ISSUE 01: CINEMA 1895 2021 3 “Cinema is like a battleground: love, hate, action, violence, in one word: emotion” Samuel Fuller 2 2 “The cinephile is … a neurotic! (That’s not a pejorative term.) The famous French advertising slogan that says, “When you love life, you go to the movies,” it’s false! It’s exactly the opposite: when you don’t love life, or when life doesn’t give you satisfaction, you go to the movies.” François Truffaut 1 2 “Anyone who’s made film and knows about cinema has a lifelong love affair with the experience. You never stop learning about film.” Francis Ford Coppola OF TABLE CONTENTS 7 films to look out for in 2021: what can we expect after a year of closed cinemas? 10 The Vampire and Hedonism: 14 Reading Fan Study The Effect of Cinematography in ‘Psycho’ 20 Mikhaël Hers’ ‘Amanda’ is sad, sweet and strikingly simple 26 The Art of Communication: 3 Films To Watch If You Love Dialogue 28 ‘The Brother in Law’ (N’sibi) Transcending corporeality in Algerian queer cinema 32 Post-Apocalypse and Dystopia on the Big Screen: Why Audiences Enjoy Seeing a World Gone to Pot 36 Sexism, racism and capitalism: An essay 41 on Jane Campion’s, ‘The Piano’ Cathy Yan’s ‘Birds of Prey’ is a pink riot of a good time 46 New Masters of Horror: Ari Aster 48 Ladj Ly’s debut ‘Les Misérables’ makes a thunderous political statement 51 My Love-Hate Relationship With ‘Blue Is The Warmest Colour’ 53 Robert Eggers’ Nightmare: Mythology Meets Misogyny 58 Review: ‘Being Frank: 62 The Chris Sievey Story’ Featured Scripts Segment 64 Sinner 66 Resurrection Men 71 Interviewing Carol Morley: A Retrospective 77 The Credits 88 7 films to look out for in 2021: what can we expect after a year of closed cinemas? by: INÉS CASES solidified her as one of the brightest young o say that 2020 was a difficult stars of her generation. Now, she’s reunited year for cinema would be more than with ‘Euphoria’ creator Sam Levinson and Tan understatement. Since the COVID-19 partnered up with ‘Tenet’s’ leading man John pandemic brought much of the UK to a David Washington for ‘Malcolm & Marie’. standstill in late March, cinemas had very Filmed over quarantine in April in closely little opening times and failed to attract a monitored conditions, Levinson wrote the Summer audience for anything that wasn’t screenplay in six days at Zendaya’s request Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated and Netflix recently acquired the rights. Set blockbuster ‘Tenet’. In an industry already to be released in early February, the film will struggling with the growing popularity be eligible for nominations at the postponed of streaming platforms and the rebirth of 2021 Academy Awards in April and has been primetime television, the virus seemed like named a dark horse in the race for Best the final nail in the coffin. Picture and the leading actor categories. Nevertheless, like many of us, Hollywood is Director: Sam Levinson determined to make 2021 a turning point. Starring: Zendaya and John David With many blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls Washington having their release dates delayed and Release date: 5th February rescheduled, here’s a list of ten upcoming Distributor: Netflix films destined to make a splash this year. 1. Malcom & Marie (dir. Sam Levinson) 2. No Time To Die (dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga) 2020 has been a year of many things, but one Bond is back! Or at least we think he might of the highlights was the rise of Hollywood’s be. Daniel Craig’s swan song as the iconic new darling Zendaya, who’s historic Emmy- British spy has been delayed twice and is winning performance in HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ has now looking to be released a whole year Malcom & Marie (2021) dir. Sam Levinson No Time To Die (2021) dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga after originally planned. The production has faced some difficulties as Danny Boyle 4. In The Heights (dir. Jon M. Chu) dropped out as a director due to creative 2020 was huge for streaming platforms differences and was quickly replaced and one of the standout events was in with Cary Joji Fukunaga. Look out for July when Disney+ finally released the live performances by Ana de Armas, Lashana stage recording of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Lynch and new villain Rami Malek, as well as ‘Hamilton’. But there’s another Miranda returning actors Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw musical set to make waves and this time and Naomie Harris. it’s Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of ‘In the Heights’. Starring ‘Hamilton’ actor Anthony Ramos in the lead role of Usnavi, hype for Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga the movie has only increased after it was Starring: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek and Léa Seydoux postponed a year due to the pandemic as it’s banked to be Warner Bros’ summer Release date: 2nd April smash at the box office. Distributor: Universal Pictures Director: Jon M. Chu Starring: Anthony Ramos 3. Last Night in Soho (dir. Edgar Wright) Edgar Wright gained widespread attention Release date: 18th June for his action-packed sleeper-hit ‘Baby Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Driver’ in 2017, proving that he was bigger than the very British Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. This time, Wright has written and 5. Candyman (dir. Nia DaCosta) directed ‘Last Night in Soho’, a psychological Produced and co-written by Jordan Peele, horror set amongst the jazz and glamour of visionary director of ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’, Nia London in the 1960s. As usual, Wright has DaCosta’s ‘Candyman’ is a sequel to the brought together an impressive cast that 1992 cult horror film that has spawned a includes ‘The Queen Gambit’s’ Anya Taylor- plethora of nightmares and urban legends. Joy and Jojo Rabbit‘s Thomasin McKenzie. Originally slotted for release in 2020, the film has been rescheduled to late summer instead. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s lead role as Director: Edgar Wright Anthony McCoy is also something to watch Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie and Matt Smith out for, especially as he’s fresh off winning an Emmy for the HBO series ‘Watchmen’. Release date: 23rd April Distributor: Universal Pictures Director: Nia DaCosta Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Release date: 27th August Distributor: Universal Pictures Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures 6. Dune (dir. Denis Villeneuve) 7. West Side Story (dir. Steven Spielberg) We all gawked at the trailer of Denis Movie-musical fans rejoice! 2021 has Villeneuve’s highly-anticipated adaptation another huge movie-musical that has been of ‘Dune’ in September, and then cried when postponed and it’s none other than Steven it was announced the film would actually be Spielberg’s take on the classic ‘West Side released in October of 2021, nearly a whole Story’. With a cast that includes Broadway year after when was originally planned. performers like ‘Hamilton’s’ Ariana Debose But as we continue to buzz over the trailer and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’s’ Mike Faist, as well we do have, it’s worth remembering that as a much talked about debut by newcomer Villeneuve has stated that this film will only Rachel Zegler whose been cast in the lead cover the first half of the novel and a sequel role of Maria,’ West Side Story’ has everyone is already planned. The film will boast a wondering whether it will be able to stand lead performance by Timothée Chalamet as alongside the Oscar-winning original or not. Paul Atreides alongside a stacked cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Director: Steven Spielberg Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Zendaya. Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose Director: Denis Villeneuve Release date: 10th December Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac Distributor: 20th Century Studios and Zendaya Release date: 1st October Westside Story (2021) dir. Steven Spielberg The Vampire and Hedonism: Reading Fan Study by: ELIZABETH TRAIN-BROWN ‘‘ A text is made of multiple writings, drawn from many cultures and entering into mutual relations of dialogue, parody, and contestation.’’ - Barthes (1977, p.148) the power of the reader, the ability to create meaning of the text, overwhelming the significance of the author. Henry Jenkins’ (2012) later research into fan study and textual poaching suggests that fans subversively appropriate mass-media texts for their pleasure – in this way, all texts are ‘made of multiple writings’ (Barthes, 1977, p.148) recreated in a new image, one wrought by the reader. Since Jenkins’ introduction of the theory in 1992, critics note how the term he vampire is the anthropomorphic creation of no longer encapsulates the rapid growth of fear; every anxiety of the dark brought into one contemporary fan practices and engagement terrifying figure that has resonated through (Bennett, 2014). ‘Fans collaborate with the human history. But does it not also expose commercial culture they allegedly poach our voyeuristic tendencies? The innate human from’ (Chin, 2010, p.2) and, indeed, ‘there is a thirst for taboo, or hedonism? Is the cinematic growing acceptance that [brand strategists] vampire not glorified, mystified, even sexy? are no longer the ones in control’ (McCulloch, Do we create these creatures out of fear or out et al., 2013, p.325). Fans are taking over of a desire to live vicariously through them? the portrayal of their texts and influencing TBarthes (1977) discussed a new concept: cinematic adaptations. Nowhere is this truer than the vampire. character has been transformed into a ‘The monstrous lurks somewhere in that humanoid figure of hedonism, through which ambiguous, primal space between fear and audiences live vicariously through. This attraction’ (Cohen, 1996, p.17), the space interaction with, and textual poaching of, Kristeva (1982, p.3) calls ‘abjection’, where earlier models have produced the citational the power of the audience may cast off vampire we see today (Gelder, 2012).