Twentyfourlies Is Moving!
And I’m changing things up a bit. Call it spring cleaning if you want. I’m moving Twentyfourlies to a cozy new site over at Blogspot. I know, I know. How dare I be so unfaithful to Tumblr? Well, simply put, it doesn’t have enough of the features I’m looking for and doesn’t have nearly as much customizable content as Blogspot. From the beginning I was looking to make this blog a legitimate place for film reviews, articles, and opinions. I don’t think tumblr is the right place to do that. Tumblr is a much more personal site. It is a blog host for the casual user. So to keep moving forward, I think it’s time that I made the switch to something more comfortable. I’m hoping that any readers I’ve acquired thus far will gladly make the switch with me. Bookmark the new site in your toolbar. Spread the word to your friends. Let everybody know… Twentyfourlies is steppin’ up in the blogosphere.
Also, I’ve decided I’m going to make a change to the site’s overall format. Up until now I’ve been posting mostly news and trailers about all the films that I absolutely can’t wait to see. Very rarely do I post articles expressing my opinions or reviewing movies. This will be the focus of the new site. I’ll still take time to get some of the really awesome new trailers and news out there, but for the most part I’m gonna do my best to write far more reviews and opinion articles. Honestly, it’s these articles that have actually gotten people to notice me, so why not continue with ‘em.
I’m just finishing up coding for the new site, so it’s not completely done yet, but I’ve posted some previous articles and reviews on there for everyone to check out. Leave me some comments if anyone has good ideas for sidebar features or formatting techniques to make everything flow a little better. Hope you guys enjoyed the Twentyfourlies tumblr, and I hope you all continue to follow me over at…
http://twentyfourlies.blogspot.com/
Thanks again!
-William Gutheil
Monday Afternoon Review: ‘The Quiet Earth’
I know it’s not Monday. Just disregard that. The point of these Monday afternoon reviews is for me to reveal to you some of those hidden gems out there that (hopefully) many of you have not seen. So just because it’s Tuesday doesn’t mean I can’t try to accomplish that goal; I also just like the way Monday Afternoon Review sounds (though any Afternoon Review is fine by me). Anyways, over the weekend I took the opportunity to sit down and watch one of the hundreds of movies I have that I’ve yet to see. In the spirit of the recently revealed Fallout: New Vegas trailer and my return to playing Fallout 3, I was in the mood for something post apocalyptic. I have a pretty awesome collection of apocalyptic sci fi flicks by most standards, including all of the fantastic made for TV movies that came out in the 80s, including BBC’s Threads and the 1983 ABC movie The Day After. Beyond that I probably have about 30 others that range from cheesy 70s b-movie, to brilliant avant-garde arthouse films. So where was I to start? I knew of a few that I wanted to see, but none of them that really stuck out as films that people would watch and say “holy shit, why haven’t I seen this before?” So, being thrifty like the ex-boy scout I am, I headed over to post apocalypse central, QuietEarth.com, to check out their full list of post apocalyptic movies. From there all it took was the revelation that this site was actually named after one of their favorite sci fi films, and I had that film on my computer, ready to be viewed. Geoff Murphy’s The Quiet Earth may very well be the blueprint for what truly great post apocalyptic cinema should be.
The Quiet Earth is a film that clearly splits audiences along a fine line. There’s several pieces of the plot and different portions of dialogue that many people tend to pick apart and brutally criticize. I’ll beghin this review by saying that The Quiet Earth is by no means a masterfully crafted piece of artwork. It works on the same philosophical level as movies like Cube or some of the more in depth analyses of Tron. It’s given a bit more credence, however, because of it’s lack of bad special effects and cheesy acting. This is where the film really shines. Its amateurish nature is almost entirely overshadowed by its huge, and nearly accomplished, ambitions. There are still reminders throughout that it is an 80s movie and it isn’t made by Stanley Kubrick (as Mr. Murphy might like us to believe), but overall, the film’s ability to pull us into an entirely immersive and mystifying world with a budget just under a million is incredibly admirable.
The film is most effective at portraying a world in which human beings have simply up and left. Zac Hobson (played by Bruno Lawrence) awakens one day to a mysteriously quiet town. As he dresses and prepares for work and heads out in his car, we are immediately entranced by the eeriness of the situation. He rolls through searching for any sign of life, only to come to the conclusion that he may very well be the last man on earth. Long after we figure this out, however, we are still holding on for Zac, hoping and praying that he finds someone, anyone at all, in any of the gas stations or abandoned cars along the roadway. The landscape is utterly lifeless, and the cinematogrpahy and sounds editing enhance this to an incredible degree. Sounds that would otherwise be disregarded as having a simple explanation suddenly become the most frightening things one can encounter in the wasteland. The audio in this film is an experience in and of itself. It comes to the point where our hero finds himself rigging up loudspeakers and playing recordings of birds only to hear the sounds of life. The desolation becomes so real, that any interruption by Lawrence’s acting or character becomes somewhat comical. I think this is where a lot of the nitpicking comes from. When he discovers that he may be the last man alive on the planet, Zac slips into an isolation fueled bout of megalomania, staking his claim as the new God. Scenes of him running into a church with a shotgun, blasting away at Christ screaming “now I’m God” or him preacing and ranting to cardboard cutouts of famous historical figures are often criticized for being overly blatant in their symbolism and somewhat silly. To this I only have to say that the scenes are not entirely about the symbolism. Both of these examples, and many more instances throughout the movie, can be explained by Zac’s desperate attempt to feel any freedom from the crippling isolation of being the last man on earth. Sure, what he is doing has symbolism, and sometimes even he knows that, but he also knows that these are the actions that will keep him focused on day to day life, even if day to day life has turned into him living in a mansion and wearing women’s clothing.
The seond half of the film focuses less on the nature of isolation and Zac’s desperate attempt for survival, and more on the love triangle that develops between him and two newly introduced characters, Joanne and Api. After the moment of Joanne’s introduction, and even more so after Api’s introduction, the film becomes much less poetic than it initially started out, but still maintains a feeling of edginess throughout. This, however, comes from the newly found dependence these characters have on each other, rather than the dependence Zac has on himself. It now feels as though because he found these people, if he loses them, he loses everything. It’s this intesnity that keeps the second half rolling, though honestly, the film could have done without the love triangle. This is one of the points many of the opponent’s have that I don’t disagree with. In defense of the film though, it seems as though all the characters are of the understanding that they need to at least try and repopulate, so the pressure is on, and being humans, they can’t avoid letting emotion get in the way. The only thing left open in the film that I can really see making a point to mention, is the lack of explanation for Alison Routledge’s character Joanne to play her obnoxious and somewhat detrimental mind games with the two men. Earlier in the film she discusses her belief that a person’s mind can make up whether or not they are phsyically beautiful; a person can be smart and ugly, or beautiful and dumb, or, if they are very lucky, incredibly intelligent and very beautiful. Typically we would associate a pretty, but dumb girl with the type of bimbo who just sleeps around with any strong guy she comes across. Joanne’s knack for loving Api’s displays of strong-man power and her near death incident with a hairdryer leads me to believe that she’s this type of person, though it’s never really explained in the film. The love triangle is eventually left wide open for this reason, without any real conclusion.
The last point about the film that many fans have desperately attempted to stand up for is its elusive and mysterious ending. Many claim that the ending is a complete cop out and that it’s there only because the film makers had no idea how to finish the film. I can’t agree with this. The ending is astonishing, and I will leave it at that for fear of giving away any major plot points. The main character gets everything he deserves, and while we are left to ponder the fate of the other two, we can only assume that they are somewhere far, far, far away. while it is confusing, and it does recall that efforts of 2001: A Space Odyssey it still gives the audience a chance to view the overwhelming magnitude of what Zac was actually working on, and what human beings had actually done to their world. The Quiet Earth is a fantastic film by all means, providing us with an in depth look at the ultimate form of isolation and what that does to different personality types (though two of them we only see after they make human contact again). Beyond that, it serves as a very decent commentary on the proliferation of earth shattering weaponry and what great power can do in the wrong hands. While it does have it’s moments of silliness and some illogical, overly contrived plot points, it functions beautifully in an enchanting 1980s kind of way. As a sci fi film, it gives fans everything that they desire out of a good post apocalyptic flick, including an ending that will have you scratching your head, wondering exaclt what happened, and why.
The Quiet Earth: 8.7/10
-William Gutheil
Hughe’s Brothers To Remake Live Action Version of ‘Akira’
It’s been talked about over and over again, and just as recently as last summer, fans of the cult anime rejoiced when they heard that the live action project was dead where it stood. Well… that’s not the case anymore. According to Vulture we have a remake on the way very soon, with some very big names on board. The Hughes Brothers, the men behind this year’s actually very decent sci-fi actioner Book Of Eli, have officially been attached to direct the film with Iron Man writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby apparently penning the script. It’s good news that we have some seasoned veterans on board, but the real question remains, will they be able to do the original justice? And even more, will they be able to do the manga justice?
Personally, I’m a casual fan of the film. I’ve seen it twice and it is an extraordinary piece of art. I’ve never read the grapic novel, however, and from what I hear, the film works far better as an accompaniment to the manga. Both the film and the novel (I assume) have incredibly in depth psychological inner workings surrounded by a brilliant science fiction plot and even more astounding visuals. This is the essence that the fans have become so attached to, and if the live action film leaves out any of these ingredients, then I fear that it simply won’t work. There is no doubt in my mind that Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s Akira would make an awesome live action movie, but, like all other adaptations, especially of works that already have a loyal following, it needs to be done properly and with respect for the source material and for the fans. There is one bit of info that caught me by surprise, and that is actually a very intelligent move. Apparently Warner wants the film to be split into two parts. Instead of shaving off half of the plot in order to slim the running time down to two hours or so (*ehem* Watchmen), there will be two films written, and two films directed by the same team. This should make for a very interesting series, and allow the writers (so long as they, themselves, become as emotionally involved with Akira as the fans are) to really explore some of the more meaningful and metaphysical aspects of the original manga.
I’m actually pretty excited to hear more about this project as it develops, but like I said, I’m only a casual Akira fan. I’d love to hear what some of the die-hards have to say about this, mainly because I want to know what it is that would keep them from wanting a live action version of Akira. So talk it up. Leave some comments and discuss.
-William Gutheil
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Sweet Trailer For Sean Wainsteim’s ‘Lost For Words’
Good fantasy has been difficult to find ever since the 80s ended. Recently we’ve grown accustomed to associating fantasy with horror, and rarely children’s films like it used to be. The kid’s film market nowadays is over saturated by Disney and Pixar collaborations and severely lacks the spark that it once had. Step back in time thirty years and try to remember the films that maybe you, or your older brothers and sisters grew up on. There were the epics like Labyrinth and The Neverending Story, which were both terrifying in their own right, then there were the even darker ones such as Tron or Dark Castle. The trend continued for about a decade, but slowly gave way to a new generation of kids raised on cartoons and, eventually, computer animation.
It’s rare to come across a film these days that captures the fantastic, though often times frightening atmosphere of those early, supposedly “kid-oriented” movies, but when it does happen, I for one, am all over it. Such is the case with Sean Wainsteim’s new short film Lost For Words. There isn’t much info on the film as of yet, and the sparse website hasn’t given much away either. But we do have a trailer, and it looks absolutely stunning! Recalling the glory days of live action fantasy, Lost For Words appears to be a fantastic ode to countless works of brilliant literature and film. Take a look at what Wainsteim himself had to say, and then check the trailer below.
Via Lost For Words website: This film is a love letter to the time I spent in the library as a child, immersing myself in books, illustrations, music, performance and puppetry that led to a lifelong fascination with storytelling and storytellers.
-William Gutheil
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This Ain’t No Video Game Blog, But The ‘Fallout: New Vegas” Teaser Just Made Me Scream Obscenities.
The only video game to inspire me as much as a movie and pull me away from the mind numbing awesomeness of Modern Warfare was Bethesda’s Fallout 3. A world that immersive and huge is far too enticing to pass up, and once I got into it, I couldn’t get out. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of the Fallout universe now, having even gone back to play the first and second games. And while I eagerly anticipate Bethesda’s Fallout 4, it’s an incredibly smart move on their part to essentially team up with another studio to release another game while they work on theirs.
What’s most interesting about Fallout: New Vegas, though, is the fact that there are members on the production team (Obsidian Entertainment) that helped with the original Fallout games, so I assume that this entry will blend perfectly with the bleak, barren, and often times comical wasteland that fans are accustomed to. Check out the trailer below, and head on over to QuietEarth for more details.
-William Gutheil
I actually watched the trailer for this one a while back and kind of lost track of it. But thanks to the good folks over at Twitch, my interest has peaked once again, and I’ve discovered that the ultra-violent and destined-to-be-controversial Serbian Film will have its American debut at SXSW. Go figure. I doubt Sundance would have allowed such a maniacal looking film, and even Slamdance may have steered away from it. But now it’s here, and make no mistake, this is a truly insane work of cinema. The trailer itself almost laughs at the audience with a sort of sadistic glee.
First time writer, director, and producer Srdjan Spasojevic is the man responsible for this blood and porn fest, and he actually has something extremely valid to say with this flick. Over the past few years, Serbia’s film industry has been growing at an immense rate, turning out some of the biggest festival hits as well as some of the most violent films in recent history. Apparently, the director of the Film Center Serbia has actually been cited defending the current trend toward blood and gore cinema, making the claim that it can be a very legitimate expression of the country’s political history and continuing troubles. Serbian Film has truly taken violence to a whole new level though, and I’m curious to see how this film does at SXSW. I’d like to be able to check it out for myself in the near future.
Before I you watch the trailer I should warn you THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK.
It is disturbing, violent, and grotesque. You might feel the need to take a shower afterwards. I can only imagine what effect the full length film has. Read what Todd Brown of Twitch has to say about it.
At the Cannes festival in 2009 I stated publicly that I couldn’t imagine a more transgressive film than Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist coming down the line any time soon. Having had the chance since then to witness Serbian Film I now say that I was very, very wrong. This is a film that left me feeling dirty and assaulted, a film that will surely spark protest and deservedly so. But it is also something far more than just exploitation - a factor that makes it all the more powerful and disturbing. ~Todd Brown
Check out the synopsis below and the trailer below that.
Milos, a retired ex-porn star, now leads a normal family life with his beautiful wife, Maria and five year old son Stefan in tumultuous Serbia inn a modern era of transition, trying to make ends meet. A sudden call from his former colleague, still hot porn actress Layla, will change everything. Aware of his financial problems, Layla introduces Milos to Vukmir - a shady, mysterious, menacing and politically powerful figure in the porn business who makes Milos an offer he can’t refuse. A leading role in Vukmir’s new production will provide financial support to Milos and his family for the rest of their lives. Milos is hesitant at first, because a contract insists on his absolute unawareness of the script they will shoot or the dramatic situations that Vukmir is going to put him through during filming. Finally, he agrees, driven by the urge of security for his family, protecting it from the impending poverty so dominant in Serbia today. From then on, Milos is drawn into a maelstrom of unbelievable cruelty an mayhem devised by his employer, “The Director”, of his Destiny, Vukmir. Relentless in his attempt to make an ultimate artistic “snuff-porn”, the one that has never been seen, using poor people as his acting cannon fodder, and unleash it upon the hungry eyes of the world. Vukmir and his cohorts will stop at nothing to complete his “vision”, and will go to unspeakable lengths to achieve it, using even innocent children as props. In order to escape the living cinematic hell he’s put into and save his family’s life. Milos will have to sacrifice everything: his pride, his morality, his sanity, and maybe even his own life. In a Serbian “Heart of Darkness” where life is cheaper then a candy bar, in a struggle with enemies powerful beyond belief and just as violent and pathologically evil, the chances of surviving are abnormally thin.
-William Gutheil
Final Trailer For ‘Amer’ Arrives From SXSW.
Most of you know by now that this little gem has been getting a lot of love from me in the past couple months. Being one of my most anticipated films this year, and receiving praise throughout the world from critics and audiences alike, Amer has finally come to the states, premiering at SXSW next month. In celebration of its arrival to North America, a final, and absolutely stunning trailer has been posted for the film. Amer will be released in France on March 3rd, and hopefully we’ll get to see it here in the U.S shortly after its SXSW screening. Check out the trailer below, as well as links to plenty of other goodies.
Desire has always been linked to one’s look. And cinema too. Luis Buñuel knew that very well when he filmed the shot of a razor over an eye with a detail shot. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani recover this image in an experimental film with immaculate style. Someone watches a girl through a keyhole. The wind lightly lifts a woman’s skirt as a group of men look on. The fantasy of a dress tearing. Composed of fragments -of eyes, lights, shadows, gestures— and without dialogues, Amer delves into the life of Ana, always halfway between the real and the imaginary. A film of sensations, always shot skin-deep.
-William Gutheil
These SXSW Trailers Just Keep Getting Better!
Just found this one over at QuietEarth about two minutes ago, Clay Liford’s new film Earthling. Let me start by quoting their brief synopsis of the film from it’s facebook page, and then I’ll rant about how excited I am for it.
After a mysterious atmospheric event aboard the International Space Station, a small group of people wake up to realize that their entire lives have been a lie. They are in fact aliens disguised as humans. Now they have to make a choice. Live amongst men, or try to find a way back home
Wait…. what?! Are you kidding me?! This is the most insanely awesome concept I’ve heard for a sci fi flick in a long, long time. This is the kind of science fiction that gets me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. This is the kind of science fiction that gets my brain working over time, considering the potential of all the concepts presented before me. This is the kind of science fiction that makes you feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme of everything the universe has to offer. This is what science fiction should be, and honestly, it’s not surprising to me at all that it’s coming from an independent filmmaker.
Over the last year alone, independent writers and directors almost single handedly brought on a new wave of incredibly intelligent science fiction. Films like Moon and District 9 finally broke the mold of formulaic, cliched, and overly action-oriented sci fi films of the past few years, and actually made their way into thousands of theaters. It’s unfortunate that they were both quickly over shadowed by James Cameron formulaic, cliched, and overly action-oriented Avatar, but it paved the way for a new brand of intellectual and smart filmmaking. Thanks to directors like Clay Liford, and recent underground films like Phasma Ex Machine (check out my prior article here), or Re-Wire, I really want to believe that we are at the dawn of something incredible. Sci fi fans are finally starting to speak out against the mind numbing crap that Hollywood feeds us each and every year, and it’s those fans who are now starting to make their own films.
So check out the trailer for Earthling below. I’m absolutely stoked about this one, it looks utterly amazing, with a soundtrack and visuals that evoke an emotion and tone the likes of which are rarely felt in cinema today. Hopefully audiences everywhere we’ll get a chance to see this flick very soon. Well done Mr. Liford.
-William Gutheil
One Hell Of a Depressing Trailer For ‘Some Days Are Better Than Others’
Another trailer out of SXSW. They’re coming out of the woodwork this week and they just keep getting better and better. This one is from first time writer and director Matt McCormick, and from I’ve seen in the trailer it looks like an absolutely stunning debut. Depressing as it may be, this little indie flick seems to have everything going for it. From the production crew that brought audiences films like Paranoid Park, Wendy And Lucy and Old Joy (all of which are some of the best American indie features to come out in the past few years) Some Days Are Better Than Others is gearing up to pretty much be an instant hit amongst the hipster crowd and arthouse audiences alike. Oh yea, did I mention it stars former Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein and Shins frontman James Mercer? A cast and a production team that every independent filmmaker dreams of.
The trailer is terrific. The cinematography is gorgeous, the acting on display seems pretty damn good, and the score is absolutely heart-wrenching. Not to mention what sounds like some fantastic writing, taking a cue from the realist films of yesterday and the current lo fi art flicks of today. Check out the trailer and synopsis below. I’ll be curious to hear what people think about this one.
Katrina (Carrie Brownstein) is a twenty-something reality TV enthusiast, video diarist and animal shelter worker whose world falls apart when she finds that those important to her are often not what she hopes they would be. Eli (James Mercer) is a mid-30s slacker who could offer a thoroughly researched social critique explaining all the reasons why he shouldn’t get a job; his experiences temping only reinforce his assertions. Camille (Renee Roman Nose) is a socially handicapped thrift store attendant who spends her days sorting through the donated discards of other people’s lives, and Otis (David Wodehouse) is an 84-year-old eccentric filmmaker and inventor who strives to be recognized for his work.
Some Days Are Better Than Others Official Site
-William Gutheil
SXSW 2010 is just around the corner, and all the good trailers are just now coming out, giving us a taste of what to expect from one of the country’s biggest annual festivals. SXSW is sort of the alternative to the more elite and awards-centered festivals (ie. Sundance or Cannes), and each year it proves itself as the most welcoming place for independent films and music. This year is no different, and one of the first trailers I’ve seen for any of the films is from none other than Aaron Katz, a man widely recognized as one of the founders of mumblecore. Unfortunately for Katz, however, the potentially awesome aesthetic and nature of the ultra lo-fi indie flicks has since been picked up by less capable filmmakers who simply didn’t have the budget to make anything huge. They would slap the mumblecore title onto their film and expect an audience. The aesthetic isn’t the secret though; the real trick is in the writing. Since the early 2000’s, mumblecore has had about as many successes as it has failures, with directors like the Duplass brothers, Katz himself, and Andrew Bujalski all making fantastic lo-fi films examining the lives and relationships of twenty-somethings in current society. The antithesis, however, is the broke film school graduates who end up writing a terrible script, filming it in the same vein of these films, and trying to pass it off as art. Like Von Trier’s Dogme 95 movement, mumblecore is just too easily accessible, so it’s no surprise that many of the movement’s directors are trying to do other things.
Now after a three year absence from the scene, Katz is back and taking on less of a personal relationship story, and more of a crime drama. The trailer is incredible and Katz’s impeccable aesthetic is, once again, all too enticing. Check out the trailer and synopsis below, and keep checking for reviews coming out of SXSW.
A former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction, who, after making a mess of his life in Chicago, returns to his hometown of Portland, Oregon. There, he, his sister Gail, and new friend Carlos become embroiled in something unexpected.
-William Gutheil
have you ever really thought about this picture?
Each and every day of my life. And I mean that sincerely.
New Image From ‘Tron: Legacy’
Being one of my top ten must sees for 2010, I’m gonna post everything and anything about Tron: Legacy. The new image looks sweet and it appears as though they’re sticking with that sleek and minimalist, future aesthetic that we saw in the test footage from Comic-Con, which is absolutely awesome.
Also, just because it’s so freakin’ cool, I’ll embed the test footage again below. You can catch Tron: Legacy in theaters on December 10th this year.
-William Gutheil
One quick question for Tron fans also; Any ideas why the disc is just sitting on Flynn’s back?
David Lynch Doing Things That Are, Well… Lynchian.
After all this transcendental meditation stuff (which is sweet, don’t get me wrong), and his intriguing, though oddly uncharacteristic Interview Project, it’s nice to see one of my favorite directors doing something reminiscent of the style and tone for which his name is synonymous. Although it’s not another film by the master auteur (which will hopefully come someday soon), it still recalls the early days of his career, all the way back to Twin Peaks and his collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti. Lynch has focused his efforts and his camera on the career of the young, and incredibly talented singer Ariana Delawari.
Throughout his work, Lynch has always had an ear for fantastic music and he was even better at matching images to those sounds. He’s actually helped launch the careers of several artists and bring the haunting and memorable musical acts from Twin Peaks to the forefront of the industry. Recently, he collaborated with Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse on Dark Night of The Soul, an album that could only be the brainchild of every hipster who ever dreamed of these three coming together. He produced and even wrote a couple songs for the record, and drew up an awesome looking art book to go along with the music. Now, David Lynch Foundation TV has put together a promo reel for Delawari, showcasing some of the songs from her debut album Lion of Panjshir. Lynch himself helped mix the album and produced the track “Suspend Me”, which is probably the closest the young singer comes to sounding like the Badalamenti/Lynch collaborations we’re used to. All of her music though still holds some of that same style, and in true David Lynch fashion, she’s centered in front of the red curtain, surrounded by an atmosphere that can only be described as bizarre.
Check out the video below, the music is actually quite good and the footage just makes me want to go back and revisit all my old Lynch favorites. Not to mention the overwhelming desire I get for him to direct another movie already.
-William Gutheil