Exclusive Conversation with Adam Neutzsky-Wulff, Director of The Stranger Within!

            An interesting thing is happening in the world of international cinema, which will have an effect of the type of films which will come out of Hollywood in the near future. Foreign films have long been unfairly lumped together, with the assumption that all subtitled movies must also be character-driven and void of the predictable pitfalls paired with genre filmmaking. When American audiences hear “French film” they still think of Jean-Luc Godard, not Luc Besson. While realism is still achieved in many European films, lately there are just as likely to be successful genre films being made. These films provide an opportunity for homegrown blockbusters, not to mention the attention it attracts for Hollywood studios. Successful genre films are quickly remade, and the most promising filmmakers are often also hired to direct a Hollywood blockbuster as a result of this success.

 

            It should come as no surprise that the two national cinemas which have provided some of Hollywood’s latest promising directors are also among the most self reliant. When talking about Danish film in the last decade, it is inevitable that Dogme 95 comes into the conversation as a predominant force in Denmark and around the world.  Dogme, however minimal a movement in reality, caused such an uproar in conception that it entirely overshadowed a new wave of cinema in Denmark which began with Ole Bornedal’s thrill Night Watch (1994), a film “which heralded a wave of genre films about desperate male protagonists in Danish urban environments, such as Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher (1996) and Bleeder (1999) and Thomas Vinterberg’s the Greatest Heroes (1996).”[1]

 

This movement of strong genre filmmakers has resulted in many talented Scandinavians finding Hollywood a good match for future collaborations. Adam Neutzsky-Wulff is the latest of these talented writer/directors, whose debut feature is available on DVD today. Starring William Baldwin, Estella Warren and Sarah Butler, The Stranger Within premiered at the 2013 Berlin Film Festival (as The Stranger Inside), produced by Michael Aoun of Drama Deluxe. I sat down for a quick chat with Adam, discussing the difficulties of the shoot, future projects and personal filmmaking influences. More than anything else, it was the proud combination of American and European influence in a man with the same heritage as Ingmar Bergman which came through in my conversation with Adam.

 

Ryan Izay: First off, I would love to hear about your influences for The Stranger Within. When you were writing the screenplay, were there any films you watched that set your mind down any particular path?

 

Adam Neutzsky-Wulff: I’ve always been quite a big fan of the psychological thriller, particularly Stanley Kubrick’s work; The Shining, and also all of the 90s thrillers, like What Lies Beneath. Additionally, there are some elements of Bergman as well, obviously because I’m Scandinavian. I really wanted to do something that was a combination of the Bergmanesque and something very driven in the American Hollywood sense.

 

R.I.: I was definitely able to see the 90s psychological thriller’s influence. That definitely shined through for me.

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: We really need those. They aren’t really out there any more, so I think this film will be a revival for the genre.

 

R.I.: Absolutely. What about your visual influences for the film? Was that more the 90s Hollywood thriller or your Scandinavian background influencing your style of filmmaking?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: A combination, I would say. I’m a huge fan of the Hollywood thriller, and the American take on the thriller, but also the urbanesque style we have here is also very close to my heart. The main reason for the film’s special style is very often because this genre—or a lot of movies I watch—don’t really have establishing shots. You don’t really see where we are. We want to get the surroundings. That’s why all of the big shots in the film have a dynamic between showing where we are and then the close-up on the actors as they are going through this. We want to get to see where they are within the film, especially for the Emily character. The turmoil and what she is going through and then the dynamics of those two, I’d say. My father was a writer, and he sat me down when I was like four or five years old to watch all the American classics. He showed me early Spielberg and old Hitchcock and Kubrick. I’m really influenced by them, even more so than their European counterparts, even though I’m European.

 

R.I.: Do you have a favorite film? Not necessarily one which influenced The Stranger Within, but more of a personal favorite?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: I do. It’s funny because everybody asks me that, and a couple years ago I had a really hard time answering. But today Once Upon a Time in America is my all-time favorite. It’s a coming-of age story, it’s about friendship, it’s about betrayal, and it’s about the questions you have during life, making wrong choices

 

R.I.: Have you any aspirations to make your own gangster film?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: Yeah, I do. My partner who produced The Stranger Within at Drama Deluxe also loves the genre. And I love The Godfather, as well, of course. So I would love to work in that genre, but our next movie will be a drama. Not a gangster film at all, but it’s about friendship and betrayal and what happens to you when you make some really bad life choices, and all the emotions that come with that. But yeah, I would love to do something eventually.

 

R.I: Have you made any casting or location decisions on your next film?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: Yeah, I think the next film will definitely be shot in New York and it will be in the genre of a film like The Firm. Another 90s movie… [chuckles] And then also with elements somewhat like Silver Linings Playbook. I love those kind of films.

 

R.I.: Is there a courtroom aspect to the storyline?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: There’s a small courtroom aspect, but it’s more of a story about fathers and sons and how if you make poor life choices and how it can affect a young person when they don’t grow up right. Hopefully that will start beginning of next year.

 

R.I.: Is this an original screenplay?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff:  No, it’s adapted. It’s actually a screenplay done by another Dane, adapted. Later on it will be shot in New York, but it’s a Danish screenplay. But its just more interesting set in America because in Denmark the difference between rich and poor class is not that big. Things are more disastrous in the American society right now, but on the other hand that is what I love about America. There are chances of aspiring to get out of that, while coming from humble beginnings, a humble start. I think it’s really fascinating. 

 

R.I.: Will this be your first time shooting in the States, or was a portion of The Stranger Within also shot in New York?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: Yeah, but it was only of the exteriors, actually. Most of the interiors were shot in Mallorca, but made to look like New York, but this next film will actually have the budget to shoot in New York.

 

R.I.: Did you shoot in Denmark as well?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: All the kidnapping sequence was done in a factory in Copenhagen.

 

R.I.: One of the film’s more harrowing sequences. Were there any horror influences that inspired that section?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: Yes. Some of it, I think, comes from my love of the old Hammer horror that I grew up on. I grew up on British genre films as well. I was probably too young to watch those films. [laughs] But that’s probably what you pick up on most in that sequence.

 

R.I.: That sequence also has some of the film’s more powerful acting from your lead. I would love to hear how you attached Estella Warren to the role of Emily.

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: We went to Hollywood and talked to other actresses, and there were others that we loved but Estella was the one who brought frailty to the part. It was very essential that we needed to have someone that would be able to believably crack. I saw the screen test and I’m convinced that if Hitchcock were alive today he would love Estella Warren. He would love the frailty that she has.

 

R.I.: From an actor’s perspective, the kidnapping sequence must have been the most dreaded shooting day, but was there a day that was particularly difficult for you as the director?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: There’s the one scene where Estella and Billy are going to the island. It’s very simple what you see, but when we shot it there were a lot of waves there. We both know I’m not a sailor, and when we got out of the harbor we were just holding onto the camera and people got seasick. It was awful. The waves out there were just insane.

 

R.I. If you could have any filmmaker’s career, whose would it be?

 

Neutzsky-Wulff: Stanley Kubrick, I would have to say. I think he was a really brilliant director.

 

 

---

[1] Bondebjerg, Ib, and Gylendal Leksikon, comps. Denmark. Official Website. 6 Apr. 2007 <http://www.Denmark.dk>.

Simon Rumley’s Youth Culture Trilogy DVD Review

 

 

        Those who have heard of Simon Rumley in America are likely to be familiar with his work in horror anthologies above all else. Though his psychological thriller Red, White and Blue was met with acclaim, we have only seen installments among many other directors since then. The last portion of Little Deaths was Rumley’s, and one of the most tasteless sequences of The ABCs of Death also belongs to this British filmmaker. These films were my first impression of Rumley as a filmmaker, which is a shame.

 

I would have gone ahead thinking that he was just another tasteless horror director had I not been introduced to these three independent British films. He has fallen a great deal as an artist with the increase of a budget and international acclaim, which is apparent by the fact that these three lower-than-low budget films are far more engaging. These films are dialogue heavy and solidly acted, while his latest additions to cinema have been less thought-provoking and more visceral. These three films set in 1990s London are inspired by Richard Linklater’s first three films, Slacker, Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise, though I found there to be aspects of Mike Leigh’s Naked and some of John Cassavetes’ classics. 

Actors: Kelly Marcel, Tania Emery, Ricci Harnett  

Format: Color, NTSC

Language: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: JINGA FILMS LTD

DVD Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 76 minutes

 

 

 

The first film is Strong Language, which was released in 2000 and almost appears to be a documentary at first. The film is a boldly simple premise which is only completely clear in the final moments of the film, allowing for a minimal budget and some of the simplest camera set-ups you could imagine. Though there are seventeen characters in the film, none appear together on camera. The entire film is comprised of naturalistic appearing interviews, with characters discussing a seemingly random variety of topics directly to the camera. The most mysterious character tells a story as the eclectic group of young people prattle on, connected only once the story is complete. The DVD for Strong Language includes a premiere featurette and the film’s trailer.

Actors: Tania Emery, Thomas Fisher, Selina Giles, Stuart Laing, Wendy Wason

Format: Color, NTSC

Language: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: JINGA FILMS LTD

DVD Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 90 minutes

The Truth Game (2001) is a foray into more traditional independent cinema, though it contains the same type of dialogue-heavy scenes as Strong Language. This time they are dialogues instead of monologues, and the random ignorant statements which are spoken by certain characters can now be reprimanded. Three couples in their 30s gather for a dinner party in London, discussing a variety of topics with bold honesty while also retaining certain lies from those they are meant to care about the most. There are many revelations throughout the evening, involving adultery, illness and drugs. Other secrets go unspoken. This film shows strength for dialogue in Rumley’s work, matched by a great cast of actors (Paul Blackthorne, Tania Emery, Thomas Fisher, Selina Giles, Stuart Laing and Wendy Wason). The DVD for The Truth Game includes a director’s commentary a premiere featurette.

 

Actors: Brad Gorton, Danny Nussbaum, Dawn Steele, Frank Harper, Allison Mackenzie

Format: Color, NTSC

Language: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: JINGA FILMS LTD

DVD Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 80 minutes

Average Customer Review

The final film is Club Le Monde (2002), which is clearly the most polished filmmaking with the same well-written dialogue fueling a plot-free narrative. Club Le Monde is full of short vignettes and storylines of various characters out for an evening of drinking, drugs, sex and occasional dancing at a London club in 1993. It is easy to see a comparison between this film and Dazed and Confused. Though both take on different places and time periods, both attempt the same immersion into the experience through a variety of expected characters and typical conversations. The DVD includes a director’s commentary, premiere party footage, and even a few deleted scenes. There is also a trailer. 

               

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 8/10

Historical Significance: 6/10

Disc Features: 7/10

 

 

The Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review

Actors: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, David Morrissey, Danai Gurira

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: French, English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 5

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

Release Date: August 27, 2013

Run Time: 678 minutes

 

 

        The DVD and Blu-ray release of the third season of “The Walking Dead” has a release date just over two weeks before the television premiere of the fourth season, giving new fans plenty of time to catch up on the series. It took me three days to watch all sixteen season three episodes, and that was only because I forced myself to spread it out some. I probably could have watched the entire season in one sitting if life didn’t interfere. A single episode of previous seasons of “The Walking Dead” was better than most zombie films in the last five years, but this show has elevated its action and storyline to something far greater than just the typical zombie apocalypse tale. This series is not just an inspiration to the genre; it is a triumph for the medium of television.

 

At the beginning of the third season we join Rick and the survivors as silent nomads, drifting from vacant house to vacant house with hopes of scavenging scraps of food and moments of rest before forced to run. This method has survived them the winter, though it also has them left weakened and disheartened. Their fortune turns around when they find a remote prison, promising shelter and security they haven’t experienced since the farm. This possession eventually brings another type of danger, when a tyrant (David Morrissey) running a small town of survivors finds reason to make enemies out of Rick and the group.

 

        Part of what makes this series so intense is its willingness to kill characters off without a moment’s notice. These bold decisions give the perception that everything is at stake and that anything could happen. The final episodes of this season have more of a likelihood to include the demise of a longstanding character than not, leaving few remaining from the first season’s cast. Whether it is by zombie bite or bullet, there are more dangers this season than any before. The new season brought the best villain of the series so far, as well as adding the Kitano-wielding Michonne (Danai Gurira) to the cast of reliably good characters.

 

        The Blu-ray release of season three includes audio commentaries on episodes 4, 5, 8, 9, and 15. The episodes are all fit onto four discs, with the fifth and final disc reserved for the handful of deleted scenes and numerous featurettes. The deleted scenes are all character based scenes of dialogue, none of which are boring or unexpected. They mostly just seem like filler for what we already know. The featurettes, on the other hand, are spectacular. As well as the brave writing, this series features some incredibly daring practical effects devised by producer and special effects guru, Greg Nicotero. Some of the featurettes deal with the technical aspects of the show, while others are more fan-based, just rehashing the popular storylines with cast and crew interviews.  

       

       

Entertainment Value: 10/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 9/10

Historical Significance: 10/10

Disc Features: 8/10

 

 

Shadow Dancer Blu-ray Review

Actors: Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen, Aidan Gillen

Director: James Marsh

Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 102 minutes

 

        I am always pleasantly surprised to find a film take the unexpected narrative route, especially with the large number of films I have seen in my decreasingly brief existence. Shadow Dancer had me thinking I knew what was going to happen at several points, only to take me in another direction. The result was not quite as satisfying as I had hoped, however. This is largely due to the fact that the audience is not permitted to know what the characters are thinking, and often it appears as though they are also uncertain. The result is some spectacular acting from leads Andrea Riseborough and Clive Owen, who are forced to convey much without words beings said, and a coldly distant narrative which never fully allows the audience to care for them.

 

        Set in 1990s, Shadow Dancer opens in London with an aborted IRA terrorist attack by our troubled protagonist, Collette (Riseborough). Although Collette intentionally neglects to activate the bomb and seems more entangled in the IRA through family ties than personal belief, the MI5 officers who capture her waste no time manipulating the woman to become an informant. Her handler, who she only knows as Mac (Owen) promises that he will protect her and her son, though this leap of faith asks that Collette also turn her back on her family in Belfast.

 

        Shadow Dancer is based on the novel by Tom Bradby, who also adapted the screenplay for director James Marsh (Man on Wire). This does play like a story which was likely much better on the page, though strong performances all around make for an engaging 100 minutes even when the story seems aimless. The Blu-ray release includes a behind-the-scenes featurette, as well as cast and crew interviews and a short promotional featurette made for AXS TV.

 

       

Entertainment Value: 7/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance: 6/10

Disc Features: 6/10

 

 

No Place on Earth Blu-ray Review

Actors: Chris Nicola

Director: Janet Tobias

Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Closed-captioned, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 83 minutes

 

 

        Regardless of the decades that have passed since the horrific atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust in Europe, stories of inspirational survival continue to sprout up. I suppose this is a silver lining in the tragedy that befell so many families; that there were some who were able to persevere and survive. Entire family trees exist because of the bold decisions a few made in order to avoid entering the ghettos, not to mention the concentration camps.

 

        In October of 1942, Esther Stermer and her various immediate and distant family members were forced to enter caves outside of their city in order to avoid the Nazis. They were joined by many other families and eventually caught, but were able to escape before being sent away for good. They then found another cave which had never been discovered, and it had its own water supply to help decrease any need to leave shelter. The women and children lived in the cave for nearly a year and a half, which is the longest recorded uninterrupted underground survival period. The men would leave their hiding place only to seek out food, much of which needed to be stolen discretely.     

 

        The story is discovered by amateur cave explorer Chris Nicola comes across some of their belongings in the first cave and decides to investigate. Much of the film is told through interviews, however, and then the last section of the movie is dedicated to the survivors who are able to return and see the caves this many years later. One gentleman in his 90s brings his grand-daughter to see the caves that he survived in, making for a moving revelation about the generations of family members who are alive because of the bravely of those few.

 

        The Blu-ray release includes a bevy of spectacular bonus features, including the story of several of the families after the war ended, and features of Nicola cave exploring in the USA and in Slovakia. There is also an additional Holocaust story and more footage with interviews about additional topics, including more on the life in a cave. There are also photo galleries and a trailer for the film.

 

Entertainment Value: 7/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 6/10

Historical Significance: 7/10

Disc Features: 8/10

 

 

A Company Man Blu-ray Review

Actors: Ji-seob So, Mi-yeon Lee, Do Won Kwak, Dong-jun Kim, Kyeong-yeong Lee

Director: Sang-yoon Lim

Format: Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: August 27, 2013

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

 

        Instead of the revenge narrative which has seemed most common in Korean crime films in the past decade or so, A Company Man takes another approach with this thriller about a professional hit man. This doesn’t necessarily ensure that the storyline is original, often resembling numerous other box office hits. With a silently morally superior protagonist, A Company Man often resembles The Man From Nowhere in style and tone.

 

        The boldest choices that A Company Man makes in its narrative occur within the first ten minutes, when we are exposed to the cold-hearted ruthlessness our protagonist Hyeong-do (SO Ji-sub) is capable of. Unfortunately, the remainder of the film shows the redeeming choices that this character makes, hardly appearing to be the same man. Unable to continue the lifestyle of working as a hired killer, Hyeong-do attempts to plan a way out of his employment with the ruthless corporation dealing in death.

 

        The storyline advances toward familiar territory as our antihero becomes a hero, not only longing to get out of the business but also providing help for the family members of victims. His kind nature is what is meant to draw the audience into caring about him as the corporations assassins are also drawn in to eliminate him and provide some of the films most visceral thrills.

 

        The Blu-ray includes a making-of featurette and a trailer, though the high definition presentation of the film is more impressive than any extras. This is an entertaining action thriller, albeit one which is easily forgettable among many other Korean films.

       

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance: 6/10

Disc Features: 5/10

 

 

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Blu-ray Review

Actors: Riz Ahmed, Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber

Director: Mira Nair

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: August 27, 2013

Run Time: 130 minutes

 

 

        As engaging as the premise for The Reluctant Fundamentalist is, I am afraid it was made just a little too late for American audiences to care. There was a wave of post-9/11 dramas dealing with the aftermath of the tragic terrorist attacks, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist would have been a spectacular follow-up to those films, but instead comes when audiences seem to be straying further from this dark period of recent American history. That being said, director Mira Nair is able to breathe as much life as the narrative can hold with energetic filmmaking.

 

        Adapted from the novel by Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist tells the story of a Pakistani professor who the CIA suspects of involvement in the kidnapping of an American academic. A reporter (Liev Schreiber) is sent to interview Professor Changez (Riz Ahmed) in order to determine his involvement, and much of the film is flashbacks as the Pakistani man explains his journey to the American reporter.

 

        There is a tense aspect in the storyline dealing with the mystery of Changez’ involvement in the kidnapping and the reporter’s ability to escape unharmed, but much of the movie deals with much more personal elements. We are told through flashbacks of the young ambitious journey Changez took to the United States, studying and eventually acquiring a desired career on Wall Street before the attacks on the United States made the entire world seem harsher. We watch as the city turns against Changez because of the way he looks, and the way that it turns him into a bitter person. The main focus for this alteration in his personality is shown through the devastation of two significant relationships; the one he has with an American artist (Kate Hudson) who uses him as the inspiration for her artwork, and his boss and mentor (Kiefer Sutherland).

       

        At times The Reluctant Fundamentalist is altogether engaging, though the pieces of the film don’t all seem to come together fluidly. It ends up feeling like a series of vignettes involving the same person, but some of the variation in the film’s mood shift too much for one film to contain. It attempts to be a drama, but at times has aspirations to be a thriller. These sequences aren’t bad, but don’t feel as though they belong in the same film as the rest.

 

        The Blu-ray special features includes a making-of featurette and a trailer.

       

Entertainment Value: /10

Quality of Filmmaking: /10

Historical Significance: /10

Disc Features: /10

 

 

Wither DVD Review

Actors: Patrik Almkvist, Jessica Blomkvist, Johannes Brost, Sanna Ekman, Lisa Henni

Director: Sonny Laguna

Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen

Language: Swedish

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Artsploitation Films

Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

 

        I grew up loving horror, actually desiring the films which were able to get under my skin. When I was too young for the bloodier films, I filled up on classic horror movies: creature films from Cold War paranoia, Depression-era Universal monster movies, all the way up to the beginning of the slasher films with Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The truly daring movies all have numerous copycats, though rarely are they as engaging as the originals. Wither does well not to attempt to reinvent the wheel, but as a Swedish take on the ‘cabin-in-the-woods’ narrative it is able to offer an original style to that old familiar bloodbath.

 

        Made before the 2013 remake of Evil Dead, Wither could easily be an unofficial remake in many regards, though is a different reason for the demonic attacks on a group of viral young adults on a getaway in the woods, based on Swedish mythology involving a creature which lives underground. The storyline and its practical effects seem most inspired by Sam Raimi’s cult classic and its sequels, as well as the Dario Argento produced Italian films, Demons and Demons 2. A group of friends find themselves fighting each other off once some sort of possession/contagion is spread after a creature in the cellar is disturbed.

 

        With plot simplified and narrative somewhat predictable, much of the film comes down to characters and the film’s bloodier sequences. The effects are flawlessly done, never so flashy that they detract from the point of the sequence while always elevated to an extreme level. By the end of the film, the cabin walls are covered in blood from various battles between friends who have become possessed and those still trying to survive. There are many predictable characters in this film, though filmmakers Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund throw a few unexpected twists in these caricatures, especially those you think may survive. The effect is not unlike the stoner’s escape from death in Joss Whedon produced hit, Cabin in the Woods.

        Though there aren’t more than a handful of Swedish horror films, those which do exist are compelling enough to anticipate more. Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In was solid enough for Hollywood to snatch it up as a remake almost immediately. Though I don’t imagine Wither needs an American remake, I am certain we will be seeing more from Laguna and Wiklund in the future.

 

        The DVD release by Artsploitation Films comes with their standard booklet insert, which has an intro paragraph from the filmmakers, an essay by Ryan Clark and an interview with the filmmakers about the film’s combination of practical effects and CGI. The disc bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and a trailer gallery for Artsploitation Films.

       

       

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7.5/10

Historical Significance: 6/10

                                         Disc Features: 7

 

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adéle Blanc-sec DVD Review

Starring: Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric

Supporting actors: Gilles Lellouche

Directed by: Luc Besson

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery

Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

Release year: 2010

Studio: Europacorp

MPAA Rating: Rated PG for some violence, language, brief sensuality and rude humor

 

 

 

        The name Luc Besson has always been synonymous with great action, whether as a director, writer or even just producer. Although he has continued to attach his name to solid action movies as producer, the upcoming action comedy, The Family, will be Besson’s first time directing a Hollywood film in some time. Odder yet are the films which have occupied his time most recently. From 2006’s Arthur and the Invisibles came two additional films in the franchise based on popular children’s books. In 2010 he also made this wonderful French family film, which plays somewhat like a quirky French Indiana Jones.

 

        The Extraordinary Adventures of Adéle Blanc-sec is a fantasy-infused adventure set in the early part of the 20^th century with a female author protagonist who is an early feminist icon. Hoping to find a way to save her comatose sister, Adéle (Louise Bourgoin) seeks out the strange Professor Espérandieu (jacky Nercessian) who has found a way to reanimate a dinosaur egg. Hoping that by reanimating the mummified doctor from an Egyptian tomb she will find the answers to saving her sister, Adéle must face numerous obstacles along the way.

 

        The DVD features include a dubbed version of the dialogue, so as to spare younger children the task of reading the speedy French dialogue. The dubbing is good, and appropriately silly at times with the film’s lighthearted fare. There is also the original French tracks for the purists and multilingual. The special features include a making-of featurette, as well as interviews with the cast and a featurette about the music. There are also a few deleted scenes.

       

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance: 6/10

Disc Features: 7/10

 

 

Floating City Blu-ray review

Actors: Aaron Kwok, David Peatfield, Josie Ho, Leon Hill, Seith Leslie

Director: Ho Yim

Format: Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen

Language: Chinese

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: August 20, 2013

Run Time: 105 minutes

 

        Filmmaker Yim Ho was one of filmmakers to inspire what we now refer to as the Hong Kong New Wave in the 1980s, with his film Red Dust honored with a record twelve nominations at the Taiwan Golden Horse Festival. With such acclaim from his earlier work, I couldn’t understand the less than enthusiastic reception for Ho’s thirteenth film, Floating City. Although this film is not likely to inspire any new movements in Chinese cinema, it is a solid drama and personal filmmaking done without unnecessary melodrama.

 

        The film tells the story of a poor peasant boy in 1940s Hong Kong, who is raised aboard a fishing boat until sent to work as a laborer. With blue-eyes and slightly reddish hair, Bo Wah Chuen (Aaron Kwok) has many questions about his origins, which his peasant parents refuse to answer. Though his past is uncertain, the mixed race look allows for few advantages in Chuen’s future. Ridiculed constantly for being a “half-breed,” Chuen works his way up by learning English and becoming an engineer for the British colonies.

 

        The success also comes with a devoted wife and a passionate lover on the side, but somehow this is still not enough to keep Chuen satisfied. Forever tormented about his past and future, nothing seems enough for the man who is able to achieve what nobody though possible from someone of his status. In some ways, we are never properly allowed to penetrate Chuen’s exterior. There is much he leaves unsaid and bottled in, leaving the audience on the outside as much as the women in his life are.

 

Entertainment Value: 7/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance: 6/10

Disc Features: 1/10