Evelyn Wang is the modern hero we need. Evelyn Wang is the human repository of contemporary problems,dreams, hope and fears. Evelyn Wang is the epitome of overwhelm. Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by Daniels, really does deserve all of its plaudits.If ever a film addressed contemporary society, it’s this. Michelle Yeoh, who deservedly wonContinue reading “Evelyn Is Everything (We Need)”
Category Archives: Profile
The Wicker Man at Fifty
Awww, poor Sergeant Howie. If you’d just shagged Willow, you wouldn’t be meeting such a horrible demise… I recently rewatched The Wicker Man, as it’s now the same age as me. What struck me upon watching it again is that it’s kinda a musical – albeit one with sex, Paganism and (spoiler) ritual murder. TheContinue reading “The Wicker Man at Fifty”
The Coruscating Genius of Rowland S Howard
Lean, Dracula lean, and tall, with a pallid, angular face, Rowland S Howard cut a cool figure, ideal for an alternative musician. He didn’t so much play guitar as slash at it, his chiming, coruscating sound ricocheting in the night air. This was a violent, unsettling noise- a howl, a siren cry. My then- partner,Continue reading “The Coruscating Genius of Rowland S Howard”
Overlooked Classics: The Butcher Boy
Both the book by Patrick McCabe and film, co-adapted by McCabe with Neil Jordan, are brilliant. Francis Brady could have been a Holden Caulfield, but he was much, much more insidious: a study in everyday psychopathy. Francis Brady, portrayed with equal parts cheek and horror by the wonderful Eamonn Owens is the titular character. SomethingContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: The Butcher Boy”
That 6Music Shake- Up
Working as a freelance writer, I’m always working from home these days, which means a constant soundtrack from my favourite radio station, 6Music. My favourite DJ is Mary Anne Hobbs, the mellow techno earth mother. She’s wonderfully eclectic, playing everything from Shygirl to Queens Of The Stone Age. I’m also really chuffed that Deb GrantContinue reading “That 6Music Shake- Up”
The Notorious JT
From the late nineties onwards, the blistering prose of JT Leroy captivated many, many readers all across the world. Like a cross between Kathy Acker and Dennis Cooper,his fiction resonated, weaving high art from low places. In person,too, Leroy bewitched the literary establishment, a taciturn, androgynous and socially awkward figure in shades, wig and hat.Continue reading “The Notorious JT”
Overlooked Classics: Half Nelson (2006)
Many pop psychologists like to reference the phrase “teachable moments”, a term meaning an experience we can learn from. It’s not a term I’m terribly fond of, as it seems a bit obvious. We’re all works in progress, and so we learn all the time. However, if any film could be about teachable moments, it’sContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Half Nelson (2006)”
What ‘While We’re Young’ Got Right… About Gen Z Narcissists
*Contains spoilers* Who are the real cultural custodians? Generational discourse masquerading as rom-.com , While We’re Young, which was written and directed by Noah Baumbach, is a really intelligent, funny and thoughtful film. Josh and Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) are a middle-aged couple, both working in film, whose marriage is getting moribund. EveryoneContinue reading “What ‘While We’re Young’ Got Right… About Gen Z Narcissists”
Benny and Joon: Raisins
Benny and Joon from 1993 is a flawed but likeable film. Sure, it doesn’t really depict mental health problems in a subtle or realistic way (apart from June’s meltdown on the bus) and it’s all resolved far too easily, but it’s redeemed by beautiful performances from Mary Stuart Masterson as June and Johnny Depp asContinue reading “Benny and Joon: Raisins”
A Drop Of The Dark Stuff
Clout Theatre: How A Man Crumbled I’ve got a real love of Bouffon. For those of you who have never had the pleasure to witness it, Bouffon is the grotesque side of clowning. It’s European generally, although there’s definitely an overlap in physical performance terms with dance and theatre from the Far East, a laContinue reading “A Drop Of The Dark Stuff”
Hit The North 