Latest news with #Piper
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Muddled Message of Bring Her Back
The horror genre has come to feel oversaturated with message films: artistically rendered stories that use scares less to frighten and more to manifest psychological or philosophical themes. So when the Philippou brothers—a pair of Australian directors (and twins) who got their start on YouTube—premiered their feature debut, Talk to Me, it felt like a burst of youthful energy. The gnarly cautionary tale followed a group of teens whose attempt at a séance goes disgustingly wrong; it became a film-festival and art-house phenomenon. Impressively, the movie resonated with highbrow audiences without sacrificing the unbridled ambition the directors had used to gain a foothold online, with short films inspired by professional wrestling and pop culture. Yet their follow-up film, Bring Her Back, feels like a conscious swerve away from those roots. Gone is the sense of teen anarchy; instead, like so many other prestige horror movies, this is a story about relatable trauma and loss with a dark supernatural element. The Philippous have a real gift for composing viscerally disgusting moments that will be tough for even a hardened horror fan to shake. That's what makes their trudge toward the other side of the genre somewhat of a surprise—it's a grasp at seriousness from a duo who have previously thrived most when they're having fun. Still, the film provides an excellent vehicle for its lead actor, Sally Hawkins. The English Oscar nominee, a favorite of the director Mike Leigh and the on-screen mom to Paddington Bear, has never before been in a straightforward horror movie, but she's an incredible asset here. She plays a dotty foster mom, Laura, who takes in two teen siblings, Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), after their father dies. Their new caretaker's scatterbrained affect just barely hides dangerous ulterior motives; she vacillates between being an overly affectionate friend to her charges and a hypersensitive disciplinarian. [Read: Time for scary movies to make us laugh again] The filmmakers know exactly how to leverage Hawkins's warm, naturalistic screen presence, using her offbeat sweetness to keep the audience guessing as to her character's exact level of malevolence. Laura's home is supposedly a good fit for the brother-sister pair because she had a blind daughter, who died; Piper is visually impaired. Yet the siblings' new environment curdles pretty quickly as Laura becomes unduly fascinated with Piper's similarities to her deceased child, and is outwardly hostile toward the fiercely protective Andy. Other goings-on contribute to the film's eeriness: A shirtless and mute child named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) is wandering around, sporting a suspicious birthmark. Oh, and there are multiple locked doors that absolutely should not be opened. Credit to the Philippous—Bring Her Back never tries to pretend that anything remotely normal is happening. Laura's house is a messy, colorful disaster, reflecting a personality that was clearly once charmingly ditzy and has disintegrated into instability. Her approach with Andy in particular swings wildly; one night she's doing shots with him into the wee hours, reflecting lovingly on the life she used to live, while at other moments she's waging a psychological campaign—rifling through his things, convincing him he's wet himself—to drive him from the home. In another actor's hands, Laura's erratic malevolence would feel obvious, something even the most incompetent social worker could see through. Hawkins, however, knows how to use her twee energy to her advantage, largely tittering and mumbling away. This makes the flashes of steeliness, when they come, all the more frightening. [Read: The master of highbrow horror] Those revelations are also evidence of the directors' struggle to interpret these hijinks as psychologically revealing, not just wickedly gruesome. Teasing out the mysteries of Laura's character drew me in; the broad strokes of her preoccupation with Piper make sense, while exactly what she's planning to do with the girl is hard to pinpoint—especially with the unsettling wild-card presence of Oliver shuffling around in the background. Laura dismisses his odd behavior as that of another traumatized foster child, but its origins are far more disturbing. Exploring the nature of his pain—as well as Andy's and Piper's—is where the film's message becomes most muddled; the abuse that children can face from the adults watching over them is largely treated as the stuff of plot twists. Bring Her Back is far more confident in its portrayal of Laura's own story, building to a devastating and intense conclusion about the extent of her loss and her inability to deal with it. Hawkins is up to the challenge, and the rest of the ensemble is strong enough to keep pace. But many of those story beats feel perfunctory; the film comes to life in the nastier, grislier set pieces. A scene in which Oliver intentionally misuses a kitchen utensil is nightmarish and unforgettable; another depicting a brutal, cultish ritual is more visually and narratively unnerving than Laura's subsequent attempts to replicate it. Some horror directors can blend highbrow storytelling with intense viscera gracefully—a seemingly appealing impulse for those who want to stay on trend without neglecting the roots of the genre. The Philippous do it adequately, but hopefully in whatever comes next for them, they embrace their greater strength once more: setting up audiences for a rollicking good time. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Horror Movies Don't Need to Be Highbrow
The horror genre has come to feel oversaturated with message films: artistically rendered stories that use scares less to frighten and more to manifest psychological or philosophical themes. So when the Philippou brothers—a pair of Australian directors (and twins) who got their start on YouTube—premiered their feature debut, Talk to Me, it felt like a burst of youthful energy. The gnarly cautionary tale followed a group of teens whose attempt at a séance goes disgustingly wrong; it became a film-festival and art-house phenomenon. Impressively, the movie resonated with highbrow audiences without sacrificing the unbridled ambition the directors had used to gain a foothold online, with short films inspired by professional wrestling and pop culture. Yet their follow-up film, Bring Her Back, feels like a conscious swerve away from those roots. Gone is the sense of teen anarchy; instead, like so many other prestige horror movies, this is a story about relatable trauma and loss with a dark supernatural element. The Philippous have a real gift for composing viscerally disgusting moments that will be tough for even a hardened horror fan to shake. That's what makes their trudge toward the other side of the genre somewhat of a surprise—it's a grasp at seriousness from a duo who have previously thrived most when they're having fun. Still, the film provides an excellent vehicle for its lead actor, Sally Hawkins. The English Oscar nominee, a favorite of the director Mike Leigh and the on-screen mom to Paddington Bear, has never before been in a straightforward horror movie, but she's an incredible asset here. She plays a dotty foster mom, Laura, who takes in two teen siblings, Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), after their father dies. Their new caretaker's scatterbrained affect just barely hides dangerous ulterior motives; she vacillates between being an overly affectionate friend to her charges and a hypersensitive disciplinarian. The filmmakers know exactly how to leverage Hawkins's warm, naturalistic screen presence, using her offbeat sweetness to keep the audience guessing as to her character's exact level of malevolence. Laura's home is supposedly a good fit for the brother-sister pair because she had a blind daughter, who died; Piper is visually impaired. Yet the siblings' new environment curdles pretty quickly as Laura becomes unduly fascinated with Piper's similarities to her deceased child, and is outwardly hostile toward the fiercely protective Andy. Other goings-on contribute to the film's eeriness: A shirtless and mute child named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) is wandering around, sporting a suspicious birthmark. Oh, and there are multiple locked doors that absolutely should not be opened. Credit to the Philippous— Bring Her Back never tries to pretend that anything remotely normal is happening. Laura's house is a messy, colorful disaster, reflecting a personality that was clearly once charmingly ditzy and has disintegrated into instability. Her approach with Andy in particular swings wildly; one night she's doing shots with him into the wee hours, reflecting lovingly on the life she used to live, while at other moments she's waging a psychological campaign—rifling through his things, convincing him he's wet himself—to drive him from the home. In another actor's hands, Laura's erratic malevolence would feel obvious, something even the most incompetent social worker could see through. Hawkins, however, knows how to use her twee energy to her advantage, largely tittering and mumbling away. This makes the flashes of steeliness, when they come, all the more frightening. Those revelations are also evidence of the directors' struggle to interpret these hijinks as psychologically revealing, not just wickedly gruesome. Teasing out the mysteries of Laura's character drew me in; the broad strokes of her preoccupation with Piper make sense, while exactly what she's planning to do with the girl is hard to pinpoint—especially with the unsettling wild-card presence of Oliver shuffling around in the background. Laura dismisses his odd behavior as that of another traumatized foster child, but its origins are far more disturbing. Exploring the nature of his pain—as well as Andy's and Piper's—is where the film's message becomes most muddled; the abuse that children can face from the adults watching over them is largely treated as the stuff of plot twists. Bring Her Back is far more confident in its portrayal of Laura's own story, building to a devastating and intense conclusion about the extent of her loss and her inability to deal with it. Hawkins is up to the challenge, and the rest of the ensemble is strong enough to keep pace. But many of those story beats feel perfunctory; the film comes to life in the nastier, grislier set pieces. A scene in which Oliver intentionally misuses a kitchen utensil is nightmarish and unforgettable; another depicting a brutal, cultish ritual is more visually and narratively unnerving than Laura's subsequent attempts to replicate it. Some horror directors can blend highbrow storytelling with intense viscera gracefully—a seemingly appealing impulse for those who want to stay on trend without neglecting the roots of the genre. The Philippous do it adequately, but hopefully in whatever comes next for them, they embrace their greater strength once more: setting up audiences for a rollicking good time.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Drew Scott's New Photo Montage of Daughter Piper Is a Whole Mood
Drew Scott is doing his best. He's flipping houses with his twin brother Jonathan Scott on HGTV, raising two beautiful kids with wife Linda Phan, and posting the most relatable parenting content on social media. (The latter we are so appreciative of, BTW!) His most recent post features a photo montage of his 1-year-old daughter Piper, and each snap is a whole mood. 'Kid hairstyles (according to a dad),' the Property Brothers star wrote on Instagram this week. In the first photo, he holds his son Parker, 3, and his daughter Piper, whose brown hair is sticking straight up. Then, the carousel of photos includes all the hairstyles he's done for his toddler, and he gets an A for effort! More from SheKnows David Beckham's Teen Daughter Harper Gives Him an Expert Makeover in a Sweet New Video The first one is called 'the whale spout,' which is a half-up ponytail. Piper holds her water bottle as she lies on her stomach showing off the 'do, with her hair splaying out at all angles out of the ponytail on top. In the next photo, Piper rocks a green-and-white-striped jumper with the whale spout again, this time with an added accessory — in this case, a clip-on flower — to make the look more formal. In another snap, Piper wears dinosaur pajamas as she looks at board books on her shelf. Her curly hair is wild and barely tamed with a tiny ponytail sticking out one side. 'The side ponytail,' Scott called this one, with a unicorn emoji because it does kinda look like that. Pigtails are next, a classic hairstyle that is so cute on Piper. He also shows pictures of 'the fresh wash,' the woke up like this,' and the 'I give up,' which features Parker and Piper wear sunhats as they hug each other. Hey, doing a toddler's long hair day after day is not easy (especially because they do not know how to sit still!), so this photo montage is so relatable. 'Share with a parent who needs some inspo 🤣 #kidhairstyles,' Scott quipped in the caption. Parents could totally empathize with Scott in the comments. 'They are adorable! And every parent has gone through the bad hair day with their kids,' one person wrote. Someone else wrote, 'The 'I Give Up' took me out! 🤣' Same! Piper turned 1 earlier this month, and Scott shared pictures of her with another style. She is wearing a bandana that ties around her hair and looks like a pink tiara. Yes, it's adorable! 'This is 1🎂,' he captioned the post, featuring Piper holding her parent's hands outside. 'It has FLOWN by! Happy bday Pipes❤️👶' She's a little cutie in every hairstyle, and we love seeing how her dad is embracing the girl dad life by trying his hand at different looks. She is one lucky girl!Best of SheKnows 20 of Serena Williams' Most Adorable Motherhood Moments 30+ Baby Names With Ivy League Vibes — No Degree Required Michelle Obama's Best Mom Quotes — Because We Could All Use a Dose of Her Wisdom
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Pub billionaire splashes $3m to give Watsons Bay hotel a facelift
Piper's Epochal Hotels portfolio includes Harbord Hotel in Freshwater, Beach Hotel in Merewether, Newcastle, the Commodore in North Sydney and the Q Station on the Manly headland. Both deals were completed by JLL Hotels. Patts' soul The $13.6 billion ASX-listed Soul Patts conglomerate, run by chairman Ribert Millner, and retirement specialists Moran have partnered with Bridge Housing and the Northern Beaches Women's Shelter to provide safe, short-term accommodation to people facing housing stress. Under the scheme, Soul Patts, which owns a former aged care home in Narrabeen, and Moran, the operator, will provide capital as part of the planned redevelopment of the existing site. But as a new model for the industry, the two will offer the premises for use as transitional housing for people in need, to be run by Bridge Housing, while they go through the long-winded planning process. Many development sites sit empty while the planning process is under way but Narrabeen House's 24 independent homes will instead be used for much-needed accommodation. Bridge Housing will professionally manage the homes, overseeing tenancy, property maintenance, and tenant support. They work closely with local support agencies Northern Beaches Women's Shelters, Mission Australia, Burdekin Foundation and Women and Children First. Kmart centre As part of the plan to double revenue to $20 billion over the next decade, Kmart will open a $500 million state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Sydney's west. Located at the ESR Moorebank Intermodal Precinct, the 100,000 square metre site will also service conglomerate Wesfarmer's Target stores. Kmart has been experimenting with new store layouts to help increase sales and reach its $20 billion target in the next 10 years. In a separate deal, Bing Lee electrics is selling its 16,743 square metre facility on a large 27,603 sq m corner site at 702 Woodville Road, Old Guildford, with a price tag of about $85 million. Bing Lee, owner of the site since 2008, will remain as the tenant and recycle the cash from the sale into its business. Colliers' Gavin Bishop, Sean Thomson, Michael Crombie, Trent Gallagher are advising on the sale. Stuyvesant's House The well-known Stuyvesant's House, Crow's Nest, is closing its doors after opening in 1961. The owner and operator, restaurateur Rudi Dietz, is retiring and selling the popular eatery at 45 Alexander Street. Dietz took over the restaurant in 1973, just over a decade after it first opened under Dutch ownership. He brought with him a deep love for authentic German hospitality. The building occupies 221 sq m of land with a 347 sq m internal area and an 85 sq m cellar. The site's zoning is for mixed use and offers development potential for investors. No price guide was given but it generates gross income of $220,000 per annum plus GST. Scott Stephens from RWC Sydney North is advising on the sale.
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Pub billionaire splashes $3m to give Watsons Bay hotel a facelift
Piper's Epochal Hotels portfolio includes Harbord Hotel in Freshwater, Beach Hotel in Merewether, Newcastle, the Commodore in North Sydney and the Q Station on the Manly headland. Both deals were completed by JLL Hotels. Patts' soul The $13.6 billion ASX-listed Soul Patts conglomerate, run by chairman Ribert Millner, and retirement specialists Moran have partnered with Bridge Housing and the Northern Beaches Women's Shelter to provide safe, short-term accommodation to people facing housing stress. Under the scheme, Soul Patts, which owns a former aged care home in Narrabeen, and Moran, the operator, will provide capital as part of the planned redevelopment of the existing site. But as a new model for the industry, the two will offer the premises for use as transitional housing for people in need, to be run by Bridge Housing, while they go through the long-winded planning process. Many development sites sit empty while the planning process is under way but Narrabeen House's 24 independent homes will instead be used for much-needed accommodation. Bridge Housing will professionally manage the homes, overseeing tenancy, property maintenance, and tenant support. They work closely with local support agencies Northern Beaches Women's Shelters, Mission Australia, Burdekin Foundation and Women and Children First. Kmart centre As part of the plan to double revenue to $20 billion over the next decade, Kmart will open a $500 million state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Sydney's west. Located at the ESR Moorebank Intermodal Precinct, the 100,000 square metre site will also service conglomerate Wesfarmer's Target stores. Kmart has been experimenting with new store layouts to help increase sales and reach its $20 billion target in the next 10 years. In a separate deal, Bing Lee electrics is selling its 16,743 square metre facility on a large 27,603 sq m corner site at 702 Woodville Road, Old Guildford, with a price tag of about $85 million. Bing Lee, owner of the site since 2008, will remain as the tenant and recycle the cash from the sale into its business. Colliers' Gavin Bishop, Sean Thomson, Michael Crombie, Trent Gallagher are advising on the sale. Stuyvesant's House The well-known Stuyvesant's House, Crow's Nest, is closing its doors after opening in 1961. The owner and operator, restaurateur Rudi Dietz, is retiring and selling the popular eatery at 45 Alexander Street. Dietz took over the restaurant in 1973, just over a decade after it first opened under Dutch ownership. He brought with him a deep love for authentic German hospitality. The building occupies 221 sq m of land with a 347 sq m internal area and an 85 sq m cellar. The site's zoning is for mixed use and offers development potential for investors. No price guide was given but it generates gross income of $220,000 per annum plus GST. Scott Stephens from RWC Sydney North is advising on the sale.
