INTERVIEW WITH ‘BLANC DE BLANC’ DIRECTOR SCOTT MAIDMENT AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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I was very fortunate to get to write the cover story for the Christmas-New Year Western Australian print issue of Scenestr, my sixth cover story for the magazine in the past 12 months.  I got to interview Scott Maidment who directs Blanc de Blanc which is showing at Fringe World in Perth this month continuing a two year tour throughout the world to sell out crowds. Maidment has a passion for what he does, originally a performer who founded Strut & Fret Production House which now produces shows that combine cabaret and circus in these fantastic productions. I discussed with him what he sees as his responsibility as the director and getting to work with Madonna amongst other things. It was an absolute pleasure and you can read the interview here http://scenestr.com.au/arts/blanc-de-blanc-sets-its-sights-on-perth-for-fringe-world-20181220

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Produced by Eyeball Media Enterprises Scenestr. is an online national magazine with local offices around Australia. Having started in 1993 they’ve excelled at moving into the digital realm but they remain at heart from the streets. They still publish magazines in print for Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland every month. The cover story on Blanc de Blanc features on pages 10 and 11 of the WA print issue. You can read a digital version of the printed Western Australia edition here http://scenestr.com.au/read/WA/2018/22-WA/scenestr-WA-22.html#p=10

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It is the third Cover Story this year I have done for the WA mag. My first cover story for Scenestr was a year ago and also for the last WA mag for 2017 being issue #9 where I interviewed Jascha Boyce from the circus group Gravity and Other Myths. I followed it with 3 cover stories for WA in 2018, issue #11 interviewing SNL star and stand-up comedian Michael Che, #15 covering Chuck Norris coming to Supernova and now issue #22 about Blanc de Blanc.

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To have done one cover story means a lot to me and to have interviewed such fascinating people remains one of the scariest and most fulfilling things I have dared to do these past two years. Whatever 2019 brings, I will always be grateful for this. If you’re in Perth I would strongly urge you to check out Blanc de Blanc, clearly a show not to be missed made by very hard working and talented people.

-Lloyd Marken

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AQUAMAN FIRMLY HAS ITS TRIDENT IN ITS CHEEK

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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I really don’t want to lead you the garden path, Aquaman has a lot of flaws. Amber Heard’s acting for one. Related imageBut also the fact that if it is making a point in its narrative then the ending fails to capitalise on it. Also that the characterisation is weak and inconsistent, I couldn’t tell you who Arthur Curry really is at this point because in any given scene he is whatever the scene requires him to feel. And yet…..and yet God help me I had fun watching this movie. Part of the fun was how bad it was like when a cover a Toto’s Africa played, but part of it was how silly it was and how much it knew that when signifying Italy and burgeoning love they the soundtrack played Roy Orbinson’s Mystery Girl. If Adam McKay does smart dumb comedy then maybe director James Wan is on his way to making smart dumb blockbusters and that’s a good thing.

The plot picks up a little after Justice League, Aquaman goes around the ocean saving the day and beating bad guys up, sculling a beer with his old man and mostly keeping to himself. Then destiny calls and well mostly scenes of exposition interrupted by sudden explosions follows. Thank God they cast big names because I can’t remember the names of the characters just that they were played Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Patrick Wilson and Jack the Muss.

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Aquaman is a film that goes to a lot of effort in its world building but is less about what and why something happens and more about how. Plate work ensues, we go to Italy, Africa and Maine and I’m not even sure if they even went to a water tank set let alone left the studio to shoot on location there’s so much green screen on display. Yet the film looks gorgeous, if its a cartoon it is a pretty and inventive one unafraid to have big name actors astride sea horses and sharks.

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Speaking of the cast Dafoe and Lundgren play as you expect, Lundgren actually plays it so straight and earnest it makes the unique kind of straightforward. Wilson, an actor I greatly admire proves game and doesn’t look awkward as his costumes grow more ridiculous but a film like this really deserves a villain who doesn’t bring earnestness but  theatrics. In fact Wilson, who looks like the comic book Arthur Curry and was cast as the villain partly because of this, would have made a good Curry it has to be said. Amber Heard fits into her costume snugly and tries hard, she is stuck in another female sidekick role where she cares more deeply about the plight of the story than the hero and has to prod him into fulfilling his destiny. A thankless role I grant you but Heard fails to bring any nuance and little joy to the role and the chemistry between her and Jason Momoa is non-existent.

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Momoa a man who has the body that leaves many swooning and the smarts to have a sense of humour about his image. The character as written is all over the shop but Momoa clearly has a passion for what he is doing. Its exciting to have an actor of islander heritage cast as an aquatic superhero but beyond that, his attitude, comic sensibilities and physique suit the role too. He also gets to show vulnerability here as a man born of two worlds who feels he belongs to neither and mourns a mother he barely knew. Which brings us to Nicole Kidman who may just be the best thing about the movie, she plays it straight too no matter how weird her costume and she brings real pathos to her role as a Queen, warrior, wife and mother. When they say great actors are slumming it in blockbusters they don’t always have reason to mention how the actor can elevate the production, Kidman here does.

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As for the production itself, the movie moves fast but is too long. Cut a villain here, an action scene there, slow it down and get to the guts of why these people are doing what they’re doing and you might have a great movie. A final epic end battle has really nothing to do with anybody we care about until late in the game and just feels like it is there because you got to go big and Hollywood-you really don’t. Yet the movie zips along and there’s a few jokes here and there and it certainly doesn’t tax your brain as it proves a feast for your eyes. Good looking people, cool looking worlds, big explosions and lasers, crab monsters and mystic tridents. It never bores and that’s a crime too many blockbusters have been guilty of lately. In fact when people square off and thump their trident down and you hear a big brass reverberating sound you can’t help but smile. We’re not the only ones having fun with this.

-Lloyd Marken

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INTERVIEW WITH FLICKERFEST DIRECTOR BRONWYN KIDD AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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On assignment with Scenestr magazine I interviewed the director of Flickerfest, Australia’s largest short film festival with Academy accreditation and BAFTA recognition. You can read the interview here http://scenestr.com.au/movies/flickerfest-2019-a-different-way-of-storytelling-20181219

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Produced by Eyeball Media Enterprises, Scenestr is an online national magazine with local offices around Australia. Celebrating 25 years in 2018 of publishing history they’ve excelled at moving into the digital realm but they remain at heart from the streets. They still publish magazines in print for WA, SA, NSW, Vic and QLD every month. This interview was published in print in the Christmas-New Year issue for New South Wales on page 28 which is always a thrill for a GenX guy like myself. A digital copy of that issue can be viewed here http://scenestr.com.au/read/NSW/2018/32-NSW/scenestr-NSW-32.html#p=29 If you’re into music they’re a great read but they do cover all of the arts including festivals, stand-up comics, fashion, theatre and film. I feel very fortunate to get to write for them.

-Lloyd Marken

LLOYD’S RECAP OF THE FILMS OF 2018 AVAILABLE AT HEAVY

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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New Year’s Eve I was scrambling to get a submission in for HEAVY Magazine which I have been contributor for since April 2017. I’m not always able to be as prolific as I would like but a chance to contribute as one of their film reviewers to a recap of the year’s films was too good to miss out on. Similar to how I feel honoured to contribute to end of year countdowns for X-Press magazine. I’ll of course be putting together my annual Favourite Films of the Year later on in 2019 but this will give you an idea of who is in the running at the moment for a Top 10 entry. You can find the post here https://heavymag.com.au/a-re-cap-of-the-films-of-2018/

I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment or give any social media love.

Heavy is an independent magazine and website that is all about the music and specifically heavy music and supporting the Australian music scene in general. Fortunately for me they do cover film as well and I have been fortunate to have a few things published there.

-Lloyd Marken

THE YEAR THAT WAS 2018 ON LLOYD MARKEN WORDPRESS

Posted on by Lloyd Marken
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My sister and I on her wedding day. Copyright Lloyd Marken.

 

Five years on from my very first post and how time flies. I’m very grateful for my blogging community which has grown my confidence and given me an outlet I desperately needed in my life. As is customary I am doing a quick recap at the end of the year. In 2018 a lot of old posts proved more popular than my new posts. The new posts  for the most part act as links to where I am published elsewhere occasionally offering some behind the scenes info in a more informal manner. I will only be listing posts published this year.

America is still No.1 in terms of readership, Australia has retaken No.2 from the UK and Canada remains in fourth place as always. Cracking the Top 5 this year is India with newcomer Hong Kong making a strong showing in the latter half of 2018 and reaching No. 6. Germany which had a grip on N.5 for most of the year slips to No. 7 and Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia leave the Top 10. In No. 8 France returns to the Top 10, the Philippines makes if for the first time in No. 9 and holding on to a Top 10 position is Indonesia as the country with the tenth most views. Overall there were less views from the U.K. and Canada but more views from the rest of the Top 10 countries with all 10 cracking triple digits in number of views. Which I guess makes for a more diverse readership.

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Top 10 Most Views by Country

  1. The United States of America                                                                               9,519 Views
  2. Australia                                                                                                                   1,898 Views
  3. The United Kingdom                                                                                              1,714 Views
  4. Canada                                                                                                                         685 Views
  5. India                                                                                                                             361 Views
  6. Hong Kong SAR China                                                                                               200 Views
  7. Germany                                                                                                                      188 Views
  8. France                                                                                                                          113 Views
  9. Philippines                                                                                                                  108 Views
  10. Indonesia                                                                                                                     106 Views

 

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Out of the 108 posts published for the year the following 25 got the most views. In 2015 the blog started to grow with 1,609 views, 333 visitors, 23 Likes and 30 comments. In 2016 the blog received 5,673 views, 3,206 visitors, 546 Likes and 751 comments. In 2017 this grew to 16,767 views (more than a third of which were for The Founder Review), 11,891 visitors, 1,240 Likes and 1,707 comments. In 2018 much to my surprise we stayed steady at 16,706 views and 12,185 visitors with the site receiving 1,091 likes and 1,046 comments. There has been a slight downtick in liking and commenting of posts which makes sense since my focus is less intense on growing my blogging community and some fellow bloggers have given the game away. One thing about the results strongly supports an idea I have of where to put my energies next. Overall I just want to say again how much it means to me to have my core group and how much I appreciate anybody who reads and enjoys the blog.

 

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Top 25 Most Viewed Posts 2018

 

  1. INTERVIEW WITH GRAVITY AND OTHER MYTHS MEMBER JASCHA BOYCE AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                                                                                        75 Views
  2. ROCKET MAN – PRELUDE                                                                                           58 Views

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    Copyright Lloyd Marken
  3. ROCKET MAN – THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR                                                       57 Views
  4. MY FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2017                                                                                52 Views
  5. I WAS A NINTH DEGREE BLACK BELT NARCISSIST                                             50 Views
  6. I LIKE PADDINGTON 2 TOO                                                                                       45 Views
  7. THE YEAR THAT WAS 2017 ON LLOYD MARKEN WORDPRESS                        44 Views
  8. CUCKOO FOR COCO                                                                                                     42 Views
  9. BRINGING BACK BIFF – BIFF 2008 PART I                                                               40 ViewsBIFF 2008
  10. 100 POSTS PUBLISHED                                                                                               38 Views
  11. ROCKET MAN – THE RETURN COMMUTE                                                               38 Views
  12. A QUIET PLACE REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                                          38 ViewsScenestr77
  13. ‘LORD OF THE FLIES’ BY BEENLEIGH THEATRE GROUP REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                                                                                                                      37 Views
  14. INTERVIEW WITH ALLIANCE FRANCAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR PHILIPPE PLATEL AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                                                      36 Views
  15. MY NAME IS MAURICE MICKLEWHITE, NOW THERE’S NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT KNOW THAT                                                                                                      35 Views
  16. ‘CHER: HERE WE GO AGAIN’ BRISBANE OPENING NIGHT REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR MAGAZINE                                                                                                34 Views

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    Copyright Lloyd Marken
  17. TOP 10 FILMS OF 2018… SO FAR LIST… AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE                                                                                                                    34 Views
  18. BRINGING BACK BIFF – BIFF 2007 PART II                                                             34 Views
  19. I, TONYA REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                                                      34 Views
  20. COVER STORY ON CHUCK NORRIS AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                         33 Views
  21. ROCKET MAN – AN AUSTRALIAN IN LONDON                                                      33 Views

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  22. ROCKET MAN – THE CANTON ROUTE                                                                      33 Views
  23. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                    31 Views
  24. BRINGING BACK BIFF – BIFF 2007 PART I                                                               31 Views
  25. INTERVIEW WITH, THE GENIE OF ‘ALADDIN’, GARETH JACOBS AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR                                                                                                                      31 Views
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Karen and I with the cast of Aladdin. Copyright Lloyd Marken.

It has been very nice to see some of the posts that were enjoyed the most were ones that were very personal including about travelling to attend my sister’s wedding overseas and recollections of the Brisbane International Film Festival. I’m also glad that everybody seems to enjoy my list for the best films of the year and look forward to doing another one for 2018 around Oscar time. Also blogging about my first cover story for Scenestr has proven the most popular post on my blog for 2018 which is very gratifying. It was a lot of fun and a real privilege to do the interview with Jascha Boyce.

 

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For Your Consideration

So here is the point where I urge you to consider some of the posts I’m most proud of. Most are already listed and have proven popular like my Rocket Man posts and review of Cher’s concert.  I would ask you to consider my review for the movie First Man over at Scenestr which is perhaps my favourite of the film reviews I wrote this year. Any of the Scenestr cover stories I would highly recommend which included a profile on Chuck Norris, an interview with outgoing Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Ali McGregor, with SNL star and stand-up Michael Che and with Jascha Boyce.

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Well that’s it for another year so thank you so much to everybody who reads my humble blog and I would like to take this moment to thank my fellow bloggers for their continued support Pete, Cindy, GP, Don, Vinnie, Jay, Sean, Paul, Allen, John K, Michael, Jet, Eddie, Alex, Paol, Jordon, John R, SJS, DB, Emma, Jersey Dreaming, Robin, Eric and anybody else who takes the time to read these posts. It would be helluva lot less fun without you all.

-Lloyd Marken

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Rosie and I on Opening Night of BIFF 2018 on assignment for Scenestr magazine.  Copyright of BIFF from their 2018 Facebook site.

 

OVER 1,OOO VIEWS FOR MINOR ROLES THAT HAD A MAJOR IMPACT – LUCY FROM ‘GOING IN STYLE’

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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Another milestone reached, this time for the popular post Minor Roles That Had A Major Impact – Lucy From Going In Style. A mostly average film I saw with Karen in early 2017 attracted by the venerable star power of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin and Ann Margaret.  A stand out scene for me though involved the actress Annabelle Chow as a young girl named Lucy who won’t snitch out our heroes to the police out of respect for her fellow grand daughters. A classic example of a minor character having a huge effect on the plot and just making an impact in terms of the quality of the performance.

And now some stats for the sake of those who love stats.  The post was originally published 30JUN2017 and closed out 2017 as the 3rd most popular post on my blog from 2017 with 187 views. It currently sits at 1,030 views having reached 1,000 views on the 12th of December of this year. The most popular month so far was July 2018 where it accumulated 101 views, the only time thus far it has reached triple digits in a month. That month had a daily average of 3 views. Most days there is at least one view on average. It currently has 11 likes from my fellow bloggers.

I don’t know if these posts appear silly, self-congratulatory or just embarrassing. But I never thought so many people might read any of my post when I started blogging five years ago let alone 1,000 so I celebrate the moments and move on. I hope you enjoy.

-Lloyd Marken

COLETTE REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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It was a thrill to be on assignment for X-Press Magazine attending a preview screening of the film Colette a couple of weeks ago, my second for the magazine following a preview screening of Tully earlier in the year. Sadly while I think Colette is made with the best of intentions and is very relevant to our times, I can’t say I was greatly entertained by the film. You can read my review here http://xpressmag.com.au/colette-gets-6-10-the-hand-that-holds-the-pen/

This wraps up my first year writing for X-Press with 15 posts featured. I look forward to working with them in 2019.

X-Press Magazine was established in 1985 and at one point was Australia’s highest circulating free weekly entertainment publication with over 40,000 copies reaching 1,0000 outlets every week.  On the 24th May, 2016 Issue 1527 hit stands. Like many publications of its ilk X-Press Magazine is now foremost an online magazine engaged globally and making the most of the possibilities that new digital technology offers. It’s roots though are tied to its home city, love of local artists and productions and music which it supports wholeheartedly. Perth a capital city most isolated from all the other capitals is continuing to grow and develop culturally and artistically with its own identity and talent. X-Press has always been there to capture this growth and will continue to do so.

-Lloyd Marken