John Waters was completely ahead of his time. To so many people, he’s still the epitome of transgressive cinema, trashy and shocking for shock’s sake, but this is a reductive way of regarding his work.He was utterly prescient, a kind of prophet, if you like. Take 1970’s Female Trouble. Dawn Davenport, magnificently portrayed by DivineContinue reading “How John Waters Was Prescient”
Category Archives: Film
Disney’s Dream Debased: The Florida Project
Sean Baker’s brilliant film The Florida Project, released in 2018, focuses on the flip- side of Walt Disney – the “hidden homeless” subsisting on the other side of Disneyworld in Florida- families living in slum motels. The law states that these families, who are struggling to survive, aren’t allowed to take up residency, so canContinue reading “Disney’s Dream Debased: The Florida Project”
The Joy Of Kenneth
Drink up your strawberry Nesquik/Creamola Foam, finish the last crumbs of Findus Crispy Pancakes, peas and oven chips, and make a spirited dash to the wood-panelled TV set. It’s Kenneth time! Not a Kenny, most certainly not a Ken, Kenneth is a benign, smiling presence in a world of doubt. He’s crimplene- lean, a clean,Continue reading “The Joy Of Kenneth”
Disney’s Dream Debased: Alice
Few film makers are as incredible as the mighty Czech surrealist Jan Svankmajer. Like so many people of my generation, I was first aware of him in the early 90s, when Channel 4 screened his singular adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, abbreviated to simply Alice Alice, created in 1988, was a revelation. Beautiful, disturbingContinue reading “Disney’s Dream Debased: Alice”
My First All Emoji Review: Dig! (2004)
❤️🎥📽️☢️🎧🎤🎹🎙️🎻🎺⭐🤩📀🤑💲💲💲 🎸🎵🎼➕🎨🚩🚩🚩🚩💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💉💉💉💉💉😠😠😠😡😡😡😡😡😒😒🤬🤬🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥🧔👦 ⭐⭐⭐🥃🥃🥃🥃🍾🔪🌎🎉🎉⭐⭐⭐👅🗣️🗣️💪💪🤥😵😬🤒🤒🤒🤒😜😜😜💊💊💊💉💉💉 🎼🎼🎼🎵🎵🤒😵😜🚛🚛😠📀📀🍸🤑🤑🤑🤑😥😥😠🤔🤔😍🤩🤩🤩🙂🙂⭐⭐⭐🎹🎧🎤🎸 🎻🎬🎸🎸🎺🎷🎸❤️❤️❤️💯🎉👋👋👋
The Anti- Amelie: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
This classic French film is the antithesis of trite rom-coms. Amelie it ain’t. Angelique (Audrey Tautou) is a fine arts student in love with Loic (Samuel Le Bihan) a much older cardiologist. Angelique is absolutely smitten, and desperately wants him to leave his pregnant wife. She’s an intially charming young woman, popular and well- liked,Continue reading “The Anti- Amelie: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not”
Bjork: MTV Unplugged/ MTV Live
Bjork Unplugged? Sounds like an oxymoron, and kinda is. This film compilation of MTV appearances, released in 2002, is one for completists only. Capturing the divine Ms Gudmunsdottir in 1994 at the height of her Debut success, both the performance and sound are too subdued to really impact. She tentatively prowls around the stage inContinue reading “Bjork: MTV Unplugged/ MTV Live”
Frankenweenie(1984)
In many ways, the original short film version of Frankenweenie is a sharp satire on horror cinema and its tropes: after all, Shelley Duvall plays the Mom, which foreshadows the macabre undertow (isn’t she the archetypal horror film Mom as resilient Wendy Torrance in The Shining?) Written by Lenny Ripps and directed by a youngContinue reading “Frankenweenie(1984)”
Why Midnight Cowboy Remains Relevant
It may be nigh-on impossible to watch any Dustin Hoffman these days without hearing Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon parodying his nasal New York accent, but I watched John Schlesinger’s classic Midnight Cowboy the other night and it still remains an astute metaphor for the mess America is in, now as then. Joe Buck (JonContinue reading “Why Midnight Cowboy Remains Relevant”
Lost In Music: Gazelle Twin &NYX- Deep England
Halloween weekend is here, the thin veil between the dead and the living. Come stroke the red velvet interior of your worst nightmares. A hundred snakes constrict, a hundred shark mouths consume. There’s an infinite karaoke held by Nigel Farage. Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the wonderful creative duo behind the stunning Nick CaveContinue reading “Lost In Music: Gazelle Twin &NYX- Deep England”
Hit The North 