Film

ArtEntertainmentEventsFilmLifestyle

A Glimpse Into “A Piece of Sky”, Switzerland’s Official Submission to the 95th Academy Awards

by Benjamin Schmidt
written by Benjamin Schmidt

Telling the story of a Swiss farmer who has encountered a life-changing event, director Michael Koch’s story is an emotional tale with convincing performances from a number of previously untrained actors. Supercharged by the natural beauty of the country, A Piece of Sky (or Drii Winter) is a quiet but powerful film that shouldn’t be missed in this year’s viewing.

We were able to encounter the director and some of the cast at an intimate luncheon held in the official residence of the Swiss Consul General. Hosted by His Excellency Niculin Jäger, the afternoon was a moment to indulge in Swiss hospitality and learn first-hand about the creation of the film.

In terms of production, A Piece of Sky was clearly a mission of determination and persuasion on behalf of director Michael Koch, an actor himself. According to the director, “We had to convince some of the actors to actually do the project.” This was especially true for the main character, real-life farmer Simon Wisler. The cow farmer and president of the Parpan alpine cheese dairy spent about a year pondering the possibility before agreeing to the work.

Michèle Brand, who performs opposite of Wisler, was also without acting training, but was more ready to learn the craft. “Yes, I quit my job as an architect in order to pursue this. I saw an offer in the newspaper, and that was all.” Her performance is refined and careful. Altogether, Koch was able to access a level of realism that should tantalize many directors.

For audiences, especially an American one, this level of authenticity in both story and scene may require an adjustment. The film is slow moving and obsessively paced, almost forcing a viewer to situate oneself deeply in the mind of the actors. Reading is fundamental. To this end, it is satisfying once you’re able to access this mental territory. Koch does try to force the hand with opening scenes of slow, natural moments which help set the tone.

Independent of the film itself, the director was forced to contend with the reality of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which struck during portions of filming. It was at the forethought for much of the cast during production. “No one became ill during any part of the filming. Even so, it was always the topic of discussion”.

Collecting a world’s worth of praise since its premiere, A Piece of Sky is an accomplishment. Learn more about the film here. The 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Learn more about the awards here.

The event in New York City also recognized two other pieces of Swiss creativity: two documentaries presented at this year’s DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival. First, the world premiere of Radical Landscapes, directed by Elettra Fiumi. The documentary came out of the discovery of a vast archive of work by her father, Fabrizio Fiumi. Fabrizio, along with the group of radical architects called 9999, imagined architectural innovations and anticipated a future that is still forthcoming.

Girl Gang, directed by Susanne Regina Meures, explores the world of young influencers by following a single family over the course of four years. The documentary focuses on Leonie in Berlin, at the time 13 years old and with half a million followers. “She united all the traits of a girl that lives a life through social media”, noted Susanne in an interview with Variety . Learn more about the film here.

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
EntertainmentEventsFilm

On The Scene: John Leguizamo, Mark Mylod, Rob Yang and More Talk The Menu

by Sydney Hargrove
written by Sydney Hargrove

On a remote island only reachable by a small charter boat, Ralph Finnes’s Julian Slowik takes performance art to new heights. You truly have no idea what you’re in for when you sit down to watch Mark Mylod’s The Menu, in the same way that guests on the boat to Hawthorn have absolutely no idea what awaits them as the night goes on.

We meet a couple, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), as they travel to a coastal island in the Pacific Northwest to eat at the exclusive Hawthorn, where the reclusive, globally celebrated Chef (the aforementioned Julian, played by Ralph) has prepared a lavish tasting menu for select special guests. Joining the couple are three young, already inebriated tech bros, Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St. Cyr), an older wealthy couple and repeat clients, Anne and Richard (Judith Light and Reed Birney), renowned restaurant critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) and her slavish magazine editor Ted (Paul Adelstein), and a famous middle-aged movie star (John Leguizamo) with his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero). Hosted by the immaculately dressed front of house staff led by general Elsa (Hong Chau), the evening unfolds with increasing tension at each of the guest tables as secrets are revealed and unexpected courses are served. With wild and violent events occurring, Slowik’s motivation begins to rattle the diners as it becomes increasingly apparent that his elaborate menu is designed to catalyze to a shocking finale.

The combination of dark comedy and horror gives this film a stunning twist, and we spoke with the brilliant cast and crew to hear all about how they captured it, and so much more. Check out the conversation below!

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
EntertainmentFilmThe Latest

‘The Menu’ Review: It’s Overdone

by Dano Nissen
written by Dano Nissen

A prefix menu builds from tantalizing appetizer through hearty main course to palate cleansing dessert. “The Menu” menu does not. 

What we want is a rich, propter hoc meal full of nuanced flavor. What we get is a serviceable but ultimately not so well done, well done hunk of meat.

Ralph Fiennes plays the impresario of a fine dining experience for the most elite of guests on a remote island. They call him Chef. His character has more in common with the sadistic SS Commandant he plays in “Schindler’s List” than with anyone you’ve seen on the Food Network.

The conceit is right there in the trailer. Rich people run around a violent rat trap set by a psychopath chef. It’s exactly the movie you expect. Subversions? Twists? Turns? No. The courses don’t build off one another. It’s the same class warfare moralizing tepid torture over and over. It’s your Rachel Ray-loving Grandma’s version of “Saw.”

It’s not terrifying enough to be an effective horror movie. Not funny enough for a comedy. And it’s not smart enough to be elevated in either genre.

Here are two scenes that instantiate the failure of the film as both a comedy and horror movie. Fiennes’s Chef curates a twisted eating experience to teach his patrician diners a lesson. Soliloquizing to his victims, as movie villains are wont to do, he quotes Martin Luther King. Ironic. Funny even, if left at that. A Black diner looks dumbfounded at the tone deafness. Ok, we get it. Another diner gives a “he really just quoted MLK.” Seriously, we GET it. Another diner follows suit. It’s a movie so committed to ruining its own jokes. Take a cue from the film’s subject: if you leave something in the oven too long it gets burnt.

On the horror front, we too get seared to oblivion. In what is supposed to be a shocking initiation into the violence and insanity of Chef’s game, a predictable dud kicks off the mayhem. Chef lays out white plastic sheets. He invites his sous chef out to present a dish called “the mess.” He berates the man, humiliating him by listing off his failures, intimating that his life is not worth living. I wonder what he induces the man to do to shock his audience given what has physically and emotionally been set up? We know the punchline as we wait for the buildup to get over with.

The comedy/horror mashup might have worked had this been a delightfully campy affair with guts and one-liners galore. This, however, is decidedly not that.

Fiennes and Anya Taylor Joy are always a treat to see light up the screen. The movie is competently directed by HBO mainstay Mark Mylod (“Succession,” “Game of Thrones”). But there’s no auteurship that brings “The Menu” beyond a watchable, yet forgettable episode of an anthology horror series you might see on TV.

It’s an easy to swallow movie — you won’t spit it out — but nothing to rave about on Yelp.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
EventsFilm

On The Scene: LA Premiere of ‘Good Night Oppy’

by Katherine Wright
written by Katherine Wright

The Knockturnal attended the LA premiere of Prime Video’s “Good Night Oppy,” a documentary covering the journey of the NASA rover Opportunity, which set out for a 90-day journey on Mars that lasted for a groundbreaking 15 years. Notably, the film highlights the passion, heart, connection, and emotion involved between Opportunity and the earthbound NASA team. 

 

On the red carpet prior to the screening, The Knockturnal spoke with director Ryan White and NASA researcher Abigail Fraeman, one of the starring documentary subjects. 

In tune with the extraterrestrial theme, The Culver Theater provided “Good Night Oppy” branded popcorn buckets, along with an assortment of Milky Way and Mars candy bars, and even packets of Space Rocks popping candy. 

 

The passion and pride was almost tangible in the theater as film professionals gathered alongside scientists, researchers, and family members, united over a shared passion and appreciation for the inspiring story and trailblazing mission. “Good Night Oppy” is now playing in select theaters, and will be available to stream on Prime Video on November 23rd. 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
EntertainmentFilm

Why ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ are scarier than most horror films

by Richard Schertzer
written by Richard Schertzer

We all have our favorite horror film. It could be The Exorcist, The Omen, or the It movies. Those movies are known as the scariest films of all time. However, those films do not compare to the sheer horror of the most frightening films of all time: Pinocchio and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

I know what you’re thinking. You are puzzled that I chose these family-friendly movies that don’t even belong in the horror genre. It cam make one very befuddled when realizing that these movies might be scarier than other horror films, but I will do my best to explain. 

I’ll start by outlining the 1940 classic Pinocchio. In one particular scene that was cut from the 2022 remake, Honest John the Fox and Gideon the Cat are at a bar where they run into a mysterious coachman. John brags about selling the titular puppet to Stromboli for profit. The Coachman offers the two some good money, in exchange for some “stupid little boys”. 

However, when Pleasure Island is mentioned, John gets anxious and the Coachman flashes a frightening grin that scared the living shit out of me when I first saw it on VHS with my parents in that dark basement. If you don’t believe me, you can watch it for yourself.

Scary, right? I know. I remember when I first saw it and was scared out of my sheets that it traumatized me for a good long while. 

Before I saw that movie, I also remember seeing a movie by one of my favorite directors Robert Zemeckis entitled Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The scene that I remember was when Judge Doom was steamrolled and then reanimated into his true toon form and it was horrifying. 

Just check it out.

If only I could count the number of nights that that scene has kept me up. I bring up these two scenes and believe that they are truly scarier than other horror films, first, because of their genre. They are family movies and not horror. With that being said, people will watch these film with their guard down while they watch horror movies with their guard up because they know what to expect. They wouldn’t expect it from family movies. Also, since it is a family film and the majority if the film is good and wholesome, having a scare will make it stick out and be a nice reminder of the scene and make that scene all the more scarier. 

That’s reason number one. Reason number two is because of the quantity of scares. In horror movies, their are a litany of scares that the more scares there are in the film, the less likely those scares will be as memorable because they may dilute themselves. If you have one very good scare, it will be the most traumatizing thing ever because the film or scene was building up to that point and the payoff was worth it. 

Do you agree that Pinocchio and Who Framed Roger Rabbit are scarier than most horror films?

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Film

Camilo: El Primer Tour de mi Vida

by Avyana Chapman
written by Avyana Chapman

The Knockturnal was recently on the scene of an early exclusive fan screening of “Camilo: Camilo: El Primer Tour de mi Vida | El Documental.” These early premieres occurred at the Rooftop Cinema Club Miami and Rooftop Cinema Club Los Angeles.

Camilo Echeverry, commonly referred to as Camilo, is a Colombian singer, musician, and songwriter. Camilo was born in Medellín, Colombia in 1994 and married Evaluna Montaner in 2020. Camilo’s nominations include a Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Fusion/Performance and more. The top singles he is known for are “Tutu”, alongside Pedro Capó and Shakira,  and “Desconocidos”, with Mau y Ricky and Manuel Turizo. His music is generally categorized as Latin pop with a mix of urban music and is noted for his romantic lyrics and soprano voice. Camilo is currently signed to Sony Music Latin. 

The Knockturnal was on the scene of the Miami screening. The night started off with cocktails, photo ops, and grabbing your favorite movie candy and freshly popped popcorn. The drinks were on theme with drink names such as “la tribu”, “mis manos” and “amar es nuestra revolucion.” My personal favorite was the “la tribu”, this cocktail was a tequila-based drink with passion fruit, lime, agave, and triple sec. La tribu was a refreshing and flavorful drink to have while enjoying the documentary. We also had to make sure we grabbed some of the sweet candy and fresh popcorn. After grabbing our goods we captured videos (reel on our IG) and pictures in front of the many great photo ops. There was a tent, car, and more places to capture content with the documentaries name on it.

Lastly, we all went into the rooftop movie theater and watched the documentary under the beautiful Miami stars. To keep up with the documentary make sure to follow the hashtag #CamiloHBOMax and follow @palantehbomax and @camilo.

Photo credit courtesy of HBO Max.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
EntertainmentFilm

Why ‘Welcome to Marwen’ is a great Robert Zemeckis movie

by Richard Schertzer
written by Richard Schertzer

About four years ago, legendary director Robert Zemeckis released a new film entitled Welcome to Marwen and looking back on it now, it seems like the precursor to the Pinocchio remake. 

The film follows the life of aspiring artist Mark Hogancamp after he is savagely beaten nearly to death by five white supremacists outside of a bar. As a way to cope with the trauma, Mark uses doll figures and builds a miniature town to vent his rage and frustration at his attackers. Mark uses the dolls to illustrate all of the people that are relevant in his life and creates his fantasy to escape the reality that he has been accustomed to.

First of all, when this movie came out, a lot of people thought of this film as a weird science experiment that was conjured up by Robert Zemeckis and, don’t get me wrong, it is at times. However, it remains as something of a next level up for the director, in terms of technological advancements. 

Zemckis has always been a fanatic of performance-capture since the olden days of The Polar Express and that feeling has not waned at all. The visuals remain as magical as the story that inspired it. 

Speaking of the story, the film is based on a true story where Mark Hogancamp was at a bar and began to talk with a few strangers at said bar. However, things took a turn for the worse when he mentioned to the men that he was a crossdresser. As a result, the men beat him within an inch of his life and he was in a coma for nine days. 

After waking up from his coma, he was forced to relearn everything that he had known, which included eating, writing and even readjust to his own life. 

This film works as a modest homage to Hogancamp’s struggles and illustrates those struggles with his CGI dolls coming to life. Zemeckis has had a propensity to use visual thrills to create a magical film. This Steve Carell movie is no exception. The film is an assessment into a tortured man’s mind and how he copes with hsi trauma and whether it comes off as corny or strange is all a matter of perspective. Art is always subjective and that’s all that matters.

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts