Sean Foley - Mindhorn

Actor, Writer and now Director, Mindhorn is Sean Foley's feature length directorial debut.

It is not my intention to provide spoilers for the coming film, but rather my purpose is to give an overall flavour as I do not want to spoil this film in any way. Moreover, all of my film blogs are an appreciation of the film's crafted by a wonderful Director and a thorough recommendation to suspend your disbelief and enjoy this brilliant and uniquely different cinematic creation.

Please also feel free to visit my archives!

Mindhorn (2016)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4799064/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_2

"Get me Mindhorn!"

A Netflix original, executive produced by Ridley Scott and his production company Scott Free and co produced by Isle of Man films, BBC films and the British Film Institute (BFI), Mindhorn is a mess but a glorious and wickedly funny mess at times that never takes itself seriously as it pokes fun at 1980's style television series such as Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man interspersed with the awkwardly embarrassing comedic styles of John Cleese or a latter day Alan Partridge. Between the opening credits of 4:3 Ratio shots of the spoof 1980's television series "Mindhorn" and "You Can't Handcuff the Wind" accompanying the closing credits we have a strangely and awkwardly funny film that runs out of steam and ideas but over the course of the 90 minute film does land some brilliant comedic twists and turns that truly enliven an original and unique film. Based on an original idea by Simon Farnaby and written for the screen by Simon and fellow co-star Julian Barratt, the film has been variously described in many quarters and indeed by the writers themselves as a cross between 1980's television shows such as the aforementioned Steve Austin as well as BBC staple back in the day, Bergerac, set as it is on the Isle of Man and with it's principal and titular character "Mindhorn" (Julian Barratt) having a cybernetic and bionic eye that only sees the truth. This is of course in the spoof 1980's television show of the same name and not his real life persona of "Richard Thorncroft" who following the cancellation of Mindhorn has fallen both from grace and indeed popular culture as he now sports a balding pate and substantial paunch and lives in a small London flat surrounded by Mindhorn memorabilia and memories of better days. Now a struggling out of work actor he receives a reprieve of sorts and an opportunity to reprise his obscurely famous role one more time as there is a serial killer on the loose on the Isle of Man "The Kestrel" (Russell Tovey) and unless he speaks with Mindhorn, and only Mindhorn, the killing spree will continue. Returning to the Isle of Man it's clear that Richard Thorncroft/Mindhorn is now a man completely out of his time and stagnated in a life that has passed him by in the 25 years since his television show ended. Aside from his comically terrible and repugnant Manager "Geoffrey Moncrieff" (Richard McCabe), everyone else he used to associate with in the late 1980's has gone on to bigger and better things, be it his long lost love "Patricia Deville" (Essie Davis) now a journalist on the local newspaper and married to Mindhorn's ex stuntman and double "Clive Parnevik" (Simon Farnaby). Much to Richard Thorncroft's ire "Windjammer" AKA "Peter Eastman" (Steve Coogan) has a highly successful and long running television show and living the high life as a local celebrity in spacious, opulent surroundings, and although assisting local Police officers "DC Baines" (Andrea Riseborough) and "Chief Inspector Newsome" (David Schofield) with the Kestrel case, Richard Thorncroft is clearly a man out of his depth as well as a man well and truly out of his time, reprising a spoof television detective from a generation ago.

"It's truth time" exclaims Mindhorn however it's his nemesis Windjammer who is probably nearer the actual truth with his own proclamation that he's "lost at life" and "living in a dream world". The truth on the film itself is that it is a mess at times and a little baggy but when the comedy chimes it does so with gusto and with tongue firmly in it's cheek. Mindhorn is a deliberately cheesy film of a cheesy spoof television series that if you take it to your heart is lovable, eminently quotable and a fun way of spending 90 minutes of your time. Kudos in particular should be paid to writer and co-star Simon Farnaby for his original idea, Director Sean Foley for an accomplished directorial debut in a somewhat experimental film and Suzie Harman for her ridiculous late 1980's costume designs. Last but by no means least are a gaggle of acting performances that really illuminate the film whether it's Julian Barratt as the titular hero Mindhorn, his co-writer Simon Farnaby and his ridiculous Austin Powers/Goldmember Dutch accent (I was expecting him to say "I'm from Holland, isn't that weird?" at any given moment!) through to the individually brilliant performances from Riseborough, Davis, Coogan and Tovey. In a film spoofing and riffing on a fictional 1980's television show there are countless in jokes, jibes and references to actors of the era, be it Sean Bean, John Nettles, Burt Reynolds or Peter Ustinov, plus there are cameos from Simon Callow and Kenneth Branagh both playing themselves, with Branagh in particular superb as a perplexed casting director who, on testing the now aged Richard Thorncroft simply has no idea who he is or indeed who he was. "Who was that?" enquires his casting colleague, "Not a fucking clue!" comes his barbed and hilarious retort.

Surely Mindhorn, a man who sees the truth through a Steve Austin style bionic eye deserves better than that!

Hope Dickson Leach - The Levelling

Writer and Director of numerous short films, The Levelling is Hope Dickson Leach's directorial debut feature length film and an incredibly moving and affecting one it is too.

It is not my intention to provide spoilers for the coming film, but rather my purpose is to give an overall flavour as I do not want to spoil this film in any way. Moreover, all of my film blogs are an appreciation of the film's crafted by a wonderful Director and a thorough recommendation to suspend your disbelief and enjoy this brilliant and uniquely different cinematic creation.

Please also feel free to visit my archives!

The Levelling (2016)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5158522/?ref_=nm_knf_i1

"Can you make it so it's my Dad and not my brother?"

Hope Dickson Leach's directorial debut film is an independent production co-funded by Creative England, the British Film Institute (BFI) and BBC films and I was particularly attracted to watching this for a number of reasons and for two reasons in particular. One was the wave of positive reviews I've read and listened to in recent days but more importantly I have a personal fascination and love for directorial debut films as they are often the Director's in question rawest and purest visions and/or a project they hold incredibly dear to their heart and in The Levelling all of this and more is clearly writ large on the screen in an incredibly moving, touching and poignant debut film from Leach. It's also a brilliantly rounded film with a close collaboration with Director of Photography Nanu Segal capturing the raw essence of the Somerset levels (as in the film's title) as well as the earthy nature of a real working farm where the majority of the film is set. Hutch Demouilpied supplies a minimal but affecting mournful musical score that underpins ostensibly a "three hander", and a trio of truly outstanding performances in a similarly outstanding and highly recommended film that is bathed in themes of familial death and strained relationships inside a dysfunctional family unwilling or unable to fully communicate their feelings.

Front and centre of the triumvirate of the roles on display here is Ellie Kendrick as "Clover" who returns to the family farm for the funeral of her brother Harry after having left home to study at University and to train as a Veterinarian. She returns to a farm in a state of disrepair after the recent floods that decimated the Somerset levels and her Father "Aubrey" (David Troughton) with a constant air of denial and self deprecation as he refuses to believe his son committed suicide "it was an accidental death" or that his farm and grounds are in a precarious position as he describes it and the caravan he now lives in as his "own refugee camp". As the narrative unravels it's clear that Aubrey (who Clover refuses to call Dad and always by his name) is in a dire and schizophrenic mindset, trying to smile through the pain as well as being in complete denial as to his son's death but more importantly his distanced relationship with Clover who is both a "born farmer" and "not cut out for this" as well as adoring his daughter's smile but seemingly determined to drive her away again from the farm as quickly as possible. "James" (Jack Holden) is the third of the main roles of this three handed familial drama who has worked unpaid for many months trying to return the farm to some sort of normality following the flooding and was Harry's closest friend prior to his death but the film centres on the strained relationship between Father and Daughter and two absolutely stunning performances from Troughton and Kendrick respectively.

One of the film's many themes is the inability to communicate with even those we're closest with and the film is deliberately mired in so many long, slow pauses between our three main characters and Father and Daughter specifically. Troughton realises this brilliantly as Aubrey even though he has seemingly lost everything, his wife, son, farm and a means of making a living he's also seemingly determined to drive away his daughter who in Kendrick's performance absorbs everything thrown at her, condemnation, ridicule and it could even be argued misogyny, in her own stoical and reserved way. Her's too is a performance littered with long lingering pauses and glances, and brilliantly deliberately so, as she mirrors her Father's actions in this way, with both seemingly unwilling or unable to deal with the horrific matters of the present day as well as the past and in another of the themes of the film sweeping everything under the carpet and holding emotions in check, with both of the film's main characters seemingly swimming against the prevailing tide of grief, resentment and a feeling of disrespect. Coupled with Director of Photography Nanu Segal's excellent wide shots capturing the expanse of the Somerset levels, the flat landscapes of the countryside, flocks of birds in the sky, the muck and shit of a working farm and the lighting of two particularly tense scenes captured by the picture above that accompanies the beginning of this blog results in a stunning directorial debut effort from Hope Dickson Leach that continually moved me throughout it's lean running time of just 83 minutes. The Levelling is an emotional, heart breaking tale of loss, denial and the barriers to communication and a film I was so eager to see and one that has stayed with me long after the final credits. I simply can't recommend it highly enough!

J A Bayona - A Monster Calls

Spanish born Writer, Producer and Director Juan Antonio Bayona has created through his directorial lens three phenomenal cinematic creations in his career hence far with "The Orphanage" in 2007, "The Impossible" in 2012 and "A Monster Calls" in 2016. Here are my fan appreciations of these wonderful films.

It is not my intention to provide spoilers for the coming three films, but rather my purpose is to give an overall flavour as I do not want to spoil these films in any way. Moreover, all of my film blogs are an appreciation of the film's crafted by a wonderful Director and a thorough recommendation to suspend your disbelief and enjoy these brilliant and uniquely different cinematic creations.

Please also feel free to visit my archives!

The Orphanage (2007)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_7

"Seeing is not believing. It's the other way around"

I first watched The Orphanage or El Orfanato shortly after it's initial DVD release early in 2008, enticed no doubt by the tagline of "Guillermo Del Toro Presents" he of the masterworks Hellboy and Pans Labyrinth and who acted here as an Executive Producer on Juan Antonio Bayona's cinematic feature length debut film. In the Spanish language with English subtitles, I liked The Orphanage on my original viewing and similarly so when re-watching it recently for the purposes of this blog. But crucially I don't love it or anywhere near as much as the critical acclaim it has garnered since it's initial release. There are no obvious flaws and there is truly much to admire in this directorial debut but I felt as emotionally disengaged and unmoved as I did when I first watched this psychological, ghost drama nearly a decade ago.

"Your friends will miss you Laura" with Laura here portrayed particularly well by Belen Rueda who along with husband "Carlos" (Fernando Cayo) and young son "Simon" (Roger Princep) return to Laura's childhood home, an orphanage, which is currently dilapidated and in a state of disrepair. Laura's aim is simple: to refurbish and redevelop the vast, old building that doubled as her childhood home as both a home for her family and for an influx of disabled and disadvantaged children but her past, and indeed her present, soon catches up with her. The Orphanage was only Rueda's third cinematic feature film however this does not show in an accomplished and stand out performance as Laura, a fiercely protective wife and particularly mother who is often lost in thoughts and memories of her past life inside The Good Shepherd Orphanage and ably supported by Cayo in a much smaller role as her stoical husband Carlos and again, in just his twelfth cinematic outing on the big screen. By far the most impressive of the three main central roles here falls to Roger Princep who in his debut feature film excels brilliantly as the young Simon. Adopted at birth by Laura and Carlos, Simon is a bright, active young boy yet for spoiler deleted reasons retreats into his shell, and a shell of losing himself in fairy tale stories as well as a world inhabited by his invisible friends. Obsessed by the story of Peter Pan, Simon is convinced he too will never "grow up" or "get older", with Princep's magnetic performance one of the film's outstanding highlights and brilliantly captured by Director Bayona's close up and penetrating camera angles. Two further supporting roles are worthy of note with Mabel Rivera as aged Medium to the spirit world "Pilar" and Montserrat Carulla as a deliberately off kilter and seemingly untrustworthy social worker "Benigna".

"One, Two, Three, Knock on the Wall!" and so begins another joyous game of hide and seek at The Good Shepherd Orphanage. Written for the screen by Sergio Sanchez who would also go on to write the screenplay for Bayona's second film The Impossible (see below), The Orphanage is a very impressive directorial debut from Bayona and a first and shining example of his brilliant eye and imagination for shooting a film through the eyes of a child, a template he has used throughout all of his three cinematic films to date. The character of Simon is thus crucially important here as is Roger Princep's incredible debut film performance of a child worried for his future and caught between the real and netherworld of escapism and invisible friends. Although I never warmed to the film as a whole I can still appreciate a wonderful cinematic debut from the Director, a film that is ostensibly a ghost story and psychological thriller but which deliberately underplays the shocks and scares. For they are all here and present but not in a cliched and stereotypically worn way but with creaking floorboards and doors slamming cleverly interspersed and combining with cine film flashbacks, the film continually builds a sense of dread whilst keeping a distance from the more commercially driven loud shock/horror sequences of recent times. What most impressed me with The Orphanage was a sense of never truly knowing where the film will take us as the audience. There are the obvious themes of the triumph of the human spirit which Bayona would again transfer onto his next two films as well as the kindness we need to show others less fortunate than ourselves, and of fairy tales and escapism. As the film approaches it's third Act it also introduces another huge theme of the film, of Carl Jung's theories on the meaning and purpose of life and death and a "passport to the other world". I will re-watch The Orphanage when the opportunity arises as I like the film as a whole even if I ultimately don't love it and it's well worth the running time of 105 minutes if you're seeking a different take on the psychological horror genre.

The Impossible (2012)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1649419/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_5

"Can we go outside and watch the stars?"

Based on the true life experience and story of Maria Belon with a screenplay from Sergio Sanchez, "Lo Imposible" is a Spanish human disaster film of the horrific real life events surrounding Maria Belon and her family during the tsunami that devastated the Thailand coast in 2004. Although specifically centring on the experiences of one Spanish family, the film was released with it's anglicised title and with an English family at it's heart headed by "Maria" (Naomi Watts) and "Henry" (Ewan McGregor) who with their three young boys "Lucas" (Tom Holland), "Thomas" (Samuel Joslin) and "Simon" (Oaklee Pendergast) head to Thailand for the Christmas holidays. Arriving on Christmas Eve the family of five enjoy the opulence of a fantasy beach holiday, however the fantastical nature of the holiday is incredibly short lived as two short days later on Boxing Day, the horrific tsunami that was televised and graphically shown around the world as it happened in 2004 devastated their resort and a wide expanse of the surrounding coastal area.

The tsunami itself arrives but mere minutes into the film and is eerily reminiscent of the devastating television coverage seen around the world and is incredibly realised as well as being horrifyingly visual, visceral and graphically captured by numerous cameras that throw us as the audience right into the very centre of the devastating event. More so the second wave of the tsunami as now that we're fixed into the middle of the drama, this second wave really brings home the magnitude of the disaster and the terrifying peril the family are experiencing as they are torn apart and separated by the natural disaster enfolding around them. This is in complete contrast to the island idyll and dreamscape that first greeted them and which is again magnificently captured by Director Bayona along with his Director of Photography Oscar Faura as we revel in the family's enjoyment as they release Chinese Lanterns into a brilliant full moon late at night and a Christmas Day dive amongst the vibrant colour of the Indian Ocean's coral reef.

Thus a brief overview of the opening fifteen minutes of a traumatic familial drama that garnered a sole Oscar nomination in 2013 for Naomi Watts' central performance but which concentrates on the triumph of the human spirit in even the most horrific of circumstances and of strangers pulling together to help their fellow human beings. In addition to Watts' Oscar nominated performance, Ewan McGregor is admirable in his role of Father Henry but where the film excels is in it's younger performances and specifically that of Tom Holland as the older child Lucas. The film is in many ways a mother and son story, with Director Bayona again displaying a real flair for shooting a film through a child's eye view of the world as he did in his previous film The Orphanage. Where the film really triumphs is in this attention to detail on the children's roles, their reactions to the unfolding disaster and in the very human reassurances of a brushing of an arm, the smoothing of a forehead or the stroking of someone's hair, all touches of human help and reassurance against a backdrop of unremitting devastation of a real life humanitarian disaster that is as visceral and distressing as it was watching from the safety of a television set all those years ago.

A Monster Calls (2016)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3416532/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_2

"How does the story begin?"

Based on an original idea by Siobhan Dowd and written for the screen by Patrick Ness based on his novel of the same name, A Monster Calls is many things: Exceptional, brilliant, heart breaking and originally unique, and these are just the tip of a huge list of superlatives I could apply to this film. It is also the third in a trilogy of Mother/Son stories directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and by far his most accomplished to date but which touches upon familiar themes throughout his cinematic work to date, those of life, death, dealing with mortality, childhood trauma, facing your fears and even facing the most difficult experience of all, that of the truth. A Monster Calls is a fantasy fairy tale but one that is truly grounded in reality and where it truly excels and triumphs is by blurring the lines between fantasy and reality as well as introducing a really difficult subject matter into what should ostensibly be a children's story but which is anything but. I couldn't wait for the release of this film on New Years Day 2017 after seeing the trailer on my countless trips to my local cinema and A Monster Calls truly did not disappoint and nor does it on repeated viewings. 12:07am will never be the same again when you've watched this film and should you watch this film for the first time after reading these rambling words, take a healthy amount of tissues with you as you're going to need them! The Mother and Son in Bayona's latest cinematic treat are "Mum" (Felicity Jones) and "Conor" (Lewis McDougall) who in the absence of estranged Husband and "Dad" (Toby Kebbell) live together in a run down terraced house in England. They also live with a horrible truth that is established very early in the film with Conor's Mum suffering from a terminal condition that without a life saving medical breakthrough, she may succumb to the disease hanging over her and her young son. It is against this backdrop that young teenage Conor lives his life coupled with the threat of an overbearing and interfering "Grandma" (Sigourney Weaver) making his life ever more difficult he retreats at exactly 12:07am every night into a fantastical, fairy tale world inhabited by "The Monster" (voiced by Liam Neeson).

"Too old to be a kid. Too young to be a man" and thus one of the many obstacles in front of young Conor. Bullied at school and haunted by continual nightmares, Conor is a mature and independent young man way beyond his tender years but dealing with the fallout of his Mother's illness is taking a huge toll on him as he tries in vain to come to terms with the horrific situation. Isolated, angry and destructive Conor retreats further and further into his own world and a world that perhaps he can control as he emulates his Mother's talent for sketches and drawings as well as his waking dream world with The Monster. Conor seeks help from The Monster and although he may not see it, the help comes in the form of three separate stories told by his new found friend but only if Conor agrees to tell his story after. "Stories are wild creatures" according to The Monster and quickly he seemingly empowers Conor who is in desperate need of help and reassurance as well as an escape from the horrible truth that hangs over his family. As with Simon in The Orphanage and Lucas in The Impossible Bayona again brilliantly focuses on, frames and shoots this film through the eyes of it's child star and here Lewis McDougall is absolutely phenomenal, magnetic and heart breaking in his portrayal of Conor. Besieged on all sides and truly a child in an adult world his performance is awe inspiring and a wonderful achievement from one so young and in only his second feature length film following his debut in 2015's Pan. McDougall is also surrounded here by some stellar acting performances, particularly from Felicity Jones who at first glance is completely unrecognisable in her role of Conor's Mum and similarly to her young co-star, Jones' performance is utterly heart breaking. Sigourney Weaver portrays stern Matriarch and pushy Grandma particularly well in a cameo role and a stand out line from the film as she chastises her young grandson with a telling "I'm not the enemy Conor". Toby Kebbell remains one of my favourite actors of recent times and again does not disappoint in his anchor role of an absent Dad and Liam Neeson's gruff tones voice the all important fairy tale Monster.

Quite simply, A Monster Calls is undoubtedly one of my favourite films of 2017 and indeed of recent times. Heart breaking and a real character study on the grieving process and overcoming insurmountable odds at such a young age, Director Bayona rounds off his Mother/Son trilogy brilliantly with an atmospheric, thought provoking and gut wrenching film that I had the twisted pleasure of seeing three times at my local cinema and now twice since it's recent DVD release and I've adored it every single time. The film resonates with me on a number of levels having had a similar experience as Conor's and so my love for the film may be a little myopic but make no mistake, despite the film's tough through line it's a brilliantly crafted joy of a film and one that I've taken something different from on every single viewing. Highly recommended, just remember to pack some tissues!