Have Fun With Buckles In Short Film

 Clowns you sometimes wonder why people are terrified of them maybe Joe Ballarini has the answer in his short Buckle. Whilst waiting for his next studio project the Dance Of The Dead writer decided to keep his mind occupied by creating this horror short starring Signal star Justin Welborn. It's birthday time and Buckles has turned up to spread some birthday but as you'll see they get more than they bargained.

Great stuff here and thumbs up to Twitch for finding this little gem! Enjoy.

BUCKLES from Hidden Staircase on Vimeo.

Terracotta Far East Film Festival Lauch 2013 Programme

Tickets are now on sale for the fifth edition of the annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival.
Over the years the festival has seen the event go from strength to strength. This year is set to be the biggest yet, expanding to 27 films spread over 4 sections and 2 venues from 06 - 15 June 2013.

The core of the festival will remain a hand-picked selection of the best CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA at The Prince Charles Cinema. This all UK Premiere section reflects the vibrancy and energy in Asian filmmaking today. Ranging from realist dramas to romance, light comedies to spy action thrillers, swordfighting epics to gothic fairytales, the festival aims to balance the representation of Asian countries.

Terracotta Festival 2013 (TFEFF13) will open with Hong Kong action COLD WAR on Thursday 06 June 2013.

This year’s edition will also see a return to last year’s Terror Cotta Horror night on Friday 07 June in association with Film 4 Frightfest. The triple bill has now extended to an all-night horror marathon.

The organisers also have added the “IN MEMORY OF” section to mark the tenth anniversary of two of Hong Kong’s best loved and most missed stars: Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui.

Terracotta Festival 2013 will close out at the ICA with “SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia”. 11 - 15 June will be an entire week dedicated to Indonesian cinema, from the country's freshest emerging talent alongside work by established filmmakers. This new section will bring rare insight into one of Asia’s rising film powerhouses.

Guest actors and directors will be attending the festival to introduce their films, host Q&A sessions and run Masterclasses on various aspects of what it means to be a filmmaker today. Filmmakers in attendance will be announced closer to the festival dates.

Terracotta Far East Film Festival full Programme:


IN MEMORY OF: Leslie Cheung & Anita Mui

DAYS OF BEING WILD by WONG Kar Wai, Hong Kong – Wed 29 May 2013, 20:45
1994/ Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles/ 94mins/ starring Leslie CHEUNG, Maggie CHEUNG, Andy LAU, Tony LEUNG Chiu Wai
One of the most acclaimed masterpieces of modern cinema from one of Hong Kong’s finest auteur directors.


ROUGE by Stanley KWAN, Hong Kong – Thurs 06 June 2013, 17:50
1988/ Cantonese with English subtitles/ 96mins/ starring Anita MUI, Leslie CHEUNG
Part Romeo & Juliet, part ghost story, an outstanding and timeless classic.


HAPPY TOGETHER by WONG Kar Wai, Hong Kong - Fri 07 June 2013, 12:30
1997/ Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles/ 96 mins/ starring Leslie CHEUNG, Tony LEUNG Chiu Wai, CHEN Chang
The story of a gay love triangle slowly fragmenting and dislocating amidst the beautiful city of Buenos Aires.



CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA

COLD WAR by Sunny Luk, Longman Leung, Hong Kong – Opening Film Thurs 06 June 2013, 19:50
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Cantonese with English subtitles/ 102 mins/ starring Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Andy Lau
Police dealing with a sophisticated hijacking of a police van are outwitted at every turn.



LOVE ME NOT by Gilitte LEUNG, Hong Kong – Fri 07 June 2013, 14:30
UK Premiere/2012/ Cantonese with English Subtitles/ 92 mins/ starring Kenneth CHENG, Afa LEE
A sweet and daring portrait of blurred sexuality and love complications.



WHEN A WOLF FALLS IN LOVE WITH A SHEEP by HOU Chi-Jan, Taiwan – Fri 07 June 2013, 16:35
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English Subtitles/ 86 mins/ starring KO Chen Tung, CHIEN Man Shu, KUO Shu Yao, Nikki HSIEH
Vivid colours, lush set pieces and stop motion animation create a surreal, dreamy vision of Taipei.



YOUNG GUN IN THE TIME by OH Young-doo, South Korea- Fri 07 June 2013, 18:35
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Korean with English subtitles/ 95mins/ starring HONG Young-geun, HA Eun-jung, CHOI Song-hyun
Quirky, low-budget time travel romp filled with sex shops, robot hands and Hawaiian shirts.



KARAOKE GIRL by Visra Vichit VADAKAN, Thailand - Fri 07 June 2013, 20:30
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Thai with English subtitles/ 77 mins/ starring Sa SITTIJUN, The Sittijun family.
Realistic, unseedy portrayal of a lovely and lovelorn Bangkok hostess.



THE ASSASSINS by ZHAO Yiyang, China – Sat 08 June 2013, 12:00
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English subtitles/ 107 mins/ starring CHOW Yun Fat, TAMAKI Hiroshi, Crystal LIU Yi Fei
CHOW Yun Fat in a historical swordfighting epic tale of love, power and betrayal.


THE STORY OF YONOSUKE by OKITA Shuichi, Japan – Sat 08 June 2013, 14:20
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 160 mins starring KORA Kengo, YOSHITAKA Yuriko
A story of a college student with an unusual name and a warm heart, spanning his college days in 1980’s Tokyo, as told by his closest friends and associates.


DRUG WAR by Johnnie TO, Hong Kong – Sat 08 June 2013, 17:30
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English Subtitles/ 107 mins/ starring Louis KOO, SUN Honglei, LAM Suet
Johnnie To’s fast moving actioner features a police captain and an arrested and coerced drug lord out to smash a major drug ring.


THE BERLIN FILE by RYOO Seung-wan, South Korea – Sat 08 June 2013, 19:45
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Korean with English subtitles/ 120mins/ starring HA Jung-woo, Gianna JUN, HAN Suk-Kyu, RYOO Seung-bum
North and South Korean agents in Berlin are tangled up in a BOURNE style multi-agency web of deceit.


SEE YOU TOMORROW, EVERYONE by NAKAMURA Yoshihiro, Japan - Sun 09 June 2013, 12:25
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 120 mins/ starring HAMADA Gaku
Filmmakers behind the hugely entertaining FISH STORY bring you a multi-layered look into life on a Japanese council estate.


A WEREWOLF BOY by JO Sung-hee, South Korea - Sun 09 June 2013, 15:30
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Korean with English subtitles/ 125 mins/ starring SONG Joong-ki, PARK Bo-young, YOO Yeon-seok
Fantasy romance along the lines of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, taking a traditional fairytale structure and setting it against a 1960's technicolor Korea.


THE BULLET VANISHES by LAW Chi Leung, Hong Kong – Sun 09 June 2013, 18:00
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English Subtitles/ 108 mins/ starring LAU Ching Wan, Nicholas Tse
Detectives are called to a munitions factory where murders involving “phantom bullets” are puzzling the forensics teams and spooking the local workforce.


THE LAND OF HOPE by SONO Sion, Japan - Sun 09 June 2013, 20:05
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 133 mins/ starring HAMADA Gaku, ORTEGA Naomi
SONO Sion takes a step back from his usual over-the-top film-making style for a restrained drama dealing with a family’s struggles after the aftermath of a Fukushima-style nuclear power plant explosion in their town.



Terror Cotta Horror All-Nighter
COUNTDOWN by Nattawut POONPIRIYA, Thailand – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Thai and English with English Subtitles/ 90 mins/ starring Pachara CHIRATHIVAT, Jarinporn JOONKIAT, Pattarasaya KRUESUWANSIRI
New Year’s Eve in New York City goes wrong for three flat-mates when their drug dealer overstays his welcome and turns psycho on them.


BELENGGU by Upi, Indonesia – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 100 mins/ starring Abimana ARYASATYA, Avrilla.
Visions of violent murders, a giant, knife throwing rabbit and a mysterious femme-fatale. What is really going on in Elang’s head?


HENGE by HAJIME Ohata, Japan – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere / 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 54 mins/ starring MORITA Aki, KAZUNARI Aizawai
What would you do if the person that you loved most in the world turned into a monster right before your eyes?


THE GHOST STORY OF YOTSUYA by NAKAGAWA Nobuo, Japan – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
1959/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 76 mins/ starring AMACHI Shigeru, KITAZAWA Noriko, WAKASUGI Katsuko
A classic retrospective presentation of an old Japanese Macbeth-like folk tale.


ZOMVIDEO by MURAKAMI Kenji, Japan – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere / 2011/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 76 mins starring YAJIMA Maimi, NAKAJIMA Saki
Could you survive a zombie apocalypse? Zomvideo will show you how.


SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia

THE DANCER by Ifa ISFANSYAH, Indonesia – Tue 11 June, time tbc
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 107 mins/ starring Oka ANTARA, Prisia NASUTION, Slamet RAHARJO, Dewi IRAWAN, Hendro DJAROT, Lukman SARDI
The story of a girl destined to be the ronggeng of her village in the 60's political turmoil. Indonesia’s official entry at the 85th Academy Awards.


LOVELY MAN by Teddy SOERIAATMADJA, Indonesia – Wed 12 June, time tbc
UK Premiere/ 2011/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 76 mins/ starring Donny DAMARA, Raihaanun NABILA, Yayu aw UNRU, Luddy SAPUTRO
A provocative, powerful father-daughter story unlike any you’ve seen.


WHAT THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT LOVE by Mouly SURYA, Indonesia – Thurs 13 June, time tbc
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 105 mins/ starring Karina SALIM, Ayushita NUGRAHA, Nicholas SAPUTRA, Anggun PRIAMBODO, Lupita Jennifer
At a special needs boarding school, the students are like any other teenagers: they attend classes, pursue artistic endeavours, and occupy their minds with love and dreams.

POSTCARDS FROM THE ZOO by Edwin, Indonesia – Fri 14 June, time tbc
2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 96 mins/ starring Ladya Cheryl, Nicholas SAPUTRA, Adjie Nur AHMAD
Premiered at Berlinale, a story which revolves around Lana, a girl who was raised in a zoo after she was abandoned.


OPERA JAWA by Garin NUGROHO / Arturo Gp / Arswendi, Indonesia – Sat 15 June, time tbc
2006/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 125 mins starring Martinus MIROTO, Artika Sari DEVI, Eko SUPRIYANTO
A traditional Indonesian tragedy is reworked into a visually stunning musical in OPERA JAWA.

THE BLINDFOLD by Garin NUGROHO, Indonesia – Sat 15 June, time tbc
UK Premiere / 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 90 mins starring Jajang C. NOER, Adriani ISNA, Eka Nusa PERTIWI
The story of three young people lured into a radical Islamic organisation.



Venues:

IN MEMORY OF: Leslie Cheung & Anita Mui, CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA, Terror Cotta Horror All-Nighter at Prince Charles Cinema
7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY / Box Office : +44 (0)20 7494 3654

Tickets at Prince Charles Cinema: £8.50 non members, no concessions/ £6.00 (PCC Members)

(Friday afternoon: £6.50/ £4.00)


Festival Pass: £59.50 non members/ £48 members

EARLY BIRD PASS*: £55 non members/ £45 members (excludes Terror Cotta Horror Night and ICA Spotlight on Indonesia)

*if you buy early before Sunday 12th May, midnight

Terror-Cotta Horror All-nighter: £22 non members/ £19.50 members

SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia at Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA):
The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH / Box Office: +44 (0)20 7930 3647

Tickets at ICA: £10 / £8 Concessions / £7 ICA Members

More information or to  book tickets head over to Terracotta website: www.terracottafestival.com

Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England will be the first ever UK film released on DVD, on free TV, VoD Same Day!

Film4, Picturehouse Entertainment, 4DVD, Film4 Channel partner for day-and-date release– with support from the BFI Distribution Fund

Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England will be the first ever film to be released in UK nationwide cinemas, on free TV, on DVD and on Video-on-Demand on the same day – with Film4, Picturehouse Entertainment, 4DVD and Film4 Channel partnering for nationwide multi-platform distribution on Friday 5th July. The film is one of the first to receive funding from the BFI Distribution Fund New Models strand, which supports experimental and ambitious release models.

The unique release will give audiences and fans of Wheatley’s previous films (Down Terrace, Kill List, Sightseers) the choice of how and where to experience his new film – a brilliant psychedelic trip into magic and madness – whether it’s amidst an audience in the cinema, followed by a satellite Q&A with Ben and the cast; delving into multiple extras on a special edition DVD; from the comfort of the sofa showcased with a director’s intro and interview on TV; or the freedom to watch when they want on VoD. The more intrepid audiences can also follow in the footsteps of the film’s characters, with screenings planned in a field (or few) in England across the summer.

A Field in England is the first feature to be developed and fully financed through Film4’s innovation hub Film4.0, and was conceived as a film which would be funded, shot, edited and distributed in an agile and ambitious way. A digital masterclass designed to immerse audiences in the making of the film will also launch around release, developed by Film4.0 in partnership with the filmmakers. Through behind-the-scenes interviews, on-set videos, and unseen rushes, Ben Wheatley, cast and key crew will take the audience on a unique journey through the creative choices that determined the final cut.

Ben Wheatley says: "It's great to team up with Film4 to make this film and to work with new partners such as Picturehouse and 4DVD. We have tried to innovate with this film, in production and distribution. I'm very proud of the results and look forward to sharing the film with the audience."

Anna Higgs, Film4.0 Commissioning Editor, says: “From the word go, A Field in England was a hugely original idea - you'd expect no less from Ben and Amy – so we wanted to build the project with the team in a way that was true to that. The film is a really exciting next step in the progression of Ben's work as a director and will be something the likes of which a whole generation of audiences won't have ever seen. I'm incredibly pleased we've formed this innovative partnership to take this brilliant film out to them in a truly ground-breaking way."

Sue Bruce-Smith, Film4’s Head of Commercial and Brand Strategy, says: “Ben is undoubtedly one of our boldest, brightest and most audience savvy filmmakers and so it made complete sense to look to develop a project with him that would lend itself to this kind of daring and innovative release. We’re lucky to have found in Picturehouse Entertainment, 4DVD, the Film4 channel and BFI partners who share our vision to disrupt the status quo and experiment with new distribution patterns, to create this exciting event style release.”

Clare Binns, Director of Programming and Acquisitions, says: "We're proud to have an intimate understanding of our audience, as are Film4, which is what makes this collaboration so exciting. Our eagerness to explore and experiment with new platforms of distribution in an evolving film landscape makes us all the more thrilled to be able to get this innovative film out there to the audience it so readily deserves. Ben Wheatley is a genuinely unique British talent and we could not be happier to be working with him on this film."

A Field in England is written by Amy Jump and produced by Claire Jones and Andy Starke at Rook Films, with Anna Higgs Executive Producer for Film4. Protagonist Pictures are handling international sales.

interview with Devil's Business director Sean Hogan

On the eve of the UK TV premiere of THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS on Horror Channel, Sean Hogan talks about the future of the horror film industry, the importance of a good script and his forthcoming doc on the UK comic 2000AD.

THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS is broadcast on Sat May 11, 22:55,

Q: How did The Devil’s Business come together?
SH: I’d been waiting a long time for another project to come together, and out of sheer frustration, I had a meeting with my producer Jen Handorf one night and proposed that we made something for very little money, just to get back in the saddle. I’d recently seen Down Terrace and really liked it, and my feeling was that you didn’t need a whole lot of money to make something, just a good script, talented actors and one location. So I sat down and wrote Devil’s Business to be done along those lines. What happened then was, the other project finally happened, but turned out to be a nightmare experience. So once the dust had settled, I really needed to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. So Jen proposed we went back to The Devil’s Business. It came together really quickly after that, we basically pulled it all together in a few months.

Q: Did the script take long to write?
SH: Not really. It was short, for one thing! And I was kind of on a roll when I wrote it; I’d written about five scripts already that year so the gears were well oiled. Besides, it really was one of those times where the characters took over and wrote themselves – it always sounds horribly pretentious when writers say that, but what can I tell you, it’s true! I normally outline much more than I did on Devil’s Business, but in this instance I just sat down and started writing with only a vague sense of what was going to happen. For instance, when I wrote Pinner’s monologue, I didn’t really know what he was going to say or how it would impact the rest of the film; all I knew was that he was going to tell a strange story. And it all just came flooding out. It certainly isn’t always that simple, so I have fond memories of writing it.

Q: Was it a hard movie to cast?
SH: No, we were fairly lucky in that department. We didn’t have a casting director, so it was largely a case of me and Jen scouring Spotlight and looking at showreels etc. That was how we found Billy Clarke, who played Pinner. He was the first person who read for the part and I just loved him immediately. Johnny Hansler was someone I’d auditioned for another film – he wasn’t right for that part but I made a note that if we ever did Devil’s he’d be great for Mr Kist, so we just made him an offer based on that. And Jack Gordon was a recommendation via his agency, who Jen had a working relationship with. Again, he just came in and rocked the audition. Easiest casting process I’ve ever had, despite the lack of resources.

Q: How did you go about funding for the film?
SH: It was private money. We wanted to control the production ourselves - because we’d had enough of meddling, crooked, incompetent executives – so Jen and I invested some money to get things going. And then we approached some other people we knew to kick in some cash as well. We knew that if we tried to get it made through official industry channels it would take forever and we’d have to put up with a ton of less-than-helpful script notes, so we made a decision we’d just do it our way – for less money, but with more control. It was hard work doing it on the budget, but the actual experience of doing it with no outside interference was sheer bliss.
.
Q: The film picked up some great reviews including one that stated “…smart British horror has a touch of the Roald Dahl to it” that’s quite a compliment.
SH: We were very happy with the response, without a doubt. From my perspective, I had no idea how the film would be received; it was just cathartic to make it. I figured that it was such a small production that it might easily disappear without a trace. And besides, it isn’t really a conventional horror film in many ways; it’s quite dialogue-driven and character-based, which always puts some people off. So I was definitely steeling myself for the worst. But then we premiered it at FrightFest and got wonderful reviews, and it went on from there. So I was delighted – I’ve had bad luck with UK distribution in the past, so to get that sort of a reaction was very rewarding. And it definitely made everyone’s hard work worth it.

Q: You must be pleased that the film is getting its UK TV premiere on the Horror Channel?
SH: Certainly am. Again, if you’d said to me when we were shooting it that the film would eventually play cinemas, come out on DVD and then show on TV, I’d have probably asked you what you were on and where could I get some. The Horror Channel has been very supportive of me and so I’m really pleased we’ve found a home here.

Q: What state do you think the British horror movie industry is in?
SH: It’s very tough, certainly at an independent level. DVD sales are down and whilst I think VOD will eventually take up the slack, it isn’t there yet. But horror is reliant on those sorts of areas to make it viable. So you get a lot of distributors asking you to make something along the lines of what was successful last year. Which I hate hearing, not least because that never works. I’ve certainly been asked to make something similar to Kill List, for instance. But Kill List was successful because it wasn’t like anything else at the time, and if you just try and copy that, the audience will smell it a mile off. And anyway, we kept getting compared to Kill List anyway, so why would I want to do that again? I honestly think a lot of it comes down to a lack of respect for the genre; a lot of industry people just see it as product and not worth any serious consideration. Therefore you get a lot of crap being made, just because it ticks certain commercial boxes. And so if you want to do something different, you run into difficulty. But there are definitely good UK filmmakers out there, so I just hope that everyone keeps plugging away and making films one way or another. Because if history shows us anything, it’s that good horror usually comes out of the independent sector anyway.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a director or work in the horror industry?
SH: It’s obvious, but my primary point is always to pay attention to your script. The writing really isn’t worth a damn in most horror films. And yet it costs no money to get your characters and dialogue written properly. So if you can’t write, find someone who can. Similarly, cast good actors – they may not be famous names, but you can certainly find people who can act. Trust me, it’s easy if the script is good – actors are desperate for quality material. Don’t make something that’s just by the numbers – we’ve all seen the classic horror films, doesn’t mean we want to see slavish copies/homages. Figure out what really scares you and put it onscreen – because if it scares you then odds are it will scare someone else. And for god’s sake yes, please try and be scary. Rape and torture are not scary, and I’m so incredibly bored with how much of that we’re seeing right now. It’s easy to be upsetting, but it’s not easy to be scary.

Q: So what are you working on at the moment?
SH: Jen and I are developing a script called No Man’s Land, which is a horror movie set in the trenches of WWI. We’ve had a lot of interest over that, so I’m hopeful we can get that going this year. I’m attached to a bunch of other projects as well, but that’s where I’m focusing right now. I’m also producing a documentary called Future Shock!, which tells the story of the legendary UK comic 2000AD. That’s proving to be a lot of fun, and the response to us making it has been great. That should be ready sometime next year.

Sean Hogan, thank you very much.
Read our review of the Devil's Business here.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

Hola...First Trailer For [REC]4: Apocalypse Is A Bloody Reminder

It's time to get out.....Hola, it's the first English language trailer for [REC]4: Apocalypse a stark reminder of how bloody but most all how great this franchise is!

After been accordingly invited to the wedding in [REC]3:Genesis the prequel and how the whole shebang started it's time to fast forward and see how it'll all end. After his compadre Paco Plaza did the honours with Genesis Jaume Balaguero  returns to the directors chair after a spell  scaring the heevie jeevies out us all with his fantastic Hitchcockian chiller Sleep Tight. The film returns to our young roving TV news  reporter we met in the first film Angel Vidal and after revelation end of  film two that she's effected the blood will spill and the infection spreads as she makes it outside!

We believe this is the final film but like any popular franchise never say never especially if the money is stilling rolling in we may get another film. The other question  is in [REC]3: Genesis they dumped the found /first person footage style for the straight film, will they return to the old format? That maybe revealed later this month as the film is been promoted at Cannes marketplace, whose in it and exactly when [REC]4: Apocalypse will be out we don't know at this stage expect late 2013 at least we can say this is a good bet to appear at Film 4 frightfest  in August?

source:Bloodydisgusting

Billy Liar Blu-Ray Review (50th Anniversary Edition)

Billy Liar is Bradford’s one and only claim to fame. It was shot there and is set in an unnamed Yorkshire village. It’s so much a part of “Bradford’s culture heritage” there is a mosaic in the subway near it’s world renowned media museum.

As the title suggests it’s about a young man called Billy Fisher (Tom Courtenay) and liars his way though out the film especially to his many girlfriends (he is engaged to 2 of them). He is working for a morticians but he stole all these calendars and some money. He seems to be hopeless but he has his imagination to keep him company, he dreams of the mythical land “Ambrosia” which is king, general, don juan figure etc. A lass called Liz (Julie Christie) comes back from London who he has known before and she tells him to come to London with her and the last act is how he reacts to that and other events.

The film was directed by John Schlesinger who would later make such bonafide classics such as Midnight Cowboy and Marathon Man and other important films like Sunday Bloody Sunday. The first surprising thing about Billy Liar is it’s a totally heterosexual film; many of his films dealt with homosexuality or had homoerotic subtext (like in Marathon Man) but I know he was still “in the closet” at this time. It’s probably his first classic film and he did get his start in Kitchen sink dramas.

Billy is a bit of a shit to be honest but he is a terribly in mature lad whose head is in the stars even he is looking at the gutter. Tom Courtenay is a bit to old for the role to be honest. People claim it’s a comedy and it’s not really, it’s a film about a boy trying to grow up but isn’t quite there yet (which is evident in the film’s last few moments) and you feel sorry for his mum especially at the end.

The film belongs to the British New Wave movement, which for the most part were kitchen sink dramas. I’ve never been a fan of them and tend to prefer the more surreal side of 60s British cinema like If…, Performance and Blow-Up. I do however quite like Billy Liar but it does have scenes of fantasy quite famously. The film is probably as good as the genre ever got and the film will make you fall madly in love with a young Julie Christie which isn’t a bad thing.

★★★★½

Ian Schultz

Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Rating: PG
Director:John Schlesinger
Cast: Tom Courtenay, Wilfred Pickles, Mona Washbourne
Buy Billy Liar: 50th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray] [1963] / DVD

Win The Facility On DVD

To celebrate the arrival of the utterly tense, claustrophobic and overwhelmingly effective chiller ‘The Facility’ - out on DVD and Download 6th May 2013 through eOne Momentum - we have a copy to give away to two lucky winners!

Cronenbergian body-horror runs rampant in debut feature director Ian Clark’s taut, anxiety-inducing British indie shocker.

Seven volunteers – students Carmen, Arif and Adam, office temp Joni, journalist Katie, estate agent Jerome and unemployed Derek – arrive at the remote Limebrook Medical Clinic to take part in a clinical trial run by ProSyntrex Pharmaceuticals. In exchange for a fee of £2,000 these human “guinea pigs” have agreed to spend two weeks in isolation testing an experimental new drug known only as Pro9. After settling into the facility, each participant is given a first injection and, following a group dinner, sent to bed. But shortly after dark, the group is woken by the harrowing screams of one of their number. Soon, each volunteer begins to succumb to the terrifying and previously unknown effects of Pro9 during a never-ending night fraught with horror, madness, violence and death.

Courtesy of our friends at Momentum Pictures We have a couple of copies of The Facility to give away on DVD and to be in with a chance to win a copy please answer the following question:

Q.We reviewed this film in 2012 can you tell us the name of the festival it made its UK Premiere and the films original name?

You can read our review here

send your answer, name, address, postcode only to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com (label email 'the facility')
Deadline to enter is 26th May 2013 (11.59pm) You Must be 18 years or older to enter

Double your chances follow us at Facebook! (you will get double entry every counts, if your already following us please share the post on facebook)

Please read the 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 Momentum Pictures 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, Momentum Pictures employees 4.This competition is promoted on behalf of Momentum Pictures 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 26th May 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 winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com  (label the facility ) 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.Failure to include details  required to qaulify for entry (i.e full name or address) will result your entry been void 11.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 if you are liking us share the post on facebook and re-tweet the post.12.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes 13.Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control14.The competition is opened to Aged 12 and over.15. 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.16. 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 this could result in your entry been deleted for security 17.The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email or announced via facebook, sometimes we are unable to confirm winners.18.This competition i bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.19.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

Watch The Dramatic Trailer for Shanidar no Hana (The Flower of Shanidar)

If it's not Manga/Anime related or  horror the Japanese do love their romance and if you like romance films you'll want to check the official trailer for Garkuryu Ishii's Shanidar no Hana (The Flower of Shanidar).

Shanidar no Hana is described as an original  fantasy romance drama the tale of Otaki (Go Ayano) a researcher at an facility that cultivates a flower that grows on the bodies of certain women. The Flower of Shanidar is an highly sought after flower which help in scientific and Medical purposes so as the flowers grow so does Otaki's love for his assistant Kyoko (Haru Kuroki).

As the flowers grow they discover the women begin experiencing odd physical abnormalities which concerns Otaki who questions his faith in the project but Kyoko is the opposite she becomes more fascinated in the flowers. Shanidar no Hana opens in Japan on 20th July 2013.

Synopsis

A strange phenomenon takes place. A beautiful flower blooms on a selected woman's body and that flower is called the "Shanidar". When the Shanidar is in full bloom, the flower produces a substance which is then sold at a high cost to develop new drugs. Kenji Otaki (Gou Ayano) works as a researcher at the facility where the Shanidar is grown.

Horror Channel To Celebrate Centenary of Peter Cushing With Season

On Sunday May 26th Horror Channel celebrates 100 years of the birth of one of the country’s most beloved actors - Peter Cushing (OBE).

PETER CUSHING CENTENARY DAY will be devoted to some of the legendary actor’s finest work, picked from a film & TV career which spanned 50 years and over 80 films.

Born on 26 May 1913, Cushing’s career took off in the 50s and he is probably best known for his roles for Hammer Films – in particular the sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing. But to younger generations he is also fondly remembered for his portrayal of Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars and for his many appearances as Sherlock Holmes.

The line-up:

10:00. FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967)

Hammer Horror’s Frankenstein Created Woman sees Cushing in one of his most famous roles, that of Baron Frankenstein. Here the sinister scientist embarks upon his most ambitious work - bringing a young maiden back to life using the twisted soul of an executed man. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is the fourth film in Hammer's Frankenstein series and seen as the most ambitious dealing, not with the physical aspects of the Baron's work, but with questions of the soul, and its relationship to the body.

12:00 THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR (1968)

Relishing his role as a Victorian super-sleuth, Peter Cushing stars as Inspector Quennell, a Scotland Yard detective sent to a small town in the English countryside to investigate a series of suspicious deaths. Clues led him to renowned entomology professor Dr. Carl Mallinger (Robert Flemying). Through his beautiful daughter Clare, Mallinger has created a ‘were-moth’, a she-creature capable of transforming into a murderous Death Head moth.

13:30 I, MONSTER (1971)

In this loose adaption of the Dr. Jekyll, Mr Hyde story, Cushing teams up with horror-thesp regular Christopher Lee. Lee plays Charles Marlowe, a psychologist who invents a drug which will release his patients' inhibitions. But when Marlowe tests it on himself he becomes the cruel, murderous Edward Blake. It’s up to Marlowe's lawyer, Utterson (Cushing), to discover the truth. The film was intended to be in 3-D, but that was aborted mid-production.

15:00 THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974)

In this ‘beastly’ whodunit, Cushing shines as archaeologist and lycanthropy enthusiast Dr. Lundgre – one of a number of invited guests of wealthy sportsman (Calvin Lockhart) to a big-game hunt. He's sure that one of them is a werewolf and he intends to stalk and kill it. Near the conclusion, the audience have a 30-second interlude during which they can decide, who the hunted beast is. Due to the small production budget, the "werewolf" was played by a German shepherd dog

16:50 HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR: ‘The Silent Scream’ (1980)

Cushing gives a finely-tuned performance of benign menace as Martin Blueck, a seemingly kindly pet shopkeeper who befriends a released convict, Chuck Spillers, (Brian Cox) As the trust between them grows, Blueck asks Spillers to look after the shop whilst he goes away. But Spillers and his wife find that they are trapped by the deviant mind of an ex-Nazi doctor and Blueck’s experiments live on. Directed by Alan Gibson, this episode from the first series was considered the best.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

The Facility DVD Review

Ian Clark's much anticipated first feature, The Facility finally receives its home-video release almost a year after debuting at 2012’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. Despite delivering some sharp moments of tension and a realistic style, The Facility unfortunately lacks any lasting impact.

Eight volunteers are sent to a remote medical facility to begin clinical trials on a new drug, tentatively titled Pro-9. It soon becomes apparent that this is no ordinary drug as extreme side affects begin to appear - you know, like turning into a raging psychopath.

Although the subject of clinical trials has been tackled in the horror genre before, it still remains a chilling concept. Ian Clark furthers these chills by instilling a strong sense of realism throughout The Faculty, most notably through his almost documentary style direction. From the onset descriptions appear on screen, mixed with unfocussed close ups and establishing shots of the eerie clinical settings which gives Clark's film an unsettling familiarity.

After a rather long but well crafted build up, we get a strong sense of the foreboding horror that is expected to ensue. This is followed by several well executed moments of tension, which fortunately never unveil too much, normally a good tactic in the genre, leaving the viewers' imagination to the work. Unfortunately these tense build up gets wasted with The Facility lacking in a real scares, jumps or chilling imagery.

Most of the characters are interesting and reasonably well developed, despite all fitting into traditional archetypal genre roles. Leading character, Adam (Aneurin Barnard) although well acted, proves too nice for his own good by making some dodgy decisions - like not leaving the compound when he has the chance. A scene stealing turn from Looking For Eric's Steve Evets, as a clinical test "veteran" adds some wry humour to the proceedings. Other small joys include Chris Larkin's appearance as a wise-cracking Doctor in charge of the proceedings.

The Facility is a reasonably entertaining watch with director Ian Clark creating a solid, realistic atmosphere and strong sense of tension, as well as some welcome moments of humour. Unfortunately, The Facility is lacking in any genuine scares and ultimately proves a bit unmemorable.

★★★☆☆

Andrew McArthur

Rating:15
DVD Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Alex Reid, Oliver Coleman
Director: Ian Clark
Buy:The Facility On DVD

Quartet DVD Review

Quartet 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: 12
DVD/BD Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Sheridan Smith

Buy Quartet: DVD / Blu-ray

BFI To Release Jean Rouch's Chronicle Of A Summer This Month on Dual Play

On 27 May 2013 the BFI releases the hugely influential French documentary Chronicle of a Summer, newly restored, on Blu-ray and DVD (in a Dual Format Edition) for the first time in the UK.

Shot in Paris during the summer of 1960 and released the following year, Chronicle of a Summer is the compelling result of a collaboration between anthropologist filmmaker Jean Rouch and sociologist Edgar Morin.

Jean Rouch (Moi, un noir, Les maîtres fous) and Edgar Morin set out to chronicle the everyday lives of Parisians using a mixture of intimate interviews, debates and observation. Artists, factory workers, office employees, students and others open up to the camera to share their experiences, fears and aspirations. The film became one of the most influential of the sixties, and redefined the documentary form with its use of handheld cameras and observational techniques.

Rouch, whose work inspired the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette and Roberto Rossellini, trained his ethnographic lens on the metropolis, recording a series of extraordinary sequences, including a French survivor’s Holocaust testimony, to reveal the political underlying the personal in a society struggling into the post-colonial era.

The film questions the level of reality and truth in documentary filmmaking, and offers a fascinating insight into 1960’s Parisian society.



Special Features:
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
• Brand new restoration
• Un été + 50 (Florence Daumon, 2011, 75 mins): documentary on the making of Chronicle of a Summer featuring new interviews with the participants including Edgar Morin and Régis Debray
• Jean Rouch at the NFT (1978, 55 mins): audio recording of a lecture delivered by Jean Rouch on Dziga Vertov and Robert Flaherty's influence on his work and that of his peers
• Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays by Professor Ginette Vincendeau

Pre-order /Buy: Chronicle of a Summer (DVD + Blu-ray)

Fasten Seat Belts Almodovar's I'm So Excited Has 'Exciting' Important Message For You

In preparation of the release of Perdo Almodovar's I'm So Excited, out in cinemas on 3rd May, we have a fantastic comical info graphic celebrating some of the cheekier elements of the film.

I'm So Excited is set upon a doomed flight heading to Mexico City. The flight attendants and the chief steward are atypical, baroque charactes whom in the face of danger, try to forget their own personal problems and devote themselves body and soul to the task of making the flight as enjoyable as possible for the passengers, while they wait for a solution. Life in the clouds is as complicated as it is at ground level, and for the same reasons, which could summarised in two: sex and death.

Follow the @PeninsulaCrew on Twitter and check out this great little in-flight-style guide to celebrate the release! The question should you be excited? Read our review here and go check out I'm So Excited when it's released in UK&Ireland 3rd May.

SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED DVD

Rome, as they say, wasn't built in a day, and neither was the epic television drama series Spartacus which reaches its climax with the third season Spartacus: War of the Damned, newly released on DVD and Blu-ray this week. The series which has won legions of fans since it premiered with Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010) and continued with Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) and Spartacus: Vengeance (2012), is a show which is definitely not for the faint hearted. It will take those with nerves of steel to endure both the length and sheer violence of a show which brings graphic onscreen brutality and sex to a whole new level.

The fight against Rome and her oppressive regime, headed by rebel leader Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) and his bloodthirsty generals, reaches a bloody climax when he leads his army into a final battle against the empire in the form of Roman military officer Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrells) and his men. In the ensuing confrontation there can only be one victor in a battle of epic proportions.

It's always hard to be subjective if you are coming to an established television series fresh. Many shows take time to grow on you, with the characters becoming as familiar to fans as their own family and friends, with the story-lines progressing over weeks and years. Which might explain why, if this is the first time you will have seen (or in my case) heard of the Spartacus television series, you may not really get it. Having now watched the show, I have to say that I can't work out for the life of me who it's aimed at.

The show's advertising and promotional campaign makes no bones about the fact that it isn't selling itself as anything other than a drama focusing around war and sex - on which basis it is probably a pretty accurate portrayal of the pass-times of much of the Roman Empire at the time. Following the lives and intertwined relationships of Spartacus and his arch enemy Marcus Crassus, the show is a modern, high-tech take on the old Hollywood sword and sandal epic, albeit with a much grittier edge.

However, authenticity (which the show admittedly has in spades) aside, it's not long before each hour long episode starts feeling like a battle to get through. Full-frontal, man on woman, man on man and woman on woman sex which leaves very little to the imagination, as well as gory, visceral violence (including beheadings, disembowelment and crucifixion) that you wouldn't expect to see outside a video nasty, makes for tough viewing, unless you're a prepubescent teenage schoolboy who gets kicks from watching something he knows he shouldn't. The dialogue by Steven S. DeKnight also grates with a stiltedness which is clearly meant to invoke a period feel, but quickly becomes arduous for the viewer to decipher or comprehend. As for the overuse of the 'f' word which litters the character's vocabulary at every opportunity - one is simply left weary by the end.

I genuinely wish I'd got the show, as it clearly has something of interest for a lot of people. However for this critic it was a particularly unpleasant experience of epic proportions and, like the period of time it depicts, better consigned to the annals of ancient history.

★★☆☆☆

Cleaver Patterson

Rating:18
DVD/BD Release Date: 29th April 2013 (UK)
Director:Steven S. DeKnight
Cast: Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Liam McIntyre
Buy Spartacus : War Of Damned:Blu-ray / DVD
Win Spartacus : War Of Damned -Enter Here (new window opens)

The Collection DVD Review

Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton finally unleash the slick killer sequel to their 2009 torture porn Slasher The Collector, and it’s entirely worth the wait. Picking up from where the first film left off, we find Arkin (Josh Stewart) captured by the masked madman known as The Collector, a serial killer who employs vicious traps to dispose of his many victims. This time, Arkin is dragged back into The Collector’s house of mayhem with a team of mercenaries hell-bent on saving their employer’s daughter.

Considering the fact Melton and Dunstan are responsible for the later - more schlocky - Saw sequels, it’s impossible not to draw comparisons, but that’s not exactly detrimental either because The Collection is simply a great piece of entertainment horror. Dare I, a devout Saw fan, say it’s worth your time more than Saw’s 4, 5, 6, and 7? Well...yes. The directing duo has put aside a penchant for crap scripting to construct a bombastically shameless thriller with a decent story and a terrific pace.

After a brutal nightclub set-piece, the action flips over to The Collector’s lair where he’s got enough tricks and traps to put Jigsaw to shame. Special award for fucked-up defence systems goes to the brainless junkie zombies for outright macabre, but the true prize of the whole film is the actual collection. It makes a great poster for the film, but I can’t help thinking it would have been better to keep that wee trick up the sleeve. The story sees the team split up, tortured, disposed of, and hounded through a fun house like you’ve never seen, with Arkin questioning again and again how the hell he got dragged into all this for a second time. It is gruelling and action packed, the sets are a pleasure to watch for any horror fan, and more often than not you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat. This sort of energy is hard to find in modern horror (even Hostel has dried up) so you have to be grateful when you find it.

Keeping the fantastic Josh Stewart involved is a sure-fire way to maintain some continuity and at least attempt a bad-ass protagonist. Too often horror chucks its male heroes away in some blood-drenched sweetheart farewell that leaves the whole affair wrought with soppy after tones.  Special note goes to Lee Tergesen who lends a hand to be the other cool guy, the Cpl. Hicks to Stewart’s Ripley. The villain of the piece isn’t too shabby either, being entirely formidable, totally deranged, and genuinely mysterious. Brownie points have to be awarded for having the gall to keep the killer’s mask on, so there’s genuine potential for The Collector to get inducted into the Horror icons catalogue. With its cliff-hanger finale, Interest has been tickled.

A superior slice of fun that shamelessly flaunts a love of all things B-movie, Slasher, and gore-drenched, The Collection is a superior sequel to a dismissible first attempt. At this rate the third will be something to really look forward to.

★★★★☆

Scott Clark

Rating: 18
UK DVD/BD Release Date: 29th April 2013 (UK)
Directed By: Marcus Dunstan

Cast: Josh Stewart,Emma Fitzpatrick,Christopher McDonald

Win The Collection On DVD : Cinehouse / The Peopesmovies

Buy: The Collection On DVD

Give People What They Want In New Only God Forgives Clips

Here comes the pain in the shape of Ryan Gosling in 3 new clips for Cannes bound Only God Forgives. The new clips continue the momentum of what we've seen before, that Nicholas Winding Refn's new film will emulate Drive, likely to outdo it. Neon clad striking visuals, hyper violent, intense to the core Only God Forgive looks like it'll provide us with that substance with the expected Solid Gosling performance thing look extra spicy with Kristin Scott Thomas performance who looks like she'll the scene a few time. In these clips we do see her shine in her moment, acid tongued, intimidating, menacing urging her boy (Gosling) to seek revenge of his dead brother.

Only God Forgives has no confirmed UK release date just yet but in a few weeks at Cannes Film Festival (22nd May) things may change. USA  release date is 19th July 2013.


Only God Forgives (Solo Dio perdona) - Estratto... by SpaggyPalermo


Only God Forgives (Solo Dio perdona) - Estratto... by SpaggyPalermo


Only God Forgives (Solo Dio perdona) - Estratto... by SpaggyPalermo

source:Collider

Sundance London 2013: Blood Brother Review

Sweeping up the documentary awards at the American Sundance, Blood Brother is director Steve Hooper’s tale of his best friends journey to India that quickly became more than the gap-year soul searching experience he intended.

Rocky Braat’s move from Pittsburgh was born out of that nagging existential crisis that at times can plague us all. Desperate to fill the void in his life and aware of the possibilities that lay past the barriers of routine American life, he ditched his career as a graphic designer, booked his ticket and embarked on the road well travelled to the world’s spiritual Mecca. What followed was a life-changing experience not often shared by those passing through to grab a slice of ‘finding themselves’ before strapping on their backpack and covering themselves in neon paint to puke their new found selves’ guts out on a beach in Thailand.

The change was as whimsical as it was dramatic. At a loose end, Rocky agreed to take in a local centre for children suffering with HIV expecting to feel sad for an allotted amount of time before departing for an adventure elsewhere around the country. His usual ambivalence to children was instantly shattered by what he saw, children who not only had nothing but also suffered from this most deadly of diseases yet wore the smiles of stage children, brimming with constant enthusiasm and unabashed happiness.

Knowing then where his future lay, he cancelled the rest of his trip to stay with the children and when his visa ran out returned to the US only to sell all of his possessions and raise funds for a return trip. Quickly becoming known as Rocky Anna (meaning brother), his affection for these children was the catalyst for friend Hoover to join him overseas and document his experience.

We’ve become slightly numb to these sights, grown cynical of those white faces on Comic Relief, dipping their toe in poverty before fleeing on first-class plane tickets, our British sense of level-headedness and famed stiff upper lip often getting in the way of fully embracing projects like these. However, there’s a lack of pretence with Rocky who seems as sincere and genuine in his mission as anyone can be, making it difficult to throw some of this cynicism his way. Immersing himself completely in village life he’s able to gain the trust of the adults after they witness the rapport and affection he has forged with their children.

Along the way we see the emotional, physical and mental burden faced by Rocky that makes his an even more worthy cause. His warmth and care for the children is that most overused and derided of words – heart-warming which, apparent on screen, only adds to the sadness when one is taken ill or silently passes away in the middle of the night.

It’s often difficult to watch these kinds of films/images without a certain level of scepticism – do-gooder American saves poor third world problem – but in Blood Brother that slowly gets wiped away. Rocky has worn us down, our cynicism faded, stiff upper lip softened and faith in human kindness partially restored. Who would’ve thought it would take an American slacker to do that?

★★★★☆

Matthew Walsh

Rating: NR
Festival Date:27th/28th April 2013
Director: Steve Hoover
Cast: Rocky Braat, Steve Hoover

Sundance London 2013: Sleepwalk With Me Review

Mike Birbiglia’s journey to the silver screen isn’t your average one. A stand-up comedian by trade, he then branched out into theatre performing a one-man show based on his real-life battle with a sleeping disorder. The success of the show caught the attention of producer Ira Glass who invited Birbiglia onto his podcast ‘The Moth’ where he would become a regular contributor until eventually the two set about turning that autobiographical tale into Sleepwalk With Me – not only his first acting gig but also his debut in the directors chair.

All this may come as something of a surprise when watching this festival winning film (2012 Sundance NEXT Award) as Birbiglia seems so effortlessly natural on screen, easing us into his world with an address to camera, “This is a true story”. The need to justify its truth is an understandable one – you can imagine similar stories being dreamt up in a screenwriting lab in Hollywood furiously work shopped into an Adam Sandler vehicle. The fact that it wasn’t and these were, at one time, real events suffered by Birbiglia is no doubt the reason for it’s complete success in achieving the notes of authenticity apparent on screen.

Birbiglia stars as alter-ego Matt Pandamiglio, an aspiring stand-up who’s minutes behind the mic pale in comparison to the ones he spends serving drinks and mopping toilets at the local comedy club. Coupled with a relationship with girlfriend Abby (Six Feet Under’s Lauren Ambrose) that is coming under the scrutiny one suffers after 8 years and no proposal and the pressure facing Matt starts to take it’s toll, manifesting in bouts of sleepwalking which occur with increasing severity.

These aren’t your average zombie-walking eyes closed affairs you often catch on screen, these nocturnal activities resemble the hallucinations of a drunk, all slurry vocals and imagined scenes which are both hilarious and dangerous. Pestered by his physician dad into examining his behaviour, Matt is diagnosed with REM sleep behaving disorder – a condition that involves the sufferer acting out his dreams, something not suited to the life on the road he stumbles upon after a chance meeting with an agent.

As his set becomes more in tune with his mounting problems his jokes finally start to hit the mark with audiences lapping up his truthful tales of a stuttering relationship and bizarre sleep patterns. The new found attention means more time away from home as Matt struggles to find the right balance of caring boyfriend and successful comic.

Balance is one thing Birbiglia doesn’t find as challenging as his on-screen persona, striking a chord with his delicate marriage of laughs and heart in a film you struggle to believe is a debut. His wry observations are incredibly well-observed and ring true of the commitment issues that plague a generation of young males unable to articulate their thoughts. It’s an incredibly honest look at modern relationships handled with originality and moments of hilarity and, while comparisons with Woody Allen are unfair at this point, Birbiglia makes a case for his to be the next career to succeed with inward-looking analysis and laugh out loud jokes. An exceptionally promising debut.

★★★★½

Matthew Walsh

Rating: 15
Festival Date: 27th/28th April 2013
Director: Mike Birbiglia, Seth Barrish
Cast:  Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn