Alcohol has long run through the veins of cinema, inspiring Fear and Loathing in “all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world”. Even this summer, Edgar Wright’s The World’s End took Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on a precarious pub crawl that left the fate of humanity at the bottom of a pint glass. This fresher’s week there is a high chance you might drink some alcohol, so why not use that opportunity to get really cinematic? Here are our top 5 movie inspired concoctions and beverages to help make your freshers week both shaken and stirred.
5. Chianti – Silence of the Lambs – Wine produced in the Chianti region of Tuscany. Best served with fava beans. Avoid drinking with cannibalistic psychiatrists.
4. Sweet Vermouth on the rocks with a twist – Groundhog Day – A drink so good you’ll order it over and over and over again.
3. Lighter Fluid – Withnail & I – However broke you get this week, please don’t actually drink lighter fluid. It doesn’t taste very nice.
2. Suntory Whiskey – Lost in Translation – Perfect for long, lonely trips to Japan with Scarlett Johansson. For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.
1. White Russian – The Big Lebowski – Vodka, Kahlua and Milk. The dude abides. Feel free to pay for the milk with a cheque.
As the distant crashes of CGI’d destruction becomes but an echo, we can finally turn our backs on the long summer of superheroes and consider the altogether different fare available at the moment. Whilst not quite awards season, we can certainly hear the engines starting as a greater proportion of independent and heavier films see release. Here is a slice of what you can see over the next couple of weeks.
One of the more talked about films this month is sure to be Diana that sees Naomi Watts playing, surprise surprise, Princess Diana. Just over 30 seconds in to the trailer, Naomi Watts’ Diana is sighing in the back of a car “I want to help people!” Perhaps it is safe to assume a fairly generous appraisal of the ‘People’s Princess’. Diana will be released on the 20th of September.
Woody Allen has been busy as ever. His latest offering sees a firm return to serious drama, the like of which he has tackled since Interiors in 1978. Blue Jasmine sees Cate Blanchett leading a fantastic ensemble cast, as a multimillionaire who loses everything after her husbands suicide. The film has won near universal critical acclaim and promises to be a must-see for Allen fans or otherwise. From Woody Allen’s home of New York, we can segue neatly into Hannah Arendt, a biopic of the philosopher and political theorist who reported on the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann for the New Yorker. These two are released on the 27th.
Yet if all of that sounds a bit too much like hard work, have no fear. Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds are on hand, as supernatural detectives in RIPD(Rest In Peace Department). American Youtube commenters (who have already seen it stateside), have described RIPD as “Men in Black with dead people instead of Aliens” and “the worst movie of 2013”. The anticipation is almost too much to bear.
Some films have the power to seduce people, months before even the first trailer is revealed. These are the films with a kernel, a wonderful and intriguing idea at their core. Extra-Terrestrial wants to phone home. Toys coming to life, as soon human backs are turned. Man falls in love with an operating system.
The last idea, is exactly the sort of bizarre brilliance we have come to expect from Spike Jonze. His back catalogue of directorial features is quite spectacular, most notably his mind bending collaborations with writer Charlie Kaufman, on Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Typically his films place real characters in surreal contexts and his latest offering, Her promises to be no different. It follows Theodore Twombly, a romantic soul living in LA in the near future. Following the end of a long term relationship he becomes fascinated with an intuitive operating system that is designed to develop in tandem with the user’s personality. Over time Theodore’s relationship with ‘Samantha’ deepens. They fall in love.
Beyond that compelling narrative there are plenty of other reasons to get excited about Her. First and foremost, the cast. Any film with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead promises a certain level of artistic intent, based purely on his selectiveness. Since his riveting turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, Phoenix has only shot Her and James Gray’s Palme D’Or nominated The Immigrant. It doesn’t end there, the operating system Samantha will be voiced by Scarlett Johansson and they are joined by a supporting cast that includes Rooney Mara and Amy Adams. Oh, and Arcade Fire have composed the soundtrack.
It is tough and unwise to judge too much based on a trailer and it is safe to say that Spike Jonze makes curiosities that don’t appeal to everyone. Yet in this case, the concept alone is a victory in itself. It promises humour and pathos yet, not unlike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, it may also prove to be quite haunting. For an indication of where this film might go, a great recommendation would be his short I’m Here which is readily available on YouTube. I’m Here is a love story between two robots living in LA, and similarly to Pixar’s Wall-E, proves that machines can really make the heart sing. Jonze is more than capable at placing a beating heart in the strangest story and given our ongoing love affair with social networks, this truly could be a love story for the millennial generation.
“If it wasn’t for The Orb I would have burned out on that tour.” The Orb co-founder Dr. Alex Paterson reflects on his first experiences of life on the road. “I remember having to forfeit my Kraftwerk ticket because I was roadying for Killing Joke at the time, why I didn’t take the day off sick I don’t know. It had its pluses though, we ended up going on tour with Joy Division, and it doesn’t get much better than that really, especially with a band that had such a short lifespan.”
Growing up in the excess of the guitar worshiping, Rick Wakeman loving 1970’s, it was near impossible to hear house DJ’s on British radio. “I wanted something different; cassettes were getting sent over from New York and I knew people up North were getting into it with influences from Dance and Disco music – it was about hearing proper DJ’s like Tony Humphries, that’s what really got me into house music.”
“I had this girl in New York who’d record one of Tony’s shows in the morning, this is back in 1987, me and Youth who were sharing a flat at the time were like “What’s this shit here, it’s brilliant!” What we would now call sitar house I guess. That was our introduction to these sounds, they did this version of ‘Blue Monday’ and I’d never heard a version like it before, or since – it’s a gem.”
With artists like Bowie bringing the stylings of Eno to the masses, it cemented a shift in attitudes especially towards the established ‘rock’ acts. “Me and youth used to share a flat in Earls court and back when you could have one record playing all day, side two of Low was night night music for about a year. It wasn’t until Killing Joke that I started sniffing out more from the Eno collection.”
Paterson is regarded as one of the pioneers of ambient house music, a feat that becomes even more impressive when you consider the nature of his upbringing and school days. “I went to a boarding school and we were only allowed to watch two programmes a week, so we had a voting system – Miss World was always chosen, and then we had TOTP. That was in the weird days of T-Rex, I didn’t get all the bisexual stuff when I was 10 but I had an older brother who’d pump me full of what he thought was ‘good music’. I remember him giving me a Bob Dylan double album and it was God damn awful. He used to palm loads of stuff off on me, but I knew what was shit and I knew Transformer was an amazing album.”
“It wasn’t till I was 15 or 16 that I got the Bowie stuff; I went from being locked away in a boarding school to going to an art school in Bromley that was full of punks in 1976. Welcome to the new world, that’s all I can say – It was three girls to one boy. This is how weird it was in boarding school; to meet a girl you had to go to a fucking prayer meeting on a Sunday if you ever wanted to see a bird, apart from the barn dances at the end of term but that’s a another story (he laughs).”
The Orb and artists like Bomb the Bass were often criticised for their use of sampling to create music. “I think it’s totally misunderstood, it depends whose sampling and how they go about it. If you do it in such a way that no one knows you’re doing it and then you tell them ten years down the line, like the saxophone from ‘Higher Than the Sun’ with Primal scream – we just detuned it.” The Orb’s approach to sampling wasn’t always as subtle. “With Minnie Riperton that was our first outing in just ripping it and seeing what happens, we should have got someone to do a cover of it, which we had to do a year later for CD.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao2mOtx9vqQ
“No-one else had contemplated doing this chill out music to mad sweaty kids in dance clubs who are gagging for a bit of a sit down every now and then. Doing live sampling and mixing in an experimental chill out lounge is creative, if you just take one little sample and you take it as a big chunk, like a Chemical ‘Sisters’ kind of tune, it’s not. It became really apparent when I played ‘When the Levee Breaks’ at a Primal Scream gig and all these kids ran up to me and said is this a Beastie Boys remix …right. It goes back to fact that no-one knows what the source is, and the early Beatles and Zeppelin albums were just as guilty.”
Over the years Paterson has worked with everyone from Depeche Mode to David Gilmour, and more recently collaborated with reggae producer Lee ‘scratch’ Perry whose unique approach to writing gave birth to mind enriching tracks like ‘Fussball’. “We all watched a game of football in the studio, he wasn’t really taking part in anything and he watched it for a bit and then when he left and came back he was singing ‘Fussball’, so we though let’s record it. There were times when I wish we were recording him, one particular occasion when he was using his bible and calling out his Facebook – crazy shit, the one that got away (he laughs).”
Dance and Disco were essential influences on The Orb, and ones that Alex looks back fondly on, however the recent Daft Punk Disco revival isn’t cutting the mustard with the doc. “I think Nile Rodgers is a bit embarrassed by it all, I imagine. I don’t think he realised what he wasn’t getting himself in for. Chic are way above what Daft Punk could ever achieve, Chic are like Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, they reached out with a whole new sound.”
“Nile and Bernie Edwards were prolific, they were always on the decks with killing Joke – it was almost like the Giorgio Moroder German stuff, very precise. For me to talk about Chic and Sister Sledge and then Daft Punk is, I’m sorry, but ‘does not compute’.”
The Orb is due to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a tour and a four disc ‘History of the Future’ box set.
The Orb will be performing at the Manchester Academy 2 Saturday 12th October.
As a Fresher coming to Manchester, you’ll have heard all about its incredible nightlife – from Warehouse Project to Font and everything in between. But what about during the day? What about the long stretch of months that you can distantly see beyond the hazy fog of Freshers Week? Whether you’re a film fan or simply have an hour to kill before that inconveniently placed 4pm lecture, Manchester’s film scene is growing at an exciting rate, and you’ll find that there’s quite a lot here to get involved with!
CINEMAS
Manchester has three major cinemas dotted around its centre. The Manchester Printworks Odeon is the most central and was host to a variety of film events last year from the “Twiathlon” (don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!) to the very first Greater Manchester Film Festival. For a change of scene, head to the Cineworld in East Didsbury or the AMC cinema in Deansgate for cheap tickets and good Orange Wednesday deals.
Cinema snobs, film buffs or those wanting a more intimate affair, look no further than the Cornerhouse. With a cinema schedule that carefully picks out the crème de la crème of each month’s cinema crop; encompassing the best of major, indie and foreign film releases; put the Cornerhouse on your list of things to do in Manchester for a relaxed, cultural and civilized night out.
SCREENINGS
Look out for film screenings hosted here at uni. Film Society shows regular screenings of old favourites, whilst a thought-provoking and engaging experience can be found through Open Media Society. Screening documentary films to broaden our understanding of major cultural issues within and outside of the mainstream media, Open Media’s aim is to get people engaging with film’s ability to open our eyes and bring the hard-hitting facts home. Find them at the Welcome Fair on 17-18th September, or head to their first screening of The Spirit of ‘45 on 26th September. A similar experience outside of the University environment can be found through the docu-film screenings hosted by Manchester Film Coop.
FESTIVALS
Do you know why Cannes Film Festival is in May? As it’s the rainiest time of the year there, Cannes Festival organizers believe this is the best time to lure crowds off the beach and into the cinema. With this logic in mind and with not one beach in sight, it’s no wonder that more festivals are cropping up in Manchester each year! Last October we welcomed the first Greater Manchester Film Festival – a weekend full of screenings, workshops and interviews all in aid of promoting Manchester as a centre for filmmaking talent. We also played host to the Jewish and Insight Film Festivals – both more thought-provoking experiences from spiritual and religious levels. The Cornerhouse is also home to a major event on Manchester’s Cinematic calendar – the iViva! Film Festival – celebrating the latest releases and talent within Spanish and Latin American Cinema.
FILMMAKING
Whether you’re the next Christopher Nolan, a budding Mark Kermode, or someone who just wants to learn how-to, Manchester can cater for you all! Get on Facebook and search for Video Jam’s Facebook page. An independent organization that seeks to showcase good quality local talent, send in your short silent film to these guys and they pair it up with a local musician to compose its soundtrack. Once the soundtrack is composed, simply attend the Video Jam event to see and hear the end result complete with live performances of the never-heard-before soundtracks from the participating musicians. An exciting and rewarding experience for those who take part and a chilled-out, enjoyable evening for those who just want to have a drink and discover new talent in the process.
For a more hardcore filmmaking experience, get involved with Filmonik. Spontaneous, energetic and great fun – go along prepared to offer yourself up as anything from director to actor, cameraman to sound crew!
SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
This is only a select sample of what Manchester has to offer, so next time you find yourself with nothing to do on a weekday night swap vodka shots for popcorn, clubs for clapper boards and false eyelashes for 3D glasses and start your cinematic journey through Manchester!
To find out more about any of the cinemas, societies or organizations mentioned in this article, get on Google or follow our Twitter and Facebook pages.
The most exciting films for us at The Mancunion to write about are student filmmaking projects that go on to to achieve great things. Producer and ex-Manchester student Merlin Merton tells us about his film Gift From God and making it as a professional filmmaker in such a competitive industry.
Last year we met you fresh out of graduating, promoting your student film Crashcourse. How has the year panned out?
Like everybody else we were stuck on how to proceed straight after graduating, especially in such a competitive industry as film. However, Crashcourse received a Silver Screen award from the Nevada Film Festival and was a finalist in the Back In The Box feature competition.
Tell us what Gift From God is about. Does it involve the same team that brought us Crashcourse?
Alex and I worked together on Crashcourse and have known each other since second year at Manchester University. Alex’s friend writer/director William Kee was also on board. Will had this image of an old bearded and angry man, recounting the murder of his grandson. He wanted to go for a stylized, though minimalistic feel in the same vein as Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick.
This is your first professional film. What were the major differences for you between the student and professional filmmaking process?
With Gift From God the biggest lesson learnt was putting together a budget – and making sure it was enough to make a film suitable to screen in a cinema. As a student it’s a lot of on the spot fun – the whole point of producing student films is to learn from the mistakes and experiment…much like being at uni! But when producing or directing a professional product, each project is a mini business entity. What audience are we targeting? What genre are we exploiting? A professional film is more about a film’s relationship with the filmmakers and film-watchers, whereas student films are about you the filmmaker!
Was it easier filming without university work and commitments?
Student life wasn’t challenging enough – uni is the perfect environment to make a film because you have everyone available within a five mile radius…as long as nobody’s hungover! Filming outside of uni is a much bigger organizational hazard. The new challenge was working with a crew of twenty-five instead of four. And actually post-production was a nightmare – it was no longer one editor in one place!
Did you find having made Crashcourse helped with publicity for this next film?
Every project is publicity of some sort – but what it really helped to do was provide a better understanding of marketing films. And it was a great way to meet like-minded people at festivals!
How did you fund the project?
We crowdfunded the entire budget through Kickstarter and made a very respectable £5,000! Most of it came through friends and family, but we had a couple of very generous outside ‘donations’ in exchange for associate producer roles.
What are the next steps for the film and yourselves?
Gift From God has recently completed post-production, and we’ve just sent it off to festivals all over. We’re aiming big, so we’ve entered it for Sundance, Cleveland, Ann Arbour, Slamdance and a couple of middling ones like the London Short Film Festival and Bath. Will has a couple of projects lined up. Alex has got a position on Ridley Scott’s new film Moses. I am producing two shorts, one with the director who did Naughty Boy’s La La La music video.
What advice can you give to aspiring filmmakers?
Make as many short films as possible, even if they’re not great, and move up the quality ladder. Work out exactly what type of film you want to be making by watching as many different films as possible. It’s always a little strange when a filmmaker has a limited knowledge of the classics. Admittedly they don’t all make great watching- but it’s important to recognise why they are important.
The festival circuit has become a mainstay of modern cinema for any film worth its salt. Hollywood shows off their ‘serious’ movies and independent film makers all battle for some good festival buzz. But this circuit is surprisingly limited in its scope: the same major film festivals dominate each year despite the rapidly increasing numbers of smaller festivals, and the circuit has quickly become a well flexed self-serving instrument for the big festivals and the studio pictures they promote. Producers look to screen their newest award contenders at the well established festivals to pick up some positive buzz through association, and likewise the film festivals maintain their reputation for being the home of the most talked about films of the year.
Now that festival season is getting into full swing, some of the most anticipated films of the year are strutting their stuff across the European stage. Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity opened the 70th Venice International Film Festival to much acclaim at the end of last month. Closer to home, the BFI London Film Festival will open and close with a double dose of Tom Hanks next month, with Paul Greengrass directed, Captain Phillips, and Walt Disney biopic, Saving Mr Banks. Whilst these will likely be excellent films, a film like Gravity doesn’t really need a platform at Venice to get people’s attention- George Clooney will normally do that sort of thing for you.
So where do you go if you can’t get your film screened at Venice, London or the like? More importantly, can these new festivals compete if they don’t have a Hanks of Clooney in attendance? This summer I traveled to Croatia and the 4th Starigrad Paklenica Film Festival (SPFF) to see how small European festivals stand out.
SPFF doesn’t have George Clooney in the front row. Neither does it have world premieres of the big Oscar contenders. But it does have Croatian premieres. And that’s what important to the festival’s founder, Admir Ćulumarević. As he told me when I visited: “our greatest treasure is our people”- and this really shows. SPFF is not a festival only to be enjoyed by critics and the well connected. Anybody who wants to can come and enjoy the truly unique experiences which the festival offers. For a small price you can sit in one of the three stunning outdoor cinemas, nestled within the canyons on the Adriatic coastline, and watch one of the few dozens pictures on offer.
This is the SPFF’s biggest selling point, and why Ćulumarević hopes that people from across the globe will come and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. And with so much competition from the hundreds of films festivals across the continent, standing out from the crowd is as important as ever. Venice and London may have Hollywood stars- but this has real stars- the sort you can sit beneath at night and enjoy; cinema at its purest.
