Take This Waltz DVD Review

I wasn't sure what to expect from Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz. I only knew her as the lead in Zack Snyder's surprisingly not crap 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. I haven't seen her previous film: Away From Her, but by all accounts it's a powerful and moving piece. I'm always up for a bit of cine-brain food so I sat down and carefully placed the disc in the player. 20 minutes in and I brought up the timer to see how long I had left to go. Not a good sign.

Michelle Williams plays Margot, an aspiring writer who is married to Lou (Seth Rogen), a chef compiling a chicken cookbook. Whilst on an excursion, Margot meets Daniel (Luke Kirby). Sparks fly and there's an instant mutual attraction. After finding out Daniel lives very close by, Margot's temptation to stray from her safe, dependable marriage becomes stronger and stronger and the film deals with her being caught between the two men. Whilst it stars some really great actors, I really got a disingenuous feeling from it all. Michelle Williams' Margot is meant to be quirkier than a hat on a lamb, but ends up coming across as a cynical approximation of a quirky lass. It's not her fault as I'm sure this is how she was directed. She's been fantastic in other films. It's just all so insultingly twee and precious. There's a scene early on where she and Daniel are both in the back of a cab, blowing some kind of hanging tassel back and forth. I'm sure this is meant to be charming, but I kept thinking “You're both fucking adults! What the hell!?” I know adults act like childish dicks all the time (I'd like to think I specialise in it), but it just seemed so laboured and staged.

It's hard to express the sort of reaction I had to this film. For nearly all of the runtime, it's an indier-than-thou bullshit romance. It's the sort of film destined to have monochromatic .gifs of key scenes made of it and plastered all over Tumblr. The dialogue is that special breed of pretentious and whimsical, containing “deep” metaphors. In their first proper meeting, Margot confides in Daniel that she's been fraudulently using airport wheelchair facilities to make sure she doesn't miss her connecting flights. She confesses she's afraid of being afraid of missing connections. Overlooking the appalling misuse of disabled facilities, it doesn't take a genius to work out that this works as a handy plot metaphor too. It's really not as clever as it thinks it is. As soon as the lines were said, I had flagged them up as narrative signposts, rather than just two people talking. The whole film's like this and I had a tough time sticking with it.

I think the characters are my main problem. We're not meant to unequivocally love Margot, but I don't think you're meant to dislike her as much as I did. She's an air-headed, silly little girl who I just didn't have any time for. Cardboard lothario Daniel, played by Kirby and looking like The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln run through the “hipster dreamboat” filter a few times, is a struggling bohemian artist type who makes ends meet working as a rickshaw driver around Toronto. If you just let out anything resembling a snort of derision at that character description, this film won't be for you. Seth Rogen's Lou is just a nice, average guy and is therefore (intentionally) pretty boring. The only one with some “oomph” about them is Sarah Silverman's recovering alcoholic Geraldine, who gets a fantastic scene towards the end and gets to say a few things to Margot that I found to be very cathartic.

Look, it isn't all bad. It's undeniably a well-made film. Some of the shots and locations are truly beautiful. The film also has quite a candid approach to things which gives an air of reality to proceedings. It's a compelling illusion until somebody opens their gob and more whimsical crap dollops out. The actors are occasionally allowed to act like real people and Seth Rogen gets some really nice moments. I know I'm not the target demographic for this. There is an audience out there who will love it for what it is- I just don't want to know them. Had the film stayed on the course it was on for 90% of the total time, it would have been one of the most irritating films I'd ever seen. As it stands, the ending makes up for a bit, but not nearly enough. The very last bit spoils it though. Just even suggesting that Margot can retreat back into her little fantasy land and not learn anything from everything that's happened was truly maddening.

Take This Waltz is a pretentious, “grass is greener” story that wants to play with romantic conventions, but ends up as an annoying air-headed fantasy with delusions of depth. I've only just unclenched my fists to type this review. It pissed me off. Stick that on the DVD cover.

Ben Browne

★★☆☆☆

Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 7^th January 2013
Cast: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogan, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman
Directed by: Sarah Polley

Watch Terry Gilliam's Short The Wholly Family

Missing something? A big gap in your cinematic life anything to do with a certain one Terry Gilliam? Probably. whilst we wait for The Zero Theorem to arrive later this year or early next year the ex-Monty Python member back in 2011 had been busy making a 20 minute short called The Wholly Family for Italian pasta company Garofalo. Set in the company's home town of Naples the short film is part of an annual series to promote the city starring Cristiana Capotondi, Douglas Dean, Nicolas Connolly and Sergio Solli. The film is full of Gilliam's trademark, visual, fantastical storytelling  but most of humor, the film has been playing at various European film festivals with best short film at European Film Awards and now the film is available online in its full glory.

BlizzardKid Shorts Award 2012 - The Wholly Family from BlizzardKid on Vimeo.

A crowded street in Naples city center, plenty of shops selling presepi. A wealthy American couple and Jake, their 10 years-old child, try to push their way through the crowd. While husband and wife argue which street to take, the boy is unwillingly separated from them.

source:ThePlaylist

Win a Monstrous creature-feature prize package Courtesy of Chelsea Films

The meanest gargantuan creature-feature yet is set to arrive on DVD from Chelsea Films on 7th January 2013 - I am of course talking about the Roger Corman-produced ‘Piranhaconda’ ("It'll certainly give you a nasty bite” Filmoria). To celebrate this occasion we have an extra special *MONSTROUS* prize package to give-away which will consist of the following monster delights…

SAND SHARKS - A shark that swims in sand?! No, honestly! Sunbathing on a beach has never been the same since this came out earlier this year and I'm not sure whether that's something to do with the sharks or Brooke Hogan's (daughter of the mighty Hulk Hogan) acting…

DRAGON WASPS - The ultimate cross breed between timely jungle thrillers like “Predator” and “Anaconda” and giant critter delights such as “Eight Legged Freaks” and “Lake Placid”. Let’s put it this way, “Dragon Wasps” does for bees what “Arachnophobia” did for spiders!

and of course…

PIRANHACONDA - This is undeniably classic Corman. Who else has the ability to merge every single terrifying creature on Earth EVER and still create something so exhilarating it’ll have you begging for more Dr Frankenstein-like creations?!

To win this Monstrous prize please answer the following question:

What is the name of the Little Shop of directed by Roger Corman starred a young Jack Nicholson?

Send your answer, name, address and postcode only to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com
Deadline 27th January (2359hrs) Must Be Aged 15 or older to enter 'title email Chelsea Films'

*Please remember Always Double Entry to those who like/friend Us at Facebook*
In event of the above form not working please refer to Terms&Conditions on how to enter

Terms & Conditions:1.This prize is non transferable.No cash alternatives apply.UK & Irish entries only.2.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and films. have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice 3.The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,chelsea films employees 4.This competition is promoted on behalf of Chelsea Films 5. If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead 6.To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline 27th January 2013 (2359hrs)7.Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.8.If the above form fails please send the information required from the form email it to win [at] thepeoplesmovies [dot] com (label Quartet) If any info required from the form is not sent in the email your entry will be void 9.automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.10.If you are friend or like us at facebook for every competition you enter you get double entry, but you must stay stay friend/like us all the time,or future entries maybe considered one entry.11.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes 12.Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control13.The competition is opened to Aged 15 and over.14. Majority of the prizes on offer will come from representatives of the distributor, no The People’s Movies &Cinehouse, when we do have the prizes we will inform you.15. Unless Stated Please Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them and if you include your telephone number Cinehouse and The People’s Movies are not responsible for the security of the number 16.The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email or announced via facebook, sometimes we are unable to confirm winners.17.This competition is bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.18.By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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Brandon Croneberg's Antiviral Coming To UK In February

Inject some celebrity into your life and take a magnified look at our public obsession with celebrity culture as ANTIVIRAL is released at select cinemas on 8 February and on DVD and digital download from 11 February 2013.

ANTIVIRAL marks the directorial debut of Brandon Cronenberg, son of legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg and features two hot rising stars in Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class, Contraband), and Sarah Gadon (Cosmopolis, A Dangerous Method) alongside veteran of the screen, Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, The Artist).

Having received positive reactions at Cannes, Toronto International and the London Film Festivals, ANTIVIRAL has steadily been infecting the minds of ‘Bodyshock’ fans.  Prepare to be shocked by one of the most eye-opening and thought provoking films of the year.  Syd March (Landry Jones) is an employee at The Lucas Clinic – a company that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to fans who wish to fulfil their obsessive desire for real intimacy with their idols. As well as working for them, Syd also supplements his income by smuggling viruses out of the clinic in his own body in order to sell them on the black market. Constantly ill and losing his edge, Syd becomes careless and infects himself with an unusual virus carried by superstar Hannah Geist (Gadon).

When the news breaks that Hannah has died, Syd realises that the virus running rampant in his system will soon kill him too. Hallucinating and struggling to remain in control, Syd must race to solve the mystery surrounding Hannah’s death if he has any hopes to avoid suffering the same fate.

As a first year film student Brandon Cronenberg developed a serious case of the flu. The illness proved to be the perfect Petri dish for the incubation of ANTIVIRAL. “During a feverish dream, I became obsessed with the physicality of illness, by the fact that what was infecting my body and my cells had come from someone else,” the director recalls. “It’s a weirdly intimate connection. I began to understand how someone like an ardent fan, might see this kind of connection to the object of their fascination as desirable. The intimacy of that link seemed like a good platform to explore celebrity obsession”.

Experience bodyshock at its finest when ANTIVIRAL is released at select cinemas on 8 February and on DVD and digital download from 11 February 2013.



DVD FEATURES:

·         Commentary with director Brandon Cronenberg and director of photography Karim Hussain

·         Deleted scenes with commentary

·         Behind the scenes  featurettes

Pre-order Antiviral [DVD]

Sundance 2013: Watch Trailer For Jack Kerouac's Big Sur

 After several years of no Jack Kerouac movie adaptations Walter Salles delivered the author's most famous On The Road . Later this month at Sundance Film Festival America's premier independent film festival 2 more Kerouac films will make their debuts Daniel Radcliffe's Kill Your Darlings and Big Sur and you can check out the trailer.

Directed by Michael Polish, Big Sur is based on Kerouac's 1962 auto biographical when he moved from New York to California dealing with his struggle with popularity thanks to On The Road driving him to alcoholism and to have a a relationship with his best friends  mistress. Kate Bosworth and Josh Lucas play the mistress and Kerouac's mistress/best friend with Jean Marc Barr playing Kerouac.

Big Sur visually looks fantastic Barr looks like he'll deliver ardent performance as Kerouac. Sundance Film Festival starts 17th until 27th January, the film also stars Henry Thomas, Radha Mitchell and Stan Katic.

source:collider

Watch Dan Sachar's Full Overture Post Apocalyptic Short

April 2011 we brought you the trailer for Dan Sachar's  short Overture an Israeli post apocalyptic film which has been playing festivals and now just before the film arrives in Sundance festival this month, the full short is available online in its full glory.

32 minutes long Overture is  set in a post Apocalyptic dying world were a man a lone survivor lost in the dying world struggles to connect the pieces from his scavenging as well as the repressed memories. Out of the blue a young woman appears in his desolate forest who is intent that the man will face his past along with the fate fit to suit what he did in the past.

Been a fan of the post apocalyptic films Overture does look like something John Hillcoat (The Road) even Lar Von Trier would direct. This is captivating and with the minimal dialogue it really expands the loneliness, terrifying the world can be


Overture from Dan Sachar on Vimeo.

source: Overture's official website

Watch Trailer for Short Film Text Tone

Despite our advances in film technology sadly the lack of female filmmakers especially black female filmmakers but thankfully independent film making still has belief in filmmakers. Here at cinehouse we try our best to support all film makers recognizing the talent rather than the persons race or gender one of those talent individuals is Chicago based Sanicole who has sent us the trailer for her new film.

entitled Text Tone a Drama comedy After dodging his girlfriend to avoid meeting her father on their 6 month anniversary, the young lover wakes up to discover he is mute and must resort to winning his girlfriend back with extraordinary gestures

Enjoy the trailer, once we have the full film we will update this page. Just remember if your a fellow cinephile support the talent, the film don't judge purely on the filmmakers gender or ethnicity.

Six months into a blossoming relationship, Corey (Corey Williams) receives a text from his girlfriend Snow (Ashley Snow) about meeting her father for the first time. Nervous about the meeting and struggling to communicate his affection for her, he resorts to ignoring her calls and texts. On the night of the dinner with her father, he doesn't show. The next morning, he checks his voicemail, listening on as a
distraught and frustrated Snow admonishes him. Before ending the message she tells him he's lost the right to speak to her and wants nothing to do with him. When he attempts to explain himself in a voicemail, he finds that he can't speak. Mute and rejected, Corey exasperates all avenues to finally show her how he feels and try to win her back. Written and Directed By Sanicole (@Sanicole) Starring Corey Williams (@Corey_Demon) and Ashley Snow (@OfficialAshSnow)

Quartet Review

Quartet (2012) is a film which requires little effort, either on the part of the cast or the viewer.  That’s not intended disparagingly, indeed quite the opposite, as everything about Hollywood icon Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins, is sheer bliss - you just sit back, relax and let it wash over you.

Fading opera stars, Wilf (Connolly), Reginald (Courtenay) and Cissy (Collins), live in the rural splendor of a country retirement home, where they wile away the days reminiscing about their past triumphs.  Each year they celebrate the birthday of the composer Verdi with a concert, and in the process raise funds for the upkeep of the home.  This year however things don’t quite go to plan after the arrival of new resident.  The presence of Jean (Smith), an opera diva with thoughts above her station, not only resurrects painful memories for the trio, but doesn’t exactly prove conducive to harmony amongst the other residents either.

What a relief that Hoffman, unlike so many actors who try their hand at directing, was not tempted into a cameo appearance in Quartet.  Instead he remains, like all good directors should, out-of-sight, though not out of mind, as his touch is crystal clear on screen.  Everything, from the ensemble cast to the pastoral settings, meld seamlessly under the expert guidance of a man who is so much a part of modern cinema in front of the camera, that looking at the action from the other side will probably have felt like second nature.

The wider cast hit all the right notes as the group of aging operatic and musical stars, unwilling to accept that, for the most, their moment in the limelight is long past.  Indeed the only aspect of the film which appears slightly off-key is watching Connolly and Smith vie for prime spot.  When they appear these two old troupers banish everyone else to the wings, no mean feat when you consider the calibre of the those they’re working with.  However they’re such a delight to watch that you feel more than happy to indulge their quirks and idiosyncrasies.

This is really is the only quibble though in an otherwise perfect blend of dry wit and acid sharp timing which makes for a delightful cocktail of lasting friendships and the acceptance of the passing of time.

Quartet provides a marvelously feel good way with which to see in the new year.  Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait too long for Hoffman to flex his directorial muscle again.  Oh, and wait until the end as there is a marvelous treat during the final credits which is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye.

Cleaver Patterson

★★★★☆

Rating: 12A
Release Date: 1st January 2013 (UK)
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Sheridan Smith

The Girl DVD Review

The Girl is one of 2 Alfred Hitchcock biopics coming out in soon succession of each other, the other being the simply titled Hitchcock.Toby Jones stars as Hitch in The Girl, who has portrayed a famous dead
person before. He played Truman Capote in Infamous and like The Girl, which had a competing biopic as well Capote.

The Girl’s story is about Tippi Hedren (played by Sienna Miller). Tippi was a very successful model in the early 50s to 60s, Hitchcock was looking for a new Grace Kelly (who starred in a handful of Hitch’s earlier film, including the masterful Rear Window) and found Tippi. He cast her as the lead in his film The Birds. The Birds is often considered the last great Hitchcock film (even though this reviewer who put a case up for the later Frenzy) and was one of the most successful of his entire career. Tippi is tortured throughout The Birds by Hitchcock which climaxes with him lying they were gonna use artificial birds but in reality he choose to use real birds and made her shoot the bird attacking scene for 3 days.

Tippi becoming an overnight sensation because of The Birds. She was under contact to Hitch, who had already made sexual advances to her during the making of The Birds. Despite this due to the nature of the contract, she makes another film with Hitch called Marnie however isn’t as good as The Birds even though it’s certainly the more interesting film. It’s sorta like Hitchcock’s Masterpiece Vertigo’s little sister. It deals with a young woman who is a chronic liar and thief and has some serious psychological issues, which date back to her childhood. After the troubled filming of Marnie, she wants out of her contract from Hitchcock who continually made advances to her during the filming. However he made sure she couldn’t work again till
Charlie Chaplin’s last film and lost out a role for a François Truffaut film.

The Girl is a very mixed bag. It has 2 very fine performances by Sienna Miller and Toby Jones (which is the superior performance).However the film is very much a tv film and that’s fine but it barely cracks the surface level of their relationship and paints Hitch clearly as the villain (which he certainly was). You don’t get any
sort of emotion from Hitch or why he does such horrible things to Tippi. The film also suffers from a low budget film problem that a lot of film posters in Hitch’s room are mock posters for his great films and not the real ones, which probably do to copyright. The other film which is very annoying is Marnie starred Sean Connery and you never see Tippi or Hitchcock interact with Sean during the making of Marnie, there is stand in but you never see his face, this is very distracting. Overall it’s worth seeing on iplayer or renting for the performances but some things are very annoying. It also ends with the laughable appendix that claims “Marnie is now considered Hitchcock’s last masterpiece”.

Ian Schultz

★★★☆☆

Rating: 15
Release Date:26th December 2012 (UK BBC2 ) 7th January 2013 (UK,DVD)
Directed By: Julian Jarrold
Cast: Sienna Miller, Toby Jones and Penelope Wilton

Third Window Films Announce UK January Release of The Woodsman And The Rain

Love Asian film? Love Zombie Horror? Comedy? Well your going to love Shichi Okita's eccentric The Woodsman And The Rain which is coming to the UK&Ireland thanks to the fantastic Third Window Films this January. The film stars Koji Yakusho (Shall We Dance, 13 Assassins, The Admiral), Shun Oguri (Crows Zero, Azumi, Space Brothers)and Kengo Kora (Norwegian Wood, Fish Story) a story about a lumberjack who lives in the quaint mountain side whose life is turned upside when a low budget film crew arrive to create a zombie movie!

Synopsis:Katsu (Internationally acclaimed actor Koji Yakusho from Shall We Dance and 13 Assassins) plays a 60 year-old lumberjack who lives in a small, tranquil village in the mountains. When a film crew suddenly arrives to shoot a zombie movie, Katsu finds himself unwittingly roped into assisting the production and becomes increasingly frustrated with the pushy crew, especially the young, seemingly spineless director Koichi (Shun Oguri, star of Crows 0, Sukiyaki Western Django and Space Brothers).

However, an improbable friendship soon develops between Katsu and Koichi, as Katsu comes to see joy in the filmmaking process, and gradually helps Koichi to recover his sense of self. Soon, their bond inspires an unusual collaboration between the villagers and the film crew.

Features

• Interviews with Cast and Crew
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

Pre-Order: The Woodsman and the Rain [DVD] / [Blu-ray]


Adam Brodie caught the film at Terracotta Film Festival earlier this year , read his review here and The Woodsman And The Rain will be released in UK&Ireland on DVD and Blu-Ray from January 28th 2013.