White Dog

In continuation of their fine Masters of Cinema series, Eureka Video is releasing Samuel Fuller's forgotten controversial title White Dog on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 31st March.

Fuller's film from 1980 tells the story of a white dog who when taken in by a would-be Hollywood starlet Julie Sawyer (Kristy McNichol) after hitting him one night, realises that her new best friend only seems to like people of a certain skin colour.  The dog is called a white dog (despite its white Alsatian breeding) because it has been trained to bark, sneer and even kill black people.

Julie takes the dog to a specialist trainer called Keys (Paul Winfield), himself a black man who attempts to train the racism out of the dog through aversion therapy and feeding it hamburgers from his black hand.

There are obstacles as with any psychological evaluation, one jail break from the dog one night results in him chasing a black man and killing him in a church.  The symbolism was never lost on Fuller.  Yet we never see the full bloody gore of the attack, the barking and biting is all done in the edit, and Winfield conveys the full horror of the assault through his look alone.  Fuller holds on Keys when he comes across the body in the church and in a long take, allows Winfield to show us the horror in his eyes.

Winfield a stalwart of American prime-time television throughout the 1980s and 90s was one of those amazing well-spoken black actors of this era along with James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams and Carl Weathers; all men of integrity and intelligence without resorting to physical domination in mark contrast to say Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

Fuller who wrote the screenplay with a young Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential), made a taut and tight thriller that is small on exposition but helped by a stellar cast who do a lot with limited roles and create a world of fear and the unknown due to the odd nature of the canine attacker.

The film was vilified upon completion and not granted a release due to the supposed sensationalist nature of the material and a NAACP fear that the film would stoke up racist violence and allow racists to train racist dogs.  The film was essentially shelved and following the upheaval surrounding the two and four hour cuts of his World War Two opus The Big Red One (1980), Fuller was all but done in Hollywood.

The film is not racist but instead an exploration of the creation of racism and the handling of it.  The story is about a white girl who seeks help from a black man.  Told with the thrilling use of close-ups on McNichol to convey her fear and worry, and editing expertly to convey the rage within the white dog of the title.

Ripe for a re-appraisal from one of the unheralded masters of American cinema, White Dog is a brilliant evocation of racism and psychology dealt with intelligence and finesse.

White Dog is out on Blu-Ray and DVD from Eureka Video on Monday 31st March

Watch a trailer of White Dog here

Salvo

First seen on these shores during the 2013 London Film Festival when nominated for the prestigious Sutherland Trophy for debut feature film.  Salvo is visceral and dynamic bow by Italian pair Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza gains a theatrical release from Peccadillo Pictures on 21st March.

Salvo (Saleh Bakri) is the name of a Mafia hit-man in Sicily, Italy who is one of the best in the business as seen by the opening sequence when he takes out would-be aggressors.  His next big job involves him killing a rival clan.  During the job, he encounters a blind girl, Rita (Sara Serraiocco) who stands innocently by as Salvo kills her brother.  What follows is a morality tale between the two during intense exchanges, as Salvo becomes aware of his life's work and Rita becomes accustomed to her captor who spares her life and for both the journey together becomes one about redemption.

Shot on location in their hometown of Palermo, the directing duo bring a real sense of place and location to the action helped by growing up in the vicinity of the action.  The Mafia in Sicily is so prevalent to everyday life, the pair knowingly incorporate the myth and legend of the mafia into the story; the fear they hold over all who they surround is paramount.

Tellingly though, for a generic film of Mafia's built around the tropes of violence and action this film is slighter and softer; the eponymous hit-man is very methodical and deliberate in his actions which helps create an aura of mystique about him and a world of enclosure.
 
Bakri's performance of near muteness is a wonder here, his towering presence helping establish the solitary individual in his role; reminiscent of Clint Eastwood's famous Man with no Name and even Javier Bardem's performance as Chigurh in No Country for Old Men.

It is rare for a first time film to take such care in the construction of an aural landscape, the use of a particular Italian song when Salvo first intrudes Rita's house is a cleverly harked back to by the film's conclusion.

The sound design by Guillaume Sciama is exemplary and the script by Grassadonia and Piazza is first rate, conveying a sense of purpose for the lead characters without resorting to cheap narrative tricks and treating an audience with as much respect as they pay to their characters along with the situation they find themselves in.

Calling cards carry bombast, however the Italian pair have taken great pains to facilitate the world of isolation that both Salvo and Rita find themselves in; and the deliberate disruption of audience in terms of aurality and seeing and not seeing pays dividends.  Debuts can be clever, but rarely are they as intelligent and immersive as this.

Salvo (12A) is out on Friday 21st March from Peccadillo Pictures

www.peccapics.com

Labor Day - preview

 

Labor Day is the fifth feature film of director Jason Reitman who has received critical acclaim for his work on Thank You For Smoking and then promoting to the Hollywood stratosphere with the double whammy of Oscar-winning Juno and then Up In the Air.

Reitman has always had an ability to do films indebted to the script and the dialogue between characters that drive the plot and narrative of the picture.  However, in Labor Day he has adapted a book by Joyce Maynard, which tells the story of a fugitive Frank (Josh Brolin) who is harbored by a single mother Adele (Kate Winslet) and her son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) for a few days.  The initial fear of Frank slowly subsides as he takes on the position of parent and husband in the home, creating a nuclear family and fills the void for each individual.

As shown here in a brief scene, the need to stay outweighs Frank's need to flee:
http://youtu.be/urXtl-CwWqU

The film appears to be a slow-down for Reitman whose films are full of movement, people on the move or people wanting to leave their natural habitat.  Here, Frank needs to keep moving however, the overwhelming need to remain and feel needed causes a requirement to stay put. Reitman though is adapt at creating a picture of small-town life and community take for instance the high school world of Juno and Charlize Theron's return to her hometown in Young Adult.

Yet this is Reitman's first attempt at an out and out dramatic picture, although the film did not garner much attention during Oscar season (a first for a Reitman picture) it nevertheless from the trailer does give an indication of a well acted piece as expected with two purple patch actors like Brolin and Winslet.

For a brief interview with the cast and crew, follow this link 

Labor Day is out on Friday 21st March at selected cinemas

www.LaborDayMovie.com 

Get tough on diving

Somewhere lost in another pulsating Premier League weekend where we had Jose Mourinho dismissed from the touch line after his player Ramires' awful tackle at Villa Park, Vincent Kompany kicking a wall at Hull after letting Nikita Jelavic give him the slip and where the top four teams - Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal - remain four points apart meaning an end that will not be matched for several years.

Lost amongst all this were two examples of diving that further showed that it is near impossible for referees to get it right all the time and how the Football Association are failing to combat the persistent problem of simulation and diving in football.

The conduct do both Daniel Sturridge and George Boyd created flash points in the games that they were involved in and should lead to disciplinary proceedings.

This writer is calling on an independent panel to be employed by the Premier League and in unison with the FA to sit on Monday mornings and dish out retrospective suspensions on players that warrant such attention.

Daniel Sturridge's simulation occurred in the penalty area and led to the award of
Liverpool's 3rd penalty of the match at Old Trafford versus Manchester United. The sheer pace of Sturridge led to Nemanja Vidic diving in. At full speed there appears to be contact and looks a stonewall penalty, however, replays showed Sturridge has gone to ground without contact being made. It's an amazing dive yet it led to the dismissal of Vidic for a second bookable offence. Justice was somewhat served in that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard missed the penalty keeping the score 2-0, yet Liverpool did eventually win 3-0.

However, I am sure the referee Mark Clattenburg will feel he has been duped by Sturridge, yet because he has only booked Vidic and not dismissed him for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity the chances of the referee rescinding the card is slim.

This is where said tribunal can come to the fore and rule that Vidic's second yellow be rescinded and not serve a suspension. As for Sturridge they can rule that his conduct is unsporting behaviour and he should serve a one-match suspension. If that is the case, Liverpool lose a vital player for the title run-in and if that is the case such a suspension should act as a deterrent to players like Sturridge.
The tribunal can also act in retrospect for players who are booked for simulation, and rule that upon reflection maybe the booking was harsh.

Referees require help, goal-line technology is helping but such procedures of reviews of decisions will help the elite referees get better and obviously will work as a merit table. If some referees' decisions are always getting attention then maybe they are not cut out for the big games.

As for Boyd, it was symptomatic of an odd refereeing performance by Lee Mason. He sent off Kompany correctly, missed a red card tackle by Elmohamady on David Silva and also missed the simulation by George Boyd. Because Mr. Mason missed Boyd going to ground easily, a clearly infuriated Joe Hart berated Boyd and even put his head into Boyd's. On another day, another referee would have dismissed England's goalkeeper - yet the lack of action upon Boyd meant Hart felt compelled to have his say. Joe Hart got booked for adopting an aggressive attitude and his yellow cannot be elevated to a red as it maybe should; yet if Hart was suspended should not Boyd for such a blatant act of simulation. Boyd is not a regular and he missing a game would hurt his chances of remaining in the club.

Another thing to note is that the media so enamoured with goals and the spectacular were more reflective upon the domination of Liverpool over the current English champions (and rightly so), should really address the issue of diving with the club's managers. Whilst praise for Brendan Rodgers is correct, why not one question about the conduct of his striker? Too often an excuse is 'he is not that sort of player' and yet his actions clearly state the contrary; managers need to apologise and say their star players should play honestly as this trickles down to all levels of grass roots football.

Loss of Root a problem

The unfortunate news that Joe Root will miss the World Twenty20 Cup in Bangladesh for England, is another blow in a cruel winter for England following the debacle of the Ashes tour in Australia.

Root sustained the injury batting during his maiden ODI century in Antigua last week.  The character Root showed in completing the milestone was in stark contrast to the boyish image of innocence we have become accustomed to.  Root was one of the few English batsmen to not show timidity to the Australian bowlers, however like all his colleagues he had no answer to the onslaught.

Yet the loss of Root does not deny England a settled batsmen in a line-up and the alternative to the absent Jonathan Trott, the loss of Root's ability to bowl vital overs of off-spin in the sub-continent in unison with James Tredwell and Stephen Parry.

England utilised Root in the 50 over matches versus the West Indies opening the bowling giving him four overs to stem the flow of runs at the start of the opponents innings, and by and large it worked with Root taking a wicket in each match.

Now the option of Root opening the bowling also helped to hide Stuart Broad's bothersome knee injury by not having the captain bowl his full quota.  Now England need to find an alternative.

Luckily, there is one in the squad in Moeen Ali who bats at the top of the order and also offers leg spin. Ali will probably bat at 3 with the Nottinghamshire pair of Alex Hales and Michael Lumb established atop the order. Ail is a left-hander who can rotate the strike.

A criticism of England's innings is that they too often look for a big shot and face off too many dot balls.  The unexciting Samuel Badree bowled 16 dot balls yet gained three wickets. 16 dot balls out of 24 balls bowled, quite astounding.

England seem to rely too much on their seam attack, yet they need to establish a criteria and gameplan here in the Caribbean for the sub-continent. Pick two seamers, now Dernbach and Bresnan following Broad's injury and supplement with Tredwell (who bowled tidily), Parry, Ali as well as the slower medium pace of Ravi Bopara who was most impressive with his wicket to wicket bowling that frustrated the Windiest batsmen.

Expect an XI of Hales, Lumb, Ali, Stokes (who can bowl but looks worn-out) Morgan, Buttler, Bopara, Bresnan, Parry, Tredwell and Dernbach.

England have called up Ian Bell as Root's replacement as a man of experience, however, it is unlikely Bell will play as he does not have the power required and offers no bowling option.

Joe Root has been mocked in some quarters for his boyish glee and impishness, yet like most players of quality and talent, when they are absent you miss them all that much more

Kieran Evans: Bafta Winner

Last night, Kieran Evans won a BAFTA for Most Outstanding Debut by a British Director, Producer or Writer for his work on the critically acclaimed Kelly + Victor a love story based on the original novel by Niall Griffiths set in Liverpool and featuring two stand out turns by Antonio Campbell-Hughes and Julian Morris. Evans adapted the book into the screenplay for which he directed the film also.

The young director afforded me the chance to answer some questions about the gestation of the film, and from the answers I hope you get a sense of how intelligent and thoughtful an artist he is.

What drew you to the original source material?
Ten years ago, I'd just finished work on Finisterre, a film about London that I'd made with my friend Paul Kelly. Janine Marmot, (producer of Kelly+Victor) had seen it at the onedotzero Festival and had seen some of my promos and short film work and approached me to see if I was interested in moving in to features. Which I was! We talked a lot about the type of films I liked and what I wanted to make and Janine advised me to look for subjects with a twist or stories with a Welsh angle. So I went off for a few months to research some ideas and search out some stories that might appeal. I was a big fan of Niall's first two novels Grits and Sheepshagger and had been talking to BBC Wales about making a short film about him so I got hold of his number and got in touch. We met up and got on really well, so much so we skipped on the film about him and started working on an original short film idea called 'Wanderlust'. Whilst we were developing it, Niall gave me an advance copy of his new novel Kelly + Victor to take on holiday with. Due to the subject matter, it was hardly a light holiday read but over the course of that week, the writing was so vivid and the characters drawn so well that i slowly got immersed in the story. I must have read it at least three times, each time being drawn more and more in to who Kelly + Victor were and why they did what they did. Images started flying around in my head and i just couldn't stop thinking about it so as soon as i got back to London, I phoned Janine to say i may have found the story I wanted to tell. She read it the next day and thankfully felt the same way about it...and so the journey began...

Did Niall Griffiths offer any input into your screenplay?

Niall and myself initially worked on breaking down the novel  in to a workable framework, creating a list of golden rules we agreed must be retained from the novel when we adapted and what we felt we could jettison. Once we had these elements in place, we began work on the first draft of the script together. We spent a lot of time on that first draft, partly just working out a system that worked for us both but after five months we had something resembling a first draft.

There was then quite a lot of work to be done on the second draft and Niall's availability became a problem as he needed to start writing his next novel. So we agreed I would take up the reins and carry on with developing and writing the script alone whilst Niall continued in a more advisory role, essentially becoming my script supervisor. Every step of the way, Niall was around and about so I could bounce ideas off him and run various sections of the script past him. 

Was it always an intention to use Liverpool as a character in the film- showing the light/dark side of a city in comparison to the light/dark of the story? 

One of the golden rules that Niall and myself drew up at the start of the scripting process was that the film could not be set anywhere other than Liverpool as the book was obviously set there. Over the years there were a few funding opportunities offered if we shifted the story to another city but there was something in the character and atmosphere of Liverpool that gave it that extra special something and so we stuck to our guns. Liverpool itself has this incredible rich cultural and trading history and was a real trading powerhouse in Victorian times, second only to London with wealthy philanthropists building museums and parks in giving something back to the city. Sadly over time, the city has slipped from its position of power and status in to a tragic crumbling state, punished by successive Tory governments to a point that it's a shell of its former glorious self.

So what you have now is an uneasy friction between outlandish office and apartment developments down by the regenerated Albert Dock area and some of the most deprived council estates and dilapidated housing conditions within ten minutes walk of those steel spires. Confronted with all that informed me so much of what to focus on and where to point the camera. But what people also don't seem to realise is how close to nature Liverpool is. You've got incredible swathes of coastline and marshland hugging its edges. Across the Mersey you have the ferry terminals and crumbling docks of The Wirral on one side and huge tracts of mud flats that provides a sanctuary for birds and wildlife on the other. It's all these incredible opposites that provided so much inspiration and ideas for how to capture Liverpool. That and the amazing local knowledge of location manager Tom Harnick.

 

How much rehearsal time did you spend with Antonia and Julian?

We spent about a week to ten days rehearsing up in Liverpool prior to shooting. That helped a lot due to the intense shooting schedule we were faced with. What was great was seeing the chemistry between them grow and develop over this period and really start to build the characters of Kelly + Victor.

Both put in brave performances, how much praise do you have for them?

I have such huge respect for Antonia and Julian and their commitment to the film. They were incredibly focussed, driven and passionate collaborators to be honest. We worked day in, day out on their roles and their approach to scenes. It was an incredibly rewarding experience as a director and made the job so much easier.

The sex scenes at times are difficult to watch. How much of your role as director was in the editing suite, for example, the scarring scene when we see Victor screaming and yet you use the soundtrack for effect?

I started my career in film as a trainee editor on a number of features and witnessed first hand how films can come alive in the edit suite. For me, everything comes together in the edit and it's the most exciting part of the process when ideas finally get realised and sequences really start to sing. It's especially so when you start playing with the soundtrack and start putting music and fx up against picture. Two film-makers I greatly admire are David Lynch and Nic Roeg who have always used sound as part of the storytelling process and they certainly influenced me and my thinking when approaching how to frame the story with sound in certain parts of Kelly + Victor. 

The approach I had for the scarring scene was very much an idea I had on set. As we prepped to shoot the scene, I just felt that we didn't really need to see Kellys actions or focus too much on what she was physically doing to Victor. My gut instinct told me it was more a case of seeing Victors physical reaction and the pain he was experiencing so I made a conscious decision to build the scene around a low angle on Julian's face as he writhed and bucked around in pain on the living room floor. What I thought might make it more powerful was if his screams slowly slip away in the mix so we can see what's happening but can't exactly hear it. Almost making it feel quite voyeuristic, as if we the audience were hearing his screams through an adjacent wall or from another room. We played around with a few treatments and ideas with Steve Fanagan the sound designer, working through a number of approaches and experiments on the sequence until we arrived at what we felt sounded right.  There was a lot of subtle changes to the mix that made a huge difference to how the scene played out. I remember spending an hour just playing with loads of sub frequencies and low end passes to get that dulled, distant treatment we wanted for Victors screaming. If it was hard to watch, it was harder to get it to sound right but we all knew when we had got it just right with that scene.. When we played it back in the dubbing suite to the producers, there was a rather large collective intake of breath at the end followed by a very long silence. I think that said it all. 

Can you comment on the role of funding from Film Agency Wales and Irish Film Board? 

Myself and Janine started work on developing Kelly + Victor over nine years ago and over that time we went through a number of changes in the films development funding. Luckily we had a quite few supporters of the project at Film Agency Wales who stuck with us through thick and thin and got us to the point of production funding. It was then that the Irish Film Board also came on board and provided the other half of the financing. The film would never have been made without the support from both of those funding bodies. We were extremely lucky to have a group of people who believed in the project and committed to making it the way we wanted. 

How has your life changed since the theatrical release?

Having a film released theatrically certainly gives you opportunities to get yourself out there and promote your work. Its a great calling card especially in the States and certainly does open doors to finally meet with people rather than just continually knock on them.

Other than that, nothing much has changed yet to be honest. There lots of exciting discussions and possible opportunities on the horizon with new film projects but for now I'm just carrying on trying to make the type of films I want to make and work with people I admire. If I can do that, I'll be happy.

Were you happy with the critical response to the film?

When I set out to make a feature, I wanted to tell a story that could move and startle the viewer. With the subject matter and areas we were exploring in Kelly + Victor, I always knew the film would divide people and their opinions so I was pretty certain some people would dislike  or reject the premise of the film. On the other hand I was also very confident that some people would really empathise with the story and be moved by it.  I think deep down, what I really wanted the film to do was connect with an audience and I think it has. Some of the reviews have been incredible and the response from people who've gone to see it has been wonderful. It's a film that's definitely touched a nerve. I'm not sure what else 

Were you surprised by your Bafta nomination for Outstanding Debut?

To put it bluntly....yes! It's a wonderful feeling to be nominated, especially when I think about how long its taken to get the film to the screen. For me the nomination is recognition for everyone who supported the film over the years and helped bring Kelly + Victor to the screen. Without them, I wouldn't be here now. 

What are you working on currently?

I've got two fiction and one documentary features lined up that are all in advanced stages of development which is very exciting. I can't talk too much about any of them due to usual contractual gubbins. The documentary is something I've been developing for over a year and revolves around leftfield electronic music and an artist I greatly admire. It's a real passion project and it's something I've been dying to make for a long time. Both fiction features are completely different in tone, style and subject matter to K+V. One is an adaptation of a wonderful book that I came across just as I finished shooting Kelly+Victor. I chased the option for quite some time and roped in quite a few people to help get it to the development stage so fingers crossed we're now in a position to move forward with it. It's an exciting step up, touching on meta-physical and supernatural themes but still very much character and story driven. The second is based on a tragic true event and centres around an inspirational character. The subject is very close to my heart as it's got a strong Welsh element to it. It's a very different challenge due to the decade when these events occurred and the location where most of the film is set but again the characters are so well drawn and story definitely needs to be told, I couldn't help but fall in love with the script. That's about all i can say for now. Fingers crossed 2014 is a green light type of year!

Kelly + Victor is out now on DVD from Viva Verve pictures

Penthouse North

 

Out on DVD from 3rd February, Penthouse North is a slicker than usual B-movie film that tells the story of a blind woman who does not know the truth about her boyfriend and how they can afford such a great penthouse apartment in New York City.

The action takes place over one New Years Eve night and our heroine played with great finesse by he beautiful Michelle Monaghan (Mission Impossible 3 and Source Code) as Sara, a war photographer coming to terms with the loss of her vision.  On NYE in NYC she runs some errands, comes home and realises there is an intruder in her home, Chad (Barry Sloane).  Her ailment obviously makes her unaware until she comes across her dead boyfriend; this is a wonderful scene as she walks round the prone body and only comes aware of his fate when she slips in a pool of his blood.

Sara overcomes Chad and escapes her building and when seeking help she encounters the charming Hollander played by Michael Keaton (who appears in Robocop out this Friday). However, after a brief period of calm we realise Chad and Hollander are in cahoots.

Exposition allows the criminals to explain they are after cash and diamonds, meaning they trash the place and hope the disposable boyfriend had told Sara where the money is situated in the flat.  The film then descends into a cat and mouse game between the blind girl and the two criminals.  We get the criminals descend into madness as they try to one-up each other.

The discovery of the diamonds is handled with great aplomb in one of the few original moments of the film.  That is he unfortunate nature of the screenplay, try as the capable actors do to elevate their one-dimensional characters.

However, due to the vulnerability of Sara you sense no harm will come onto her from Hollander.  The films conclusion harkens back to the days of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.. as the heroine gets the rewards and the spoils.

Whilst this is a B movie, it is a gripping serviceable affair and seeing Keaton on the screen is always a pleasure.

Penthouse North is out on DVD from Image Entertainment now for £12.99 on DVD and £15.99 Blu-Ray