Civil War is an extremely powerful, effective movie that thrusts you into the middle of an American civil war seen through the eyes of a war photographer. It’s brutal. It’s extraordinarily violent. The sound design is bordering on abusive. And if you watch it in IMAX you can reasonably expect to leave the theater with more than a little motion sickness. It is, however, excellent, with great performances from Kirsten Dunst as the older, jaded photographer and Cailee Spaeny as the reckless youngster new to the game. So see it. But we’d be very surprised if you decide to rush back for a second viewing.
Here’s our celebration of the wonderful, must-see movies where once is quite enough, thank you very much.
Hereditary
To no one’s surprise, Ari Aster’s harrowing debut immediately makes the top of this list. You might think the early, shocking...
Here’s our celebration of the wonderful, must-see movies where once is quite enough, thank you very much.
Hereditary
To no one’s surprise, Ari Aster’s harrowing debut immediately makes the top of this list. You might think the early, shocking...
- 4/15/2024
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
It never gets easier to look up the horrors of what real life humans are willing to perpetrate but some of them are harder than others. Looking into the purported Scottish myth that inspired The Hills Have Eyes for example is a whole heck of a lot easier to do than find out the absolutely abysmal crimes that were committed against a young girl in The Girl Next Door. Sadly, today’s movie The Snowtown Murders, a.k.a. Snowtown (watch it Here), is a lot closer to the sickening facts that happened to The Girl Next Door. While Australia already got our notorious spotlight shined on the fictional Mick Taylor who was a composite of two backpack killers, today we will look at the man who is known as the country’s worst serial killer and unpack what he did and who with. The movie is hard to watch...
- 3/6/2024
- by Andrew Hatfield
- JoBlo.com
In our new edition of Horror Highlights, watch the short film Melted, learn more about the In Another Room podcast, and watch an exclusive clip from The Faceless Man!
Watch the Short Film Melted: "My name is Nikki Chapman and I am a 24 year old animator and story artist from South Bend, Indiana. I went to Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a year then transferred to Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fl. Computer Animation seniors at Ringling create an animated short film as their senior thesis. I started with an animatic and concept art in my junior year, then created the models, animation, lighting and compositing during senior year.
While brainstorming ideas to pitch for the film, I came across images of those cartoon popsicles I loved as a kid, such as Bubbles and Spongebob. I thought their off-model designs and...
Watch the Short Film Melted: "My name is Nikki Chapman and I am a 24 year old animator and story artist from South Bend, Indiana. I went to Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a year then transferred to Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fl. Computer Animation seniors at Ringling create an animated short film as their senior thesis. I started with an animatic and concept art in my junior year, then created the models, animation, lighting and compositing during senior year.
While brainstorming ideas to pitch for the film, I came across images of those cartoon popsicles I loved as a kid, such as Bubbles and Spongebob. I thought their off-model designs and...
- 9/2/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
The acclaimed new Australian ozploitation film The Faceless Man, starring genre vets Roger Ward and Andy McPhee, is out now On Demand!
The Australian horror film The Faceless Man took home 6 major awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival including Best Director and Best Film. The trailer looks terrifying:
Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.
From writer/director James Di Martino, and featuring Wolf Creek’s Andy McPhee, Roger Ward (Mad Max), Lucas Pittaway...
The Australian horror film The Faceless Man took home 6 major awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival including Best Director and Best Film. The trailer looks terrifying:
Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.
From writer/director James Di Martino, and featuring Wolf Creek’s Andy McPhee, Roger Ward (Mad Max), Lucas Pittaway...
- 8/31/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
‘The Faceless Man.’
With cinemas closed or operating at limited capacity in many markets, James Di Martino’s debut feature The Faceless Man is set to reach millions of people where they live – on multiple streaming platforms.
The writer-director’s horror movie inspired by harrowing personal experience will premiere on August 28 in English-speaking territories on Amazon Prime, Vimeo On Demand, Gumroad and Reelhouse.
In other deals negotiated by New York-based international sales agent Hewes Pictures, the movie starring Sophie Thurling, Lorin Kauffeld, Roger Ward and Andy McPhee will be released on digital platforms in the US by Freedom Cinema, followed by DVD.
Several months after the VOD premieres, it will screen on Tubi, the free, advertising-supported streaming platform owned by Fox Entertainment which operates in the US, the UK and Australia.
That means a long tail for the film which premiered last October at Monster Fest and had a limited release on eight screens,...
With cinemas closed or operating at limited capacity in many markets, James Di Martino’s debut feature The Faceless Man is set to reach millions of people where they live – on multiple streaming platforms.
The writer-director’s horror movie inspired by harrowing personal experience will premiere on August 28 in English-speaking territories on Amazon Prime, Vimeo On Demand, Gumroad and Reelhouse.
In other deals negotiated by New York-based international sales agent Hewes Pictures, the movie starring Sophie Thurling, Lorin Kauffeld, Roger Ward and Andy McPhee will be released on digital platforms in the US by Freedom Cinema, followed by DVD.
Several months after the VOD premieres, it will screen on Tubi, the free, advertising-supported streaming platform owned by Fox Entertainment which operates in the US, the UK and Australia.
That means a long tail for the film which premiered last October at Monster Fest and had a limited release on eight screens,...
- 8/16/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
"Whatever you do... don't go into the workshop." Freedom Cinema has released an official trailer for an indie horror film from Australia called The Faceless Man, which is set to open in the US on VOD later this month. This premiered at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival last year, where it won a bunch of awards. Sophie Thurling stars as a cancer survivor who goes out to a country house with her friends. At first they're terrorized by red neck locals, but at the same time a para-normal monster "seen as the faceless man" haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits. The cast includes Andy McPhee, Roger Ward, Lucas Pittaway, Albert Goikhman, Brendan Bacon, and Daniel Reader. This looks like a wild Oz-sploitation mashup of all kinds of crazy horror concepts. And there's a killer poster for it - also seen below. Here's the official US trailer (+ poster...
- 8/13/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
From Freedom Cinema and director James Di Martino, The Faceless Man, the Australian horror film which took home 6 major awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival including Best Director and Best Film, premieres on Demand August 28th.
Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.
From writer/director James Di Martino, and featuring Wolf Creek‘s Andy McPhee, Roger Ward (Mad Max), Lucas Pittaway (Snowtown) and Sophie Thurling (Counter Play), The Faceless Man haunts digital from August 28th.
Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.
From writer/director James Di Martino, and featuring Wolf Creek‘s Andy McPhee, Roger Ward (Mad Max), Lucas Pittaway (Snowtown) and Sophie Thurling (Counter Play), The Faceless Man haunts digital from August 28th.
- 8/13/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
‘The Faceless Man.’
The Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (HÕFF) in Estonia may be one of the world’s more obscure festivals but entering The Faceless Man there has paid dividends for the writer-director James Di Martino.
The filmmaker and his fellow producer Daniel Facciolo had planned to attend the festival, which is due to take place from April 25-28 and may still happen online, but for obvious reasons can’t go.
However Di Martino was contacted by Josh Guttman of New York-based international sales agent Hewes Pictures and a deal was signed.
“Previously we had a sales agent lined up with the idea of launching the film at Cannes, but we had not signed,” Di Martino tells If.
“As Covid-19 will prevent any big markets for a long time, Hewes Pictures contacted me with the idea of releasing on alternative platforms and made a good offer.
“They have...
The Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (HÕFF) in Estonia may be one of the world’s more obscure festivals but entering The Faceless Man there has paid dividends for the writer-director James Di Martino.
The filmmaker and his fellow producer Daniel Facciolo had planned to attend the festival, which is due to take place from April 25-28 and may still happen online, but for obvious reasons can’t go.
However Di Martino was contacted by Josh Guttman of New York-based international sales agent Hewes Pictures and a deal was signed.
“Previously we had a sales agent lined up with the idea of launching the film at Cannes, but we had not signed,” Di Martino tells If.
“As Covid-19 will prevent any big markets for a long time, Hewes Pictures contacted me with the idea of releasing on alternative platforms and made a good offer.
“They have...
- 3/24/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth and Daisy Axon in ‘H is for Happiness.’
The Australian presence at the Berlin International Film Festival has been bolstered with the selection of the shorts Elders, Grevillea and The Flame in the Generation program.
It will be the world premieres for Jordan Giusti’s Grevillea and Nick Waterman’s short doc The Flame. Tony Briggs’ Elders played at the Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals and had its first international screening at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto.
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is for Happiness, which opens in Australian cinemas on February 6, was announced today as the opening film of the Generation KPlus section, its international premiere.
In addition, Australian director Kitty Green’s #MeToo Us drama The Assistant will screen in the Panorma sidebar, which the programmers say is “emblematic of the urgency for political action and civil disobedience.”
The Generation...
The Australian presence at the Berlin International Film Festival has been bolstered with the selection of the shorts Elders, Grevillea and The Flame in the Generation program.
It will be the world premieres for Jordan Giusti’s Grevillea and Nick Waterman’s short doc The Flame. Tony Briggs’ Elders played at the Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals and had its first international screening at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto.
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is for Happiness, which opens in Australian cinemas on February 6, was announced today as the opening film of the Generation KPlus section, its international premiere.
In addition, Australian director Kitty Green’s #MeToo Us drama The Assistant will screen in the Panorma sidebar, which the programmers say is “emblematic of the urgency for political action and civil disobedience.”
The Generation...
- 1/22/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Sophie Thurling in ‘The Faceless Man.’
Writer-director James Di Martino did not like any of the distribution deals he was offered for his debut feature The Faceless Man, so he is releasing the film in Australia and New Zealand with the help of a marketing team he has assembled.
The privately-funded horror movie inspired by personal experience will open in cinemas on October 31 – Halloween – after the world premiere on October 12 at Cinema Nova as part of Monster Fest.
Sophie Thurling plays the protagonist Emily, a cancer survivor who embarks on a drug-fueled holiday with several friends. Her fears of a recurrence of the illness are triggered when she encounters a faceless monster plus enraged locals who have a strict no-drugs policy and a group of Russian mobsters who are searching for a missing suitcase.
The cast includes Roger Ward as the leader of the town’s bikie gang, Andy McPhee...
Writer-director James Di Martino did not like any of the distribution deals he was offered for his debut feature The Faceless Man, so he is releasing the film in Australia and New Zealand with the help of a marketing team he has assembled.
The privately-funded horror movie inspired by personal experience will open in cinemas on October 31 – Halloween – after the world premiere on October 12 at Cinema Nova as part of Monster Fest.
Sophie Thurling plays the protagonist Emily, a cancer survivor who embarks on a drug-fueled holiday with several friends. Her fears of a recurrence of the illness are triggered when she encounters a faceless monster plus enraged locals who have a strict no-drugs policy and a group of Russian mobsters who are searching for a missing suitcase.
The cast includes Roger Ward as the leader of the town’s bikie gang, Andy McPhee...
- 7/15/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
On Thursday night, Revolver Entertainment marked the release of Snowtown with a screening of the film, a live Tweet-along and a Q&A with its director Justin Kurzel. Snowtown is a depiction of the real life murders that happened in the nineties in the town close to Adelaide. The film is told from the point of view of Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), an abused teen that becomes embroiled into the world of John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), an outwardly personable man who also happens to be a sadistic murderer.
The film is relentlessly tense (aided by Jed Kurzel’s outstanding score) and oppressively bleak. It is at times almost impressionistic and its use of oversaturated imagery adds to the near-dreamlike quality of the film. Whilst much of the violence is left unseen, what we do witness is so gut-wrenchingly inhumane it’s physically difficult to watch. I had to duck out for...
The film is relentlessly tense (aided by Jed Kurzel’s outstanding score) and oppressively bleak. It is at times almost impressionistic and its use of oversaturated imagery adds to the near-dreamlike quality of the film. Whilst much of the violence is left unseen, what we do witness is so gut-wrenchingly inhumane it’s physically difficult to watch. I had to duck out for...
- 3/25/2012
- by Jack Kirby
- Nerdly
Director Justin Kurzel is to host an interactive screening of Snowtown, his critically acclaimed film telling the true story of Australia's most notorious serial killer, John Bunting.
Snowtown is this week out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download from Revolver Entertainment.
The production, which is Kurzel's first feature film, stars newcomers Lucas Pittaway (who plays 16-year-old Jamie) and Daniel Henshall (as John Bunting).
In what sounds like an incredibly cool idea, Kurzel will celebrate the Blu-ray/DVD release with an exclusive interactive tweet-a-long screening of the film at Revolver HQ in London this Thursday, March 22.
In addition to the audience - those at the screening and those joining in at home via the Blu-ray/DVD or iTunes/LoveFilm download - being able to tweet their comments as the film plays, Justin himself will be tweeting background information about the filming process, on-set stories, and his thoughts on specific scenes as they crop up.
Snowtown is this week out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download from Revolver Entertainment.
The production, which is Kurzel's first feature film, stars newcomers Lucas Pittaway (who plays 16-year-old Jamie) and Daniel Henshall (as John Bunting).
In what sounds like an incredibly cool idea, Kurzel will celebrate the Blu-ray/DVD release with an exclusive interactive tweet-a-long screening of the film at Revolver HQ in London this Thursday, March 22.
In addition to the audience - those at the screening and those joining in at home via the Blu-ray/DVD or iTunes/LoveFilm download - being able to tweet their comments as the film plays, Justin himself will be tweeting background information about the filming process, on-set stories, and his thoughts on specific scenes as they crop up.
- 3/21/2012
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Snowtown, the brutal Australian crime thriller that shell-shocked audiences in Cannes last year, hits Blu-ray and DVD today, and to give you a taste of what to expect, you can watch a scene below. The film, based on true events, follows 16-year-old Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), as he slowly gets drawn under the wing of charismatic killer John Bunting (Daniel Henshall). Snowtown avoids genre clichés in favour of dusty, filmed-on-location realism gut-shredding suspense, as evidenced in the mesmerising, intense footage below. Watch the clip...
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- 3/19/2012
- by Total Film
- TotalFilm
Despite taking a short film called “Blue Tongue” to Cannes Critic’s Week in 2005, Australian director Justin Kurzel isn’t a member of the Aussie collective Blue Tongue Films, which includes “Animal Kingdom” writer/director David Michôd and star Joel Edgerton (also of acclaimed Mma drama “Warrior”). Comparisons will be inevitable, however, in that like “Animal Kingdom,” Kurzel’s debut feature is an uncommonly accomplished crime drama about a naive teen corrupted by the poisonous, sociopathic tutelage of a deranged father figure. The two films also share cinematographer Adam Arkapaw who spent time behind the camera for both productions.
If there’s a key difference, though, between Kurzel’s film, “The Snowtown Murders,” and Michôd’s "Animal Kingdom," it’s that the former is based on a horrific true story. Specifically, “Snowtown” dramatizes the events of Australia’s notorious Snowtown murders (also called the “Bodies in Barrels murders”), perpetrated by...
If there’s a key difference, though, between Kurzel’s film, “The Snowtown Murders,” and Michôd’s "Animal Kingdom," it’s that the former is based on a horrific true story. Specifically, “Snowtown” dramatizes the events of Australia’s notorious Snowtown murders (also called the “Bodies in Barrels murders”), perpetrated by...
- 3/2/2012
- by Julian Carrington
- The Playlist
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Justin Kurzel‘s The Snowtown Murders — formerly known, more succinctly, as simply Snowtown — since I saw it three weeks ago, so I was eagerly looking forward to speaking with the filmmaker about his ambitious feature-length debut. We explored a variety of topics in our discussion — the dynamic between professional and non-professional actors, the age-old clichés about serial-killer psychology — and I came out the other end with a buffer, more substantial notion of what impressed me so much about the film.
Kurzel — and well as the screenwriter, Shaun Grant — had a bold notion to communicate the story of Australia’s most violent man through the vessel of a vulnerable, fatherless teenager. It’s a terrifying psychological approach, probably because it’s so eerily identifiable, and in these ways, it draws some parallels to another recent first-time endeavor, Sean Durkin‘s Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Kurzel — and well as the screenwriter, Shaun Grant — had a bold notion to communicate the story of Australia’s most violent man through the vessel of a vulnerable, fatherless teenager. It’s a terrifying psychological approach, probably because it’s so eerily identifiable, and in these ways, it draws some parallels to another recent first-time endeavor, Sean Durkin‘s Martha Marcy May Marlene.
- 3/2/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Chicago – With a mixture of brooding unease and morbid fascination, the camera in Justin Kurzel’s fact-based thriller has a tendency to follow characters from behind as they enter a new realm of darkness. It’s the darkness residing outside the dingy walls of a hazardous home in South Australia that draws a damaged young man like a moth to a flame. He’s seeking a father figure, but what he finds is something unspeakable.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The young man, Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), is an enigma from the get-go. At age 16, he’s old enough to know that the nude photographs taken of him by his mother’s boyfriend are more than a little inappropriate. Yet he waits for his dangerously clueless mother, Elizabeth (Louise Harris), to discover the news, which prompts her to cross the street (in the first of many memorable tracking shots) and beat the pedophile senseless, just like Ray Liotta in “GoodFellas.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The young man, Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), is an enigma from the get-go. At age 16, he’s old enough to know that the nude photographs taken of him by his mother’s boyfriend are more than a little inappropriate. Yet he waits for his dangerously clueless mother, Elizabeth (Louise Harris), to discover the news, which prompts her to cross the street (in the first of many memorable tracking shots) and beat the pedophile senseless, just like Ray Liotta in “GoodFellas.
- 3/2/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
For his harrowing debut feature, Australian director Justin Kurzel (Blue Tongue) took on a sensationalistic serial-murder case that rocked the northern suburbs of Adelaide in the early aughts. Known across the country as the “bodies in barrels” case, the Snowtown murders spurred controversy and launched a lengthy investigation that resulted in the conviction of a charismatic drifter, John Bunting, along with three accomplices, including a teenage boy he had taken under his wing. Attached to the project by Warp Films Australia’s Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw, and working from a script by Shaun Grant, Kurzel brings psychological verisimilitude and a gritty naturalism to the details of this true-crime story, achieving cinematic truth alongside semi-journalistic accuracy drawn from book accounts, court transcripts, and interviews in the community. The Snowtown Murders won a Fipresci Prize at the 2011 Cannes Critics’ Week, as well as top honors at the Australian Film Institute Awards,...
- 3/2/2012
- by Damon Smith
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
‘The Snowtown Murders’, a strong directorial debut, showing great promise for a first time filmmaker
The Snowtown Murders
Directed by Justin Kurzel
Screenplay by Shaun Grant
2011, Australia
First-time director Justin Kurzel and screenwriter Shaun Grant, using pointers from the books The Snowtown Murders and Killing for Pleasure, tell the story of John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer, whose modus operandi led to his 1990s killing spree – dubbed the “bodies in the barrels” case.
Snowtown is unrelentingly grim and terrifying – a strong directorial debut, showing great promise for a first time filmmaker. Director Justin Kurzel delivers a slow, effective burn, examining how one man’s harmful beliefs spread through a community in the most horrific way possible. Kurzel for the most part avoids sensationalistic, macabre or exploitative techniques. Well past the half-way mark, Snowtown is noticeably shy on demonstrating any direct depictions of the atrocities committed by Bunting. There is very little actual onscreen violence. Instead, scenes of rape, child molestation, and animal brutality...
Directed by Justin Kurzel
Screenplay by Shaun Grant
2011, Australia
First-time director Justin Kurzel and screenwriter Shaun Grant, using pointers from the books The Snowtown Murders and Killing for Pleasure, tell the story of John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer, whose modus operandi led to his 1990s killing spree – dubbed the “bodies in the barrels” case.
Snowtown is unrelentingly grim and terrifying – a strong directorial debut, showing great promise for a first time filmmaker. Director Justin Kurzel delivers a slow, effective burn, examining how one man’s harmful beliefs spread through a community in the most horrific way possible. Kurzel for the most part avoids sensationalistic, macabre or exploitative techniques. Well past the half-way mark, Snowtown is noticeably shy on demonstrating any direct depictions of the atrocities committed by Bunting. There is very little actual onscreen violence. Instead, scenes of rape, child molestation, and animal brutality...
- 3/2/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
As I was putting together my list of films to be sure to see in Cannes this year an Australian crime drama called Snowtown, from first time feature director Justin Kurzel, jumped out at me. Comparisons to last year's Oscar-nominated film Animal Kingdom, also an Australian production, are quite easy to make as a teen finds himself in the center of some disturbing criminal activity. Snowtown makes serial killing a "family" affair as it focuses on John Bunting, Australia's most notorious serial killer, and how he manipulated a 16-year-old boy into collaborating on a heinous series of crimes.
Beginning in 1998, Snowtown's opening moments introduce us to 16-year-old Jaimie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway), his two brothers and their mother, Elizabeth (Louise Harris). In addition to living in the dilapidated community of Snowtown, South Australia, trouble begins early for Elizabeth and her three boys as a neighbor uses a request to look...
Beginning in 1998, Snowtown's opening moments introduce us to 16-year-old Jaimie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway), his two brothers and their mother, Elizabeth (Louise Harris). In addition to living in the dilapidated community of Snowtown, South Australia, trouble begins early for Elizabeth and her three boys as a neighbor uses a request to look...
- 3/1/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Why He's On Our Radar: Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel didn't hold back with his feature directorial debut "The Snowtown Murders," a grisly true account of one of the worst serial killer cases in the country's history. Kurzel's no-holds-barred approach paid off. The film opens this Friday via IFC Films after winning the Special Jury Prize at last year's Cannes' Critics Week, and picking up a slew of awards at the Australia Film Awards. "The Snowtown Murders" (previously titled "Snowtown" on the festival circuit) follows Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris), a mother raising three boys in South Australia's Snowtown. After discovering that her boyfriend has pedophilic tendencies, she takes in a new man, John Bunting (a terrifying Daniel Henshall), who turns out to be even more vicious that the last. It isn't long before John gets close with Elizabeth's son Jamie (newcomer Lucas Pittaway), a soft-spoken...
- 3/1/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Was that a real kangaroo? I kept wondering that as John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) hacks off the paws and head of the dead creature as his girlfriend’s 16-year-old son Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway) looks on. He will join John in dumping the bloody, butchered remains on the front porch of a known pedophile. Later, John watches smugly as the man moves away.
Director Justin Kurzel’s debut feature The Snowtown Murders (winner of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize) observes the grim lives of these Australians, who live in what can only politely be called a slum. Based on true events, Snowtown’s minimalist, no-frills, “documentary”-style approach perfectly captures their nowhere lives and inevitable tragedy as Jamie and his family join Bunting in his self-styled neighborhood watch endeavors; what follows is a series of vicious murders punctuated by horrific torture.
The film is based on events which occurred...
Director Justin Kurzel’s debut feature The Snowtown Murders (winner of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize) observes the grim lives of these Australians, who live in what can only politely be called a slum. Based on true events, Snowtown’s minimalist, no-frills, “documentary”-style approach perfectly captures their nowhere lives and inevitable tragedy as Jamie and his family join Bunting in his self-styled neighborhood watch endeavors; what follows is a series of vicious murders punctuated by horrific torture.
The film is based on events which occurred...
- 3/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently streaming on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Being Flynn, The Snowtown Murders, and Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie.
This Friday theaters will be filled with pairs of men, from a couple of kooky comedians, to an estranged father-son team, and a duo of deadly Aussies. But if these new releases aren’t enough to satisfy your craving for chills, laughs and heartwarming moments, we’ve got you covered with some of the best selections Now Streaming.
Based on Nick Flynn’s poignant memoir, this drama centers on his time volunteering at a homeless shelter, and how it led to an unexpected reunion with his estranged father. Paul Dano and Robert De Niro co-star; Paul Weitz directs.
Want more memoir-based dramas?
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) Dito Montiel...
This Friday theaters will be filled with pairs of men, from a couple of kooky comedians, to an estranged father-son team, and a duo of deadly Aussies. But if these new releases aren’t enough to satisfy your craving for chills, laughs and heartwarming moments, we’ve got you covered with some of the best selections Now Streaming.
Based on Nick Flynn’s poignant memoir, this drama centers on his time volunteering at a homeless shelter, and how it led to an unexpected reunion with his estranged father. Paul Dano and Robert De Niro co-star; Paul Weitz directs.
Want more memoir-based dramas?
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) Dito Montiel...
- 3/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Title: The Snowtown Murders Director: Justin Kurzel Starring: Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway and Louise Harris Films based on real-life murders often strive to glorify the brutal violence of the crimes to visually engage and captivate audiences. But the new crime drama thriller ‘The Snowtown Murders,’ which is based on the murders of the same name that occurred in South Australia during the majority of the 1990s, is instead more sensitive to the victims’ stories. Through engagement with the local community before and during shooting, the film gracefully showcases the back-story and psychology of the main characters, and what motivated them to start killing their own neighbors. ‘The Snowtown Murders’ follows...
- 3/1/2012
- by karen
- ShockYa
The following is a reprint of our review from Cannes where it played under its original title "Snowtown."
Both naturally thrilling and grotesquely over-the-top, the feature length debut by Justin Kurzel is certainly unforgettable and at times unnervingly mesmerizing. Based on the true story of Australia's "Body In Barrels" murders, "Snowtown" is structured much like "Animal Kingdom," using an adolescent teenager as a gateway into a world and family (of sorts) that is profoundly disturbing.
When we first meet Jamie Vlassakis (newcomer Lucas Pittaway who looks a lot like James Franco) he and his two brothers have already been through one trauma, surviving (with a strange emotionless stoicism) the sexual abuse by their neighbor. Their mother Elizabeth (Louise Harris) turns to her boyfriend John (a terrifying Daniel Henshall) to do something about it but little does she know what lurks between his warm smile and easy (and sometimes unnerving) demeanor.
Both naturally thrilling and grotesquely over-the-top, the feature length debut by Justin Kurzel is certainly unforgettable and at times unnervingly mesmerizing. Based on the true story of Australia's "Body In Barrels" murders, "Snowtown" is structured much like "Animal Kingdom," using an adolescent teenager as a gateway into a world and family (of sorts) that is profoundly disturbing.
When we first meet Jamie Vlassakis (newcomer Lucas Pittaway who looks a lot like James Franco) he and his two brothers have already been through one trauma, surviving (with a strange emotionless stoicism) the sexual abuse by their neighbor. Their mother Elizabeth (Louise Harris) turns to her boyfriend John (a terrifying Daniel Henshall) to do something about it but little does she know what lurks between his warm smile and easy (and sometimes unnerving) demeanor.
- 2/29/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The 1999 serial murders that took place in a sleepy town in Southern Australian don't just provide the inspiration for "The Snowtown Murders," Justin Kurzel's nightmarish directorial debut. The movie embodies the murdering process with undeniably frightening results that call the film's motives into question. When it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, "The Snowtown Murders" was merely called "Snowtown," placing emphasis on the locale rather than the grisly events that took place there. The new title is more accurate; it conveys that the film displays a devotion to those acts and virtually nothing else. The filmmaker convincingly portrays the evolution of killer instinct nearly to the point of fetishization. There's skill behind Kurzel's execution -- of the story, that is. The main arc involves abused teen outcast Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), whose bleak home life with his two brothers and their dispassionate mother...
- 2/29/2012
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably.
—
We’ve come to March and still no posters to really write home about. The season of blockbuster tent poles and their litany of character posters begins, proving once more that a studio can never throw too much marketing cash behind a film already over budget to the point it has no shot of breaking even.
There are a lot of independent releases on the slate along with some names from 2011 festivals, so don’t think it’s a month solely for big Hollywood studios. The sad reality,...
—
We’ve come to March and still no posters to really write home about. The season of blockbuster tent poles and their litany of character posters begins, proving once more that a studio can never throw too much marketing cash behind a film already over budget to the point it has no shot of breaking even.
There are a lot of independent releases on the slate along with some names from 2011 festivals, so don’t think it’s a month solely for big Hollywood studios. The sad reality,...
- 2/28/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The Snowtown Murders
Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Louise Harris, Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Release Date: March 2, 2012 (limited)
Trailer Score: 9/10
Thoughts by Tsr: Very few movies genuinely frighten me. This isn’t something I bring up to make myself look like a big, tough guy, but rather to put into perspective how unique it is that this unsettling trailer got to me. The amazing thing is that it doesn’t even feature anything all that grisly. Even if it did, I don’t think I’d find anything as chilling as one character saying, “They’re nobody, mate. They’re nothing.” This film has been on my radar for a while now, but I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to the buzz surrounding it. Now that I’ve seen some footage, The Snowtown Murders has become a must-see.
The dark, depressing tone may...
Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Louise Harris, Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Release Date: March 2, 2012 (limited)
Trailer Score: 9/10
Thoughts by Tsr: Very few movies genuinely frighten me. This isn’t something I bring up to make myself look like a big, tough guy, but rather to put into perspective how unique it is that this unsettling trailer got to me. The amazing thing is that it doesn’t even feature anything all that grisly. Even if it did, I don’t think I’d find anything as chilling as one character saying, “They’re nobody, mate. They’re nothing.” This film has been on my radar for a while now, but I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to the buzz surrounding it. Now that I’ve seen some footage, The Snowtown Murders has become a must-see.
The dark, depressing tone may...
- 2/25/2012
- by Shane T. Nier
- The Scorecard Review
Snowtown has been awing audiences around the globe in its film festival travels, amassing awards along the way, including (twelve, to be precise). IFC has picked up the indie darling, and has announced a March 2 Us release date for the Australian-lensed shocker, changed the name to The Snowtown Murders, and has just released a powerful trailer to get the point across.
The Snowtown Murders is from director Justin Kurzel, and stars Lucas Pittaway, Bob Adraens, Louise Harris, Frank Cwiertniak, Matthew Howard, Marcus Howard, and Anthony Groves. The story is an adaptation of the book by Andrew McGarry.
Synopsis (courtesy IFC):
“When 16 year-old Jamie is introduced to a charismatic man, a friendship begins. As the relationship grows so does Jamie’s suspicions, until he finds his world threatened by both his loyalty for, and fear of his newfound father figure, John Bunting: Australia’s most notorious serial killer.”...
The Snowtown Murders is from director Justin Kurzel, and stars Lucas Pittaway, Bob Adraens, Louise Harris, Frank Cwiertniak, Matthew Howard, Marcus Howard, and Anthony Groves. The story is an adaptation of the book by Andrew McGarry.
Synopsis (courtesy IFC):
“When 16 year-old Jamie is introduced to a charismatic man, a friendship begins. As the relationship grows so does Jamie’s suspicions, until he finds his world threatened by both his loyalty for, and fear of his newfound father figure, John Bunting: Australia’s most notorious serial killer.”...
- 2/17/2012
- by Justin
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Don't let that image up top fool you. Deeply unsettling, controversial, and one of the most talked-about films at Cannes last year (it played the Critics' Week sidebar, taking home a Special Jury prize) the Australian film "Snowtown" (renamed "The Snowtown Murders" for American audiences) is one that you won't soon forget. Based on the true and horrifying crimes uncovered in 1999 in the titular city in Australia, the debut film from Justin Kurzel, if anything, marks the arrival of a talent to keep an eye on. The story centers on Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), a teenager who falls under the spell and care of a seemingly ordinary neighbor, John (Daniel Henshall), but what emerges is relationship so twisted, it's hard to stomach. John essentially builds up Jamie's tolerance to violence and torture before introducing him to an even grander scheme. We won't say any more, but when we saw the film,...
- 2/17/2012
- The Playlist
Formerly titled simply Snowtown, director Justin Kurzel's chilling debut The Snowtown Murders investigates the true story of a rash of killings that occurred around Snowtown, South Australia. The sickening killings spree was uncovered in 1999, when barrels filled with human remains were found in the formerly unknown town. From their contents, 11 victims were eventually identified. The Snowtown Murders explores the strange bond that formed between two of the perpetrators of this horrendous crime, and how it inspired so much bloodshed. Surrounded by the poverty and the omnipresent threat of violence, Snowtown resident Jamie Harvey (Lucas Pittaway) is a 16-year-old boy in desperate need of a male role model. His mother (Louise Harris) offers him one in the form of John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), her latest beau, a charismatic man with a stern sense of right and wrong. Before long, John and Jamie are inseparable, and Jamie begins to accompany John...
- 2/16/2012
- cinemablend.com
Catch the trailer for Snowtown, also known as The Snow Town Murders, starring Daniel Henshall and Lucas Pittaway. IFC Midnight distributes the thriller which opens March 2nd in limited areas, and includes Craig Coyne, Louise Harris, Frank Cwiertniak, Matthew Howard, Marcus Howard and Anthony Groves. Justin Kurzel directs the winner of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival's Fipresci Prize (Special Mention) from the script by Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw. Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris) is raising her three boys in Adelaide's poor northern suburbs. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead winds up welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home. John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is the moral compass among a circle of friends who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings at the kitchen table. Fueled by cigarettes and beer they cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists...
- 2/16/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Catch the trailer for Snowtown, also known as The Snow Town Murders, starring Daniel Henshall and Lucas Pittaway. IFC Midnight distributes the thriller which opens March 2nd in limited areas, and includes Craig Coyne, Louise Harris, Frank Cwiertniak, Matthew Howard, Marcus Howard and Anthony Groves. Justin Kurzel directs the winner of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival's Fipresci Prize (Special Mention) from the script by Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw. Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris) is raising her three boys in Adelaide's poor northern suburbs. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead winds up welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home. John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is the moral compass among a circle of friends who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings at the kitchen table. Fueled by cigarettes and beer they cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists...
- 2/16/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Catch the trailer for Snowtown, also known as The Snow Town Murders, starring Daniel Henshall and Lucas Pittaway. IFC Midnight distributes the thriller which opens March 2nd in limited areas, and includes Craig Coyne, Louise Harris, Frank Cwiertniak, Matthew Howard, Marcus Howard and Anthony Groves. Justin Kurzel directs the winner of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival's Fipresci Prize (Special Mention) from the script by Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw. Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris) is raising her three boys in Adelaide's poor northern suburbs. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead winds up welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home. John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is the moral compass among a circle of friends who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings at the kitchen table. Fueled by cigarettes and beer they cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists...
- 2/16/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
A new trailer for IFC's disturbing little film The Snowtown Murders (formerly Snowtown) has come across our desks, and we have it all bundled up and warm for you right here. Dig it!
Directed by Justin Kurzel, The Snowtown Murders stars Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, Craig Coyne, and Louise Harris. Look for it in select theaters on March 2nd.
Synopsis
Based on horrifying crimes discovered in Snowtown, Australia in 1999, The Snowtown Murders is Justin Kurzel's directorial debut, a stark journey into a brutal subculture of suspicion, addiction and violence. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes' Critics Week, the film follows Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris), a mother raising her three boys in a poor suburb. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home. John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is...
Directed by Justin Kurzel, The Snowtown Murders stars Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, Craig Coyne, and Louise Harris. Look for it in select theaters on March 2nd.
Synopsis
Based on horrifying crimes discovered in Snowtown, Australia in 1999, The Snowtown Murders is Justin Kurzel's directorial debut, a stark journey into a brutal subculture of suspicion, addiction and violence. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes' Critics Week, the film follows Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris), a mother raising her three boys in a poor suburb. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home. John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is...
- 2/16/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Justin Kurzel's The Snowtown Murders is kicking off a theatrical run in New York City on March 3rd, courtesy of IFC, and we have a trailer to share with you.
Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris) is raising her three boys in Adelaide's poor northern suburbs. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead winds up welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home.
John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is the moral compass among a circle of friends who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings at the kitchen table. Fueled by cigarettes and beer they cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists his crew in acts of sadistic vigilantism on those he considers deviants takes Elizabeth's son Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing. In a mix of misdirected hero worship and terror, Jamie becomes an accomplice to a spree of torture and murder.
Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris) is raising her three boys in Adelaide's poor northern suburbs. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead winds up welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home.
John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is the moral compass among a circle of friends who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings at the kitchen table. Fueled by cigarettes and beer they cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists his crew in acts of sadistic vigilantism on those he considers deviants takes Elizabeth's son Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing. In a mix of misdirected hero worship and terror, Jamie becomes an accomplice to a spree of torture and murder.
- 2/15/2012
- by ryanrotten@shocktillyoudrop.com (Ryan Turek)
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Some horror movies shock with a larger-than-life villain; some shock with brains-on-the-wall gore. And then there are others, like "The Snowtown Murders," whose subtle evil hits so close to home that you'll be lucky if you can get a good night's sleep after seeing it.
The Australian film, which won the Critics' Week Special Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival, depicts, in quietly haunting detail, the life of John Bunting, an Australian serial killer who murdered men he suspected to be homosexuals or pedophiles from 1992-99 with the help of his stepson.
The Justin Kurzel-directed movie, based on the real events surrounding Bunting's 11 murders in and around South Australia's Snowtown community, stars Daniel Henshall as Bunting and newcomer Lucas Pittaway as Jamie Vlassakis, Bunting's stepson and accomplice.
The trailer's feel is similar in tone to some darker indies, most notably sharing some of the unnerving ickiness brought...
The Australian film, which won the Critics' Week Special Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival, depicts, in quietly haunting detail, the life of John Bunting, an Australian serial killer who murdered men he suspected to be homosexuals or pedophiles from 1992-99 with the help of his stepson.
The Justin Kurzel-directed movie, based on the real events surrounding Bunting's 11 murders in and around South Australia's Snowtown community, stars Daniel Henshall as Bunting and newcomer Lucas Pittaway as Jamie Vlassakis, Bunting's stepson and accomplice.
The trailer's feel is similar in tone to some darker indies, most notably sharing some of the unnerving ickiness brought...
- 2/15/2012
- by Sarah Crow
- NextMovie
Last year at the Cannes Film Festival I saw a film out of Australia called Snowtown, which centered on the true story of John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), Australia's most notorious serial killer, and how he manipulated a 16-year-old boy (Lucas Pittaway) into collaborating on a heinous series of crimes. There has been a trailer for the film ever since it was picked up by IFC Midnight for domestic distribution, but now we have the first official domestic trailer to watch and it appears they decided to go with The Snowtown Murders here in the States. Beyond the film's quality, the most notable talking point out of Cannes last year was the number of walkouts that tended to take place at each screening. This is the reason you see IFC releasing it through their Midnight label. The walkouts were largely due to the graphic violence, but as I noted in my...
- 2/15/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
"Have you ever shot a gun before?" IFC Films has debuted the official Us trailer via Apple for what they're calling The Snowtown Murders, initially just Snowtown, the dark, extraordinary Australian crime film about the actual Snowtown murders of 1999. The film is very similar to Animal Kingdom in tone and in how it explores the seedy underworld of Australia, focusing on one young kid (played by Lucas Pittaway) caught up in a spiral, in very realistic, dark, disturbing ways. But that is also exactly why it's so incredible to watch. I saw this in Cannes last year (review) and thought it was "disturbing, unnerving" but good. Enjoy! Watch the official Us trailer for Justin Kurzel's The Snowtown Murders, in HD via Apple: You can also download The Snowtown Murders official trailer in High Definition from Apple Based on true events from 1999, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new...
- 2/15/2012
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In an effort to make a dark pedophile/serial killer foreign drama reach as wide a net as possible here in the states, IFC Films has retitled Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown to the obvious The Snowtown Murders. Nonetheless, the film based on the 1999 Australian murder spree is one of the best year and made the top spot on our must-see movies of the month.
We’ve got the Us trailer here via Apple and it doesn’t shy away from the disturbing nature of this thing. It is a tough watch but I was glued to my chair the entire time. Animal Kingdom comparisons will be tossed around, but this is a more accomplished look at lost innocence. I highly recommend checking it out in limited release and one can see the trailer below for the film starring Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway and Louise Harris.
Synopsis:
Based on horrifying crimes discovered in Snowtown,...
We’ve got the Us trailer here via Apple and it doesn’t shy away from the disturbing nature of this thing. It is a tough watch but I was glued to my chair the entire time. Animal Kingdom comparisons will be tossed around, but this is a more accomplished look at lost innocence. I highly recommend checking it out in limited release and one can see the trailer below for the film starring Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway and Louise Harris.
Synopsis:
Based on horrifying crimes discovered in Snowtown,...
- 2/14/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Through its Short Film Completion Fund, Screen Australia has announced $133,000 in support for four short film productions.
Writer/director Alexandra Schepisi (One Night), also star of The Eye of the Storm and daughter to its director Fred Schepisi, will receive funding for her short Lois, produced by Rachel Higgins. The film stars Jacki Weaver.
Writer/director Sophie Miller (Half Windsor) has received finance for film Spine, starring Snowtown’s Lucas Pittaway, produced by Sheila Jayadex and executive produced by Prue Williams. Spine is the story of a paraplegic.
Also receiving financing is Strange Face, written and directed by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, exploring the world of a socially awkward girl who’s looking for a friend.
Writer/Director Scott Pickett’s The One who Broke Your Heart, also written by Luke Tierney, and produced by Bruce Dawson and Lawrence Lim examines a person revisiting a past relationship.
Writer/director Alexandra Schepisi (One Night), also star of The Eye of the Storm and daughter to its director Fred Schepisi, will receive funding for her short Lois, produced by Rachel Higgins. The film stars Jacki Weaver.
Writer/director Sophie Miller (Half Windsor) has received finance for film Spine, starring Snowtown’s Lucas Pittaway, produced by Sheila Jayadex and executive produced by Prue Williams. Spine is the story of a paraplegic.
Also receiving financing is Strange Face, written and directed by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, exploring the world of a socially awkward girl who’s looking for a friend.
Writer/Director Scott Pickett’s The One who Broke Your Heart, also written by Luke Tierney, and produced by Bruce Dawson and Lawrence Lim examines a person revisiting a past relationship.
- 1/10/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Screen Australia has funded four short films with almost $133,000 through its Short Film Completion Fund. Spine tells the story of a dramatic event that brings acceptance to someone who has recently become a paraplegic. It is directed by Sophie Miller and stars Snowtown's Lucas Pittaway. Both Scott Picket.s The One Who Broke Your Heart and actress/director Alexandra Schepisi.s Lois (starring Academy Award-nominated Jacki Weaver) deal with a person who longs to revisit a past relationship. Rounding out the group is Lynne Vincent McCarthy.s first short film, Strange Face, which tells the story of a socially awkward young girl who yearns for a friend. .This year we had some really strong submissions for completion funding,. said Screen Australia.s...
- 1/10/2012
- by Danii Logue
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has funded four short films with almost $133,000 through its Short Film Completion Fund. Spine tells the story of a dramatic event that brings acceptance to someone who has recently become a paraplegic. It is directed by Sophie Miller and stars Snowtown's Lucas Pittaway. Both Scott Picket.s The One Who Broke Your Heart and actress/director Alexandra Schepisi.s Lois (starring Academy Award-nominated Jacki Weaver) deal with a person who longs to revisit a past relationship. Rounding out the group is Lynne Vincent McCarthy.s first short film, Strange Face, which tells the story of a socially awkward young girl who yearns for a friend. .This year we had some really strong submissions for completion funding,. said Screen Australia.s...
- 1/10/2012
- by Danii Logue
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has funded four short films with almost $133,000 through its Short Film Completion Fund. Spine tells the story of a dramatic event that brings acceptance to someone who has recently become a paraplegic. It is directed by Sophie Miller and stars Snowtown's Lucas Pittaway. Both Scott Picket.s The One Who Broke Your Heart and actress/director Alexandra Schepisi.s Lois (starring Academy Award-nominated Jacki Weaver) deal with a person who longs to revisit a past relationship. Rounding out the group is Lynne Vincent McCarthy.s first short film, Strange Face, which tells the story of a socially awkward young girl who yearns for a friend. .This year we had some really strong submissions for completion funding,. said Screen Australia.s...
- 1/10/2012
- by Danii Logue
- IF.com.au
Snowtown has been selected for feature in the International Film Festival of Marrakech. The Justin Kurtzel-directed movie, which tells the story about a notorious case of bodies found in barrels in South Australia, will be shown in the feature film competition during the event in December this year. According to Aap, Snowtown is the only Australian film from the 15 shortlisted for the Moroccan contest. The movie, which stars Daniel Henshall and Lucas Pittaway as two of the men in jail for the Snowtown murders, has been praised by critics at Cannes, Sydney, (more)...
- 11/24/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
A charismatic drifter brings horror to an Australian suburb in this shocking take on a notorious real-life crime
The days of heroic Australian films celebrating the settlers coming to terms with their mysterious new land and discovering a national identity – Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith – are long past. That old spirit is only to be found now in hollow, self-mocking form in Baz Luhrmann's camp epic, Australia.
Current films are more concerned with exploring the fringes or the underside of down under. Earlier this year some of the country's best actors appeared in the remarkable Animal Kingdom, a psychological story loosely based on fact about a Melbourne family involved in armed robbery, drugs and large-scale larceny. They're unromantic descendants of the Kelly gang, people to whom crime has been a way of life for several generations.
With the same gifted cinematographer Adam Arkapaw helping...
The days of heroic Australian films celebrating the settlers coming to terms with their mysterious new land and discovering a national identity – Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith – are long past. That old spirit is only to be found now in hollow, self-mocking form in Baz Luhrmann's camp epic, Australia.
Current films are more concerned with exploring the fringes or the underside of down under. Earlier this year some of the country's best actors appeared in the remarkable Animal Kingdom, a psychological story loosely based on fact about a Melbourne family involved in armed robbery, drugs and large-scale larceny. They're unromantic descendants of the Kelly gang, people to whom crime has been a way of life for several generations.
With the same gifted cinematographer Adam Arkapaw helping...
- 11/20/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Magic Trip (15)
(Alison Ellwood, Alex Gibney, 2011, Us) 107 mins
Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters' LSD-fuelled 1964 road trip is one of those seminal cultural moments you can't believe really happened, at least not like it did in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. But here it is, chaotically shot and narrated by the culprits themselves and painstakingly reassembled. That makes for a certain lack of perspective, and watching others having a great time isn't necessarily the same as having one, but the contrast between these turned-on teens and square 60s America is often hilarious.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (12A)
(Bill Condon, 2011, Us) Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. 117 mins
At last, some consummation! Bella and Edward's wedding comes a few movies too late for neutral observers, but the supernatural saga is in no danger of coming to an abrupt end, thanks to the franchise's determination to vampirically milk fans dry.
(Alison Ellwood, Alex Gibney, 2011, Us) 107 mins
Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters' LSD-fuelled 1964 road trip is one of those seminal cultural moments you can't believe really happened, at least not like it did in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. But here it is, chaotically shot and narrated by the culprits themselves and painstakingly reassembled. That makes for a certain lack of perspective, and watching others having a great time isn't necessarily the same as having one, but the contrast between these turned-on teens and square 60s America is often hilarious.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (12A)
(Bill Condon, 2011, Us) Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. 117 mins
At last, some consummation! Bella and Edward's wedding comes a few movies too late for neutral observers, but the supernatural saga is in no danger of coming to an abrupt end, thanks to the franchise's determination to vampirically milk fans dry.
- 11/19/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This Australian serial-killer movie is an often-unwatchable portrait of a twisted family and a blighted community
Here is a docu-Jacobean nightmare, and a dysfunctional stepfamily drama, based on the career of Australia's most notorious serial killer. The title refers to a remote locality north of Adelaide, where in 1999 the strongroom of a disused bank building was found to contain a grisly secret. It is the location for the film's final sinister moments.
This is a well made but gruesome and often unwatchably violent film, made the more disturbing by its deferred and indirect revelations about the killer's modus operandi, his intimate social embeddedness with his victims, his ambiguous motivation, and the way he makes those closest to the victims complicit in the crimes.
The murderer is not, in fact, precisely at the centre of the film: its leading character is a troubled teenage boy, Jamie, played by Lucas Pittaway with...
Here is a docu-Jacobean nightmare, and a dysfunctional stepfamily drama, based on the career of Australia's most notorious serial killer. The title refers to a remote locality north of Adelaide, where in 1999 the strongroom of a disused bank building was found to contain a grisly secret. It is the location for the film's final sinister moments.
This is a well made but gruesome and often unwatchably violent film, made the more disturbing by its deferred and indirect revelations about the killer's modus operandi, his intimate social embeddedness with his victims, his ambiguous motivation, and the way he makes those closest to the victims complicit in the crimes.
The murderer is not, in fact, precisely at the centre of the film: its leading character is a troubled teenage boy, Jamie, played by Lucas Pittaway with...
- 11/18/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
In the 1990’s in South Australia John Bunting became possibly the most notorious serial killer in Australia’s history, but the relative brevity of that country’s history doesn’t make Bunting a member of the lower pantheon of infamous killers. The horror inflicted by Bunting, as portrayed in Snowtown, is so darkly demented it makes you wonder why he isn’t more widely known. Then again, after watching this searing and unflinching look at philosophical psychopathy you may be thankful that you’ve never heard of him.
Played out in the mundane, depressed, dysfunctional suburbia of the poor, Snowtown takes the myth of the happy-go-lucky sun-drenched Australian paradise and squeezes the life out of it. In director Justin Kurzel’s eye it’s a place where absence of ambition, lack of role models, and plain boredom can create just the right recipe for susceptibility to depravity,...
In the 1990’s in South Australia John Bunting became possibly the most notorious serial killer in Australia’s history, but the relative brevity of that country’s history doesn’t make Bunting a member of the lower pantheon of infamous killers. The horror inflicted by Bunting, as portrayed in Snowtown, is so darkly demented it makes you wonder why he isn’t more widely known. Then again, after watching this searing and unflinching look at philosophical psychopathy you may be thankful that you’ve never heard of him.
Played out in the mundane, depressed, dysfunctional suburbia of the poor, Snowtown takes the myth of the happy-go-lucky sun-drenched Australian paradise and squeezes the life out of it. In director Justin Kurzel’s eye it’s a place where absence of ambition, lack of role models, and plain boredom can create just the right recipe for susceptibility to depravity,...
- 11/18/2011
- by Mark Clark
- Obsessed with Film
"One has to go back a long way, to Rowan Woods's The Boys (1998) or John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer (1986), to find a crime drama as intense, disturbing and unresolved as Australian director Justin Kurzel's film about the infamous Bodies in the Barrels murders near Adelaide in the 1990s," begins Nigel Floyd in Time Out London. "The remorseless pacing of Shaun Grant's spare script and the pulsing drive of Jed Kurzel's electronic score draw us reluctantly but inexorably into the familial and group dynamics which acted as the catalyst for a string of killings. Yet for all its unflinching bleakness, this is a sympathetic attempt to understand how vulnerable 16-year-old Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway) — from whose naive point of view the appalling events are observed — came under the malign influence of charismatic psychopath John Bunting (Daniel Henshall)."
"There's an already notorious scene in a bathtub,...
"There's an already notorious scene in a bathtub,...
- 11/17/2011
- MUBI
Snowtown finally makes its way onto UK cinema screens on the 18th of November following a release in Australia and a number of positive reactions from festivals worldwide. The film is a dark story of serial killers in small town Australia and one that is all the more harrowing due to it being based on a true story. Director Justin Kurzel manages to avoid many of the clichés that serial killer films often rely on and in Snowtown he has crafted a very unsettling and powerful film.
I was lucky enough to sit down with both director Justin Kurzel and actor Lucas Pittaway, who plays Jamie in the film, and you can read what they had to say below.
How the project came together and what they knew of the actual events.
Justin Kurzel: Sean Grant had written up to about the 5th or 6th draft and then Warp...
I was lucky enough to sit down with both director Justin Kurzel and actor Lucas Pittaway, who plays Jamie in the film, and you can read what they had to say below.
How the project came together and what they knew of the actual events.
Justin Kurzel: Sean Grant had written up to about the 5th or 6th draft and then Warp...
- 11/15/2011
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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