‘Sydney Unplugged’, which will commence production in late 2012, will be a compendium of 12 stories, showcasing the city of Sydney. One expects the results to be something akin to ‘Paris, J’Taime’ and ‘New York, I Love You’.

Produced Tropfest’s John Polson and Gary Hamilton (A Few Best Men) the list of directors involved in the project is impressive, to say the least:

Alex Proyas (Knowing), David Michôd (Animal Kingdom), Ivan Sen (Toomelah), John Curran (The Painted Veil), Kieran Darcy-Smith (Wish You Were Here), Liev Schreiber (Everything is Illuminated), Rachel Ward (Beautiful Kate), Ray Lawrence (Lantana) and Russell Crowe (Texas), will be joined by actors Anthony LaPaglia and Toni Collette in their directorial debuts.

This multi-director project is not to be confused with the upcoming Robert Connolly produced compendium of Tim Winton’s ‘The Turning’, which has Cate Blanchett, Robert Connolly (obviously), Ashlee Page, Jonathan auf der Heide, Tony Ayres, Cate Shortland, Rachel Ward, Benedict Andrews, Claire McCarthy, Shaun Gladwell, Mia Wasikowska, David Wenham, Rhys Graham, Gideon Obarzanek and Stephen Page in its lineup.

‘Sydney Unplugged’ will be released in Australian cinemas by Icon Film Distribution in 2013, and sold internationally by Arclight Films.

Starring Dustin Clare (Spartacus, The Eye of the Storm, Underbelly) and Camille Keenan (Packed to the Rafters, Rush, Blackspot, Satisfaction), Sunday is shot entirely on location.
 
The film really is a co-production in the every sense of the word. Ryan Alexander Lloyd (Beginning, Middle & End), is directing with Michelle Joy Lloyd (Home, Land & Sea), who wrote the script. He’s shooting the film and they’re both producing.

The film stars Dustin Clare and Camille Keenan (who also wrote the script and are co-producers) as Charlie and Eve, who are having a baby, but not together. After years of history and months of separation Charlie and Eve have one day to face each other and find their own way forward in the earth quake ravaged city of Christchurch.
 
Director, producer and writer Michelle Joy Lloyd (who grew up in Christchurch) said “While the film’s backdrop is a broken Christchurch city, there is a strong theme of hope and rebuilding. We want to shoot many of Christchurch’s undamaged areas, and attractions, and aim to showcase Christchurch as a city with unique potential. We all feel strongly about creating something special for Christchurch.”
 

Ryan Kwanten’s latest project – is Australian. He’ll be starring in Peter Templeman’s ‘Not Suitable For Children’, the upcoming Icon production that will hit Australian cinemas in the second half of 2012.

We spoke with writer Michael Lucas, producer Jodie Matterson, co-star Gus Corr and irrepressible costume designer Gypsy Taylor, who gave us a unique insight into how clothes go from second-hand stores to becoming film stars in their own right.

Also, tights aren’t pants.

‘Not Suitable For Children’ sees Ryan Kwanten star as Jonah, “a young playboy who learns he has one month until he becomes infertile sets out to procreate as much as possible”.

It’s described as a ‘comedy with balls’. With a true story at the heart of this film, and some great Aussie talent involved, we’re looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

The film stars Ryan Kwanten, Gus Corr, Bojana Novakovic (Burning Man), Daniel Henshall (Snowtown), Alice Parkinson, Susan Prior and Clare Bowen. Peter Templeman’s previous credits include ‘Lockie Leonard’ and ‘Bogan Pride’ and Matt Lucas wrote on ‘Offspring’ and ‘Tangle’.

On the one hand, it is the internet, feeding upon his power of his personality, on the other hand, he has become a creature of his own making.

His style of acting, his eventful life and the things he says to journalists are all fodder for a world always looking for the next interesting thing. By always being on the edge of genius, frightening people by his unvarnished take on existence and his craft, he has become more powerful than just a simple actor plying his trade.

It turns any film that he’s in into an event. Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance has become the must-see comic book movie of the year, and for the most part, it’s because people want to see Nic Cage ‘go there’.

Because he ‘went there’ in Wicker Man, when he punched a woman in the face wearing a bear suit. In Ghost Rider, he’ll go there, and punch Satan in the face (want to see that so much).

Bam!

His acting is world class, whatever ‘level’ it is.

Winning an Oscar for ‘Leaving Las Vegas’, he’s worked for everyone, from Michael Bay to Werner Herzog. His on-screen presence is undeniable, no matter how ‘big’ his performance. When he goes to work to promote the film, the results are undeniable.

It’s like pissing fire on a blazing… oh wait, that’s in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Cage’s work and presence is one of the things that make life worth living – but imagine it was your life.

Having an Action Comics #1 stolen, then found, then sold at auction, for more than $2 million.

Trying out for the role of Superman, for Tim Burton, in one of the oddest pairings of hair and suit in the history of time.

Being the subject of an investigation into the possibility that he might be a vampire, alive since the 1860′s.

In 2009, the IRS alleged that Cage had failed to pay more than $6.2 million in federal income tax for the year 2007. While Cage sued his former business manager for mismanaging his money, his New Orleans, Bel Air and Nevada homes were foreclosed and sold at auction.

Having a tumblr devoted to you at Gifolas Cage.

No matter how bad things get…

This isn’t a movie, this is his life.

No wonder he’s looking for something ‘more’ on screen (not just cash) when he says yes to his next role.

In his recent work promoting Ghost Rider, several fascinating tidbits popped up.

He was offered the role of Scarecrow in the next Schumacher Batman movie.

He almost starred in ‘Dumb and Dumber’ with Jim Carrey, but didn’t – went off to work on a small film called ‘Leaving Las Vegas’.

He was offered a role in The Matrix.

He was offered a role in The Lord of the Rings.

Seriously – those last two – can you imagine?

Nicolas Cage as Morpheus. Nicolas Cage as… Gollum.

The imagination runs wild.

Everything WILL be fine.

But then he went on to describe how working in film isn’t about trying to win Oscars. It seems batshit insane, but when you decipher it, it’s a statement of genius, and a pretty good ‘Cage-in-a-nutshell’ moment, if ever there was one.

“I think that if you go about making movies to win Oscars, you’re really going about it the wrong way. I think that it’s … right now, what I’m excited about is trying to create a [pauses] kind of a cultural understanding through my muse that is part of the zeitgeist that isn’t motivated by vanity or magazine covers or awards. It’s more, not countercultural, but counter-critical. I would like to find a way to embrace what Led Zeppelin did, in filmmaking.”

Yeah.

Putting this into context – Led Zeppelin weren’t about promoting themselves, but retaining an air of mystery. The work speaks for itself.

Certainly some of what Cage does may be unfathomable to the uninitiated, but for the rest of us, it’s a clear sign that Cage is an artist, above all else.

He takes his acting seriously. Really seriously. He blacked out his eyes and sewed Egyptian artefacts into his clothes to get into the ‘spirit’ of Ghost Rider. He described the process as “nouveau-shamanic”.

But then he also used his own life experience for the role, which is saying something when you’re playing a soul-sucking demon from Hell.

“At one point, I had a couple of cobras but the neighbours didn’t like them so I gave them to a zoo. But I would study how these cobras move back and forth in a rhythmic motion. So I thought, why doesn’t Ghost Rider move like that, with a sort of hypnotic, rhythmic motion?”

“Today you’re called psychotic if you do that, but it’s all semantics,” said Cage.

An actor must always trust his director. Cage is on record saying that he would still love to work with Tim Burton.

The fate of a movie at the box office (or critically) doesn’t compete with his faith in his characters, or the story-making process. For example, the infamous Wicker Man is something that he might possibly return to:

“I would like to hook up with one of the great Japanese filmmakers, like the master that made ‘Ringu,’ and take ‘The WickerMan’ to Japan,” said the actor. “Except this time he’s a ghost.”

Yes, you would actually watch that, wouldn’t you?

It’s the kind of commitment that can end in trouble. Things didn’t get out of hand on set of Ghost Rider, but..

“I could see the fear in the eyes of the crew, and that was oxygen to my forest fire. The problem was leaving all that behind when I went home. When you’ve been playing Ghost Rider until 3 in the morning, and then you get invited to a Christmas party in Romania and you throw in a couple of gin martinis … all hell can break loose. And it did.”

“I am lucky I’m not in a Romanian prison.”

Probably the best quote that has come out of his press interactions for Spirit is the irony of riding motorcycles.

“I’m legally unable to ride motorcycles – it’s a contract I have with my life insurance. So if I get a chance to do a movie and ride a bike, I go for it.”

If you think that Cage is just a crazy man channeling his inner demons on screen for ready cash, think again. Whilst the internet has taken his performances, his hair, his statements and turned them into ‘check this out’ fodder, the true person behind it all is something else.

Here’s what he had to say about his work with David Lynch on ‘Wild at Heart’:

“That was my first attempt at what I call a Warhol-esque approach to acting. In Stanislavski’s ‘An Actor Prepares,’ he says you are not allowed to imitate. But rules are made to be broken, so I tried to challenge that. I believe in art synthesis. Warhol used to do that. He would take (Mick) Jagger or (Elvis) Presley and use them in his paintings. So I decided to take Presley and embody his aura while playing Sailor Ripley. It was an overlay of performance over performance.”

That shit is deep. So is the man. As an internet meme, he’s superb, but as an actor, he deserves any and all credit that he gets. His fearlessness is what sets him apart, an easy target, but it’s also that thing that makes him something special on screen. Either you can take him straight up, or with tongue in cheek, but whether it’s on the internet, or on screen, Nicolas Cage is worth watching.

The finest moments of Nic Cage glory. Drink it in.

If you’re not a fan of Buffy, or Angel, or Firefly, or Doll House, then this year may be looking pretty dark as Whedon releases two films – ‘The Cabin In The Woods’ which he co-wrote with Drew Goddard, (writer of Cloverfield and veteran of Alias, Lost, Angel and Buffy, makes his directorial debut) and The Avengers, which he wrote and directed.

The Cabin In The Woods has been delayed in release due to a post 3D conversion process, and then due to financial difficulties for parent company MGM. The film was going to be released in 2009, 2010, Halloween 2011 and now, after being bought by Lionsgate, it comes to cinemas in 2012.

Usually a film is delayed release due to it being rubbish, but in this case… that might not be the case, especially if the raves from SXSW are to be trusted.

So, if you are a fan of Josh Whedon, it’s Muppet-arm ‘yaaaay’ time.

Whedon recently spoke with Total Film about his approach to making the film, and not surprisingly, he has some insightful things to say on the subject of making horror movies and ‘The Cabin In The Woods’.

“It’s basically a very loving hate letter. On some level it was completely a lark, me and Drew [Goddard, director] trying to figure out what the most fun we could have would be. On another level it’s a serious critique of what we love and what we don’t about horror movies.

I love being scared. I love that mixture of thrill, of horror, that objectification/identification thing of wanting definitely for the people to be alright but at the same time hoping they’ll go somewhere dark and face something awful.

The things that I don’t like are kids acting like idiots, the devolution of the horror movie into torture porn and into a long series of sadistic comeuppances. Drew and I both felt that the pendulum had sung a little too far in that direction.”

So there you have it. Pretty straightforward stuff from someone who knows what they’re doing.

‘The Cabin in the Woods’ stars Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Chris Hemsworth and Amy Acker.

Joss Whedon only won his first Emmy for ‘Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’

Set in the next Ice Age, ‘The Colony’ will feature a group of underground survivors fighting off feral subhuman cannibals. The script was a joint effort between Renfro, Patrick Tarr, Pascal Trottier and Svet Rouskov.

Kevin Zegers, of ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’ fame is also set to star.

Fishburne is no stranger at all to Sci Fi, with turns in ‘Event Horizon’, ‘The Matrix’, ‘Predators’, and the upcoming ‘Man of Steel’, where he’ll play Perry White.

The film is currently budgeted at $80 million. The script, written by Henry Bean (‘Internal Affairs’, B’asic Instinct 2′) has been on Scott’s ‘to do’ list for a while. 20th Century Fox will be distributing.

The story has DEA agent teams with a drug runner to take down a drug cartel.

What’s interesting, apart from the fact that Tony Scott is finally following up after 2010′s ‘Unstoppable’ is that Vince Vaughn will be tackling a dramatic role after a string of ‘comedies’.

Rising to prominence on the back of 1996′s ‘Swingers’, Vaughn immediately hit the big leagues, starring in ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ in 1997. He followed up with a trip down indie lane with an excellent turn in ‘Clay Pigeons’ (1998) and boldly signed up for Gus Van Sant’s remake of ‘Psycho’, released the same year. Tarsem’s ‘The Cell’ in 2000 and a return to work with good buddy Jon Favreau on 2001′s ‘Made’ set Vaughn up as an actor willing to take risks, capable of a variety of dramatic turns. It was in 2003 that his career changed, with the success of Todd Phillips’ ‘Old School’.

Hard to believe, but this was Vaughn’s first comedic role.

Following on with films like ‘Starsky & Hutch’, ‘Dodgeball’, ‘Anchorman’ and ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’, Vaughn fully explored his wise-cracking on-screen persona, to the point where taking him seriously was no longer an option.

A brief, excellent moment in 2007′s ‘Into The Wild’ was overshadowed by the horrors of ‘Fred Claus’, ‘Four Christmases’ and ‘Couples Retreat’.

2012 will see Vaughn star in ‘Neigbourhood Watch’ – described as ‘The ‘Burbs with Aliens’ and he’s signed up for Shawn Levy’s ‘Interns’, where he and Owen Wilson will star as 40-somethings starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder under 20-something bosses. The film is currently scheduled for a 2014 release.

With Vaughn in a Tony Scott film, it could see him returning to the place where he’s offered roles of a meatier, more dramatic nature. If you’ve seen ‘Clay Pigeons’, then you’ll know that’s a good thing.

I directed ‘Top Gun’ and ‘The Hunt For Red October’, so you can give me $80 Million, no probs, right?

JOY DIVISION

PLUS AUDIENCE Q&A WITH

PETER HOOK

LIVE ON STAGE

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion).

Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. According to music critic Jon Savage, the band “were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy”. Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, caught the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. Joy Division’s debut album, Unknown Pleasures, was released in 1979 on Wilson’s independent record label, Factory Records, and drew critical acclaim from the British press. Despite the band’s growing success, vocalist Ian Curtis was beset with depression and personal difficulties, including a dissolving marriage and his diagnosis of epilepsy. Curtis found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, and often had seizures during performances.

On the eve of the band’s first American tour in May 1980, Curtis, overwhelmed with depression, committed suicide. Joy Division’s posthumously released second album, Closer (1980), and the single “Love Will Tear Us Apart” became the band’s highest charting releases. After the death of Curtis, the remaining members continued as New Order, achieving critical and commercial success.

Featuring the unprecedented participation of all the surviving band members, ‘Joy Division’ examines the band’s story as depicted through never-before-seen live performance footage, personal photos, period films and newly discovered audiotapes. With poignant narratives from Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, as well as accounts from Throbbing Gristle musician Genesis P. Orridge, late legendary Factory Records owner Tony Wilson, iconic Factory Records graphic artist Peter Saville, photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn, Belgian journalist Annik Honoré (speaking for the first time about her relationship with Ian Curtis) and others, the film is a fresh visual account of a unique time and place.

From director Grant Gee and producers Tom Atencio, Tom Astor and Jacqui Edenbrow, Joy Division chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and tells the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy.

Popcorn Taxi is proud to present this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only see this incredible documentary on the big screen, but also meet original Joy Division bass player and songwriter, Peter Hook, live on stage for our exclusive Q&A, as he tours Australia performing ‘Closer’ in its entirety.

Seating is limited – this will sell out fast! BOOK TIX HERE

Jeremy Thomas is the Oscar-winning producer of Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor’. His father Ralph Tomas was a director, and so was his uncle Gerald Thomas, who directed many of the ‘Carry On’ films.

His first producing credit was 1974′s ‘Mad Dog Morgan’ starring Dennis Hopper. His next was the Cannes Grand Jury Prize-winner, ‘The Shout’. Producing over 40 films, his credits include Nicolas Roeg’s ‘Insignificance’, Julien Temple’s ‘The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’, Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Sexy Beast’, Takeshi Kitano’s ‘Brother’, Phillip Noyce’s ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’, Takashi Miike’s ’13 Assassins’ and David Cronenberg’s ‘Naked Lunch’ and ‘Crash’.

If you think he’s got stories – you’re right! That’s why he’s Popcorn Taxi’s special guest on Monday, January the 30th at our special advance screening of ‘A Dangerous Method’ which will be in full release in Australia on March 8.

Jeremy Thomas’ greatest feat is not ‘just’ winning the Best Picture Oscar for ‘The Last Emperor’ in 1988, but in actually making it. The film was shot in the Forbidden City, at a time when China was no where near as open as it was today. Not only that – but a cast of thousands (the Red Army was used)  was required at a time before CGI existed. A sprawling epic was the result – on a budget of $25 million – all without any Hollywood studio involvement.

His sales company, Hanway, is a powerhouse in the indie scene. Merchant Ivory films, the films of Peter Weir, Paul Cox, Wim Wenders and more – you can get them from Hanway.

Still working busily today, Thomas’ company, Recorded Picture Company, has an impressive upcoming slate, including Kon-Tiki, (the story of Thor Heyerdahl’s epic crossing of the Pacific on a raft made out of reeds), the upcoming Jim Jarmusch project, and Vincenzo Natali’s take on J.G Ballard’s classic, ‘High Rise’.

Jeremy Thomas is still an independent producer – still hunting for cash to make director’s visions reality. He’s built a reputation that has created relationships with some of the world’s finest directors – Bertolucci, Miike, Cronenberg, Roeg, Gilliam, Wenders, Noyce, Kitano and even Johnny Depp.

Thomas grew up in a film-making family, right next to Pinewood studios. There he encountered Dirk Boagarde and Katherine Hepburn and the Thomas family, making ‘Doctor’ and ‘Carry On’ films was at the heart of the British film industry in the 50′s and ’60′s.

He got his start as an assistant editor to Ken Loach and then struck out on his own.

The Festival success of one of his very first films, Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Shout (a Grand Jury Prize winner in Cannes in 1978), helped establish his reputation.

From then on, it has never been plain sailing, but it’s been an adventure. He’s always tried to live the life of a cigar-chomping producer, but without the nightmarish ego that goes with it.

“Pauper-producer is an oxy- moron. There is this strange idea that a film producer is just like a service guy. He is not. He is an entrepreneur. He needs to be encouraged to be an entrepreneur. That is what nobody has understood.”

It’s been a recipe for an incredibly varied and fascinating career – one which he’ll be able to share with you come Monday night.

Some tickets are still available. Book now!

To give you some idea of what you’re in for, here’s his filmography.

Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
Director Philipe Mora
Starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, David Gulpilil, Frank Thring, Bill Hunter, John Hargreaves, Graeme Blundell

The Shout (1978)
Director Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring Alan Bates, Susannah York

Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980)
Director Nicolas Roeg
Starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell

The Great Rock’n'Roll Swindle (1980)
Director Julian Temple
Starring Malcolm McClaren, Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Director Nagisa Oshima
Starring David Bowie, Tom Conti, Takeshi Kitano, Jack Thompson

Eureka (1983)
Director Nicolas Roeg
Starring Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, Joe Pesci

The Hit (1984)
Director Stephe Frears
Starring Terence Stamp

Insignificance (1985)
Director Nicolas Roeg
Starring Theresa Russell, Tony Curtis, Gary Busey,

The Last Emperor (1987)
Director Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O’Toole

Everybody Wins (1990)
Director Karel Reisz
Starring Debra Winger, Nick Nolte

The Sheltering Sky (1990)
Director Bernardo Betrolucci
Starring Debra Winger, John Malkovich, Campbell Scott

Let Him Have It (exec) (1991)
Director Peter Medak
Starring Christopher Eccleston, Tom Courtenay

Naked Lunch (1991)
Director David Cronenberg
Starring Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Julain Sands, Roy Scheider

Little Buddha (1993)
Director Bernardo Betrolucci
Starring Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda

Rough Magic (exec)(1995)
Director Clare Peploe
Starring Russell Crowe, Bridget Fonda, Jim Broadent

Staling Beauty (1996)
Director Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons

Crash (1996)
Director David Cronenberg
Starring James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Rosanna Arquette

Blood and Wine (1996)
Director Bob Rafelson
Starring Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Jennifer Lopez, Judy Davis, Michael Caine

Victory (1996)
Director Mark Peploe
Starring Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill

The Brave (1997)
Director Johnny Depp
Starring Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando

His directorial effort:
All The Little Animals (1998)
Director Jeremy Thomas
Starring John Hurt, Christian Bale
Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one..

Brother (2000)
Director Takeshi Kitano
Starring Beat Takeshi, Omar Epps

Sexy Beast (2000)
Director Jonathan Glazer
Starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kinglsey, Ian McShane

Rabbit-Proof Fence (exec producer) (2002)
Director Phillip Noyce
Starring David Gulpilil, Kenneth Brannagh

Young Adam (2003)
Director David Mackenzie
Starring Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton

The Dreamers (2003)
Director Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring Michael Pitt, Eva Green

Tideland (2005)
Director Terry Gilliam
Starring Jodelle Ferland, Jennifer Tilly, Jeff Bridges

Fast Food Nation (2006)
Director Richard Linklater
Starring Greg Kinnear,

Franklyn (2008)
Director Gerald McMorrow
Starring Ryan Phillipe

Creation (2009)
Director Jon Amiel
Starring Paul Bettany

13 Assassins (exec producer) (2010)
Director Takashi Miike
Starring Koji Yakusho

Pina  (exec producer) 2011
Director Wim Wenders

A Dangerous Method 2011
Director David Cronenberg
Starring Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Kiera Knightley

Jim Jarmusch Project (2012)
Director Jim Jarmusch

Kon-Tiki (2012)
Director Joachim Ronning
Starring Pal Scerre Valheim Hagen as Thor Heyerdahl

High Rise (2013)
Director Vincenzo Natali

A Kim Jong-Il Production! (2014)

Some tickets are still available. Book your tickets now!

The film follows three boys in high school who gain telekinetic abilities after they make a discovery in the middle of forest. As they explore the limits of their newfound power, they find the danger that lies in exploiting it for darker purposes.

In setting up each clip, Trank was keen to address many of the concerns one might have of walking into hand-held adventure – the most obvious being whether or not you would walk back out with a headache courtesy of an inept camera operator that appears to have had three too many double-espresso shots.

The first clip we were shown introduces us to one of our protagonists in ‘Andrew’ – a nebbish young high-schooler who when asked why he’s vigilantly filming a crowd at a rave party, responds ‘to film.’ Andrew becomes immediately likeable, if only for the fact that if you were ever to have a character in charge of carefully framing action as it unfolds, this is the guy you want holding the camera. As audience members, we are in very good hands.

Trank explained that as the film plays out, not only do Andrew’s camera skills improve, but that as the camera changes hands between our three leads – the filming style betrays something of each character. As we were shown in another clip, the use of the camera as a narrative device is explored further as the film progresses. Eventually we watch the characters operating it via their burgeoning telekinetic powers. Nice touch.

If you’ve seen Trank’s ‘Stabbing at Leia’s 22nd’ (aka COPS in a galaxy far, far away) – you will have already seen a hint of the director’s motivations in approaching ‘Chronicle’.

Trank spoke about attempting to frame events as realistically as possible in order to ground the character’s actions in a way that doesn’t test our suspension of disbelief. In many of the scenes shown where the boys are still in the infancy of their abilities, there’s a conscious effort to avoid the more visually fantastic displays of power. Reality, above all else, is the touchstone.

The surprising mix of both practical and computer generated effects is spearheaded by VFX Supervisor Simon Hanson (the bulk of the film was shot in South Africa), who has a proven track record of creating convincing the effects seen in Neill Blomkamp’s ‘District 9.’

Whilst the marketing may seem to indicate yet another film featuring douchebags with cameras, the footage we saw indicated that there was much more going on beneath the surface of these guys.

But make no mistake, based on these clips alone there is definitely a lot of fun to be had as our heroes get cheeky with their abilities. And as their abilities grow, so does the scope of the film. Without spoiling anything, the clips we saw from the tail-end of the film show that what starts out very intimately, escalates to the point where you’re wondering how long it’s going to be before you hear somebody screaming ‘Tetsuo!’ (or even ‘Magneto!’).

Maybe it isn’t fair to call ‘Chronicle’ a found footage film, since the director explained that there are no dates or expository sluglines preceding the film. Something we don’t think anybody will miss. Whatever you want to call Trank’s feature debut, it certainly shows a lot of promise.