Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Vinyl Film Review | Raindance Film Festival 2012

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Vinyl was one of my favourite films at the Raindance Film Festival. It is a comedy film about an ageing rocker, Johnny Jones, who goes to the funeral of a member of his former band. Johnny is living in a caravan and trying to have a baby with his wife, A washed up rock star, he misses his former life.

When he sees the rest of the band at the funeral they all end up jamming and they make a record, it’s good but Johnny cannot get anyone to sign the band or play the record in the youth-obsessed world of the music industry. Instead he spins the truth and says that the song has been made by a Welsh teenage band, and will reveal the truth when the record is a hit.

This film by Sara Sugarman is a real gem of a film. It is funny and entertaining. With a stellar cast including Phil Daniels , Keith Allen and Perry Benson, Vinyl is full of punk spirit, a fun, likable film which has been described as ‘School of Rock meets Spinal Tap’ and I couldn’t put it better myself.

Camellia’s Tea Shop | Review

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Camellia’s Tea Shop has a lot going for it; a great location in central London, a great view and a good variety of tea. So, then, why was it one of the worst places I have ever drank in, in London? Let me start….

As I walked into Camellia’s Tea Shop the friend I was meeting was nowhere to be seen. I had a walk around so I could decide where to sit. I finally make up my mind and I am approached by someone I think is the manager, who is rude and condescending. She asks me if I am having tea, something I think is rather obvious in a tea room, I say ‘yes’ very politely. She points to the smallest and most out-of-the-way table and says that I should go sit there. I decide not to create a scene as my friend will be here soon, so I smile and I go and take this table.

I take a look at the menu and I just have a normal tea as I am not a huge fan of most herbal tea. By this time my friend has arrived and I go and order a drink for her too. I pay £3.50 for each tea. My friend likes her tea but mine, well, it really was the worst tea I have ever had in my life. Which is quite an achievement. For a brief moment I actually think the milk they gave me might be off as it tastes so disgusting. I couldn’t even finish it.

It is a shame that Camellia’s Tea Shop does not live up to its potential as it could be a great tea room. The service is awful, the staff are rude and the tea is the worst I have ever tasted. Avoid at all costs.

 

Brigid Hains On The Launch of Aeon | Interview

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Why did you set up Aeon?

Paul and I set up Aeon because we believed that we live at a point in history when people are questioning their own and their society’s values and beliefs, and in our view the only way to work through this is by having open conversation and debate about questions that matter deeply to people.

 

What is the main aim of Aeon?

To foster conversations about significant questions that go to the heart of contemporary dilemmas and interests: whether that be understanding the latest news about the Higgs Boson, wondering how we mark important moments in our lives, or thinking deeply about the meaning of work and leisure. Our topics range very widely, but our interests are unified by a particular ethos, or tone. We want Aeon to be a place that people visit, and spend time online, where they feel confident that each essay will be stimulating, and some will have the capacity to shift their perspectives altogether.

 

You have some brilliant essays coming up. Can you tell us about some of the highlights?

We have a wonderful lyrical essay on Bristlecone Pines – the world’s oldest living beings – and their prospects under climate change, by young science writer Ross Andersen. A searing memoir of life as a fostered adolescent and how a wild raccoon saved her sense of self by Lauren Slater, an award-winning essayist. A spirited defence of metaphor and inspiration by Jay Griffiths, author of the Wild; and a searching, deeply personal account of what it is like for Arab women facing the post-revolution world today by Amal Ghandour. A highly varied collection!

 

What do you think the most important news story this year has been?

In the spirit of our commitment to many perspectives, and the many qualities that make us human beings, I couldn’t say there has been one dominating story. Our desire is to get beyond the news and into the questions that lie behind the daily news cycle: from the lives of Arab women living through revolutions  to the consequences of climate change; questions of sexuality and gay rights in Uganda or the culture wars that are part of the US election.

 

How do you get your writers?

We do a huge amount of research and discussion within the editorial team. The initial point of contact varies: sometimes one of our editors will approach a writer they have worked with before; sometimes we cold-call somebody we’d love to have writing for us, and sometimes we are approached by writers who have something for us.

 

Describe a typical day.

Right now we are in the middle of launch so we have a great deal going on. The longer rhythms of commissioning essays and working with our writers to get the essays right goes on all the time. So every day we are in correspondence with writers, working on drafts, researching possible stories and researching pictures (which are very important to our highly visual site).

At the same time as this we meet every day to discuss the day to day management of the website, and the kinds of responses we have had to each essay. Every day we also connect to our social media communities, as well. If we are serious about conversation, we need to be agile and responsive to our readers as well as commissioning work that we believe in ourselves.

 

Tell us a bit about you

I’m originally trained as an environmental historian, and also have an academic background in anthropology. I’ve always had wide intellectual interests, especially in science, environment and historical topics. For a very long time Paul and I have both been interested in how ideas work in the world – both through people’s personal experiences and also through social action and wider discussion – so Aeon is very much an expression of that mutual interest. On a personal note, I’m Australian, I’ve been living in London for most of the past 6 years (I’ve also lived briefly in New York) and Paul and I have a daughter who is 11.

 

Aeon is an online magazine. Do you think print is dead?

Not at all! I love print, both in magazine and book form. However the digital space offers a fluidity and reach that cannot be matched in print for a new magazine like ours. As new devices come on the market, digital will be able to offer something closer and closer to the immersive reading of print. There are things that print still does very well – the ultimate balance between the two is hard to predict.

 

What is Aeon’s business model? How do you think you will make money?

Our business model is to spend the first year or so investing significantly in the magazine in order to build up a strong following or community of interested people – readers, writers, artists and photographers. Once we have established that reach we will start to build opportunities for generating revenue. We are not sure what forms these will take and are watching closely how other publications are doing so – from micro-payments for articles, to higher levels of service for subscribers, live events, and online fora.

 

What advice do you have for people who want to get into publishing?

I’m not sure that I have any particular advice for people who want to get into publishing – but for those who are interested in writing for a magazine like Aeon I can say: know you subject very well, and read deeply into it if that’s appropriate. Authentic personal experience married with significant technical or empirical knowledge is a powerful combination. Write often, but with discipline and seek advice and help with your writing. And approach us with a pitch if you think you have something that’s right for us!

Dark Hearts World Premiere | Raindance 2012

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At the beginning of the Raindance Film Festival Frost went along to the world premiere of Dark Hearts. I had a good chat with lead actor Kyle Schmid and director Rudolf Buitendach. Rudolf is very friendly and I will be interviewing him shortly.

Dark Hearts is an oxymoron: a modern film which is also an old fashioned film noir. Made on a low budget, Dark Hearts is a technical achievement of the highest order. Rudolf Buitendach’s directorial debut looks beautiful and is very well done. It also has a famous cast including Goran Visnjic (Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, E.R., Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Beginners),  Lucas Till (X-Men, Wolves, Stoker, Paranoia), Sonja Kinski (daughter of Nastassja Kinski), Kyle Schmid (Lead Star of Copper – BBC America) and Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Ed Wood). Rudolf Buitendach is obviously well connected and Dark Hearts has some talented people working on it.
Dark Hearts was nominated for BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM at the 2012 Raindance Film Festival and is in the running for possible BIFA nominations as well. The acting is strong and it is a very enjoyable film. I loved Dark Hearts. Go see it if you can. An impressive debut from director Rudolf Buitendach.

 
Supporting star Rachel Blanchard (Snakes on a Plane, Clueless)
Director Rudolf Buitendach (Cannes-Venice Shorts Alum, Trailer for Bronson)
DP Kees Van Oostrum (2x Emmy-Nominated DP of Gods & Generals, Gettysberg)
Screenwriter Christian Piers Betley (13 Eerie, Stranded)
Executive Producer Jack Bowyer (Private Peaceful, Gallowwalker)
Gabrial McNair of No Doubt (Original Score Composer)
Paul Oakenfold (Original Score Composer)
Richard Strange (Original Score Composer)

 

Colson is an artist struggling to make it in the frenetically paced downtown LA art scene. When his brother Sam lands on his doorstep, Colson finds himself drawn back to the fractured family set-up that he felt lucky to have left behind. Out for a night on the town, the brothers run into sultry singer Fran. They both fall in love but Colson becomes obsessed and a passionate affair ensues.


Prodded by an influential gallery owner to push his work that much further, Colson stumbles across the perfect red and the power of painting in blood. Soon it seems like he’s made a deal with the devil as he immerses himself in an affair with Fran that has deception and betrayal looming in the background.

Sonja Kinski, daughter of Natassja, is stunning as Fran, having inherited not only her mother’s dark beauty but her acting skills and too, and she proves a powerfully magnetic muse. A real bonus is the film’s score which features some of the hippest artists around; tracks are provided by Einstuerzende Neubauten, Shirley Manson from Garbage, Fairuza Balk and Daniel J from Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. A debut feature from South African born director Rudolf Buitendach, this is a stylish odyssey that proves as alluring as LA itself.

Mark Potts Cinema Six Interview | Raindance 2012

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The Raindance Film Festival was as brilliant as ever, and we have an exclusive interview with Mark Potts, director of one of the festival’s films, Cinema Six.

1. What made you want to be a filmmaker?
– It was probably a few things. First, The Blair Witch Project. It’s embarrassing to admit, but that got me into it initially. My friends and I took my dad’s Hi-8 camera and made a parody of it. It was a little over 2 hours long. I edited it with VCRs and honestly, I cannot really remember how I set it up. It was two VCRs connected to a television and the camera and somehow it worked. But from there, my high school Spanish teacher encouraged my friends and I to do a public access show, and we did that. Then, I started working at a movie theatre, met Cole, and it just clicked. That theatre was my second home and I loved being there. And the feeling I got being there and immersing myself in films and just escaping life made me fall in love with cinema. I wanted to give someone else that experience, that escape, and some relaxation.

2. Tell us about yourself
I’m currently living in Los Angeles but am from Oklahoma. My partner in crime, Cole Selix, and I met in Enid, Oklahoma while going to school together and working at the movie theatre. We started Singletree Productions in 2006 and have made, literally, 100s of shorts and four features (most can be seen on singletreeproductions.com, even the first three features.) I am married to Hailey Branson-Potts, who works at the Los Angeles Times and she is a million times funnier and smarter than I am but don’t put that in the story because then she’ll be a dick about it.

3. You were co-writer and director of Cinema Six. How did you find directing your own work?
Cole and I have been directing our own stuff for years, so it isn’t too difficult for us now. If anything, while directing, we discover all the things we missed while writing and it creates this odd paradox of feelings where we feel like good directors but bad writers. But a lot of that is because Cole and I are always changing stuff, trying to make it better, trying to make things snappier, funnier, more emotional. And that’s why we asked a lot of the guys who worked on it to come aboard because we trust their opinions and tastes and wanted them to help make us better.

4. Tell us about Cinema Six.
Cinema Six has been around for about nine years. Cole and I first started talking about it while working in the movie theatre back in 2003. Of course, at that time, the script was really just un-connected scenes of us messing with customers and complaining about customers and being jerks to customers. Since that point, Cole and I have moved multiple times, gone to college, gotten married, had kids (Cole has two awesome kids, I have a pug) and have gone through some big changes which all can be seen in the version of the film now. It’s a love letter to the cinema and a commentary on growing up and just doing whatever you have to do to be happy.

5. What was the hardest thing about making the film?
Oddly enough, there wasn’t anything too difficult about making the film. The two biggest things were the budget because we were very limited and finding the perfect movie theatre. We needed a theatre that was older, not that flashy, and still ran film. It’s hard to find film theatres, which makes me sad. For me as an actor, the hardest part was remembering lines. I don’t memorize lines, which is terrible. Brand Rackley and John Merriman, the other two leads, are as professional as you can get and they were always prepared even as far as to tell me my lines. It was embarrassing but also humbling to know I had two friends and actors that cared enough to do that and not give me too much shit for it.

6. Where did you get the funding?
We received our funding from Reilly Smith and some of his family and friends. They chose to believe in all of us and I will forever be in their debt. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t pray to God we make their money back. They deserve it because they took a chance on some young filmmakers who just wanted to talk about growing up and tell vulgar jokes. I can never thank them enough.

7. How did it feeling getting into Raindance?
It was shocking and awesome! I was dumbfounded by the news and still kind of am. I am incredibly upset I couldn’t make it as well. But, we did make a special video Q&A that we hope people stay and watch. It answers a lot of questions. Not really.

8. What advice what you give to others filmmakers?
The best advice I have is to keep making things. Just keep making, even if it’s bad. We made many, many bad things. We still do. But we’re always making something and you learn something from every video and every mistake. Watch movies, read screenplays, make stuff.

9. You co-wrote the script, can you tell us about your writing process.
Cole and I have written scripts together for over six years. Our process is pretty solid now. When we get ideas, we talk about them for a long time. We throw around jokes and scene ideas and if we still love it months later, then we feel like it’s worth writing and trying to make. This process has weeded out many, many ideas and I love doing it. Just talking things through and seeing what sticks. When we’re at a point that we want to write it, we’ve talked about it so much that it really just needs to be put on paper, so I write it all out, then we get to ripping it apart and fixing it.

10. What’s next for you?
I’m hoping to start another feature next year. I have a few ideas and none of them are like Cinema Six, which excites me. They are all funny, but much, much darker.

The Economics of Happiness | Film Review

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One of my favourite books is Ancient Futures: Learning From Ladakh, a riveting book by Helena Norberg-Hodge. The Economics of Happiness follows on from this book. It describes how consumerism and globalisation damages the lives of, not only villagers in Ladakh, but also the wider world in general. Making them less happy and affecting their livelihoods.

Helena Norberg-Hodge talks about the happiness index and gives a strong argument for localisation while exploding the myths that surround it. Did you know that most countries export as much food as they import? Critics say that it is not possible to feed the world without importing but this brilliant documentary sets the record straight on many environmental and economical issues. The Economics of Happiness lays waste with the idea that the relocalisation of food production in the West would cause starvation in the developing world.

People are sick of companies putting chemicals in our food. One of the problems of today is how far away we are from the reality of our food. Our food has become big business and it does harm to our health. It is depressing that we live in a world where a meal from McDonalds costs less than some vegetables. No wonder diabetes and other health problems are on the rise.

The Economics of Happiness has important people from six continents asking for economic change, including environmentalist and conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Michael Shuman, Andrew Simms and Clive Hamilton amongst others. The documentary runs for 65 minutes. It is well paced with high production value.

The documentary goes on to make 8 arguments against globalisation. It makes its point well and makes no apology, Norberg-Hodge thinks globalisation makes us unhappy and less socially connected. The documentary is well researched and it rightly points out that globalisation exists thanks to huge subsidies from governments. This documentary argues it’s case well and gives a strong argument for localisation.

I saw this film shortly after seeing the brilliant, Oscar-nominated, Foods Inc. As customers we have the power to vote with our wallets, even if that vote means we spend nothing at all.

I saw this documentary after Zac Goldsmith MP brought it to Richmond and afterward I met Helena Norberg-Hodge who has graciously said she would give Frost an interview. Something I am very excited about. Watch this space!

To find out more or to contribute; http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

SUDA Thai Birthday Party

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I love Asian food so I was very happy to receive an invite to SUDA Thai’s first Birthday Party. This brilliant Thai restaurant is in the heart of Convent Garden. The restaurant has two floors and the decor is no expense spared. The food is brilliant as are the cocktails and champagne.

We were even given recipes to take home and shown how to cook See Krong Gae Yang Takrai – lemongrass- marinated rack of lamb with papaya salad.

Happy birthday SUDA, and thanks for the invite.

SUDA, St Martin’s Courtyard, WC2E 9AB. 020 7240 8010.

Vogue On Designers | Book Review

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VOGUE ON

Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Alexander McQueen

Out Now, £15 each, hardback

 

 Sometimes I love my job, and the opportunity to review these books was one of those times. These books are as beautiful, elegant and enjoyable as the designers the books are about. I love the layout of the books and each one has great quotes from the designer.

Vogue on: Coco Chanel, by Bronwyn Cosgrave. Vogue on Chanel may be a short book but it is incredibly comprehensive. The book is full of pictures and quotes. It is hard to read the story of Coco Chanel’s life and not be inspired by what an amazing business women she was. To Vogue’s credit it does not brush over the rumours about Nazi collaboration (Chanel had an affair with a German officer during World War II) and the book is well-researched and beautifully written. The Vogue archive pictures are to-die-for and I learnt a lot from reading this book. Coco Chanel managed to leave her mark, not just fashion, but also the world. An excellent businesswomen she built an entire empire by creating a signature look.

Coco Chanel’s private life was as interesting as her business. She dated the Duke of Westminster and traveled in high society. She was backed by Kitty De Rothschild who stated, “I shan’t buy a thing without showing her. That child’s got more taste than the rest put together.” After this stamp of approval the elite of the day bought her clothes in droves, and still do.

I loved this book. It is a triumph for Bronwyn Cosgrave. A perfect gift for Christmas and beyond.

 

Vogue on: Alexander McQueen,  by Chloe Fox. This book is different from the others as I actually remember Alexander McQueen, and was very upset when he tragically took his own life. He is the most modern of the fashion designers and I remember some of the collections. For 15 years the mouthy, East-End, working-class boy-did-good, McQueen was deliberately controversial.

Talented beyond belief, McQueen was also arrogant, likable and visionary. He knew how to be quotable and work the press as much as he knew how to design beautiful, wearable clothes. This book has a ting of sadness as both McQueen and Isabella Blow committed suicide. Blow had ovarian cancer and McQueen killed himself not long after Blow, and then his mother died

McQueen’s label lasts and the mantle has been handed to Sarah Burton, who designed the wedding dress of Kate Middleton. Burton talks fondly of her former boss in this book.Burton says, “He was my inspiration everyday. Everything I know, I learnt from him.”  In fact, the book has access to all of the main players in McQueens life. A must have for fashion lovers and McQueen fans.

In this book Plum Sykes says, “The fact was, Alexander created a new silhouette for a generation. When you look back at the history of fashion, the only designers with any longevity – from Balenciaga to Dior to Yves Saint Laurent – are the ones who created their own iconic shape.” This quote is what you learn from Vogue’s series of books on designers: they all created their own shape.I really hope there will be more books in this series.

 

Vogue on: Christian Dior, by Charlotte Sinclair. Dior was such a visionary that he completely changed how women dressed. The ‘New Look’ he invented stunned the fashion world and had a cataclysmic effect. The truth is, Dior did more than create a look, he created a revolution. When Dior showcased his new range so many people would come that even the staircases would be filled. There is a wonderful picture of Marlene Dietrich in this book, clutching her ticket as a child would hang onto candy. This book, and indeed all of the others, is not just a book on fashion, but a book on history. Vogue on Christian Dior is a fascinating read, I could barely put it down. I could also stare at the pictures for hours.

All of Diors couture clients had their own mannequin that was made to their own measurements. Upon reading this I rather longed to be incredibly rich and that Christian Dior was still alive, as it sounded so romantic and wonderful. One of the reasons Dior was so successful was because he gave women what they wanted. “I brought back the neglected art of people pleasing.” He said.

Of course, all of the designers these books are about are dead now. An era ended. Even Alexander McQueen, sadly gone too soon. I hope Vogue do more books in this series. Yves Saint Laurent would be an obvious, and much deserved, subject.

Vogue on: Elsa Schiaparelli, by Judith Watt. Like the rest of the books in the series, Vogue on Elsa Schiaparelli is well illustrated, picture perfect and wonderfully written. Schiaparelli may not be as well known to the wider public as the other designers but she remains influential.

Schiaparelli was also a rare thing, even today: a female fashion designer. She had a lasting rivalry with Coco Chanel who was dismissive of her. Schiaparelli was born into high society but lost all of her money after her husband spent her dowry and then left her and her young daughter. She went to work and managed to open her own label. She said: ‘Poverty forced me to work, Paris gave me a liking for it.” Schiaparelli  not only managed to design her own “look”, she also made designs for different types of women, no matter what their body shape or personality. She was also an artist, collaborating with Salvador Dali and Man Ray,

This book is a brilliant story of flair, tenaciousness and perseverance. A wonderful book.

“Life on the dotted line was of no possible interest.” Elsa Schiaparelli

 

Vogue On is an influential and covetable series of short books from the fashion bible Vogue, celebrating the defining fashion designers of the last century.  The first four books in the series illuminate the significance of Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen, each pioneers of their time, and draw extensively on the Vogue archive, the definition of portraiture and fashion illustration. 

 

Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue, comments “Vogue On offers an authoritative overview of the work of the 20th century’s most influential designers. Unique access to the treasures of the Vogue library combined with concise, elegant and informed writing ensures that this series is an unmissable addition to any student or enthusiast of fashion’s library.”

 

Vogue, the international fashion bible, has charted the careers of designers through the decades. Its unique archive of photographs, taken by the leading photographers of the day from Cecil Beaton to Mario Testino, and original illustrations, together with its highly respected fashion writers, make Vogue the most authoritative and prestigious source of reference on fashion. No magazine is better positioned to present a library on the most influential fashion designers of the modern age.