Published – Back to the Drawing Board Productions

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

Posted on January 12, 2019January 4, 2019 by Lloyd Marken

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

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

INTERVIEW WITH FLICKERFEST DIRECTOR BRONWYN KIDD AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR MAGAZINE

Posted on January 8, 2019January 7, 2019 by Lloyd Marken

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

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 January 4, 2019January 1, 2019 by Lloyd Marken

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

COLETTE REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on December 26, 2018December 27, 2018 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

‘VICE’ REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR

Posted on December 22, 2018December 22, 2018 by Lloyd Marken

I am a big fan of director/writer Adam McKay so I was very happy to get to review his latest Vice for Scenestr magazine. I attended a preview screening with Karen at New Farm cinemas with the customary meal afterwards at the nearby Pig’n’Whistle pub. Such evenings have occurred enough that they’re becoming a habit, a fact I hope continues am very grateful for. I also ran into someone who I knew years ago as a teenager at an after school drama group. He’s since become a reality TV star and is heavily involved in media and attending all kinds of social engagements around town. He’s doing well and it was nice to get to talk to him.

As for the movie, I think this is a less flashy follow-up to The Big Short but cut from the same cloth. You can read more of my thoughts here http://scenestr.com.au/movies-and-tv/vice-review-20181219 I was really keen to see this film and so look forward to hearing your thoughts. The trailer that got me so excited is below.

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 Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and now Victoria! every month too.

-Lloyd Marken

TOP 20 FILMS OF 2018 LIST AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on December 20, 2018December 20, 2018 by Lloyd Marken

It’s almost been a year since I got published with X-Press magazine for the first time contributing to the best of the year lists for 2017. I count myself very lucky to feature on the list for 2018. While it includes my thoughts on Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool which was in the 2018 so far list from earlier in the year but it’s still published post and I’m still counting it towards my tally. My work with X-Press has included screeners and two preview screenings in Brisbane and I look forward to contributing in 2019 with them. This post can also act as an entry point for you to read the words of the other great writers who contribute reviews to X-Press Magazine. You can find it here http://xpressmag.com.au/x-press-top-20-films-of-2018/

This list has got me thinking about how my own Top 10 for 2018 is shaping up. Please note my Top 10 to feature here on this blog next year around Oscar time will go off films released in 2018 in the U.S. This list done by X-Press Magazine was based on films that were released in Australia in 2018 and do include some films from 2017. Heck I reviewed a delightful 2016 film from France for this year.

-Lloyd Marken

‘TWO MAN TARANTINO’ AND ‘CLAIRE HEALEY’ REVIEWS AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR

Posted on December 13, 2018December 11, 2018 by Lloyd Marken

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Friday night and I saw my two final shows at Wonderland for 2018 on assignment with Scenestr, one I was eagerly anticipating Two Man Tarantino and the other Claire Healy: (Get A) Real Job interested me with its subject matter.

The week was one of those weeks that you dream about as a freelance writer, Wednesday night I was on assignment for a preview screening of a movie with one publication and then I was due to see three shows at Wonderland on Thursday and Friday night. They were good shows, all with something to offer it is true but there are criticisms I have. One thing that struck me about both shows that concluded my attendance at the festival this year was how they got better as they went along and finished strongly. I walked out of Claire Healy’s one-woman show late Friday night and felt a little bit better about the movie I’d seen Wednesday, a little bit better about the shows I’d seen at Wonderland that week and a little bit better about life in general. Not bad.

You can read my review for Two Man Tarantino here http://scenestr.com.au/arts/two-man-tarantino-brisbane-review-wonderland-festival-2018-20181203 and Claire Healy here http://scenestr.com.au/arts/claire-healy-get-a-real-job-brisbane-review-wonderland-festival-2018-20181203

The five shows I saw at Wonderland 2017 I enjoyed more but I felt with a lot of the shows this year I was seeing artists earlier in their careers taking it to the next level, doing more with less, refining their art and figuring out what they want to achieve. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

At Wonderland 2017 I felt like seeing Nath Valvo gave me an insight into what Melbourne already knew, that here was a comedian about to go national. Love/Hate Actually in 2018 returned triumphantly to Wonderland following a tour that took in amongst other places Ipswich, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne and Fiji. Michelle Zahner has taken A Modern Guide to Heroism and Sidekickery to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Who knows where we will see Claire Healy, Anisa Nandaula, Adam Koudi, Kayne Falkiner, Vashti Hughes, Matt Abell-King, Emily Kristopher, Stephen Hirst and Sam Bowden next.

-Lloyd Marken

Karen and I at the end of Adventures in Wonderland for another year. Copyright Lloyd Marken.

Outside dining area where you can often catch cast and crew after a show. Copyright Lloyd Marken.

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