Film - Portable.tv

Life Psycle-ology

2010-07-30T13:45:26Z

Life Pscycle-ology – the secret life of a little mobile phone from EcoInnovators on YouTube

Just as the guys behind the Toy Story franchise have made us feel collectively guilty about all the playthings we’ve abandoned over the years, the animation Life Pscycle-ology has us thinking about all the out-dated cell phones we’ve tossed away.

Director Leyla Acaroglu, of eco-minded consultancy company Eco Innovators created the short film to put a light-hearted spin on the typically doom-and-gloom nature of sustainability and environmental awareness.

Life Pscycle-ology also marks the launch of the Secret Life of Things, a world-first multimedia project exploring the hidden environmental impact of everyday objects in a comical and engaging way. Melbourne residents can catch it screening daily between 2pm and 6:30pm on the Federation Square Big Screen as part of the State of Design festival.

Meet the Mast Brothers

2010-07-29T17:38:21Z

The Mast Brothers from The Scout on Vimeo.

Mast Brothers’ chocolate factory (a ridiculously stylish, grown up version of Willy Wonka, sans spoilt children and orange skinned vertically challenged migrants from Oompa Loompa Land) is located in Brooklyn, New York. What sets them aside from any other chocolate maker in the region, and quite possibly the world, is the fact that Mast Brothers are NYC’s only ‘bean to bar’ chocolate makers. The individually handcrafted chocolates are made from cacao beans from Madagascar, Venezuela, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, personally sourced by brothers Rick and Michael Mast.

Previously the focus of various New York Times magazine articles, along with Cool Hunting) and The Selby online attention, word of The Mast Brothers whares is gaining momentum.

The brothers began the choclate label in their apartment, using a homemade machine to process cacao beans. Creating every bar by hand, the two have redefined the chocolate industry and taken it back to its historical roots when cacao beans were a precious commodity and trading tool. They assure chocolate fans that each bar created is individual and offers its own story of flavors.

The Beauty Of The Wedding Video

2010-07-29T17:35:15Z

Lauren + JP from Matt Odom on Vimeo.

It seems every man and his dog is making a crazy creative video to commemorate their big day (who could forget last year’s epic clip featuring the entire bridal party dancing down the aisle?) and this is no exception. Set to the sultry tune of Passion Pit’s Sleepyhead, it seems that Lauren and JP don’t take themselves too seriously.

Photographer and general creative-type by day Matt Odom put together the whole thing in his first foray into the world of the wedding video. We would have to say that it’s an overwhelming success and left us all with a big smile on our faces.

Here’s a question for you: what do you think of the wedding video? Cliched or super cute?

Alice Meets Machine Guns: Sucker Punch Trailer

2010-07-29T10:10:50Z

Here comes another one of those mindbending trailers which is all fancy bang-boom-crash to be sure, but leaves us wondering “what the hell is this even about?!”. Enter Sucker Punch, the brainchild of director Zack Synder (Watchmen, 300) and co-writer Steve Shibuya; an ass-kicking, rapidfire videogame/anime/action/fantasy, graphically intense and stylized to the nines in that signature Snyder style. Described by some as an Alice in Wonderland with machine guns, the plot looks something like a bunch of conveniently smokin' female protagonists (more specifically Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish and Vanessa Hudgens) who are being subjected to some kind of unpleasantness, a tenuous struggle between reality and a fantasy land of samurai, dragons and general evil-doings. And we definitely read something about song-and-dance numbers which both intrigues and concerns us. It’ll be interesting to see what madness lies within the mind of Zack Snyder in his first attempt at realizing his own creation rather than adapting an existing tale. Unfortunately you’re going to have to wait until at least March next year to judge his efforts. Meanwhile there are sure to be more explosive, perplexing teaser trailers to come.

Nick Cave attached to write The Crow screenplay.

2010-07-28T16:25:15Z

A remake of the 1994 cult film, The Crow, is apparently something that has been slated for a while now. Stephen Norrington (Blade, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) originally penned a screenplay, but I guess it must have sucked major ass, because we didn’t hear anything about it for a while, and now the film’s producer has come out and announced that Nick Cave is attached for a rewrite. For those unaware, Cave’s last feature-length script was a little film called The Proposition (2005), so it’s fair to say that the Internet is collectively crowing in positivity (“CAA! CAA!”) at the news.

Interesting sidenote #1: According to crowfans.com (hey, “there’s a market for twisted shit-fetish videos. For nipplerings. For riverdancing. For chocolate-covered roaches..”) the actress who played Sarah in the original Crow spent 23 months in prison for dealing heroin with notorious street gang, The Bloods, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Interesting sidenote #2: A few years ago, Russell Crow(e) allegedly asked Nick Cave to write a sequel to Gladiator, which included “a 20-minute war sequence that ended up in Vietnam, and then in a toilet in the Pentagon, with [Crowe] as this rage-fueled eternal warrior.” Studios apparently turned down the project due to financing issues, thus shelving potentially the greatest film to ever be produced in the ever, ever.

[via The Wrap]

A Three-Day Feature Film

2010-07-26T13:53:34Z

A message from Melbourne from James Fair on Vimeo.

A couple come to Melbourne for their second honeymoon and, after losing their luggage and hotel reservation, are forced to stay at a hostel and adventure around the city. On the surface, The Ballad of Des and Mo, “a film about love, luggage and living on the edge,” sounds like your run of the mill rom-com. It’s the way the thing’s being put together, though, that makes us sit up and take note.

British writer/director James Fair and his team of loyal helpers have spent the past year planning every detail of the production, which will take place in just 72 hours on the streets of a city which, not long ago, was totally foreign to him. “I’ve been in Melbourne a month,” James told us earlier today, “I spent my first three weeks couch-surfing and staying in hostels. I worked during the day and spent my nights meeting people and getting accustomed to the city…There were so many things that were attractive about coming to Melbourne. From things people had told me about the city and how cultural it is…it was a big draw for me.”

It was while screening Waiting and Watching – James' last 72 Hour Film Project in Berlin last year – that he was invited to re-create the experience for this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival. Since then, James has been raising funds for the project and making sure he got the script’s local specifics just right. “I was sending drafts to a script-writer in Berlin and one in Melbourne, keeping in mind the festival audience and also the Melbourne audience.”

The city’s creative types have come out en masse to offer their services to the production via the 72 Hour Film Project Facebook page. “This has been kind of a big social media adventure for me,” James says, “It’s been great- so many people are coming forward offering up music and offering costume design…85% of the crew are from Melbourne and probably about 90% of the cast. They’re all volunteers who were just excited about the project and willing to help us out…Practically every area of film-making we’ve covered with their help.”

While shooting, editing and screening a feature-length film of broadcast quality in just three days will undoubtedly be a trying exercise, James is quietly confident of his crew’s ability to pull it off. “We don’t have shadows or understudies, we won’t be changing exterior shots to interior ones on account of the weather. We’ve planned all that we can and will be surviving on adrenaline and three or four hours' sleep until we get smashed after the screening.”

That screening will be taking place at ACMI on Sunday, August 8- just three days after James calls, “Action!” Book your tickets here.

The Mother of All Inventors

2010-07-23T12:57:15Z

Mother of Invention Trailer from TheJamieBrettProject on YouTube

In the grand tradition of such mockumentary masterminds as Christopher Guest, Gervais & Merchant and Rob Reiner comes The Mother of Invention.

Co-directed by Joseph M. Petrick and Andrew Bowser, the film stars Bowser as Vincent Dooly, an aspiring inventor who dreams of snatching an annual award from his greatest competition, Martin Wooderson (played by Jimmi Simpson aka Jason Biggs' jerk roommate in Loser). It also stars Kevin Corrigan who you are likely to recognise from everything, ever.

You can buy The Mother of Invention here.

Last Minutes With Oden

2010-07-22T16:31:55Z

Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.

WARNING: This film will cause you to cry like a baby. We’re not talking about the kind of tears that trickle silently down your cheeks, there will be sobs. It will be messy. But it will make you feel good.

Eliot Rausch is a writer/director/producer with a background in design and advertising, but he shows amazing chops as a documentary filmmaker. He met Jason Wood after he raised just enough money to get his beloved dog’s leg amputated after it had been ravaged by cancer, but the disease had already spread to the rest of his body. Wood made the difficult decision to get his canine friend put down.

This film is without a doubt one of the most beautiful films we have ever seen and it turned many of us here at the Portable offices into crying messes. Dog-lover or not, it’s undeniable that we form bonds with them that are painful to sever. Oden’s impact on the life of Jason Wood is blindingly obvious. After having struggled with drug abuse in the past and also having a stint in jail, Oden marked Wood’s transition into a better life. Such is the relationship between any dog and their owner – filled with feelings of love, gratitude and an unspoken connection.

Beautifully compsed and constructed, and featuring music from Bryce Dessner and Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), the film is visually stunning and his aesthetic carries into Rausch’s other work (the equally touching Penny’s Heart and the Green Book Materials). These 3 films (and 5 yet-to-be-released gems) are set to be put together to create an 8-part feature length release by the year’s end – 8 LIVES. Keep an eye here for more details.

Now go and give your dog a cuddle

35mm: 35 Films in 2 Minutes!

2010-07-21T12:40:33Z

35mm from Felix Meyer on Vimeo.

Everybody loves those interactive play-at-home games where mom, pop and the kids or your fave selection of friends and a bottle of wine gather around the television and start screaming the answers to obscure music, film or celebrity questions, frantically bashing the Xbox controller or otherwise. Therein lies the joy of 35mm; an animated journey through film created by Sarah Biermann, Torsten Strer, Felix Meyer and Pascal Monaco, four German film buffs who have simplified 35 of their favourite films and seamlessly weaved them in this brilliant animation. So rally your opponents around the warm glow of your computer screen and see how many of these your discerning mind and film savvy can call.

The Angriest Man in the World, the Winnebago Man

2010-07-20T09:26:47Z

Ever made a blooper or a blunder and accidentally slipped out a few choice words? Are you a fan of the video sensation website Youtube? (How could you not be?) If you answered yes to these two questions, then it is possible than you may have heard of “The Winnebago Man” Jack Rebney, or as he is also infamously known as “The Angriest Man in the World”.

Ben Steinbauer brings us Winnebago Man, the latest must-see documentary. Bringing an insight into the infamous video, Winnebago Man looks as captivating as the video it is based on!

The Winnebago Man showed at last year’s South By South West Festival and also featured at last year’s Revelation Perth International Film Festival, which specialises in Independent film. It had a limited released on July 9 in the US. No date has been set for an Australian release as yet.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

2010-07-19T11:37:03Z

Not quite One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, not quite the-first-few-minutes-of-Little Miss Sunshine, the new film from writer/directors of Half Nelson Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck tackles teenage depression with a few LOLs.

Based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, It’s Kind of a Funny Story stars Keir Gilchrist (from United States of Tara) as a new patient in a mental health clinic. Funnyman and beard-owner Zach Galifianakis takes the kid under his wing in what we hope is a performance reminiscent of Steve Carell’s in Little Miss Sunshine. There’s little we like more than an outrageous comedian making a successful switch in a brilliant dramatic film. Come oooonnnnnn, Galifianakis!

It’s Kind of a Funny Story is slated for release in September.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut in Jack Goes Boating

2010-07-16T12:42:06Z

Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is best known for his turn in the biopic about Truman Capote in 2005. Between then and now he’s been busy with a number of projects, none more exciting than Jack Goes Boating, his first film from behind the camera. Starring himself alongside Amy Ryan (who we, with a squeal of delight, recognised as The Office alum Holly Flax), John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jack Goes Boating is the story of love and friendship surrounding two couples in New York.

Due for release in September, Jack Goes Boating looks as if it might help its director along to that elusive second Academy Award. Stay tuned for more info.

Peaches (the artist, not the fruit) launches new short film video

2010-07-15T11:50:33Z

The original and the best bad-girl of the alt-music scene, Peaches (or Merrill Beth Nisker to her mother) has released the video for her track Show Stopper. The 11th track from her album I Feel Cream to get the extended video treatment (Mud is the only one waiting now), Show Stopper’s video is a kind of mockumentary about life on the road and a day in the life of Peaches, a notoriously difficult subject.

Following an unassuming massage therapist and her ill-fated massage table, director Caroline Sascha Cogez (Dancer In The Dark) sheds a kooky light on the enigma that is Peaches with the standout line coming from the woman herself after being asked by a male journalist whether or not she’s a lesbian: “Sometimes. Are you?”

With the track almost being secondary to the clip, maybe Peaches is onto something with her approach to the music video. Check out her youtube channel for more.

SNEAK PEAK: The House That Drips Blood On Alex

2010-07-14T18:16:48Z

Tommy Wiseau has released a sneak preview of his upcoming short film, The House That Drips Blood On Alex(featured below). Wiseau, a native New Orleanian with a somewhat misleading thick European accent, rose to fame in 2003 with The Room– a feature film he wrote, directed and starred in. He also made a guest appearance in Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show, Great job and is seen as quasi odd-ball, quasi talented Director, Writer, Producer, Actor?!

Little is known about the plot of The House That Drips Blood On Alex, but judging by the teaser, it’s a documentary. The rest will be revealed when the film premieres at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. A second screening is reportedly slated for Comedy Central later this year.

WARNING: This may disturb some viewers.

“Oh Hi, Mark.” – Johnny

UNRELATED FILM QUESTION
Has anyone seen the trailer for Knight & Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz? If you skip ‘til about the 2-minute mark, a gun-wielding Tom Cruise says, “Nobody follow us, or I’ll kill myself and then her.” Wat??

David Lynch Asks: Got Any Spare Change?

2010-07-14T15:11:27Z

Lynch’s Mulholland Drive

David Lynch & Co. are currently in pre-production for the third and final feature length documentary about… well… David Lynch. It’s creatively titled LYNCHthree, perhaps the bank is getting a little low because they’re turning to a “crowdfunding campaign”, which is exactly what it sounds like.

To help “involve” his fans in the “filmmaking process”, they’re asking you to donate $50 to the production of the documentary in exchange for a “limited edition collectible print, t-shirt or tote bag”. Two questions come to mind: Sure, Lynch’s inside-out back-to-front narratives and plots hold many confusing, delicious mysteries but THREE feature length films about yourself? Isn’t that a little (scratch. ridiculously) self-indulgent? And, seriously, you’re a multiple Academy Award winning director who has just finished filming a short film for Dior, and you’re asking ME for money?

For your very own tote, print or t-shirt, get out your plastic and click here

Take Home a Piece of John Hughes

2010-07-14T12:13:33Z

Don’t You Forget About Me – Official Teaser – John Hughes Documentary from MattyAustin on YouTube

In 2008, four young filmmakers jumped in a van and set out to find beloved director John Hughes, who all but disappeared from the world nine years earlier.

Along the way, they assembled memories of and praise for the man from stars of his enormous cannon of work (including The Breakfast Club’s Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson, Pretty in Pink’s Annie Potts and Andrew McCarthy and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’s Alan Ruck and Mia Sara) as well as fellow directors, like Jason Reitman and Kevin Smith, whose own work was influenced by Hughes'.

We’ve been following their journey across the United States for over a year (including the adjustments they’ve had to make following the death of the director last August) on their blog, and today we’re finally able to get our grubby paws on our own copy of Don’t You Forget About Me.

It’s available, for the time being, to residents of Canada and the United States only. You can purchase it on DVD or iTunes. More information here.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The Ticking Clock

2010-07-14T10:41:36Z

‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: A Look Inside’ Trailer 4 HD from TheHollywoodCinema on YouTube

It’s been a long time coming, but the Edgar Wright-directed, Michael Cera-starring Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is now so close we can practically smell it.

Adapted from Bryan Lee O'Malley’s beloved independent comic book series (the final instalment of which is slated for release next week), the film sees Cera’s hero fall for Ramona (Deathproof’s Mary Louise Winstead) who, in all the “nice to meet you"s and making out pleasantries, fails to mention her seven exes, each of whom Scott must defeat to win his lady love.

Wright has assembled an A-grade cast to battle our protagonist, including Chris “Captain America” Evans, Jason Schwartzman and Mae Whitman, who played Cera’s girlfriend Anne in Arrested Development.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World goes into widespread release next month.

Comic Strips to Cinema Screens: Top Five

2010-07-13T11:56:31Z

American Splendor Theatrical Trailer

“I’m Harvey Pekar.”
“That doesn’t sound like a superhero to me.”

We were very sad to hear the news this morning that Harvey Pekar, our favourite underground comic book author and curmudgeon from Cleveland, passed away yesterday. We’re big fans of Harvey’s American Splendor comic book series, as well as the 2003 part-documentary-part-biopic of the same name, with Paul Giamatti portraying our disgruntled, working class hero. To celebrate Harvey’s contribution to the way in which banal occurrences are portrayed both in graphic novels and on film, we’ve put together a Top Five list of our favourite comic book adaptations, only a couple of which feature heroes with powers or fancy gadgets.

Men in Black trailer
Men In Black, 1997, Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld. Based on the comic book by Lowell Cunningham.

After hanging up his fluoro baseball cap and saying goodbye to Bel Air, Will Smith turned his attention to saving the world. First in 1996’s Independence Day, and then in this adaptation of Lowell Cunningham’s Marvel Comics series. He proved on the film’s soundtrack, though, that Jazzy Jeff might’ve been gone, but he wasn’t ready to stop rapping just yet…

The Addams Family Movie trailer
The Addams Family Movie, 1991, Dir. by Barry Sonnenfeld. Based on the comic strip by Charles Addams.

In the 50 years it was published in the New Yorker, Charles Addams' macabre family introduced us to iconic characters like Pugsley, Wednesday, Lurch, Fester and Cousin Itt. It wasn’t until it made the switch to film (and television), though, that it created the most identifiable finger-clicking theme song in the history of bodily percussion.

Sin City Theatrical Trailer
Sin City, 2005, Dir. by Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino. Based on the comic books by Frank Miller.

With inter-connected stories spanning decades in Basin City, Robert Rodriguez manned up to a huge challenge in bringing Frank Miller’s Neo-Noir Sin City series to the big screen. Recruiting the creator as a co-director, the inventive Rodriguez pleased fans and critics alike with his violent and grim interpretation of the Dark Horse Comics classic.

Ghost World Official Trailer
Ghost World, 2001, Dir. by Terry Zwigoff. Based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes.

After directing Crumb – the revealing documentary about the comic book visionary responsible for inspiring Harvey Pekar’s early work – Terry Zwigoff didn’t stray too far from the graphic novel arena. His interpretation of Daniel Clowes' series (which is even popular with fictional characters) added a brilliant extra dimension to the books' teenage heroines, thanks to smart and sassy performances from leading ladies Thora Birch and Scarlett Johannsen.

Watchmen Trailer
Watchmen, 2009, Dir. by Zack Snyder. Based on the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore.

The only heroes of the super variety on this list are featured here, in the alternate New York City circa 1985 that DC Comics' Alan Moore created. Zack Snyder’s groundbreaking film stayed loyal to its source material and, in doing so, set a new standard for all future comic book adaptations.

The Loved Ones

2010-07-12T12:45:52Z

The Loved One – The Official Trailer from Madman Entertainment on Vimeo.

(Note: Without headphones, this video is a little NSFW)

The trailer for Australian horror film The Loved Ones has been circulating the interweb over the last few days, with many forum-contributors and comment-leavers crying “Spoiler!”.

The film is the first feature from writer-director Sean Byrne and stars Xavier Samuel, the new addition to those emo vampire movies (which is, most likely, the reason for it getting more publicity now than it did a year ago on the festival circuit), as Brent, a high school senior mourning the death of his father in a rural town. It sounds pretty grim and not unlike many Australian kitchen-sink dramas, but, having caught it at Melbourne International Film Festival last year, we can assure you it’s anything but.

The film is a satisfying mesh of grizzly violence and dark comedy, with critics describing it as a combination of Pretty in Pink and Wolf Creek. While it overflowed with enough twists to ensure our fingernails were firmly embedded in the armrests of our cinema seats, the trailer does, admittedly, ruin a handful of them. If you want to be surprised when it’s released in late September, we recommend not watching past the 25-second mark in the clip.

Everyone Says I Look Just Like Her

2010-07-09T15:33:10Z

Everyone Says I Look Just Like Her TEASER from Ryan Balas on Vimeo.

Bike rides in the country, spilling beer on the carpet, stomping through the woods in a vague, North American location: the trailer for Ryan Balas‘ new film Everyone Says I Look Just Like Her contains just about everything you could ask for in a movie about summer vacation.

The film stars Balas and his reliable leading lady Deirdre Herlihy, as well as Joe Swanberg, director of mumblecore films Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends, and the IFC series Young American Bodies. The film is in limited release in America this month. Catch it if you can, Leonardo DeCaprio-style.