Franklyn preview & QA with writer Gerald McMorrow in London

The London Film School are having a preview of Franklyn & QA with writer Gerald McMorrow

"An urban fairytale set between the parallel worlds of a contemporary London and the futuristic faith-dominated metropolis of Meanwhile City, Franklyn is a breath of fresh air for British cinema and is the most impressive, daring feature from a first-time writer/director I've seen in some time" Eye for Film . More info can be found here: http://thesamescene.blogspot.com/2008/11/preview-of-franklyn.html

I jumped, when given the opportunity to see a preview of Franklyn last November 08. My

 curiosity had been piqued as it: has a solid cast, was set in a dystopian future and the visuals I had seen looked awesome. Yet there was very little information kicking around about it. A little worried that this may be my only chance to see what could be a real gem that is never released because of legal or financial wranglings.

The visuals that I had seen so far evoked imagery of V for Vendetta /Equilibrium /Watchmen /Bladerunner /The Matrix somehow set against my favourite city London as the back drop.

Frankly is a real gem. The kind of film that filmakers can't make anymore. 4 Stories from seemingly disparate realities entwined into a single thread. It delivered on all it promised, including an intricate otherworldly vigilante story set in an alternate world. Acting from the cast that includes; Eva Green, Bernard Hill, Art Malik, Ryan Phillippe, Sam Riley and Susannah York was solid all round but the real winner was the magic in bringing all the stories together in a credible way. The level of visual detail in the alternative world is spectacular. Put this on your list of films for 2009.

Starring Eva Green, Ryan Philippe, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill, Art Malik, Susannah York

Preview screening of FRANKLYN followed by Q&A with director Gerald McMorrow

Monday February 9, 2009 at 5:30pm

The London Film School

24 Shelton Street

London, 

WC2H 9UB

For tickets: http://www.lfs.org.uk/qa/index.php

The Wrestler a film by Darren Aronofsky starring Mickey Rourke Part 2

Continuing my discussion of The Wrestler and a chance to chat to Mickey Rourke.

Mon 5 December 2008, early evening Leicester Square, London. The producers opted for a low key UK premiere for The Wrestler with a celebrity audience as well as Mickey Rourke in attendance. Meanwhile just around the corner at the Curzon Soho an intimate audience of around 250 people gathered at the Curzon Soho to view a special preview of The Wrestler and participate in a Q&A session with the film's leading man Mickey Rourke.


I was keen to gain some insight into the man I had held in a revere, pertinent questions such as; how did he feel about his career in light of the buzz around The Wrestler? Did he dig deeper for this role than others? Did he have to undergo any physical conditioning (apart from wrestling training) for the role? Did he contribute to the storyline (and location choices)? What's next for Mickey Rourke? What was the latest with Sin City 2? Would Marv be back?



Rourke has clearly been left burned and disillusioned by the politics behind Hollywood. But after hitting rock bottom "living on fumes", he is trying to change what "he did not understand needed to be changed". Up until the post production process of The Wrestler he was unaware of his next steps or what his next job might be. He is grateful for the kudos received for the Wrestler and is hopeful for the future. In spite of his his troubles Rourke is still very much his own person.



He really wanted to work with Aranofsky and had developed a bond after Aranofsky put his backing behind Rourke for the role. Although Aranofsky set the

bar high for cast, Rourke strived to bring the character of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson to life as much to apply his craft as to meet Aranofsky's expectations.

His training regime allowed him to gain 34 pounds of muscle for the role. In the film he looks every bit the professional Wrestler. He underwent Wrestling training intense enough to shift him from thinking that Wrestling was on par with pantomime to respect for the sport and the sportsmen that participate in it. He sustained several serious injuries while filming.

Rourke's next projects include:
A remake of "13 Tzameti" directed by the Géla Babluani who wrote and directed the original.

My initial thoughts on seeing 13 were: Mind blowing little film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Has all the trademarks of a first time film school production (lighting, black & white, metaphors, etc.) but all comes together in a gritty tale. Hopefully the remake starrring; Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Ray Winstone, and 50 Cent will stay true to its roots.



Twenty-two-year-old Sebastien leads an impoverished life with his immigrant family constantly struggling to support them. While repairing the roof of a neighbor's house, he overhears a conversation about an expected package which promises to make the household rich.

First look at Mickey Rourke in "13"

Sensing the opportunity of a lifetime, Sebastien intercepts the package which contains a series of specific instructions. Following the clues, he assumes a false identity and manages to slip through the grasp of the enclosing police as he ventures deeper and deeper into the countryside. The closer he gets to his destination and the more people he meets along the way, the less he understands about what he is looking for. Ultimately, he comes face to face with a ring of clandestine gamblers placing bets on the outcome of a multi-player, high stakes tournament of Russian roulette. Directed by newcomer Gela Babluani, "13 Tzameti" (pronounced: 'zah-meti') is a winner-takes-all thriller, where an unfortunate young man is transformed into contestant #13 with no way out save his luck.

He is also in Bret Easton Ellis's The Informers and Elmore Leonard's much delayed Killshot which will also be released in 2009. He is also rumoured to be in Stallone's "The Expendables" and cast as "Whiplash" a villain in Iron Man 2.

In private discussion he was tight lipped about Marv's possible return in Sin City 2. I did not found out what the significance of the fun fairs was or if there was indeed any. Hopefully Mickey's talent will be recognised and his path ahead is less bumpy than the one behind hm.

The Wrestler opens in the UK on January 16th.

The Wrestler a film by Darren Aronofsky starring Mickey Rourke Part 1

Something's burning white hot in freezing London tonight and it's Mickey Rourke's seethingly intense performance. Part 1

Mon 5 December, early evening Leicester Square, London. The producers opted for a low key UK premiere for The Wrestler with a celebrity audience as well as Mickey Rourke in attendance. Meanwhile just around the corner at the Curzon Soho an intimate audience of around 250 people gathered at the Curzon Soho to view a special preview of The Wrestler and participate in a Q&A session with the film's leading man Mickey Rourke.

The Players
Darren Aronofsky 39 year old film director. Lauded as the second coming with his debut feature film Pi (1998), critical acclaim continued with the bleak Requiem For A Dream. In 2006 finally opinions divided with The Fountain. The 2006 Hugh Jackman starring mind melting /time travelling /sci fi feature also starred Aranofsky's wife Rachel Weiszs and was seen as self indulgent by many.

Aronofsky has followed up the high concept Fountain with a pared down, back to basics, handy-cam shot story of a man past his prime. So far the The Wrestler has won critical acclaim, been nominated for countless awards, garnered a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and there has been much talk of Mickey Rourke deserving an Oscar for his performance.

Aronofsky's films are studies into the human condition - Pi (Paranoia & technophobia), Requiem for a Dream (old age, drug dependency & lust), The Fountain (Loss of a loved one). He tends to explore the issues that are part of life but ignored by any filmmaker that wants a paying audience to view their films. With The Wrestler Aronofsky explores the world of an ageing professional athlete; his post prime career, his relationships and socio environment. Think more Requiem For A Dream than The Fountain.

To carry both the gruelling physical and mental weight of the leading role, Aronofsky called on the man whose own career could have easily been the blueprint for The Wrestler had he taken a different path. Allthough Aranofsky's choice, Rourke's casting was not a sure thing as Nicholas Cage almost sealed the deal at one stage.

Phillip Andre Rourke Jr. aka Mickey Rourke aka. Sir Eddie Cook aka 'Boogie', Marv, Harry Angel, Harley Davidson, The Pope or Motorcycle Boy started off as a boxer before embarking on a promising film career.
Rourke studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute under Sandra Seacat. In 29 years he has built an impressive resume with some standout performances. He has worked with some greats including Spielburg, Michael Cimino, William Hurt, Levinson, Ford Coppola, Alan Parker, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Nicolas Roeg, Faye Dunaway, Barbet Schroeder, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Walken, Steven Sean Penn and Jack Nicholson.

Somewhere in the early 90s Rourke's hell-raising lifestyle overshadowed his talent and he was blacklisted by Hollywood. Rourke started producing films from material he had written but ultimately he was forced him to take some questionable roles as he says "to pay for his lifestyle". "The 90s were bad!"

Even in the most dire of productions Rourke's performance does not falter, sometimes misguided and out of place - he has remained his own man and true to ensuring his performances are solid. Somwhere in the early 2000s Rourke rebooted his career he started taking on small roles in rated films a handful of loyal friends keeping involved in bigger projects such as Stallone's Get Carter, Robert Rodriguez's Once upon a time in Mexico & Sin City and Tony Scott's Domino & Man on Fire.

The Wrestler has many similarities to Rourke's own life but more to his self penned 1988 offering Homeboy. In this little known classic Rourke plays a ageing past his prime boxer that never quite lived up to his promise.

Even one of Rourke's favourite settings a Fun Fair features in one of The Wrestler's most bittersweet scenes. Fun Fairs at Coney Island were used in Angel Heart, 9 1/2 Weeks and Bullet - a film that Rourke wrote and produced. The Wrestler and Homeboy had scenes shot at Asbury Park.

Aronofsky's low fidelity visuals, sometimes barren soundtrack combined with quality performances from the cast that includes Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood and Rourke's gritty performance compliment the stark subject matter to create a crescendo of angst that will have you cringing, smiling and possibly bringing some strong emotions to the fore. Rourke's performance will possibly overshadow the rest of the cast, but mention should be made of the braveness of Oscar winner Marisa Tomei's performance and role.

As favours to Mickey Rourke both Guns n Roses and Bruce Springsteen contributed to the films soundtrack at minimal cost. Their music sets the tone for scenes in which they bleed into.

The Wrestler opens in the UK on January 16th.

Premiere of Being Michael Madsen with cast in attendance

I just saw "Being Michael Madsen" at its World Premier at the Raindance Film Festival in London - Madsen gives further straight talk on Inglorious Bastards & you heard it here first - "The Philistine" cometh.

After the screening the cast & crew attended & did a short Q&A afterwards. This is Bold & Ballsy independent film making. The film touches on many themes of celebrity culture whilst being engaging enough to keep you entertained (tongue firmly in cheek).

I'm not entirely sure how to define the film itself e.g. film within a film, contemporary Fellini on a shoe string (think La Dolce Vita), reality film, pseudo documentary - its all in there with a heavy dash of satire.

It is a lot of work but the performances from the cast are rock solid. This is a complete departure from Michael Madsen's usual hit or miss fare. It really shows many facets of the man beyond his Quentin Tarantino screen persona. I hope he gets some decent roles soon that do not involve throwing Segal out of windows :-). On the whole an enjoyable coaster ride but you do have to do some work - this is not just eye candy.

If I had to crit: The final scene (not the climax) may be a little weak - in the context of viewing it at the Raindance Film Festival with the cast & crew doing a Q & A afterwards it was awesome. However I suspect for anyone not watching the film with the live accompaniment may not be swept away by the final scene.

Standout performances by Virginia Madsen, Jason Alan Smith, Doug Tompos, Davis Mikaels & Kathy Searle. Harry Dean Stanton is hilarious.

I had the opportunity to ask the director Michael Mongillo what was next? To paraphrase he said he was keen on doing some action films and that his graphic novel "The Philistine" would be interesting to see on the screen. Now I had not heard of The Philistine previously but after a little net rummage discovered that The The Philistine is a highly rated graphic novel. With similar elements to Batman & The Punisher. After seeing Being Michael Madsen I can't wait to see Mongillo translate a clever caped crusader film to screen.

Naturally I asked Madsen about Inglorious Bastards, (which is listed on IMDB as having production kicked off in 2008). He played in coyly saying something to the effect that it's all in Quentin Tarantino's head/hands at this stage. He also mentioned that Tarantino was meant to be at the Premiere but was in Manila for a Death Proof screening.

Seriously cant you see Madsen in greens with one of those GI helmets (tilted to the side), holding a rifle in one hand and about to throw a pineapple grenade with the other - from behind a bunker while protecting his company?

The Firm (1988)
Plot Summary: This is the story of rival "Firms" of football (soccer) supporters, and how one man has a wish too team them up for the European Championships of 1988. However, when this is discussed, the opposing leaders, are not happy as the believe this is a challenge to their authority. This Film shows how football violence has progressed from pure violence to a form of organised crime, to the extent that all the leaders know each others home phone / mobile phone numbers.

I recently saw Green Street starring Elijah Wood (Plot Outline: Frodo a wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad, moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of soccer hooliganism. AKA: Green Street Hooligans or Hooligans).

While browsing the web for info on the film (post viewing) it became apparent that to see a more realistic interpretation of the football hooligan lifestyle, The Firm is recommended. Made in 1988 for TV the film plots the inevitable decline of street fighting man Bex Bissell played by Gary Oldman. Bex is an Estate Agent by day and leader of a firm by night.

It was interesting to see Oldman in a his relatively pre fame , read OTT, performance. He eats the screen up as do the rest of the cast. Oldman seems to play Bex as part Travis Bickle and part, well Gary Oldman. This characterisation seems to be the template for all his future insane roles.



This is not typically the kind of film I would watch British films from this period are a little to gritty and dark (both in lighting as well as mood).

Oldman a fan of the Stanislavsky method, was at the time married to, and had a child with, Lesley Manville the actor/ess to play his wife and mother of his child in The Firm.

The Director Alan Clarke has a career spanning the 60's,70's & 80's. He passed in 1990. He seems to have specialised in TV movies and was possibly master of the gritty, made for TV, British working class underworld tales. His credits include almost every film of this type such as; Elephant, The Firm, Christine, Made in Britain & Scum. His 32 film career includes Road & Rita, Sue and Bob Too.

What's good: Performances
What's bad: Lighting and low production value or maybe this adds to the grittiness of the subject matter.
In the end: Interesting to watch if you are a hooligan or a celluloid/Oldman aficionado.