Assemblog: June 14, 2013

Xanadu, 1980

New this week on Popshifter: Emily reviews Dark, the latest from the British Electric Foundation; Chelsea appreciates the “exuberant energy” of CSS’s Planta; Melissa thinks Gap Band VII has “moments of brilliance” and enjoys the “invariably perfect” Volume 4 of Music from True Blood; Jeff introduces us to his next Waxing Nostalgic series on cover albums; and I review the new film Peaches Does Herself from the inimitable Peaches and the “remarkably original” John Dies At The End, now on DVD.

I wrote an article for The Cultural Gutter on Xanadu and why I think it’s a postmodern film. Read and enjoy!

Good news! Brian DePalma’s Passion finally has a release date! According to Fangoria, “eOne releases the film August 1 On Demand and August 31 in limited theatrical release.” I assume this is the US only, but it could be North America. Either way, this is good news for those of us who’ve been waiting to see this movie.

A few months ago I mentioned the lawsuit filed against Fox by some interns who’d worked on Black Swan. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they have now been granted a “summary judgment win” by Federal Judge William Pauley, who did not feel that their internship at the studio passed the six-factor test. Yes, they knew the internships were unpaid. Yes, they knew they’d probably be doing menial tasks like making copies and getting coffee. However, as Film School Rejects‘ Landon Palmer points out:

This is not to say that interns should never be expected to do coffee runs and write travel schedules, of course, but the ruling makes certain that the notion of an “internship” remains within the strict parameters of an apprentice-like opportunity geared towards professional experience. Sure, an internship is not a guarantee of future employment, but it’s quite difficult to network in even the most basic of ways (let alone learn about the production process) when one is relegated to a copy room for the majority of the work day.

The Hollywood Reporter adds that Pauley has also “certified a class action that will explore internships throughout the corporate departments at Fox Entertainment Group.” Naturally Fox is not happy and is seeking to have the decision reversed.

In piracy news, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Warner Bros. is now seeking to recoup some of its alleged losses by identifying those who have illegally traded copyrighted works by “giving them each an opportunity to settle a potential copyright infringement claim for $20 per title infringed.” What a bargain! One of the comments remarks on “Prenda Law,” which I looked into. I found a long, detailed article about an infamous law firm who have been dubbed “copyright trolls” and the implication is that these may be similar tactics to those employed by Warner Bros.

It was just announced a few days ago that the David Bowie Is exhibit from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London will be traveling to the Art Gallery of Ontario this fall. Now there is additional good news for Torontonians: TIFF has announced The Cronenberg Project, which will “explore the world of David Cronenberg by tracing his development and progression as a filmmaker through the themes of physical and psychological transformation that define his cinema.” The core of this exhibit (which will eventually launch internationally) is a film retrospective called David Cronenberg: Evolution, but will also include a virtual museum, an interactive digital experience, an art exhibition, and two original publications. YES, PLEASE AND THANK YOU. For more details check out the article on Bloody Disgusting.

There was a bit of excitement a couple of weeks ago when rumors began that Dan Harmon would be back as Community‘s showrunner for the recently renewed show’s Season 5. And it’s true, according to Indiewire. I’ve only seen about half of Season 4 and although I didn’t feel the same disappointment and rage towards it that many seemed to, it did feel a bit less dense in terms of narrative structure and straight up laughs. So I guess I am looking forward to Harmon’s return? Regardless, this news seems to confirm that Harmon was actually booted from the show because of his beef with Chevy Chase, since he wasn’t asked to return until Chase quit.

Remember Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s amazing The Host? He’s also directing the upcoming Snowpiercer which now has a trailer! It certainly looks intriguing and yes, that is Tilda Swinton with the teeth.

—Less Lee Moore, Managing Editor