It's November this week – can you believe it? To distract you from how quickly the end of the year is approaching there’s plenty of great viewing coming your way on Rialto Channel. This month the director featured in the Directors Series is celebrated Serbian filmmaker and actor Emir Kusturica. You’ll be able to catch his classic films, such as Life is a Miracle, Time of the Gypsies, Underground and Black Cat, White Cat. They’ll screen on Sunday evenings after The Story of Film: An Odyssey.
It’s November this week – can you believe it? To distract you from how quickly the end of the year is approaching there’s plenty of great viewing coming your way on Rialto Channel. This month the director featured in the Directors Series is celebrated Serbian filmmaker and actor Emir Kusturica. You’ll be able to catch his classic films, such as Life is a Miracle, Time of the Gypsies, Underground and Black Cat, White Cat. They’ll screen on Sunday evenings after The Story of Film: An Odyssey.
Here are some more highlights for the week.
Starring Kyrre Hellum, Mads Ousdal, Henrik Mestad
Directed by Magnus Martens
Premieres Tuesday 29th October, 8.30pm
Remote Record Here
After last week enjoying the adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s Headhunters, I was intrigued to find another Jo Nesbo adaptation on the schedule this week. Jackpot is a slightly different beast to Headhunters; there’s no Scandinavian architecture to gush about, but there’s plenty of Tarantino inspired violence and a touch of Coen Brothers black comedy to enjoy. It’s all twists and turns as, much like the classic The Usual Suspect, a shootout is pieced together through the questioning of one suspect, allowing the story to be told in flashbacks. This is a highly entertaining thriller, as long as you can cope with sick twists and bloody, sudden violence.
Starring Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr, Mackenzie Brooke
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait
Premieres Saturday 2nd November, 8.30pm
Remote Record Here
Ever thought the world is going to the dogs? Well, that’s how Frank (Murray) feels in this sharply written satirical crime comedy. Frank doesn’t have much to live for; he’s divorced, recently fired and has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. He’s also enraged by the downward spiral of American culture.
With little left to lose he goes on a mission to rid America of reality TV stars, obnoxious kids, bigoted TV hosts and people who talk during movies. He’s joined by disenfranchised high school student Roxy (Barr), and between shooting sprees they banter about everything they think is wrong with America. It’s an over the top and challenging black comedy that spoofs everything from talent shows to the Tea Party. You may not like the use of guns, but it’s hard to fault their message.
Starring George Plimpton, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Ken Burns & Hugh Hefner
Directed by Tom Bean & Luke Poling
Premieres Thursday 31st October, 8.30pm
Remote Record Here
I wish there were more George Plimptons in the world. Editor of The Paris Review, writer, amateur sportsman and life of the party, this utterly charming man not only championed the careers of others - some of the 20th Century’s greatest writers - but also lived his life to the full and wrote about it. Exploring both his private and public personas, this documentary features plenty of archive footage of Plimpton, and thoughts and stories from friends, family and contemporaries.
Plimpton was born into an Uptown Manhattan family of achievers he felt he couldn’t live up to. After trying almost everything to find something at which he could excel he stumbled on a new form of journalism – participatory journalism.
Plimpton had lofty literary ambitions as the editor of The Paris Review, but he made a name for himself writing books about boxing a world champ, playing goalie for the Boston Bruins ice hockey team, and joining a pro-football team for a season, which is chronicled in the best selling book Paper Lion. Throughout his career he also joined the circus and played percussion with the New York Philharmonic.
An intellectual who knew how to market himself to the mainstream, Plimpton was a self-depreciating, articulate, intelligent, dry and complex individual.
What a shame there aren't more like him.