Film: July 2008 Archives

DAMON'S DONE IT AGAIN, WHATEVER 'IT' IS.

Damon Albarn’s Monkey: Journey to the West has arrived in animated form and made a dazzling impact. The reinvention of these legendary characters of Chinese folklore first took flight last year in the form of an opera made alongside his Gorillaz sidekick, Jamie Hewlett, and acclaimed Chinese theatre director, Chen Shi-Zheng. Now, though, the ultimate stage is set. Albarn’s gang have created what will become icons of our Beijing 2008 experience.

DOCUMENTARIES GIVE US AN EXTRA PAIR OF EYES. Alain de Botton

De Botton’s quote hints at the hugely important role that documentary
film plays. For some people, that ‘extra pair of eyes’ could make the
difference between suffering and safety, even life and death. There are
stories to be told and thanks to the British Documentary Film
Foundation, the visionaries with the will but not the wallet to tell
them are finally getting a chance.

I’M INTERESTED IN MOVIES WITH CREATIVE INTEGRITY. Adam Yauch

So goes the remit for Adam Yauch’s up and coming film company Oscilloscope Pictures. Adam Yauch you say? Yup, that’s Adam of Beastie Boys fame. Not content with his contribution to music (they’re back in the studio, too), Yauch has been working with film for some time, and he’s committed to making a difference there as well. His new project, Gunnin’ For That Number One Spot, sees him taking the reins as both director and producer, and through an in-depth look at eight basketball players being groomed for NBA stardom, he explores the uniquely American way in which young high school athletes become stars before they’ve made it big.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF USING TECHNOLOGY IN A WAY IT WASN’T MEANT TO BE USED. Thom Yorke

It’s fair to say there’s been a fair bit of excitement brewing over the last few days regarding the new Radiohead video for the In Rainbows song House of Cards. No one’s seen it yet as it hasn’t hit YouTube etc, but we know it’s different because, true to the band’s legendary dedication to experimentation and new technologies, they decided not to use cameras at all.