* some fleeting hope of seeing Katharine Isabelle naked. Maybe no nips but it will be her first nudity of some kind (without body double) on screen.
American Mary is an intensely interesting film, part Frankenstein tale, part rock ‘n’ roll horror flick and at the same time a wonderful feminist statement on the horror genre, the movie plays to many people on many levels. The film follows med student Mary who, struggling under a mountain of debt, decides to audition at a seedy strip club. Naivety getting the best of her, Mary offers up her CV to the club owner who, noticing she’s a surgeon (of sorts), asks her to do a “no questions asked” procedure in the dank basement of the strip joint for $5000. Believing it’s a one-time only deal Mary heads home only to be pestered by a mystery caller, Beatress, who wants her to perform a procedure on her friend Ruby – who just happens to be an icon in the extreme body modification community. Diving head first into the sub-culture, before Mary knows it she becomes the go-to doctor for such strange and extreme procedures.
There’s a phrase that’s goes along the lines of “there’s nothing new under the sun” and nowhere more does that apply than in the movies. With no real new ideas, cinema is often a case of recycling old stories with new stylings. However once in a while a movie comes along that is completely new and completely original. American Mary is one such film.
An obvious labour of love for the Soska sisters, American Mary is both a superb body horror tale a la Cronenberg and a fascinating look at the world of extreme body modification – a sub-culture which it treats with reverence and respect, offering an insight into what makes members of the modding community tick. The Soska sisters cleverly use Mary as a foil for the thoughts of the audience and the wider world – with her realisation that people in the body modification are just striving to be, and feel, themselves and that (as the familiar saying goes) you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. And it’s not just the body-mod culture who shouldn’t be judged on appearances in the film either, as Mary finds out when she attends a party with the hospital doctor’s and lecturers with whom she looks up to…
A pivotal moment in the film and in the life of it’s main character, the doctor’s party and subsequent rape of Mary is a prime example of just why the Soska sisters are set to be such great filmmakers. Taking what is typically seen as one of the exploitative aspects of the genre, the Soska’s give the rape of Mary a much more feminine point of view – there’s no lingering shots of her naked body, there’s no pleasure portrayed in the scene at all. Instead the camera hauntingly lingers on the terrified face of Mary, powerless to stop what’s happening.
It’s a very raw and emotional scene that in less capable hands could easily fall flat, however here it’s a powerfully pivotal point in the film and one that allows Mary to make the transition from scared woman in a man’s world to strong woman in a scary world. Well I say scary world, but in reality it’s not. It’s just different. Admittedly the initial moment Mary performs her first surgery in the strip club basement and the subtle reveal of Beatress and Ruby are creepy moments, but the only true scares are in the “normal” world and those outside of the body mod community.
With directors on top form, a stunning performance from lead actress Katherine Isabelle (between this and Ginger Snaps she should be a much bigger star) and an original story that balances horror and humour to perfection, American Mary is one of the years best films and proves once again that Canada knows how to make great horror movies.
In a word. Unmissable.
Frightfest 2012 Review: American Mary
The Soska sisters, Jen and Sylvia (or the Twisted Twins as they liked to be called) made a splash in the horror genre with their 2009 debut feature Dead Hooker in a Trunk, a film which gained them an army of fans – including Eli Roth – eager for their next feature. Well they didn’t have to wait too long as the duo are back with American Mary, their hotly-anticipated follow-up fear flick starring Canadian horror icon Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps), which tells the story of wannabe surgeon Mary Mason.American Mary is an intensely interesting film, part Frankenstein tale, part rock ‘n’ roll horror flick and at the same time a wonderful feminist statement on the horror genre, the movie plays to many people on many levels. The film follows med student Mary who, struggling under a mountain of debt, decides to audition at a seedy strip club. Naivety getting the best of her, Mary offers up her CV to the club owner who, noticing she’s a surgeon (of sorts), asks her to do a “no questions asked” procedure in the dank basement of the strip joint for $5000. Believing it’s a one-time only deal Mary heads home only to be pestered by a mystery caller, Beatress, who wants her to perform a procedure on her friend Ruby – who just happens to be an icon in the extreme body modification community. Diving head first into the sub-culture, before Mary knows it she becomes the go-to doctor for such strange and extreme procedures.
There’s a phrase that’s goes along the lines of “there’s nothing new under the sun” and nowhere more does that apply than in the movies. With no real new ideas, cinema is often a case of recycling old stories with new stylings. However once in a while a movie comes along that is completely new and completely original. American Mary is one such film.
An obvious labour of love for the Soska sisters, American Mary is both a superb body horror tale a la Cronenberg and a fascinating look at the world of extreme body modification – a sub-culture which it treats with reverence and respect, offering an insight into what makes members of the modding community tick. The Soska sisters cleverly use Mary as a foil for the thoughts of the audience and the wider world – with her realisation that people in the body modification are just striving to be, and feel, themselves and that (as the familiar saying goes) you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. And it’s not just the body-mod culture who shouldn’t be judged on appearances in the film either, as Mary finds out when she attends a party with the hospital doctor’s and lecturers with whom she looks up to…
A pivotal moment in the film and in the life of it’s main character, the doctor’s party and subsequent rape of Mary is a prime example of just why the Soska sisters are set to be such great filmmakers. Taking what is typically seen as one of the exploitative aspects of the genre, the Soska’s give the rape of Mary a much more feminine point of view – there’s no lingering shots of her naked body, there’s no pleasure portrayed in the scene at all. Instead the camera hauntingly lingers on the terrified face of Mary, powerless to stop what’s happening.
It’s a very raw and emotional scene that in less capable hands could easily fall flat, however here it’s a powerfully pivotal point in the film and one that allows Mary to make the transition from scared woman in a man’s world to strong woman in a scary world. Well I say scary world, but in reality it’s not. It’s just different. Admittedly the initial moment Mary performs her first surgery in the strip club basement and the subtle reveal of Beatress and Ruby are creepy moments, but the only true scares are in the “normal” world and those outside of the body mod community.
With directors on top form, a stunning performance from lead actress Katherine Isabelle (between this and Ginger Snaps she should be a much bigger star) and an original story that balances horror and humour to perfection, American Mary is one of the years best films and proves once again that Canada knows how to make great horror movies.
In a word. Unmissable.
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Eva Green : My mother taught me to act as if you’re not scared of anything
EVA GREEN has been hailed as one of the best Bond girls ever, following her role as Vesper Lynd in 2006 film Casino Royale.
The 32-year-old French actress made her controversial screen debut three years before then, in The Dreamers – in which she spent much of the film naked.
She has built a reputation as a risk-taker but tells GARTH PEARCE of her mother’s warnings.
“MY mother Marlene Jobert was scared for me to become an actress like her. She knew I was too sensitive and fragile.
"So I have learned from her how to appear to be tougher than I really am. She said: “You want to be an actress? Then act as if you are not scared of anything.”
"Her advice made me feel alive. I was constantly encouraged to express myself and truly live my life.
"After doing three years at a drama school in Paris, I moved to England to do more training and try to perfect my English.
"My father, Walter, is Swedish, so I am a real mix of nations. My mother was worried for me taking my first big film, The Dreamers.
"It was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, famous for Last Tango In Paris and the sex scene between Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider.
"She was scared because of the myth of Maria Schneider being traumatised by the scene and the filming. Things did go wrong for her afterwards. (The actress had drug problems.) The sex scenes were quite full on and frank in The Dreamers. It was originally going to be Jake Gyllenhaal as the male lead but he had a problem with the full frontal nudity.
"The actor Michael Pitt took over instead. There was one scene in which he genuinely had to become aroused, but that was very difficult for him. It is not easy, unless you are a porn actor.
"I had a scene in which my own character has to lose her virginity. I had to remember how I felt when I first had sex. I am so reserved in real life, but I surprised myself completely.
"I was asked if I wanted some alcohol before some of the scenes — and admit that I did have some whisky. There was a breaking of the ice before the sex scene.
"The actor Louis Garrel came into my trailer and said: “I will show you my d*** if you show me your breasts.”
"So I did — and he did. He said to me: “They look great.”
"So when it came to the sex scenes, it made it a little easier.
"But I hated my body. My mother understands how genuinely shy I am. She knows I am body conscious. Although she is concerned about appearances, like all actors, she anticipated something we are so often asked in acting — to lose weight.
"She would tell me: “You have a great figure. Do not go on a diet, just because someone asks you to do so for a film.”
"Sure enough, I have been asked to lose weight for a film — not the Bond film, where they were happy with my figure. My mother’s words of warning flashed up and I did not go on a diet.
"I have a non-identical twin sister, Joy, who is very different. She is much more down to earth than me.
"I was always very studious and would never go out at weekends. In class, I would blush and sweat every time the teacher asked me something.
"I never went clubbing. I don’t dance. I don’t like the fact I can be approached by men. Maybe I think too much.
"I also have always felt much older than my years.
"I sometimes feel as if I am floating, sort of daydreaming, not living my life fully.
"Love? When I love someone I always give everything. And then you have to work at it all the time.
"The first few months are great but afterwards it becomes hard work. It is not as passionate or crazy.
"I had an actor boyfriend, Yann Claassen, when I did The Dreamers and we were together for several years.
"I would hate it when he talked about his movies and I was not working.
"And he felt jealous when I was filming, because the film crew and other actors become like your family. So it is often easier to be alone!
"I love life in London, which has been my home for the last seven years. The food is better than in Paris.
"I love Australian red wine, rather than French. And English men are NOT uptight.
"Another myth is that French girls are sexy. We are no different, despite British men thinking we have this magic sex appeal and are sophisticated, elegant and well-dressed. Not true.
"I love my work, but the best advice my mother gave me was not to make the job my life. She is still a shoulder to cry on, even now."
------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Mitchell will always be remembered for playing borderline kooky characters. The type of roles that makes viewers turn to their companion and whisper 'something is off with that chick'. She decides to strip for the first and last time on-cam just to challenge herself. To see how far she can push herself in a risque role and racy segments. It seems she wasn't entirely comfortable (Jolie was openly bi-sexual at that time. Tongue and a finger or two may have inadvertently entered Mitchell pussy during the love scenes) and goes back doing TV-series and 'safe' flicks. Tragic for us. Her boobs in many ways are far more shapely than Angelina and the perkiness level is pretty high.
For the videos visit Nitrovideo.com.
* Here is an old interview with Maggie Grace back in 2009. I posted a snippet and it shows Maggie at stonehead best with a metaphor (in her own words) of her career which eventually led her to Californication....
Do you have any regrets about your career and your choices?
Maggie : Sure. But this business is so vague with so many variables that you just make the best decisions you can with the information you have at the time. There's a lot of bird in the hand or two in the bush scenarios, and sometimes the bird in the hand that you truly gauge as a really nifty bird, dies a prolonged independent financing related death. Sorry, I really love badly stretched metaphors.
Power, sex and abuse
The Nation September 4, 2012 1:00 am
'Jan Dara' returns to the big screen with ML Bhandevanop 'Mom Noi' Devakula at the helm Utsana Phleungtham's novel "Jan Dara" returns to the screen on Thursday in its third adaptation in less than 35 years.
This time ML Bhandevanop "Mom Noi" Devakula is in the director's seat and he's weary of critics moaning that this erotic movie is being remade yet again.
"People would do a lot better to examine what is essentially a socially uplifting story than come down on it because they feel it's obscene. All the entertainment media seem capable of doing is to dwell on how naked the actors will be and what the ice cube seduction iconic scenes will look like!
"I am almost 60! Do you really think someone of my age wants to do an erotic movie for pleasure?" says an exasperated Mom Noi.
"We are all born from the consequences of sex but Thai people are too hypocritical to talk about it or see it naturally. They feel awkward seeing erotic scenes at the cinema, but they are okay to watch them privately at home. That's why the writer states at the beginning of the book that this novel is not for hypocrites," he adds.
Superficially "The Story of Jan Dara" is a melodrama about people trapped in lust, power and revenge. Yet beyond that, it is the story of a man suffering from what Freud described as the Oedipus complex, and how this sense of rivalry with his father pushes his life to such a tragic end.
Growing up craving a mother's love and despising his father, Jan is mirrored by Khun Kaew, the daughter of his Aunt Waad and Jan's father. Just as Jan hates his father, Kaew adores him, holding him up as a role model even in sexual activity. Yet Khun Kaew is also far from normal and her actions lead to the own disastrous unravelling of her life.
"The story shows us what happens when the urge for sex pushes human behaviour in a destructive way," he says.
Penned by Utsana - the penname of the late writer Pramool Unhathoop - in 1966, the tale is set in 1930s Siam and is about a boy growing up under his sex-addicted, womanising father.
It was previously adapted as a film in 1977 and by Nonzee Nimibutr in 2001.
After marrying Jan's mother, whose family is wealthy, Jan's father starts taking control of her assets. Jan's mother dies while giving birth and he grows up without knowing why his father hates him so much. Raised by his aunt Na Waad (Bongkot "Tuk" Kongmalai) who later becomes one of his father's wives in order to protect Jan from being abused, Jan is finally ousted from the family home. He later returns and takes everything back.
The sexual activities in this story are manipulated for different purposes - for power, revenge or to bargain for power. Jan's father uses sex to gain power and thinks nothing of bedding the servants, a common trait among rich men in Thai society of the time.
Mom Noi adds that the fighting in Jan's house reflects what goes on in society as a whole in a land where people are obsessed with money and power.
"For me, no literature truly reflects society as well as this story. Both Jan and his father have the same destiny. They both want power and money and when they lose it, they set out to get revenge on anyone standing in their way," he says.
Mom Noi made a lot of movies in the 1980s but only returned to filmmaking after a 13-year hiatus in 2010 with a remake of the classic drama "Chua Fah Din Salai" ("Eternity") . Last year, he remade Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" as "Umong Pha Muang" ("The Outrage") before tackling "Jan Dara".
He has cast his young protege Mario Maurer in the role of Jan, causing film buffs to wonder if the actor is up to such a sturdy role.
"Aren't you curious to know if he can accomplish it? It's my job to choose the right character. Do you think I will make mistakes?" asks the director.
Mario will play Jan both young and old. As the story is divided in two parts, Mario's more familiar youthful face will be seen in the first episode, which depicts Jan's life from birth to age 17.
From a brief glimpse brief of Part 2, it appears that the second part offers more tense drama and a will chance for Mario to show his acting abilities.
"As sex has been used as the tool for different purposes, it's best to portray all angles of manipulation through sex, otherwise the story would end up as nothing more than an erotic tale," says Mom Noi.
Moving away from her usual portrayal of a modern, confident woman, Bongkot plays the old-fashioned Aunt Waad.
Singer-actress Ratha "Yaya Ying" Pho-ngam plays the seductive Khun Bunluang, the mistress of Jan's father who features in the famed ice-cube seduction scenes in Nonzee's 2001 version, in which the character was portrayed by Hong Kong actress Christy Chung.
"All the women characters are important but Khun Kaew is very special. She's Jan in a female version, but she's way more than Jan. She's a totally abnormal character."
Mom Moi finally cast Japanese AV star Shou Nishino in the role of Khun Kaew with singer Nat Myria Benedetti dubbing her voice.
The first part has earned a rating of 18+, a relief to the director who says he wants young people to have a chance to relate to the bright side of Jan as a teenager experiencing his first love and puberty.
"It is a teenage story in a way," says the director.
Part of the second episode has been shot but no release date is yet scheduled.
"Jan Dara Pathombot" ("The Chapter of Jan Dara") opens in cinemas on Thursday.
The 32-year-old French actress made her controversial screen debut three years before then, in The Dreamers – in which she spent much of the film naked.
She has built a reputation as a risk-taker but tells GARTH PEARCE of her mother’s warnings.
“MY mother Marlene Jobert was scared for me to become an actress like her. She knew I was too sensitive and fragile.
"So I have learned from her how to appear to be tougher than I really am. She said: “You want to be an actress? Then act as if you are not scared of anything.”
"Her advice made me feel alive. I was constantly encouraged to express myself and truly live my life.
"After doing three years at a drama school in Paris, I moved to England to do more training and try to perfect my English.
"My father, Walter, is Swedish, so I am a real mix of nations. My mother was worried for me taking my first big film, The Dreamers.
"It was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, famous for Last Tango In Paris and the sex scene between Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider.
"She was scared because of the myth of Maria Schneider being traumatised by the scene and the filming. Things did go wrong for her afterwards. (The actress had drug problems.) The sex scenes were quite full on and frank in The Dreamers. It was originally going to be Jake Gyllenhaal as the male lead but he had a problem with the full frontal nudity.
"The actor Michael Pitt took over instead. There was one scene in which he genuinely had to become aroused, but that was very difficult for him. It is not easy, unless you are a porn actor.
"I had a scene in which my own character has to lose her virginity. I had to remember how I felt when I first had sex. I am so reserved in real life, but I surprised myself completely.
"I was asked if I wanted some alcohol before some of the scenes — and admit that I did have some whisky. There was a breaking of the ice before the sex scene.
"The actor Louis Garrel came into my trailer and said: “I will show you my d*** if you show me your breasts.”
"So I did — and he did. He said to me: “They look great.”
"So when it came to the sex scenes, it made it a little easier.
"But I hated my body. My mother understands how genuinely shy I am. She knows I am body conscious. Although she is concerned about appearances, like all actors, she anticipated something we are so often asked in acting — to lose weight.
"She would tell me: “You have a great figure. Do not go on a diet, just because someone asks you to do so for a film.”
"Sure enough, I have been asked to lose weight for a film — not the Bond film, where they were happy with my figure. My mother’s words of warning flashed up and I did not go on a diet.
"I have a non-identical twin sister, Joy, who is very different. She is much more down to earth than me.
"I was always very studious and would never go out at weekends. In class, I would blush and sweat every time the teacher asked me something.
"I never went clubbing. I don’t dance. I don’t like the fact I can be approached by men. Maybe I think too much.
"I also have always felt much older than my years.
"I sometimes feel as if I am floating, sort of daydreaming, not living my life fully.
"Love? When I love someone I always give everything. And then you have to work at it all the time.
"The first few months are great but afterwards it becomes hard work. It is not as passionate or crazy.
"I had an actor boyfriend, Yann Claassen, when I did The Dreamers and we were together for several years.
"I would hate it when he talked about his movies and I was not working.
"And he felt jealous when I was filming, because the film crew and other actors become like your family. So it is often easier to be alone!
"I love life in London, which has been my home for the last seven years. The food is better than in Paris.
"I love Australian red wine, rather than French. And English men are NOT uptight.
"Another myth is that French girls are sexy. We are no different, despite British men thinking we have this magic sex appeal and are sophisticated, elegant and well-dressed. Not true.
"I love my work, but the best advice my mother gave me was not to make the job my life. She is still a shoulder to cry on, even now."
_______________________________________________________
Alyssa Campanella (Miss USA 2011) : Planet Dailies And Mixology 101 Grand Opening April [2012]
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couple of T-and-A's for price of one : 23-years old Angelina Jolie and 28-years old Elizabeth Mitchell only nudity in Gia (1998)
Angelina Jolie was 23 when she did Gia. She was quickly establishing a reputation for playing psychologically damaged attention-seeking overtly sexual characters which is not far off from her real one at that time. The daughter of Jon Voight was going thru 'look-at-me-Daddy' phase at that time while Mr.Conservative and absentee father was busy porking girls as young as his neglected Angie. It took few more years and career breakthrough in 1999 to make Angelina realized her dad was basically an asshole who treated her mom like crap. To be fair Jon was instrumental in using his influences and contacts to get Angie into auditions and signing her up with a terrific agent early in her career.
It's safe to say Angelina never strays far from portraying the same persona over and over again. While we will never confuse McQueen's natural Mr.Cool incarnation off and on screen, it's different with Angelina. Her cold demeanor had to do more with emotional detachment (thanks to abandonment issues) than projecting cool as a cucumber personality. In fact she won an Oscar for playing basically herself in Girl, Interrupted. But Angelina possess a natural sensuality and vulnerability that makes her a strong screen presence and Gia was great platform showcase for Angelina to shine. It also helps she developed an intimate working relationship with Michael Cristofer. The artistic freedom afforded to Angelina was pretty staggering. The duo collaborated again on Original Sin few years later best remembered for Antonio Banderas unsimulated banging of Angelina.
(* Just waiting for Banderas auto-bio. The stories he could tell particularly convincing many of his female co-stars to take a dicking for real during love scenes. One actress known for dodging nudity for years went cock-crazy for Banderas in a movie. If only her spouse ever finds out......)
Angelina Jolie was 23 when she did Gia. She was quickly establishing a reputation for playing psychologically damaged attention-seeking overtly sexual characters which is not far off from her real one at that time. The daughter of Jon Voight was going thru 'look-at-me-Daddy' phase at that time while Mr.Conservative and absentee father was busy porking girls as young as his neglected Angie. It took few more years and career breakthrough in 1999 to make Angelina realized her dad was basically an asshole who treated her mom like crap. To be fair Jon was instrumental in using his influences and contacts to get Angie into auditions and signing her up with a terrific agent early in her career.
It's safe to say Angelina never strays far from portraying the same persona over and over again. While we will never confuse McQueen's natural Mr.Cool incarnation off and on screen, it's different with Angelina. Her cold demeanor had to do more with emotional detachment (thanks to abandonment issues) than projecting cool as a cucumber personality. In fact she won an Oscar for playing basically herself in Girl, Interrupted. But Angelina possess a natural sensuality and vulnerability that makes her a strong screen presence and Gia was great platform showcase for Angelina to shine. It also helps she developed an intimate working relationship with Michael Cristofer. The artistic freedom afforded to Angelina was pretty staggering. The duo collaborated again on Original Sin few years later best remembered for Antonio Banderas unsimulated banging of Angelina.
(* Just waiting for Banderas auto-bio. The stories he could tell particularly convincing many of his female co-stars to take a dicking for real during love scenes. One actress known for dodging nudity for years went cock-crazy for Banderas in a movie. If only her spouse ever finds out......)
------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Mitchell will always be remembered for playing borderline kooky characters. The type of roles that makes viewers turn to their companion and whisper 'something is off with that chick'. She decides to strip for the first and last time on-cam just to challenge herself. To see how far she can push herself in a risque role and racy segments. It seems she wasn't entirely comfortable (Jolie was openly bi-sexual at that time. Tongue and a finger or two may have inadvertently entered Mitchell pussy during the love scenes) and goes back doing TV-series and 'safe' flicks. Tragic for us. Her boobs in many ways are far more shapely than Angelina and the perkiness level is pretty high.
For the videos visit Nitrovideo.com.
_______________________________________________________
The naked truth
Prince Harry's recent 'strip' party in Vegas brought nudity back in discourse. Why is baring all treated as sordid, vulgar and gimmicky? We explore
The buzz that Prince Harry created recently still hasn't died out. The royal's nude pictures from a party in Vegas went viral, with more girls coming forward to sell more of his pics and the prince even getting an offer for an adult film! And, while a large section condemned the Prince's ways, Katrina Darling, second cousin of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, spoke out in his defence. Nudity should not be viewed as wrong or sordid, she stressed. Closer home, ace photographer Atul Kasbekar said: "I think Prince Harry is fun compared to the otherwise seriously boring 'royals' worldwide. He gives a whole new meaning to a 'fox hunt'. Leave him be, he's fun!"
In other news, reports emerged that Lady Gaga prefers recording songs in the nude, in a way reiterating the fact that nudity is about being comfortable with one's body. Why then does nudity court controversy?
Way back in 1995, Milind Soman and his ex-girlfriend Madhu Sapre received a lot of flak for posing nude in a print ad; the court case went on for years. More recently, Poonam Pandey tweeted almost-nude pix of herself online; Roslyn Khan bared her butt and Sherlyn Chopra tweeted a nude picture just a couple of days ago. Have these gimmicks or publicity stunts twisted nudity into being frowned upon by society? "Nudity has always been a grey area in India. If an actress does an overtly sexy picture, she gets typecast. In this country, films and celebrities are idolised. If a photographer shoots a non-celebrity, it would go unnoticed. But with a celebrity angle, it attracts eyeballs," says celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani.
Delhi-based artist Pranava Prakash has always been in the news for painting celebrities in the nude. Earlier this year, he was assaulted during his exhibition of nude paintings of Veena Malik, Poonam Pandey, etc. He says that nudity should be viewed as a celebration of the human anatomy and not as something sordid.
Criticism mostly comes from people with double standards. These women are proud of their body and are using it to influence their career graph. My paintings too stand for an idea. When I painted Arundhati Roy in the nude, it was a symbol for an idea and should be viewed as that," Pranava says.
Nudity's association with art is age-old. Art schools have always had models posing in the nude. "There are two ways to see nudity — one with an angle of commodification of the body; the other as a part of art," Pranava says. The naked human form can sensationalise and attract attention. "But nobody sane should look down or frown upon it," says film producer Rangita Pritish Nandy. "Nudity is a shout-out to the world that you're happy, proud, fearless and (hopefully) beautiful! Like everything else that we tear into, let's not over-think or over-analyse it," she adds.
In fact, with easy accessibility, courtesy the digital world, the forbidden fruit syndrome has ebbed, says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. "But in our country, we've gone from an age of repression to an age of obsession. Yes, everybody is using the human anatomy to shock and titillate but I belong to a profession where I wouldn't think that you are depraved if you do so," he says. Take nudity for what it is — "I wouldn't hide behind 'art' or justify generous use of sexual imagery," he adds.
It all depends on perception, culture and cultivated tastes. The more aesthetically shot or painted, the more accepted nudity is. Dabboo says, "Poses and expressions are very important. One shouldn't try too hard. The more comfortable you are with your body, the more aesthetic you will look in the natural form. If you do it by force, for money, for publicity, it will look vulgar and pornographic. But if it's for the love of art or photography, you will realise that the result is beautiful." Dabboo recalls the late Prabuddha Dasgupta's artistic expression of nudes. "I loved his shots, especially the black and whites," Dabboo says.
To strip or promote the idea of nudity is an individual choice, says Pranava. "Nudity grabs eye balls, attention and is a fabulous conversation starter (or concluder, if you're lucky). And really, at the end of every promise/threat to strip is a personal choice to do so," adds Rangita. Would she go naked? "Maybe. For the right reasons. Or maybe just for fun. And if I were in Vegas, absolutely, yes! But nobody other than me has the right to judge that decision," she says.
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The buzz that Prince Harry created recently still hasn't died out. The royal's nude pictures from a party in Vegas went viral, with more girls coming forward to sell more of his pics and the prince even getting an offer for an adult film! And, while a large section condemned the Prince's ways, Katrina Darling, second cousin of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, spoke out in his defence. Nudity should not be viewed as wrong or sordid, she stressed. Closer home, ace photographer Atul Kasbekar said: "I think Prince Harry is fun compared to the otherwise seriously boring 'royals' worldwide. He gives a whole new meaning to a 'fox hunt'. Leave him be, he's fun!"
In other news, reports emerged that Lady Gaga prefers recording songs in the nude, in a way reiterating the fact that nudity is about being comfortable with one's body. Why then does nudity court controversy?
Way back in 1995, Milind Soman and his ex-girlfriend Madhu Sapre received a lot of flak for posing nude in a print ad; the court case went on for years. More recently, Poonam Pandey tweeted almost-nude pix of herself online; Roslyn Khan bared her butt and Sherlyn Chopra tweeted a nude picture just a couple of days ago. Have these gimmicks or publicity stunts twisted nudity into being frowned upon by society? "Nudity has always been a grey area in India. If an actress does an overtly sexy picture, she gets typecast. In this country, films and celebrities are idolised. If a photographer shoots a non-celebrity, it would go unnoticed. But with a celebrity angle, it attracts eyeballs," says celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani.
Delhi-based artist Pranava Prakash has always been in the news for painting celebrities in the nude. Earlier this year, he was assaulted during his exhibition of nude paintings of Veena Malik, Poonam Pandey, etc. He says that nudity should be viewed as a celebration of the human anatomy and not as something sordid.
Criticism mostly comes from people with double standards. These women are proud of their body and are using it to influence their career graph. My paintings too stand for an idea. When I painted Arundhati Roy in the nude, it was a symbol for an idea and should be viewed as that," Pranava says.
Nudity's association with art is age-old. Art schools have always had models posing in the nude. "There are two ways to see nudity — one with an angle of commodification of the body; the other as a part of art," Pranava says. The naked human form can sensationalise and attract attention. "But nobody sane should look down or frown upon it," says film producer Rangita Pritish Nandy. "Nudity is a shout-out to the world that you're happy, proud, fearless and (hopefully) beautiful! Like everything else that we tear into, let's not over-think or over-analyse it," she adds.
In fact, with easy accessibility, courtesy the digital world, the forbidden fruit syndrome has ebbed, says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. "But in our country, we've gone from an age of repression to an age of obsession. Yes, everybody is using the human anatomy to shock and titillate but I belong to a profession where I wouldn't think that you are depraved if you do so," he says. Take nudity for what it is — "I wouldn't hide behind 'art' or justify generous use of sexual imagery," he adds.
It all depends on perception, culture and cultivated tastes. The more aesthetically shot or painted, the more accepted nudity is. Dabboo says, "Poses and expressions are very important. One shouldn't try too hard. The more comfortable you are with your body, the more aesthetic you will look in the natural form. If you do it by force, for money, for publicity, it will look vulgar and pornographic. But if it's for the love of art or photography, you will realise that the result is beautiful." Dabboo recalls the late Prabuddha Dasgupta's artistic expression of nudes. "I loved his shots, especially the black and whites," Dabboo says.
To strip or promote the idea of nudity is an individual choice, says Pranava. "Nudity grabs eye balls, attention and is a fabulous conversation starter (or concluder, if you're lucky). And really, at the end of every promise/threat to strip is a personal choice to do so," adds Rangita. Would she go naked? "Maybe. For the right reasons. Or maybe just for fun. And if I were in Vegas, absolutely, yes! But nobody other than me has the right to judge that decision," she says.
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* Here is an old interview with Maggie Grace back in 2009. I posted a snippet and it shows Maggie at stonehead best with a metaphor (in her own words) of her career which eventually led her to Californication....
Do you have any regrets about your career and your choices?
Maggie : Sure. But this business is so vague with so many variables that you just make the best decisions you can with the information you have at the time. There's a lot of bird in the hand or two in the bush scenarios, and sometimes the bird in the hand that you truly gauge as a really nifty bird, dies a prolonged independent financing related death. Sorry, I really love badly stretched metaphors.
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Below you can checkout a 4 minute clip for Deer Crossing but please note it is NSFW. This clip is I assume in lieu of a trailer and shows off various clips from the film. I can honestly say I am not sure what I think so far but it does look gruesome and has great production values.
Deer Crossing is a horror-drama from the mind of Christian Jude Grillo, who wrote, produced, and directed the feature film. It stars Christopher Mann (Booley), Laura L. Cottrel (The Sickness), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser franchise), Carmela Hayslett (Roxsy Tyler’
Deer Crossing 4-mins Sneak Peak Clip
Below you can checkout a 4 minute clip for Deer Crossing but please note it is NSFW. This clip is I assume in lieu of a trailer and shows off various clips from the film. I can honestly say I am not sure what I think so far but it does look gruesome and has great production values.Deer Crossing is a horror-drama from the mind of Christian Jude Grillo, who wrote, produced, and directed the feature film. It stars Christopher Mann (Booley), Laura L. Cottrel (The Sickness), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser franchise), Carmela Hayslett (Roxsy Tyler’
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Power, sex and abuse
The Nation September 4, 2012 1:00 am
'Jan Dara' returns to the big screen with ML Bhandevanop 'Mom Noi' Devakula at the helm Utsana Phleungtham's novel "Jan Dara" returns to the screen on Thursday in its third adaptation in less than 35 years.
This time ML Bhandevanop "Mom Noi" Devakula is in the director's seat and he's weary of critics moaning that this erotic movie is being remade yet again.
"People would do a lot better to examine what is essentially a socially uplifting story than come down on it because they feel it's obscene. All the entertainment media seem capable of doing is to dwell on how naked the actors will be and what the ice cube seduction iconic scenes will look like!
"I am almost 60! Do you really think someone of my age wants to do an erotic movie for pleasure?" says an exasperated Mom Noi.
"We are all born from the consequences of sex but Thai people are too hypocritical to talk about it or see it naturally. They feel awkward seeing erotic scenes at the cinema, but they are okay to watch them privately at home. That's why the writer states at the beginning of the book that this novel is not for hypocrites," he adds.
Superficially "The Story of Jan Dara" is a melodrama about people trapped in lust, power and revenge. Yet beyond that, it is the story of a man suffering from what Freud described as the Oedipus complex, and how this sense of rivalry with his father pushes his life to such a tragic end.
Growing up craving a mother's love and despising his father, Jan is mirrored by Khun Kaew, the daughter of his Aunt Waad and Jan's father. Just as Jan hates his father, Kaew adores him, holding him up as a role model even in sexual activity. Yet Khun Kaew is also far from normal and her actions lead to the own disastrous unravelling of her life.
"The story shows us what happens when the urge for sex pushes human behaviour in a destructive way," he says.
Penned by Utsana - the penname of the late writer Pramool Unhathoop - in 1966, the tale is set in 1930s Siam and is about a boy growing up under his sex-addicted, womanising father.
It was previously adapted as a film in 1977 and by Nonzee Nimibutr in 2001.
After marrying Jan's mother, whose family is wealthy, Jan's father starts taking control of her assets. Jan's mother dies while giving birth and he grows up without knowing why his father hates him so much. Raised by his aunt Na Waad (Bongkot "Tuk" Kongmalai) who later becomes one of his father's wives in order to protect Jan from being abused, Jan is finally ousted from the family home. He later returns and takes everything back.
The sexual activities in this story are manipulated for different purposes - for power, revenge or to bargain for power. Jan's father uses sex to gain power and thinks nothing of bedding the servants, a common trait among rich men in Thai society of the time.
Mom Noi adds that the fighting in Jan's house reflects what goes on in society as a whole in a land where people are obsessed with money and power.
"For me, no literature truly reflects society as well as this story. Both Jan and his father have the same destiny. They both want power and money and when they lose it, they set out to get revenge on anyone standing in their way," he says.
Mom Noi made a lot of movies in the 1980s but only returned to filmmaking after a 13-year hiatus in 2010 with a remake of the classic drama "Chua Fah Din Salai" ("Eternity") . Last year, he remade Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" as "Umong Pha Muang" ("The Outrage") before tackling "Jan Dara".
He has cast his young protege Mario Maurer in the role of Jan, causing film buffs to wonder if the actor is up to such a sturdy role.
"Aren't you curious to know if he can accomplish it? It's my job to choose the right character. Do you think I will make mistakes?" asks the director.
Mario will play Jan both young and old. As the story is divided in two parts, Mario's more familiar youthful face will be seen in the first episode, which depicts Jan's life from birth to age 17.
From a brief glimpse brief of Part 2, it appears that the second part offers more tense drama and a will chance for Mario to show his acting abilities.
"As sex has been used as the tool for different purposes, it's best to portray all angles of manipulation through sex, otherwise the story would end up as nothing more than an erotic tale," says Mom Noi.
Moving away from her usual portrayal of a modern, confident woman, Bongkot plays the old-fashioned Aunt Waad.
Singer-actress Ratha "Yaya Ying" Pho-ngam plays the seductive Khun Bunluang, the mistress of Jan's father who features in the famed ice-cube seduction scenes in Nonzee's 2001 version, in which the character was portrayed by Hong Kong actress Christy Chung.
"All the women characters are important but Khun Kaew is very special. She's Jan in a female version, but she's way more than Jan. She's a totally abnormal character."
Mom Moi finally cast Japanese AV star Shou Nishino in the role of Khun Kaew with singer Nat Myria Benedetti dubbing her voice.
The first part has earned a rating of 18+, a relief to the director who says he wants young people to have a chance to relate to the bright side of Jan as a teenager experiencing his first love and puberty.
"It is a teenage story in a way," says the director.
Part of the second episode has been shot but no release date is yet scheduled.
"Jan Dara Pathombot" ("The Chapter of Jan Dara") opens in cinemas on Thursday.
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