Film releases April
a mother and daughter singing and dancing double act ... sharing their 28 room pile with cats, racoons and fleas
This Film Is Not Yet Rated, 9 April
Ever wondered how those folks over the pond come by their film ratings? Well wonder no more! Kirby Dick hires a private investigator to get to the bottom of the grey area that is the "decision making process" used by the MPAA, and also to find out just who these people are. This is a no holds barred account of just how unfairly independent movies are treated compared with mainstream Hollywood fare, as well as the huge disparities when dealing with sex, gay issues and violence. "They're not protecting children. They're turning us all into children."
Grey Gardens, 23 April
The Maysles Brothers' award winning documentary gets a welcome release by Eureka's Masters of Cinema range. It details the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale (Jackie Kennedy's aunt) and her daughter, Little Edie, in the crumbling mansionhouse of Grey Gardens in upstate New York. Eccentric is possibly too soft a word for this mother and daughter singing and dancing double act, living in squalor and sharing their 28 room pile with cats, racoons and fleas. One of the most genuinely bizarre films you're likely to see, it comes on like a cross between Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, Even Dwarfs Started Small and Thundercrack. A must see!
Old Joy, 23 April
Director Kelly Reichdart's Old Joy is the story of two old freinds reunited for a weekend camping expedetion. In very few words the film explores how relationships change over time as people drift apart, the fragility of the friends' relationship juxtaposed against the mountainous landscape. Featuring a top notch soundtrack by Yo La Tengo and a cracking performance from Will "Bonnie Prince Billy" Oldham, it's an unexpected treat.
London To Brighton, 30 April
Hot on the heels of Red Road and The Great Ecstacy Of Robert Carmichael comes another British movie that leaves the viewer with a sense of a dark, bleak and brutal Britain. But don't let this deter you from what is another fantastic example of the quality of films being made on these shores. Dominated by a violent menacing tone, prostitutes, runaways and thugs are the central characters of this gripping and emotional story. Well acted by all concerned this is another slice of life from the underbelly of society, captured effectively by director Paul Andrew Williams.