Out Takes

After the success of the Charlie’s Angels television show in the late 70’s and the movies in the early 2000’s, there was much excitement around the announcement of a third installment, with a new generation of Angels, to be released in late 2019. After a major build up, including a much hyped soundtrack and a worldwide publicity tour, the latest film hit cinemas in mid-November and attracted middling reviews and a low box office.

Elizabeth Banks is the director, screenwriter and one of the stars of the film, and she had a lot to say about why the film didn’t connect to audiences including that she believed men were not likely to see female-led action movies. This generated a lot of discussion so the Out Takes team decided to jump in the ring and take a deep dive in to the wonderful world of Charlie’s Angels and try and figure out why this latest incarnation just didn’t work with audiences.  We all have our opinions and a great debate was had but in this instance we’ll leave the last word to Elizabeth Banks:

 

Martha Cooper is one of the most adored and influential members of the street art world yet almost unknown outside of it, perhaps ‘the most iconic

photographer you’ve never heard of ’. Her book Subway Art is the ‘bible’ of graffiti and is widely considered to be one of the most stolen

books of all time. At 76 years of age, Martha is still capturing the dynamic grafitti and art scenes worldwide while constantly introducing audiences to her incredible body of work and her fascinating story which is captured in the fantastic new documentary ‘Martha: A Picture Story’ which is in cinemas from November 28.

This is director Selina Miles debut feature, a bold expansion of her previous work in the art community which includes the viral street art video ‘Limitless’. Selina joined us in the JOY studios for an extended chat about the documentary, her experience filming around the world and of course her relationship with Martha Cooper, an unexpected icon of the street art movement and a pioneer in her field. Listen in to find out more about how this project came to be, some great behind the scenes stories and find out one of the key elements to what drives Martha to continue doing what she does today (hint – Kangaskhan!).

Partnered with the theatrical release of ‘Martha: A Picture Story, you can also get along to the free Seasons of Change event at Revolver Upstairs on Friday December 6 in Melbourne and check out a 1UP film screening plus an exclusive Q&A session with Martha Cooper & Selina Miles – definitely not to be missed.

 

This week on Out Takes, we turned our attention to the representation of intimacy in contemporary lesbian cinema. Is same-sex female intimacy still depicted through a male gaze or is it celebrated on its own terms? Does it figure as an escape for certain characters from their stifled, suburban heterosexual narratives, or are we starting to see accurate and nuanced portrayals of same-sex female love?

Our guest was Olga Chajdas, the director of NINA, which screens at the Polish Film Festival in Melbourne later this month. Nina tells the story of an illicit sexual affair between a would-be-mother and her surrogate in modern day Poland. We spoke with Chajdas about her new film, and the politics of same-sex intimacy in which it is situated.

We also revisited our chat with April Mullen, the director of BELOW HER MOUTH, which was elsewhere described as ‘a cinematic voice for the female orgasm’.

This week on Out Takes we took a look at two very different films that highlight the ongoing transformation many LGBTIQ people go through and how this is represented on the big screen. From coming out to what comes next, we’re looking at what it means to transform, finding your purpose, what you gain and lose in the process and the opportunities and struggles that come with being your authentic self.

First up we looked at ‘Brittany Runs A Marathon’, the new feature film from gay writer and director Paul Downs Colaizzo that caused a bidding war at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with Amazon Studios acquiring worldwide distribution rights to the film for $14 million dollars. Based on a true story, the film follows Brittany Forgler, a hilarious hot mess of a New Yorker who always knows how to have a good time, but at 27, her late-night adventures are starting to catch up to her. She takes the first step in changing her life by actually taking a run around the block and that’s where the story gets interesting. Our special guests on the show were the star of the film, Jillian Bell, and Paul Downs Colaizzo (pictured with Out Takes presenter Conrad) who took us behind the scenes of this funny, frank and insightful film which is in cinemas now.

We also took a look at ‘The Ice King’ a searing documentary about John Curry, a lost cultural icon in a fascinating story of art, sport, sexuality, and rebellion. It includes incredible unseen footage of some of his most remarkable performances and with access to Curry’s letters, archive interviews, and interviews with his family, friends and collaborators, this is a portrait of the man who turned ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. The Ice King is an exclusive release on DocPlay, a new streaming service featuring award winning and exclusive documentaries from around the globe.

Special thanks to Alicia and Cathy at ABCG Film for the opportunity to interview Jillian Bell and Paul Downs Colaizzo, and for their ongoing support of Out Takes.

As the end of the decade quickly approaches, the Out Takes team begin a series of retrospectives looking back at the decade in queer cinema. In this retrospective, the Out Takes team looked back at their favourite soundtracks from queer leaning cinema: think new LGBTIQ leaning fare like The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia and A Star Is Born. Did your favourite soundtrack make the cut? Check out this podcast to find out!

 

This week on Out Takes we turned our attention to films that spotlight families in transition: think indie flicks like 52 TUESDAYS and A KID LIKE JAKE. These films focus on family first and foremost, and explore gender and sexual identity against the backdrop of heritage, culture, religion and trans generational trauma.

Our guest was Tal Barda, the producer of FAMILY IN TRANSITION, which chronicles the journey of Amit, a father of four living in a small Israeli town, who tells his wife that he is a woman and wants to transition. We spoke with Barda about her fascinating new documentary, and the landscape of transgender representation in Israeli cinema. FAMILY IN TRANSITION screened as part of the 2019 Jewish International Film Festival.

We also turned our attention to the TRANSPARENT musical finale, which follows the dysfunctional Pfefferman family made famous by Jill Soloway’s critically awarded Amazon series and which, like FAMILY IN TRANSITION, explores gender and sexual identity against the backdrop of culture, religion and trans generational trauma.

This week on Out Takes, we took a look at the representation of gay pornography in queer cinema, in particular at how queer cinema employs representations of pornography to interrogate the relationship between religion, culture, familial duties and sexual liberation.

Our guest was Tomer Heymann, the director of MR GAGA and WHOSE GONNA LOVE ME NOW, who joins us to talk about his new documentary, JONATHAN AGASSI SAVED MY LIFE.

JONATHAN AGASSI SAVED MY LIFE is an intimate look at the world of gay pornography and escorting and the unique relationship between gay porn star, Jonathan Agassi, and his mother. It screened as part of the 2019 Jewish International Film Festival.

Judy Garland is a Hollywood icon. She received a Juvenile Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Special Tony Award. In 1998, Carnegie Hall hosted a two-concert tribute to Garland, which they promoted as “a tribute to the world’s greatest entertainer”.

So for this week on Out Takes, to mark the national release of the new Garland biopic JUDY, we celebrated the legacy of Judy Garland and the new film spotlighting her final days.

JUDY stars Renée Zellweger as the famed actor, and chronicles her final days in June 1969. We took a look at her short but prolific career, her legacy on screen and off plus a deep dive in to her relationship with the queer community and why for many she will always be considered the ultimate ‘friend of Dorothy’.

This week on Out Takes, we were joined by a guest studded line up as we acknowledged Mental Health Week and took stock of the way that cinema affects our mental health.

Our first guest was actor and documentarian Ben Steel, who joins us to discuss his new documentary, THE SHOW MUST GO ON, which is now available on ABC iView. THE SHOW MUST GO ON follows Home and Away actor and debut documentary filmmaker Ben Steel on a soul-searching investigation into why there are so many entertainment workers developing and struggling with mental wellbeing issues.

Our next guest was Genevieve Bailey (pictured), the director of HAPPY SAD MAN, which releases nationally this month. HAPPY SAD MAN explores the link between masculinity and mental health.

Finally, we welcomed clinical psychologist Dr Jarrod White into the studio as our guest Mental Health guru. Jarrod has appeared on Triple J and Potential Psychology and heads up The Lives of Others, a social media platform that promotes the sharing of mental health stories around the world.

The Me Too movement (#MeToo), with a large variety of local and international related names, is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault. The movement began to spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.

The entertainment industry has featured prominently during the many investigations and revelations of abuse, with high profiles cases including Har

vey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Matt Lauer bringing to light the prolific incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault that sent shockwaves across the world.

The Out Takes team took this opportunity to look at sexual harassment for this program by discussing the upcoming film ‘Bombshell’, which centres upon female Fox News personnel and their allegations against founder Roger Ailes, and ‘Working Woman’, an Israeli drama that focuses on Orna, a married mot

 

her of three young children who returns to the workplace and begins to experience escalating sexual harassment from her boss. Her rapid rise through the ranks and her increasing financial success seem to parallel a pattern of predatory behavior which ultimately brings her career and marital relationship to the brink.

Our special guest was Michal Aviad, the writer and director of ‘Working Woman’, who explained the importance of telling Orna’s story now and why we must continue to keep these topics on the big screen now and in the future.