So many film adaptations of Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula have appeared over the years, surely there’s no original angle left? Renfield, which focuses on the famous vampire’s assistant rather than the big man himself, makes a brave effort to prove critics wrong.
“It’s a film about shoes,” said Mark Kermode in his review of Air. I can’t see how this could possibly be bad thing (after all, Tetris is getting it’s own TV series too). And yes, on a basic level Air is about shoes, more specifically the development of Nike’s Air Jordan range. But it’s also a very American story about how an underdog company (Nike) managed to sign one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the earth (Michael Jordan). And they all lived happily ever after.
Here’s a pitch for you. How about we go and see a stop-motion animation film about a shell called Marcel who lives in an AirBnB with his grandma and enlists a struggling documentary film maker called Dean to help him find his family. You’d think I was demented, right? I admit, the synopsis of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On doesn’t sound like much. But the reality of this little film is so, so different. I’m glad I managed to catch it in my local cinema this week and have been thinking about it ever since.
After many months of waiting, the latest book I’ve contributed to has now hit the stores. Coastal Environments in Popular Song explores how coastal communities around the world use popular music to discuss pressing issues such as climate change, gender inequality, and (post-)colonialism.
Yes, David Cronenberg’s world is disgusting and morally bankrupt. But what makes it truly disturbing is the realization that, perhaps, its crimes are less futuristic than we’d like to admit.
One great way to celebrate Pride month if you’re an introvert is by reading a book. I initially picked The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle by Neil Blackmore for purely aesthetic reasons. Its racy pink cover seemed appropriate for the time of year. I don’t normally like historical fiction very much – I don’t know why, it’s just one of my blind spots – but this seemed like a good time to leave my usual comfort zone.
Not everyone will like this film. Dialogues are often slow and almost Shakespearean, there’s a sense of mystery and unease that prevents comfortable enjoyment. But then these aspects was also present in The Lighthouse, so it’s probably characteristic of Eggers’s style of film making, and it suits the film’s grave narrative universe.
This film is not for everyone. Some may not like the ridiculous plot, the idea of Cage playing himself, or the prospect of sitting through a Cage film in the first place. But if you’re looking for an entertaining film with just a little bit of quirk, this film is definitely worth a watch.
a book by its title either. When I was generously offered the opportunity to read a new book due to published by Jaded Ibis Press in April 2022, and heard that it was called The Benefits of Eating White Folks, I was instantly intrigued.
During the recent succession of lockdowns I made a discovery. Even the most dedicated reader, it turns out, can feel like they’ve read enough. I wanted something different. Like millions of others I turned to crafts. I didn’t have enough creativity left to engage in creative writing or art – like I’d been doing for years – but I craved something that would put my mind off the dystopian nightmare the world had become. I’d tried my hand at knitting before and figured, now that I was stuck at home, I might as well try something new.
cococatani 