Well now that we've all been suitably Rickrolled enough for one year and April fools is almost over (here in the states) there is an legitimate bit of news of interest tonight. Variety is reporting that Alastair Mackenzie is to star with Dougray Scot in the New Town Killers film which is now filming in Edinburgh, Scotland. This film is written and directed by Richard Jobson, with Alastair to play the character of Jamie, in a "tale of two high-flying financial whiz kids who get their kicks hunting people on the margins of society. " On his blog, the director described the film he was then developing when he wrote
VIOLENCE IS PART OF WHAT AND WHO WE ARE
We were born from violence. The stardust that is the fabric of all nature was born from the largest single act of violence ever known. Nature lives by a code of violence. We as a race are given to extraordinary moments of distilled violence prosecuted against the vulnerable and the innocent. The next film I hope to make THE NEW TOWN KILLERS is the story of two private bankers who have everything life can give them but they need to search further for new sensation; this takes the shape of hunting people. They create a scenario where they research someone they would regard as being at the bottom of the social ladder and offer them £1k to hide for twelve hours with the notion that if they are not found they get to keep to the money. Edinburgh becomes a playground for the two nihilists as they crash and burn their way through the night. The violence in the story is real and extreme and absolutely appropriate in the context of the story. The central characters have no respect for the people they encounter, abusing them with a venal corporate arrogance, as they think their will be no consequence to their actions. They at one point play a game on a computer called THE NEW TOWN KILLERS, which indicates that they are/feel part of a virtual world rather than something thats real. Their victim is a 16 year old rent boy who is awaiting the results of an AIDS test. He is to all intents and purposes invisible, a social leper, who would not be missed if he disappeared. Could this happen in our society. If you have to ask the question you're asleep or already dead.
Quite! I think this looks interesting, and although I never picture Alastair Mackenzie as one who should be trying with the bad guy roles, he does seem to want to strike against the stereotype casting and take on another part which hopefully will allow him the chance to showcase some edgier sides to his acting repertoire. Imdb also says the cinematographer is Simon Dennis who shot Sigma Films/David Mackenzie's The Last Great Wilderness which of course, starred Alastair. What's this, Archie has developed a mad killer streak all those years up there in the highlands? the illusions are shattered!boo lol just kidding ;) Mr Jobson, the former lead singer for the Skids, is also the same man who directed and wrote A Woman in the Winter that starred the wonderful Jamie Sives (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself).
(Side notes for the Six Degrees of Sigma Separation game: Dougray Scott is married to Claire Forlani who of course starred as Verity in Hallam Foe along side Ewan Bremmer who starred in Richard Jobson's first film 16 Years of Alcohol that also starred Kevin Mckidd. Kevin Mckidd, who appeared in the series Rome with Ciaran Hinds (Papa Julius Foe in HF) also starred with Jamie Sives in a film called On a Clear Day which was up against A Woman in the Winter in the same category at the Scottish Baftas...Phew! Crazy Scots film world, love em all! :)
As much as I adore Jamie, that Woman in the Winter film is one I struggle with. I mean, it was gorgeously shot, and there were several really great moments, but overall it was too slow at times and I got a bit distracted with the use of slowmo time travel stuff. As a person who enjoys most of the sci-fi fantasy genre, I thought the plot was OK not entirely original, but appreciated they were trying to do an original and fresh type of film coming out of the UK/Scotland, for which I give him/them serious props. Problem for me was I had just re watched Truly Madly Deeply which is one of my all-time most favorite films, and wrongly or rightly that movie pretty much owns that whole ghost lover storyline these days and I think took away from my enjoyment of the movie which I need to go see again (dont own the DVD yet alas, slacker Jamie fan I am!) Can I just say though the whole physics time travel thing is HUGE again...coughLOSTDesmond/Penny /Faraday storylinecough*
Video: A few minutes from A Woman in the Winter
No comments:
Post a Comment