It’s another edition of FilmBuff Guests! To support today’s digital release of John Turturro’s Passione we welcome Production Manager Camilla Fava del Piano as a guest writer. Camilla tells a tale from the set of Passione. Check back soon for some more exclusive Passione coverage including an interview with Turturro himself and a collection of his best performances.
Most people don’t expect to walk into a silent film these days, but The Artist is winning over audiences and critics alike. Who needs voices to convey the power of their great screenplay anyway?
Often times we get so wrapped up in the music produced by and the massive hype around some of our favorite artist that we fail to see them as real people. We expect them to be flawless robots whose only mission on earth is to keep our heads bobbing and cranking out our favorite hits.
A good soundtrack can sometimes make or break a movie. Songs are often memory triggers—like that one you and your (in)significant other danced to that now makes you feel bitter when you hear it. As such, a song that perfectly expresses the emotion of a scene in a movie better than any dialogue is made that much more sou-stirring when the protagonist himself is performing it.
This month’s VOD release of Mr. Nice stars Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, better known to the younger generations as Xenophilus Lovegood in the Harry Potter [...]
George Clinton nailed it, “We need the Funk, we gotta have that funk.” Funk music is one genre that is undeniably true to it’s name. It is a style of music that inspires the most unbridled movement. It’s pure spontaneity; free flowing and without boundaries or limitations.
It’s another edition of FilmBuff Guests! To support today’s digital release of John Turturro’s “Passione” we welcome Production Manager Camilla Fava del Piano as a guest writer. Camilla tells a tale from the set of Passione. Check back soon for some more exclusive “Passione” coverage including an interview with Turturro himself and a collection of his best performances.
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When you’re a production manager you have to prepare everything in the best way. You scout the location, you call the crew, you bring the cameras and the props. Don’t forget, you also have to help the director get the shot the way he or she wants it.
There’s only one thing that doesn’t depend on you, but it can ruin everything. It’s bad luck, but in Napoli we call it “a’ciorta.”
So when “a’ciorta” decides to be against you, there’s simply nothing you can do.
“Canto delle Lavandaie del Vomero” is the oldest song in the history of Neapolitan culture and it was so essential to get it right for the movie. But, because it’s so old, the location we chose was also ancient, the “Piscina Mirabilis,” a cistern dug into a cliffside, 50 ft deep. Dark and cavernous, we needed a lot of lights to get perfect cinematography.
We were absolutely ready, we had extra lights and electricians coming from Rome, and even if it was raining that day, we were working as usual very hard, so everything seemed to go well.
But then “a’ciorta” came to visit us, descending upon the produciton in the form of a broken without-any-logical-reason generator. We called immediately to have an other working one, but in the meanwhile we had to wait, with no possibilities to shoot anything.
Instead of crying on each other’s shoulders or freaking out, Antonio, our sound recorder, put on a song. John simply started to sing, then the crew followed him and Antonio until the new generator arrived and we started to work again.
That’s the day I realized our director certainly had some Neapolitan blood in him.
Happy Thursday! Did you know it’s best to read up on a film before you watch it? Most people don’t expect to walk into a silent film in 2012. However, audiences today have been unleashing their LOUD opinions on the frustrations silence brings. The Artist won the Golden Globe for ”Best Picture Comedy/Musical,” proving that silence is sometimes golden. Who needs voices to convey a great screenplay? Here are the links we like:
Check out today’s trailer in COLOR: Will Ferrell in Español. Yahoo! Movies
Shocked that people have not realized The Artist is a silent film? So are we. Moviefone
Kristin Wiig is becoming a hot Hollywood power player. Moviefone
Space opera vs. Black ops….it’s funnier when you click. Moviefone
Mark Wahlberg thinks his life is an action movie. Nerve
9 films will be narrowed to 5 for the Oscar category Best Foreign Language film. Indiewire
Often times we get so wrapped up in the music produced by and the massive hype around some of our favorite artist that we fail to see them as real people. We expect them to be flawless robots whose only mission on earth is to keep our heads bobbing and cranking out our favorite hits.
For better or worse, it can be hard to see musicians beyond their talent…until now. No, no friends, today we are looking at movie musicians, real and fake, where the story shows the human behind the artist. See if these films remind you to try not to rip off the clothes of your favorite artist next time they’re in town. Or, at least we can hope these films will help you with that problem.
Selena
Starring a young Jennifer Lopez as real life Mexican American singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, this film looks upon her very short life, and the effect she had on the latin music scene. Pre-J-Lo status, Jennifer dazzled in this role and gave Selena a depth beyond her known popularity with fans. Easily seen by diehard fans as a martyr and the face of mainstream Latin music in the U.S., Selena explores the woman who started as a non-Spanish speaking Texan and turned into a woman embraced by all cultures. Although Selena is credited as the top selling Latin artist AND the best selling Latin artist of her decade, she has a life story that transcends far beyond her musical career. It’s hard to believe she died at the age of 23.
Trigger
From romantic to life long friendships, relationships between members of a band are complex. In Trigger, the filmmaker tackles these complexities by exploring the relationship of two childhood friends who became ex-band mates, Kat and Vic. Keep in mind that we use the term “ex-band mates” very loosely being that Kat and Vic are actually fictional characters brought to life by actors Molly Parker and Tracy Wright. Surprising? We know. It’s true that music is what reunites these ex-rockers, but it is Parker and Wright’s performances that carries Trigger. The two rocked out on stage with such charisma and confidence that they oozed of experience, which made the band even more believable and seem all too familiar.
The Runaways
A movie named for the real life band that consisted of punk rockers Joan Jett and Cherie Currie (hmmm…Trigger’s inspiration?), this film recreates their Japanese tour during 1975. We see the youthful Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) and Jett (played by Kristen Stewart) on the rise. But it’s the stars of the film, Fanning and Stewart, who really dug deep and channeled their inner “Cherry Bombs.” From their rocker I-don’t-give-a-what mannerisms to their spot on performances as Cherie and Joan, Fanning and Stewart give us the inner demons of these leaders of the punk rock movement.
Check out a pretty interesting clip below!
Pssssst… Did you catch Kristen hitting that girl in the head with the can? Hehehe!
Sid and Nancy
This one is so interesting that we are going to give you the clip before our thoughts…
Okay, before you ask, yes, the film is just as crazy as the clips look. Sid and Nancy give off the messy, care free and… well, the I don’t-give-a-what attitude!
Although the film is about the Sex Pistols member Sid, the movie focuses less on Sid the artist and more on Sid the young man as he gets involved in a destructive relationship. A younger Gary Oldman (yes, Sirius Black!) plays the troubled artist with Chloe Webb as his leading lady Nancy. As you may (or may not) have been able to tell from the clip, Sid and Nancy were pretty explosive together—in fact, they were so overwhelming for each other that their relationship ultimately ended in death. Webb and Oldman had such great chemistry that it couldn’t help but evoke the real life damage these two legends had inflicted upon each other.
So what do you think ‘Buffs, did we nail this list? Or did we miss some? Hit us below!
A good soundtrack can sometimes make or break a movie. Songs are often memory triggers—like that one you and your (in)significant other danced to that now makes you feel bitter when you hear it. As such, a song that perfectly expresses the emotion of a scene in a movie better than any dialogue is made that much more soul-stirring when the protagonist himself is performing it. Now, what makes said movie giggle inducing is when said frontman is seemingly perpetually moody, dragging that guitar and/or microphone around as if it were a two-ton weight (or their heart). These five films are led by such dudes: driven by their dread—but driven nonetheless—and making us all depressed by the end of the movie, the men below—a washed-up country star, an anonymous loner and a paranoid hermit-glam-rock star—are quite entertainingly emotional.
David Ramirez as David in Between Notes
FilmBuff itself championed this underdog of a film in which a recently dumped full-time advertising marketer and aspiring singer/songwriter meets a demure and elusive fellow musician named Annie, and they set off on a weird and psuedo-profound journey. They communicate in the perfectly artistic-existential way: no Facebook, no phones, just notes left at the same cute spot in the same cute park. David spends many hours in his loft—when his goofy, wannabe-chef roommate isn’t around—noodling on his guitar and crafting a song that sifts through the film’s soundtrack. He broods till the very end, but beautifully so.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Brian Slade in Velvet Goldmine
In this Todd Haynes-penned-and-directed kaleidoscope of technicolor, Brian Slade wanders and wavers in a Bowie circa Ziggy Stardust kind of way. Slade’s moodiness is evident in his dramatic rejection of a public life. He utterly and seemingly out of nowhere retreats from the public due to fear of being assassinated (or something) on stage. This disappearing act seems to be a career-ending one, but viewers are treated to a tracing of Slade’s tearfulness as a journalist who attempts to track Slade down winds us back through his career—the only career that someone living in the world of 70s rock could live—a beautifully theatrical, histrionic one.
Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart
Otis “Bad” Blake is like every legendary troubled rocker rolled into one. The man’s not just a country artist—he’s a country song all by himself. Weary and worn and looking back on a long-lost career and a long list of wives, Blake’s pain emanates from his voice and guitar in waves. He also meets a lovely woman that may in fact be the impetus he needs to get on the road to recovery—what moody musician’s story would be complete without an object of affection to gaze at with melanchol?
So what do you think of our choices for not-so-cheerful musical leads? Let us know below!
This month’s VOD release of Mr. Nice stars Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, better known to the younger generations as Xenophilus Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. But what they, and maybe most people, don’t know is that Ifans used to be the lead singer of the band Super Furry Animals. He traded rock ‘n’ roll for the big screen, and we have to say his career has been flourishing since. That got us thinking about other rockers who have made a (relatively) successful transition to cinema as well.
David Bowie as Andy Warhol in Basquiat (1996)
Though not the main protagonist of the film, Bowie discovers the street artist Basquiat and introduces him to the supposed glamorous art lifestyle. Bowie seems to resonate Warhol pretty well in this drama based on the actual artist’s short life.
Taking a step back from her usual center-stage roles, Madonna is a member of the all-female baseball team. She has great chemistry with on screen bestie Rosie O’Donnell, and the Material Girl actually played a convincing athlete. But last year a letter she had sent to a friend while she was filming appeared, and revealed her more diva-like opinions.
As Helen Hunt’s abusive ex-husband in the film, Mr. Bon Jovi delves well into the role. If there’s any role fit for a rockstar, it’d be that of a drunkard, right? His role is pretty minor, though anything but forgettable.
Will Smith as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)…and pretty much anything else
It’s easy to forget that Smith was once the “Fresh Prince” with his string of box office hits in the last two decades. One of his best dramatic roles was as Chris Gardner, a father down and out on his luck, in this true tale. One of the most memorable scenes is when he defies expectations with a Rubik’s Cube. Though he’s been more of the action star of this century, we’re glad to see musical artists so versatile in the arts.
What other rockstars and singers-turned-actors come to mind for you guys? Which kicked off great careers and which bombed entirely (Britney Spears, we’re looking at you)? Sound off below!
George Clinton nailed it, “We need the Funk, we gotta have that funk.” Funk music is one genre that is undeniably true to it’s name. It’s a style of music that inspires the most unbridled movement. It’s pure spontaneity; free flowing and without boundaries or limitations. And that’s the music, and the movement. Rising up in the early 1970′s, the funk phenomenon was on the fast track to taking over the nation. That is, until disco debuted and blew funk to the backseat. It’s a shame really, that we didn’t have more time to get to know funk. How nice it would have been to have funk flying through the airwaves, riding in our drop tops setting the streets alive with a beautiful medley of rhythm and blues. Well fear not feverish funk fans, (yea we know, easy on the alliteration) the beauty of music is that we can always revisit. Here are a few funk films for your soul…
Wheedle’s Groove (2009)
So Seattle may not be at the top of your list on places to see, but definitely keep it near your ear. The Seattle soul movement was cut down too soon before it had the chance to really take off. With some of the most unique and inspiring talent around the country, Wheedle’s Groove explores one DJ’s journey to bring funk back to the forefront, culminating in a new school vs old school bash that you’ll want to hear and see.
Thunder Soul (2010)
Who knew high school could be so not painful? Thunder Soul recounts the amazing story of a Houston based high school band that went from homecoming shows to funk powerhouse, all under the direction of their band leader Conrad “Prof” Johnson. Fast forward some 30 odd years and the band comes back together to pay tribute to their leader, a man who changed not just their style as musicians, but their future as individuals.
Standing in the Shadows (2002)
The band behind the man, The Funk Brothers were the back ups to some of Motown’s and Detroit’s biggest sensations. From Ben Harper to Bootsy Collins, The Funk Brother’s provided the bass and beats to propel some of Motown’s finest to the national stage. Standing in the Shadows explores the untold story of this talented band of brothers.
Funk music was not localized to just one city the way some other genres came about. It pulled pieces and parts from all around the nation. From Seattle to New York and everything in between, everyone and every city played a part in putting soul music on the map. Without movies to document these movements so much of their history would be lost.
What are our thoughts on funk docs? Got any betters one in mind? Hit us up below!!
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