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Waterpark, a short film by Evan Prosofsky

Nowness (Shorts on Sundays series):

Artificial waves crash and swimsuit-clad patrons frolic in the strange suburban utopia of World Waterpark in Alberta, Canada, in cinematographer Evan Prosofsky’s first directorial effort, launching an open call for submissions to our new Shorts on Sundays series via the NOWNESS Vimeo channel. The aquatic playground cast as the uncanny protagonist in Waterpark is located inside the West Edmonton Mall, North America’s largest shopping destination. “I never seemed to adjust to the absurdity,” says the director of shooting in his hometown’s famous fantasyland. “Even as a kid, I just couldn’t believe we had flamingos, submarines, roller coasters, and pirate ships in our mall.” The increasingly sought-after cinematographer became known as the lensman behind several of last year’s most shared music videos, including Grimes’ “Oblivion,” Bat for Lashes’ “All Your Gold” and Grizzly Bear’s “Yet Again.” Sound features prominently in Waterpark, too, with the soundtrack composed by Prosofsky’s friend Alex Zhang Hungtai, aka Dirty Beaches, infusing the innocent family environment with a seductive, contemplative undertone. “[Evan] told me of his experience there as a child,” says the Taiwanese-born Canadian musician of the effort. “That helped me understand his perspective, and I liked how neutral and non-judgmental it was.” Shot over a span of three years, the labor of love hints at the anxiety that lays dormant behind an otherwise glossy North American leisure culture. “Once I was in there,” Prosofsky recalls of shooting in plain view. “No one paid me the slightest bit of attention.” We asked Emily Kai Bock to share her thoughts on her collaborator’s uncommon vision and process.

Waterpark is an early glimpse into the way Evan has structured his life around the craft of cinematography—being a typical teen working at the West Edmonton mall, but using his money and time off to go to the expense of documenting the space for hours on 16mm. It’s rare to find that kind of devotion and love for the craft with a cinematographer. I’ve led him into many situations on several videos where his equipment could have been confiscated or ruined by the conditions. When we were shooting Grizzly Bear’s “Yet Again” I remember watching him as he read the manual for a HydroFlex underwater housing before dropping it into a swimming pool with his own 35mm camera inside. The camera was safe, but it demonstrated that getting the shot was more valuable to him then his own equipment. His knowledge has provided an unwavering buoyancy through our sink-or-swim shoots. 

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Feist: Anti-Pioneer, filmed by Martin de Thurah

Nowness:

Canadian chanteuse Leslie Feist swirls and twirls through a monochrome kaleidoscope while intoning her sultry ballad “Anti-Pioneer” in a new video by Danish director Martin de Thurah.

De Thurah’s video was shot with a tiny crew in an old building in Mexico City while the pair had a two-hour break in the middle of filming the promo for Feist’s “The Bad in Each Other,” lifted from recent LP Metals. “We had a window of opportunity to shoot something else, which never happens,” explains De Thurah. “I had thought about making something very simple, complex and emotional with Leslie alone. I found the song very intimate, and wanted the video to reflect that.” 

Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012] Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan MK2: Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred.  To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible. Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless. That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh.  [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes]  Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012]

    Laurence Anyways (2012) by Xavier Dolan

    MK2:

    Laurence, a young french teacher and soon-to- be-published author, enjoys an intense and mutually loving relationship with his fiancée, Fred. But on the day after his 30th birthday, Laurence confesses to Fred that he longs to become a woman, asking her to support him in this transformation. Despite her best efforts, Fred is too hurt by this development, and they break up. Each of them tries to build a new life, without thinking of the past. Five years later, Laurence sends a copy of his first book of poetry to Fred. 

    To clarify: Laurence is a heterosexual man played by Melvil Poupaud who wants to become a woman. Fred, played by Suzanne Clément, is his girlfriend. Laurence Anyways is really about Laurence and Fred’s intense and impossible love — the way I saw it, the transexuality element is just a trick to add drama to that love story and make it impossible.

    Laurence Anyways is 2h40min long and I’d say there’s about 15 mins worth of beautiful but totally unnecessary shots that could have easily been edited out. Some scenes were like short music videos starring Suzanne Clément as a fashion icon: cool music, Clément moving in slow motion wearing pretty clothes matching the pretty decor… it’s all very beautiful but rather pointless.

    That being said, I totally understand why Dolan felt like glamming up Suzanne Clement so much… I too only had eyes for her: she has enormous sex appeal and acts her ass off in this. And she’s got to be the only French Canadian whose thick accent doesn’t make me laugh. 

    [Xavier Dolan is only 23 and this is his 3rd film. If that’s not impressive enough, the guy writes, directs and edits his films. He sometimes acts in them. He also designs the costumes] 

    Check out this really good interview of Xavier Dolan by Jian Ghomeshi for Q => HERE

    [Seen @ L’Acazar, Asnières-sur-Seine, 04 August 2012]

    Starbuck (2011) by Ken Scott Wikipedia: The main character David Wozniak is a perpetual adolescent who discovers that, as a sperm donor, he has fathered 533 children. David, a deliveryman for a butcher shop, is being pursued by thugs because he owes them money. Next, he is advised that 142 of his offspring are trying to force the fertility clinic to reveal the true identity of “Starbuck”, the pseudonym he used when donating sperm. In addition, his girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child but does not feel that he is mature enough to be a father. The film’s title refers to a Canadian Holstein bull who produced hundreds of thousands of progeny by artificial insemination in the 1980s and 1990s. The premise is farcical enough to make for a good comedy, but sadly Starbuck is not as funny as it should have been. There’s one scene in particular that infuriated me: it involved sleepwalking children and a sand box, it had great dialogue coupled with great situation comedy — that scene was packed with great comedy elements, on paper it was hilarious and sweet at the same time, and it should have been the funniest thing ever… Instead it fell flat on its ass, partly because it wasn’t choreographed properly and partly because of some terribly dull acting from Antoine Bertrand (Bertrand was bad throughout the film, which was a bit of a problem considering that he was the one delivering most of the film’s punch lines).   In addition of not being as funny as it could have been, the film is way too sentimental for my taste.  That said, Starbuck has a couple of things going for it: a warm and funny performance by Patrick Huard, who stars as David, and the fact that everyone speaks with a thick French Canadian accent (so thick in fact that some of the dialogue had to be subtitled for the French audience), which in itself is an endless source of comedy.  And now I’m going to say something that I thought I’d never say about any film: I’m actually looking forward to the Hollywood remake. I’m convinced they’ll do the script justice and inject some real humor in it (because they’re pros)… They’ve got Vince Vaughn in the bag for the title role and that’s already a great start.  [Seen @ Gaumont Opéra, Paris, 02 August 2012]

    Starbuck (2011) by Ken Scott

    Wikipedia:

    The main character David Wozniak is a perpetual adolescent who discovers that, as a sperm donor, he has fathered 533 children.

    David, a deliveryman for a butcher shop, is being pursued by thugs because he owes them money. Next, he is advised that 142 of his offspring are trying to force the fertility clinic to reveal the true identity of “Starbuck”, the pseudonym he used when donating sperm. In addition, his girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child but does not feel that he is mature enough to be a father.

    The film’s title refers to a Canadian Holstein bull who produced hundreds of thousands of progeny by artificial insemination in the 1980s and 1990s.

    The premise is farcical enough to make for a good comedy, but sadly Starbuck is not as funny as it should have been. There’s one scene in particular that infuriated me: it involved sleepwalking children and a sand box, it had great dialogue coupled with great situation comedy — that scene was packed with great comedy elements, on paper it was hilarious and sweet at the same time, and it should have been the funniest thing ever… Instead it fell flat on its ass, partly because it wasn’t choreographed properly and partly because of some terribly dull acting from Antoine Bertrand (Bertrand was bad throughout the film, which was a bit of a problem considering that he was the one delivering most of the film’s punch lines).  

    In addition of not being as funny as it could have been, the film is way too sentimental for my taste. 

    That said, Starbuck has a couple of things going for it: a warm and funny performance by Patrick Huard, who stars as David, and the fact that everyone speaks with a thick French Canadian accent (so thick in fact that some of the dialogue had to be subtitled for the French audience), which in itself is an endless source of comedy. 

    And now I’m going to say something that I thought I’d never say about any film: I’m actually looking forward to the Hollywood remake. I’m convinced they’ll do the script justice and inject some real humor in it (because they’re pros)… They’ve got Vince Vaughn in the bag for the title role and that’s already a great start. 

    [Seen @ Gaumont Opéra, Paris, 02 August 2012]