Red Bull Presents Snowboarding Film 'The Art of FLIGHT'

Following 2008′s snowboarding documentary That’s It, That’s All, director Curt Morgan’s new film The Art of FLIGHT is a sports action adventure that follows some of the most talented snowboarders on their quest to open up unexplored corners of the world.

Presented by Red Bull Media House, in association with Brain Farm Digital Cinema, the film features snowboarders Travis Rice, John Jackson, Mark Landvik, Scotty Lago, Jake Blauvelt, Nicolas Muller, DCP, Pat Moore, Eero Niemela and Jeremy Jones.

The film has been two years in the making, using the most advanced and progressive filmmaking technology to shoot on location in places like Jackson Hole, Alaska, Chile, Aspen, Patagonia and British Columbia. This high-energy snowboarding action film sees new tricks landed and remote areas opened up, as well as accidents, avalanches and wrong turns on the mountains.

The Art of FLIGHT was released last month and the filmmakers and stars are on a world tour with the film throughout October and November. Here is the trailer:

The Art of FLIGHT

[Written for PSFK. Article originally posted here]

Artist Launches 'Film' Exhibition at the Tate Modern

"I've turned the Turbine Hall into a strip of film," said British artist Tacita Dean as she unveiled her exhibition at Tate Modern this week. The piece, entitled Film, is an 11-minute silent film that celebrates 35mm filmmaking and features images of snails, bubbles, balloons, clocks and fountains. The looped film is projected onto a 13 metre high monolith and looks like a filmstrip, with sprocket holes down each side.

Dean's exhibition was commissioned as part of the Unilever series. She created it using classic in-camera and studio techniques like double exposure, superimpositions and glass-matte painting, even hand-tinting some of the images herself. It runs until 11 March 2012 in the Turbine Hall, and admission is free.

Via: BBC News

Trailer: The Avengers

The Avengers is an all-star action film that sees Marvel superheroes including Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, team up to take on a global threat. Directed by Joss Whedon, the film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, and is due for release in UK cinemas on May 4th 2012.

Review: Bunraku

Bunraku is set in a world that has been ravaged by fighting and war. After an animated opening sequence detailing how it has changed, including the banning of guns by the new civilization, we are shown a dystopian setting where the majority of the action takes place. A theatrical fight scene introduces a group of assassins led by the smooth-talking but deadly Killer #2 (Kevin McKidd). These men work for Nicola (Ron Perlman), a man known as the Woodcutter, who never shows his face in public. He is the most powerful man east of the Atlantic and uses his Red Suits and Killers to rule the town, while having its officials over for exclusive poker games.

Two mysterious men arrive in town on the same train, one a nameless drifter (Josh Hartnett) and the other a samurai called Yoshi (Japanese pop star and actor, Gackt). They both find their way to a bar called The Horseless Horseman, and after initially taking a dislike to each other, the Bartender (Woody Harrelson) persuades them to work together. The two men share a common goal, both are out for revenge and Nicola is their target, although they have different reasons for hunting him down. By featuring an honourable samurai warrior and a gunless cowboy as the main protagonists, the film effectively blends heroes from east and west cultures.

Bunraku was written and directed by the Israeli-born filmmaker Guy Moshe. It is the follow-up to his debut child trafficking film Holly. The title is based on a 400-year-old form of Japanese puppet theatre, operated by puppeteers who dress all in black so they blend into the background. The film does often feel as though it takes place on a stage, with theatre-inspired sets and scenery that looks like it’s made out of paper. 

Walls and backdrops pop up and fall, green screens provide CG backgrounds and the virtual origami-like world is reminiscent of a pop-up book. Coincidentally, Woody Harrelson’s Bartender makes pop-up books as a hobby and shows Yoshi the one he is working on, which bears some resemblance to Spider-Man’s origin story. This unique visual style extends to impressive special effects and animation sequences, used to switch from one scene to another and enhance certain moments in the film. The stylish aesthetic includes subtitles that look like they’ve been lifted from comic book panels.

Bunraku’s interesting and innovative blend of techniques and genres makes it hard to categorize. The film draws inspiration from many different areas and is a genre mash-up of spaghetti western, martial arts, revenge thriller, noir, fantasy, mafia, musical (without the songs), and adds elements from video game and comic cultures too. 

The film has a great cast and is narrated by Mike Patton (former singer of Faith No More). Kevin McKidd clearly relishes his flamboyant and devious role as the villain’s right-hand man and Woody Harrelson provides some good humorous moments. Demi Moore is underused as Alexandra, Nicola’s woman who has a mysterious past. One scene shows how she is linked to the Bartender, but this isn’t expanded upon and her character ultimately feels a bit unnecessary. This quirky and unique film is not for everyone as some may find the mix of genres confusing and disjointed. However, others will find this oddness refreshing, the visual style striking and the story a fun, modern tale of good vs. evil.

[DVD screener provided by Flickering Myth. Review originally posted here] 

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