SUFF 2014: Kidnapped for Christ
I kicked off my Sydney Underground Film Festival experience by checking out the Ozploit program of shorts. I won’t review them in detail, but there were some really fun films on the program and it was very cool to not only see such a good crowd, but plenty of the filmmakers in attendance too. The Festival went to the effort of allowing each filmmaker to introduce themselves and their film too, which I thought was a great touch.
The first full length film for me at the festival was Kidnapped for Christ (2014) directed by Kate Logan. This doco examines ‘Christian’ schools designed to essentially ‘reprogram’ ‘troubled teens’. Apologies for all the quotation marks, but they are all necessary. The behaviour exhibited by those behind these schools is clearly not anything remotely what one (no matter your faith) would consider Christian. The reprogramming is nothing short of abuse, whilst the notion that these teens are troubled and in some way deserving of the attempted treatment in the film is ludicrous. Some of the kids have behavioural issues. Some you suspect just got on their parents nerves a little. Others have suffered horrific abuse, including sexual abuse, at the hands of adults and somehow this punishment is designed to help them. Others such as David, a teen the film focuses heavily on, are ‘guilty’ of being openly homosexual. These schools, such as the one in the Dominican Republic the film was shot at, practice what they call Culture Shock Therapy. This involves intentionally taking the kids out of their natural environment, as the unease of the new surrounds makes them more malleable and easier to assert control over. There is also a strictly enforced conformity that comes out of the bullshit militaristic routine that is forced upon the students. Astoundingly, parents pay around $72,000 to have their children treated in this way.
One of the most interesting of all the characters we see in the film is actually the director Kate Logan, who made Kidnapped for Christ as a student film at a Christian college in the USA. Initially, the evangelical Logan attends the school in the Dominican Republic hoping to shed light on the great work that the facility run by fellow Christians is doing. Watching her journey play out on film, as she progresses from attempting to deliver a hopeful fluff piece, to questioning deeply what she is seeing take place, all the way through to deeply questioning her faith is probably the greatest personal evolution seen in the film. I actually would have loved to have seen more of her personal story throughout and especially toward the end. To see the effect that her experiences had overall on her faith, a couple of years after the fact.
As shocking as anything else in this film is the fact that the school administrators were happy for Logan to shoot all of this footage. They clearly thought that what they were doing was so defensible that they had no issue with it being documented in this way. Later in the film, the workers there do begin to get a little nervous, restricting free access for Logan to the kids and taking a much more active role in keeping her from some of the more obnoxious goings on. It is a testament to just how horrible the practices of the school are, that these restrictions really do not lessen the impact of the film at all or how you will feel about the school and others like it. Kidnapped for Christ is not particularly noteworthy cinematic art. It is a student film and you can sort of tell. Parts of it feel almost like a tacky shocking expose TV show, at least early on. But the footage shot on location feels a lot more grounded and therefore effective. None of this is meant as a slight against Logan. She is clearly a talented filmmaker and more importantly, like many of this generations best documentarians she has a distinctive eye and sensibility that means when she inserts herself into proceedings, the film is elevated rather than becoming an ego piece.
Verdict: Kidnapped for Christ could have easily rested on its shocking material and been a watchable, shocking and informative film. But by overlaying her personal experience and confrontation with what she is seeing, Kate Logan makes the film much more rewarding than just that. Hopefully she continues to make more docos, because I will certainly be hunting them down. Pint of Kilkenny
Don’t forget to get commenting away to go in the draw for a couple of sweet Madman DVDs. Details here.
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Sydney Underground Film Festival coverage and SUFF 2014 Trailers for your Weekend.
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Time for a competition
I am conscious of the fact that I have not been writing as much as I would like lately and also that I have not had the chance to engage with the great writing that many of you do through commenting on your work. I’ve also slipped further behind than usual on replying to comments on this site.
All of this is due to a range of lame ‘life’ reasons that I won’t bore you with here. But I really love to have comments from anyone on anything I write. So thanks to Madman Films, I thought I would run a little comp on the site. For exactly one week from when this post goes up, any comment on the site (no matter how rubbish) will get one entry in the draw to win two DVDs. The films up for grabs are the horror flick Hush (2009) and the Aussie, based on a true story film The Outlaw Michael Howe (2013). Both of these are from Madman.
This goes for any article on the site. So if you feel the need to go back through my archives and drop crappy (or incredible) comments on a bunch of articles, go for it. There’s no limit to the number of comments. Search for your favourite director, 1001, Longneck of Melbourne Bitter or Schooner of Tooheys New. Search for whatever your heart desires and comment away.
A couple of ways to boost your entries. Any comments on the SUFF 2014 reviews, of which there will be anywhere up to 7 this week, are worth two entries. And I am trying something slightly different with the formatting toward the end of the article, just to separate the verdict or conclusion of the review from the rest of it. Tis only a minor change, but give me your feedback (positive, negative and couldn’t care less are all acceptable) to the slight change and you will get double entries for that comment too.
If you don’t usually comment on here, that is totally cool. As long as you are not a spambot you are more than welcome. Just remember to check back after a week or so, cause if I don’t have an email address for you and you happen to win, I will comment in reply to one of yours. As always, entries are open worldwide.
Peace all.
Tim
SUFF 14 Trailers for your Weekend
As you know I am currently experiencing the Sydney Underground Film Festival for the first time. Rather than my standard weekend trailer, I thought I would share trailers for five of the 35 or so films that are playing at this year’s fest. The program is pretty incredible and hopefully these trailers give a sense of the variety of films on offer. Let us know if you are particularly keen (or not) for any of these.
The opening night film for this year is the Kiwi horror film Housebound (2014). Unfortunately a Thursday opening night was not doable for me this year, but I will luckily be able to see the film during its second screening on the Saturday. Looks like pretty frickin fun low budget horror comedy to me.
Another horror-comedy effort, though this one more polished looking, is Suburban Gothic (2014) starring Kat Dennings among others. I’ll be interested to see how this one goes really. On paper I love the concept, but the trailer gives me some cause for concern. A little too much sheen.
Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno (2013) is probably the highest profile film playing at SUFF 2014. I am pretty sure that it is the film’s Aussie premiere actually, but I could be wrong. I am keen to see the film eventually, but have elected to leave it for another time. I sort of suspect I will need some time to process the it and I probably won’t get that in the hectic film fest environment.
As well as features and shorts, the fest has a great looking selection of docos programmed as well. Freeload (2014) examines the experience of modern day transients. As a fan of narratives that romanticised traditional versions of this lifestyle, such as those by Guthrie and Kerouac, I am interested to see what the reality is like these days.
The closing night film of the fest is the controversial and divisive Wetlands (2013). I have tried not to read too much about the film, knowing I would be seeing it at SUFF. But I know it did garner a fair bit of hate following its screenings at MIFF recently, including from some feminist critics. I am interested to see exactly what the film is all about and importantly what it is trying to say.
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Trailer for your Weekend: Tusk and MIFF 2014: Cheatin’.
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Sydney Underground Film Festival coverage
By the time you awesome people read this, I will be on the bus to Sydney for my first ever Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF). I am really excited for this fest and I think that the programmers have put together an incredible program, which you can check out here. I am keen to support more festivals and I actually contributed to a crowdfunding campaign for this one, so I am definitely keen to see what the festival has to offer. I have only heard good things about it and I know the venue is a good one (mind you I have only seen live music there, so will be interesting to see how they set it up with four screens). I am seeing a full slate of thirteen films over the three days I will be there which is equal parts frightening and really exciting. I am intending on reviewing of all them, except the one short film session I am attending. So look for those reviews to trickle out starting Monday night my time and they will probably take me a couple of weeks to bash out.
Anyone ever been to an awesome (or terrible) underground film festival? Take a look at the SUFF program as well and let me know if you have seen anything, or if there is anything there that particularly appeals to you.
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Melbourne International Film Festival coverage and MIFF 2014: Human Capital.
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Worth Watching August 2014
A far, far quieter month compared to July. MIFF took up a fair bit of my film devoted time and there were no 24 hour long plane trips to boost the numbers either. Madly finishing up one day job and starting off another was a massive (lame) stress contribution as well. There is some good stuff this month though amongst what I did manage to see. Be sure to share your comments on these below.
Worth Watching:
- Charlie’s Country (2013), Rolf De Heer – De Heer and star David Gulpilil are one of the most important creative teams in Aussie film history. Gulpilil won best actor at Cannes for this and he definitely deserved it. The film, much of it based on the actor’s real life struggles, says some really important things that are often only communicated in non-fiction works. The impossibility of Indigenous culture being maintain, the daily ignominy of someone being on your land, telling you what to do, how to live and even how you can spend your money. I would encourage anyone with a passing interest in the contemporary Australian Indigenous experience to seek this one out.
- Parks and Recreation Season 5 (2012), Greg Daniels & Michael Schur – Season starts a little disjointed due to characters being in separate cities. But it settles back into being the funniest show on TV. Some hilarious political cameos by the likes of John McCain and an incredible one from Joe Biden. Aubrey Plaza really stars as April this season. She has crafted such a witty and cutting character. But so many of them – Leslie, Andy, Ron, Donna, Gerry – are iconic. The show, especially in this season’s wedding episode, is really good at combining the heartfelt and the hilarious.
- Muscle Shoals (2013), Greg Camalier – One of the first films I ever programmed at a film festival, so it holds a special place in my heart. Incredible imagery of the area around the Tennessee River where some of the greatest music ever recorded was made. Massive name talking heads such as Bono and Keith Richards are shining a light on pretty obscure music history. Much more than just a music doco though, tis broad ranging and as much the incredible life story of producer Rick Hall as anything else.
Not Worth Watching:
- Lucy (2014), Luc Besson – First off, it is great to see a female focused film both kicking ass at the box office and also showcasing this kind of character. The results in this utterly nonsensical, though at times very fun film, are quite mixed. Much of it highlights the issue of god-like characters – tis very hard to maintain a sense of stakes when one character is all powerful and it is difficult for human intelligence to write super-human intelligence. Some wonderful boldness on the visual side of things and Johansson kicking arse are the chief joys, which help counterbalance a pretty poor script.
- Hercules (2014), Brett Ratner – Probably the worst film I have seen this year. Sexism and horrid CGI show up in the first two minutes and it doesn’t improve at all really. I cannot imagine a more cliché and predictable experience being possible. The tone is all over the shop. I suspect they were going for slightly comedic. Training montages are interminable whilst the battles which go on forever are if anything less engaging.
If you only have time to watch one Muscle Shoals
Avoid at all costs Hercules
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Worth Watching August 2013 and Worth Watching August 2011.
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Live Tweet Review: Batman
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Live Tweet Review: Independence Day and The Dark Knight.
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Trailer for your Weekend: Dracula Untold
I have caught a couple of films in cinemas over the past week and on both occasions I have been subjected to horror that is the trailer for Dracula Untold (2014). Not horror as in an exceptionally crafted trailer for a film that looks terrifying. Rather a trailer that appears to be promoting the most utterly terrible film of the year. It looks like it could even be the worst Dracula film ever which is no mean feat. The concept is moderately interesting. Dracula actually seeks out his transformation into a vampire to help protect his family. But it looks to be rendered in the most bland and cliche and unimpressive manner imaginable. You can check out the horror for yourself below. Does anyone out there hold any hope for this?
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Trailer for your Weekend: The Quiet Ones and Dracula (1931).
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Predestination
The opening night film of the recent Melbourne International Film festival was the Spierig Brothers’ Predestination (2014). For such a massive festival, it is great to see a home grown genre flick getting the honour of being the first film up. Whilst it is not quite perfect, you can definitely see why the organisers thought that this film would be a great conversation starter to get things going.
Hybrid genre pictures are growing in popularity recently and the early stages of Predestination, combining sci-fi and crime elements, is a really good example of the form. There is an arch voiceover, time travel and a sense of classical crime fiction with the lone cop, gradually edging closer to the crime as he works the clues and chases down leads. It takes place (for the most part) in a 70s New York that feels more like the 50s with a hardboiled feel dripping from the dialogue. Then all of a sudden there is a shift in the film as the action slows and a bar conversation flashback takes up a really lengthy period of time. I would say a good half an hour which is a lot in a taut film like this one. Initially I was a little perturbed by this. I was enjoying the sci-fi crime jazz so much and I didn’t sign up for a drama, even though it is pretty compelling. But like many bold choices, I think it just takes a little bit of time to acclimatise to the unexpected shift. Indeed I think the decision makes the film a stronger one and if not that, it definitely makes it a more interesting and compelling one. Even so, whilst watching the film I was missing the time travel fantasticalness that I thought I was buying a ticket for. Don’t fret though because it comes thick and fast in the last section of the film. I am not going to pretend I entirely understood of the plot turns and ramifications. I think it would be really tough for anyone to pick them up first time through. But I actually don’t see it as a bad thing to be challenged in that way and I would happily watch the film again soon to try and pick up what I missed.
The big name on the cast list, returning for his second film with the brother directorial team after Daybreakers (2009) is Ethan Hawke. Over the past five years or so, Hawke has had a filmography probably as interesting as anyone’s and he does a great job here as the main temporal agent who carries a fair bit of the film. Hawke is great, but the real star is Australian actress Sarah Snook who carries probably an equal overall load but who definitely does more of the emotional lifting. I have seen Snook in a couple of things before, but she is totally transformative here. She shows exceptional range encompassing sassy all the way through to totally and utterly vulnerable. Part of that is due to the nature of the character that Snook plays which I can’t really go into without entering spoiler territory. But you would have to think that this performance will surely break Snook’s career into much bigger things. Well if there is any justice it will. Not only have the Spierig Brothers managed to draw quality performances out of their two leads, they have also delivered a film with very high production values. The film looks so slick and it is great to see an Australian film being set in New York that succeeds in making you feel like you are in that place.
The awesome Sarah Snook
Predestination has the kind of story that will have you thinking you know where it is taking you, before it flips on you. Without feeling cheap too which is nice. With two really wonderful central performances from Snook and Hawke, plenty for you to think about and the chance to see two young genre directors continue to hone their craft, this is one you should definitely support on the big screen if at all possible.
Verdict: Pint of Kilkenny
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: 100 Bloody Acres and Save Your Legs.
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Toy Story
Iconic for many reasons, Toy Story (1995) sticks in most people’s minds as the real birth of computer animation on the big screen. Not only that, it really kicked off a second golden era of American mainstream animation, with Pixar going on a decade or so stretch where they could do no wrong and matching any run of Disney’s in terms of sheer brilliance.
On paper, there is nothing to suggest that Toy Story had the potential to be a hit with such a broad audience. It is basically just an adventure tale involving two jealous toys, namely a cowboy and an astronaut. Maybe if it was done well the kids would dig it, but surely there is nothing there for adults. Even after re-watching the film recently, it is hard to logically tease out what makes it so appealing for an adult audience. The short answer is that it is just an exceptionally well written and made film. So are plenty of flicks that adults don’t want a bar of too. There is a certain nostalgia about the plot, everyone has dreamt about their toys coming alive when they are not around. It was a clever ploy by Pixar to combine such a classical plot with the groundbreaking new technology and it makes the film so much easier to jump right into.
Not only is the plot very traditional but the film is structured like an old school comedy. There is an odd couple and the jokes come a whole lot faster than I recall. The joke rate is quite incredible actually. Plus the film was a real innovator in putting jokes in for adults, without kids feeling like they were missing out – “Hey look, I’m Picasso” etc. You could argue that Pixar have not made another film with characters as good as this one. Indeed there are three layers of great characters, the leads Buzz & Woody, the beloved supporting cast such as Slinky Dog & Rex, and finally the peripheral characters such as the toy soldiers and the etch a sketch which add so much colour. What I don’t think is arguable is that the menacing Sid is Pixar’s best villain. Wow he is still such a foreboding and flat-out evil presence even today. I would have thought the studio would have dialled that character back a bit, but the film is better for their decision not to do so.
Everything about Toy Story is borderline perfect. The dialogue (Buzz’s deluded early patter a particular highlight), the huge cast of characters and Randy Newman’s tunes that complement the action so well. There is something more though aside from the sheen. Some form of filmmaking magic that characterises all the greatest classics of cinema and which help to make this film one of the true classics of my generation.
Verdict: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter
2014 Progress: 19/101
Progress: 115/1001
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: This poster has me excited about Pixar again and Two Very Different Animations (featuring reviews of The Jungle Book and Akira).
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MIFF 2014: Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger
I finished off my first MIFF experience with the true crime documentary Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (2014). If you can imagine a documentary version of a Dennis Lehane novel or Ben Affleck’s The Town (2010) you can pretty much imagine this film. It’s a gangster flick brought to life basically.
The film tells the story of the trial of James J. Bulger, a gangster near the top of the FBI’s most wanted list who had been on the lam for a pretty incredible 16 years. The film takes a look at the crimes(mainly murder) that he committed, the way these crimes impacted on the families of those involved and the rampant FBI corruption that allowed Whitey to rule with an iron fist over Boston and evade capture for so long. The film is insightful when looking both at the gangster and those supposedly enforcing the law. It gives a glimpse into the strange gangster’s psyche or code where it is totally fine, laudable even, to be a murderer. But to be an informant is an unforgivable sin. If anything though, the FBI come off looking even worse than the gangsters in this film. As an outward looking and publicity seeking organisation, they were so obsessed with taking down the Italian Mafia that they let the Irish such as Whitey Bulger do more or less as they pleased. Which is to say nothing of the rampant and overt corruption that amongst other things tipped Whitey off in regards to his impending arrest, allowing him to have an extra 16 years of freedom and which continues to ferment within the organisation even today. No wonder the FBI did not agree to be interviewed for the film.
One of the people interviewed in the film, whose life was so affected by Bulger.
If there is a major criticism to be levelled at the film, it is that it’s not a particularly cinematic as far as big screen docos go. Coming out of CNN films, which I did not even know existed, the film often feels more like a CNN news report and not a film experience to fork out your money to see in a cinema. The entire production feels very slick and polished, probably a little too much so. A gangster story should have a bit of roughness around the edges I feel and that may have given this film a little more soul. The film starts off focused quite heavily on those who were affected directly by Whitey Bulger – victims of standover tactics and relatives of murder victims. This is the part of the film with the most heart and whilst the examination of the role of FBI corruption becomes more interesting as the film goes on, I would have preferred a greater focus on these families.
Though it never elevates above being slick and pretty good at what it is aiming to do, Whitey is generally successful as an indictment on the FBI and also as the story of an individual gangster and the horrors he brought to bear on people. Also, if hearing plenty of that distinctive Boston twang is your thing though, this may well be your favourite film of all time.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: MIFF 2014: Cheatin and MIFF 2014: Come Worry with Us
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