Rising Star Alert: Sam Milletti

Meat
Filmed and Edited by Sam Milletti
Featuring performance artist, photographer and model Jacek Davis. 

Rising film maker Sam Milletti' has been honing in on his creative skills from a young age and this proves true in his latest work. Taking on a new experimental style and saying goodbye to traditional narrative, I'll be taking a look at his new teaser for MEAT and taking a trip down memory lane just to see how far Milletti has come.

There isnt a medium of film young Milletti hasnt explored. He's well known for his short films, fashion features and music videos. I asked him the inspiration behind his new style of work and question why he left the old narrative form, Milletti commented; "I've been creating short films with a strong narrative structure for the last few years. This type of work has helped me deal with personal issues in a cathartic way. The monologues that would feature in my films were personal and raw, a reflection of my current situation at the time of making each one. This system of working served me well as I was able to deal with my emotions through the medium of film". Examples of his traditional work can be found here.

Known for his strict and traditional narrative style, Milletti has taken on a new, surrealist form of work and his commitment to this change is certainly apparent within his latest piece. When asked what made Milletti take on such a different style, he commented; "when it came to making 'Meat' I wanted to depart from my usual frame of working, a style that I had become familiar with and known for. I wanted to push the boundaries of what I had done before and take bold new steps in a different direction. It was more on an emotional choice then a strategic one. I didn't sit down and say "I'm going to make something completely different this time". It wasnt as contrived as that". There is nothing contrived about Meat and the sense of freedom in Milletti's new style is clearly defined in this piece. 

Take a look at the teaser below...

The kaleidoscope effect connotes issues of identity and a fragmented mental state, perhaps this will continue within the rest of the film? I can only hope so. This exaggerated sense of reality suites Milletti's new style. The colours are vibrant and fun but juxtapose nicely with the slightly sinister music that accompanies this teaser. A teaser like this almost reminds me of a horror movie trailer, there's an intense feeling and a faintly disturbing vibe that actually makes it more appealing. It reminds me of the openings to the American Horror Story: Murder House Series. Whether this is the effect Milletti is looking for, who knows. It will be interesting how the style and subtext will develop when the full film is released. When asked about the purpose of a film like this for the audience, Milletti said; "Why my other films I think I demanded a lot from my audience. I wanted them to sit and concentrate, listening intently to ever world of m y carefully thought out monologue. With 'Meat' I'm saying it's ok so sit back and enjoy. You don't have to be constantly thinking about the meaning behind this. I want this film to work as an installation piece, something that conveys a mood".

Sam Milletti has definitely taken a leap of faith with the new movie, it's difficult to tell how his fans will react to such a surreal change in pace. Personally, I love it. It shows maturity and growth with his own work and identity. Looking forward to seeing the full movie.

If you want to know more about Sam and his work head to his Facebook Page , Twitter Page and Instagram.

Gone Girl Review

Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl is David Fincher's latest psychological thriller that packs a twisted punch. With Ben Affleck playing our protagonist, Nick Dunne, and the effervescent Rosamund Pike staring along side him as wife, Amy, these two prestige actors give a brilliant performance that ring true to Flynn's origional characters. Initially, the narrative is very straight forward, we're looking at a murder enquiry where it is quite easy to assume, the husband did it. However, as Fincher slams in twist after twist, audiences are soon left with their jaws on the floor.

The film is very Fincher, the sleek styling of the editing and mise-en-scene is similar to his other, more recent films like Zodiac and The Social Network. His wide screen camera angles and saturated blue haze to his scenes adds to the sense of isolation within the narrative which is reflected beautifully within the characters. This familiarity is enjoyable and comforting, you know that in Fincher's hands, you're going to get a good movie, even at the very least, in stylistic terms. Much like within Fight Club, the film is dripping with hidden clues as to what the audience may discover throughout the narrative. A 'game playing' connotation is injected into many of the scenes like a hypodermic needle slowly dosing the audience with realisation of what is going on in front of them.

My only true issue with the film is some of the pacing. Don't get me wrong, you're going to get that thriller sort of feel, even if it is more sadistic and twisted then you're average psychological twist fest, but i just wanted a little more. I think those who haven't read the novel or aren't already familiar with the story will feel the pacing more intensely than those who have. However, I wanted to be on the edge of my seat a little more. I almost feel as if Fincher was ringing his hands together at the back on the cinema, shaking his head, knowing fully well I wanted a little more fast paced action and knowing that he was going to make me work for it. So sadistic, so Fincher. With it's mega explicit sex scenes and shocking violence, Gone Girl is your standard thriller with a little more torture for the audience.

The absolute beacon of perfection in this film, however, is Rosamund Pike's thrilling performance as Amy. With smaller films like An Education and The Worlds End under her belt, this is by far her best performance to date. She's like a still lake, beautiful and tranquil and then somebody lobs a giant stone in it and she really comes into her own as a character. She plays Amy with such a multidimensional brilliance that it shocks you as an audience. Is this really that soft spoken, English rose we know so well? You bet it is. Opposite her is Affleck who plays oblivious husband Nick with a fabulous naivety that enables audience to still like him even though you want to give him a swift back-hander. With co-stars like Carrie Coon as Nick's twin sister and Kim Dickens as our main detective, audiences are given some relief from these two emotionally draining main characters with confident and capable secondary characters with specific mention of Neil Patrick Harris who plays an amazing Desi Collings.

Fincher fans are going to be very happy with Gone Girl, you know what you're getting and it fills you up with that familiar sense of thriller suspense. Those who aren't as familiar may be a little hungry for more action but the last hour of the film is going to leave Fincher newbies with their mouths so firmly on the floor that any issues with pace will soon be forgotten.