Latest Note

DN180: Horses – Liz Mermin

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Penguins aside, it’s rare to see a documentary that solely focuses on the experiences of non-human protagonists. In her feature Horses, Liz Mermin spent a year documenting the lives of three Irish racehorses, with the potential to be stars of the National Hunt racing circuit. Liz joins us to [...]

Featured Notes

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

To say Edgar Wright’s movie came with a weight of expectation is something of an understatement. His back catalogue of two uniquely British films, have unusually found international audiences despite not being costume dramas. Shaun of the Dead was a certified geek classic which has done that thing that all best cult films do; grown [...]

Reading & Leeds 2010

Yeah, it may be raining and miserable outside, but it’ll take more than that to stop El Vez and I heading off for our annual Cinema Tent screenings with OFVM at the Reading and Leeds music festivals. If you’re a regular here you’ll no doubt recognise some of the films and kick ass directors in our [...]

Beautiful Kate

Just over 12 months ago, if you had asked me to list my favourite Australian films, it probably would’ve included Mad Max, BMX Bandits, Crocodile Dundee, Chopper and The Proposition (I’m not counting Walkabout as I count it as a British film made in Australia). Not exactly a glittering list of celebrated films and I [...]

Denis Double

Claire Denis is fast becoming one of the most respected and critically acclaimed directors in world cinema. With this in mind, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that before this week I could count the number of Denis films I’d seen on one finger (that film being Beau Travail). However, this week I managed to rectify [...]

Help Build The 10th Lego Master

Seems that all of DN’s nearest and dearest are getting busy with the work of filmmaking – which is just as it should be! The freakishly tall and talented Jan Bednarz is kicking off a new Buzz Films feature documentary, The 10th Lego Master and you can give him a helping hand: There are only 9 [...]

Asides

• Röyksopp are another one of those bands who seem to hold the music video in high esteem and always put a lot of thought and effort into the visuals that accompany their music. From the endless image loops of Eple, the sad narrative of Poor Leno and the instruction manual stylings of Remind Me, I honestly can't think of a bad Röyksopp video. With their latest effort The Drug they may have put out their best video yet. Set in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world, 3 retro styled young girls explore the ravaged landscapes, encountering victims of the unknown disaster along the way. #
• DN fave Robert Seidel is back with another piece of mind blowing experimental animation, this time commissioned for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, Taiwan. From Robert's site: Chirality is a scientific term describing a structure that is not identical to its mirror image. Chiral collects cinematic etudes, which develop various conceptual approaches in order to expand the two-dimensional image into space. They are projected onto a sculpture (510 x 260 x 370 cm) and a screen (250 x 200 cm) made from handmade Taiwanese paper and develop very different lives on these configurations of the same material. chiral | documentation projection & paper sculpture | MOCA Taipei 2010 from Robert Seidel on Vimeo. #
• A stunning wardrobe and subtle FXs steal the show in this haunting music video directed by Alex Takacs and Joe Nankin (aka Young Replicant). A wounded soldier stumbling through the forest is happened upon by two spirit like creatures, but are they trying to save the warrior, or steal his soul? Lovely Bloodflow from BATHS on Vimeo. #
• You should know that if you ask Harmony Korine to shoot a film for you, you're likely to get what he wants to give as opposed to something you dictate. It seems the folks over at New York label Proenza Schouler where not only aware of that fact, but embraced it wholeheartedly when they gave Korine free reign to create fashion short Act da Fool. I'm a massive fan of Korine's work and as Act da Fool feels like a blend of the VHS aesthetic of Trash Humpers, meets the vignette narrative style of Gummo, I for one would love to see him kick out more collaborations in the future. #
• Sometimes the shortest shorts can be the most surprising Animated Short no.1 from Yum Yum London on Vimeo. #