A lot of filmmakers can try to imitate the lyrical, dreamy style of Terrence Malick, but few can replicate it. And the auteur’s acclaimed Tree of Life certainly comes to mind while watching Jeremiah Zagar‘s hypnotic We the Animals trailer. But there’s an unsettling wildness that sets Zagar’s Sundance darling apart.
We the Animals Trailer
Stunning and visceral, the We the Animals trailer tells the story of Jonah (Evan Rosado) and his two brothers Manny and Joel. But his idyllic childhood of wrestling with his brothers and living wildly in upstate New York while his sensitive mother (Sheila Vand) spoils him, is interrupted when his irresponsible father (Raúl Castillo) puts them in danger. Their parents regularly abandon them on a whim, leaving the boys to fend for themselves and grow into embittered teens. But Jonah holds tight to the idealism of his childhood, often vanishing into an imagined world of his own.
Based off the best-selling 2011 novel by Justin Torres, We the Animals made a splash at Sundance when it premiered at the film festival earlier this year. The Seattle Times praised it as a “a haunting, singular coming-of-age story” while Indiewire proclaimed it to be “this year’s Moonlight.” The film won the NEXT Innovator Award and was quickly snatched up by Orchard for distribution later this summer.
The enchanting trailer seems to live up to the praise. It feels like a cross between the Japanese film Nobody Knows and Tree of Life — like Malick’s meandering lyricism is given a tragic focus. And the performances from the young stars look like they’re on par with the tour-de-force turns from Moonlight‘s young stars last year, which could put We the Animals in contention for this year’s Oscar race.
Here is the official synopsis for We the Animals:
Manny, Joel, and Jonah tear their way through childhood. Their mother and father have a volatile relationship that makes and unmakes the family many times over, often leaving the boys fending for themselves. As their parents rip at one another, Manny and Joel harden and grow into versions of their father. With the triumvirate fractured, Jonah, who is the youngest, becomes increasingly aware of his desperate need to escape. Driven to the edge, Jonah embraces an imagined world all his own.
We the Animals opens in theaters on August 17, 2018.
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https://briefnews.eu/we-the-animals-trailer-jeremiah-zagars-dreamy-sundance-hit-channels-terrence-malick/feed/0These dreamy islands in the Seychelles should be on your bucket list, says JANE MEMMLER
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NC
At the resort you have your own private pool and may not even stumble across another guest
“Would you like to come to see the turtles hatching on Grand Anse beach?”
Not losing a second, I quickly threw a frock over my dripping hair and beat a watery path to the door, just as my taxi – well, electric golf cart – was screaming to a halt outside.
My driver, clearly as anxious as I to witness this rare event, pushed the boundaries of battery power careering around the winding roads that carve through the lush gardens down to the beach.
There in faint moonlight we watched, alongside the island’s sustainability manager, Anna Zora, as 121 baby Hawksbill sea turtles made the dash of their lives down to the safety of the sea, beyond reach of predator crabs darting furiously over the sand.
Félicité is one of 115 islands that make up the paradise archipelago that is the Seychelles and Grand Anse is just one of the protected beaches where turtles feel so comfortable that, at last count, 51 nests have been laid.
Conservation is taken seriously here and the intention of protecting and reintroducing the island’s endemic species, both animal and flora, are primary objectives for the government and the managers of Félicité Island, hotel operator Six Senses.
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Zil Payson is the island’s only resort, occupying a third of this lush one-mile-square granitic plot while the other two thirds is covered with vegetation, some of which has invaded Félicité, according to island ecologist, Steve Hill.
His mammoth task is to restore the island’s indigenous botanic species once he’s managed to raise the $ 2.5 million needed for this worthy project.
Getting to the Seychelles has just become so much easier with British Airways’ new twice-weekly direct route from Heathrow.
In just under 10 hours we touched down on Mahé, where we picked up our helicopter transfer, (as you do) for the 50-minute flight to Félicité.
Swooping low over dozens of rocky outcrops edged by talcum powder beaches lapped by luminous water, is like flying over a tropical film set – each island having been styled with prerequisite swaying palms, granite boulders and bordered by white fringes of foam caressing the shoreline.
NC
Félicité is just one of the protected beaches where turtles feel comfortable to hatch nests
We do, indeed, feel like movie stars as we land on the island’s helipad at the edge of the resort and are presented with cool scented towels and fresh tropical juice.
I survey stupendous surroundings, neat lawns and a beach adorned with lanterns in front of an elegant open-air restaurant and bar where hammock- style seats sway in the breeze under the eaves.
Acting as a border between the lawn and the sea is a long, inviting pool with a wide deck.
What strike me most however are the graduating shades of the water, deep turquoise to jade green and lapis lazuli, quite simply, out of this world.
The feel is that of a relaxed beach house with young staff, eager to please, in bright polo shirts and khaki shorts effortlessly delivering five-star service – whether it be carrying a kayak to the water or serving ice cold beers on the beach.
Just off the island lies a coral nursery which you can snorkel over.
An ingenious series of ropes suspended underwater holds 1,800 fragments of coral that survived the El Nino, which devastated 95 per cent of the reef.
They are entwined in its strands and grow in their own little hammocks.
It is maintained by two freedivers who clean the ropes with toothbrushes and small knives each day.
After 12 months, it will be transplanted in a nearby protected area.
NC
An 130-year-old turtle, called Theo, lives on the island
Beyond Félicité’s impressive eco-creditionals, holidaying here couldn’t be more relaxed.
Shoes are redundant as is anything vaguely resembling formality.
It’s a bikini/ kaftan/shorts kind of place.
There are no cars, only golf buggies to take you wherever you want to go and they seem to appear just as you need one, whether you’re on the beach or at your villa.
If you’re strong of calf you can tackle by bicycle some of the steep roads which carve through the ferns and palms up to the gigantic granite boulders crowning the island, dodging the occasional chicken.
Alternatively, there’s a gym enclosed in a glass box overlooking the uninhabited Big Sister and Little Sister islands and yoga is taken in a pavilion reached via a rope swing bridge.
One memorable night, we watched the sunset from the clifftop, sipping champagne sitting on large white beanbags while bats with giant wingspans swooped overhead – an experience that will be hard to beat.
I’m rather ashamed to say it doesn’t take long to become accustomed to the exclusivity of a one-resort island.
And there’s nothing snobby or stuffy about Six Senses.
Whatever your bank balance, the welcome is the same, the vibe laid-back.
The 30 secluded villas, all sea facing, are designed to strict Six Senses specifications: glass that doesn’t allow in heat, low wattage bulbs, stone floors, sustainable locally made toiletries – although I doubt the Japanese-style loos with heated seats and water jets would pass – and the double-seated wooden swing in the bathroom was rather baffling.
Dark wood beds swathed in mosquito nets and Mediterranean-blue soft furnishings offer a five-star treehouse vibe.
A minibar with freshly made coconut water among wines and champagne, and complimentary coconut balls and coconut crisps were so addictive, I had to call my butler to have them removed.
Outside is your sublime private pool, dining table and sunloungers overlooking the sea.
I begin to appreciate why I barely saw another guest.
From here I spotted designer Diane von Fürstenberg and her billionaire husband, Barry Diller on their superyacht.
Lunch on the beach comes in the form of bento boxes with salads and fresh fruit, laid out on striped rugs under leaning palms while dinner is an exploration of superb Creole cuisine when one can feast on grilled lobster and tuna with prawn and mango salads in the open-air Ocean Kitchen or on the sand at the Boulodrome.
Two of the islands’ original A-frame bungalows are still in use as a kids’ club and day bungalow and were where well-travelled ex-PM Tony Blair once stayed, as did Richard Branson, prior to the Six Senses acquisition.
We become nature buffs during a walk with Steve to the Vallée de Mai (palm forest).
NC
You can enjoy stunning views and the sunset up on the cliff, overlooking the sea
We city slickers clumsily clamber over rocks, through curtains of banyan tree roots, past towering pines and through the thick takamaka and Phoenicophorium palm trees, whose leaves are used in roofs.
We dodge spiders, frozen in elaborate webs as big as cinema screens.
When asked about the possibility of introducing Mediterranean bougainvillea, Steve replies, “Not on my watch!”
We take pictures and smirk at the giant nut of the female coco-de-mer palm (resembling a woman’s bottom) and that of the male, complete with a catkin – a phallus-shaped tube studded with yellow flowers.
It’s no wonder it’s an endangered species.
Where Félicité is all about the fauna, Frégate Island Private, an hour away by boat, is all about the Giant Aldabra tortoises – 3,500 of them in fact.
Equally minuscule, Frégate is infinitely wilder than Félicité.
NC
Jane explored the islands by kayak
The jungle is dense, the birdlife prolific and of course the tortoises really do have the run of the place.
One can see why it’s known as Castaway Island.
A graveyard sits behind the tiny marina which dates back to the 1700s when the island was covered in plantations, and beyond is a pretty open-fronted church with icons made of shells and stained glass windows depicting the isle’s natural resources.
It’s also markedly lush with palms so thick and so perfect, leaning towards the shore, you have to pinch yourself that it’s all real.
It was here I met Theo.
At around 130 years old and utterly charming, he likes nothing better than having his neck stroked.
The tortoises are particularly partial to the open-air spa at the top of the island where they wander around the outdoor pool and enjoy any free bananas.
Most wander-lusted holiday destinations revealed
Wed, May 10, 2017
Pinterest and Airbnb’s most wander-lusted holiday destinations revealed.
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The most wander-lusted holiday destinations revealed
Frégate is a place of legends.
It is thought that pirate La Buse, who stole gold from a ship bound for the Vatican, brought the treasure to Frégate.
As late as the 1970s some of the loot was still being unearthed and is rumoured now to be in Mauritius.
We hear this captivating tale from Wayne Kafcsak, the island’s managing director, during our Pirate Ruin trail walk.
Remnants of walls and wells indicate that there were fortified dwellings here long ago.
These days guests stay in more salubrious surroundings, and in complete privacy and seclusion if they want.
Sixteen Dutch-colonial style villas – dark wood, huge pools and vast decks – mean many stay put.
They’re as big as small houses with dining areas, enormous lounges, massive bedrooms.
Each property comes with a golf buggy offering hours of fun driving around the island behaving as if it’s your own.
Beyond the beaches the dense forest, thick with indigenous species such as takamaka trees, Wright’s gardenia and tortoises, is alarmingly reminiscent of Jurassic Park.
I half expected a dinosaur to come bounding down the grassy slopes.
Getting there: British Airways (0844 493 0787/ ba.com) offers return flights from London Heathrow to Mahé from £869.
Six Senses (0808 234 7200/sixsenses.com) offers a Hideaway Room at Six Senses Zil Pasyon from £1,190 per night, B&B.
Oetker Collection (dialling from the UK: +49 72 21 900 99 22/ oetkercollection. com) offers a Private Pool Villa from £2,840 per night, full board.
Zil Air (zilair.com) offers helicopter transfers from Mahé to Félicité from £800 (seats four). Seychelles tourism: seychelles.travel
]]>https://briefnews.eu/these-dreamy-islands-in-the-seychelles-should-be-on-your-bucket-list-says-jane-memmler/feed/0Dreamy Watercolor Paintings of Amateur Porn Thumbnails
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https://briefnews.eu/dreamy-watercolor-paintings-of-amateur-porn-thumbnails/#respondFri, 08 Dec 2017 18:11:18 +0000http://briefnews.eu/dreamy-watercolor-paintings-of-amateur-porn-thumbnails/Los Angeles-based artist Ali Silverstein’s work was featured in the The Chronicles of LA’s inaugural chapter of experiential pop-up stores and exhibits—this one installed in the now vacant Barclay Hotel. There, 60 artists, designers, performers, and musicians shared their perspective about sex. It was a resonate setting for Silverstein who describes her process as evidence-gathering — a way to parse and unravel the mystery of sensations, experiences, and emotions.
We instantly fell for Silverstein’s series of dreamy, erotic watercolors called X-Rated (Amateur), sourced from online amateur porn thumbnails. The artworks are the same size as the thumbnail images on the computer screen. The smaller scale leaves the viewer to distinguish between nude bodies, abstract painterly marks, and soft washes of sun-scorched color. The raw, white border and its fleshy texture complements the unrehearsed subjects within and further complicates our view of the most desirable part of the image.
“I like the cinematic nature of the images,” Silverstein writes on her website. “They feel like moments in a real drama, rather than staged formulas. As a documentary filmmaker, that aspect of real-life observed drama is very interesting to me.”
Follow Silverstein on Instagram. See more of her work at an upcoming show titled Movers and Shapers with artist Justine Hill at Brooklyn’s Victori + Mo on January 5.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/dreamy-watercolor-paintings-of-amateur-porn-thumbnails/feed/0‘Gemini’ Trailer: Zoe Kravitz, Lola Kirke, John Cho Star in a Dreamy Neo-Noir
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Combine the talents of rising indie star Lola Kirke, talented genre actress Zoe Kravitz, and the endlessly watchable John Cho, and you’ve already got a great set-up for a movie. Place them in a dark Los Angeles-set neo-noir, and well, you have one of the most intriguing indie films of the year.
The trailer for New York filmmaker Aaron Katz’s Gemini paints a dark and surreal picture of a Hollywood starlet (Kravitz) and her dangerously co-dependent relationship with her dedicated assistant (Kirke). But this is more than just a narcissistic tale of female friendship, as something more malicious lurks under the surface.
Kravitz as Heather Anderson, a hot young actress plagued by paparazzi and her own ego. But her best friend and assistant Jill (Kirke) offers a grounding presence, and unwavering loyalty, to Heather. But despite her best efforts, Heather seems more than a little unhinged, resulting in a death (or accident?) that Jill horrifyingly discovers. Embroiled in a crime investigation led by John Cho’s strapping police detective, Jill finds herself questioning her relationship with Heather, and possibly her own reality.
The tension is palpable in this trailer, which balances a mix of surrealism and grittiness in a Single White Female-inspired neo-noir. The trailer poses more questions than answers: Why is Lola Kirke wearing a blonde wig? Who is that Asian girl? Is Zoe Kravitz’s character really dead? But it’s intriguing premise and talented cast is more than enough to convince me — and hopefully others — to see it in theaters.
Gemini made a buzzy premiere at SXSW in March, where /Film’s Jacob Hall called it “evocative and weird and effortlessly entertaining,” though he thought it was saddled with a lackluster conclusion.
Gemini is distributed by Neon, and also stars Greta Lee, Michelle Forbes, and Ricki Lake. Gemini is set to be released in spring 2018.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/gemini-trailer-zoe-kravitz-lola-kirke-john-cho-star-in-a-dreamy-neo-noir/feed/0Discover Île de Ré: Get around this dreamy French island on a bike
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Discover the secrets of Île de Ré on a bike
Built in 1681 to keep the English at bay during 16th and 17th-century conflicts, the immaculately preserved walls zigzag in a star-like shape.
This historic Unesco World Heritage town is a wonderful mishmash of alleyways lined with small shops and terraced houses, oozing rustic charm.
I stopped for a glass of crisp, local white wine on a cobbled terrace overlooking the picturesque quays at the heart of St Martin before setting off to explore the back streets. In a delightful stroke of luck, I crested the hill to find a magnificent church.
A wooden board propped outside invited me in and for €2 I was granted access to the tower. It was a small and narrow ascent but emerging into the sunlight I was rewarded with an impressive view across the town’s fabled 16th-century stone architecture.
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I headed back into town in search of the region’s famous donkey milk soap.
An item unique to this part of western France, the soap is created using milk from les ânes en culotte – a breed named “donkeys in pants” due to their outrageous “trousers” designed to protect their legs from mosquitos while grazing.
The donkeys were traditionally put to work as farm animals, although the advent of modern technology has seen their role reduced to something more akin to a mascot.
Across the water is the city of La Rochelle and the two are linked by the 1.5-mile Île de Ré toll bridge.
As recently as 1987, access to the island was only possible through the use of roll-on roll-off ferries. During summer, the waiting time to cross could easily take a day either side of your holiday but thankfully the construction of the flyover converted the once hours-long wait into a short drive.
A fee of up to €12 to use the bridge, though, makes it the most expensive toll road in France.
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The historic Unesco World Heritage town is a mishmash of alleyways lined with terraced houses
Île de Ré is so small that within 45 minutes of arriving I had already unpacked my bags in the stylish chalet at the Sunêlia Interlude campsite. Dotted across undulating coastal woodland just a stone’s throw from the shore, the site also plays host to tents and caravans.
It’s also a place where you can indulge in a taste of the good life. A spot of pampering was in order so I headed past the swimming pool to the spa. Younger guests are also catered for here with a special list of teen beauty treatments in addition to massages from around the world and a hot tub, sauna and steam room.
Emerging refreshed I hopped next door to La Grillérade restaurant. In a welcome departure from usual campsite dining, the à la carte options included fresh seafood dishes and other locally sourced ingredients presented with fl air and I enjoyed a feast of veal-stuffed squid and a fantastic spiced tomato sauce.
The next morning I joined Sylvian, the park’s entertainment manager, for a free bike tour. We sauntered along miles of meandering roads, taking in the island’s sleepy hamlets and oyster farms dotted across the landscape.
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The Sunêlia Le Fief campsite has a tremendous water park
Halfway along our route we came across a charming 17th-century windmill that has been converted into a B&B, Le Moulin de Bel-Air. It was restored by the owners during the 1970s after being abandoned and falling into disrepair.
Now it draws the eye as the sole structure towering above fields of poppies and vineyards. The nearest beach to the campsite also happened to be the island’s best. Sailors and windsurfers were out in force at Le Bois-Plage but we opted to rent a kayak from Olivier and Marie Pierre, who run La Cabane Verte surf school from an idyllic beach shack. After a quick trip around the bay we “kayak-surfed” back to shore.
Using the oar as a makeshift rudder, we rode the crest of a wave that beached us just yards from the hut. Just 20 minutes away is La Flotte, a picturesque port town said to be one of the most beautiful in the country.
Complemented by the dazzling rays of a scorching French summer, it was hard to disagree. Beyond the harbour filled with sailing ships and fishing vessels, La Flotte is home to a charming sprawl of market stalls, boulangeries and fromageries that offer a fine way to spend a lazy afternoon.
Our next stop was Le Phares des Baleines, an ancient lighthouse on the westernmost tip of the island. Still functional, it was built in 1682, making it the second oldest in France. You can climb the tower and take in the spectacular panorama.
Fri, July 14, 2017
The 14th of July is an important date in the French calendar but this year the world will be watching as Donald Trump joins French President Emmanuel Macron for the celebrations
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French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk on the Place de la Concorde at the end of the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris
On a clear day it is possible to see for miles: the distant structures of La Tranche-sur-Mer on the mainland and the vast Atlantic Ocean staring back. The mainland soon beckoned so we headed north towards St Brevin for a night at Le Fief, another of Sunêlia’s properties.
Le Fief felt more like a town than a campsite, with road names and terraces of spacious chalets, each with their own front garden. Set in a coastal pine forest with the sea less than a mile away, the sprawling campsite lies on southern Brittany’s pretty Côte de Jade.
After the water park and dance lessons, we headed down to the beachfront where cafés and bars lined the promenade.
All that was left was to find a spot, order a glass of the region’s famed red wine and reflect on a wonderful weekend.
THE KNOWLEDGE
Sunêlia Interlude (dialling from UK: 003305 4609 0383/sunelia.com) offers seven nights at Interlude Ile de Re in a 2-bedroom prestige chalet from £695 (sleeps 5), self-catering/ seven nights at Le Fief St Brevin Les Pain (003302 4027 2386) from £367. Ryanair (ryanair.com) offers return flights from Stansted to La Rochelle from £49. Ile de Re tourism: holidays-iledere.co.uk