, Les Blank, perfectly captures the musical titan, Leon Russell. It is also a tribute to a time where it was all rock and roll and people cared little about how they looked and more about being in the moment and critical thinking.

    Watching this film, I knew little about Leon Russell. A quick Wikipedia search will inform you that not only is he a signer but also a composer and songwriter of such classics: ” A song for you” and “superstar”. He’s been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. That natural talent is captured by Les Blank during the two years it took to shoot A Poem Is A Naked Person. However, more than just Leon Russell is captured, the time also. What do I mean? Well the 1970s when so much seemed possible. it’s refreshing that image or at least not a cultivated image wasn’t as important as it is in 2016.

    Imagining the film made today, it would be Les Blank filming individuals taking endless selfies and then deleting them.

    The Last Waltz by Martin Scorsese this isn’t. It is a documentary like no other – it captures the artist, his entourage and then the surroundings. It’s really a collection of vignettes, life on the road and the 1970s. Man – I wish that had been my era. Marvel at the freedom and enjoy the music.

    A Poem Is A Naked Person is released in cinemas on Friday 8 July.

  • Empire Cinemas Selects Top 10 Fashion Moments

    The fashion world will bow down this July when Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie finally hits the big screen. Eddie (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) may have proved to be mildly bonkers, but they were always at the forefront of fashion. Indeed fashion cameos pepper the new film, with Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne, Anya Hindmarch, Jean Paul Gaultier and Giles Deacon all set to be fabulous darling. Empire Cinemas has put together their top ten fashion moments in the movies, hotter than Cara and Kate:

    Breakfast at Tiffany’s

    The chicest fashion moment to ever enter the zeitgeist, a Givenchy clad Audrey Hepburn, wielding a cigarette holder and Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses is an enlighteningly sophisticated society girl. Author Truman Capote based the book’s character on Marilyn Monroe, and never forgave Paramount for casting Hepburn. Yet Hepburn epitomises 1961 complete with the infamous black clean-lined dress. One of the dresses was sold at Christie’s in 2006 for $923,187.

    Clueless

    Taking up the school cool girl clique mantle from Heathers, Clueless was a sea of plaid, Alaia dresses and knee socks. After the film’s release, these were accordingly only worn by the coolest girls.

    Cleopatra

    65 costumes costing $194,800 meant Elizabeth Taylor’s wardrobe budget was the highest ever for a single screen actor. Trends such as arm cuffs, maxi dresses and the Cleo black kohl eye emerged after, despite the film nearly taking 20th Century Fox under.

    The Seven Year Itch

    That dress is one of Hollywood’s most potent symbols. Marilyn Monroe’s white halter neck once seen blowing up in the hot air from a Manhattan subway grid (although the film’s final shot is a studio one) last sold at auction for $4.6 million – clearly still one of Hollywood’s iconic dresses.

    Grease

    Never mind the message that you need to change to look cheap to find the object of your affection, Olivia Newton-John’s fashion moment as “bad” Sandy saw her sewn into the world tightest trousers for the final scene of the film. And lo, a trend was born.

    The Devil wears Prada

    Fashion united for this take on life at Runway magazine, a thinly disguised parody of Vogue and its formidable editor Anna Wintour. Patricia Field, famed for styling Sex and the City, stepped in to use at least $1 million of clothing making the film the most expensively costumed in history.

    Sex and the City

    Stylist Patricia Field flies again in the movie version of the ever-popular series. While the four girls seem to have infinite budgets for their winsome wardrobes, designers were keen to lend to the film after eight years of the series. Vivienne Westwood made Carrie’s wedding dress while jeweller H. Stern lent over 300 pieces to the film.

    The Great Gatsby 2013 vs The Great Gatsby 1974

    In 1974 we had Mia Farrow all in white, wafting her way around the Jazz Age to win a Best Costume Design Oscar. In 2013, director Baz Luhrmann’s wife Catherine Martin took on the challenge as his long time production and costume collaborator. With four Oscars under her belt she created a dazzling visual display using archive pieces from Prada and Miu Miu that were altered for the film’s look. It may not have been as authentic as in 1974, but it certainly has flair.

    Blade Runner

    It’s hard to know where to start with this stunning futuristic thriller. ‘Eighties meets ‘forties noir set in 2019 means that costume designers Michael Kaplan and Charles Knode had some great inspiration to play with. Replicant Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) is seen naked encrusted with jewels and wielding a snake before a chase scene in a transparent raincoat. Rachael (Sean Young) rocks shoulder heavy suits inspired by 1930s Hollywood Golden Age designer Adrian and a huge fur coat. Finally Pris (Daryl Hannah) wears blacked out raccoon eye make-up along with her feminised punk look.

    Black Swan

    Designer Amy Westcott worked on the costume design in this unsettling drama set in the world of ballet. Encrusted tutus and bejewelled tiaras work in a unique colour palette that is intended to show the evolution of Nina’s character. She also worked with fashion designers the Rodarte sisters on seven of the costumes.

    To book tickets for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie visit www.empirecinemas.co.uk/synopsis/absolutely_fabulous_the_movie/f5045

  • Debut Feature Sasquatch To Premiere At The Prince Charles Cinema!

    This July, a group of young filmmakers will prove their doubters wrong by premiering their feature film “Sasquatch” at the exclusive Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square. The film, a hilarious coming-of-age comedy about two young men who kill time by faking Bigfoot sightings in the remote forests of Cumbria, was made for just under £9,500 and successfully funded through crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

    When Writer/Director Rob Luke was just 19 years-old, he wrote the story of Sasquatch with school- friend Bernie Paget, who also stars as the lead character Harvey in the film. While on a trip to the US to visit friends, the pair wrote the concept of a hoax Bigfoot sighting that sends the residents of a northern community into a panic, only for them to retaliate by hiring a hunter to kill the beast, and subsequently, hilarity ensues.

    Paget met co-star Dominic Crisp, who plays the lead character Will, whilst studying at the Oxford School of Drama. Together the pair bring the legend of Sasquatch to rural Cumbria, where the scenic landscapes make a fitting tribute to the furry beast’s Canadian roots. The iconic farm house from Withnail & I also plays a recurring role in the film. “Could Bigfoot really be here?!” ask the villagers in the film, who are made of up several noticeable faces including John Murtagh (Braveheart, Beautiful Creatures) and recent BIFA winner, Abigail Hardingham (Nina Forever, Hollyoaks) as well as a range of other strong and qwerky performances that bring the story to life.

    A successful crowdfunding campaign through popular website Indiegogo, saw the Sasquatch team raise their initial target of £8,500. The film was made with the help of Luke’s classmates that he met whilst studying Digital Film Production at Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication in London, which was also able to provide equipment and post-production facilities. By filming in the landscapes surrounding the towns of Windermere, Kendal, and Cartmel, the home of sticky toffee pudding and where Luke’s family run a Bed and Breakfast, the team was able to keep costs down as locations were offered to them for free by supportive locals. The team was also able to partner up with German camera equipment company Kinefinity, who sponsored them with a free rental of a high- resolution KineRAW S35 camera for the duration of their shoot, meaning that they could combine their equipment with the stunning landscapes of the Lake District to achieve fantastic quality images for a fraction of the cost that other film productions would have to pay.

    After 30 days of shooting the film wrapped under budget, and as a result was able to invest more resources into post-production and pick-ups in order to expand the film. The end result is a 95-minute comedy delivered in stunning 2K resolution and a professional 5.1 sound mix. British band Hunter & the Bear, who have supported Eric Clapton, provide a heartwarming soundtrack for the film.

    The team hope to take Sasquatch to various national and international film festivals later on in the year, with the film exclusively premiering at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square on Saturday the 16th of July 2016, with doors and red-carpet opening at 8:30pm. For more tickets and information go to SasquatchMovie.co.uk

    BRWC will be attending the premiere so look out for a first look review after the premiere and our hangover has subsided!

  • Review: A Beautiful Planet

    A visually stunning hour long documentary providing a real window into the life of astronauts shot by astronauts. It is aimed at elementary and secondary school children but there are a few delights for adults thats if you can shut out the clumpy narration even if the narrator is the Oscar winning actress, Jennifer Lawrence.

    This film is best viewed in IMAX. Before the screening, the director, Toni Myers, told us that the astronauts were taught how to film so they could capture everyday life on the space station. None of the images are enhanced and shows everyday life at the International Space Station – how they eat, the difficulties of drinking out of a cup in zero gravity etc. This is the 7th film in Space the first in 1985. The scene showing thunder storm and lightning truly leaves you in awe of our majestic planet earth. Most of the narration is for the benefit of children and watching it in IMAX does make it feel even more accessible.

    The European Premiere of A Beautiful Planet was held on Monday 23 May at the Science Museum.

    It was released on 27 May 2016 in IMAX and 3D in cinemas across the UK.

  • The BRWC Review: Where To Invade Next

    Michael Moore’s latest full length documentary film is called Where To Invade Next. The title like the film is no reflection of what you expect it to be. It seemed like a good idea to begin with. However, like modern day Western coalition foreign policy once the invasion is finished just move onto the next place leaving, in this case, the inhabitants of the “invaded” countries and viewers bemused with no answers and little reasoning.

    I thought I knew what the film was about – Michael Moore doing what he does pointing at all America’s flaws and showing critical thought. Here he leads the “invasion” to “steal” the best ideas from other European countries and take them back to the US: Italy’s 8 weeks of holiday, the French school dinners, Norway allowing prisoners the right to live openly within confines, Finnish no school holidays and Iceland showing women do it better. All that is great until he raises the point that all of these were originally American ideas. What then is the point of these “invasions”? He doesn’t quite know where he’s taking us. The images of American prison brutality and the disproportionate amount of black men locked up are sobering and thought provoking and could be the subject of its own film. There are a litany of good thoughts and ideas sprinkled liberally throughout this documentary film but no real thread if you discount Michael Moore.

    At the end, it was apparent he “invaded” too many countries with no plan of what to do next. Sometimes it was with comical results but mostly it just felt like many an international assault of late in the Middle East – invade and follow up later. It therefore didn’t really achieve what he set out to do. Which is what I do not know. It is enjoyable and I laughed in parts but when it was apparent that no critical thought or conclusion would be forthcoming my attention waned.

    It is thought provoking and raises questions it is just that Michael Moore doesn’t answer any of them. Go to the cinema to watch this if you are a big fan of Michael Moore’s films otherwise wait for the DVD.

    Where To Invade Next is released in cinemas across the UK on Friday 10 June.