Royalty killed the radio star

The story of King George VI of Britain is a well-known one, but mostly due to his impromptu ascension to the throne as a result of his brother King Edward VIII's relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. British film The King's Speech seeks to take audiences deeper into the private lives of the Royal family and the personal struggles of King George, namely his debilitating stutter.

The film opens in 1925 soon after radio has made it into every home worldwide and now the Royal family are required to do more that ``look like a king''. Enter Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George (Colin Firth, above) or Bertie, as he's known to his wife Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Helena Bonham Carter) and daughters Elizabeth and Margaret. Bertie has such a severe stammer and fear of public speaking, that all his addresses end in a confudled mess of British angst and embarrassment. His wife has dragged him along to every speech therapist and doctor to no avail, that is, until she comes across the talents of unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush, above). Reluctantly, Bertie begins sessions with Logue which include peculiar exercises, outbursts of swearing, psychological tricks and what soon develops into an unlikely friendship between the pair. But after the death of his father the King (Michael Gambon), his older brother King Edward (Guy Pearce) is more interested in chasing American tale than fulfilling his duties as King, while across the way Hitler is gaining power and momentum. Bertie's speech improvement and newfound confidence is going to be put to the test in a time when the nation needs him more than ever.

The King's Speech is in many ways a period bromance as we, the audience, follow the development of a beautiful friendship between Bertie and Logue. The characters are rich, multi-layered specimens - Bertie especially, who at first comes across as a pompous Brit but is in actual fact a lifelong victim of bullying and someone very easy to sympathise with. Logue too is fantastically realistic and it's a credit to the screen writers that they've resisted the urge to make him an `Aussie ocker' cliché. The performances are flawless, with Firth fully deserving of the career Oscar he's tipped for and Rush immaculate and restrained as the highly intelligent therapist. The supporting cast in Bonham Carter (below), Pearce and Gambon too are impressive.The sets shy away from the overly-Royal sentiment that so often drowns period pieces. Instead it truly captures the grim and depressing sentiment of a nation on the brink of another war. And although the ingredients are right, The King's Speech can't help but become boring in patches. Between the fantastic montages of Bertie and Logue practising colourful speech techniques come tedious scenes, heavy in dialogue and little else. It's a shame, because director Tom Hooper has gone to such effort to make this period-piece as detailed and revealing as possible, which it is. However, in the end the stuffy British-ness tends to weigh the film down.

The King’s Speech is out Boxing Day.

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The King’s Speech and Oscars s-s-s-success

The God of Thunder or King George VI with a stammer? That was what it came down to for director Tom Hooper who was tossing up between comic-book movie Thor and period drama The King's Speech as his next project. But with The King's Speech headed for Oscars glory, Hooper definitely made the right decision.
``I was very happy with what I chose,'' says the filmmaker from his Sydney hotel room.
``As a director there are two types of movies that are being made at the moment and that's huge, juggernaut movies with big budgets and indie films.
``You either go big or go to smaller movies and the great thing about doing this is you can do stuff that's not straining for a big audience.
``I love the fact we made this in a way that was very uncompromising.''

It appears audiences and critics love that too, with Hooper (below) speaking on the phone this morning after the Australian premiere in Sydney. Hooper says he was `overwhelmed at how much the film played like a comedy' with the audience laughing for minutes at a time.
``I think the Aussies got the jokes more than the Brits and Americans did,'' he says.Which makes sense, considering Geoffrey Rush plays an unconventional Australian speech therapist who's called in to help fix the debilitating stammer of King George VI, played by Colin Firth. Hooper himself is half-Australian and says it was his Australian mother who first introduced him to The King's Speech via an underground version on the London theatre scene. The film has come a long way from theatre origins to industry insiders touting it as a red-hot Oscars favourite, with nominations likely across several major categories
.
Hooper, who won an Emmy for his mini-series Elizabeth I, is quick to dismiss the hype.
``It's still very early days, none of the nominations have come out yet and I like to keep focus on what has already happened (at awards ceremonies),'' he says.
``The funny thing about all these award ceremonies is part of the experience, if you're ever lucky enough to win an award, is that you have to make an acceptance speech and our whole film is about a fear of public speaking, which is an interesting connection.''But the filmmaker is more enthusiastic about Firth and Rush's chances of winning at the awards, with Helena Bonham Carter even an outside chance for best supporting actress.
``They are both men who are at the top of their game and doing extraordinary work,'' he says.
``I just went to see Geoffrey in his play in Sydney which he dominated and he's such an extraordinary Australian actor and talent.
``And with Colin, he had A Single Man last year and The King's Speech this year . . .I'm biased, but I think they deserve everything they get.''

The King's Speech opens on Boxing Day.

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Picasso, Matisse and now Burton.

Weirdo. Loner. Outsider. These are some of the terms director Tim Burton uses to describe himself. You will notice `creative genius’ isn’t one of them, however, the term is being thrust upon on the quirky filmmaker thanks to Tim Burton: The Exhibition which opened at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne on Thursday. The show is an extension of an exhibition curated by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, which attracted more than 850, 000 visitors and made it the third largest exhibit at MoMA ever, behind Picasso and Matisse.

It is a remarkable feat for someone who is firstly, not a mainstream artist, and secondly, alive.
“Most of this stuff was never meant to really be seen,” says Burton, sitting cross-legged in an ACMI room in his signature uniform of black jeans, a black shirt and black oversized cardigan. His famous curly hair frizzes out at all ends and his hands, fluid and always moving, add to its state by running through it as he describes the `freedoms’ of being labelled a weirdo.
“As soon as society says you’re a weirdo, then you’re a weirdo, whether you like it or not,” says the 51-year-old.
“After a certain time you just accept it and it gives you a sense of freedom because if you want to wear a bag over your head society will just accept it because they thought you were weird anyway.
“Like when I was at Disney they thought I was weird, so I would work under my desk for half the day.
“Sometimes if they couldn’t find me I’d just be in a dark cupboard working, like my private confessional.
“So there’s an amount of freedom when you’re categorised a certain way. “
Growing up in Burbank, California, Tim Burton was fascinated by the visual image and spent his formative years sketching, painting, animating and filming what he saw around him.
“When you circle outside of society, when you’re kind of, you’re not in there, you’re looking at things,” he says.
“A lot of it has to do with feeling out of society so you have a lot more observation.”
These observations make up the first part of the exhibit, Surviving Burbank, and include, among dozens of sketches and early short films, a handmade book he submitted to Disney in the 1970s and the accompanying rejection letter. Several years later Burton achieved his goal and began working at Disney’s Burbank studios as an animator. Some of his early work for the company was as on family hits The Black Cauldron and The Fox and the Hound, which Burton physically shudders remembering.
“I was never good at drawing foxes, especially the cute ones,” he says.
“That’s why I can’t look at the exhibit because it freaks me out too much.
“I know they’ve done a good job, but it’s like seeing your dirty laundry hanging up.
“`Oh there’s my underwear from 1973 and there’s some dirty socks.’
Personal embarrassment aside, the exhibition is an in-depth look at the creative processes and twisted imagination of Burton, featuring more than 700 works including drawings, early films, sculptures, concept art, installations, puppets, costumes and cinematic ephemera. The second part of the exhibition, Beautifying Burbank, follows Burton’s step away from the Disney studio and his first early film and animation works, including his rarely seen Japanese kung-fu version of Hansel and Gretel and better known works Frankenweenie and Vincent, the latter based around one of Burton’s great inspirations - horror movie icon Vincent Price.

The final section, Beyond Burbank, looks at his feature film career, which has spanned over two decades. From his early works, such as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, to more recent films like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, Burton has made the leap from cult to commercially successful filmmaker. His latest film, Alice In Wonderland, has grossed more than $1 billion at the international box office and gone on to become the fifth highest grossing film of all time. But Burton is quick to write-off his recent success and says if spending half his lifetime in the movie-making business has taught him anything, it is that filmmaking is a `humbling process’.
“I remember after making Batman I thought `oh, that was a success, I can go and do anything now’,” he says.
“And so I went and pitched them Edward Scissorhands and they gave me a completely blank look.
“Nobody wanted to do that and nobody wanted to do Ed Wood, so I had to go about it in other ways.
“Then I remember pitching a musical version of The House Of Wax with Michael Jackson that he was into but they, the studio, were definitely not into.
“It’s always a struggle to make a film.”

Despite the many `challenges’ faced when trying to get a project off the ground, Burton says he has faith that everything works out for a reason. He cites the studio not letting him have Sammy Davis Jr play Beetlejuice as an example, because `it opened the door for Michael Keaton’ who also went on to play Batman in Burton’s two adaptations of the comic book superhero. Another near-miss occurred when, after three hours of auditioning, Burton talked a young Tom Cruise out of wanting the role of Edward Scissorhands, which was later filled by Johnny Depp, who has become a frequent collaborator and one of Burton’s closest friends. Failed projects and major successes go hand in hand for Burton, who says he has learned `not to regret anything’.
“I don’t really regret, it’s always important not to,” he says.
“Every movie I’ve done, whether it’s turned out or not, I’ve still enjoyed aspects of it, you know?
“I mean I think the one I got the most slack with is Planet Of The Apes because that was messing with a classic.
“But I still enjoyed seeing talking apes."
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the 2.7kg costume Depp wore in Edward Scissorhands (above), which is stationed at the entrance to the exhibit along with one of the scissor hands on display in a glass cabinet. Other featured works which will have the legions of Burtonites, the name given to passionate Tim Burton fans, gushing is the famous outfit Michelle Phfieffer wore as Catwoman in Batman Returns, original puppets from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas borrowed from the Disney archives, costumes and sketches from Alice In Wonderland and the Burtonarium, a carnival tent buried deep within the exhibit which houses a light emitting sculptural work by Burton called Carousel (pictured at the very bottom).

ACMI Head of Exhibitions Conrad Bodman says the `diversity’ of the exhibits represents Burton as a filmmaker and goes a long way to explaining his loyal fan base.
“One of the things that Tim has always done is work across a range of film genres - action films, animated films, family films, horror films - and I think all of those types of films have different audiences and when you pull all those inspirations together in the one place, people want to come,” he says.
“What we’re showing in the exhibition is a lot of original concept artwork for his major feature films and we’re kind of looking at the process of his feature filmmaking over the years.
“People can see that often the hand drawn is the starting point for some ideas and then that turns into a visual reality for a whole process of development.
“Tim still does a lot of that kind of drawing, painting and making puppets for himself and people will be fascinated to see that process in action.”

Unlike many other filmmakers, Burton says he has been able to maintain his artistic integrity and stay connected to his creative roots by separating himself from the industry.
“I don’t live in Hollywood,” he says.
“I moved away many years ago and once you start doing things they try to treat you as a commodity, a thing.
“You know, you spend your whole life to be recognised as a human being and then they try to tag you as a thing.
“Like `oh, you’ve done this and that’s what we expect’ so I don’t go back and look at my films too much because I try not to become a `thing’.
“I try to keep human. . . no person or people should be described as one thing.
“I think everybody has lots of different aspects to their personality.
“Some are dark, funny, sad, there are so many words for each person.”

Considering Melbourne was originally to be called Batmania, after one of it’s founders John Batman, it seems appropriate that it is to be the home of Tim Burton: The Exhibition, which runs until October 11. Already ACMI has experienced a fevour amongst Burton’s Australian fans, with all of his public appearances selling out within 24 hours of going on sale and hundreds of fans queuing through Federation Square to be the first to enter the exhibit when it opened on Thursday and have copies of the exhibition guide signed by Burton himself. It is ironic that his work and films are so accepted by the society he once considered himself `outside’ of. It is a phenomenon best summed up by Burton’s partner and regular collaborator Helena Bonham Carter, with whom he has two children. In a book on the art of Tim Burton she says; “When I see him surrounded by flushed and hyperventilating young fans I feel it’s a triumph of the lonely misunderstood outsider child he once felt he was. Now he’s the most understood misunderstood person I’ve come across in the world.”
In the meantime Burton says he is enjoying a lull between live action projects, while busying himself with a feature-length adaptation of Frankenweenie (concept art above), due for release next year. He emphasises the stop-motion animated film is the only project he is working on and committed to, despite online reports which have linked him to adaptations of The Addams Family and super-natural TV series Dark Shadows, both which he blatantly denies were ever `considered’.
“That’s why I never go on the internet because it always seems like I have some sort of evil clone out there that is doing all these projects,” he says.
“I’m still recovering from the last one.
“Whenever I read this stuff I get tired, I think `God, I must be busy’.
“The studios often have a release date before they have a script, which is such a mistake.
“I’m trying to get out of that and, you know, into this strange concept of having a script before you announce a release date.”

There is a full program of events surrounding Tim Burton: The Exhibition and the details can be found at www.acmi.net.au

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Exclusive interview with Mia Wasikowska

With Time Burton’s epic-looking version of Alice In Wonderland set to be released in less than a month, Movie Mazzupial had a chance to chat with Alice. Okay, not literally Alice because she’s a fictional character and that would mean I’m slightly crazy. Rather, the sweet Australian actress who plays her; Mia Wasikowska (above).

The 20-year-old actress first burst on the scene with a supporting role in the brilliant Aussie flick Suburban Mayhem in 2006. Her big break though came when she starred in the award-winning series In Treatment, which led to roles in larger Hollywood films like Defiance.

Yet nothing can compare to what is arguably the biggest role of her career as a grown-up Alice in Burton’s 3D version of the classic tale.

The trailers and stills from the movie have been going loco online, mainly because they look incredible. Personally, this is the film I’m looking to most in 2010 so you can understand my excitement when I got to chat with Wasikowska today about what it was like to be part of this exceptional film. A ridiculously sweet, polite and soft-spoken girl, she shared some interesting perspectives on the future of 3D, her favourite films and of course, what it’s like to work with some of the most powerful and respected people in the industry.

I hope you enjoy the interview transcript as much I did chatting to her, she’s truly lovely.

MM: Firstly, what was it like to film a movie like this? It looks like an amazing process to be a part of?
Mia: It was fantastic. Its been a really long process because we shot the movie in 2008, towards the end of the year and it’s almost been two years now. It has been a fantastic experience.

MM: From an acting perspective, what was that like? I mean, did you have to visualise a lot of what was going on given the use of a green screen?
Mia: Well, three months of it was green screen and there’s not a lot to draw from. You have to rely on concept art and the director telling you what you’re feeling. It’s strange. There were scenes when I had to interact with a tennis ball or sticky tape which was about 50 per cent of the movie.

MM: Have you read the book? Most people know the story from the Disney movie but the book is quite dark.
Mia: I have, I read it again before I started filming and as an adult saw a different side to it as kid. It’s such a unique story. I saw the observations, the darkness and the humour that I didn’t before. It’s such a beloved story by so many people and to be able to bring it to another generation is such a big honour.

MM: Did it seem surreal to you, coming from a background of lower budget Australian films or even gritty dramas like Defiance?
Mia: Not at all. Where I come from, especially living in Canberra in a completely different world, everyone was really great at making me feel very welcome and comfortable.
MM: And what was it like to work with Tim Burton?
Mia: Tim’s so great and such a wonderful person. He was so collaborative and open to my ideas, and he gives you so much trust from the beginning. He’s so clear with his vision and his direction. I really admire him.

MM: Could you see yourself working with him again in the future?
Mia: I’d love to work with him again as he’s an incredible artist and filmmaker. Being able to watch the whole process of him finding a project and bringing it to life was incredible to see. I learnt a lot and it was amazing to be a part of that.

MM: What was it like to work with such an amazing cast? It seems pretty much anyone who’s anyone is there like Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, you know what I mean.
Mia: It was great, it was similar in that they made me feel very comfortable. I grew up watching them and loving everything they were in so it was very surreal. It was almost like taking their careers as an example and I’m very inspired by the way they have navigated their way through life and their careers. That was very cool for me.

MM: So was it easier to interact with them as an actor once they were recreated into those amazing characters?
Mia: That was the best part. Seeing them in all their costumes and makeup gave me ideas and that’s a lot of how we had to get inspiration for the characters. The first time I saw Johnny is his full hair and make-up I didn’t even recognise him so it was very easy to believe him as that character.

MM: I bet, the images I’ve seen so far are incredible. What kind of research did you have to do for Alice?
Mia: I used the storybooks as the backbone of who she is and it was the framework for our Alice because in our story she’s 19 and older, a different person to who she is in the book. I drew experience from the process I’ve gone through as a teenager and seen my friends go through, that awkwardness and feeling that all these pressures are on you. It was about stripping away Alice the icon, the fairytale, and just finding the teenager.

MM: Given the success of Avatar and being part of Alice, which is no doubt going to be a huge 3D film, do you think that 3D is the future of filmmaking?
Mia: I’m not entirely sure it’s the future, it’s definitely going to be very popular and interesting to see how the technology evolves and when it’s used and how. I’m definitely still in love with film film’s though.
MM: What’s another fairytale you would like to see brought to life? I understand you passed up a Sleeping Beauty adaptation recently.
Mia: Yeah, um, I’m probably a little old but I always loved Hansel & Gretel.

MM: That would be great, I could definitely see Tim Burton doing a version of that given the darkness and gothic themes.
Mia: Yeah, totally. I think he already has done something like that.

MM: So what’s next for you? What’s the next project you have coming up?
Mia: I start Jane Eyre at the end of March so I’m looking forward to that. I love doing things that are different from anything I’ve done before. It keeps it interesting, doing different things in different ways. I look forward to finding lots of different characters that challenge me and to also give something back to the audience.

MM: This is a bit off topic from the Alice In Wonderland stuff, but what are some of your favourite films or films that inspired you to get in this industry?
I really loved A Woman Under The Influence and Blue, Red and White. I love Sophie’s Choice, The Piano, An Angel At The Table. Um, there’s so many.

MM: Yeah, I know, sorry. It’s a bit of an impossible question. What do you think it is about these films that you love so much? I mean, are there underlying themes or great performances that attract you?
Mia: The characters are very unique and you don’t see them anywhere else except in those films. There are wonderful actors that portray those parts, they’re beautiful stories, beautifully filmed and everything about those films is amazing.

MM: Okay, well, thanks so much for your time and I hope you have fun on the press tour and all the premieres and everything, it should be very exciting.

Mia: Yes and thank you, thanks for doing this. I hope you have a lovely day.

Alice In Wonderland is released in cinemas on March 4.

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Tim Burton's alive bride

No, the above is not the title of a shiteous remake to the classic Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Instead, it refers to the best wedding cake I have ever seen. Ever.

Check it out below.

I got this picture off Facebook from a friend of mine who went to Nikki and Steve's wedding on the weekend. Now I don't know Nikki and Steve, but my conclusion is they must be pretty awesome people to have a Tim Burton's Corpse Bride themed wedding cake. It is so cool!

From the crooked cake-tiers and colours to the Victor Van Dort and Corpse Bride figures on top - the detail is incredible.

I used to write the wedding column for a local newspaper and out of the hundreds of wedding cakes I have seen, this has to be the most original (and delicious).

Kudos to them!

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Don't be late for this very important date

Breaking news y'all!

The trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland leaked on the net last night and it looks radical! You can watch it in its entirety here.

Considering this puppy isn't released in Australian cinema's until March 11 next year, I'm quite ecstatic to see a trailer this early. No doubt a longer version will be released closer to the opening date but as far as sneak peeks go this is psychedelic. You MUST watch.

There has been so much hype surrounding this film and the atmosphere was elevated to frenzy this week when a bunch of new stills from the film were shown at Comic-Con (one of which is above).

You can view the rest of them here.

Early days yet, but this looks like it's shaping up to be one of the most original and exciting adaptations of anything in recent years. Not to mention much more faithful to the book which was about an acid trip. Burton's versions looks very much like an acid trip and I'm pretty sure I will try to eat my face if I see it in 3D.

If you're clawing for some more info on the upcoming Alice in Wonderland I suggest you check out my previous posts on said project:

• Welcome to Wonderland
• Alice in Burtonland
• Network Video killed the radio star

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