I hope you’re having a relaxing Easter with family and friends, and aren’t beating yourself up over your chocolate and hot cross bun intake! This is week there are some beauties on Rialto Channel for you to enjoy, including the popular documentary That Sugar Film, the hilarious New Zealand splatter flick Deathgasm, and the moving British drama Testament of Youth. These are my highlights for the week, enjoy.
I hope you’re having a relaxing Easter with family and friends, and aren’t beating yourself up over your chocolate and hot cross bun intake! This is week there are some beauties on Rialto Channel for you to enjoy, including the popular documentary That Sugar Film, the hilarious New Zealand splatter flick Deathgasm, and the moving British drama Testament of Youth. These are my highlights for the week, enjoy.
Deathgasm … Wednesday 30th March, 8.30pm
Deathgasm was the winner of Make My Horror Movie, a New Zealand competition whereby filmmakers submitted a synopsis and poster to compete for $200,00 to make their film a reality. First time feature director Jason Lei Howden won with his film about a couple of metal head teenagers who summons an ancient evil entity that threatens to tear apart existence itself. This entertaining splatter flick premiered at the 2015 South By South West Festival, and is fast becoming a cult classic. Funny, fast paced and filled with anarchist characters you’re immediately fond of regardless of their delinquent ways and musical tastes, Deathgasm is a blast. Much like with producer Ant Timpson’s previous Make My Movie winner How to Meet Girls From A Distance, the clever team behind Deathgasm prove that good ideas, a decent script, and an excellent cast make up for a lack of budget any day.
That Sugar Film …Thursday 31st March, 8.30pm
Over the past couple of years, sugar has become public enemy number one. We all know it’s not good for us to eat it in large amounts, but do we really know how much of it we’re really eating? That’s the question Aussie actor and filmmaker Damon Gameau asks in his highly entertaining and informative documentary That Sugar Film. Gameau puts his own body on the line in an experiment to explore the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body. Before you think - Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) – here’s the twist. Gameau only eats foods that are commonly perceived as ‘healthy’. The film was made to appeal to kids as much as adults, and has been released worldwide. A year after completing the film and hardly a day goes by when Gameau doesn’t talk about sugar. The film has been followed up by a couple of books and a great website, and while Gameau is keen to continue contributing to the conversation about sugar, he’s also keen to move on to his next documentary. Keep an eye out for my interview with Damon Gameau here on rialtochannel.co.nz.
Testament of Youth … Saturday 2nd April, 8.30pm
Based on the popular First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, this moving British period piece is a beautifully crafted and well-acted tale directed by television and documentary filmmaker James Kent. You might not recognise Game of Thrones Kit Harington without his trademark Jon Snow hair, but he does an admirable job as Roland Leighton, the young man who manages to catch the eye of the young pioneering feminist Vera Brittain. Recent Oscar winner, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl) continues to show off her versatility as Brittain, and we experience the heartbreak and futility of war through her eyes. Brittain was part of the first generation of women to get in to Oxford University, and throughout her life published the “Testament" trilogy; 1933's Testament of Youth, 1940's Testament of Friendship, and 1957's Testament of Experience. Testament of Youth tells of her desire for an education and to be a writer, and the origins of her pacifist believes, as well as being a story about love, loss and rebuilding ones life. This film might be set in a distinct time and place, but it’s themes of empowerment and to question the world around us are as relevant today as ever.