Meade's Ball
Well-known member
Finished the festival with the outright comedy Sightseers, written by and starring Steve Oram and Alice Rowe. It concerns two ultimately ordinary and half-simpleton people who head off on a caravanning holiday through the midlands. A romantic and murderous holiday at that. The male has thinning ginger hair and face of orange beardedness, an ever-growing hatred of rudeness scarring his enjoyment of trips to a pencil museum and so on. The female has a dog psychologist certificate on her wall, but lives with her grotesquely horrid brummie mum who reminds her constantly of how she's to blame for the "accidental" death of miniature hound Poppy. This obviously psychologically troubledcouple leave a bloody trail on their jaunt, and the audience mostly giggling throughout. It's an honestly funny little film which might sadly have an 18 rating for its gorier moments. Well worth a look. Directed by the guy who did Down Terrace and Kill List too, so his control of the camera and sometime curiosities filmed make it better.
Not sure when it comes out but when it does i recommend. Steve Oram is brilliantly funny with a real viciousness on the inside.
This evening i went to Beasts of the Southern Wild, a film much vaunted in the festivals of the last 6 months or so. It's a take on the life of some areas of America that were wrecked and ruined by hurricane Katrina, and seemingly left to suffer and fend for themselves in the aftermath. This is told by a 6 year old though, called hushpuppy, so it's more magical and supposedly poetic than it would have been if it were made by the more mainstream and had Angelina Jolie starting a campaign to find her surprisingly black grandfather who was likely drowned in the floods. Hushpuppy's father is a sometimes brutal drunk and the community in general seems delirious with alcohol and a wish to continue to live a separated life to mainland America and all its bought delights.
I thought it alright at best. Some of the imagery was amazing to see, so much of it obviously filmed where societies had been just washed away, and the little girl was alright. It didn't really grab me though, the music on occasion out of place and over-dominant, and the tale itself not expertly constructed and tied together to make this Jabberwocky-esque journey through the murk either heart-tugging or wholly thrilling.
Oh, i liked the film Shell that i saw last Friday too. From the festival. Life in a petrol station in the HIghlands. It's not merry. And the dialogue isn't constant. but the surroundings and events really keep you watching. if and when it comes out i'd say it's a Monday night film for a slightly arty crowd who want to feed their start of the week blues with something very tenderly but disturbingly made.
Not sure when it comes out but when it does i recommend. Steve Oram is brilliantly funny with a real viciousness on the inside.
This evening i went to Beasts of the Southern Wild, a film much vaunted in the festivals of the last 6 months or so. It's a take on the life of some areas of America that were wrecked and ruined by hurricane Katrina, and seemingly left to suffer and fend for themselves in the aftermath. This is told by a 6 year old though, called hushpuppy, so it's more magical and supposedly poetic than it would have been if it were made by the more mainstream and had Angelina Jolie starting a campaign to find her surprisingly black grandfather who was likely drowned in the floods. Hushpuppy's father is a sometimes brutal drunk and the community in general seems delirious with alcohol and a wish to continue to live a separated life to mainland America and all its bought delights.
I thought it alright at best. Some of the imagery was amazing to see, so much of it obviously filmed where societies had been just washed away, and the little girl was alright. It didn't really grab me though, the music on occasion out of place and over-dominant, and the tale itself not expertly constructed and tied together to make this Jabberwocky-esque journey through the murk either heart-tugging or wholly thrilling.
Oh, i liked the film Shell that i saw last Friday too. From the festival. Life in a petrol station in the HIghlands. It's not merry. And the dialogue isn't constant. but the surroundings and events really keep you watching. if and when it comes out i'd say it's a Monday night film for a slightly arty crowd who want to feed their start of the week blues with something very tenderly but disturbingly made.
) to the damn fine range of always impressive cinematography. Best Foreign Film of this year by a county kilometre. A life-confirming experience and a fully deserved 9.5/10.
