19 June 2012
18 June 2012
Interview with Drew Cullingham - director of UMBRAGE: THE FIRST VAMPIRE
The Horror Channel
Movie Of The Month is Drew Cullingham's bloody brilliant Umbrage: The First
Vampire, which is broadcast on Friday 22 June.
The film stars
legendary British actor Doug Bradley and concerns an unscrupulous antique
dealer's ancient mirror that serves as a portal for shadowy beings to be
unleashed into the night with a thirst for blood.
Drew talks about his
outstanding directorial debut and his plans for the future.
Q: How did you start in the movie business?
DC: Slowly! There was a time when all the things I take
for granted now, all the people (actors and crew) and all the facilities and so
on, were a faraway dream. I worked a little in TV, mostly filming food related
VTs for live shows, and I cut my teeth bit by bit on a few short films. Of
course even then I was begging, borrowing and stealing in terms of kit and so
on. Well, not stealing, obviously! It was a useful testing ground though, as
both in the TV jobs and in the short films I was almost doing the directing by
default, because I was doing everything else! I believe a director should know
one end of a camera from the other, and understand how sound works, how long
make-up can take to do, basic editing etc. Of course I would say that, because
I've worked most aspects of filming! The biggest step was to become a proper
producer, and to actually decide to helm a feature. That was scary, because it
meant going out looking for real money, and actually employing a full crew. It
was pretty much a leap of faith really. I scraped together a little budget for
Umbrage, and the rest just followed on, sometimes easily and sometimes not!
Q: Have you always been a big fan of horror
movies?
DC: Absolutely. Not just movies either. I was a voracious
reader when I was younger, and my parents were actually quite strict in terms of
how much TV I could watch, so I used to hide beneath the covers at night with a
torch and a pilfered James Herbert novel or something similar. Before long I was
an avid fan of Clive Barker and Edgar Allen Poe. I also was 'of age' in the mid
1980s. When I say 'of age' I mean that age when you are very impressionable and
watch things you are far too young to watch! And as we all know, the 80s were
chock full of what are now absolute classic horror films. Freddie Krueger,
Jason, Mike Myers, Chucky, Pinhead (of course) - the list goes on of the nasties
that stalked my boyhood dreams. Jaws was for me, as for so many people, a
seminal work too. Fear has always fascinated me, as a potent force, not even
just in terms of horror movies, but generally as a governor of our lives. A lot
of horror movies just plug straight into that primal emotion, which is something
I think should be faced and conquered.
Q: Where did the idea for Umbrage: The First Vampire come
from? Were you inspired by any other vampire
movies?
DC: I've always been a vampire fanatic. At one point I
think there were hardly any vampire films I hadn't seen, until Twilight
probably! One of my other great teenage romances was with Hammer films, and the
vampire ones were always the best. Granted, there may have been an adolescent
yearning for those heaving bosoms and a teenage boy's desire to have the same
command over them as Christopher Lee's Dracula. But it's no secret - there is
something unashamedly sexy about vampires. The main birth of Umbrage though, was
the cowboy-vampire figure, Phelan. I had for some time been carrying this
character around in my head. We're like big kids, us filmmakers, really: it's
like I had these two favourite toys, horror and western, and I just wanted to
mash them together. It's not completely original, I know, but I just wanted to
cross a cowboy with a vampire. Vampires can sometimes be a little effete, but
add a gruff cowboy veneer to that and you have a whole different kettle of fish.
Of course when you have an (anti)hero like that - you
need some kind of adversary. I kind of stumbled across the whole Lilith thing
through a number of sources, and always like the idea of strong females in
stories, so the rest just fell into place. And while you're being playful like
that, what more obvious scenario to have as a backdrop than a dysfunctional
family in the middle of nowhere?! Oddly enough though, despite my love of
vampire films and mythology, I kind of ignore a lot of conventions in this film.
The word 'vampire' is never used, though it comes playfully close at one point.
There are no crosses, no garlic, no bats, and no traditional way of killing
them.
Q: Doug Bradley has won rave reviews for his role in the
movie, how did you go about casting him?
DC: Doug was such an obvious choice to top the wish-list
really. In terms of horror icons, he and Robert Englund are the only people to
have played the same character eight times! As a homegrown talent, that makes
Doug the UK's most iconic horror actor. Add to that my own love of Clive
Barker's work, and it became a no brainer really. Pinhead was, to me, one of the
most genuinely fearsome creations ever to walk the screen. There was just
something so damn relentless about Hellraiser. It was true horror. As to how he
ended up being cast... mercifully it was fairly straightforward. I contacted his
agent, he read the script, expressed an interest, and we met up. We went for a
pint at Victoria station, and I had to get the whole fanboy thing out of the way
quickly. After that we just got on. Whatever I said, it must have given him
enough confidence in me that he agreed to do the film. And boy, was I thrilled.
Q: Was the rest of the movie easy to
cast?
DC: Jonnie Hurn (Phelan) had been cast from an early
stage. I pretty much knew he would play Phelan just from talking to him, which
is odd, since he's not Irish, nor a vampire or a cowboy. It was just one of
those moments where you see something with complete clarity. I also met Grace
Vallorani that same and was impressed with her, so she became a fairly obvious
choice for Lauren. I already knew James Fisher and Scott Thomas, and they just
kind of clicked with me as a double act. Rita actually answered a casting call
for Lilith, but when I'd spoken to her for a while I had to tell her I just
didn't see her as being right for that part, but would she be interested in
auditioning for the lead, Rachel. That was the toughest part to cast, and I made
poor Rita read three times I think. Rachel has a pretty nasty backstory that
isn't fully explored in the film, but I wanted it to be in the character. Rita
nailed it too. Even when she was freezing cold (boy, was it cold - and her
costume wasn-t the warmest!) she did a great job.
Q: Did you have much of a budget to play with?
DC: Not at all. And if it hadn't been for the generosity
of so many people, we would never have made what we made. For example, James
Friend, the DOP, brought his own RED Camera and shot the film for free. We had
to spend some money, obviously, on locations, lights, the 35mm camera that we
used for a couple of days for the wild west stuff etc. But so much came for free
or ridiculously cheap. Fuji did us seriously proud with film stock, all the cast
and crew worked for little or nothing, even Movietech and Panalux gave us
spectacular deals on grip and lighting kit. Of course, it helped shooting in
winter, but still - there's a lot of people I will be grateful to for as long as
I live! Not least the folks invested what budget we did have. The film was
entirely funded by private investment, so do these folks a favour and go out and
buy the DVD as well as watch it on the Horror Channel!
Q: The movie is the Horror Channel's Film Of The Month,
you must be pleased about that?
DC: Of course I am. I am thrilled to bits about it!
Umbrage was my first full length feature film as a director, and any feature
film is an ordeal to make, from the conception of the idea through the filming
and the ardours of post-production. I am a cinephile, and a lover of horror
films, so in any way being able to contribute to the canon is a thrill to me.
And recognition from a channel dedicated to the genre is something that gives me
great pleasure indeed.
Q: Who in your opinion was the greatest on-screen
vampire?
DC: You'd think I'd have an answer to that one all
ready... My background is as literary as it is filmic, so I'd have to rephrase
the question and ask myself who is the greatest vampire. Then it becomes easier,
because undoubtedly it is Stoker's historically inspired creation, Dracula. I'm
pretty certain that no horror character has been portrayed by more actors than
Dracula, so that only narrows it down a little bit! Lugosi of course was great,
and I really rate Gary Oldman (hard not to!) in Coppola's film, but I really
have to go back to my informative years and my Hammer adolescence and say the
mighty Christopher Lee. Happy 90th Birthday, by the
way!
Q: So, what other projects are you working
on?
DC: I've got a few things at different stages actually. I
shot a fairly experimental micro-budget containment thriller called Monk3ys last
year, which I could describe as Big Brother meets Saw! It's very much a riff on
reality TV, reality in general, and the film industry, and I'm very proud that
it picked up an award at last year's Raindance Film Festival. I'm hoping to
announce sales/distribution on that very soon. Currently in post-production, I
have a film called Black Smoke Rising which is another micro-budget tale, but
very different to either Monk3ys or Umbrage. It is a poignant and personal
portrayal of grief, told in gorgeous black and white! I'm also in the advanced
stages of developing a WW2 psychological thriller about a pair of airmen
stranded behind enemy lines. It's kind of 127 Hours meets Buried meets Jacob's
Ladder. We've got some fantastic talent lined up for it, both in front of and
behind the camera, so watch this space...
TV: Sky 319 /
Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
A Bronx Tale Blu-Ray Review
A Bronx Tale was Robert De Niro’s directorial debut in 1993. After years of legendary collaborations with Martin Scorsese he finally decided to direct a film and what a very fine film it is. The film came out during a strange time it was post-Goodfellas but sort of pre-Tarantino which is a time when were a quite a few interesting crime films like King of New York, Millers’ Crossing and Menace II Society. A Bronx Tale takes a much old fashion approach.
The story is set in the early 60s and concerns young Italian boy Calogero Anello (Francis Capra) who witnesses a murder committed by local mob boss Sonny (Chazz Palminteri). Sonny eventually offers him a job throwing dice and working in his bar but his father Lorenzo eventually finds out. He returns the money to Sonny and forbids him working for him again.
The film fast-forwards 8 years and Calogero (Now played by Lillo Brancato Jr.) has been working for Sonny without his father’s knowledge. Calogero becomes a member of local gang much to the disapproval of his father. Calogero meets an African-American girl Jade (Taral Hicks) and they decide to go out despite the racism in the area between Italian and African-Americans. The rest of the film deals with the race relations betweens Blacks and Italians and his relationship with Sonny and his father.
The film obviously has been compared to Goodfellas but it’s a much tender and sweeter film and everything works out in the end for the best. The film however is just a fine good telling of an age old story of a boy who gets mixed up with the wrong people and what happens.
All of the cast is really great. It features extremely subtle performance by De Niro as Calogero’s jazz loving bus driving father. It’s very affective scene with him and Sonny discussing the time Sonny offered him a job but he turned it down on moral grounds. It’s also just an extremely well crafted film which is hard to do.
Overall the film is one to cherish and watch every once in a while. It’s also the best thing De Niro has directed.
Ian Schultz
Rating:15UK Blu-Ray Release Date:18th June 2012
Directed By: Robert De Niro
Cast: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Pesci,
Buy A Bronx Tale On Blu-ray
A Bronx Tale - Official® Trailer [HD] Published via LongTail.tv
17 June 2012
Win The Squad On DVD & A Limited Edition Poster
To celebrate 18th June UK DVD release of The Squad (Momentum Pictures) we are offering one winner the chance to win a limited edition, exclusively designed quad poster and a copy of The Squad on DVD. One runner-up will also win a copy of the DVD.
The Squad (Momentum Pictures) is available to download and on DVD from 18th June 2012.(The Squad on DVD
) To win this prize, please answer the following question:
Q.What country is The Squad set in?
Send your answer , name, address, to have your email to cinehouseuk@gmail.com header As ‘the squad’. Deadline:July 8th, 2012 (2359hrs) . Follow us at our Facebook Page if you haven’t done it already, double entry!The Squad - Trailer Published via LongTail.tv
Terms and Conditions
- This prize is non-transferable.
- No cash alternatives apply.
- UK & Irish entries only
The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Momentum Pictures have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice - The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,Momentum Pictures employees
- This competition is promoted on behalf of Momentum Pictures.
- The Prize is to win The Squad on DVD & Limited Edition Poster, runner up getting the film only on dvd
- To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline July 8th, 2012 (2359hrs)
- Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (cinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
- The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
- The competition is opened to Aged 16 and over
- Unless Stated Please Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them
- The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
- By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.
UK Competitions and Prize Draws at UKwins
Loquax Competitions
Free Competitions
ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
16 June 2012
Short Back And Sides Please: COSMOPOLIS Review
Cosmopolis is the latest film from David Cronenberg and he is back with a bang literally. Cronenberg has in recent years has went a little more conventional with Eastern Promises and the more recent A Dangerous Method. This is fine and good but they lack the weirdness of earlier films like Videodrome, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch and Crash. A quote that explains my indifference to newer Cronenberg is by Hunter S. Thompson “it never got weird enough for me”. I do absolutely love his masterful A History of Violence but besides that it really hasn’t. It’s based on the novel by Don DeLillo, which I literally finished 2 hours before I saw the film.
Cosmopolis tells the story of a day in the life Robert Packer (Robert Pattinson) who is a multi billionaire at least who lives in a massive apartment complex. He simply wants a haircut but the US president in town, a dead rapper’s funeral is in operation, somebody wants him dead and anti-capitalist protests. These events are making New York City even harder to get drive in his huge limo than normal but he insists on having his haircut to the annoyance of his security.
The film is an odyssey into the mind of a man literally on the edge on his sanity who is deliberately losing billions betting against the yen. He meets many people on the way and has numerous sexual encounters with different women on his odyssey. Packer is man without any emotional connection to anything except possibly this special barbershop he must go too.
The film will divide audiences like no other since Southland Tales. A lot of people will simply not get what Cronenberg is trying to do with Cosmopolis, it’s basically a piece of science fiction without any SF. One of the reasons Robert Pattinson may have been casted as Packer is because he is basically a vampire. One of the key lines in the film is “your already dead” which is Parker is a nutshell. Packer is the image of capitalism psychosis in work, he has no interest in money at this point he just buys stuff cause he can. He risks his clients and his money simply for the fact he can. This makes in a way a lot more similar to something in tone to Crash which deals with a similar themes (lack of emotion connection and a world and people on the brink of self destruction) and is also a sci-fi film but not. They both also feature the majority of the scene time in a car and Croneberg is a well-known gearhead.
The film is extremely relevant especially in the aftermath of a post-2008 financial crisis world even the novel was written in 2003. Parker is deliberately committing financial suicide because he doesn’t care anymore and is already dead so to speak. There are anti-capitalist protests, which Parker gets caught up in and in a way Parker gets off on this. He wants the destruction of mankind and also he meets his match to speak figuratively and literally in the climax of the film.
The film and specifically the limo is utterly artificial looking throughout which certainly brings to mind some of the artificial backgrounds of eXistenZ. The background of NYC looks otherworldly and utter fake but this is the point, it’s deliberately alienating. Pattinson’s world in his limo (he works there, he fucks there, he eats there) and most of the film’s action takes place there.
The language will also turn a lot of people off. Like so many things in the film it’s deliberately off putting, it’s very wordy and very unrealistic but that’s the intent and it’s taken pretty much word for word from the novel. It’s about people isolated from the outer world and become increasing interested in themselves and themselves only and after all he wants the most vain thing a damn haircut.
Robert Pattinson is quite astonishing the role as Packer, he is ice cold and inhumane in the best possible way and almost alien like as in David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth. He perfectly captures the psychosis of a man who has everything but wants nothing except he has a death wish. The supporting cast is very fine throughout with Paul Giamatti and Juliette Bincohe as highlights.
I don’t think the film will have a wide audience but very Cronenberg films have one except for The Fly. Twilight fans will obviously not understand it one bit and will be turned off by which was evident in my screening I attended. Critics have been completely mixed even though a lot have praised Pattinson’s turn. I think it’s a truly fascinating but deliberately artificial film about a man’s descend into pure unadulterated nihilism but no the cheerful entertaining nihilism of Fight Club but something much more sinister. After a string of very fine films recently I think I may have found an early contender for film of the year. A lot will hate but if you can get what Cronenberg is trying to do you will be engrossed even with it's deliberately alienating cinematic devices.
Ian Schultz
Rating:15
UK Release Date: 15 June 2012
Directed By:David Cronenberg
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Gadon
Cosmopolis Official UK Trailer Published via LongTail.tv
15 June 2012
Film4 FrightFest The 13th announces opening and closing night films
Paul Hyett’s claustrophobic, psychological horror, THE SEASONING HOUSE is set to open this year’s Film4 FrightFest. Starring Sean Pertwee, Kevin Howarth and Rosie Day, this hard-hitting exploration of war-time sexploitation, set in a Balkan brothel, marks special-effects guru Hyett’s directorial debut. Hyett and the cast will be attending the premiere on Thurs August 23.
Film4 FrightFest will close with the world premiere of Lionsgate’s TOWER BLOCK. Directed by James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson, this is a stunning suspense shocker. Trapped on the top floor of their run down East End home, a disparate group of neighbours are being targeted by a mystery sniper. This taut gripper stars Sheridan Smith, Jack O’Connell and Russell Tovey.
The directors and the cast will attend this fabulous finale to FrightFest the 13th
Film4 FrightFest Co-director Alan Jones said today:“Once more Film4 FrightFest is delighted to be showcasing the key British talent of the future with our opening choice of THE SEASONING HOUSE, and our closing film, TOWER BLOCK. Both films are works of quality, sensitivity and bloody-minded bravado and the directors deserve to follow in the footsteps of such other talents we have promoted early in their careers, Christopher Nolan, Neil Marshall, Chris Smith and James Watkins”.
Film4 FrightFest is pleased to announce the line-up will also include the UK premiere of [REC]³ Génesis, in which the [REC] myth gets brilliantly expanded by director Paco Plaza in this gruesomely hilarious second sequel in the groundbreaking Spanish zombie franchise. Both Paco and his leading lady Leticia Dolera will be attending the screening.
Film4 FrightFest, the UK’s biggest genre film festival, runs from Thursday 23 August to Monday 27 August at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square. The full line up will be announced on 29th June. Festival &day passes go on sale from 30 June.
Tickets for Individual films are on sale from 28th July.
Bookings: 08 714 714 714 or www.empirecinemas.co.uk
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