Category: Short Film Review

TULLY REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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I went to my first preview screening for X-Press Magazine which was another thrill of a milestone for me. It was for the film Tully a few weeks back which reunites star Charlize Theron with director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody. If you’re a fan of their previous collaboration Young Adult you should enjoy this understated gem. Its box office debut in the States was a little soft but I have little doubt this film will find an audience and make bank at some point. Theron is pushing her screen image into new areas here and I think the film is a thoughful meditation on motherhood yes but also about getting older in general. You can read more of my thoughts here http://xpressmag.com.au/tully-gets-8-10-carpe-diem-baby/

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 1,000 outlets every week.  On the 24th May, 2016 Issue 1527 (the last one in print) 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.

Happy Mother’s Day from Australia.

-Lloyd Marken

A QUIET PLACE REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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Was thrilled to do another film review for Scenestr and a little nervous given it was a horror film and in recent years I’ve leaned away from those but if I want to keep the dream alive of this being some sort of career I have to be prepared to see and review all kinds of films. Fortunately for me A Quiet Place is a really interesting film that is not just interested in gore and jump scares. You can read my review here http://scenestr.com.au/movies-and-tv/a-quiet-place-review-20180405

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 Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane every month. 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

THE ENDLESS REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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I was lucky enough to get sent a screener of a film to review for X-Press Magazine again. This was for the film The Endless, from the directing duo Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson. This is their third film together, where Hollywood offered them a lot but they struck a balance between sticking to their roots and upping their ante. So far my work for X-Press has seen me reviewing quality films that may not get a big budget or marketing platform but are all offering something different and strong. Moorhead and Benson are established on a lot of people’s radars already but it is with their third effort that I’ve gotten a peek at their work and all I can say is I believe we’ll be hearing a lot from them in the future. I won’t spoil the plot just to say its a genre film that features all that entails but strongly engages the audience with the mystery of what is going on and focuses on character as much as plot. You can read more of my thoughts here http://xpressmag.com.au/the-endless-gets-8-10-cult-film/

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 1,000 outlets every week.  On the 24th May, 2016 Issue 1527 (the last one in print) 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

IN THE FADE REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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I’m very lucky to have been sent another screener to review a film for X-Press Magazine. In The Fade is a 2017 film from Germany starring Diane Kruger in a performance that won her Best Actress at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Telling the story of a domestic terrorist act from a very different and personal perspective it is an interesting film with a great performance at the centre of it. You can read the review here http://xpressmag.com.au/in-the-fade-gets-7-10-clear-divides/

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 1,000 outlets every week.  On the 24th May, 2016 Issue 1527 (the last one in print) 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

 

12 STRONG REVIEW AVAILABLE ON SCENESTR

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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A new first happened for me a couple of weeks ago while on assignment with Scenestr. I’ve been lucky to be sent to film preview screenings to write reviews for the magazine. These are usually screenings held for the public with tickets won in competitions, etc. The idea being to get word of mouth out for the film. I’ve enjoyed going to these events which usually have prizes or freebies for the crowd. The other night Karen and I went to  a press screening of 12 Strong which took place in a Gold Class cinema where there were less seating and clearly only critics and one guest were in attendance. For someone where being a film critic would be a dream come true this is one more thing to be happy about and grateful for.

So how did the film shape up, well gladly I can tell that 12 Strong is a solid film that mostly comes alive in its action sequences. A mishmash it feels of two intentions that struggle to reconcile with each other, a flag waving depiction of real American heroes and a stoic reflection on the realities of going to war and being a professional soldier. Still there are things to be commended here and at the end of the day soldiers are equipped with standard equipment all the time, why not make a standard action film about them but I’d sure like to read the original book Horse Soldiers the film is based on because their tale sounds incredible. You can read my review here http://scenestr.com.au/movies-and-tv/12-strong-review-20180307

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 Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane every month. 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

FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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My wife Karen won tickets to a preview screening of Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool a few weeks back and I’ve been lucky enough to have a review of the film published with X-Press Magazine.

The film is based on the book by Peter Turner who wrote of his love affair with Academy Award winner Gloria Grahame. It is a sad and moving film but a particularly well made one. I have thought about it a lot since seeing it, so touched by the way it captured time and space and how events in the film are open to the interpretation of each individual viewer. It’s a change of pace for Eon Productions too, famous for James Bond and I later found out Barbara Broccoli actually knew the couple when they were together. For Annette Bening, it is another reminder of what a talented consistent performer and storyteller we have in the actress and the level of the work she is getting to do. You can read more of my thoughts here http://xpressmag.com.au/film-stars-dont-die-in-liverpool-gets-9-10-on-the-other-side-of-sunset-boulevard/

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

PHANTOM THREAD REVIEW AVAILABLE AT HEAVY

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

Heavy14I’m lucky enough to do another review for Heavy Magazine, this one for Oscar hopeful Phantom Thread. A gorgeous period piece with possibly the last performance onscreen from the great Daniel Day-Lewis. The two female lead performances from Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville threaten to outshine him in a film that surprised me and that I ultimately really enjoyed. You can read more of my thoughts here https://heavymag.com.au/film-review-phantom-thread/ and please feel free to comment with your own.

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

LADY BIRD REVIEW AVAILABLE AT HEAVY

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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A few months back Dan Murrell at Screen Junkies mentioned he’d just seen a little film called Lady Bird, a coming age tale about a teenage girl growing up in Sacramento directed by Greta Gerwig. I enjoyed Frances Ha and pay attention to Dan Murrell when he says a movie is good and he was quite taken with this one. It’s been a long wait for the film to reach Australian shores and now you can read my review over at Heavy Magazine here https://heavymag.com.au/film-review-lady-bird/ This is a thoughtful well made film crafted with a lot of care. Little things add up to a vibrant big picture. I can’t say it was my favourite film of the year though Dan.

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

 

WE DON’T NEED A MAP REVIEW AVAILABLE AT X-PRESS MAGAZINE

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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It is a pleasure to review for X-Press Magazine, We Don’t Need A Map, the latest film from director Warwick Thornton. In it Thornton muses on the symbolism and history of the Southern Cross and what it means to Australia. You can read more of my thoughts here http://xpressmag.com.au/we-dont-need-a-map-gets-7-10-starstruck/ and I hope you enjoy.

This is the fifth post I been a part of for X-Press following on from Their Top 20 Films of 2017 List, Their Top 20 TV Shows of 2017 List, a review of Season 2 of The Crown and a review of the new film Ellipsis.

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 1,000 outlets every week.  On the 24th May, 2016 Issue 1527 (the last one in print) 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

WHEN I BECAME A WRITER

Posted on by Lloyd Marken

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I was a student at the Queensland University of Technology 2003-2004. I graduated with a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Creative Writing). Having knocked off a year of electives from previous study at Griffith University I went from kind of a ‘first year’ mode in 2003 to ‘shit we’re about to graduate mode’ in 2004. I was not a good student but in my last semester I tried to seek out some opportunities, I did a work elective where I wrote the newspaper for the Brisbane Writer’s Festival with a small group of fellow students, I submitted a short story to be published in a book of student’s collections ( I was rejected and received feedback that included “a patchwork of movie cheese”), I volunteered at the Brisbane International Film Festival and submitted reviews to a film website that were rejected, and I submitted a film review to the student guild magazine Utopia.

Coming out of a lecture one day with one of my friends we walked past a tray of the latest Utopia. As I was leafing through it, he mentioned “I’m in it, you’re in it too.” I became very excited, repeating back to him “I’m in it?!”. I couldn’t tell if he was taking the piss or not as I scrambled to find where. I’ll never forget when I saw my byline. It just looked so damn beautiful. I hadn’t been notified by the Utopia staff. I confirmed later you got paid for submissions. In my last year I was over at Kelvin Grove campus but the offices for the magazine were over at Gardens Point. After the semester had ended I finally went  into Gardens Point and picked up a cheque for $15.00. I was a university student then and while it wouldn’t go far every $15.00 helped. I never cashed the cheque. I wanted it as a memory of the first time somebody paid me for my writing. This in my mind made me a writer. It certainly is one of those things in life where only you can take what it means to you, away from you.

I submitted another story to Utopia but they didn’t publish it. The following year I walked around to every film studio and producer in Brisbane and dropped off my resume. I only heard back from two to say they weren’t hiring but wished me the best of luck. I had one interview with one film production company which I really enjoyed but I didn’t get the job. In 2006 I went back to university. In 2007 I was a gopher on a film set and in 2008 I met my wife. Life got away but I started blogging, and more so when I did my Graduate Certificate in 2015, and buoyed by the community I found online and engaged with I submitted reviews to film websites I followed. Only a couple and I never heard back.

I decided to try somewhere more local last year and submitted to Scenestr which had been Scene magazine when I was at university. The editor there liked my review and on the 23rd of February, 2017 my review for Hidden Figures was published on their website and they put me on the e-mail list of their freelance contributors. In the year since I’ve become a regular contributor to Scenestr (44 – 15 interviews, 13 film reviews, 13 theatre reviews, 3 stand-up reviews), Heavy (22), Buzz (8) and X-Press (5). I’ve also had one of my reviews published with FilmInk. That’s 80 published pieces in the past year. It is not how I make my living, that I must be clear about, but it allows me to pretend I’m a writer, film critic, an interviewer. Because for small pockets of time it is what I do and I work hard at it and I do get compensated for it. So I guess I’m a writer no matter how much money I make. I’m a writer again just like I was when that film review got published in the guild magazine over a decade ago and I’m very grateful to be able to say that. 81 and counting.

-Lloyd Marken

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