WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Closing Thoughts

The festival this year was, of course, a vast departure from what it would have been in the absence of a global pandemic so first things first -  the BFI did an incredible job of pulling together the nearest equivalent to the festival we all know and love in order to give us something to get us through stay-at-home life. It genuinely was as close as they could get to creating the same sort of buzz that the real in-person event has and hats off to them for managing to get an online equivalent up and running. The use of specific start times worked well, giving you that agony of choice over which films to pick that is part and parcel of the festival experience. Here are few specific thoughts…

Documentary and Drama

For me, the strands that I tend to gravitate towards the most are the Comedy and Cult strands (yes, I know, no surprises there). This year, there was a limited number of films on offer in those areas so I was pushed more into choices that I might not have made otherwise. This prompted me towards more from the drama and documentary strands that I might normally have picked and made me pick a few films that I might not have otherwise watched (which would have been a shame given that I thoroughly enjoyed them) - The Reason I Jump, The Painter And The Thief and New Order being among those. The downside to this was that, after a long string of hard hitting dramas and documentaries, I was beginning to feel pretty drained and wrung out by the end of the fest.

Home Cinema

There were definite plusses and minuses to having the films at your fingertips instead of having to schlep across London. I could fit in some back to back screenings that wouldn't have been possible in the outside world version and, with some films having a three day window to start watching them rather than having to watch within two hours of the screening start time, I could work out a schedule that fitted in around work much more easily. The missing thing though is that shared communal experience of being amongst fellow film lovers who are really into it and also (a big draw for me) the interviews and Q&As with the filmmakers and casts. There were online Q&As but, to be honest after watching a couple, these didn't really work for me (just personal taste).

Quality

One thing that hadn’t altered is the quality of the films on offer. Out of the 27 films that I watched, there were only around 3 to 4 that I didn't really enjoy. I enjoyed the rest to varying degrees but there was some level of enjoyment there. It’s a testament to the BFI programmers that were still able to pull together a strong programme of films in a year when maybe a sixth of the number of films were on offer.

Would I do it virtually again? My preference naturally would be to be able to go and see these in a real live cinema, enjoyable as the home-based version was. If it comes to it, though, I’ll happily take the online version again. After all, the show must go on.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - After Love / Zanka Contact

Alright, this strand has gone on far, far longer than it should have. I will freely admit that I have been slack of late when it comes to this here blog. Let’s rattle through the last couple and bring this year’s reviews to a close.

After Love
Dir. Aleem Khan / Dur. 89 mins
Strand:- Love

In A Nutshell:- Grieving widow Mary discovers a secret about her late husband and heads across the Channel to find out the truth.

The Good:- Joanna Scanlan as Mary is an absolute powerhouse. She was great way back in the day in The Thick of It as long-suffering civil Terri Coverley but this really gives her a chance to show her range. To be perfectly honest, the whole film hangs off her performance which is great as large chunks are given over to her reactions to the events around her, often without much in the way of dialogue. It’s a tribute to her ability that she makes Mary so compelling to watch.

The Bad:- Unfortunately for me, the storyline itself felt a little familiar. It unfolded with a sort of inevitability and wrapped up in a way that felt a little too neat unfortunately.

The Verdict:- Joanna Scanlan is worth watching is anything and the film is completely driven by her performance (which is great as you would expect). Unfortunately, a predictable storyline leaves this feeling somewhat underwhelming as a film overall, which is a real shame as Scanlan’s turn in this does deserve to be seen.

Zanka Contact
Dir. Ismaël El Iraki / Dur. 120 mins
Strand:- Create

In A Nutshell:- A collision leads to a lively love story between a former rock star turned junkie and a prostitute.

The Good:- It’s a lively and fun tale, with a feel at times somewhere between a Tarantino film and a spaghetti western. The two main leads do a good job of portraying characters that are tough but damaged, in particular Khansa Batma as Rajae.

The Bad:- There's a sequence at the start of the film with some English characters played by seemingly English actors but their accents and mannerisms just feel a bit off. It was almost enough to put me off but I'm glad it didn't.

The Verdict:- This was one of those films that I booked on a whim with no real expectations and it turned out to be a really enjoyable way to close out the festival. Lively and fun at times but with a strong emotional core, it was definitely one of the ones I enjoyed the more.

How I Spent My Lockdown 2 (Electric Avenue)

Before we kick off, just a quick caveat. This is purely a personal view of how I spent another month of being locked inside. It isn’t a “how to”, it isn’t a guide or recommendation. All it is is me saying what I did to get through November and how it worked for me.

Being honest, I didn't really go out that much between lockdowns anyway so it didn’t seem like a huge adjustment to me this time round. The virus was still out there and still infecting people in the in between bit and my preference was to err on the side of caution. I did, however, decide that I would try to fill November as full as possible of stuff so that I didn't notice the time going past. So here’s how I spent the month:-

• The last two sessions of my six week improv course (which I signed up for off the back of mucking around and taking part in online comedy shows)
• Virtually going to 22 talks as part of NextUp & Chortle’s Online Comedy Book Festival
• Also virtually going to about 10-12 other online comedy shows
• Doing a one day comedy masterclass with Spencer Jones 
• Still “going” to work (they pay me for that one, might as well)
• Created and ran two Zoom quiz evenings for mates
• Oh yeah, and writing a 51,500 word novel in 30 days as part of National Novel Writing Month (7th attempt, 2nd time "winning")

It worked. November absolutely flew past. I genuinely didn’t feel like it was that weird interminable neither quick nor slow spread of time that the first lockdown was. So, for me, the plan of making November as chock full of things as possible was an absolutely solid one and paid off. I imagine you may have questions about some of the above. Let me anticipate a few of them…

Improv classes and a comedy masterclass. You looking to become a comedian? (I’m imagining a note of incredulity in the voice for this one)

The improv is fun and is about playing, mucking around and having fun with a group of like-minded people. The comedy masterclass was because I’m fascinated by the process of how comedians craft their acts. Could it lead to something more? Maybe but nothing definite planned at the moment (beyond Level 2 of improv in January).

Book, eh? When can we read it?

In its current state, never. It’s a scrappy first draft of an idea I wasn’t overly invested in. The advice for NaNoWriMo is to always start a new idea and that was all I had to hand at the start of November. I’ll leave it for a bit as it’s still fresh in my mind and see what happens when I type it up. Maybe I’ll do something with it, maybe it’ll become parts for something else, maybe it’ll just be an exercise in writing for a month. Any of those things are still helpful. The important thing is that I was set a challenge to write something in 30 days running to at least 50,000 words with a beginning, middle and end and I did it.

Got your December planned out?

More online comedy. Increased levels of sitting around watching telly and films. Whatever festiveness can be had in the weirdness that has been 2020...

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - New Order

Don’t worry, we’re entering the home stretch for these now (yes, they have been going on for a long while; I was ill a bit in the middle there and have also foolishly decided to attempt to write a 50,000 word in a month again so these have all been pre-prepared and scheduled to publish to avoid too many more gaps) and this one is a highlight…

New Order
Dir. Michel Franco / Dur. 88 mins
Strand:- Dare

In A Nutshell:- A high society wedding and city-wide riots collide with shocking consequences....

The Good:- It’s a bold and shocking film with the opening montage and a scene set in a hospital in the midst of rioting setting out a glimpse of some of the horrors to come. We’re then taken to an opening sequence highlighting a selection of characters at a clearly affluent wedding, almost lulling you into a false sense of security; a sense of security that is soon dispelled as the hints of rioting across the city come crashing into the wedding. There’s a genuine sense of tension throughout; of not knowing what is going to happen to these characters. The pace is almost breathless as it moves from one scene to the next. It’s commentary on the gulf between the rich and the poor and the abuses committed by those in power and those who want it is sharp and bleak. At 88 minute, it’s a taught running time that leaves nothing to spare.

The Bad:- Nothing that springs to mind under this bit. Just to say that it is a relatively bleak film so don’t go into it expecting a light breezy time.

The Verdict:- Utterly gripping and genuinely horrifying in its depiction of events that are all too plausible, this is definitely one of the highlights of the festival and absolutely worth checking out.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Possessor

As we finish off the last of the Cult strand films, the desire is strong to avoid lazy “like father, like son” comparisons on this one but if you do go and make a mind-bending sci-fi tinged body horror....

Possessor
Dir. Brandon Cronenberg / Dur. 104 mins
Strand:- Cult

In A Nutshell:- Tasya Vos is a “possessor” - a hitman who uses implants to take over another person’s body and carry out their hits…

The Good:- Inevitably, given that Brandon Cronenberg is the son of David Cronenberg, director of Videodrome, The Fly, Scanners and more, it is very hard to avoid making comparisons especially when Cronenberg Jr is treading into the sort of body horror-tinged sci fi that his father became famous for. Fortunately, while wading into similar territory, Brandon has enough of his own style to make that comparison a complementary rather than negative one. There are some chillingly gruesome scenes and as well as suitably weird and creepy imagery throughout (notably in one off-key scene when Christopher Abbott wears a deliberately melted version of Andrea Riseborough’s face). In terms of the cast, Riseborough is suitably haunted as conflicted hitman Vos, torn between loyalty to her boss and a desire to be with her family, as well as managing to convey the unraveling effect that inhabiting other people’s minds is having upon her. Christopher Abbott does a good job too of portraying the hitman-possessed target who begins to fight back against the invading personality.

The Bad:- I’m not one hundred percent convinced about the very end of it but won’t say more without spoiling it.

The Verdict:- It’s good to see a Cronenberg back into the realm of sci fi and horror (now that David has moved into more realistic portrayals of the horrific with films like A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises) and good to see that, while clearly influenced by his father, Brandon is very much carving out his own niche.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And Legendary Tapes

Not quite a documentary and not quite a drama for today’s effort.

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And Legendary Tapes
Dir. Caroline Catz / Dur. 98 mins
Strand:- Create

In A Nutshell:- A docudrama detailing the life of sound pioneer Delia Derbyshire

The Good:- Alright, full disclosure, I was always going to be drawn into this one for its Doctor Who link. Delia Derbyshire is, after all, the person responsible for the distinctive sound of one of the most iconic TV themes of all time - the Doctor Who theme tune. Ron Grainer was the composer but it was Derbyshire who gave it the wheezing, groaning feel that made it such an unusual sound. This is what she’s best known for but the film does a good job of showing that was just one part of her work and career and delves more into the impact she had on the Radiophonic Workshop as a whole, breaking through as the only female member of the team in a time when it was still very much a man’s world in television anywhere outside of the secretarial pool. It does a good job of highlighting Delia as the non-conformist, struggling to try and do something new in an emerging medium. This is clearly a passion project for Catz who writes and stars as Delia as well as directing. It’s an interesting mix of interviews with surviving colleagues, friends and lovers (with some overlap for those descriptions) as well as recordings of Delia herself alongside the dramatised excerpts of her life.

The Bad:- It veers close to pretension a few times and also feels like it glosses over some key areas of her life, largely some of the more negative aspects which are briefly mentioned towards the end.

The Verdict:- Derbyshire is an interesting figure - someone who has rightly albeit retrospectively been acknowledged as the first pioneer of what would ultimately become electronic music - and this does a good job of trying to paint the portrait of someone who was more than just the person who gave the Doctor Who theme.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Rose: A Love Story

One of the only three films showing under the Cult strand this year (usually my favoured strand along with Laugh); we’ve had one and we’ll be getting the other.

Rose: A Love Story
Dir. Jennifer Sheridan / Dur. 86 mins
Strand:- Cult

In A Nutshell:- Sam cares for Rose in a sheltered cabin in the woods, doing his best to help her with the strange and mysterious illness which keeps them isolated…

The Good:- It’s not spoiling anything to say that this is a nice reversal on the standard vampire tale. Here, Sam is devoted to his wife Rose and does everything in his power to keep her safe and the condition which could result in his death if allowed to rage unchecked under control. It’s an assured first film from first time director Jennifer Sheridan and first time writer Matt Stokoe (who also stars as Sam). Stokoe and Sophie Rundle as Rose have a believable chemistry and there’s a genuineness to the husband - wife relationship that is often missing in a lot of films. There’s a pleasing lack of exposition as you’re left to work out the specifics of their life together as they go about it, with a script that is surprisingly confident for a first time feature writer. There’s also a nice little link for fans of the TV series Misfits which Stokoe starred in as his co-star Nathan McMullen briefly appears.

The Bad:- If I have a criticism, it’s that, after a film which is about atmosphere and crafting slow-burn tension and suspense around their predicament, the ending feels almost too abrupt and makes it feel weirdly anti-climactic after the build up.

The Verdict:- Another in the line of smarter horror films that we’ve been seeing over recent years in which atmosphere and suspense are the order of the day rather than jumps, gore and scares. Definitely worth checking out for a slow burn dose of horror.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - David Byrne’s American Utopia

I think this might be the first concert film that I’ve seen at the festival but, given that’s it the LFF, this concert film is of course directed by Spike Lee.

David Byrne’s American Utopia
Dir. Spike Lee / Dur. 105 mins
Strand:- Create

In A Nutshell:- David Byrne performs the Broadway version of his American Utopia album which also includes a number of Talking Heads classics.

The Good:- I have to say that, while I haven’t necessarily listened to a lot of Talking Heads, that I like David Byrne. He’s the sort of wryly amusing but distinctively odd artist that I enjoy so the idea of spending one hour forty five in the comedy of David Byrne being David Byrne while performing some music was something that I was already on board for and this did not disappoint. Spike Lee’s staging and direction is simple yet lively and energetic, suiting Byrne’s idiosyncratic style. Byrne himself is as David Byrne-y as you would expect him to be - veering close to pretentious but managing to puncture it with self-deprecating humour before he hits that mark. The songs are all enjoyable and he even manages to make a serious point with a Janelle Monae cover that doesn’t feel tonally out of place with the other pieces. The mix of Talking Heads classics alongside newer pieces from the album also blends well - there’s always a risk that the newer stuff stands out in the wrong way but that isn’t the case here.

The Bad:- Genuinely haven’t really got anything to add here. I guess the only thing would be that if you’re not a fan of David Byrne then this is unlikely to win you over as he is as David Byrne-y as he’s ever been. But then you probably wouldn't watch this in the first place, I guess.

The Verdict:- If I had to sum this up in a word, I would go with “joyful”. I genuinely spent most of this tapping or singing along with a big dopey grin on my face. An absolute highlight of the festival.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Another Round

Ah, now this one wasn’t just a highlight for me but ended up winning the Best Film prize at the Virtual LFF Audience Awards for 2020 (voted for by the viewers for the first time).

Another Round
Dir. Thomas Vinterburg / Dur. 115 mins
Strand:- Journey

In A Nutshell:- A group of middle-aged teachers decide to validate a study which says that maintaining a constant level of alcohol in your blood actually enhances performance…

The Good:- Mads Mikkelsen plays Martin, a forty-something teacher who is drifting through his work, his family life and his friendships. At a friend’s birthday dinner (all of whom work at the same school), the decision is made to follow an experiment through - they will drink to a consistent level during their working hours to see if their abilities are enhanced. You can probably guess where this is ultimately going to go but that doesn’t make the journey any less enjoyable. Funny and at times heartfelt and heart wrenching, the cast are all on fine form, as you would expect from Mikkelsen but he is more than ably assisted by his co-stars. It’s the sort of film that it’s almost impossible not to get swept along by and you also get a chance to see Mikkelsen show off his dancing skills. It also handles the switch from the comedy to the tragedy of drunkenness very well (with the comedy being highlighted in a sequence where the four of them attempt a drunken shopping trip with a hint of fishing).

The Bad:- It’s a minor criticism but there’s an element of the ending that feels a little too feelgood (particularly given that this is from the same director that gave us the no-holds-barred Festen back in the 90s) but this didn’t impact my overall enjoyment of the film.

The Verdict:- It won the top prize of the festival and I’d say deservedly so. An amusing but sobering (sorry notsorry) look at how the routines of middle-aged life can suddenly overwhelm you and provoke a desire to run everything upside down for a chance to go back to the person you were.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - The Intruder / Gold For Dogs

Yes, it’s two films bundled together again so it can only mean that it’s two that I have less to say about. I don’t want to just skip films that didn't necessarily float my boat but I’m not going to spend a lot of time on them either.

The Intruder
Dir. Natalia Meta / Dur. 95 mins
Strand:- Dare

In A Nutshell:- A voice actress begins to suffer from nightmares and wonders if there’s something more sinister going on…

The Verdict:- The Italian “Giallo” film (gruesome murder mystery/thrillers of the type personified by directors like Dario Argento) is a genre that I’ve only recently started to get into so it’s probably a little soon for me to fully appreciate an homage to that style of filmmaking. It not only suffers from being superficially similar in set up to Berberian Sound Studio (which also focuses on a sound artist slowly losing their mind) but, for me, it all felt a little bit too disjointed and fractured so that, by the end, I didn't even really realise that was all there was until the final number kicked in. Sadly, this one was a miss for me.


Gold For Dogs
Dir. Anna Cazenave Cambet / Dur. 95 mins
Strand:- Journey

In A Nutshell:- A young girl travels to Paris to be with her summer romance but things don’t go as she planned…

The Verdict:- It’s perhaps a little unfair to lump this one in with The Intruder as I did enjoy it somewhat but it still didn’t satisfy overall. It starts off as a fairly standard tale of summer romance which is no bad thing as it’s fairly lively and beautifully shot. Following the switch to the big city, it follows the predictable route of lead character Esther being spurned by the boy she followed but then pivots in a slightly different direction which is to its credit. However, this change of tack robs the film of any momentum and, as the film meanders towards its end, I found myself losing more and more interest unfortunately. The cast are on fine form, particularly Talullah Cassavetti as Esther, but it wasn’t enough to save it for me sadly.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Undine

This is very much the sort of film that I look for in the Festival - whether it succeeds or not, it’s trying something a little bit different.

Undine
Dir. Christian Petzold / Dur. 90 mins
Strand:- Love

In A Nutshell:- The story of Undine, a historian who starts a romance with an industrial diver. But is there something different about Undine?

The Good:- It’s a film that skirts around the potential of their being something supernatural going on without being too explicit for quite some time and that works to its favour. Is Undine just a bit strange or is there something more to her? The two main leads have good chemistry which is unsurprising given that they’ve worked together before with Petzold (in the acclaimed Transit which is one of the many, many films on my always far too long “To Watch” list). There are some effective stylistic touches, notably the explosive event that brings Undine and Christoph together and it unfolds in a way that I wasn’t expecting narratively which is always a bonus given the number of films I watch!

The Bad:- Not necessarily bad per se but there are large chunks of dialogue given over to Undine’s talks that she gives as part of her museum job on the architectural history of Berlin. After a while, interesting though it was to learn something about Berlin, I was getting a bit tired of the history lesson and would have been happier for maybe less of those speeches to just give us a flavour.

The Verdict:- This is definitely the sort of film I enjoy finding at the festival. It’s tricky to pin down to any one particular genre and is definitely trying something different, both in terms of content and narrative. It’s not necessarily one that will top my recommendation lists for the fest but I’m glad I gave a film like this a try - it’s the sort of thing I’d overlook normally.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - This Is My Desire

A first feature from two brothers up next.

This Is My Desire (Eyimofe)
Dir. Arie & Chuko Esiri / Dur. 114 mins
Strand:- Journey

In A Nutshell:- Factory technician Mofe and hairdresser Rosa plan their escapes from Nigeria to new lives in Europe in these two (slightly) linked tales.

The Good:- For me, this was almost the flipside to A Common Crime. While there are maybe only one or two key incidents that happen to Mofe and Rosa to put obstacles in the way of their path to a better life, their day to day lives are compelling in a way that A Common Crime’s protagonist wasn’t. There’s a nice naturalistic style to it as well - there’s no incidental music throughout and it doesn’t need it with the character’s lives being complex enough to provoke the needed emotional response. Jude Akuwudike and Temi Ami-Williams each project a sort of dignity and despair that shines through in their respective segments. The supporting characters are strong too with nice nuance to them - the landlord who links both stories is both helpful when it serves his needs and when it doesn’t; opportunistic maybe rather than completely unpleasant.

The Bad:- Honestly, can’t think of much on this one. I was caught up in it from start through to finish.

The Verdict:- Alternatively moving and heartbreaking, this portrait of two people trapped by circumstances and trying to escape to a better life by whatever means necessary is a strong debut from brothers Arie & Chuko Esiri. I’d definitely be interested in seeing what they come up with next.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Sound Of The Future

Documentary time once again and today’s effort is...well…

Sound Of The Future
Dir. Matt Hulse / Dur. 102 mins
Strand:- Debate

In A Nutshell:- A film about childhood, making films, punk and, well, mostly Matt Hulse.

The Good:- This definitely fits into that “quirky” bracket that I like to find at the Festival. It’s ostensibly about the director’s pre-teenage punk band that he formed with his siblings but it’s also about the difficulties he had in trying to make a film out of it while simultaneously being about the artificial nature of documentary and just “art” in general. The band (The Hippies) are a slice of “so bad they’re good fun” juvenilia (in a way, they put me slightly in mind of toe-curlingly-bad-but-weirdly-appealing band The Shaggs) and the kids that they draft in to play (with multiple kids doubling up as each member of the band at various points) are clearly enjoying themselves. It somehow manages to be fairly egotistical but self-deprecating at the same time and somehow manages to get away with it. It propels you along for the running time without really necessarily having much of a defined point to make.

The Bad:- Well, as I just indicated there, I’m not really sure what the film is actually about. There are some musings on the difficulties of family, especially families that are made more complicated by divorce and step parents but I didn't really feel like any of the points it seemed to make were what the documentary was ultimately about. Maybe, though, that neatly encapsulates the spirit of 70s punk which is attempting to evoke and rekindle.

The Verdict:- I enjoyed it ultimately. I’m not sure that the film succeeds in making the points that it wants to make but I’m not sure that it even knows what those points are itself. It’s more about the ride than the destination.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Wildfire

Back into the realm of fiction again today with this first time feature film.

Wildfire
Dir. Cathy Brady / Dur. 85 mins
Strand:- Dare

In A Nutshell:- Kelly returns home to her sister Lauren in Northern Ireland, having been missing presumed dead, stirring up old family business…

The Good:- First time feature director Cathy Brady does a good job of drawing you into the lives of these sisters, damaged by their loss of their mother and the ambiguity surrounding it that is still a source of trauma for the both of them. The gradual unfolding of the full details of what has gone on in the past works well and is drip-fed out at the right pace - it’s not about surprise revelation but about the characters coming to terms with and accepting what has gone on in their past. Nora-Jane Noone and Nika McGuigan are the core of the film and do a sterling job of making the characters compelling enough for you to stick with them on their journey.

The Bad:- I’m not 100% convinced about the actual ending - the emotional resolution for the characters works but the specifics of how they get there feel a bit like they’re from another film; it just felt slightly like it was stretching things a little bit in order to get the resolution. As so often in this section, it’s a minor complaint.

The Verdict:- It’s a character piece fuelled by sterling performances form the two main leads who convincingly portray the complex relationships that can exist between siblings, especially those who have been through traumatic events. The tight running time keeps the interest going through the (partially successful, in my opinion) ending.

Sombre Note:- This film was Nika McGuigan’s final film before her tragic death in 2019 at the age of 33, having suffered and recovered leukaemia as a child but ultimately dying from cancer-related illness. The film is dedicated to her memory.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Ultraviolence

We’re still in documentary territory and once again dealing with a topic that sadly still needs addressing in 2020.

Ultraviolence
Dir. Ken Fero / Dur. 75 mins
Strand:- Debate

In A Nutshell:- There have been, since 1969, over two thousand deaths in UK police custody. This film looks in detail some of those who died between 1995 and 2006.

The Good:- I hesitate to use the term “good” here as much of this film is powerful, affecting stuff in a deeply harrowing way. The film contains actual footage of the deaths of black men in police custody in the UK and it is as upsetting as you would expect. It’s not just about the moment of their deaths, though - the film follows their families and the impact on them as they try and ultimately fail to gain justice from a system which is set up to protect those who are part of it. There has been a lot of coverage of the impact of institutional racism and this film brings specific human faces to that. It’s impossible for anyone with an ounce of empathy not to feel rage and disgust at the abuse and indifference on display which leads to so many unnecessary deaths; a rage and disgust which is compounded by the IPCC and CPS doing their level best to sweep it all under the carpet.

The Bad:- It’s an important film that needs to be seen but there are some stylistic choices that I wasn’t a fan of. The bluntness of the fullscreen titles that show up a lot felt like they detracted from rather than enhanced the message. The animated sequences used to illustrate sections for switch obviously there was no footage felt too weirdly cartoony for such a serious subject. There’s also an attempt to link in state sanctioned war (Vietnam, Iraq) as another consequence of the racism inherent in the systems which are legacy of imperialistic times but it feels like it’s too big a topic to cover so the link just seems tangential and detracts from the focus somewhat.

The Verdict:- It’s framed as a personal essay from a filmmaker to his son and, in that respect, it works very well, covering a highly emotive topic with the right level of emotional investment. It might make the occasional stylistic and thematic misstep but the message is important and one that needs to be seen.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Time

It’s definitely the year of the documentary and here comes another one; again, a subject that is currently being highlighted more.

Time
Dir. Garrett Bradley / Dur. 81 mins
Strand:- Debate

In A Nutshell:- Told through the many home videos kept over the years as well as current interviews, Time tells the story of Sibil Fox Richardson who is attempting to secure her husband’s release from prison after being sentenced to 65 years without parole for robbery.

The Good:- It’s a subject that is very much to the fore of people’s minds much more than it used to be in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement:- the fact that BIPOC prisoners on average get far longer sentences for crimes. In a desperate move, Fox and her husband Rob planned and committed a robbery. Fox served three and a half years; at the time of the documentary being made, Rob is coming up on twenty years behind bars. What shines through is the sheer impressiveness of Fox Rich (as she styles herself). Not only has she campaigned tirelessly since her own release for a reduction in her husband’s sentence but she runs her own business ventures as well as raising six children on her own. That passion and determination is clear as is, unfortunately, the anger and weariness at a system that is largely indifferent to the injustice being committed here. 

The Bad:- This is purely a personal criticism; at times, the voiceover veered a little too far into the evangelical for my liking but really that’s just me. I largely prefer my documentaries to be thin on editorialising so that IO can judge for myself on the facts presented.

The Verdict:- At times heartbreaking but ultimately heart-warming, the film does an effective job of highlighting the plight of not just those prisoners given unjust sentences but also the impact that it has on their families and loved ones. Definitely one to watch.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Mogul Mowgli

We enter that time where the festival has officially ended but, because I’ve watched so many films, you’ll still be getting festival updates for the next few weeks. Strap in (or snooze and come back in November when it’s far less festival-y. But probably still film-y).

Unsurprisingly this year, given the focus that Black Lives Matter has rightly received, a number of the films focus on questions of identity and race. Here’s one of them.


Mogul Mowgli
Dir. Bassam Tariq / Dur. 89 mins
Strand:- Dare

In A Nutshell:- British-Pakistani rapper Zed returns home where he struggles with connecting with his family while coping with a debilitating illness.

The Good:- Given that it’s co-written by and stars Riz Ahmed who has himself been rapping since he was a teenager, this very much feels like a passion project. The film examines what it means to be both British and Pakistani and the competing pull of family, tradition and religion alongside that of modern Western culture (US as much as British given that hip hop originated there). Ahmed is great in this - he’s in virtually every shot and the film is very much about placing us as much as possible in Zed/Zaheer’s head; an effect enhanced by being shot in tight 4:3 rather than widescreen* and also by the use of a lot of hallucinatory visions that bleed in and out of Zed’s day to day life. The mixture of memory and symbolism, particularly with the masked figure that haunts Zed throughout the film, give an interesting visual texture to the film and help to highlight the split that Zed feels. There are some moments of comedy as well in the form of rival rapper RPG’s truly atrocious music video, highlighting all the dreadful misogynist stereotypes that can still be found in certain examples of the genre.

The Bad:- Some of the dream sequence usage feels a little over the top at times and it gives the film a bit more of a rough and ready feel. Also, it focuses so strongly on Zed that a couple of the other characters feel a little thinly drawn.

The Verdict:- Ahmed is great and the film wisely leans into his ability to sell this throughout. An interesting and visually different take on British race identity.



*There seems to be a bit of a resurgence of shooting in 4:3; last year’s Bait shot on 16mm film to great effect and A Common Crime, reviewed last time, also used that aspect ratio.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Siberia / A Common Crime

One of the things I’d decided for this blog was for it to be largely celebrating things that I enjoy (not uncritically mind) rather than just trashing things I didn't. What makes it tricky when you’ve picked out a load of unknown films from a film festival and set yourself the task of reviewing them all, is that you’re likely to come across films you don’t like. I still try and find something positive to say about them films I don't like as well as acknowledging that the things I enjoy might not be perfect (hence The Good / The Bad format) but there are some I struggle with. There’s plenty of negativity out there and I’m not completely happy about doing a full blog review of Honeymood when I didn’t enjoy it so I’m going to bundle these two together. It means that I haven’t just ignored them but equally they haven’t had a full blog to themselves.

Siberia
Dir. Abel Ferrera / Dur. 92 mins
Strand:- Dare

In A Nutshell:- Willem Dafoe has a bar in Siberia and goes off and does...some stuff?

The Verdict:- Willem Dafoe is always great and I’ll watch him in anything (given that last year’s festival featured featured him as a stranded lighthouse keeper, I’m beginning to think that my festival spirit animal is Willem Dafoe In Extreme Circumstances) and I also love films that fully embrace the surreal (big David Lynch fan) but this just didn't do it. I found the whole thing incoherent, unpleasant and annoying with some truly dreadful dialogue and, if I hadn’t been watching it as part of the festival, I'd have just switched it off.


A Common Crime (Un crimen común)
Dir. Francisco Márquez / Dur. 96 mins
Strand:- Dare

In a Nutshell:- A woman ignores the late knocking at the door of her housekeeper’s son and must deal with the effect this inaction has on her…

The Verdict:- I get that this was a slow burn study of one woman’s deterioration following her choice to not intervene and that it highlights some of the injustices and class/wealth disparity problems prevalent in modern day Argentina but I just found the whole thing to be so slow and lacking in much resembling any incident that I spent almost the entire deathly bored. Elisa Carricajo’s performance is great but she literally has nothing to work with. Again, if not part of the fest, I wouldn't have stuck around with this one.


OK, a couple of disappointments out of the way - let’s get things back on track next time.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Wolfwalkers

The only animated feature of the festival for me - Pixar’s newest offering Soul is also premiering but only in cinema screenings so, as I’m online only this year, I’ll be waiting for that one to show up on streaming services.

Wolfwalkers
Dir. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart / Dur. 100 mins
Strand:- Family

In A Nutshell:- In 17th century Kilkenny under the watchful eye of Oliver Cromwell, a young huntress befriends a wild girl rumoured to be part of a tribe of the legendary wolfwalkers.

The Good:- From Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon who produced The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea (of which I’ve seen) and The Breadwinner (which I have) comes this tale mixing fantasy and historical fact (in sometimes surprising ways). The animation itself is gorgeous - the sort of stylised 2D animation favoured by someone like Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, Hotel Transylvania) which is very appealing. In some instances, there are lingering traces of the sort of linework you see in initial rough animatics and it lends a very distinctive style to the whole thing. In many ways, it resembles a Disney style film - no bad thing in terms of drawing in a younger audience more used to that sort of film making. The young cast are lively and ably assisted by the likes of Sean Bean and Tommy Tiernan (providing some nice comic relief). There’s also some nice stylistic touches in the visual representations of how wolves and wolfwalkers see the world and experience smells and sounds that give another layer to the appealing visuals.

The Bad:- The story itself is not overly surprising, narratively speaking. In terms of kids, nothing we haven’t seen many times before - hunters ruthlessly pursuing nature, nature being given the room to live and fight back. It’s a valid message, of course, but it’s one that we’ve seen time and time again in many an animated film. It’s also a fairly conventional storyline with very little in the way of surprises.

The Verdict:- Animation-wise, it’s a triumph. The style is crisp and appealing with some enjoyable stylistic touches that elevate it above the norm. It’s let down a little by some less than surprising storytelling but that’s not enough to detract from what is an enjoyable animated film.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Shirley

Not a horror film per se but definitely one with a horror adjacent theme to it…

Shirley
Dir. Josephine Decker /  Dur. 107 mins
Strand:- Dare

In A Nutshell:- Horror author Shirley Jackson and her husband Stanley’s somewhat twisted relationship is brought to the fore when newlyweds Fred and Rosie come to live with them.

The Good:- Although different in tone and style, in a way, this film put me in mind of last year’s Mr Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood (starring Tom Hanks) in that, rather than being a traditional telling of the subject’s life, you learn about them through their interactions with another character - in this case, largely Odessa Young’s Rosie. Elisabeth Moss starts here as Shirley and, as always, she is a powerhouse on screen - the sort of presence that it’s impossible to take your eyes off. (That said, it would be nice for once to see her in a role where she’s not constantly in torment and on the breakdown -  not a criticism, she does it brilliantly but it would be good what else she can do for once.) It’s a fascinating piece, particularly given the oddly twisted dynamic and ongoing power struggle between Shirley and her husband Stanley (Michael Stuhlbarg), with each one seeming to have a hold over the other at various times (with Stanley being the far more controlling of the two overall). There are also nice stylistic touches used to illustrate Shirley’s creative processes and how she sees potential creative material - it’s a nice visual illustration of the writing process.

The Bad:- It’s only a minor point but Logan Lerman’s Fred feels like little more than a cypher; he doesn’t have as much to do in the story, granted, but he feels a little thinly drawn overall. (Also, not bad as such but worth noting - when you have characters named Fred and Rose, there’s an unfortunate association there for a UK audience...)

The Verdict:- A non-traditional biopic anchored by another storming performance from Elisabeth Moss and bolstered by good chemistry between her and both Odessa Young and Michael Stuhlbarg. Definitely one worth checking out.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Relic

One of the few full-on “cult” efforts showing at the fest this year - who doesn’t like a bit of horror? (Well, yeah, lots of people, I know, but you get what I was doing there as an opener anyway.)

Relic
Dir. Natalie Erika James / Dur. 89 mins
Strand:- Cult

In A Nutshell:- A woman and her daughter travel back to the family home when her mother goes missing…

The Good:- There’s been a resurgence in a more thoughtful strand of horror in recent years; the sort of horror that relies on a creeping and building sense of unease and disquiet rather than gore and jump scares and that’s no bad thing*. Relic is very much in the vein of films like Hereditary and The Babadook - the scares come from preying on fears of loneliness, grief, etc. - in Relic’s case, it’s the fear of old age robbing us of who we are. There’s an effective building of tension and some suitably creepy imagery throughout to build the disquiet and Emily Mortimer, Robyn Niven and Bella Heathcote all give affecting performances as the three generations of the family trapped in this escalating situation. There are some nicely disconcerting and claustrophobic scenes involving the house itself later in the film.

The Bad:- There’s a slight lack of focus and clarity in the nature of the threat itself. Without wanting to say too much, there are appearances and sightings of something that don’t seem to fully pay off, with the emphasis on the horror of ageing itself leading to a feeling that some of the sequences are red herrings for the sake of injecting some more traditional horror scares into the film (maybe I missed something though). It’s a minor complaint though overall.

The Verdict:- Another string entry in the current crop of more thoughtful and reflective horror films that seem to have cropped up in the last five to ten years. A few unfocussed moments don’t detract from what is effectively upsetting film. I for one am happy to keep horror films that are at least trying to do something outside of the traditional horror formula



*I’m not saying that I don’t like a gory horror film with plenty of jump scares but they have to be done well and preferably with humour too. Gore for gore's sake doesn't appeal - I’ll take an Evil Dead 2 over a Hostel any day of the week.

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - The Reason I Jump

So Day Three got off to a disappointing start with yesterday’s entry but we’re more than back on track with today’s offering.

The Reason I Jump
Dir. Jerry Rothwell / Dur. 82 mins
Strand:- Journey

In A Nutshell:- Based on a memoir by thirteen year old Naoki Higashida, this documentary follows five teens and highlights their perspectives on being nonspeaking autistic young people.

The Good:- Using the memoir as a framing device works brilliantly as it provides the non-autisitic viewer with the perspective needed to try and understand the headspace of these young people from arounds the world (the film follows teens in the UK, US, India and Sierra Leone). Each of them has a different way of processing (or not) what is going on around them and of communicating with the outside world - whether it be through art, spelling boards or alive of green power boxes. What I thought came across really well was the attempt to highlight the minds behind the behaviour and the ways in which those minds reach out with communication methods that most of us don’t recognise, for example, Amrit using her art as a method of describing what she is experiencing. In the case of Ben, it showed the eloquence that was hidden by his inability to use speech as his primary method of communication and how, once the spelling boards were discovered, communication with non-autistic people was unlocked for him.

The Bad:- The only thing that I felt was slightly lacking in the film was more exploration of Jestina’s voice. The film, rightly, highlights the important work that her parents have done in their local community in Sierra Leone to promote a more positive view of autism amongst an area that still has strongly superstitious views about the condition but I felt like we didn't get as much insight into her as we did with the other people.

The Verdict:- It’s great - thoughtful and uplifting, compelling all the way through and, at 82 mins, gets to the heart of it without outstaying its welcome. It’s the sort of the film that gives you a greater understanding of people who see the world in a very different way and that’s exactly the sort of thing that I love to find at the festival. Having mentioned it last time, I really am beginning to think that 2020 is the year of the documentary...

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Honeymood

Day Three begins and… well, it was bound to happen at some point.

Honeymood
Dir. Talya Lavie / Dur. 90 mins
Strand:- Laugh

In A Nutshell:- A couple’s wedding night is disrupted by the gift of a ring from the groom’s ex which leads them to trek out onto the streets of Jerusalem…

The Good:- I’m not going to lie, this bit is a bit of a struggle to kick off as I just did not enjoy the film at all. I’ll say that, to its credit, the cast are strong and fully commit to their roles and the film makes a credible stab at trying to create rounded out characters rather than one dimensional rom-com style caricatures. Groom Noam’s parents are an enjoyable couple even if his mother does lean somewhat heavily into overprotective stereotyping.

The Bad:- I just didn’t like the main characters pretty much from the off and so found the whole thing increasingly tiresome as it dragged on, with the pair of them stretching out this night in the city. For me, it wasn’t anywhere near as charming as it thought it was and, as it veered close to farce, it really lost me. I’m a bit fussy about farce / cringe humour - there have to be characters I’m really invested in for me to get through the cringe moments and there wasn’t that for me here. I’m a big musical fan (as I’ve no doubt banged on about on here before) and not even the presence of a sudden song and dance number could save this me - partly because it came out of nowhere and partly because it was hot and lit so horribly that it looked like it had been lifted from a cheap TV movie.

The Verdict:- Sadly, a proper miss for me on this one. It’s a shame because, this year, the two strands that I like to see quite few entries each from (Laugh and Cult) have got three entries each (yes, I am booked for all three in each strand) so it’s disappointing when one of them turns out not to be that great. Still, this is part of the joy of the festival - for every duffer, there’s several that are great. Which, as it turns out, is a nice segue into our next entry...

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - The Painter And The Thief

Three films down and already the second documentary of the fest (with another one coming up on Day Three). It seems that 2020 could be the Year Of The Documentary.

The Painter And The Thief
Dir. Benjamin Ree / Dur. 107 mins
Strand:- Create

In A Nutshell:- The story of the unlikely friendship that develops between an artist and the man who steals her painting.

The Good:- It’s an intriguing concept to start with:- an artist has two works stolen from an art gallery and, at the trial for one of thieves, asks him why he did it; his answer, “Because it was beautiful” prompts her to ask if she can paint his portrait and a surprising friendship develops. It’s well paced and structured - narratively, it starts following events from the painter Barbora’s point of view before doubling back and following things from the art thief Bertil’s point of view. It’s a fascinating character study and delves into what it is that brings these two seemingly disparate people together into a friendship that surprises both of them with its intensity. There’s an eloquence to Bertil and a destructiveness within Barbora that bridges the gap between their different lives. There are also some moments of fairly intense emotion, particularly in Bertil’s reaction when Barbora reveals her first completed portrait to him.

The Bad:- It’s a very minor criticism but, while satisfying, the ending feels oddly convenient and smacks a little of maybe some intervention on the part of the filmmakers (certainly in regards to people revealing information to each other) in order to give them the ending it needs. This is a really minor point though and in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment of the film.

The Verdict:- I know that I’m only three films in but this one will definitely be on my “Highlights Of The Fest” list at the end. I was utterly riveted and really moved by this story of two people finding a deep connection in the most unlikely of circumstances. Highly and thoroughly recommended. (I’ve got a few more documentaries on the list so maybe 2020 is going to be The Year Of The Documentary…)

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Kajillionaire

The second film of Day One and, given that this one used the words “offbeat” and Deadpan” in the listing on the BFI site, it was pretty much right in my wheelhouse*.

Kajillionaire
Dir. Miranda July / Dur. 104 mins
Strand:- Laugh

In A Nutshell:- Low levels grifters Richard and Theresa live a hand to mouth life with their adult daughter Old Dolio. During an elaborate luggage scam, that arrival of someone new into their lives starts to chance things…

The Good:- This is director Miranda July and oddly her previous two films seem to have passed me by, even though they seem like the sort of thing I’d enjoy. She has a way of imbuing odd characters with distinctive voices that’s very appealing and definitely a gift for the right actors. As emotionally stunted couple Richard and Theresa, Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger are on fine form. Both of them are strong screen presences that don’t seem to get enough attention. The film largely belongs to Evan Rachel Wood’s equally emotionally stifled Old Dolio but it;s the interplay between her and Gina Rodriguez’s Mel that really sells the film. There’s also a nice line in weirdness that runs throughout - the office they live n which leaks with bubbles, the landlord with no emotional filter, the ducking walk they all do to avoid him, a stylistic moment that plays around with darkness - all of these things along with the performance combine to sweep you past the fact that actually there’s a fairly narratively conventional film lurking in the heart of it.

The Bad:- I honestly can't think of anything that I didn’t enjoy about this. I was swept along by it and didn't notice the running time - always a good sign, especially when trying to recreate the cinema experience in a distraction filled home environment.

The Verdict:- A thoroughly enjoyable mixture of weird and offbeat, silly and heartfelt, tragic and uplifting in which the four main leads effectively give us a four-hander character study. Two films in and suspect that this may be one of the highlights of the fest (early days though…).

The Venue/TechTalk:- Whatever teething troubles I had with the first film were absent for this one - streamed fine all the way through, no buffering. Looks like the BaldyFella Home PictureHouse is a go...

*Phrases are weird. This another one of those phrases where nobody seems quite sure where it originated. One possible theory is that, a wheelhouse is a part of a paddle steamer where, if anything were to fall into it, it would be struck with great force. It was used in baseball to describe the area where a batter could strike something with great force and then evolved into a saying meaning anything that fell within one’s area of expertise. Apparently. Then again, maybe not. Phrases, eh?

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Stray

And we’re off! It might well be from home but it’s still the film festival. The first of a double bill to kick off the opening night and a test of the new set up. Let’s dive in.

Stray
Dir. Elizabeth Lo / Dur. 72 mins
Strand: Journey

In A Nutshell:- We follow the day to day travels of Zeytin, a stray dog on the streets of Istanbul and discover by proxy a bit more about the humans who populate those streets too.

The Good:- One of my favourite documentaries of recent years is Kedi, a film about the lives of stray cats in Istanbul, so I was interested to see this as a counterpoint to that film. First up, it looks great. The cinematography is eye-catching and the pace at which it unfolds allows you to get a feel for the animals, the people and the city itself. Most of the action is shot at dog eye-level, giving the film a sense of what it would be like to wander the streets as a stray. The film eschews any narration, opting instead to let the wanderings of the dogs, mainly Zeytin and later Kartal, drive the story forward. There is a human element as Zeytin is unofficially adopted by a group of homeless Syrian teenagers who become the other driver for the story. The film does a good job of evoking an emotional response at points with something a simple as a sustained shot of a tired and sickly looking puppy’s face.

The Bad:- There is a certain staginess to some of the sequences involving people, most notably a brief scene showing a couple having an unconvincing argument. It may be being overly harsh but it feels at times that certain sequences have been either set up or nudged in order to drive some sort of narrative for the film. For me, the least convincing part involved the teenagers planning otu and committing a theft. I realise that all documentary filmmaking is ultimately artificial but something about some sequences didn't ring true.

The Verdict:- A solid start to the fest with a beautiful looking (if very occasionally unconvincing) look at the life of strays (dogs and humans) on the streets of Istanbul. We’re definitely up and running.

The Venue/TechTalk:- So last year, you got a bit of commentary from me on the venue and any intros or Q&As. Obviously, that’s a non-starter this year as I am sat at home so the venue is very much to my own specifications. I’m trying to treat it as if I’m at the cinema - watch through from start to finish with no pausing and putting my phone on the other side of the room to avoid the temptation to look at it. I did have some trouble getting this one to play initially and, when it did play, I had some buffering issues (to the extent that I had to completely refresh and skim through at one point to get back to where I’d been) but fortunately this was all working in time for film number two. More on which next time... 

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2020 - Not Your Usual Festival

It’s October and that can mean only one thing - this blog  becomes entirely subsumed for a month by me wittering on about films from the BFI London Film Festival. If that’s not your bag then best check back in about a month away from now when I’ll probably write something about, I don’t know, farts.*

It’s genuinely the highlight of my pop culture year but it’s going to be a little different this year. How so? Look, I’m going to resist using the phrase “new normal” but you all know it’s not too far away. Yes, it’s 2020, The Year Of The Pandemic, and the LFF has adjusted accordingly. For one thing, the number of films on offer is substantially smaller than in previous years - last year boasted around 360 films; this year, the total is around the 60 mark - largely in part due to production being shut down for most of the year. For another thing, the festival this year is moving predominantly online with only 12 films showing in cinemas and only a few of those being cinema only; the newest Pixar film Soul understandably being one of those (and another possible reason why they are fewer films - a number of distributors may be reluctant to premiere big releases online).

So this year, I will be taking part from the comfort of my own home. Will I miss the experience of seeing them on the big screen with an audience of like-minded film fans with the added bonus of Q&As with the creatives? Of course, that’s part of the whole experience. Am I ready to sit in an enclosed environment for hours and hours during the midst of a global pandemic? Nope.

I’m genuinely pleased that the BFI have moved to predominantly online for this - it keeps the festival going when so many other big events have fallen by the wayside this year. Plus it means that I can do the whole fest basically sat around in my pants eating crisps. Who wouldn't want to go to a festival like that?

So let the “Hopefully Weird Blip Stay-A- Home Film Festival For 2020 Only” begin….

*Not an actual example. Please don’t come back in a month expecting a blog about farts. You will probably be disappointed.

WatchSeeLookView In 2020 - Get Duked!

A fair chunk of this blog is often me wittering on about the films what I have done watched over the course of the year, usually on a lovely big screen in the darkened embrace of a cinema. For obvious reasons, I’ve not really ventured into a cinema since March (which was, as we all know, about fifteen years ago now) so the films of this year have been a bit thin on the ground. There have been  some films slowly trickling out there, however, so let’s cast an eye over some of the stuff that might well be worth your time.

Get Duked! (2020)
Dir. Ninian Doff / Dur. 87 mins
Where:- Amazon Prime

In A Nutshell:- Four hapless boys on their Duke Of Edinburgh Award out in the Highlands discover that the local gentry don’t exactly take kindly to “their sort”...

The Good
I came across this on Amazon Prime and didn't have much in the way of expectations for it which is why I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be really rather good. I found myself laughing at it quite a lot, despite the slightly off-putting title (it was apparently originally called Boyz In The Woodz but I’m guessing references to a nearly thirty year old film* were not deemed to be a huge marketing win). The four leads are engaging and the film wisely swerves away from making the “bad” lads obnoxious, instead aiming for a more sympathetic portrayal. There’s a good supporting cast on offer including James Cosmo as a mushroom-munching farmer, Kate Dickie as a Highlands cop out to prove herself and Eddie Izzard as the creepily evil Duke. There’s a nice sense of pace and style to the film with some quick cuts and unexpected flourishes that put me in mind a little bit of Edgar Wright. It’s also a film that doesn’t outstay its welcome - sub-ninety minutes is a good duration for a first time director’s horror comedy.

The Bad
It’s a little rough and ready in places and has one moment of “why doesn’t that big group of people just help them out” but these are minor quibbles really.

The Verdict
A surprisingly fun and very British horror comedy romp, managing to throw in some deliberately heavy-handed satire and just about getting with it. Worth it for the absolutely ludicrous ending alone.



*Yup, Boyz n The Hood was made in 1991. No, you’re getting old.

Ten Books With Context - The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain

Here we go - having decried these lists last time for largely ending up wallowing in safe nostalgia arthur than picking something fresher, today we are going to wallow in safe nostalgia. Look, I think that I’ve established that the only real rule around here is “my blog, my rules” so, in that respect, we’re well within the accepted blog tolerances.

Today’s choice is a book that I’m not sure that I’ve read all the way through (in fact, the format pretty guarantees that you’re unlikely to read the whole thing).

The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain
By Ian Livingstone & Steve Jackson
First published:- 1982

What’s It About?
Is it a book? Is it a game? It’s a little of column A and a little of column B. You are an adventurer attempting to find the treasure of Firetop Mountain with a little bit of help from dice, pencil and paper.

Background
The '70s saw the emergence of a new type of game - the roleplaying game - and thus were the lives of nerdy indoor kids transformed (at least until video games came along to make them even more indoorsy). Alongside that, the '70s also saw the beginnings of the Choose Your Own Adventure book - books that gave you options to follow at the end of each paragraph to unlock the next part of the story. Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson decided to combine the two to create a role-playing experience that could be played in those times when you didn't have a full set of friends around. And thus was the range of Fighting Fantasy books born with this, the first of many… *

What’s It Good?
Because it’s a book you can play. It’s also weirdly a book that you’re pretty expected to never read all of, depending on the path that you chose through (I certainly haven’t read the whole thing; I;m not even sure if I managed to complete this one without cheating and mentally justifying stepping back and ignoring a fight after I’ve been killed). It’s the ideal introduction into a wider world of gaming as the rules are simple and easy to follow but there’s enough there to make it feel more interactive than the more straightforward Choose Your Own Adventure style gamebook. The fact that they are still publishing new adventures some 40 years after the first one came is testament to the sticking power of the format.

(Small Note For Collectors:- If you’re thinking of grabbing a full set of them, be prepared for that to set you back a pretty penny. Some of the rarer books can sell on eBay for £200-£300. If you've got some tucked away in the loft, it might be time to dust them off and check out the prices…)



*Which are still being published today. Charlie Higson has written one in the last few years and there’s a new one due out in October written by Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of Sir Terry).

Ten Books With Context - The City We Became

So I started off this little strand back in June and I’ve just realised that I only did six books. So I can read but I can't count. Let's do a little housekeeping and get this one finished off.

One of the things that I find with these lists is that you end tending to prioritise older books, books you've had time to get nostalgic over. Well, let’s balance that out a bit with a book that only came out in March this year…

The City We Became (The Great Cities Trilogy Book 1)
By N.K. Jemisin
First published:- 24th March 2020

What’s It About?
Cities aren’t just the places where we live; at a certain point, they become living breathing beings. New York’s birth is fraught with danger and the five human avatars who represent must come together to protect it from The Enemy…

Background
I’ve talked about Jemisin’s books before - I read her Broken Earth Trilogy a while back and was completely drawn in by it.* Jemisin has a refreshing take on sci fi and fantasy that utilises her perspective on race and gender to create something fresh in genres that still tend to be dominated by white men. As well as race and gender, there’s a strong sense (at least in the Broken Earth series; I’ve yet to read her other two series of books) of the geographical and geological, of utilising the locations to be as much a part of the story as the people.
She’s relatively prolific as well, having published nine novels and a collection of short stories in the last ten years, in addition to currently writing a monthly Green Lantern spin-off comic, Far Sector, for DC Comics.

Why’s It Good?
Jemisin has an immensely readable style that, in some respects, puts me in mind of Neil Gaiman or Stephen King and has a facility for drawing a string mental picture to convey concepts that are not necessarily easy to visualise, particularly in describing how the human avatars of the individual boroughs of New York visualise both our world and the wider world they perceive. As before, race and gender play a strong role in the book, especially in representing the multiple cultural identities that denizens of New York contain within them, both as New Yorkers but also with a broader cultural heritage.
Naturally, geography once again plays a part, given that the books deals with living cities. Jemisin clearly has a strong affinity for her adopted city in a warts-and-all kind of way and that shines through here. (I was also surprised to find  mention of my own home town in there, especially as I live not in New York but in South East London.)
There’s a small element of risk here - this is only book one of three and there’s every chance this could go off the rails before the end (a trap that Stephen King certainly fell into with the curate’s egg that is The Dark Tower series). Given her previous form, though, that really is a small element and I’m already champing at the bit to get into the next part of the story...


*Side note - Jemisin is the only person in its sixty seven year history to win the Hugo Award (the most established award for science fiction and fantasy writing) for three consecutive years for the Broken Earth books. Given that previous winners include Isaac Asmiov, Arthur C Clarke, Kurt Vonnegut, JK Rowling and Neil Gaiman among others, that’s not an achievement to be sniffed at.

Thirty Five Years Ago - Back To The Future

Yeah, come on, it was always going to be leading up to this one. A film for which I had a frustratingly 99.99% complete Panini sticker album (one sticker missing). A film for which I have (somewhere) an “OUTATIME” number plate and used to have a “What are looking at, butthead?” T-shirt. Oh, and this one I did very much watch at the cinema (although we were late and I didn’t see the first 5 minutes until it came out on VHS).

(Brief Note:- Some of you may be thinking, “Hang on, there’s one notable film from 1985 that he hasn’t covered.” And you would be right. I do like The Goonies but it’s one that my obsession for faded very quickly and it’s not one that I ever really have a desire to rewatch for some reason. Not sure why, I just don’t.)

Back To The Future
Dir. Robert Zemeckis / Dur. 116 minutes

What’s It About? Weird old man who inexplicably hangs around with a teenager accidentally sends him back in time so his mum can try to get off with him.

Why’s It Good? It’s Back To The Future.




Oh, fine, I’ll give you a bit more than that. This, along with Ghostbusters, is probably of the pinnacle of a genre that very much feels like it hit the peak in the 80s and 90s but seems to be somewhat in decline these days - the family friendly high concept comedy which is actually still genuinely funny. It’s smart, it doesn’t talk down to its viewers, it’s got some slightly risque stuff hidden in plain sight (so the kids won't notice it but the adults will get it) and it bears up to repeated viewings. It’s got a main and supporting cast that doesn’t really have a weak link (OK, Claudia Wells as Jnnifer is pretty underwhelming but you do get the far superior Elisabeth Shue for the sequels). Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd have a natural easy going chemistry, Crispin Glover’s George is suitably nerdy and a bit off-kilter and Thomas F Wilson’s Biff is a powerhouse comic supporting role* (with a special mention to James Tolkan as the strict and seemingly ageless Principal Strickland). 

It’s tightly plotted and has a number of nice details that reward multiple viewing (for example, the mall where Marty meets Doc at the beginning of the film is the Twin Pines Mall whereas, following his destruction of one of the pines as Marty arrives in 1955, the mall at the end is now called Lone Pine Mall). It also builds nicely on the “rule of three” style repetition and subversion of events across the subsequent sequels.

There’s a sense of joy and urgency that sweeps you long for the ride. Plus, impractical though it may be, the DeLorean with its flux capacitor is one of the coolest time machines around. (I said “one of” - we all know that the TARDIS is the coolest.)

So there you go - a brief nostalgia fest through the films of thirty five years ago / thinly disguised attempt to wring some blog posts out of nothing. You just know that there’s likely to be more of these on the way at some point...


*So synonymous with the role is Wilson that he carries around a business card of Biff FAQs to hand out to people to avoid having to constantly answer the same questions, which includes such facts as "Michael J Fox is nice. I'm not in close contact with him", "I made less money than you'd think" and "I don't talk about the movies much because I'm busy with standup comedy and music performances."