Dec. 26th - Danielle Cormack's Birthday!

[august]

Not sure exactly how old she is, but I'm guesing 31. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

[bummer]

Wow, what a pic? Is that just a promo, or what?

 

[august]

Uh-oh! You must have missed this when I posted it last spring at SUSA and TX. It's from her latest (and biggest) film to date, last year's "The Price of Milk" which is still making the rounds of the indie theatres in the US.

It's a new NZ film starring Danielle Cormack, Karl Urban, and Willa (Lila, Althea) O'Neill that is making the foreign films rounds in the US now. I suspect it might pick up enough buzz to get noticed by the Oscars or Golden Globes, like "Il Postino" and "Like Water for Chocolate." It's directed by Harry Sinclair, who directed Danielle and Willa (and Joel Tobeck and Josephine Davison) in the award-winning "Topless Women Talk About Their Lives." Yes, the title is supposed to be a parody.

A very romantic, surreal, moving, sad, spooky, beautiful film - funny at times, tragic at times, always stunning to look at. The plot is very simple - Karl and Danielle happily live togerther on a *really* rural cattle farm in NZ, and he proposes. She's fearful that marriage will cause the magic to leave their relationship, so at the urging of her friend "Drosophilia" (played by Willa) she begins doing things to provoke anger and arguments, culminating in a "Jack and the Beanstalk"-like deal with a spooky Maori woman, that results in Karl's cattle disappearing.

At one moment, it's like a fairy tale - the old lady sleeps under a hundred blankets like the mattresses in "Princess and the Pea," and her grandsons apppear and disappear randomly like Draco's henchmen in the hot tub in the "Always Something There to Remind Me" part of "Lyre, Lyre." At another, it's almost Monty Pythonesque, as when a buddy askes Karl Urban about his dog's agoraphobia; they look at a cardboard box scuttling around, with a dog's barking coming from inside, and he deadpans "Not so good." And at times it really does have this lyrical, dreamlike quality straight out of a surrealist painting. But then at other times, the actual dialogue is very straightforward, natural, realistic, sweet. (and so the non-realistic parts become very jarring and even disturbing.)

If you look at the whole thing as being more symbolic and allegorical about love and relationships, and suspend your disbelief like you would with a rock video, it becomes more palatable. Maybe Danielle doesn't *literally* fill up a bathtub with her tears, but she might as well have. Maybe she doesn't *really* drown in a sea of milk pouring from her 'frig', but she feels like it. The most compelling image is Danielle watching Karl walk away, and somehow her view of him follows him, like a camera would, even though she's still inside, looking through a window. The efefect is as if the entire house is somehow following him. Which of course gets into this whole symbolism thing about their relationship, commitment, what he's turning his back on, where she's rooted, etc.

Visually, it takes your breath away - filmed entirely on location in very green, very hilly, very rural New Zealand, and it's all set to classical Russian music in the background.

The film's website is at http://lot47.com/priceofmilk/indexsound.html . If you have Real Player, you can get a feel for it with some clips that can be found there. This film is NOT for all tastes, but definitely something to check out if you're an art film fan, or if you simply want to see Karl, Willa, and Danielle!

 

[bummer]

Wow, I did miss this somehow! Very beautiful shots!! So, have you seen the whole movie? What did Karl Urban play in RenPics, I can't recall off hand....I know, shame on me!! It's been a long couple of days.

It sounds like something I'd love. Let me know if you hear it's come out on DVD, I really want to see it .

 

[Azn Dragoon]

Happy B-day!!!!

 

[august]

Yep, I saw it in the theatre sometime last spring - or early summer. (How ya think I was able to go into such depth on it!!) Go to the site that's linked there - if you have Real Player, there are a couple of clips with some of the breathtaking shots and music.

Interestingly, the guy who directed it - Harry Sinclair - acts on the side as well. He can be seen for about 15 seconds - but crucial ones that get played again and again - as Isildur, the human kings who defeats Sauron, but succumbs to the power of the Ring in LOTR!

And Angie - tsk tsk tsk! Karl Urban played Caesar, Julius Caesar! Also Cupid. Also the older brother (forget his name) in "Altared States" on XWP. And also the young caveman with the *really* bad wig that Selma Blair fell for in "Amazon High," some of which we saw in "Lifeblood." And.... here he is, from about the time he was filming that picture - I bet that's why he was so scruffy-looking! (They supposedly shot it over 7 months, so I bet he got time off for convention gigs.)

 

[bummer]

:nuts:

 

[Euterpe]

Godss....looks like my 5th grade teaher!

 

[Azn Dragoon]

:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:

 

[august]

...and strangely, you've never been able to forget him.......

 

[bummer]

:eek7: So, is that good or bad???

 

[Euterpe]

LOL Auggie!

Angie~ Aug looks remarkably like my 5ht grade teacher....kinda scary actually

 

[Azn Dragoon]

 

[bummer]

Originally posted by Euterpe
Angie~ Aug looks remarkably like my 5ht grade teacher....kinda scary actually

I was just disturbed by the not being able to forget him part...he's your 5th grade teacher!! Ewwwwwww ..... LOL!!!