A chat with Tammy Lauren- An interview by Nate Hill

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review

  
Excited to bring you my first interview in some time, with the lovely Tammy Lauren!

Tammy has made vivid impressions in numerous films including Wes Craven’s Wishmaster, Costa Gavras’s Mad City, I Saw What You Did, Chains Of Gold, Tiger Warsaw and more. She has also appeared in quite a few television shows including Little House On The Prairie, Criminal Minds, ER, Two & A Half Men, Home Improvement, Crossing Jordan, MacGyver and more. She’s a great talent and was a pleasure to speak with, enjoy!
Nate: What led you to acting? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do or did you stumble into it unexpectedly?
Tammy: My parents put me in the business when I was 8 years old. My parents put me in a children’s acting class, which then led to me auditioning for a play in San Diego (The Music Man) and the director of the play told my parents I should try and do TV and film. So, I’d say I stumbled into it.
Nate: Wishmaster: incredible, iconic horror film. How was your experience working on it, with all those unbelievable special effects, and starring alongside Andrew Divoff?
Tammy: It was exhausting. All that running and crying and freaking out…I loved Andy and Bob, the director and thought having all the horror icons involved was super cool. I just saw Bob and Andy at a horror convention and they taped the three of us watching the film and commenting for the Blu Ray, which brought back a ton of memories. Andy eating jelly beans to get his voice the way it was as the Djinn, Bob FREAKING out about the special effects and Red Room (the part that was supposed to be inside the Djinn’s mind), me FREAKING out that my performance was probably JUST AWFUL. 
Nate: Costa Gravras’s Mad City: How was your experience working on this one?
Tammy: Incredible. I first met John Travolta when I was a kid and he was at Paramount filming Urban Cowboy, I did a film years later that John produced and starred in, Chains of Gold and so at that point, I’d known John for a few decades. I was enamored of Dustin and of course, Costas. And this was the film set I got engaged on! My husband proposed to me in my dressing room and John and Dustin had some cake and stuff brought on stage to throw us an impromptu engagement party. 
Nate: Little House On The Prairie: how did you get involved with that, and how was it working on such a legendary show?
Tammy: I auditioned for it. At the time, it was very popular so I was excited. My favorite memory from that is working with Robert Loggia, playing his daughter. He’s an incredibly talented actor. His character was supposed to terrify me, which he did but he was also SO kind to me.

Nate: A few roles over your career that have been your favorite so far?
Tammy: Homefront was a favorite role of mine. When I was young, it was Mork and Mindy because of Robin. I also really liked doing Criminal Minds because my character had rabies and honestly, how many times do you get to do THAT? 🙂

Nate: Who inspired you (actors/filmmakers) growing up and in your work as well?
Tammy: Actors – Robin Williams, Meryl Streep, Jack Nickelson, Carol Burnett. Filmmakers – Francis Ford Coppola, James Brooks

Nate: The tv movie I Saw What You Did: My favourite role of yours alongside Wishmaster. Lisa was quite the character. How was that experience for you?
Tammy: Awesome. Because Carradine brothers. And Shawnee. That was actually the second movie for television we had done together and we both played similar roles in both. I liked that one too.
Nate: Do you have any upcoming projects, film related or otherwise, that you are excited for and would like to mention? 
Tammy: I’ve been in tech for a while now, I don’t act a lot anymore. It’s more a thing of someone I know is doing something and for some reason, they call me. I am not as active when it comes to pursuing work. But I do stuff occasionally.
Nate: Thank you so much for sharing, Tammy, and for your time, it’s been an honour!
Tammy: Hope this helps Nate. Hope you and yours have a very happy holidays!

BARRY SHEAR’S ACROSS 110th STREET — A REVIEW BY NICK CLEMENT

by nlclement, posted in Film Review

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Across 110th Street is a nasty piece of business, directed with gritty verisimilitude and intensity by Barry Shear, and sporting an extremely focused screenplay by Luther Davis which maximized violence, attitude, and down and dirty action. Based on the novel by Wally Ferris and released in 1972 to both acclaim and controversy, the amazing team at Kino-Lorber made it a point to include this overachieving Blaxploitation gem in their tremendous catalog of titles, and it’s easy to see how the aesthetics utilized by the filmmakers would go on to inspire many other directors in countless films that would be released after this game-changer saw the flicker of movie projectors. Set in Harlem and chronicling a rather brutal back and forth between honest and corrupt cops, gangsters, mafia hoods, pimps, drug dealers, prostitutes, and general city scum, this is the sort of movie that makes you want to take a long, hot shower after watching it, as it was clearly shot on real locations that were very dangerous, with little set-dressing probably required. And the fact that there aren’t easy to root for characters makes the film an even richer experience than it might otherwise have been.

The in-your-face cinematography by Jack Priestly rubbed your nose in the muck and sleaze, Byron Brandt’s viciously tight editing kept the pace moving at a fast clip, the morally and ethically questionable characters all operate by their own sense of internal code which may or may not be a good or bad thing, and the general level of grim fatalism on display is rather bracing to behold; this is a picture that must’ve seemed very ahead of its time when it first was released. An amazing cast was along for the sordid ride, including a steely Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Koto doing understated, slow-burn work, Anthony Franciosa in a hugely entertaining performance, and Paul Benjamin, Antonio Fargas, Ed Bernard, Richard Ward, Gilbert Lewis, Norma Donaldson and many others rounding out the colorful supporting cast. Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson’s influential title song would later be sampled by Quentin Tarantino during his hugely memorable opening to Jackie Brown, and by Ridley Scott in his excellent crime opus American Gangster. Across 110th Street operates as a unique early buddy-narrative while dipping its toes into true exploitation waters, supremely delivering on both fronts.

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EPISODE 33 – Brian De Palma’s RAISING CAIN with SPECIAL GUEST PEET GELDERBLOM

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

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_vb_3133-optPodcasting Them Softly is extremely excited to present a chat with editor, filmmaker, and movie buff Peet Gelderblom, who most recently re-cut Brian De Palma’s 1992 thriller Raising Cain as a passion project. Indiewire posted the re-cut on Vimeo, it went viral, De Palma saw it, and it became a director approved special feature on the newly released Shout! Factory Special Edition Blu-ray. Raising Cain had a troubled production history, with changes made to the overall narrative after poor test screenings; De Palma has long felt that the released version was in a compromised state. Peet is a massive De Palma aficionado, so this was an especially fun chat to record. And considering that this personal experience for Peet is something of a surreal dream come true, we couldn’t help but gush a bit — it was very enjoyable to speak with someone who shares the same sense of cinematic excitement as all of us do at PTS. Check out Peet’s work at http://www.directorama.net/   If you’ve not seen Raising Cain, you can order it right here https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-crime/raising-cain-collector-s-edition And then check out Peet’s version, as De Palma himself says it’s the best way to see it!

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY – A Review by Frank Mengarelli

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Film Review

ROGUE ONE is the most surreal theatre experience of my life. Yes, it is a STAR WARS movie that’s very much akin to the seven previous films, yet it is completely different than anything we’ve seen before. In a very odd and perplexing way, ROGUE ONE may just be the best STAR WARS film ever made.

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Set months prior to the events in A NEW HOPE, we’re shown a world that we’ve never seen. The Rebellion is split in fractions, they aren’t painted with heroism, a lot of them are killers without morals all doing this for the greater good of the galaxy.

The call backs not only from the original trilogy but particularly the prequels perfectly thread the needle of anchoring this film in a familiar galaxy but with unfamiliar worlds and characters. The CGI resurrection of Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin is a flawless effects achievement, and brings a weight of establishment and riches to the film.

The new characters are a perfect addition to the STAR WARS’ cinematic canon. Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker are all wonderful, with Ben Mendelsohn stealing every scene he’s even. Even if he’s matched up against the CGI’d Cushing or Darth Vader, he is the standout.

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Bravo to Disney for making a very dark and dreary film. They haven’t done this before. They simultaneously made a film about the horrific personal repercussions of war while organically sliding it into George Lucas’ cinematic timeline. Disney had everything riding on this picture; THE FORCE AWAKENS was easy. They had the original cast, a continuation of the saga story on their side, but with ROGUE ONE they created someone new and fresh inside of a franchise that honestly didn’t need it to continue forward in public consciousness.

The new score from Michael Giacchino is absolutely wonderful. He does complete justice staying true to John Williams, yet he takes major liberties with some tracks we are already familiar with. Gregg Fraser’s cinematography is perfection. This is the best looking STAR WARS film to date, without a doubt. The aesthetic will please diehard original trilogy fans because we’re back to the utter dilapidation of the Galactic Empire.

Gareth Edwards, Kathleen Kennedy, and Tony Gilroy all deserve acclaim and recognition for the film that they have created. But without the brilliant mind of George Lucas, we would never have gotten this film. For all the undo and faux outrage Lucas constantly receives, none of this would have been made possible without him.

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What makes ROGUE ONE so very special isn’t just the Easter Egg’s, the callbacks, references to BLUE VELVET and APOCALYPSE NOW, and the cameos, it’s a film that is about hope in its purist form. It is about heroes. It is about championing what you believe in regardless of the odds and sacrifices made. And for a lot of us, this is the exact film we needed at this particular moment.

MARY HARRON’S AMERICAN PSYCHO — A REVIEW BY NICK CLEMENT

by nlclement, posted in Film Review

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A stinging indictment of a particular way of life at at very particular time and place in America, Mary Harron’s go-for-the-jugular adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ incendiary novel features scalpel-sharp satire, upended expectations, hilarious performances from an absurdly deep ensemble, and a sleek visual style that speaks to the various themes of loneliness, isolation, identity, and mental anguish being explored in the multilayered narrative. Christian Bale’s towering performance as the now-iconic Patrick Bateman anchors this deranged tale of obsession, jealousy, and high-end business cards, with Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Justin Theroux, Matt Ross, Bill Sage, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, and Cara Seymour all offering terrific supporting performances while all individually getting one or two big moments to shine. This film has so many quotable lines of dialogue and so many genuinely funny sequences that it’s no surprise that it’s become a cult favorite in the years since its in-and-out theatrical release. And considering how phenomenal and beloved that this film is and has become, it’s shocking that Harron hasn’t worked more than twice since American Psycho was released in the spring of 2000.

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – A Review by Kyle Jonathan

by 39frames, posted in Film Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

2016.  Directed by Gareth Edwards.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Donnie Yen) Ph: Film Frame ©Lucasfilm LFL

Making a one off prequel to one of the most iconic series in the history of film is not only a dangerous gamble, but a virtually impossible task.  Gareth Edwards’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, not only exceeds inhumanely high expectations, it delivers a remarkably mature war film that explores the morality of insurgency and the simple moments of heroism that define generations.  Featuring immersive visuals and a courageous sense of grit, Rogue One takes the Star Wars saga into the trenches, where the Jedi are but a whisper and the people fighting and dying on the ground have only their convictions as weapons.

Tony Gilroy and Chris Weitz’s script builds from the ground up.  Stealing respectfully from Melville’s Army of Shadows and Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, the blueprint for impassioned defiance washes over the action, moving the birth of the rebellion into a morally gray existence that resonates throughout.  The consequence of actions, of murder, are not only explored, but paramount to the film’s purpose.  The dialogue has chop, but the genius of Rogue One is that no character towers among the others as the face of war is an identity unto itself.  Diego Luna and Felicity Jones have the film’s best exchange, where the price of compliance and the weight of trauma becomes the focus, grounding the film in an uncharacteristically relevant tone that persists throughout the film’s jaw dropping final act.

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Donnie Yen delivers a thoughtful performance as a blind monk, upholding the lost ideals of the Jedi, while Alan Tudyk steals the spotlight as a reprogrammed Imperial droid.  His deadpan delivery is so perfect, that it is a testament to not only phenomenal voice acting, but the pure humanity of the story.  There are alien characters sprinkled throughout, and they appear as organic combatants, rather than the novelties of predecessors.  Mads Mikkelson and Ben Mendlesohn support as venerable frenemies who use their formidable talents to communicate an ocean of fraternal betrayal with a handful of lines.  Unbelievable CGI effects revive several characters from the original trilogy to enhance the story, using nostalgia as a springboard to build a secret history, whose importance will forever impact viewing of the other films in the series.

Greig Fraser’s cinematography is intimidating, offering an optical experience unlike any other Star Wars entry.  This is a beautifully ugly film, with the sweat and grime of battle contrasting with plush locales and forbidden alien sanctums.  Space and ground battles are intensely dappled throughout and then Edwards opens the floodgates, filling the final portion with a combat sequence that is both natural and surprisingly realistic in the science fiction context, taking a single line from A New Hope’s opening crawl and delivering a novel of blood and laser fire.  The shadows receding from behemoth Star Destroyers is the perfect antecedent to the quiet desperation of the rebels making their final gambit that plays out on a sun washed planet that is beautifully out of place in the various locales previously offered.  Michael Giacchino’s score emulates Williams’s legendary performance but maintains its own identity, perfectly symbolizing Rogue One’s fledgling iconography.

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In theaters now, Rogue One is a stunning entry into the Star Wars universe. A bona fide war picture that is charming in its brutality and emotional in its summation, this is the Star Wars film that we’ve been promised for decades.  Featuring a checklist of everything that every film in the series should supply and a copious amount of “on your feet” sequences, Rogue one hearkens back to the age when we watched movies to be entertained, and ultimately inspired by a message of resiliency and triumph.

Highly.  Highly Recommend.

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Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy: A Review by Nate Hill

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review

  

Guillermo Del Toro’s two Hellboy films are a wildly different pair, both incredible thrill rides and well worth anyone’s time, but I think I will always prefer the first. With the second he took the Pan’s Labyrinth approach, presenting a fairy tale world and showcasing makeup effects that were very similar to that film, an esoteric and elemental vibe. There’s just something about the Lovecraftian, steam punk WWII aesthetic of the first that works better for me, and seems to fit our red pigmented protagonist a little more. These films would be nothing without the essential and hard won casting of Ron Perlman, though. He brings a lively vitality, hulking physicality (he fits the part even before the prosthetics go on) and loveable sarcasm, and when you see him in action there is really no other actor you could envision bringing this character to life. It’s laughable to think that Del Toro fought the studio for years to get Ron in the role, turning down the likes of Vin Diesel and Nic Cage (what in the actual fuck were they thinking), not compromising for a second, knowing the film he wanted to make. Well, Ron got cast in the end, as we now know, and he’s not so much playing Hellboy, he just is Hellboy, he’s that perfect for the role. When he’s backed up by Del Toro’s near godlike creativity and imagination (the two partner on projects frequently and it’s genius every time), you get a piece of comic book escapism as exciting and adventurous as this. Hellboy was the result of a nazi experiment gone wrong, in which certifiable nut job Grigori Rasputin (freaky deaky Karel Roden) and his minions open a portal to a dark universe, in attempt to summon forth anything that could turn the tides of war (not the brightest idea, if you ask me), and instead out crawls infant Hellboy, a cranky crimson imp with a big stone appendage and an attitude to match. Kindly professor Trevor Broom (John Hurt) raises the creature to be a force of good and protection for our world, and soon enough he grows into eight foot tall, wise ass, cigar chomping, ass kicking Ron Perlman, now a valuable and formidable asset to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, an order who strives to keep the darkness at bay. Joined by his on and off flame Liz Sherman (pun intended, as she’s literally a firestarter), Professor Broom, rookie agent Meyers (Rupert Evans) and humanoid swamp thing Abraham Sapien (Doug Jones, dubbed out with David Hyde Pierce), he sets out to shield New York, the planet and the universe from Rasputin, who has returned with notions of finishing the cataclysmic work he started decades ago. The action is propulsive and rousing, initially in NYC streets and subway tunnels, and then in a far off arctic locale where a gateway to some dark dimension opens once more and a suspiciously Cthlhu esque deity of destruction peers out. Del Toro has stated before that he prefers to think of his work as ‘eye protein’ rather than eye candy. Well, call it what you will, his films are nothing short of dazzling on all levels, and Hellboy is no exception. There’s visual splendour in every frame, from the painstaking costumes, makeup and props (Perlman has a great big gun for that great big hand), to the production design and seamless computer wizardry, the world we see onscreen is immersive and entertaining for the entire journey. Roden makes a frothing madman out of Rasputin, always nailing the villain when he shows up, and stopping said show here with his theatrical and baroque insanity. My favourite has to be Kroenen though, a sharply dressed, mute nazi assassin with a face only a mother could love and a set of knives you’d be foolish to get in the way of. He’s an inspired and truly creepy villain that sets the apocalyptic dial on the highest setting when he shows up. Jeffrey Tambor provides additional comic relief as the long suffering suit who serves as the face of PR for the bureau, and props to Brian Steele as Sammael, a seriously pissed off demon set loose by Rasputin in the city streets, leading to one blockbuster of an action sequence. As far as comic book films go, this is a gold standard of filmmaking, world building and good old fashioned storytelling, all of which Del Toro is a master at. It wouldn’t have been the same without him, without Perlman and especially without the magic that happens when they work together. 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: A Review by Kent Hill

by Kent Hill, posted in Film Review

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So another December has come and with it comes another Star Wars movie. The reviews begin. Kevin Smith raves about it, calling it Empire Strikes Back great. In his brief thoughts following the premiere which he attended, Smith makes mention of what are really the highlights. This is an excellent chapter in the Star Wars saga. There are great tie-ins which link this film to those that have come before. Vader is badass in this movie and then there is the ending . . . that ending.

Now, unlike the case of The Force Awakens, this film has not enjoyed a triumphant reception. Those that have distaste for it are talking sooner rather than later. Before seeing the film today, I took note of some of the positive/negative stances. One thing I marked was a comment regarding the resurrection of a certain character from the original trilogy. I will not spoil this for anyone, but the review to which I refer, made the statement that the arrival of this character on screen (with the help of effects, cause he bought the farm a while ago) was something that took them out of the movie. I am going to take arms against this statement (which you may read more about if you wish here: http://geektyrant.com/news/review-disney-and-lucasfilm-play-it-safe-with-rogue-one-a-star-wars-story). Me personally, and I am referring to the pair of instances which the technology is used in the film, I feel this is one of the better examples of this type of effect used thus far in movies and remind the learned gentlemen for the prosecution of the creepy, expressionless faux-young Jeff Bridges in the lamentable Tron sequel as a better example of something that disconnects one from a film.

Still, what about the film itself? Is it Empire Strikes Good? I read Harry Knowles’ review this morning too. He though, has a tendency to gush, going so far as to list the things that he liked best. You need to be wary when film writers take such actions. The reason being? There was stuff they didn’t like in between those things they did.

Rogue One is the story of the story before the Star Wars we all grew up with – and I refer to those of us who grew up before they started using the “Episode” system. It finds the brains behind that moon that is no moon but a space station, living out his life in peace and harmony with his family. Then the empire shows up and ruins everything, as it is their want to do. From this pastoral opening we following our heroine Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as she is recruited by the rebels (they are rebels aren’t they?) to track down Forest Whitaker, because rumour has it, that he has received word from Jyn’s dad, Mads Mikkelsen, about a super-weapon the empire is about to unleash.

So the Star Wars story moves along, and at times it is a slow boil. There is a good comradery among the cast, along with levity and heavy-handedness in equal measure. There are also lots of droids and aliens, which are always fun to hang out with in a time of great tyranny. This film paints the best portrait of the galaxy far, far away in the wake of the rise of the empire as we know it. It’s a grimy hit-run-hide type of universe, where heroes are few and all hope seems lost.

But wait, maybe not. Though the rebellion has its own dark undercurrent of distrust and personal agenda, we find out (what those of us who are children of Star Wars already know) there is a weakness to this battle station. It soon falls to the good guys to decide what they are going to do with this intel.

When faced with a planet killer, some guys run and some guys stay. The guys that stay join with our ragtag band of heroes on their veritable suicide mission. Their objective: to retrieve the plans of the Death Star in order to exploit the flaw in its design.

This is when Rogue One finds its wings, and all of a sudden I found myself in a film that felt more like a Star Wars movie than The Force Awakens did.

The final act of the film is bold, brilliant. At one point I think I heard Sam Elliot’s voice from The Big Lebowski in my head saying: “I didn’t like seeing Donnie go.” I was looking for shots from the trailers that I liked, but I found them to be absent from school today. I thought it was a good ending which brought to mind the old chestnut: those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. I also read in those reviews from earlier today, that the characters were thinly drawn. This would imply they are like most characters in modern movies, which is to say you don’t really give a shit whether they live or die. But I cared, not for all concerned, but for some. When things finally went south, I can genuinely say I was moved by their passing.

So, is Vader badass? Yes. That’s all I’m going to say on that score.

The film looks beautiful, though please again be wary, especially when reviewers make mention of this early in their critique. Praise for the photography and locations are often code for: it looked good, but that’s all it did.

The score by Giacchino is sombre and at times melancholic, but it lifts, and there is a nice peppering of Williams which will make you smile as ever.

And thus we come to that ending. Go see it. Go see it. The best thing about the ending is you can go home and watch the story continue, unlike last year’s Star Wars where we’ll have to wait a while yet to find out what Luke is going to say, or not say, or just keep on glaring, or fart , or something like that.

Did this dude in the audience like Rogue One? He did, he did indeed. He will be going again, that is a given. The cast and crew, all involved, have made a good Star Wars movie. It’s not Empire Strikes Good, but filmmaker Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider, Don’t Kill It), whom I interviewed recently, said it best. During our chat we talked about Spielberg and Mike’s love of Raiders of the Lost Ark. He (Mike) considers this the perfect film. He caught lightning in a bottle, and I’m paraphrasing Mike here, but Mike went on to say that as talented as Spielberg is, he doubts he could ever duplicate something like Raiders. The same could be said of this, the third coming of Star Wars. I watched it begin in the 70’s, I was there for explosive hype of The Phantom Menace. I was there last year when the force decided to wake up again.

My point is this. The lightning has already been caught. It was captured a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. They will never be able to recapture that lightning, but so far the Star Wars we are getting is calling down the thunder and Rogue One roars across the sky. It reminds us, yet again, of that brilliant lightning that brightened our world a long time ago…

GO SEE IT!

The Golden Compass: A Review by Nate Hill 

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review

There’s a reason they never adapted another novel in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series past the initial stab at The Golden Compass, and it’s the same infuriating reason why many adaptations of children’s and young adult novels fail: lack of appropriate atmosphere and true menace found in the source material. Everytime Hollywood comes along and decides to try their luck at a beloved series for youngsters or young adults, they feel this feverish need to shine it up with a candy colored, over lit vibe that leaves much of the darker elements by the wayside and as a result their final product feels neutered and bereft of any weight, stakes or attention to detail. Spiderwick. Skellig. Eragon. Hell, even Narnia only made it by the skin of its teeth, blasting out of the gate with a flawless entry, only to peter off into sequels afflicted by the very symptoms I outlined above, and not even make it to the end of the saga at that. Now don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t happen to every series they try to adapt, but to enough of them that it’s a problem, especially when a darkly creative, eerie and unique tale like this gets turned into a glossy, pandering misfire. It’s sad because some of the elements of a good film are in place, starting with casting. Dakota Blue Richards is on-the-nose perfect as Lyra, the adventurous heroine who gets swept away on a menacing voyage to arctic lands and beyond. She lives in a curious parallel universe where every human is forever accompanied by a ‘Daemon’, essentially a piece of their soul that takes animal form, and never the two shall separate. Lyra’s uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) is an explorer who has returned from the north lands with tales of a mysterious phenomenon called ‘dust’, a powerful substance purported to be able to unlock other worlds and dimensions. Lyra is curious at first and then nervous when she meets icy Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) a prim socialite with a devious agenda involving children that have gone missing in the city. She has a facility on the tundra where scary research and very bad experiments are conducted. Now in the books the descriptions and eventual confrontation with this would make your hair turn white. Pullman imparts it with weight and true blood freezing horror. The filmmakers *deliberatly* tone it down and castrate it, leaving anyone who was a fan of the series in total disgust. It just doesn’t have the same dark, otherworldly atmosphere it did on the pages, it feels too bright, chipper and lacking any real wonder. It does have some wicked visuals going for it in places, such as the two rival talking bears, voiced with baritone boom by Ian McKellen and Ian McShane, the landscape of the north as seen from the hot air balloon of grizzled sky-cowboy Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and others. Eva Green also scores well as elemental witch Serafina Pekkala, but then she’s incapable of giving a bad performance anyhow. Scattered supporting cast includes Kathy Bates, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Courtney, Simon Mcburney, Derek Jacobi, as well, an impressive lineup all in all, but one that deserves a far better film for their talent. It’s just misguided and tone deaf. It may have been a series for adolescents, but the themes, implications and scenarios found in those books are harrowing, complex, very mature and not to be taken lightly, let alone given the full on Harry Potter theme park treatment. Shame, really, and a giant missed opportunity. Perhaps someday soon a network will get the rights and turn this tale into a film or tv show worthy of His Dark Materials.

PTS PRESENTS DAMIAN K. LAHEY RAGER POWERCAST

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

 

laheyPodcasting Them Softly is thrilled to present a passionate cinematic discussion with independent filmmaker Damian K. Lahey! A Jacksonville, Fl. native, Damian graduated from Douglas Anderson School Of The Arts High School and is an alumnus of The University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts Film School. Damian has produced and/or written several independent films including festival blazing cult faves ‘Ding-A- Ling- Less’ (2002) directed by indie maverick Onur Tukel and the critically acclaimed anti-drug film ‘Cocaine Angel’ (2006), directed by indie stalwart Michael Tully which premiered at Rotterdam International FF and South By Southwest. Damian was a staff writer/contributing editor for IndieSlate Magazine from 2006-2011. In 2008 he won a Creative Excellence Award for screenwriting at Slamdance. Damian has also worked as a freelance screenwriter, director and UPM on several commercials, music videos and shorts over the years including ‘Children For A Day'(2008), which finished up a successful festival run in 2010, winning a slew of awards. The last feature film he wrote and directed, the holiday comedy/drama ‘The Heroes Of Arvine Place'(2012), was shot in Jacksonville, Fl. and also had a very strong festival run, winning several awards and was picked up for distribution and released in December of 2014 on Blu-Ray and multiple online platforms. In July of 2014, Lahey wrote and directed the short comedy/horror piece ‘Soccer Moms In Peril’ in Los Angeles, which had its world premiere at Dances With Films in Hollywood in June of 2015. It recently finished a successful festival run, even winning a Jury Award at the prestigious Indie Memphis Film Festival and best comedy/horror film at The Chicago Horror Film Festival. Damian kicked off 2016 shooting another short film, ‘District Quarantine’ in Los Angeles, which was recently completed and will begin its festival run in 2017. Damian is currently in pre-production on another short film, ‘Captain Traer Smiles At The Stars’ which will shoot in Los Angeles in February of 2017. That will complete a trilogy of genre short films titled ‘Three Slivers Of The Moon’ which all feature star Tarah DeSpain, Damian’s long time cinematographer Tarina Van Den Driessche, sound designer Joshua Chase and editor, co-producer and all around collaborator Craig Moorhead. We hope you enjoy this exciting and entertaining chat!