A teenager already well-versed in the ways of sex embarks on a cerebral and physical experiment to find out why she can no longer be satisfied. She and her friends trawl the city in search of a man who will make her feel once more.
Very much part of the Japanese New Wave, this movie is cloaked in that guerrilla style. From the black and white cinematography to trickery with colour and film stock, to the on-the-hoof documentary style footage of early 70’s Japan, and its disaffected youth, Gushing Prayer really wants you to take it seriously. It’s Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac by way of Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, in that desensitisation and depression are two symptoms of the same condition.
If the narrative stuck to those themes alone it would be fine. Instead we’re lumbered with clunky dialogue and overbearing performances that awkwardly tumble through the reinforced negatives of sexual politics and the adolescent’s expectations of adulthood and the roles of men and women. Boorish teenage boys place a monetary value on their female companions, deciding what is best for them and are only concerned with how this all affects them.
The only time Gushing Prayer gets interesting is when it permits Yasuko (Aki Sasaki) to speak up, allowing the audience the chance to listen. She delves into immature fantasy and cannot fully articulate her burgeoning desires which brings up the thought of sex as something experienced by an adolescent Vs the great unknown. The way it is experienced by adults. Obviously, this is something that Yasuko wouldn’t get to know until she got over that threshold, which is at odds with a youth’s race to grow up before they’re ready.
Beyond the fact that he went underground and didn’t make a movie for over thirty years, I didn’t know much of Masao Adachi or his work as a director. After sitting through his 1971 movie, Gushing Prayer: A 15-year Old Prostitute, I wish I knew less. There are some visually interesting elements to Gushing Prayer but the characters are borderline insufferable and their plight has been better documented in other movies.
Gushing Prayer: A 15-year Old Prostitute is available now through Third Window Films
What’s New Pussycat? – Woody Allen Retrospective. By Alif Majeed.
It is easy to hate Woody Allen for very some pretty valid reasons. Certain things about his personal life cannot be justified. But that kind of hate does not deserve to be extended to his movies. It is especially sad when some of the same people who won accolades for his films go on to diss him and his work. It does bring about the much-vaunted question: How much can you separate the man from his art? On a personal note, it might be easy to denounce the guy, but it is hard not to acknowledge his immense contribution to cinema.
Several filmmakers have inspired him, and it is something he openly acknowledges both in his cinema and various interviews. His love for Ingrid Bergman is especially legendary. And though Marshall McLuhan was excellent in his cameo as himself in Annie Hall, you can’t help but wonder what Bergman, his original choice for the cameo, would have made that perfect scene even better. But there is no doubt as to how much of an influence he has been to scores of filmmakers. And the debt they owe him.
In a recent interview, he said that he is yet to make a great film. That came as a massive surprise as it felt like he is trying to downplay the impact of his work. It makes you wonder what it would be like to go through his entire filmography to figure where he started. And what better place to start than What’s new Pussycat? The very first movie he was involved with, even though it was on a writing and acting capacity.
The story of how What’s New Pussycat? came to be is pretty unusual. Supposedly, the title came from Warren Beatty’s greeting as he picked up the phone. The entire movie came from the maker’s decision to flesh out a film out of the catchline. It is also interesting how the circle of merry-go-around between the studio, Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, and possibly even Peter Sellers changed the shape of the movie as we know it now.
What’s New Pussycat? is about a notorious womanizer Michael James (Peter O’Toole), who finds that old habits truly die hard as he finds it hard to be faithful to his fiancée Carole (Romy Schneider). Making it harder to let go of his philandering ways is the fact that every woman he crosses path with can’t seem to resist him. They include neurotic exotic dancer Liz Bien (Paula Prentiss), adventurer Rita (Ursula Andress), and Renée Lefebvre (Capucine). Michael’s psychoanalyst, Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers, with his creepy hat on, dialed way up) is stalking the latter, complicating things even further.
Meanwhile, Carole decides to make Michael jealous by flirting with his nervous wreck of a friend, Victor Shakapopulis (Woody Allen). All this comes to a circle when they all end up at a hotel in the French countryside. All this causes chaos among all involved.
You can’t help but wonder how the movie might be better off with the original choice when you watch the film. It’s a role Warren could have slipped walked in by just showing up considering his legendary ladies man reputation and charm.
Peter Toole is damn fine in the role, and he has all the devilishly handsome guy look pat-down. But he comes across as a guy who would be an excellent second choice. As if the role was showed down upon him, and he couldn’t make it his own.
As far as Woody Allen is concerned, the funniest thing about the character might be his name. Or maybe not because he is mainly just playing his version of the nervous, twitchy New Yorker. And it is not even the best version of the character. As far as Peter Sellers is concerned, he can either be annoying or well, the crazy genius that he is. Sadly, here he rides the thin line connecting the two that you know this is the genius that he is in movies like Doctor Strangelove and the first few Pink Panther movies. He tends to be close to The Magic Christian or Casino Royale level of lunacy. The latter even having Woody Allen and its chaotic insanity in common.
It’s the women who come out of the whole affair smelling better from the movie than the male actors as they don’t have to do any heavy lifting, and the film does not rely on their reputation as much as their male counterparts. It might be easy to blame Woody Allen for the weird and disjointed script here. But in a power-play battle with Warren Beatty, his role was supposed to have been significantly reduced, both as a writer and actor. The latter ended up not doing the movie anyways, as he lost a power-play struggle of his own with the studio.
What’s New Pussycat? is not half as bad as its retrospective reputation suggests, but by the time the movie gets over, you sigh in relief that you finally plowed through it. Like you completed a chore you did not want to but it ended up being not as bad as you imagined. The catchy earworm of a theme song is the one thing that stays with you long after the movie is over.
It is a movie that was a lesser work of a newcomer who went on to great things. The difference is that it is not pretty evident over here, and it is a must-see only for a Woody Allen completist. Still, for its tremendous star cast who look like they are having fun while trying to one-up each other and some mildly amusing scenes which might have a stamp of a pure filmmaking genius yet to refine his voice, this little curio has to be seen.
Iris Deerborne (Kara Hayward) is a shy, reclusive girl who can’t say she has any real friends. She’s constantly belittled by her mother, Francie (Jordana Spiro) all the other girls at school make fun of her and even the boys at her school see her as a figure of fun rather than the blossoming young woman that she’d hope they’d see instead.
Then one day while walking to school she is harassed by a group of boys – and that’s when Maggie Richmond (Liana Liberato) turns up and her rebellious, outspoken attitude starts to have an effect on Iris as they become close friends. However, it turns out that both girls are hiding sides of themselves that they wish would come bursting out and with each other’s help they soon start to become the people they always wanted to be.
To the Stars is a coming of age drama set in the Sixties that tells the story of two young women looking to find themselves in the world. The hyperreal production values and its generous scattering of clichés all paint a picture of the Sixties, perhaps in a knowing way. Thankfully though, this rose-tinted version of what some people would call ‘a simpler time’ has enough underneath the surface to say more about its characters.
All the cast play their roles very well and despite the feeling that the audience may have seen it all before, To the Stars plays it straight for the most part to lull the audience into a false sense of confidence before its brutal and honest final act.
We think of how things used to be back in a time where we think prejudice and hatred were more prevalent, so having To the Stars be a period piece may suggest that it’s very much of its time.
However, it may just be that the filmmakers are reminding its audience of a time that some either remember fondly or a time that others never experienced, not realising that those days were not as black and white as they have read in books or seen on television. Despite the clichés of the frumpy girl in glasses turning into a beautiful young lady and the reckless jock spiking the punch at a school dance,
To the Stars wants to remind us that however bad we think things may be now, back then there were times where it felt like there was nobody there to support those who felt differently.
To The Stars is available now on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Sky, Virgin and Chili.
The Fanatic: The BRWC Review. By Fergus Henderson. – When it was announced last year that Fred Durst, of Limp Bizkit infamy, was about to release a psychological thriller starring John Travolta, it would be an understatement to call the reaction dubious. Not only was it written and directed by Fred Durst, a name that despite his prior forays into filmmaking remains synonymous with the eternally mystifying nu-metal moment – its star is an actor whose career since Battlefield Earth has been in steady, notorious decline. Where the hell would this fit into his body of work?
Then there was the plot, which focuses on an unstable autograph hound who begins stalking his favourite movie star. So, a pulpy thriller addressing celebrity and fandom, guided by a pair who have flailed messily through the flashing lights of fame for decades. It must, at the very least, be something to behold.
Unfortunately, those expecting (perhaps hoping) for the crass and ludicrous genre fare everything about it would suggest will find The Fanatic a disappointment. Durst appears to be re-mounting his bid for a second act as a serious director, his film more King of Comedy than Rob Zombie. Travolta, similarly, has gone full immersion with his character Moose.
Of course, suggesting that the film is trying to make a legitimate point is not the same as saying that it succeeds. Watching this film, one doubts that the film itself has any kind of clear idea about what it’s saying.
The plot is relatively simple and follows in the vein of the aforementioned King of Comedy wherein an unhinged fantasist becomes dangerously embroiled in the life of their celebrity obsession (who turns out to be an asshole). Eventually someone gets captured and things come to a head.
The similarities end there. The King of Comedy’s leadis delusional, hungry for fame and attention. It is Western culture at large that creates and rewards this kind of behaviour, the film says. The Fanatic’s lead Moose, as portrayed by Travolta, is broadly autistic and ultimately just looking for connection in Hollywood’s world of cold artifice.
As it turns out, Hollywood was the real bad guy all along.
This is the grand thesis hitched to the film’s backend, its bid for artistic legitimacy, and it rings hollow. All of the film’s supposed messages are floated half-heartedly over the last ten or so minutes. Everything that comes before scans as a straightforward thriller, a few tonally consistent but poorly done touches of black comedy thrown in for good measure.
The very fact that Travolta’s character is autistic is supremely problematic, and not just for the obvious reasons. It is first used as a plot device, in place of characterisation, to explain his obsession. It is then deployed patronisingly to keep us on his side as his behaviour escalates and things go from bad to criminal.
Ultimately the big problem is that the film is hamstrung by its inability to decide whether or not he’s a bad guy or a sacrificial lamb- although of course if they didn’t want to be known as the people that made the insensitive film with an autistic guy as the villain, they should have stopped a whole lot earlier in the writing stage. Travolta’s portrayal is committed, sure, but sensitive (or advisable at all) it is not.
After flip-flopping around for an hour or so, the film finally ripcords the conflict altogether by making his celebrity idol Hunter Dunbar (easily the film’s best character, played with well observed arrogance and subtlety by Devon Sawa) the true bad guy.
So now we know what a film directed by Fred Durst and starring John Travolta looks like. For the better: it is competently put together, and features a sturdy supporting cast. For the worse: it features an all-time misstep for Travolta. It is po-faced when it should be camp, it is ridiculous when it should be serious, and most disappointingly it is middle of the road when it should have been insane.
Bradley Walsh Edition: Bits & Pieces – This feature documentary features Nikki Glaser, whose recent Netflix stand-up comedy special “Bangin” made the NY Times’ Best Comedy Specials on Netflix list. Jim Norton, another comic with real estate on Netflix with his special “Mouthful of Shame,” is also featured. Hot comedians Bonnie McFarlane, Andrew Shultz, Yamaneika Saunders, Krystyna Hutchinson, Rich Vos and Mehran Khaghani, who also have specials released on Netflix, Comedy Central, YouTube and other platforms, round out this elite cast of working comics. Krystyna Hutchinson, co-host of the popular feminist podcast “Guys We F’d” served as executive producer, along with Pablo Minier, Tahuanty Pena, and Daria Scoccimarro.
Hailed by critics and fans alike for its stellar cast and gripping storyline, Apple’s hit limited series “Defending Jacob” will unveil the Barber family’s fate in its series finale episode premiering exclusively on Apple TV+. Catch a glimpse into the shocking finale with a new sneak peek clip, available now.
A month ahead of what would have been Ray Harryhausen’s 100th birthday, The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation have launched an online poll to find which one of his many creations is the world’s favourite. Will it be Bubo the playful mechanical owl, the monstrous Medusa or the iconic skeleton warriors from Jason and the Argonauts? The results will be announced shortly before the centenary.
Bradley Walsh Edition: Bits & Pieces – A group of teenage girls summon an ancient man-eating shark after messing with a spirit board that washes up on the beach. An occult specialist must enter the shark’s realm to rid this world of the deadly spirit ghost once and for all.
Bill Sage (American Psycho, “Power”) and Jeremy London (Mallrats, The Devil’s Dozen) star in writer-director Miles Doleac’s The Dinner Party, coming to theaters, DVD and Digital this June from Uncork’d Entertainment.
CK Films in association with Red Rock Entertainment announces today the digital release of its award-winning feature, Steven Berkoff’s Tell Tale Heart starring Steven Berkoff, Henry Goodman, Hugh Skinner and Dudley Sutton, directed by Stephen Cookson and adapted by Berkoff and Cookson from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The film, which has garnered multiple awards in film festivals across the world, including Best Feature Film in the Videoscream Film Festival, Best In Show – IndieFest Film Awards, Best Feature – Independent Horror Awards, and Best Actor (Steven Berkoff) – Independent Horror Awards, will be available on DVD from June 11 2020 and on various digital platforms including Amazon, Apple TV and Google Play in the subsequent weeks.
Bradley Walsh Edition: Bits & Pieces – On June 12th Mosley Studios will be hosting the first ever film premiere inside virtual reality by way of the Altspace VR app for their latest film “The Ascent”. The film will screen at 7pm BST. The film marks the feature film debut of National Television Award Winning actor and former X-Factor winner Shayne Ward, alongside Toby Osmond (Game of Thrones), Sophie Austin (Call The Midwife), Alana Wallace (Black Site), Samantha Schnitzler & Bentley Kalu (Wonder Woman).
Jack & Yaya captures a year in the life of childhood best friends who go from swapping gendered Christmas gifts as kids to transitioning in their twenties. The titular next-door neighbors grew up together in a rural area but were able to support each other when they learned they were both transgender.
