20 E4.com
08.10.2013
FILM
www.concrete-online.co.uk
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Special Screenings This month E4/Picturehouse Slackers Club are presenting exclusive screenings, including the dystopian sci-fi thriller Ender’s Game on Thursday 24th October. Matthew Atwood reviews their screening of It’s Such a Beautiful Day
It’s Such a Beautiful Day Director Don Hertzfeldt Cert N/A Runtime 62mins
CinemaCity Exclusive Screening It’s Such a Beautiful Day does not present a character in existential crisis in the same manner as most films. The main character is named Bill. He is a stick figure in an animated film by Don Hertzfeldt whose dark narration provides both a bit of comic relief and shock. The sequel to Everything Will Be
Okay (chapter one) is centred around the meaning of life, and I am So Prouid of You (chapter two) is a satirical comment on consumerism. The plot of the third and final film focuses on Bill’s struggle to remember anything about his past, ranging from events as distant as his childhood, to anything as recent as a task he just completed. A mysterious doctor never tells Bill what is wrong with him, but informs him that he will soon die. So far so bizarre. But amidst this ambiguity the audience put themselves into Bill’s shoes, which would otherwise seem difficult you might think considering he is only an animated stick figure. As the film gets closer to the character’s seemingly inevitable death the animation begins to dissipate, replaced with shots of real life. For example, as Bill walks down the street
actual people pass him, and the film becomes more three-dimensional. It’s Such a Beautiful Day poses many philosophical questions, but it provides no answers. The day-to-day life portrayed in the film has very little excitement, yet opens one’s eyes to the monotonous actions of existence. Bill breaks out of this repetition once he decides to go out and live life the proper way: outside. Death has given him freedom. Despite the existential crisis and dark comedy, the film ends up giving hope, and easing the fear of death. Don Hertzfeldt has created a unique film where cartoon stick figures feel realistic and relatable as they come to terms with the purpose of life.
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FlickeringMyth.com
Retrospective: “The Wicker Man” To celebrate its 30th anniversary re-release, Jay Slayton-Joslin revisits a horror classic
ThePlace2.ru
Robin Hardy’s 1973 masterpiece, The Wicker Man, is upon its 30-year anniversary. It is now known as a masterpiece not just of British cinema, but also of the horror genre. The film follows Sergeant Neil Howie, who visits the initially idyllic but isolated island of Summerisle in search of a missing child who the locals claim never existed. Without spoiling too much for those who haven’t seen the original, the locals are not the peaceful residents that they initially seem to be. Instead, they follow an outdated, and sacrificial, folklore to the word. Though the film was released to mixed reception, it is now regarded as a cult classic and an inspiration to those who follow suit in British cinema. The shame, as with many classic horror films, and with the industry being less original year by year, is that it may only trigger thoughts, to the younger cinema-goers of the 2006 Nicolas Cage remake, which follows Cage’s current canon of awful films and is truly shambolic.
With brilliant performances from Edward Woodward and horror veteran Christopher Lee, The Wicker Man not only thrills because it is a fantastic horror film, but because it is a breath of fresh air in a market that is over saturated by boring slashers. Hardy’s film is tense, frightening and brings an atmosphere of horror that makes you more uncomfortable than other horror films – you’re not afraid of turning the lights on. In fact, you might want them off, because the film doesn’t make you scared of what’s in the dark, but instead of the people you see in the day. The film is now regarded as a classic of the 1970s. It has a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is ranked in the top 500 movies by Empire magazine, and has spawned a spiritual sequel by Robin Hardy. It is possible that the original will fade into darkness. Yet there is always that hope that it will be remembered, and that thirty years on The Wicker Man is a true classic of the horror genre that we want to see burn on.