Permanent Plastic Helmet
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Screening Announcement | PPH Presents The Warriors
For the fifth edition of our ongoing series of special events, Permanent Plastic Helmet is delighted to present a rare, 35mm screening of Walter Hill’s classic action adventure The Warriors. The time and place? 21:00 on Monday 15 July 2013 at south London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse. This gaudy urban odyssey follows the eponymous Coney Island gang on their perilous journey … Continue reading
Recent highlights
In cinemas now, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet is the moving story of the eponymous guitarist who refused to give up on his dream despite being diagnosed with a rare, incredibly serious wasting disease. PPH caught up with the film’s eminently likeable young director Jesse Vile to talk about his must-see film, the process of art, and cheese … Continue reading
In the lead-up to the recent Film Africa festival, I sat down with the co-directing/producing team of exceptional Uganda-set LGBT activism doc Call Me Kuchu to discuss how they approached such a tough subject, how they went about making their film, and their views on the Ugandan media landscape. An edited version of this interview has been published on … Continue reading
Rather than review Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film The Master, I’m much more interested in taking a closer look at its critical reception; because I’m an English teacher and not a film critic, I find the discourse more fascinating than the film’s actual merits and flaws. The film has garnered lavish praise from an overwhelming … Continue reading
It may have come home empty-handed, but no one would deny Holy Motors was the talk of Cannes a few months ago. The comeback of Leos Carax, French cinema’s favourite “enfant terrible”, after a decade spent in near-obscurity, was the perfect occasion for the industry to do what it always does: celebrate the outcast it … Continue reading
Earlier this year, South London’s beautiful Ritzy cinema turned 100 years old, and it remains a key cultural hub, featuring a diverse selection of classic and contemporary cinema, special events and – recently – live music and comedy. A key factor in the cinema’s success has been the presence of director of programming Clare Binns, … Continue reading
Permanent Plastic Helmet is taking a simultaneous trip down memory lane and into the future with a very special week dedicated to the mercurial wonder of the music video. To kick us off, here’s a selective, slightly personal tour through the history of this still youthful artform. Music videos take off “Don’t you wonder sometimes, … Continue reading
In brief
- If, like me, you're a big fan of drinking moonshine, dressing up as a Depression-era gangster, and running down the street (say, Streatham High Road) shooting pistols in the air, then you'll love these new infographics for John Hillcoat's upcoming period Western Lawless, released in UK cinemas on 7 September. A full PPH review will follow in the week of release.
- The Story of Lovers' Rock director Menelik Shabazz - who we interviewed last September about his superb documentary - has written a new play entitled The Awaken One, and is using the innovative crowd-funding platform IndieGoGo to promote, and raise funds for, the project. For more information about The Awaken One, and to find out how to donate, please click through to this link. Photo credit: Yves Salmon
- Do fathers like Entourage? I'm sure mine does. The reason I'm saying this is because the eighth and final season is out now courtesy of HBO DVD, (as is a complete box set of seasons 1-8). The cover artwork looks a lot like this: My favourite scene in the film-star-cameo-packed show has always been this delightfully bizarre appearance from twist-based director M. Night Shymalan in series 4. There's all kinds of special features on both packs. The single DVD costs £24.99, the box set of 23 discs a cool (as in cool) £99.99. Get on it.
- The Complete Eighth Season of Larry David's ever-brilliant sitcom arrives on DVD next week (11 June 2012) from HBO Home Entertainment. Out on the same day is the box set housing Curb Your Enthusiasm: Complete Seasons One to Eight. The rather amusing cover art (for S8) looks like this: I can't ever think of Curb Your Enthusiasm without thinking of this excruciating scene, waaay back from Season 1 in 2000. Beloved what?!
The Large Association of Movie Blogs (no. 881)
