Hello. Thank you once again for joining us.
Tuesday’s Screening:
Blackhat, Michael Mann, 2015, 136m
7pm, 5 December, at The Elizabeth Picture Theatre
After a Hong Kong nuclear plant and the Mercantile Trade Exchange in Chicago are hacked by unknown perpetrators, the FBI and their Chinese counterparts grudgingly release convicted hack Nick Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) be released from prison to help with the investigation. As they pursue their quarry, the full threat of the hacker’s conspiracy becomes apparent.
A key Michael Mann film (Heat, The Insider, Ferrari), Blackhat explores his typical obsessions: the logistics and demands of professionalism balanced against the needs of a heightened emotional life, and lensed in a manner that explores the possibilities of shooting on digital. The film is structured around tracing the relationship between the digital and the physical world, from opening with an imprisoned man and questions of numbers and codes, to globally dispersed physical servers, their environmental needs, and the impact their disruption will have on the world.
“Mann offers a climactic revelation of individual faces behind all those abstract binary data points, anonymous digital matter transformed into something achingly fragile, fleeting, and human.” Slant Magazine
MA15+ and with thanks to Park Circus and Arrow. Facebook Event
Attendance:
As with all our Container screenings, admission is free to all members, and membership can be found at our website container.org.au or at the box office counter on the night. Membership ranges from $30 (six months concession) to $100 (annual regular).
Additional Reading (for those who have the time and curiosity):
Mubi on the original theatrical cut of Blackhat and its gradual reclamation here.
Upcoming Screenings:
5 December: Michael Mann’s Black Hat
12 December: Greg Mottola’s Confess, Fletch (photo above, below.)
Thank you. We look forward to catching you tonight for our Australian theatrical premiere of Michael Mann’s Blackhat. Then in a week (note, not fortnight) for our summer farewell Confess, Fletch.