Welcome Cinema Jammers and non-Jammers alike to this month’s collection.
In this issue we’ll be tackling the theme of conflict in all its many forms. Starting in the theatre of war itself we have Anne-Sophie Marie’s take on war films from a screenwriter’s perspective as well as two opposing takes on Clint Eastwood’s legacy as a war movie director. Matthew Wilson salutes Eastwood’s balancing act of war with companion pieces Flags of our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima while I take aim at his hotly debated, and highly polarizing, take on the Iraq war in American Sniper to argue its position as one of the most inhuman films ever made.
Speaking of polarization, Matthew and I stand our ground again to defend two of the most divisive films of recent memory. Matthew in his review of Darren Aronofsky’s new film mother! (that’s generated fierce opinions in the Cinema Jam offices alone) and myself with my case for the much maligned Batman v Superman being the best comic book film of 2016.
Then get really stuck into the nitty gritty as we explore the conflict of identity (from two very different angles) in our interviews with directors Josza Anjembe and Matt Harlock.
We also have reviews on how Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk carves out its place in war movie history, how The Hitman’s Bodyguard wastes the sparks that fly between its leads (whereas Taylor Sheridan’s impressive directorial debut Wind River does not), how Kathryn Bigelow’s fiery thriller Detroit can’t quite make sense of racial conflict in America, how Bushwick makes the idea of a new American civil war seem hip and how Dominic Cooper’s iteration of popular literary soldier Stratton may be the worst film of 2017.
We also break down the bloody religious battle in Pilgrimage, the haunting psychological battle in indie horror The Dark Mile, the fight for survival in Killing Ground and the fight between nature and human nature in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Sequel.
On the lighter side of things we’ve also got reviews for teen romance Everything, Everything, comedy spy sequel Kingsman:The Golden Circle and star-studded comedy Rough Night.
With all of these great films taking up our time it was a struggle to get the news out to all our lovely readers, but we managed it. News from the past month has included free screenings at the Brazilian embassy and the birth of a brand new awards ceremony from the good people over at Catfish Shorts.
Not to mention the incredible coverage of Raindance Film Festival 2017 being done for us by Francesca Amoroso, giving you all you need to know to get started (with much more to come!), and some invaluable advice from Sophia Beirne on how to start out in the film business.
For more pro tips on furthering your career in the industry, or just socializing with contemporaries, be sure to head down to our next Jam Session (our last one featured Shakespeare In Love director John Madden as our guest speaker!) You can find all the details right here and if you’re looking for an intense slice of producing advice then may we suggest our delicious Bite-Size Course on how to be a successful film producer with Stephen Woolley?
Make sure to book in advance though, or you may just find yourself in a fight for tickets.
Until next time!
