Aug 13, 2010 By Chris Tinkham Web Exclusive

In Animal Kingdom, writer/director David Michôd's thrilling Melbourne-set family crime drama, Australian newcomer James Frecheville plays 17-year-old Josh Cody, a brooding, taciturn man-child caught between the law and his family's illicit activities. With senior officer Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce) coercing Josh to spill what he knows about the recent murder of two police officers, and Josh's intimidating uncle, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), pressuring him to keep his mouth shut, Josh's words remain few throughout the film, but the weight of his fears are readable in his face and body language. More

Aug 04, 2010 By Laura Studarus Web Exclusive

Early blushes of success and all the superlatives that come with it can threaten to topple even the most level-headed of bands. But Delphic—whose debut full-length Acolyte was released earlier this summer in the U.S.—is well studied for their role as “next big thing.” Under the Radar originally interviewed the band in our Winter 2010 Issue in January (when the album came out in the U.K.), but in honor of their U.S. release we sat down with two-thirds of the Manchester trio—James Cook (vocal/guitar) and Rick Boardman (multi-instrumentalist)—before their performance at Dangerbird Records to discuss first musical obsessions, first gigs, and everything that went into their first tastes of success. More

Jul 28, 2010 By Mike Hilleary

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is most certainly worth fighting over. The actress had a breakthrough year in 2007, appearing as John McClane's daughter-in-distress in Live Free or Die Hard and starring in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse segment Death Proof. It was the latter performance that caught the attention of director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). In Wright's upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the anticipated film adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's acclaimed graphic novel series, Winstead plays Ramona Flowers, a girl with a lot of baggage when it comes to dating— seven exes that the story's titular hero must fight against to win her heart. On a break from shooting scenes for the upcoming prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic The Thing, Winstead spoke with Under the Radar about screaming and scary movies, evil exes, and what it's like to work with Michael Cera and Edgar Wright. More

Jul 28, 2010 By Matt Fink Web Exclusive

Damian Abraham (aka Pink Eyes) doesn’t figure to be the type of person who gets starstruck easily, having earned his reputation with fearless and frenzied performances as the burly frontman of Toronto’s Fucked Up. But when speaking with Devo vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mark Mothersbaugh, Abraham is all nervous energy, unleashing a cascade of words that tangle and circle back on themselves, and winding through explanations of his introduction to Devo through his dad’s record collection to the origins of the Pink Eyes moniker and the evolution of his prodigious beard. Eventually, he settles and gets around to actually asking Mothersbaugh some questions, revealing himself to be a pop music scholar with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock history and Devo’s place in it. With Devo’s Something for Everybody—their first new record in 20 years—taking them everywhere from The Colbert Report to Live with Regis and Kelly, Abraham offers a refresher course on why Devo still matters in this uncut transcription of their interview (a shorter version of which appears in our Summer 2010 issue). More

Jul 16, 2010 By Chris Tinkham Web Exclusive

When Irish writer/director Lance Daly talks about the production of his splendid third feature Kisses, he uses terms such as "magic" and "blind faith." This is not to suggest, however, that he was whimsical in his approach to making the film. Daly was confident enough in his carefully written script, about a boy and a girl who run away from home on Christmas, that he allowed himself to take risks that would lend Kisses both authenticity and a youthful air of enchantment. More

Jun 25, 2010 By Chris Tinkham Web Exclusive

In her most recent films, 19-year-old Jennifer Lawrence has portrayed resilient, mature-minded teens who, by default, have assumed the mother role in their respective families. In Winter's Bone, which won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Lawrence plays Ree Dolly, an impoverished 17-year-old living in the Missouri Ozarks who is hellbent on keeping her preteen brother and sister out of the hands of unreliable surrogate parents. Though Lawrence is the youngest in her family, she admits that her maternal instincts are evident in real life. "I've always been a babysitter and a nanny," she says. "All my friends call me mom." More

Jun 21, 2010 By Laura Studarus Web Exclusive

The music of Icelandic collective Seabear does nothing to counter the common misconception that all the country does is pump out ethereal harmonies with otherworldly grace. The Jónsi-recommended band has gathered a string of positive reactions from fans and press alike for charming recent release, We Built a Fire, their first since bandleader Sindri Már Sigfússon expanded the project from a solo affair to full band. Under the Radar caught up with bandleader Sigfússon via email, who told us about his forays into visual art, a childhood filled with Michael Jackson, and the (potential) calming effects the new album might have on misbehaving kids. More

May 28, 2010 By Chris Tinkham Web Exclusive

Grégoire Canvel, the lead character in French writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve's second film, The Father of My Children, is based on Humbert Balsan, the French film producer who was chairman of the European Film Academy when he hanged himself in 2005. Balsan intended to produce Hansen-Løve's first feature, All Is Forgiven, but his death left the film in limbo until it was completed with other producers in 2007. It's no accident that The Father of My Children shares a kinship with Olivier Assayas' Summer Hours, which was released to critical acclaim in the States last year. Hansen-Løve, 29, is the fiancé of Assayas, who hired her for her first film work—as an actress—when she was 16 years old. More

May 06, 2010 By Hays Davis Web Exclusive

Regardless of their slow-burning momentum in the U.S., Doves have taken their time over the years to craft a four-album catalogue of solid, memorable, guitar-driven pop-rock songs. Always a considerably bigger act on their home turf, Doves' last album, 2009's Kingdom of Rust, missed the number one spot by a hair of Lady Gaga's head, as Jez Williams explains in our interview. The band plans to take an open-ended break before plotting their next move, but in the meantime, the new The Places Between: The Best Of Doves provides an excellent career placeholder. In our interview with Jez Williams, he reflects on various moments in Doves' career. More