When you go into The Bigger Picture, watching it for the first (fourth or sixtieth) time, there are a few things you need to be aware of. For a start, those paintings are life sized. Each character is painstakingly crafted by director, writer and producer Daisy Jacobs. The animation is stop motion so each millisecond that counts and is passionately and delicately hewed in a definitive skill. And finally, I want you to note that Jacobs has just scooped the Best Under 25 Film Maker Award at last week’s UnderWire Film Festival. That’s right. This, quite frankly, superb short has all been wonderfully accomplished before Jacobs hit 25. And here I am writing about it…
by Cookie N Screen
When you go into The Bigger Picture, watching it for the first (fourth or sixtieth) time, there are a few things you need to be aware of. For a start, those paintings are life sized. Each character is painstakingly crafted by director, writer and producer Daisy Jacobs. The animation is stop motion so each millisecond that counts and is passionately and delicately hewed in a definitive skill. And finally, I want you to note that Jacobs has just scooped the Best Under 25 Film Maker Award at last week’s UnderWire Film Festival. That’s right. This, quite frankly, superb short has all been wonderfully accomplished before Jacobs hit 25. And here I am writing about it…
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by Cookie N Screen When it comes to women on film, in whatever capacity, the statistics are surprisingly low. This is even worse when you turn your attention to Hollywood – that lowly number of female cinematic workers behind the camera is not only shocking, but also unbelievable. That’s not to say that all sexes don’t have a difficult time launching their product off the ground, but when your double X Chromosomed creatives try their hardest to get somewhere, it’s significantly more difficult (and even that is worse when you aren’t white or you are transgender). Nevertheless, there is certainly a place for us ladies of cinema and we do have a world out there, a network of vibrant talents buzzing with new ideas who can wield a camera, evoke a character and tell a story. These particular talents were celebrated at this year’s UnderWire Festival, now entering its fifth year of cinematic goodness. by Hayley Charlesworth The Imitation Gameis released today, in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays mathematician Alan Turing. But while the film focuses on Turing’s genius, and his breaking of the enigma code, which saved countless lives in the Second World War, the film also touches on (but does not show explicitly) a darker aspect of Turing’s life. Despite being considered a hero, Turing was subject to horrific treatment as a result of his sexuality, forced to agree to chemical castration to avoid a prison sentence, and eventually committing suicide. It is only in recent years that Turing has become widely celebrated and his treatment condemned. As a true pioneer, it only seems fitting that we recognise some of the other gay figures who have had a significant impact on the world, and their appearances in cinema. Note: this article only focuses on the biopics of gay men, as you would not believe how difficult it is to find great biopics of lesbian, bisexual and transgender pioneers. by Cookie N Screen “What? Who is this random person we’re talking about? Never heard of him!” is what you would be saying if we lived in a parallel world where we weren’t all besotted by the high cheeks, blue eyes and sultry-voiced actor. You simply haven’t been paying attention (you see, but do not observe) if you become glazed over by the name Benedict Cumberbatch. He is possibly the hottest product in Hollywood – or, indeed, the globe – spreading his bouts of talent around and wrapping audiences around his perfectly poised little finger. Appearing in television shows, stage productions, voice-overs and films, there’s no denying that this man, who has immortalised his stance in entertainment history by conveying roles such as Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek’s Khan and this week’s phenomenal The Imitation Game, is one of the most incredible actors in the Universe right now. So if you, like so many of us are doing at the moment, are high-tailing through his (extremely extensive, by the way) back catalogue, here’s some movies that you may have missed (but should completely go watch now). by Paul Costello How much leeway does one give a film for the sake of goodwill? Or because the majority of performers are children? Or that the intended audience are children, and all that film wants is to bring some level of glee to their lives? The charitable soul would answer that, when looking at something like Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?!, it is perhaps best give the film a fair amount creative latitude, to endure a degree of implausibility in the name of festive fun. After all, Christmas films such as these only ever want to inspire a sense of fun and giddy excitement in the children who watch them, to entertain them with crazy antics and a broad sense of silliness. Indeed, a charitable soul can overlook the flaws of the film and honour the merriment it stirs. I’m not a charitable soul… by Cookie N Screen (At the time of writing this, the sad news that actor Warren Clarke who played Dim had passed away. Our thoughts are with his family and we hope he rests in peace). I’m willing to bet that if you go into any film students flat or accommodation, they have one particular poster looming out at you with a great big smirk. It is one of the first films that people jump on, frothing at the mouth to talk about semantics and themes at the mere mention of the word “cult.” It has all the tendencies to reign supreme over the masses of cult movies that have now come bounding to our cinematic psyche – it was panned by some hefty critics, it was banned by the filmmakers themselves (or withdrew from the public eye after it was blamed for a few murders) and has since become recognised for its vision. Oh, if you haven’t guessed – it’s A Clockwork Orange (your suspense automatically ruined by my title I know.) by Cookie N Screen There is always a lot of contention around food, especially with people who have disorders. Ranging from anorexia to over-eating, there are either those who misplace the satisfaction of eating and confuse it with love and reckless comfort. Or there are those who use it as a means of control, with their emotions and memories running wilder than they can handle. Even those who do not suffer conditions can see themselves wrapping poignancy around pork chops their mother used to make or grandmother’s homemade biscuit tin. Regardless, there hasn’t truly been a film that captured that longing or discomfort that surrounds food. That is until UnderWire Film Festival screened evocative Scottish short documentary Swallow. |
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Keep up to speed with the latest news from the world of cinema Must See Movies - A list of independent films we are looking forward too! Movie Monologues - Paul Costello counts down the best speeches in cinematic history every Thursday. Movies In Motion - Jo Johnstone explores the world of stop-motion animation from adverts to features every last Friday of the month. Experiment 626 - Our writers exchanged DVDs and here are the results We'll Fix it in Post - Graham Osborne gives us the run down on how certain movies could be improved. The Horror Vault - The dark side of cinema You May Have Missed - Movies that passed you by. From The Trenches - Matthew Howe delights with stories from the front line! Hidden Heroes - Celebrating those incredible people often in the shadows of cinema Terribrill - So bad they are actually good! Straight On Till Morning - Leah looks at the impact of childhood films Monthly Musical Moment - Taking a look at the best soundtracks and music moments Film FriendsCategories
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