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EMMA WESTWOOD

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Sally Christie

Interview with Sandra Wollner

Sandra Wollner is an Austrian filmmaker who’s gained some notoriety for creating a film that has been deemed controversial, THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN.

If you don’t know about this controversy, I won’t reveal anything at this point but, instead, let you listen to the interview that I conducted for Triple R’s Primal Screen program. You can hear the interview via the link below at approximately the 6:20-mark.

I’d encourage you to listen to the whole show, especially when Sally Christie, Flick Ford and I discuss THE TROUBLE BEING BORN post-interview and put our spin on this quiet, lonely and philosophical film. As Flick so perfectly articulated, “Representation is not endorsement.”

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Two new commentaries: THE WAR and ISN’T SHE GREAT

Time has got away from me, which means I’m pleased to announce not one but two new commentaries for the fine folks at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

THE WAR (1994), directed by Jon Avnet and starring Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood, is a Southern-drenched allegory of war waged on two fronts: the internal conflict of a man returned from the Vietnam War and the one faced by his kids against the town bullies. I’m honoured to have danced this commentary with Paul Anthony Nelson who makes his debut behind the DVD commentary mic (and what a premiere!)

ISN’T SHE GREAT (2000), directed by Andrew Bergman and starring Bette Midler and Nathan Lane, is a candy-coloured biopic about the larger-than-life author of Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann. I get to unpick the threads of this lost curio with my commentary sister, Sally Christie, and continue our proclivity for all things Bacharach.

Both films are available for pre-order before their respective releases in February and March 2021. Visit the Kino Lorber website for more.

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Introducing the BRIDE party

Despite a minor COVID-19 setback (i.e. postponement of my trip to LA), the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN book is making excellent progress. It’s mutated into something, I would argue, is even better and more beautiful than my initial ambition: a compendium of essays from a murder of curated writers, with myself acting as the editor.

I’m pleased to make a first announcement of contributors who have agreed to etch their words in blood and dance naked under the full moon – Sally Christie, Lee Gambin, Dan Golding, Jon Towlson and Stephen A. Russell. Each writer has nominated a specific topic/theme of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on which they wish to focus.

Stay tuned for more news, as I’ll be revealing topics and further contributors as the project evolves. In the meantime…

Matrimonially yours,
Emma 🕸

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Primal Screen and satanic cinema

Over the holiday break, while Plato’s Cave was on hiatus, I was asked by my good friend, Sally Christie, to join her and another good friend, Lee Gambin, (and his stunning dog, Buddy) on her special summer show on Triple R, Caught in a Celluloid Jam.

Sally used Caught in a Celluloid Jam as a forum to present some of her favourite topics/genres of cinema. The episode in which Lee and I participated focused specifically on satanic cinema. And what a hoot it was! I strongly suggest you take a listen and hear us rabbit on about approximately 20 films of the devilish kind.

But something else happened over summer… Plato’s Cave has changed!

Now under the name Primal Screen at 7pm Mondays on Triple R, Plato’s Cave gets a same-same-but-different reworking, which includes a new lineup of weekly co-hosts: Paul Anthony Nelson, Sally Christie and Flick Ford.

Old faithfuls, Cerise Howard and myself, will be making the occasional appearance as guests but, in 2020, everything’s getting a makeover, including the show intro, which sounds something like this…

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WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?: New DVD audio commentary

It’s official! Sally Christie and I have teamed up for our second audio commentary together, following Paul Schrader’s LIGHT SLEEPER – Eureka’s Blu-ray release of WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?.

Directed by Clive Donner, WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? is a rollicking, swinging ’60s slapstick jive with an awe-inspiring ensemble cast of Peter O’Toole, Peter Sellars, Paula Prentiss, Capucine, Romy Schneider, Woody Allen and Ursula Andress.

Get your Bacharach on!

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Cinemaniacs Presents DELIVERANCE

Few films send shivers down the spine in the same way as DELIVERANCE (1972) so it was an honour to introduce the Cinemaniacs’ screening of DELIVERANCE on Saturday 12th October at Backlot Studios in Melbourne, Australia.

Here’s the evidence…

Want to know more about the event? Visit the Cinemaniacs’ website and start a curated journey into cinema history…

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Hagsploitation Film Festival

Some people may call this sub-genre of films ‘psycho-biddy’, others may call it ‘Grande Dame Guignol’ but, however you want to say it, ‘Hagsploitation’ is not a dirty word.

I’m extremely proud to be presenting as part of the Cinemaniacs’ Hagsploitation Film Festival, in what we believe to be the first ever celebration of hagsploitation in the world.

On Friday 12th to Saturday 13th January 2018, a cluster of superb films that shines the spotlight on some of history’s most legendary leading ladies, bigger than the films themselves, will be screened at Backlot Studios in Southbank, Melbourne.

I am privileged to be speaking about Joan Crawford in William Castle’s under-rated Strait-Jacket (1964), although I’ll also be joining Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Sally Christie to provide sweeping adoration for The Women of Hagsploitation in a panel discussion.

Browse the program and book tickets now.

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A Bicentenary with Bite: Revisiting Dark Age

Having transformed my living room into a set for the special Umbrella Entertainment blu-ray release of Long Weekend, the unstoppable Lee Gambin got the band back together to do it all again.

This time, in a discussion titled ‘A Bicentenary with Bite: Revisiting Dark Age’, Lee Gambin, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Sally Christie and I turn our loving gaze to the Australian horror delight Dark Age (1987) – directed by Arch Nicholson, starring John Jarrat, David Gulpilil, Burnam Burnam and Nikki Coghill.

Dark Age nearly disappeared into the annals of lost cinema so, luckily, Umbrella Entertainment is continuing their loving work and giving this film the blu-ray special edition treatment that it deserves.

You can buy it and make it yours by clicking below…

(And immense thanks goes to Ben Gurvich for the camerawork and Justine Ryan for her able tech assistance).

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Long Weekend blu-ray extras

Umbrella Entertainment put a lot of love into this blu-ray release of an almost forgotten Australian classic, Long Weekend. Sally Christie, Lee Gambin, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, videoographer Ben Gurvich and I tried to match this love with our panel discussion in the extras.

I hope you like it as much as we do…

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