Film / The Nines
by The directorial debut of John August, a writer who was worked on films such as Go, Big Fish and Corpse Bride, is a complex and thought-provoking arthouse feature crowned with a spectacular performance by Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. Like most films, it is in three parts. However, these are three distinct parts with the same actors all playing different roles. Reynolds plays an actor, then a writer and finally a computer game designer. Essentially it’s the same person though and this confusion works to create interest, the dissociation meaning that the viewer knows as little as the lead character, while characters seem to know a lot more. The film continually leaves hints suggesting a horror or a sci-fi piece and involves some great twists. The location of each piece also varies wildly as does the mental state of the main character, giving the feeling that anything is possible. These settings are realized with careful camerawork that makes the most of the intended panic and confused mood.
Tagged: arthouse movies
Also by XAVIER TOBY
Back at a time when the Australian film industry rivalled Iceland’s for inactivity, the first Australian films to hit American and British drive-ins featured some weird plots indeed. Split into three parts, covering sex, slasher and smash and crash, Not Quite Hollywood focuses on Australian exploitation films. It is argued that without these films, Australia might not have a film industry at all. Read more
This American film was chosen to launch the Australian-wide Human Rights Film Festival. Through the use of archive footage and animation, it tells the story of protests in Chicago against additional troop deployment and the introduction of a national draft, and is a rare mix of being both historically significant and extremely entertaining. The action shifts between the protests and a subsequent court case, both being painstakingly mixed into a riveting and coherent story. There is no footage of the court case though, only court records, so the courtroom and participants have been animated. The medium is able to show viewpoints and quirks that would’ve been otherwise impossible and the result is an innovative, humorous and affecting way to present historical facts. The Human Rights Festival is happening in Melbourne until November 30, Perth from November 29-30, Sydney from December 4-7 and Brisbane from March 6-7.
People who talk in cinemas should be shot. Anyone who answers, messages or even checks a mobile phone while in a cinema deserves to suffer a similar fate. That’s the problem with going to see a film that appeals to the lowest common denominator. You have to sit in a cinema with them. Luckily there were that many explosions, killings, fast cars, hot girls and clever quips, that even those that tried to distract everyone else eventually had to give up. I spend a lot of my time watching intellectual, intelligent films that push boundaries and I find them both rewarding and enjoyable. Sometimes, though, it is extremely cathartic and refreshing though to just watch shit explode. So many films attempt to do this but often fail. Death Race even contains enough twists and script complexity, that it’s actually exciting throughout. If you expect nothing but entertainment, this film will leave you extremely satisfied.
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My first encounter with the work of Portland, Oregon artist Carson Ellis was when stumbling across her beautiful cover art for The Decembrist’s Crane Wife album. It was love at first sight. She has such an amazing way with a simple pencil drawing. And as much as I enjoy all of her work, from her watercolors to her acrylic paintings, it’s still those pencil drawings that tug at my heart strings with their nuanced textures and forms. Read more
The nice thing about black metal is that it’s so hard for it to be co-opted. Between its often extreme ideologies and its inherently abrasive sound, it’s hard to imagine anyone trying to sell you a pair of sneakers with it. Even as some bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have wormed their way into the mainstream, the vast majority of black metal fans and bands out there are happy to stay in the filthy pits of the underground. Read more
GeekStiff4U is offering some pretty nifty, hand-crafted, skull-shaped USB flash drives that can be worn as rings. The $156 price-tag may ward off non-geeks, but that’s the point. This item is only for people really committed to transferring data in style.
Now I know what you’re thinking. This Australian summer you’re going to see the wayfarer style ripped-off and ruined by flouro festival wearers all over the country. But these babies aren’t just for show. Handmade by one of Italy’s most prestigious factories, using Zeiss lenses, they’re a far cry from the flimsy market numbers you’ll catch the masses wearing. Read more
Not to be outdone by Kuala Lumpur or Taipei, Moscow is soon to be home to the largest building ever built. Read more
Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to be able to sing like Neil Finn. His voice rasps with all the sincerity and integrity of a thousand heartfelt melodies. Heck, I’d probably trade my prized collection of Archie comics for just the chorus on this song. Driving Me Mad? You betcha(dupa). This man is a treasure. Bow low indeed.
DJ Spooky — That Subliminal Kid — is just about the deepest crate digger around, trawling the barrels of long-lost record stores for choice vinyl to spin in his wickedly dubby sets. He gave us the inside word last week on his eight favourite songs right now via our sister website, My Secret Playlist. This is what he had to say about Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Panic in Babylon: ‘If there’s anything that the twenty-first century has told us, it’s that dub is the real original hip-hop. Lee Scratch even had to make it clear in 1965 by adding “Scratch” to his middle name. Take that, Grandmaster Flash!’ Read the rest of DJ Spooky’s Secret Playlist.
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Freelance designer Alex Trochut uses typography, illustration and a solid idea to create works that communicate to each brief. He states that he doesn’t want to choose a particular style but instead enjoys ‘expressing himself and communicating though the needs of every project’. And his formula has worked: his clients include The Guardian G2, Nike Football, and my pencil-case favourite, Faber and Faber.
Lightspeed Champion performs The Kids unhinged
We met Lightspeed Champion (Londoner and former Test Icicles member Dev Hynes) backstage at Oxford Arts Factory at precisely 4.15pm. Read more
David Holmes’ The Holy Pictures
David Holmes’ fourth solo album has been a long time in the making. The man who is best known for his scoring of films such as Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13, and remixing for bands like U2 and The Manic Street Preachers, took just over ten years to make his latest album. Read more
James Jean on the work of Rob Sato
We asked Californian artist, James Jean, to tell us about an emerging illustrator whose work he loves right now. This is what he had to say: ‘Rob Sato offends me. Read more
Kristin Baker’s paintings strike the eye like massive Hollywood blockbusters, but have the elegance of delicate watercolors. Read more
We have a stack of CDs and DVDs to give away to a lucky new subscriber who signs up to receive our free weekly email publication between now and New Year’s Day. There’s 50 new CDs in the pile, along with a handful of DVDs. So sign up now and leave a message here telling us what album you hope will be in the pile!
This pendant by Portland designer Stephanie Stimek hangs from an eighteen inch 14 carat gold chain. Made from a Japanese quail egg, the entire shell has been coated in plastic for strength and is available for purchase through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
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