Lust, Actually: Lawson’s Sexually Charged Debut Struggles with What Women Want
Taking home the audience prize at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, Australian director Josh Lawson makes some decidedly risqué choices with his debut, The Little Death, which is basically an omnibus of alternative sexual practices rarely explored in the cinematic arena of the heterosexual. Mostly motivated by the complicated and sometimes controversial secret desires of women, the film, taking its name from the French idiom for orgasm, is sometimes refreshingly blunt as it navigates through several scenarios. However, it is just as often silly and unsubstantial, with an undefined purpose setting in as we close with an unseemly end to the common thread.
Maeve (Bojana Novakovic) and her boyfriend Paul (Lawson) set us off on in the circle. She’s getting her feet sucked, but confides after their bout of lovemaking her real fantasy involves being raped. Except she...
Taking home the audience prize at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, Australian director Josh Lawson makes some decidedly risqué choices with his debut, The Little Death, which is basically an omnibus of alternative sexual practices rarely explored in the cinematic arena of the heterosexual. Mostly motivated by the complicated and sometimes controversial secret desires of women, the film, taking its name from the French idiom for orgasm, is sometimes refreshingly blunt as it navigates through several scenarios. However, it is just as often silly and unsubstantial, with an undefined purpose setting in as we close with an unseemly end to the common thread.
Maeve (Bojana Novakovic) and her boyfriend Paul (Lawson) set us off on in the circle. She’s getting her feet sucked, but confides after their bout of lovemaking her real fantasy involves being raped. Except she...
- 6/24/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This review was originally posted during our coverage of the 2014 Leeds Film Festival.
Australian film has seen as resurgence in the 21st century. Not since the heyday of the 1970s has the antipodean cinema scene enjoyed such a swell in international popularity. For a very long time, the only films to come out of Australia were comedies. These films were representative of Australian cinema to the world at large and determined what kind of movie was considered commercially viable in its home country. This resulted in a rush of Australian comedy films that stuck fast to the rule of diminishing returns. Thank God then that we have had such a great run of Australian films lately and more particularly, the absolutely terrific sex comedy, The Little Death.
A portmanteau film that’s a little reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia and the work of Woody Allen, The Little Death is absolutely concerned with sex.
Australian film has seen as resurgence in the 21st century. Not since the heyday of the 1970s has the antipodean cinema scene enjoyed such a swell in international popularity. For a very long time, the only films to come out of Australia were comedies. These films were representative of Australian cinema to the world at large and determined what kind of movie was considered commercially viable in its home country. This resulted in a rush of Australian comedy films that stuck fast to the rule of diminishing returns. Thank God then that we have had such a great run of Australian films lately and more particularly, the absolutely terrific sex comedy, The Little Death.
A portmanteau film that’s a little reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia and the work of Woody Allen, The Little Death is absolutely concerned with sex.
- 6/22/2015
- by Liam Dunn
- We Got This Covered
The Little Death Magnolia Pictures Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: C+ Director: Josh Lawson Screenwriter: Josh Lawson Cast: Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Kate Box, Patrick Brammall, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, T.J. Power, Kim Gyngell, Lachy Hulme Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 5/12/15 Opens: June 26, 2015 As sex comedies go, nothing has come up since 1897 that can match Arthur Schnitzler’s “Reigen,” also known as “La Ronde.” Schitzler’s roundelay of sexual encounters features people from all walks of society both before and after their sexual congress. Granted, Josh Lawson’s “The Little Death” is not trying to approach the [ Read More ]
The post The Little Death Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Little Death Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/22/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
The Little Death is a film that has been trying to tease out information for a while now, and we finally get a Red Band Trailer so we know exactly where things are going.
Where things are going, apparently, is straight to the oddest corners of the world of sexuality, and deep into the mind of writer/director Josh Lawson.
Check it out above, and don’t miss this one on June 26th.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The Little Death
Written and Directed by Josh Lawson
Staring Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Kate Box, Patrick Brammall, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, Tj Power, Kim Gyngell and Lachy Hulme
The Little Death, which marks the arrival of Australian writer-director Josh Lawson, is both an edgy sex comedy and a warm-hearted depiction of the secret lives of five suburban couples living in Sydney. Lawson’s searing and...
Where things are going, apparently, is straight to the oddest corners of the world of sexuality, and deep into the mind of writer/director Josh Lawson.
Check it out above, and don’t miss this one on June 26th.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The Little Death
Written and Directed by Josh Lawson
Staring Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Kate Box, Patrick Brammall, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, Tj Power, Kim Gyngell and Lachy Hulme
The Little Death, which marks the arrival of Australian writer-director Josh Lawson, is both an edgy sex comedy and a warm-hearted depiction of the secret lives of five suburban couples living in Sydney. Lawson’s searing and...
- 5/4/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Sophie Hyde.s 52 Tuesdays and Kriv Stenders. Kill Me Three Times launched in the Us last week, generating copious publicity and another batch of favourable reviews from Us critics.
Hyde.s gender-bending drama premiered on Friday at the Quad cinema in New York City and on subscription streaming service Fandor.
Stenders. comedy thriller starring Simon Pegg as an assassin who encounters a group of increasingly violent locals, with Alice Braga, Luke Hemsworth, Teresa Palmer, Callan Mulvey and Sullivan Stapleton, debuted on iTunes and other VOD outlets in the Us on March 26.
Released by Magnolia, the film will have its theatrical premiere in around a dozen cities on April 10.
Kino Lorber bought 52 Tuesdays after it won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at last year.s Sundance.
.Like almost all indie movies releasing at the moment in the Us they are starting with one city and will grow if the audiences come,...
Hyde.s gender-bending drama premiered on Friday at the Quad cinema in New York City and on subscription streaming service Fandor.
Stenders. comedy thriller starring Simon Pegg as an assassin who encounters a group of increasingly violent locals, with Alice Braga, Luke Hemsworth, Teresa Palmer, Callan Mulvey and Sullivan Stapleton, debuted on iTunes and other VOD outlets in the Us on March 26.
Released by Magnolia, the film will have its theatrical premiere in around a dozen cities on April 10.
Kino Lorber bought 52 Tuesdays after it won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at last year.s Sundance.
.Like almost all indie movies releasing at the moment in the Us they are starting with one city and will grow if the audiences come,...
- 3/30/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
SXSW 2015 Film Review
complete coverage of the SXSW Film Festival 2015
The Overnight
Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Brice
Two families meet at the park and set up a playdate that has unexpected outcomes for all. Cast: Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Taylor Schilling, Judith Godrèche. (film synopsis from sxsw.com)
Overall
It’s hilarious. The boundaries of bromance, marriage, friendship and even penis comedy are pushed to a very funny limit with this film. It’s great to see Schilling doing great work outside of “Orange is the New Black.”
Final Score: 8/10
Manglehorn
Director: David Gordon Green, Screenwriter: Paul Logan
Reclusive small town locksmith, A.J. Manglehorn, who has never recovered from his losing his true love embarks on a new tenuous relationship with a local woman he meets at the bank. Cast: Al Pacino, Holly Hunter, Harmony Korine, Chris Messina. (U.S. Premiere)
(film synopsis from sxsw.com)
Overall
You probably...
complete coverage of the SXSW Film Festival 2015
The Overnight
Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Brice
Two families meet at the park and set up a playdate that has unexpected outcomes for all. Cast: Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Taylor Schilling, Judith Godrèche. (film synopsis from sxsw.com)
Overall
It’s hilarious. The boundaries of bromance, marriage, friendship and even penis comedy are pushed to a very funny limit with this film. It’s great to see Schilling doing great work outside of “Orange is the New Black.”
Final Score: 8/10
Manglehorn
Director: David Gordon Green, Screenwriter: Paul Logan
Reclusive small town locksmith, A.J. Manglehorn, who has never recovered from his losing his true love embarks on a new tenuous relationship with a local woman he meets at the bank. Cast: Al Pacino, Holly Hunter, Harmony Korine, Chris Messina. (U.S. Premiere)
(film synopsis from sxsw.com)
Overall
You probably...
- 3/19/2015
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
The Little Death
Written and directed by Josh Lawson
Australia, 2014
The Little Death is an Australian comedy concerning five hetero couples (or potential couple in one case), whose relationships become defined by their fetishes. Though the lives of some of these characters intertwine through the setup of them living in the same neighbourhood, the film is more anthology feature than network narrative in that the stories basically act as shorts that we jump in and out of for 95 minutes – and one of them runs uninterrupted for the final 20. Writer-director Josh Lawson even introduces each plot thread with a title card akin to what you might find in a more traditional anthology feature. This isn’t so much The ABCs of Sex, but the title of recent Argentinean anthology Wild Tales wouldn’t be out of place if re-applied to The Little Death.
Lawson definitely tries to be wild, anyway. His...
Written and directed by Josh Lawson
Australia, 2014
The Little Death is an Australian comedy concerning five hetero couples (or potential couple in one case), whose relationships become defined by their fetishes. Though the lives of some of these characters intertwine through the setup of them living in the same neighbourhood, the film is more anthology feature than network narrative in that the stories basically act as shorts that we jump in and out of for 95 minutes – and one of them runs uninterrupted for the final 20. Writer-director Josh Lawson even introduces each plot thread with a title card akin to what you might find in a more traditional anthology feature. This isn’t so much The ABCs of Sex, but the title of recent Argentinean anthology Wild Tales wouldn’t be out of place if re-applied to The Little Death.
Lawson definitely tries to be wild, anyway. His...
- 2/22/2015
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
Josh Lawson.s feature film The Little Death as well as two short films and an online documentary will be showcased at the 22nd South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, next month.
The Little Death is a sex comedy dealing with a number of different couples who are each grappling with different problems in their relationships and sex lives. Having premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, The Little Death will screen in the Narrative Spotlight category at SXSW.
Yianni Warnock.s short film Happy with Bear (produced by Charles Williams) will enjoy its world premiere at the festival screening in the Narrative Shorts section. Running at six minutes, 28 seconds, Happy with Bear explores the loneliness of a Singaporean exchange student and her attempts to find solace by posting fictional images of herself online.
Also in the Narrative Shorts section is Australian...
The Little Death is a sex comedy dealing with a number of different couples who are each grappling with different problems in their relationships and sex lives. Having premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, The Little Death will screen in the Narrative Spotlight category at SXSW.
Yianni Warnock.s short film Happy with Bear (produced by Charles Williams) will enjoy its world premiere at the festival screening in the Narrative Shorts section. Running at six minutes, 28 seconds, Happy with Bear explores the loneliness of a Singaporean exchange student and her attempts to find solace by posting fictional images of herself online.
Also in the Narrative Shorts section is Australian...
- 2/11/2015
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
After tying for best film with The Water Diviner at the Aacta Awards, Jennifer Kent.s The Babadook has won the major prizes at the Australian Film Critics Association annual film and writing awards.
The horror movie took the awards for best film, director, lead actress Essie Davis and supporting actor Noah Wiseman.
Emulating his Aacta Award, David Gulpilil was named best actor for Charlie.s Country. Sarah Snook (who was recognised as best actress for Predestination at the AACTAs) was the surprise winner for best supporting actress for These Final Hours.
Gulpilil and Rolf de Heer collected the original screenplay award and Charlie.s Country.s Ian Jones was feted as best DoP. Gulpilil received his best actor statue on Friday evening from Aaron Pedersen (last year's Afca best actor winner for Mystery Road) during the BlakNite event at Treasury Gardens. He dedicated the award to .the spirit of the country and his family.
The horror movie took the awards for best film, director, lead actress Essie Davis and supporting actor Noah Wiseman.
Emulating his Aacta Award, David Gulpilil was named best actor for Charlie.s Country. Sarah Snook (who was recognised as best actress for Predestination at the AACTAs) was the surprise winner for best supporting actress for These Final Hours.
Gulpilil and Rolf de Heer collected the original screenplay award and Charlie.s Country.s Ian Jones was feted as best DoP. Gulpilil received his best actor statue on Friday evening from Aaron Pedersen (last year's Afca best actor winner for Mystery Road) during the BlakNite event at Treasury Gardens. He dedicated the award to .the spirit of the country and his family.
- 2/8/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Russell Crowe's The Water Diviner is in the running for nine awards from the Film Critics Circle of Australia.
The Babadook and Predestination each scored eight nominations for the awards which will be presented on Tuesday 10 March in Sydney.
There are five nominations apiece for Charlie.s Country, Felony, The Rover and Tracks. Some 12 films released in calendar 2014 got nods.
Up for best film are The Babadook (producers Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere), Charlie.s Country (Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr and Nils Erik Nielsen), Predestination (Paddy McDonald, Tim McGahan and Michael Spierig), Tracks (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman) and The Water Diviner ( Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Keith Rodger).
Unlike the Aacta Awards, Crowe was nominated for best director alongside John Curran, de Heer, Jennifer Kent and the Spierig brothers.
Fcca president and ABC Radio host Rod Quinn said, .This year.s nominees show the diversity of the Australian...
The Babadook and Predestination each scored eight nominations for the awards which will be presented on Tuesday 10 March in Sydney.
There are five nominations apiece for Charlie.s Country, Felony, The Rover and Tracks. Some 12 films released in calendar 2014 got nods.
Up for best film are The Babadook (producers Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere), Charlie.s Country (Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr and Nils Erik Nielsen), Predestination (Paddy McDonald, Tim McGahan and Michael Spierig), Tracks (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman) and The Water Diviner ( Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Keith Rodger).
Unlike the Aacta Awards, Crowe was nominated for best director alongside John Curran, de Heer, Jennifer Kent and the Spierig brothers.
Fcca president and ABC Radio host Rod Quinn said, .This year.s nominees show the diversity of the Australian...
- 2/4/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
South by Southwest, the multi-faceted film, music and technology festival held annually in Austin, TX will feature such upcoming films as Paul Feig’s Spy, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and Ondi Timoner’s Russell Brand profile Brand: A Second Coming as headliners in this year’s film festival lineup.
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
- 2/3/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
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