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2011, 05-17:
Review of film: “SUBMARINE” + Q&A with Director RICHARD AYOADE
This British film is one I’d describe as having an “off-kilter” type of WHIMSY...
... Oliver Tate (CRAIG ROBERTS) is a 15-year-old living in an indefinite area around Wales... He tends to view his life sort of like being in a “MOVIE”, picturing his “funeral” & how people would “likely” gather around to “HONOR” his death, reflecting on how much they’d “appreciated” him & all...
... He tends to be (typically) sort of “SPACY” in school, getting in trouble for things like passing notes, causing an unpopular girl to fall in a pond, etc...
... Things are somewhat difficult in his HOME life: his father Lloyd (NOAH TAYLOR) had failed at various things, become a marine biologist, & was sort of a “stick-in-the-mud”. His mother Jill (SALLY HAWKINS) was clearly not very “thrilled” with the unenthusiastic, fuddy-duddy attitudes of her husband...
... Trying to move “forward” in life, Craig decides to try to pursue pretty schoolmate Jordana (YASMIN PAIGE), who’s not sure she wants to date him tho she wants to “play” with his emotions (by taking instant Polaroid photos of them kissing, etc.)... His goal is to lose his virginity to her, but that’s well down a difficult-to-travel “road”...
... Craig nonetheless continues to live in a type of “FANTASY” world, picturing making a movie about his supposed 2 weeks of “lovemaking” with Yasmin, tho there’s little beyond light KISSING really going on between them... His father keeps implying he expects him to FAIL in his relationship with a girl (seemingly reflecting on his OWN life)...
... In the midst of all this, Sally’s first LOVER returns to the area. His name is Graham (PADDY CONSIDINE), & he’s a “psychic” who goes around in a van & tries to interest people in attending his “SEMINARS” about the importance of “COLOURS”, his “spiritual” abilities, etc... He’s got a girlfriend, but clearly is still “taken” with SALLY...
... Periodically thru the movie, Sally VISITS with Graham, & Craig keeps trying to “investigate” facts about their relationship & keep them APART (since his father is clearly UPSET by Sally’s meetings, tho he tends to be a “do-nothing” type action-wise)... Craig wants to try to STOP Sally’s actions, hoping she’ll grow closer to his dad Noah...
... At one point, Craig meets the parents of Yasmin, including her mother who’s facing a HEALTH crisis. Altho Craig knows about how that circumstance is deeply upsetting to Yasmin, he’s very ILL-AT-EASE about it all...
... Will Craig get what he “wants” from Yasmin?... Will she happily accept his bad actions about her mother?... Will Noah make active efforts to PREVENT Sally’s attraction to Paddy?... Will Craig be able to cause a break between Sally & Paddy?... Will everyone (or anyone) live “happily ever after”?...
... I found the movie to be well-acted overall, with some intermittent mild laughs (& a very “restrained” job by Sally who often takes exceptionally “bubbly” roles)...
... The movie struck me as an “agreeable” investigation of “relationships”, but nothing very “special” in that the writing is “overly” UNDERSTATED. Thus, I’d rate it at 7 of 10 stars...
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Q&A with Director RICHARD AYOADE
Before the screening, I heard some Press people in the audience discussing how the film’s DIRECTOR, RICHARD AYOADE, was scheduled to be holding a Q&A after the screening...
... One guy said, he’d seen him talk after the same movie was screened in the Toronto Film Festival, [in Sept., 2010], & Ayoade was sort of “sarcastic” during it, to the point that you were unsure if his many FUNNY comments were spoken “seriously” or not, since he sort of “IGNORED” a lot of what was asked & commented & just spoke of what he wanted to say... [The film was picked up at that Fest for distribution by the Weinstein Company]...
... Then, before tonite’s screening, “CAPONE” from AICN.com told the audience he’d be hosting a Q&A with the film’s director after the film. He commented that, he’d spoken to him before & found him “slightly disarming”, & to not be put-off if he appears “strange-looking” since he’s a very INTERESTING man...
... When the film ended at 8:42 PM (to some mild applause), Capone went to the very front of the theater) where chairs were set up), & introduced Mr. Adoaye (director of the previous movie “THE IT CROWD”), & the audience gave him very some very hearty clapping (seemingly from a bunch of “cognoscenti”)...
... Capone remarked that, “coming-of-age” is a “staple” plot yarn, & wondered, what was there in this story that he particularly LIKED from the novel it was based on [by Joe Dunthorne]? Richard liked the way Oliver’s character was portrayed, as a young man who was “self-regarding” & he enjoyed “being around a 15-year-old precocity” [unusually early development or maturity]...
... Also, he “liked that the book had a kind of timelessness” to it, & he was pleased that he could make things purposely “unsure of the decade” in creating it on film... Shortly after that, he made a comment that the story “kind of ‘threads’ TIME-- like a TORAH...”
... To a question about the young [newcomer] actors [Craig & Yasmin] he’d used, Richard said, he felt they’d done a GOOD job. He added that, to get what he wanted, he himself “acted out the WHOLE scene, & had them COPY [me] slavishly...”, which brought appreciative laughs from the audience...
... An audience member asked about the MUSIC used in the film, wondering how it was to work with ALEX TURNER [from the “ARCTIC MONKEYS”]. Richard said, he’d directed some music videos with him in the past, & Alex has indeed also done a special SOUNDTRACK album re his 5 songs specially written for the film, & “he wrote new stuff that had nothing to do with me [directly]”...
... A lady in the audience commented that she’d found the characters in the film had a very “INTERESTING” tone to her, such as “Oliver”. Richard stated that he hadn’t done anything “special” to achieve that, saying that [the actor] Craig tends to BEHAVE like his character does “basically” [in real life]...
... Richard at one point commented about the “scenery” shown in the film that, Wales is a place that is “WINDY”, & thus he just used elements of that “horizontally” [utilizing things that were already “there”], rather than putting Craig & Yasmin in any “special” setups for an effect...
... To a remark from the audience that Sally & Noah tended to sort of look “alike” as a couple, he said well, some couples probably do tend to “grow” that way once together for a while, but, he sort of likes having the couple look “similar”...
... To another audience comment, Richard said, as to Craig envisioning his own “funeral”, he feels that’s not unusual in that a NUMBER of teenagers might “feel your life is a ‘MOVIE’—” in certain ways...
... He recalled how, when he himself was like 7, he told people he was [doing something like] “leaving” school permanently, & it was “disturbing how many people were FINE with that”...
... A man in the audience asked, were there any filmmakers who’d particularly INFLUENCED him? Richard pointed out how he’d purposely put a photo of WOODY ALLEN on the wall in Craig’s room...
... As I recall, he also spoke of being impressed by Robert De Niro’s character of TRAVIS BICKLE [in Paul Schrader’s film “TAXI DRIVER”], & [Terrence Malick’s] film “BADLANDS”-- but his own movie is far “less VIOLENT” than those!...
... When asked if he had any special memories of his involvement in working with novelist Joe Dunthorne on the screenplay, Richard said, well, he’d written a number of DRAFTS for the movie, & he was very “into the language of CHARACTERS” in the story...
... A question was posed about the involvement of BEN STILLER as one of the films Executive Producers. Richard said well, he was seen at the very start of the film for like “4 seconds”, but he was very pleased that Ben WANTED to be involved in helping put OUT the film, it was “an act of KINDNESS” which he appreciated...
... Richard said about – that, “I don’t know that he was incredibly [occupied about] things”, there was certainly no “JOUSTING” over anything that he himself wanted to do...
... To another question, Richard said about Craig’s character of Oliver that, “I never worried whether he seemed ‘SWEET’--”, he’s trying to concentrate on your view of him [as a precocious teenager]...
... When asked what he feels about the importance of EDITING in a film, Richard replied that, “Editing is the most CRUCIAL part, for me personally... I can’t LEAVE the editing—” process, he needs to be FULLY INVOLVED in that aspect of the filmmaking procedure...
... He was asked about his 2004 work acting as “Dean Learner” & “Thornton Reed” in “GARTH MARENGHI’S DARKPLACE” TV series [on which he was also a writer & director]. He felt those were “the best 6 episodes ever” re his work, & “I LOVE to shit!” “Did you re-FIND that ‘shit’?!”...
... When asked if he was working on a “game” version of that show, Richard said, “I’ve not spoken to him PERSONALLY—” about that matter...
... A guy in the audience wondered about his use of “blues” & “reds” in the “SUBMARINE” film. Richard said, he used blues when Craig’s character was in an “ascendant” phase, &, when he’s with Yasmin, it goes into reds...
... “Capone” asked Richard the correct pronounciation of his last name “Ayoade”, & he replied that, it’s just as it’s spelled-- but, feel free to pronounce it ANY way he likes, as he himself is becoming increasingly UN-sure about how to pronounce it! (which brought more audience laughs)...
... When asked, Richard said yes, he had directed the TV series “COMMUNITY” [being shown in 2011]. As to how he was “chosen” to do that, he said, it was thru someone named Joe who worked to “persuade” people to let him do it... He spoke at one point of Louis Malles & “my ‘DINNER WITH ANDRE’ parody...”
... Regarding making future films, Richard commented on how, in England, it can take like “5 years” to do just 24 episodes of a TV series... He also talked about working with CHRIS O’DOWD as a co-star, a good actor who can be seen in the current “BRIDESMAIDS” film...
... “Capone” asked Richard, does it matter to him if he himself becomes more “BETTER KNOWN” here in the US? Richard said, well, he hopes that anything utilizing his services does not cause people to “LOSE a lot of money”!...
... To the audience, “Capone” commented about “SUBMARINE” that, “Films like this live or die off WORD of MOUTH—” from people like us, so, he hoped we’d TELL people we’d liked it at the preview. Richard chimed in to say, “If you hate it, feel free to tell people THAT!”...
... As to future projects, Richard said he’s working on an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel “THE DOUBLE”, & hopes things will work out well with that-- tho (he added), “I do a LOT that gets CANCELLED...”
... Capone said, for those of us who do REVIEWS who might not have loved the film, we might consider reviewing at least the TALK that’d been held AFTER the movie!...
... Some audience members asked other questions. One sort of odd one wondered when Richard had 1st read the [2008] novel that “SUBMARINE” was based on. He replied that, he was maybe 31 or so, & then worked on it when he was 32 or 33. He added with humor, “The point is, I’ve ‘AGED’...” (to which people laughed)...
... Someone asked about working with Sally Hawkins, & Richard said, he got her to do the film because “she could be ‘GUILTED’ into doing it”... After some more kidding, the Q&A ended, with some people talking to Richard & taking photos with him in the outer hall...
... I (& most others) ENJOYED the dry wit Richard had exhibited in the Q&A... The film "SUBMARINE" now uses the tagline of " A Comedy that doesn't let Principles stand in the way of Progress", & it's scheduled for general release in the US as of June 3rd...
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