Circumstances beyond our control have kept us all indoors rather more than we might have expected this year so far. Fortunately, we no longer live in a three-channel TV world (imagine that, kids!), so we’re never short of visual entertainment to keep our minds off the grim reality of life in 2020. The various streaming services have kept up regular fresh selections of shows filmed pre-pandemic as they continue attempts to keep our spirits up even when everything around us crumbles into chaos. However, there are only so many glossy supernatural/ superhero shows starring angsty teenagers that I can cope with at one time - will no-one think of the wrinklies? - so over the past couple of months, I have swerved any number of cookie-cutter series starring ballsy, empowered youngsters and cast my net a little wider in my never-ending search for something a bit different. A search for something with a unique voice and vision free from the often straight-jacketing perceived demands of current cultural sensibilities. Join me, then, as this month I hitch up my virtual rucksack and travel into TV’s nether regions (ooer) and briefly turn my back on all those glossy Hollywood teenage wet dreams and explore a few shows crafted on foreign shores where English isn’t ‘the first language’ (there are such places, honestly) and where imaginations aim a bit higher than the teenage demographic. Considering that two of my top shows from 2019 - France’s hi-tech dating app thriller Osmosis (now cancelled, sadly) and the extraordinary German apocalyptic series 8 Days (my absolute favourite show of last year, in fact) - hailed from Europe, my hopes were high that I’d find interesting, if not necessarily rich, pickings by leaving the angry teens to their own devices for a few weeks.
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Starburst Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Starburst Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Memoirs Of The Dead
It’s over 40 years since George A. Romero’s seminal zombie sequel DAWN OF THE DEAD first terrorised the planet, forever changing our demeanour when visiting the local shopping mall. On the eve of its latest disinterment - this time in 4K - we spoke to two actors who lived to tell the tale…
STAND BY FOR SHADO
This autumn marks the 50th anniversary of Gerry Anderson’s evolution from producing Supermarionation to live-action TV shows with UFO. We take a fond look back on a complex, mature series that took Century 21 Productions to new creative heights…
SHORT AND TO THE POINT
Short films have become a popular staple of film festivals but SHORT SHARP SHOCKS, the 41st release from BFI Flipside, shows us that the format has been used for much more commercial means previously…
ROAD TO OTAKU
YOUR GATEWAY INTO THE WORLD OF ANIME......WITH YOUR NAVIGATOR, JAMES 'MAGIC PERKINS' PERKINS
INDEPENDENTS DAY - FC RABBATH
Born in Alexandra, Egypt in October 1986, director/writer FRED ‘FC’ RABBATH has been an inventor, author, comedian, journalist, and all around entrepreneur. He’s also hugely well-travelled thanks to his father’s work, which required Fred to live in several countries before he was even 16. Tirelessly prolific, he has written and directed a string of acclaimed short films and a number of features including Scarlet’s Witch (2014), The Hum (2015), The Movie Extra (2015), and especially A Brilliant Monster (2018), which we described as ‘quirky and highly watchable… a psychological horror/thriller that examines the nature of creativity and the obsessions which drive the creative mind’ He’s back later this year with THE WAITING, a highly unusual and unpredictable ghost story that turns slowly into an unusual romantic fable. We spoke to Fred about his background and his approach to his work in the independent movie sector.
HEART and SOUL
Known for re-shaping the landscape of movies as we know it (not just animated ones), Pixar has respectfully raised the bar with delightful, heartfelt aplomb. From the intense opening segment of Up where no matter how lacking in emotion you think you are, tears will still come running, to the joyous Randy Newman-scored Toy Story moments, to the roaring, superhero family dynamics in The Incredibles, there’s an endless array of remarkable Pixar memories. Even in just these highlighted animated spectacles alone, Pixar has imprinted many sequences into our brains that we will never, ever forget. Everyone has a favourite Pixar character, scene, quote, song, and catchphrase that still evokes something nostalgically magical in them. So, what’s yours?
TRUTH BE TOLD
Following on from our TRUTH SEEKERS set-visit last issue, we speak with the driving forces behind Prime Video’s excellent new supernatural comedy series, SIMON PEGG, NICK FROST, and SAMSON KAYO...
Telephemera
ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
The controversial 1978 film I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE has just been released as part of a 6-disc box set that includes the reboot trilogy, the UK debut of the direct sequel, DÉJÀ VU, and a feature-length documentary GROWING UP WITH I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. We managed to speak with actors CAMILLE KEATON and JAMIE BERNADETTE as well as the son of the original director, TERRY ZARCHI to find out more about the legendary revenge films…
telephemera
ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...
