Kayode Ewumi Selects the Mask
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BAFTA AT 70 Saturday 13 May 2017 BAFTA 195 Piccadilly KAYODE EWUMI SELECTS THE MASK London W1J 9LN As part of our BAFTA at 70 celebrations we are delighted to welcome BAFTA Breakthrough Brit KAYODE EWUMI to discuss The Mask with host REMEL LONDON. omebody stop him! 1994 was the break-out year of colleagues, and exploited by local mechanics. He has only two Jim Carrey’s golden decade, commencing with zany, friends, his loyal and resourceful dog Milo, and his supportive child-friendly showcase, Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994), and socially more successful co-worker Charlie (the late and culminating with Carrey’s BAFTA-nominated Richard Jeni). When fake customer Tina (Cameron Diaz in Sperformance in Michel Gondry’s lauded classic, the touchingly her debut) cases his bank for the local mafia, Ipkiss is smitten, weird Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Along the but he is later humiliated when denied entry to the elite Coco way Carrey delivered block-busters with both hearts and minds Bongo nightclub by bouncers who dump him in the gutter just of their own; including fan favourite Dumb and Dumber (1994), as Tina arrives to witness it. Wandering alone in the harbour the prescient The Truman Show (1998), and his Golden Globe- Ipkiss spots a wooden mask and takes it home. Consoling winning turn as doomed stand-up Andy Kaufman, in Man in himself with screw-ball Tex Avery videos (Red Hot Riding Hood the Moon (1999). [1943]) until his landlady yells at him, Ipkiss tries on the mask, But it was for The Mask (1994) that Carrey won a coveted only for it to wrap around his head and transform him into a Oscar for his ham-acted portrayal of a dying cowboy - green-faced, zoot-suited, embodiment of his beloved 1940s admittedly not a real Oscar, but a glass trophy thrust at Carrey’s cartoon heroes, replete with their cartoon-power to bend reality rogue character by a hand from the fourth wall! Carrey and a mischievous and amoral self-confidence he lacks. Soon received a real Golden Globe nomination for his tour-de-force Ipkiss, in his mask persona, is causing merry mayhem across performances as both of the film’s central characters, shy bank town each night, hunted by cynical detective Kellaway (Peter worker Stanley Ipkiss, and the manic, wise-cracking monster he Riegert) and by Tina’s mobster boyfriend Dorian Tyrell (Peter becomes when he dons the eponymous façade. Greene), both of whom seem unimpressed by Ipkiss’ sudden Notwithstanding its impressive animated sequences, break- indestructibility and terrifying super-human powers. Eventually neck pace, and bouts of infectious slap-stick, The Mask is no Ipkiss wins the girl, but not before robbing a bank, seeking light-weight movie. Lying beneath its circus-ride exterior is a counselling, being rescued from prison by his beloved pet, and troubled, even sinister horror, just one that decides to ultimately defeating the whole of the underworld. Ipkiss’ biggest struggle play it for laughs. however is to regain his self-confidence without the aid of a Protagonist Stanley Ipkiss is a forlorn bachelor living in a demonic alter-ego. small apartment in a crime-ridden industrial suburb. Socially The ‘neo noir’ theme of repressed social and cultural tensions awkward, he is harassed by his landlady, boss, and work erupting from the historical pasts of gentrifying American BAFTA AT 70 Saturday 13 May 2017 BAFTA 195 Piccadilly KAYODE EWUMI SELECTS THE MASK London W1J 9LN cities, has been profitably mined by wonders whether he can eventually end many directors; from Chinatown (1974) his dependency on doses of magical to Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). wooden face-mask to cure his shyness With the aftermath of the Rodney King and insecurity. Riots fresh in the memory, however, Much of the verve and panache that the makers of The Mask had no need to made The Mask an instant box office imagine what such urban shocks might success stemmed from its youthful and look like. The deadly violence of The relatively obscure cast and crew. Carrey Mask’s mobsters is therefore anything but only received $450,000 for his roles, and cartoonish, and Carrey’s demon-possessed Diaz was an unknown lingerie model character is at one point surrounded by rejected twelve times at audition before dozens of nervous and heavily-armed finally securing the part that catapulted police ready to gun him down. In her to international stardom. A charm response to the uncomfortable intrusion of the film, and one of its key strengths, cast as Mr. Conway in the 2016 reboot of a modern-day uprising into Tinsel- is the showcasing of Carrey’s natural of Are You Being Served? He will appear town, The Mask stylishly counter-poses genius for rubber-faced mugging and in the BBC’s upcoming comedy TV Carrey as a one-man revival of the ‘Zoot- clowning to camera, using animation to Series White Gold and the Daisy Aitkens’ Suit Riots’ of the 1940s; attested to when compliment the live action rather than directed film You, Me and Him, due for the club orchestra chants ‘Hey Pachuco!’ swamp it. release later this year. Receiving two BAFTA In 2017 Ewumi was selected to nominations, for Best Special Effects become a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Release yeaR: 1994 and Best Production Design, The Mask’s in recognition of his creative talent in Runtime: 101 mins choreographer also rightly won an writing and acting. DiRectoR: chuck Russell American Choreography award for the SCREENWRITER: mike WeRb show-stopping dance spectaculars. An STORy BY: michael Fallon, under-rated sound-track revives Louis REMEL LONDON MaRk VeRheiDen Armstrong’s 1937 forgotten classic ‘Cuban Remel is an award winning television eXECUTIVe PRoDUCERs: Pete’ and boasts an extravaganza by real- and radio presenter. Michael De luca, life swing outfit Royal Crown Revue. She specialises in entertainment Mike Richardson and is the face and lead presenter for Chuck Russell online platform Link Up TV. Remel PRoDUCER: bob engelman KAYODE EWUMI also hosts ILUVLIVE, is a voice over Kayode set his sights on acting at a specialist on BBC Radio 1Xtra, a music young age and started performing at the industry panel member for the MOBO (Mexican for ‘zoot-suiter’) at the mask- Young Vic Theatre as a teenager. During Awards and is one of the friendly faces possessed Ipkiss as he sweeps Tina off his time studying Theatre at Coventry on the fifth season of SKY 1’s digital her feet in a stunning dance sequence. University he began producing Vines entertainment show What’s Up. Even the name of the night club – Coco and, with his writing partner, created the Remel is a noted urban music specialist Bongo – subconsciously evokes the dark comedy character ‘Roll Safe’. Over the and her and appearances over several folk-memory of the 1942 Cocoanut summer of 2015, Roll Safe was developed YouTube channels have received over Grove tragedy. further and a 22 minute mockumentary 3 million views. The psychological element of film #HoodDocumentary was born. It was neo-noir is also present; Ipkiss consults uploaded to YouTube and became an BAFTA Breakthrough Brits showcases and a famous psychiatrist for his mask- instant hit, notching up over 100,000 supports the next generation of British creative induced mood swings (a deliciously droll views in just one week. talent in film, television and games. Each cameo by Ben Stein), and The Mask An appearance as Roll Safe on year, up to 20 talented newcomers are selected gives a noir twist to topical concern BBC One Extra led to a BBC by a stellar industry Jury to take part in a at the rise of the anti-depressant as a Three commission of six five-minute year-long mentoring and guidance programme. magic bullet for everyday angst (the #HoodDocumentary shorts, broadcast in Applications are now open until Tuesday 30 bestselling autobiography Prozac Nation June 2016. Ewumi went on to work May. For more information please visit www. was published in the same year). Ipkiss with the broadcaster again when he was bafta.org/supporting-talent/breakthrough-brits.