Monday, February 8, 2010

Posted @ 17:57 GMT

monstrous women are rarely rewarded

I've been meaning to write something for Women in Horror Recognition Month, which is a campaign to promote women who work within the horror genre during the month of February.

I'm going to look at two films that I think deserve some attention and discussion: Ginger Snaps (2000) and Jennifer's Body (2009). These two films serve as a useful balance, since the first is smart and though-provoking, while the second is interesting but muddled.

Ginger Snaps is based on a story by Karen Walton and John Fawcett, the screenplay was written by Walton, and directed by Fawcett. It's a film about two sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigette (Emily Perkins), who don't fit in at school due to their death obsession and Goth tendencies. They are on the cusp of puberty, and therefore an interest in boys is beginning to impinge upon their intense friendship. Ginger is bitten by a werewolf just as she begins to menstruate, and she starts to change in literal and metaphoric ways. Brigette tries to protect her sister as Ginger becomes more predatory and lost within her lycanthrope self. Brigette eventually attempts to forge a path between being a werewolf and being human, while stopping her sister's attacks.

The film does not make any apologies for placing a tricky issue like female puberty at its centre. The werewolf is both a metaphor for the physical transformation (hair growth, strange appetites and smells) and the emotional roller coaster triggered by the onset of menstruation: mood swings, hormonal imbalances, etc. The obviousness of the metaphor is not a problem for me: this film glories in having a subject that is normally taboo galloping about on the screen tearing chunks out of people. Menstruation - that hidden, messy issue that we discuss in euphuisms (the film's logline is "She's got the curse") - is central to the film, partnered with the uncomfortable issue of coping with a young woman's burgeoning sexuality. Most films are concerned about controlling women's sexual appetite, and what makes Ginger so dangerous is that she has the strength to carry out her lethal desires. As she says: "I'm a goddamn force of nature. I feel like I could do just about anything."

Of course, A Company of Wolves (1984), co-written by Neil Jordan and Angela Carter (based on her The Bloody Chamber stories) also tackled the werewolf/puberty angle in relation to a female character, but in it lycanthropy was mostly a male force. Although, this disjointed, dreamy, fairytale film is well worth watching, and is another favourite of mine.

Ginger and Brigette are complex characters brought to life with convincing performances by the actresses. There is a split of the sexy versus nerdy sister, but not in a simplified fashion - both Ginger and Brigette are appealing and never dismissed based on their appearance. The film is also horrific, in the proper sense of the word, with Brigette having to make a terrible decision by the end of the film. This is a horror film with women at its bloody centre, without compromise or rescue by men. Ginger and Brigette are in it together (forever) and resolve it together. It foregrounds the intense love/hate relationship of sisters, which is rarely represented in films with any gritty truth.

What's baffling is that Karen Walton, who wrote a superior horror screenplay (far, far better than most of the drek I suffer through on a regular basis), has not written another feature script since this one. She has written television movies and series, but no more horror. I notice that John Fawcett on the other hand has directed plenty of genre television and at least one feature film since Ginger Snaps. The film won eight international awards - including a writing award for Walton - and spawned a sequel and a prequel. I would easily place Ginger Snaps in my top five werewolf movies. Usually, screenwriters who produce such early, critically-successful work are rewarded with more work in feature films, but not in this case. Perhaps Walton did not want to continue to work within the horror genre, and that is certainly a pity.

Jennifer's Body was written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama, and attracted a certain amount of attention because Cody just won the Oscar for Juno, and the film's star, Megan Fox, was hotly lusted after by a new generation of teenaged boys thanks to her role in the Transformer films. I do not say these things as negatives - hardly. It's rare for a film written and directed by women to get any early heat, so it's great when it happens. Cody and Kusama were vocal in their ambitions to make an interesting female-centric horror film (well documented in the film's Wikipedia entry). In this regard I find that a pity, because for me the film falls short of its supposed feminist ambitions.

The story revolves around the relationship between Jennifer (Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried), who have been best friends for their entire lives despite the fact that Jennifer is popular and attractive, and Needy is nerdy and plain. They live in the small town of Devil's Kettle, and attend a typical High School together. An indie band visit the local bar, burn it down, and take away Jennifer to sacrifice to Satan in exchange for fame and glory on the mistaken assumption that she's a virgin. Because Jennifer is not a virgin she is possessed by a Succubus and must slaughter and eat a man every month to maintain her demonic abilities (which are never properly detailed). This change means that Needy must end up putting a stop to her best friend's appetites.

This is a film with good intentions, and it's well put together, however there are a couple of narrative difficulties that hamper it. The film begins with a flash forward so we meet Needy after the main events so she is already transformed. When Jennifer is taken away by the band we don't see what happened to her initially, but it's explained by Jennifer in flashback later on. It drains that scene of any horror, and allows it to play out as humour. But, for me the most difficult part in the film is the one-dimensionality of Jennifer's character. We know nothing about her parents, or her background, other than she's hot. I disliked the fact that Seyfried's character was named Needy - that level of explicit characterisation doesn't work for me without some exegesis of the fact in the film itself.

Plus, there's the fact that because Jennifer was sexually active she's turned into a demon when she's sacrificed - yet the boy band still get their fame and fortune from the Devil. That's the reward for having sex: even Satan sees you as a whore. I was also rolling my eyes during the scene when Needy's boyfriend - who is almost dead from blood loss - somehow manages to pick up a pole and impale Jennifer upon it, thus saving Needy.

Needy's first line in the film "Hell is a teenage girl," on the surface has that somewhat cool ring to it, but ultimately it offers no strategy for negotiating the difficult waters of teenaged life, except ingesting the blood of a demon so you get wicked super powers and you too can kill people. There is no sense of cost, or of price (there is always a price). Needy's Mom shows hints of being an interesting character, but she's not given enough spotlight, and vanishes midway through the film.

I've read some criticism of Fox's portrayal of Jennifer, but I think she acted exactly in character: as a self-absorbed, pretty and selfish young woman. Seyfriend plays the part well of the sassy, nerdy kid that must step out of the shadow of her more popular friend, but there is little here I haven't seen before.

I liked that most of Jennifer's victims seem to be quite nice guys, but there is no sympathy for Jennifer in the film. She is a monster, who was made this way against her will, but she embraces the super power nature of her change without any niggling doubts of conscience. She only sees the power given to her by men (via the boy band, courtesy of Satan) of her killer looks and smart-bomb breasts. When she begins to lose her looks by the end of the month she's only too pleased to kill a boy to recover her superficial power. After all, if she's not pretty she might as well be dead.

There's not much horror in Jennifer's Body. There are a few scenes which show potential for frisson: such as Needy having hallucinations about Jennifer's attack while Needy is having sex with her boyfriend. This strange supernatural connection between the two friends is barely described, and never fully ultilised. I didn't have a problem with the kiss between the two girls, but wish it was played for real effect with an actual impact upon the characters.

One of the problems for women who write and direct is that they carry the weight of expectation upon their shoulders. Women are still in the minority in the industry, so much so that the fact is always commented upon. This year director Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures from the Directors Guild of America, and it's likely she will win the Oscar for Best Director next month - only the third woman to be nominated and the first to win (I hope). We're in the twentieth-first century, folks. This should not be so rare!

Hopefully, we will come to a time when there are so many films made by women that we will be allowed to fail, or do a passable job, without it also being some commentary upon our gender's ability as writers/directors. Cody and Kusama tripped up on the very tropes of the horror genre that they claimed they would comment upon. If anything they played along with the stereotypes rather than trying to examine what lies beneath the artefacts. It shows either an unfamiliarity with the genre, or a hesitation to push the genre hard enough. In the latter regard perhaps they were being astute, and realised that female filmmakers who transgress boundaries in films are rarely rewarded.

Let's not forget that very early in her career Bigelow directed (and co-wrote) the excellent vampire flick Near Dark (1987), which was an atypical vampire film for its time. What kudos did she receive for that? She has barely put a foot wrong in her long and well-judged career, and yet has almost never had the backing of a studio (most of her films were financed independently). Only now is she receiving the recognition that she's deserved for so long.

When women finally attain a level playing field (and we're not on it yet) it will be thanks to the hard work of those like Bigelow, who pushed for opportunities, took risks and refused to be pigeon-holed despite the weight of the industry's indifference.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Posted @ 04:56 GMT

death and taxes

It's been a strange week. There have been two deaths, and I've attended one funeral (neither of the deceased were close to me, so don't proffer sympathies), and a major row erupted in the Irish sf scene that involved a lot of people I know.

My mother had been away on holiday, and she called me on Tuesday evening and asked if I wanted to go see a film. I couldn't really spare the time. Not only did I have a funeral that was going to take up most of the following day, I was really late on sorting out my taxes. I'd been brooding on the Internet fracas going on among my friends, and it was casting a pall over my forthcoming weekend at Octocon.

Yet, death always reminds me - in its blunt fashion - that we don't have much time on this planet. You should always seize any chance to spend time with someone you love.

I decided to spend the evening with my mother. We had food together, and watched Julie and Julia, which was a charming film. I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. It's a touch too long, and the ending trails off a little. The "Julie" sequences are a little insubstantial compared to the dynamo sections featuring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. But, I'm glad I went, and I was pleased I didn't settle into the cinema hungry as I would have been ravenous by the end of the film.

So, this weekend is Octocon, and I'm on a few panels:

Collaborators will be shot: a panel on the challenges of creating work with other people. 2pm on Saturday

Bechdel and SF: Do sf films hold up to the Bechdel Test? 11am Sunday.

The Golden Blasters: the inaugural National Irish Science Fiction Film Awards. Guest of Honour Mike Carey and I will be judging the entries, which have been selected by Irish filmmaker John Vaughan. 3pm Sunday.

More importantly, the online dispute has been mediated, and everyone has agreed to reconcile. I'm so pleased. I love Octocon, and I value my time there with my friends.

On Saturday evening my short film "Hotel Training" is being premièred at the Light House Cinema, as part of the Hotel Darklight anthology film, which is the closing event of the Darklight Festival.

I've been in touch with Conor McMahon, the director, during the editing - which he completed while he had the flu. Not only was the entire project organised and shot quickly, but post-production has been a rush job. I'm looking forward to seeing the end result. It's likely that Conor will work on the film a little more after it premières, as there hasn't been enough time to get everything done to his satisfaction. Alas, he's out of the country, and won't be able to attend on Saturday.

I'm hoping it's going to be a fun weekend!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Posted @ 01:18 GMT

on set

Wednesday's shoot of my script "Hotel Training" went well. This is one of the longer scripts that will be part of the Hotel Darklight anthology film (there will be eleven short films in total). It's ten and a half pages long, which will probably translate into 10 - 11 minutes, although a number of factors can affect the final running time.

It was a demanding task for the director, Conor McMahon, to shoot all the scenes in one day. He, and his crew, began quickly and locked down the exterior shots. The protagonist of "Hotel Training" is called Glenn, and actor Chris Gallagher played the role. Chris was in almost every single scene in the film, and he did a great job maintaining the character during a long day. I was struck at how exhausting it must be to tap into the right emotion for a scene, and then to play the scene repeatedly, and tweak the performance each time depending on direction.

I didn't watch every single scene. There were times when the physical location didn't allow for a lot of on-lookers. I made suggestions when I was needed. There were minor changes required due to the demands of the shoot. Overall, I observed and let Conor, and the cast and crew, do their job.

Everyone worked hard, but there was a fun atmosphere on set. I was impressed with the talent and dedication from everybody involved.

It's a bizarre - but cool - experience to see and hear actors playing characters I invented, and speaking lines I wrote. It is an act of magic. Although, the actors and director bring their energy to the rotes and the scenes, so it is never as quite as I imagined. It's my story, but filtered through other people.

It's certainly reinforced to me that writers should continue to be part of the process after they have delivered the script if at all possible. This is dependent upon everyone involved being open-minded and wanting the best possible end result.

I've a few pictures from the shoot on Flickr, if you like that sort of detail.

At this point there isn't too much else I can contribute. The film will be edited - I hope to see a rough cut - and then special effects, sound, and music will be added. The sound design is particularly important for my story. All of this falls outside of my control. I won't really see how it will work out until the première on October 10th.

It's been a great experience. It's re-affirmed that this is an industry I love and want to continue to work within.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Posted @ 20:10 GMT

building Hotel Darklight

The Hotel Darklight anthology film is racing ahead at a furious pace.

My short script is titled "Hotel Training", and is being directed by Conor McMahon. Conor is best known as the writer/director of the horror short film "Baineater", and the feature-length zombie flick, Dead Meat.

The casting is complete, and Conor has been scouting the location this weekend. The shoot will take place on Wednesday, and it's going to be tight to get all the scenes completed in one day. An early start, and a late finish I think.

There's a Hotel Darklight fan page on Facebook now, if any of you fancy keeping up with what's happening.

Although Hotel Darklight is being made on good will and dedication, if any proceeds accrue they will be in aid of Simon Community, a charity that addresses the issue of homelessness in Ireland.

There is going to be a fund-raiser for the project next week. On Wednesday the 23rd of September, at 9pm in Le Cirk Hotel, 32 Dame Street, Dublin 2, there will be a film pub quiz. It will cost €10 per head to enter, with a maximum of five people per team.

Come along and prove your film geek credentials, and help fund a creative project!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Posted @ 15:47 GMT

making a short film

So, some good news. A script I wrote for a weird short film is being made.

Darklight Festival is Ireland's annual festival for filmmakers, animators and artists whose work explores the convergence of art, film and technology. It's taking place in Dublin from October 8 -10.

For its tenth anniversary it is organising an anthology film that will consist of 8-10 short films themed around one location: Hotel Darklight. The producers Marie Caffrey, Alan Keane and Declan Lynch are doing a super job of putting together a challenging genre project on minuscule funding. It's mostly fuelled by passion, enthusiasm, and hard graft.

The shoot is taking place next week, and I plan to be on set. Hotel Darklight is being created at lightning pace.

The final film will premiere as the closing event of the festival, on Saturday, October 10, at 9.30pm at the Light House Cinema in Dublin. Notice that tickets are free.

I will be posting more information and updates in the coming days about my contribution to the process and how it all unfolds.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Posted @ 19:36 GMT

a weekend of horrors

I'm back from my trip to London for the horror film festival FrightFest, and I had a lovely time. The weather was great, mostly, and I avoided the occasional showers. When I wasn't watching movies, I strolled around Soho in the sun, bought a bowler hat, and met up with mates who've moved to the city.

This year I tried a new strategy in relation to the festival: don't watch everything. There have been FrighFests in the past where I have attended every single screening over the five days. It's not recommended, and impossible now since there are two streams of programming. This year I skipped all the late films, and avoided a couple that I was tipped off in advance weren't worth watching.

First off the new venue - the Empire in Leicester Square - was a winner. Screen 1 is enormous with a tremendous sound system. The staff were attentive, polite, and the facilities were kept to a high standard. Nearly every film over the holiday weekend was sold out. The second "discovery" stream of films were in a very small theatre, and on the Sunday I spent a chunk of my time in there watching films I'd been warned not to miss.

There are three films from FrightFest that I have no hesitation recommending to everyone. None of them are American or British.

The first standout film is The Horseman, an Australian film written and directed by Steven Kastrissios. It features powerful performances by the entire cast, but especially by Peter Marshall, who plays Christian, a father who is dealing (badly) with the death of his teenaged daughter, Jesse.

The story unfolds in chronological disarray, which is never confusing. Christian is fuelled by a fury over the events around his daughter's death, as well as guilt and grief over how his little girl could end up involved in the porn industry. He proceeds on a merciless crusade of revenge. Along the way he encounters a young woman, Alice (Caroline Marohasy), who is dealing with other troubles, and through their friendship they discover a new perspective on their problems.

Christian's ruthless path of revenge results in graphic and harrowing violent scenes. Kastrissios does not flinch away in showing us how Christian makes the men pay for what happened to Jesse. The common refrain the men cry out is: "I wasn't involved" or "It wasn't my fault", and Kastrissios makes the point that the industry is steeped in violence, drugs, and gangsters, and participation in some form ensures its continued existence. A hard film to watch in many ways, but highly recommended.

For me the highlight of the festival was the Swedish film Millenium: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor). Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg adapted the best-selling book by Stieg Larsson for the big screen, and Niels Arden Oplev directed the film. The English translation of the title of the film is actually Men Who Hate Women.

It clocks in at two and half hours, and I never felt bored or restless. It's essentially a thriller, with a murder mystery story at its heart, but there are several horrific moments that mean it's not for the squeamish.

Michael Nyqvist plays Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who has just lost a slander case against a big corporation, and ends up contracted by Henrik Vanger, an aging industrialist, to solve the forty-year mystery of his niece's disappearance. Despite his reservations Mikael takes on the case and leaves his magazine, Millenium, for a year. Intertwined in the story is Lisbeth Salander, played by Noomi Rapace, a young female hacker, who takes an interest in Mikael's case and eventually the two of them uncover conspiracy and family secrets as they shift through the details of the old enigma.

All the performances are fine, the direction and cinematography are excellent, and the story is gripping. If you like crime procedural dramas than this film will hit all your buttons.

Often, while watching films at FrightFest, I get the distinct impression that some horror writers/directors hate women. The message is clearly underscored in the countless scenes of rape and torture, the vehement "die bitch" moments, and the sense that women are merely posable dolls that you can position in gruesome scenes just to achieve some gory effect.

In Millenium: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo all the violence is there for a reason, including a brutal rape scene that is never exploitative. There are at least three moments in this film where I held my breath out of shock at witnessing a woman do something I'd never seen depicted on a screen. Lisbeth Salander is never a victim, even when terrible things happen to her. She takes control of her life, refuses to submit to intimidation, and relentlessly pursues those who have wronged her.

This kind of behaviour is commonplace in cinema in relation to men, but it is so damn rare from a woman on the big screen. After watching the film I went out and bought Stieg Larrson's first two books, and am enjoying the hell out of the first one.

My final favourite is the Canadian film Pontypool, which was written by Tony Burgess - an adaptation from his own novel Pontypool Changes Everything - and directed by Bruce McDonald.

Although it's technically a zombie film, this is one that concentrates firmly on those who are threatened by a bizarre outbreak of riots and cannibalistic behaviour in the small town of Pontypool during a snowstorm. Most of the action takes place in a couple of rooms: the radio station for the town. The three main characters are the DJ Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie), his producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle), and his technician, Laurel Ann (Georgina Reilly).

The story is pushed forward by the dynamics of the characters, their dialogue, and their attempts to fit the pieces together of what is happening based on the information they receive from outside the studio. When the violence arrives it's even scarier because you care about the threatened people.

This movie proves that provocative ideas, strong characters, and smart dialogue will keep an audience's attention. So many horror films would be much better off if they pared back on the gore, and paid more attention to the story and characters. Every screenwriter should watch this movie.

My second tier of films are: I Think We're Alone Now, I Sell The Dead, The House of The Devil, and The Descent: Part 2.

The documentary I Think We're Alone Now, which is written and directed by Sean Donnelly, is rather grainy and almost slap-dash at times, and yet the two obsessed Tiffany fans - Kelly an intersexed person, and Jeff with Asperger's Syndrome - make the piece fascinating. It's at times both scary and depressing how two people can be so utterly fixated upon the 80s singer. Tiffany deserves a medal because she's learned to be kind and generous to her more obsessive fans, and it appears that tack might even have helped Kelly move on a little.

I Sell The Dead is written and directed by Irishman Glenn McQuaid, and is a charming, genial movie about the exploits of two nineteenth century graverobbers Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan) and Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden). The framing narrative consists of Arthur in jail telling the monk, Father Duffy (Ron Perlman with a dreadful Oirish accent), about his career and his various run-ins the dead - including those that were a little lively. The film was a refreshing change of pace and I enjoyed the series of amusing tales. The characters are amiable, and there are comic book-style intercuts between the various stories. A promising start from this writer/director.

The House of The Devil proves that writer/director Ti West has talent, and shows great improvement upon his first feature film from four years ago, the killer bat yarn, The Roost. This stylish, slow-boil horror, is a homage to early 1980s movies with a nod towards occult classics like Rosemary's Baby. It's a simple premise: Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is a strapped-for-cash student who obtains the job of babysitting for a night for good money. It involves being in a grand, old house in the middle of nowhere. West goes for atmosphere, and creepiness, with enough indications of horror to keep the audience engaged. There wasn't enough of the occult elements for me, and I thought the final shot was a little predictable, but otherwise it's a well-made and suspenseful film. Also, kudos to him for the casting of Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov as the eerie couple, Mrs and Mrs. Ulman. They were terrific.

There are no major surprises in The Descent: Part 2, except perhaps that it is better than expected. My hopes are low for most sequels. It's written by J Blakeson, James McCarthy and James Watkins, and directed by Jon Harris. The events of the film follow-on immediately after the first film, where rescuers are attempting to locate the vanished women. The heroine from the first film, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) turns up, traumatised and with little memory of what happened. The local sheriff forces her back underground, and we have more scrambling about in close, dark spaces with nasty, blind creatures. Krysten Cummings is the best newcomer as the deputy, Rios, but most of the new cast are lightly-sketched and have a disposable feeling. I rowed behind the movie most strongly in the last half. There were several nice uses of artefacts from the previous film. I'm not a fan of the last couple of shots in the film, but since this movie now has the appearance of a franchise it's to be expected.

I should also mention the two special events of the festival: the screening of the documentary about An American Werewolf in London, Beware the Moon, and the digitally-remastered version of American Werewolf. John Landis was at FrightFest for the screenings, and not only was he full of amusing stories, but he also stuck around the entire weekend and went to see lots of films at the festival. Aficionados of American Werewolf will enjoy the documentary, and I liked it mostly - although I felt it was too long, and spent too much time explaining every special effect used. It means that if you are working in film make-up and effects this documentary is well worth watching. I wish they'd played the movie first, and the documentary afterwards, as I thought it spoiled my viewing of the film somewhat. Still, American Werewolf remains a classic, funny horror film that entertains. It played very well to the audience.

Two films I'd put in the pizza-and-beer category are: Dead Snow (Død Snø) and Trick 'r Treat. Dead Snow is written by Stig Frode Henriksen and Tommy Wirkola, and directed very competently by Wirkola. It's a Norwegian Nazi zombie movie, which involves a group of friends out in an isolated cabin in the snowy mountains being menaced by Nazi zombies. That's all you need to know. It's got the usual gory zombie dismemberment and chase sequences, but it's also well shot and edited, and exhibits a thorough (if not inventive) understanding of the genre. It's the kind of film that plays much better with an audience of horror fans, which probably elevated my enjoyment of it.

Trick 'r Treat is written and directed by Michael Dougherty (one of the writers of X2), and is a welcome return to the horror anthology movie. There are four stories woven together over the course of one Halloween night. It's amusing, a little gory in places, features interesting characters, and a creature called Sam (who appeared in Doughtery's first short film "Season's Greetings" in 1996). It's somewhat disparate, however. The weakest story is the one featuring the girls' night out, with the best being the kids' trip to the stone quarry. It's a fun movie for friends on Halloween.

Now we're down to the films that show promise but were led astray by poor execution, or a disregard for basic storytelling. Triangle, is a British film written and directed by Christopher Smith. The acting and direction is decent, but as the story progresses one gets a unsettling feeling that the writer/director did not have an iron-clad vision of exactly what is going on (this theory was proven correct when the director took to the stage after the film was screened). It's basically a time loop story that reveals a little more about what's happening as it progresses. It resembled last year's superior Los cronocrímenes (even to the point where both protagonists disguise themselves in a similar fashion). Smith is clearly talented, but the story needed more rigour and clarity.

The Spanish film Hierro originated as a story by Jesus de la Vega and Javier Gullón, was written by Gullón and directed by Gabe Ibáñez. Thematically it's reminiscent of The Orphange. A woman who works in oceanography loses her son while crossing by ferry to an island, and then suffers from a phobia of water. A couple of months later she's called in to identify a body washed up on the island, is stuck on the island for a few days, and proceeds to search for her son following some clues. The problem is that the story is rather dull and slow-paced, but is almost redeemed by Ibáñez's direction and the incredible beauty and inventiveness of several dream sequences. Still, there's a rather disappointing denouement, and the brilliant visuals don't save the film from its lassitude.

The Shadow is a confused film by Italian musician Federico Zampaglione, that bears too many similarities to Jacob's Ladder. There are two many turns where the film switches from one genre (being pursued in the woods) to another (scary torture by weirdo), to a final very unsatisfying conclusion. Still, there are interesting sequences, especially those that revolve around Mortis - played by the extraordinary actor Nuot Arquint. I fully expect Arquint to turn up in horror films again, since he is so physically arresting on the screen.

Dread is based on a story by Clive Barker (from The Books of Blood), and is adapted and directed by Anthony DiBlasi. Supposedly it's an exploration of fear, as a disturbed young man Quaid (Shaun Evans), tries to break through the fears of his new friend Stephen (Jackson Rathbone) and Cheryl (Hanne Steen). I'd prefer if the story had forefronted the undercurrent of sexual attraction between Quaid and Stephen (it seemed obvious to me), instead of sublimating it into the other female relationships. Perhaps that's why Quaid likes to torture people - especially the women. I'd have preferred if the film arrived at the "real" fear study earlier in the film, and had explored that properly, instead of using it to offer up rather tiresome and shallow observations. It looks well (as long as you don't mind greenish light and peeling walls for a lot of the film), and it proves that Jackson Rathbone has all the makings of a star (and maybe an actor, if he's allowed).

I can't say anything about the French film La Horde as reviews of it are embargoed currently since it will not be released until next year. It has two directors and four writers, and I'll leave you to contemplate that fact.

The two films I disliked the most were Zombie Women of Satan and The Hills Run Red. The first is merely stupid, and has only a clutch of funny lines: nothing to redeem the poor acting, direction, and questionable material. You would need a lot of beers to find this one entertaining.

The Hills Run Red was written by John Dombrow and David J. Schow, based on a story idea by John Carchieta, and directed by Dave Parker. It's better produced and directed than the previous film, but the actors are uncharismatic, and nearly everyone in it is unpleasant or dull. This is the typical torture film, in which the worst excesses of violence are saved for the women. It has the whole gamut: incest, mutilation, dismemberment, rape, and torture. The last image is of a woman, imprisoned, screaming as the camera lingers on her anguish. I wish this was an unusual gambit in horror cinema, but it's not. Afterwards, the director got on stage and bemoaned the fact he had to cut "the extended rape scene". Whoever made that suggestion has my thanks.

Finally, a special word about Heartless, written and directed by Philip Ridley. This film infuriated me because it showed so much promise. Ridley puts great visuals on the screen, and there are solid performances from all the actors. It really takes off when the protagonist, Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess) makes a kind of Faustian bargain with Papa B (Joseph Mawle). This results in the appearance of the Weapons Man (Eddie Marsan) for the best scene in the entire film. This cosmology is the most interesting aspect of the film, but in the last ten minutes of the film Ridley throws it all out with a dismissal of the events as fantastical. In my opinion this is a director who doesn't want to be labelled as a horror director, and hopes to pass his work off as "art". His boast when he got on stage that he'd "invented a new genre of horror cinema" is a good indication of his discomfort at being a horror director (no, he's a special horror director). There's also the excruciating cliché of "fear of hooded youths" which is well worn in horror circles.

Once again the directors Adam Green and Joe Lynch put together a collection of little films especially for FrightFest to entertain the crowd, this time themed around An American Werewolf in London. The pieces are amusing and sarcastic, and Green and Lynch are not afraid to poke fun at themselves. It turns out that these sequences of small horror buddy films have landed them a TV series in the USA called Coffee and Doughnuts. Good for them.

Once again the fab four (Alan Jones, Ian Rattray, Paul McEvoy and Greg Day) put together a well-organised event with a diverse selection of films, and plenty of directors, writers, and actors supporting the films. It's the best venue to date, and I look forward to attending next year.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Posted @ 13:59 GMT

end of summer round-up

I've never had such a long gap between blog posts before, I guess that means I've been busy.

Time to herd some news stories across the prairies.

I sold my sf-horror story, "Empty Mind Came Back With the Pearl", to M-Brane SF a while ago. It will appear in issue 9. I'm delighted this story will get to an audience. I wrote it at Clarion West, during the week Nalo Hopkinson was our teacher. She described it as the love child of Clive Barker and Brian Aldiss I believe.

I'm co-writing a three-issue comic book, called Róisín Dubh, with Rob Curley of Atomic Diner publications, and the fabulous Sub City chain of comic stores in Ireland.

Rob pitched the idea to me, and I said yes immediately because he couldn't have suggested a project more suited to my tastes. I outlined the first edition, and once Rob was happy with what I was bringing to the table I proceeded to draft the scripts.

I'm using Celtx, by the way, to write the scripts. The format for comic books is a bit of chore if there isn't some way to automate the process. The result is a very readable script, although it deviates somewhat from the usual examples, however there is no standard format in the industry.

Writing for comics is something I've always wanted to do, but while I was focused on prose and screenplays I didn't have much time to pursue the goal. I'm pleased and thankful to Rob to land such an opportunity.

I've also had a lot of fun getting my head around the new format. The most obvious change is that while writing screenplays it's ill-advised for the writer to indicate cues for the direction of the film - that's the director's job - but in a comic book format you can be explicit about how you would like the story to be laid out visually. This is just one of a number of mental shifts you have to make while writing for comics. I find it deeply engrossing. I don't think I've encountered another form of writing that takes me away from the world so completely.

The third script is in process at the moment, and has to be done by next week as I'm off on my annual horror film pilgrimage to London for Frightfest. It's the 10th year of the festival - although it's my seventh year attending - and it's moved to a new location: The Empire on Leicester Square. I'll report my opinions upon my return. Those of you who are on twitter will probably get my immediate reactions.

The final piece of news is that Octocon (10-11 October 2009) has launched the First National Irish Science Fiction Film Awards, called The Golden Blasters. The Cork Dynamo (aka filmmaker John Vaughan) is putting together the programme of short sf-themed films from around the world. Guest of honour Mike Carey and I will be the judges for the award. It should be a lot of fun.

Also, during the past couple of weeks I've been adding photos and artwork to my Flickr account, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Posted @ 15:45 GMT

happy and sad: a Paradox

First the good news: issue 13 of Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction is now available.

It contains my short story "Beautiful Calamity". There's a snippet on the magazine's web site from the beginning of the story if you want to get a feel for it.

I can't wait to receive my contributor copies (which are navigating the postal system to me), so I can read the story in print.

I'm proud of this one.

The sad news, however, is that issue thirteen will be the last edition of the print incarnation of the magazine. Editor Chris Cevasco says that there are plans for future book anthologies through Paradox Publications, and there remains the possibility that the magazine could re-launch in an online format in the future.

I certainly hope so. I'd love to work with Chris again, whom I found to be a helpful and thoughtful editor.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Posted @ 21:07 GMT

catching up

The past three weeks have been hectic, and my weekly Thursday Twitterfic lapsed during this period, but as it happens a bunch of my twitter stories hit the web so here are links to them:

There are two stories, here and here, on Thaumatrope, and a pico story on Outshine.

During Easter my poem "Exchange" went live on the fabulous Goblin Fruit.

Finally, issue 10 of British horror magazine Black Static is now on sale, and it contains my short story "Vic".

I had a brilliant time at Eastercon in Bradford. I thoroughly enjoyed all the panels I was on, and moderated tightly for the two I shepherded. Generally, I enjoyed the other panels I attended, but they highlighted to me that a sharp moderator is an essential component to their success.

Much of Eastercon is about socialising: meeting old friends and forging new relationships. So much of my daily interactions are online that it's common for me to know people in a virtual fashion long before I meet them in person. At Eastercon I managed to connect with a number of people I've only known previously via email and web sites. One of my personal highlights was catching up with Ian MacLeod, one of my instructors at Clarion West.

It's also a timely mention since I've just heard that Ian won the Arthur C. Clarke Award this evening for his novel Song of Time. Congratulations Ian!

I also got to see one of Ireland's best-selling - and most under-recognised - writers in action: Eoin Colfer. He's writing a new book in the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, titled And Another Thing....

Since the Adams' books are much beloved by fans I suspect Colfer anticipated a grilling at the convention. Except, Colfer was so charming - in an unassuming, witty, and honest fashion - that it was impossible to imagine he was part of some conspiracy to plunder the Hitchhiker world. At this point I plan on obtaining the new book, so I can see what Colfer brings to the series.

The following weekend I was in Dublin for events themed around Dracula, as part of Dublin City Council's One Book, One City celebrations. A long time ago I examined Bram Stoker's Dracula as part of my M.A. thesis, so I'm pretty familiar with the novel. Much to my delight I received a gift of The New Annotated Dracula, edited by Leslie S. Klinger, while I was in Dublin. It's a fantastic - if weighty - text, and a must-buy for any Dracula devotee.

I attended a lively and fascinating talk hosted by Leah Moore and John Reppion about their forthcoming comic book adaptation, The Complete Dracula. I've already ordered this from my local comics shop, but after listening to the process involved in adapting the book to a graphic format I'm even more eager to read the final product.

The following day I was in conversation with Kim Newman in front of a public audience at the IFI regarding film adaptations of Dracula, as part of its weekend season of Dracula and vampire films. I enjoyed the dialogue very much, partly because it prompted me to do a lot of advance research (my favourite kind of chore), and also because I learned a great deal from the exchange.

Since then I've been trying to catch up with my work. These breaks are wonderful, but also exhausting, and always there is a backlog to tackle upon my return.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Posted @ 19:06 GMT

"Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death;"

I've come down with some manner of plague, which is a shame considering we're experiencing unexpected (but not unwelcome) balmy weather in Ireland.

Still, the sunshine cheers me up as I lumber around the house, the pockets of my red dressing gown bulging with tissues.

I haven't forgotten it's Thursday, so that means another piece of twitter fiction.

"Begone!" the teen exorcist roared. The demon picked its teeth with a rib and rolled its eyes downwards. "A 6.5 at best," it said. "Again!"

I watched Beowulf a few nights ago. Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman wrote the screenplay, and Robert Zemeckis directed it. I read the story, long ago, when I was in university, at a time when it was still mandatory to study Old English for a year if you were taking English as a subject. While I loved the sagas I found Old English a struggle.

In 1999 Seamus Heaney offered a new translation of the story. My parents gave it to me as a Christmas gift the following year. I like Heaney's version of the tale, although my opinion is an inexpert one.

Initially my biggest problem with the film was the Uncanny Valley effect. The CGI animation, while laudable, is just not good enough to make you forget you are watching pixels approximating human actors. It feels like you are in the middle of a video game. This creates a distance between the audience and the characters, and many of them lack complexity. Strong, charismatic performances from the actors might have diminished this problem, but instead the animation style highlights it.

Grendel and Grendel's mother in the text are specifically referred to as demons, and their lineage comes from Cain - a traditional explanation for the presence of demons in the world. There is remarkably little information about what they look like, although Grendel's arm, once wrenched from his body is described:

"Every nail,
claw-scale and spur, every spike
and welt on the hand of that heathen brute
was like barbed steel. Everybody said
there was no honed iron hard enough
to pierce him through, no time-proofed blade
that could cut his brutal, blood-caked claw."

In the film there is a new idea that involves sovereignty of the land being granted to King Hrothgar by Grendel's mother, in exchange for sex and a child: thus Grendel is Hrothgar's bastard child.

This has a strong mythological resonance, and great potential, however it's never properly explored. The issue that I found rather uncomfortable was that Grendel's monstrous shape and disability is inherently tied to his illegitimacy. I was also taken aback that Grendel's mother didn't attempt any revenge upon Beowulf for killing Grendel, but instead offered Beowulf the same deal as Hrothgar. Transforming Grendel's mother into a seductive Angelina Jolie - equipped with high heels! - was the typical sop for the male audience.

Beowulf's tendency to strip naked whenever he planned to fight was rendered comical rather than heroic by his genitals always being covered by a strategically placed object - it was rather reminiscent of the Carry On films. Hrothgar's suicide made no particular sense either, except as a plot contrivance. Hrothgar ceded Queen Wealhtheow to Beowulf along with the rest of his property.

The time jump to King Beowulf as an older man also brings problems in that his estrangement from his Queen is not easily understood except through direct exposition. Yet, this part of the film works best for me, much to my surprise. The pathos that lingers around Beowulf added an element of humanity to his character that was lacking at the beginning.

Beowulf's battle with the Dragon is the kind of all-out action piece you want in a film, and it contains overtones of regret, guilt and shame. This set-piece is by far the most engaging in the film. The Dragon is Beowulf's son by Grendel's mother, so we must have a father/son death match. Freud would be proud.

After the Dragon and Beowulf die it's implied that Grendel's mother is already looking for her next consort, and of course her next son (she doesn't seem to possess any desire for daughters).

It would be simple to say that she's the most powerful character in the film because she continues, undiminished in power. Yet, she doesn't even rate a name. She's defined by her relationship to men. Her longevity comes from her ability to mould herself to suit her consorts, and to sate their desires so she can bear children - which she then pits against each other. There is no sense of purpose behind this. It is an unending cycle. It's enough that she wants to have children - women require little other motivation, apparently.

I would prefer to have kept Grendel's mother as an out-and-out monster, rather than see her transformed into a succubus character whose existence is entirely centred on appeasing male desire.

Overall I thought this was a confused re-imagining of the Beowulf story, and the choice of animation exacerbated the weaknesses of the characters and plot.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Posted @ 12:44 GMT

a busy March weekend

At the end the month I'll be attending P-Con (27-29 March) in Dublin, with a variety of excellent writers. I'm looking forward to catching up with friends and spending time discussing speculative fiction in all its guises.

On the evening before the convention, Thursday the 26th of March, Kim Newman (who is also attending P-Con), will be speaking to members of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild about Writing Horror. The format will be a question and answer session conducted by me, with questions open to the floor at the end of the meeting.

Kim will explore the tradition of horror in relation to filmmaking, and will discuss the advantages and difficulties of writing successfully within this genre. Those who are aware of Kim's encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry, as well as his own deft ability as an author, will consider this an event well worth attending. It's taking place at 7pm in Room 3 on the second floor of Filmbase, in Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Members of the Guild should RSVP their interest in attending the meeting, and are allowed to bring along a friend.

I should also point out that the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar is running a Japanese Anime Weekend on the same weekend as P-Con. It includes screenings of Naruto, Sword of the Stranger, Metropolis, and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, as well as two discussions: "A Brief History of Post-War Japanese Animation", and "Japanese Animation for Adults". Both of the talks, which will be given by Helen McCarthy, are free, but tickets must be secured in advance.

You'll be spoiled for choice for something to do for those couple of days in Dublin.

Since it's Thursday, here's my latest twitter story:

The robots' eyes, scabbed with rust, swivel - hopeful - at the sound of your footsteps. You ignite your arc-blade; they stretch their necks.

Today is World Book Day: celebrate your love of books.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Posted @ 12:19 GMT

"You can take my children, but you can't take my monkey!"

"Thursday, Thursday, so good to me," (apologies to The Mamas & the Papas).

It's time for another fiction amuse-bouche. It's too small to sicken you if you don't like it, but just enough to give you a grá for more if it's pleasing to the palate.

All you left was a drawer of socks: from them I crafted hexing dolls with hobnail eyes and scalpel teeth. They returned to you, thirsty.

A friendly warning: get all your stuff back when you jilt someone badly.

So I succumbed to a good deal and have subscribed to movie channels on my television. Last night I gorged on an odd cocktail of 70s action, comedy, and horror/science fiction.

The comedy is worth mentioning as it surprised me with its multitude of good lines and laugh out loud moments. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, is a parody of music biography films, and does a great job of sending up the usual tropes: the difficult childhood experience that shapes a career, dissolution because of drugs and partying, and the final wisdom that comes from age and responsibility.

It's directed by Jake Kasadan (who did some writing and directing on Freaks and Geeks), and co-written by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Jake Kasdan. The story follows the poor country boy Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly), who accidentally cuts his brother in half during a machete duel as a kid, thus ensuring life-long antipathy from his father, and the loss of his sense of smell. Despite this traumatic event Dewey goes on to become a famous singer. His songs can cause a girl to rip off her blouse spontaneously in seconds.

Like many biopics that it parodies the film could have been a tad shorter, it lags a little in the middle, but ends well. The humour is amiable, which helps, and Reilly plays his character straight. The songs in the film are all tongue in cheek, but a couple of them even manage to be memorable. I started watching Walk Hard expecting to switch over after a couple of minutes, but after a particularly funny opening sequence I was content to settle in for the entire movie.

It won't change your life, but it will cheer you up. It's an enjoyable film for these tough economic times, especially if you're a fan of the genre.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Posted @ 18:49 GMT

science fiction and stoners

At the weekend I watched three videos in a row. I was in the mood for science fiction, with a dash of comedy, so I plumped for The Mutant Chronicles, Babylon A.D., and Pineapple Express. Here be spoilers, so don't read on if you haven't seen the movies.

The Mutant Chronicles is directed by Simon Hunter and written by Philip Eisner, and is extraordinarily bad for a film with a lot of talent in it. It's set in a future that's aiming for a retro-World War I vibe, but shows no evidence of future-thinking or a convincing worldview.

It's burdened with a wad of exposition that's chewed over and spat at us by voiceover, which involves a mutating machine that's buried in the earth by a group of monks in the past, which is now "activated" by a battle between four Orwellian corporations that currently rule the planet. You know what, I've just described the back-story more concisely than the film. A group of soldiers are hand-picked to quest into the machine and shut it down (I'm not sure why the monks never did this the first time because they drew extensive maps, and obviously knew how to do it).

For the first ten minutes I thought the future didn't involve women. And then the first token woman appeared, quickly followed by token characters of different racial backgrounds - all of whom die, I might add. The film is a white boy science fiction fantasy that's derivative, unoriginal, and lacking any merit.

I'm partial to Vin Diesel. It's the voice, and the fact that if you put him in an action role he'll generally deliver the goods. Babylon A.D. is directed by French actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz, and the screenplay was co-written by Kassovitz and Joseph Simas, adapted from the novel by Maurice G. Dantec.

After the atrocity of the previous film I was pleasantly encouraged by the opening sequence of Babylon A.D., and the first half of the film. Diesel is solid in his role as Toorop, a mercenary scrabbling for survival in Eastern Europe, who is offered a babysitting deal: bring 18-year-old Aurora (Mélanie Thierry) and her custodian, Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh), to New York City from a monastery Mongolia. It's clear that Aurora is a bit odd and perhaps has unusual gifts. There is a lot of chasing about across a Cyberpunk Russian & European landscape.

I was pretty happy with all of this. Over time the backstory began to creep in, and it didn't make a lot of sense. Aurora is a special child created by a Church and yet abandoned in a monastery, and brought back to the West on a flimsy pretext. I was rather irritated that Eastern Europe was portrayed as a lawless wasteland, and as soon as the characters hit New York it was like a clean American Tokyo.

The more the reasons for the journey were explained then the more I scratched my head. The last twenty minutes were disappointing. Whenever we get into virgin birth territory I roll my eyes. And of course the mother died: after all that's the main reason for women, right? Receptacles for children? Women lose their holiness once they've been sullied by childbirth. That was particularly annoying.

Yet, this film delivers action, decent pacing, and some cool science fictional ideas for the majority of the film. It's made me interested in reading the novel, and seeing what the author originally envisioned, which I suspect has been diluted and distorted.

Finally Pineapple Express, which was directed by David Gordon Green, and the screenplay was written by Seth Rogen (the film's star) and Evan Goldberg. I'm fond of stoner movies. This is buddy flick with a lot of eye-watering slapstick humour, rolled in with a gang dispute, and a corrupt cop.

Rogen is amiable as Dale Denton, the twenty-something pothead who serves subpoenas to support his weed habit, and who is dating Angie (Amber Heard), a high school student (and largely irrelevant in the film). Seth has become friendly with his dealer, the permanently stoned Saul (James Franco), and they start the film smoking on the latest strain, Pineapple Express. In a far-fetched coincidence Dale witnesses a murder while preparing to serve a notice, and the guy turns out to be the criminal from whom Saul gets his weed - via his middle-man Red (Danny R. McBride).

Initially, the film is about two hapless losers stumbling through misunderstandings and accidents and is amusing enough. There are a couple of hilarious fights that have the fumbling, awkward realism of scraps by people who've never lifted a first against another human being. Yet, as the film progresses it delves into much murkier moral ground. Selling dope to kids is shrugged off as a lark, and later on there's a terrific shoot-out in which our heroes happily plug the nameless bad guys - including the stereotypical Asians with "hilarious" subtitles!

By the end I found myself distanced and unimpressed with Dale and Saul. Picking up guns and playing around with them like boys with toys is cool, apparently. Murder and mayhem is permissible because, sure, they're just nerdy idiots and the criminals are all bad! There isn't even enough subtext in the film to argue that Rogen and Goldberg and making a serious point about this genre of film: their characters are just smoking grass and blowing shit up. If you like that sort of thing and are happy to pal around with morally-impaired stoners with access to firearms then you should enjoy this film.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Posted @ 17:29 GMT

tweet a bad movie

Just to prove that twitter has the potential to be a platform for exciting developments - and this Wired article outlines the tech possibilities - Irish screenwriter Graham Linehan (The IT Crowd) has decided to stage a social experiment:

By way of illustration, I'm organising a Bad Film Club event online for Friday night (13th Feb). At exactly 9.00pm, myself and some likeminded Twitterers will be pressing 'play' on M Night Shyamalan's 'The Happening', and blogging our responses to the magic as it unfolds. Now, this is uncharted territory for me, and I have no way of knowing whether it'll work, but dammit, it's worth a shot, isn't it?

Everyone who wants to join in only needs to begin watching the movie along with Graham (@Glinner) on the aforementioned date, and tweet their thoughts. More details will be released on his blog and via twitter before Friday.

It will be like being in a movie theatre with friends where you are allowed to use your mobile phone or laptop. It should be fun.