SCREEN-SPACE'S BEST & WORST FILMS OF 2020

So I come to my annual Best of... duties in a bit of a daze. 2020 was the year when the movie business, in the words of George Costanza, “took a bit of a tumble”. Productions ground to a halt; distribution schedules were reshuffled, then abandoned; cinemas closed their doors, some of them permanently. With the global population housebound, streaming services boomed, to such an extent that Warner Bros., one of the iconic names associated with ‘Old Hollywood’, shared their entire post-Christmas slate with their digital platform HBO Max, changing the traditional theatrical window forever. It’s been a helluva year.

It wasn’t all dire times. A dedicated team helped me launch the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, a ‘roll of the dice’ venture which worked out pretty damn good. And seeking out the best small-screen programming redefined the big-screen bent of our yearly list, with nearly half coming via the Amazon/Shudder/Netflix/Disney+ combo.

I’ve always said, “Everyone’s entitled to my opinion”, but I’m open to yours (that's not entirely true), so let me know if I’ve missed anything. Please seek out some of these lesser-known films. Thanks for your continued support, and stay healthy...

2020 FILMS IN GENERAL RELEASE (THEATRICAL/STREAMING):

1. DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA (Dir: Spike Lee; USA; 105 mins) In adapting the Broadway show (remember those?) borne of the brilliant mind of the Talking Head’s frontman, Spike Lee found heartfelt joy and a purity of spirit that all but washes away the stink that has settled on America over the last few years. Byrne’s observations of humanity and society, in a version of song and dance that taps into childlike glee and aged melancholy in equal measure, make him a profoundly important contemporary commentator. Thirty-plus years ago, Byrne fronted arguably the greatest concert film of all time; in 2020, he did it again. 

2. THE VAST OF NIGHT (Dir: Andrew Patterson; USA; 91 mins)
3. THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN (Dir: Sandra Wollner; Austria, Germany; 94 mins)
4. BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM (Dir: Jason Woliner; UK, USA; 95 mins)
5. THE ASSISTANT (Dir: Kitty Green; USA; 87 mins)
6. LET HIM GO (Dir: Thomas Bezucha; USA; 103 mins)
7. HIS HOUSE (Dir: Remi Weekes; UK; 93 mins)
8. MIGNONNES (Cuties | Dir: Maïmouna Doucouré; France; 96 mins)
9. NOMADLAND (Dir: Chloe Zhao; USA; 108 mins)
10.  ATHLETE A (Dirs: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk; USA; 103 mins)
The Next Best Ten: MISS JUNETEENTH; RELIC; DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD; HOST; ANOTHER ROUND; BECKY; MULAN; BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC; LAST AND FIRST MEN; UNDERWATER.

2020 FILMS VIEWED AT FESTIVALS (AWAITING RELEASE IN AUSTRALIA):

1. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI (Dir: Regina King; USA; 110 mins) Oscar-winning actress Regina King proves herself Hollywood’s most potent new multi-hyphenate as director of this stirring adaptation of Kemp Powers play. Capturing a fictional moment in time when American icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown meet in motel room in the ‘60s and consider their roles in the nation’s social upheaval, One Night in Miami is actor’s showpiece, a wordsmith’s masterwork, an editor’s triumph – all under the baton of a filmmaker fully invested in the heart and soul of the source material. Will be going wide in 2021 and certain to feature come Oscar time in April; got a peek thanks to TIFF.

2. THE FABRICATED (Dir: Ali Katmiri; Iran; 30 mins)
3. SHADOW IN THE CLOUD (Dir: Roseanne Liang; New Zealand, USA; 83 mins)
4. PIECES OF A WOMAN (Dir: Kornél Mundruczó; Canada, Hungary, USA; 126 mins)
5. BUIO (Darkness | Dir: Emanuela Rossi; Italy; 96 mins)
6. L’OISEAU DE PARADIS (Paradise | Dir: Paul Manaté; France, French Polynesia; 90 mins)
7. BREEDER (Dir: Jens Dahl; Denmark; 107 mins)
8. NADIA, BUTTERFLY (Dir: Pascal Plante; Canada; 107 mins)
9. LA REINA DE LOS LAGARTOS (The Queen of The Lizards | Dirs: Juan González, Nando Martínez; Spain; 63 mins)
10.  CINEMATOGRAPHER (Dir: Dan Asma; USA; 83 mins)
The Next Best Ten: VICIOUS FUN; SHIFTER; GAGARINE; WILLIE, JAMALEY & THE CACACOON; COME TRUE; FRIED BARRY; THE GO-GO’S.

THE WORST FILMS OF 2020:

Living the shut-in life meant I dodged the worst that global cinema had to offer, but I couldn’t always help myself. Just so I could wade into the echo chamber of abuse, I watched Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy (who did anybody think it would appeal to?); Australia’s favourite son Paul Hogan (circa 1978-1989) signed off on his film career with the miserable The Very Excellent Mr Dundee; and, Robert Downey Jr.’s accent alone was enough to skewer Dolittle, a hideous reimagining of the classic story (is it though?). But the year’s worst was a franchise-starter wannabe that Disney began adapting from Eoin Colfer’s blockbuster Y.A. books a decade ago, hoping it would fill the box office void left by Harry Potter’s maturing. Instead, director Kenneth Branagh’s ARTEMIS FOWL floundered in expensive post-production hell before being dumped to the Disney Plus channel, fuelling early concerns that streaming platforms would become clogged with studio deadweight. Judi Dench (pictured, above, dignity intact) should give her Oscar back; Branagh, Disney and everyone involved owe the legion of Artemis adorers an apology for running so afoul of their beloved boy hero.

VALE MIKE MCPADDEN

Alternative culture fans the world over are grieving the passing of one of the great voices of the underground, Mike ‘McBeardo’ McPadden. The author, podcaster and commentator, a beloved advocate for art that challenged conformity, left us on Wednesday 16th. The cause of death is unknown at this time; he was 52.

The outpouring of shock and grief was immediate when news of McPadden’s sudden passing emerged via social media. His publisher at Bazillion Points, Ian Christe, boke the news, stating “With this guy goes an unrivaled wealth of first-hand experience with the gritty NYC movie scene circa 1982...It's crushing to wrap my head around the loss.” Author and friend Lee Gambin posted, “I'd known Mike for a long time and he and I shared a lot of the same passions and loves, and that is something I will treasure forever.”  

The Brooklyn-born McPadden spent his youth in the grindhouse fleapits and revival houses of 1980s New York City, a lifestyle that fuelled his passionate love for and encyclopedic knowledge of genre cinema. He honed his early writing skills in the offices of adult magazines Genesis, High Society and Screw; he became Entertainment Editor at Hustler, working alongside legendary publisher Larry Flynt. His connection to the adult sector extended to screenwriting, having worked with director Gregory Dark in the mid ‘90s on such films as Devil in Miss Jones 5: The Inferno and Animal Instincts III: The Seductress. (Pictured, right; a youthful McPadden on the NYC cinema strip) 

He began self-publishing with a stream-of-consciousness punk bar newsletter called The Downtown Beirut Top 10 List. This led to his iconic culture ‘zine’, Happyland, which he once referred to as, “your standard Xerox-and-staples hate zine of the ‘90s”, written from the point-of-view of a life “getting fucked up, taking drugs, going to the movies on 42nd Street, going to see bands, and making fun of people”. He often wrote under the pseudonym ‘Selwyn Harris’, named after the last two theatres from his old district to have remained open. In 2003, he relocated to Chicago to become Head Writer for the Mr. Skin website. His work would also be published in The New York Express, Vice, VH1 and Merry Jane, amongst many others. 

McPadden would draw upon those formative years in the Time Square theatres to author the acclaimed books Heavy Metal Movies: Guitar Barbarians, Mutant Bimbos & Cult Zombies Amok in the 666 Most Ear- and Eye-Ripping Big-Scream Films Ever! (2014) and Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible Of Coming-Of-Age Comedies From Animal House to Zapped! (2019), both considered classics of B-movie academia. Inspired by Danny Perry’s ‘Cult Movies’ book series of the early ‘80s and editor Zack Carlson’s 2010 essay compilation Destroy All Movies, McPadden crafted a pair of mammoth works that encapsulate two cinematic sub-genres.

In recent years, the booming podcast movement had allowed Mike McPadden to further enhance his standing as both a film historian and wonderfully engaging personality. Paired with University of Wisconsin’s Ben Reiser, 70 Movies We Saw in The ‘70s is a heartfelt retrospective series that allowed McPadden to draw deep from memories of his most passionate movie-going years (24 episodes); in Crackpot Cinema, McPadden would be joined by the likes of actor Pat Healy and producer Aaron Lee to playfully recall some of cinema’s stranger achievements (29 episodes); and, with Diabolique editor Kat Ellinger, the comedy celebration Busted Guts (2 episodes). Read her heartfelt tribute to her friend here. His work in the podcast field extended to social media director on the hit show Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast and contributor for Crimefeed. 

His razor-sharp wit and ability to instantly recall filmmaking anecdotes also made McPadden one of the most in-demand DVD audio commentators. His observations can be heard on such releases as Amazon Women on the Moon, Let’s Kill Uncle, Private School, Adjust Your Tracking, Jeremy, My Science Project, Shadow of the Hawk and the South Korean teen romp Sex is Zero.

Mike McPadden is survived by his wife, Rachel and young family. A GoFundMe campaign has been established and we encourage you to contribute.

RENOWNED ASTROPHYSICIST ANNOUNCED AS SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FEST PATRON

The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival (SSFFF) is honoured to welcome Dr Maria Cunningham as the event’s latest Festival Patron. One of the world’s most respected radio astronomers and a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW)’ School of Physics, Dr Cunningham joins film director Alex Proyas as a patron of the inaugural event, a true celebration of international science-fiction culture with 19 countries represented in the 2020 line-up.

“Maria’s extraordinary combination of scientific brilliance, academic prowess and genre fan passion makes her one of the most unique individuals in the world of astrophysics,” says SSFFF Festival Director, Simon Foster. “To have someone of her stature contribute to the establishment and growth of our festival is beyond any development we could have hoped for. It is a privilege to have her commit her valuable time and invaluable knowledge to the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.” (Pictured, top; Dr Cunningham in the Atacama Desert, Chile, trekking to the 5000m high NANTEN2 telescope)

“Science fiction is how the majority of people interact with science, even though they are not conscious that this is what they are doing,” says Dr Cunningham, who was inspired as a 12 year-old by The Black Cloud, the 1957 novel by astrophysicist Fred Hoyle (pictured, right). “When we watch popular movies such as Deep Impact or The Martian, our interest is sparked enough to look for more information. We discover that sci-fi has provided good factual information as a base for further exploration.”

This deep appreciation of speculative storytelling led to Dr Cunningham convening the hugely popular tertiary course, ‘Brave New World’. Designed to present and discuss science fact and fiction to students from non-scientific backgrounds, her lectures explore the relationship between literature, science, and society, often utilising such pop culture benchmarks as Futurama and Macguyver.

Within the course structure, attendees will hear references to such science-fiction works as Contact (“It shows just how far our radio broadcasts have already gone”); The Planet of The Apes (“A great example of special relativity”); and, Another Earth (“Explores the implications of discovering – and accessing – a parallel world”). Says Dr Cunningham, “Science fiction gives us a space to explore complex – and seemingly impossible – concepts in playful, engaging ways.”

“Our world is changing faster than at any time in human history,” she observes. “This body of popularly accessible work gives us all the ability to imagine how scientific and technological discoveries could change our future. It speaks to how we can best as a society collectively manage both the promised and dangers of possible changes.”  

Internationally renowned in her field, Dr Cunningham specialises in research into the interstellar medium (“The stuff between the stars,” as she calls it), home to over 200 complex organic molecules that represent the building blocks of life. Part of her research involves searching for new "biogenic" molecules in space, to help modern science understand how life formed so quickly on the surface of the newly formed planet Earth. 

From an early fascination with mathematics, she ended up doing a PhD with the Radiophysics Division at the CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility. “After being offered several projects, the one studying ‘dark, molecular clouds’ seemed like a match made in heaven,” she says, “bringing my love of science fiction and maths/physics together.”

The SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL will be held at the Actors Centre Australia from November 19-21. Session and ticketing information can be found at the event's official website.

PREVIEW: 2020 SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL

COVID-19 forced organisers to abandon the physical event, but the 2020 Sydney Underground Film Festival forges ahead as an immense online program as only the typically defiant ‘SUFF’ team could muster. Another round of the Take48 filmmaking challenge, the academic forum Inhuman Screens and new films from Guy Maddin, Yorgos Lanthimos and Matt Dillon (pictured, below) suggests the 14th annual celebration of all things alternative won’t be dictated to by a global pandemic.

Structured as a three-tiered event, SUFF 2020 launches at 7.00pm AEST, Friday August 28th, with Take48, a 2-day filmmaking challenge that demands your production unit (maximum 10 people) must write, shoot, edit and submit your short by 7.00pm AEST, Sunday, August 30th. Just moments prior to the start time, this year’s theme will be announced and must be incorporated in the finished work. Prize packages from Sony Australia, Red Giant and RentACam are on offer.

Phase two will be the launch of the core film strands, which will be available via the festival website from September 10-20. The decision was made to forego feature-length content and focus on the traditionally popular short film strands that have been central to the festival experience since its earliest editions. ‘Love/Sick’ is a collective dozen short films that will engage the mind and fire up the loins (including Eve Dufaud’s urination celebration, Le Jet; pictured, right); the mind-altering impact of cinematic psychedelia is embraced in 10-strong strand, ‘LSD Factory (featuring the World Premiere of Wrik Mead’s pixelated sexual odyssey, Broken Relationship).

The short film roster continues with ‘Ozploit!’, twelve films from idiosyncratic, independent local directors, amongst them Michael Gosden, who will be holding the World Premiere of his bushland-set horror/comedy Stick; the contemporary social collections known as ‘Reality Bites 1 & 2’, the highlight being character actor Mark Metcalfe (Animal House; Seinfeld; Buffy the Vampire Slayer) reflecting on his life in Vera Brunner-Sung’s Character (pictured, left; Metcalfe with his director; and, horror goes underground in the sidebar ‘Sh!t Scared’, particularly notable this year for featuring Australian actress Caitlin Stasey in Parker Finn's Laura Hasn't Slept (pictured, below).

Some legitimate star power emerges in the line-up of 10 shorts called ‘WTF!’ Matt Dillon (The House That Jack Built; There’s Something About Mary) stars for three-time Oscar-nominee Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite; The Lobster) in the surreal subway story, Nimic. And Canadian cinema figurehead Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg; Twilight of the Ice Nymphs) co-directs the monochromatic fairground drama, Stump the Guesser. 

An adults-only animated strand called ‘Late Night Cartoons’, featuring such non-child friendly titles as Turd and Sweet Sweet Kink, and a celebration of Ukrainian short-film prowess called ‘Pickles, Bombs & Borsch’ (including ADG-nominee Stefan Bugryn’s second War Mothers film, Unbreakable) round out the vast online SUFF offerings.

Finally, the Inhuman Screens online conference will unfold over 8 hours on Friday 11th September, exploring themes and issues associated with ‘The Crisis of The Human and The Non-Human’. Attendees include author Lisa E. Bloom, a theorist in the fields of visual culture, film studies and feminist art history and Angela Ndailanis, a research professor in media and entertainment culture.

All details regarding the 2020 SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL, including streaming options and ticketing, can be found at the event’s Official Website.

REMEMBERING KELLY PRESTON: THE FILMS WE LOVE

"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer," posted John Travolta, after his wife of 28 years, Kelly Preston, passed away on Sunday, aged 57. The mother of Ellie, 20, Ben, 9, and Jett, who passed away aged 16, kept the diagnosis and the details of her treatment private; her final hours were spent at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith on October 13, 1962, in Honolulu and having studied at University of Southern California, Preston would go on to captivate audiences with her natural charm, rare beauty and often underappreciated range on screen.

While she never attained A-list status, Kelly Preston was one of Hollywood’s most reliable and engaging ensemble players, invaluable to co-stars such as Robin Williams, Kevin Bacon, Ray Romano, Mike Myers, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Keaton and Eddie Murphy.  In honour of the late actress, we recall six of her performances that will forever remain etched in the mind of movie-goers. 

MISCHIEF (Dir: Mel Damski, with Doug Mckeown, Catherine Mary Stewart, Jami Gertz; 1985) Under the name ‘Kelly Palzis’, Preston guested on TV staples (Hawaii Five-O; Quincy M.E.; CHiPS) and earned her stripes in thankless movie roles (10 to Midnight, opposite Charles Bronson; the C-grade, 3D sci-fier Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn) before announcing herself to Hollywood in John Carpenter’s 1983 Stephen King adaptation, Christine. Her true worth was established in her follow-up film, the bawdy teen romp Mischief, in which she turned her lusted-after, dream-teen ‘Marilyn’ into a far more nuanced and complex character than Mel Damski’s film perhaps deserved (then did it again in her next film, the otherwise forgettable C. Thomas Howel vehicle, Secret Admirer).

SPACECAMP (Dir: Harry Winer, with Lea Thompson, Kate Capshaw, Leaf Phoenix; 1986) Unsalvageable as a commercial prospect coming in the wake of the Challenger disaster, the teen adventure SpaceCamp is remembered by a very specific group of 80s teenagers for the thrill it provided at some very base levels. Preston shone in an unusually strong cast, exhibiting great chemistry with co-stars Lea Thompson and Kate Capshaw, though some dire dialogue and the pall cast by NASA’s darkest hour stymied her leading lady status at just the wrong time in her career.

TWINS (Dir: Ivan Reitman, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Chloe Webb; 1988) There is no denying that a huge part of Kelly Preston’s acting legacy will be the lightning bolt of supporting-part energy she provided a slew of comedies - Only You (1992), with Andrew McCarthy; Nothing to Lose (1997), with Tim Robbins; Holy Man (1998), with Murphy and Jeff Goldblum; View from the Top (2003), with Paltrow. It all began with hard yards she put into bolstering Ivan Reitman’s Twins with an adorable performance that drew the ‘lovably funny’ out of ‘The Austrian Oak’ himself.

JERRY MAGUIRE (Dir: Cameron Crowe, with Tom Cruise, Renee Zellwegger, Cuba Gooding Jr.; 1993) Crowe, Cruise and Zellwegger got all the nominations, but the handful of scenes that Preston played as ‘Jerry’s ultra-ambitious, dangerously sexed-up fiancee ‘Avery Bishop’. She is the ‘romantic’ reflection of the cynical, heartless corporate culture that Jerry is fleeing; with no Avery, there'd be no Dorothy. Kelly Preston, as the ‘anti-Dorothy, is unforgettable. 

SKY HIGH (Dir: Mike Mitchell, with Kurt Russell, Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker; 100 mins) Kelly Preston always made being an actress look like capital-F Fun. Whether it was baring all in the camp horror pic Spellbinder (1988), goofing off in the period comedy Love at Stake (1987) or just positively glowing as Kevin Costner’s love interest in Sam raimi’s For the Love of the Game (1999), Preston looked like she was loving every minute of making movies. This is nowhere more apparent than in her spirited turn as ‘Josie Stronghold, aka Jetstream’ in Disney’s superhero romp, Sky High. Alongside Kurt Russell’s ‘The Commander’, Preston was the most perfect mom/wife/superhero archetype this side of Helen Parr/Elastigirl.    

GOTTI (Dir: Kevin Connelly, with John Travolta, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Stacy Keach; 2018) Her films with husband John are not considered Hollywood’s finest. The 2000 science-fiction epic Battlefield Earth is, in fact, considered one of Hollywood’s all-time worst. The film they met on, Dave Thomas’ 1989 cold-war comedy dud The Experts, has long since been forgotten (but was actually pretty funny). Their 2009 pairing, opposite Robin Williams in Walt Becker’s Old Dogs, was a tough watch. By the time they got together for Kevin Connelly’s pilloried 2018 hagiography of brutal crime boss John Gotti, it’s fair to say their collaboration offscreen had proven far more profound and ultimately immortal than their efforts in front of the camera.