Trauma - the crowdfunding campaign for this Scifi short film

You know me, I'm not one to normally blow ones own trumpet when it comes to saying just how well my little blog is doing now since its humble (and not very well written) origins of just a few short years ago. Now, while the standard of writing (and along with it annoying little things like spelling and grammar) may not have especially improved, the diverse range of projects I've come across as a blogger from all around the world certainly have changed. In fact it has got to the point now that I occasionally have to set aside my insatiable need to hang on to the coat tails and reflective creative glory of others. 

In other words, purely in terms of the time available, I sometimes have to say no to some enquiries that come my way asking me to do whatever I can to help promote their projects. As a result I've had to resist overloading myself with some very, very interesting work going on in the world of books, music and film production.

However occasionally something comes along that catches my eye and means I choose to ignore the fact that I'm already 'juggling' any number of works in progress. This very thing happened just a few days ago. You should know me by now, I don't have much time for any sort of yucky optimistic utopian science fiction where everybody lives happily ever after  - Boring! Give me a grey dystopian story any day - after all, it fits well with my cynical glass-half-empty view of the world at the moment (I blame the winter months personally).

So a few evenings ago I was having a wander around the occasional madness of the Twitterverse when a particular crowdfunding campaign caught my beedy little eye. The Touscoprod campaign was aiming to raise funds towards an intriguing Scifi short film full of all sorts of Soviet Union inspired dystopian themes. Let me throw a brief little synopsis your way.....

"Set in a futuristic industrial dystopia with a 1950s soviet realist aesthetic, “Trauma” is the story of a boy brought to celebrate his birthday at the grounds of a factory that manufactures the must-have toy of the era. The boy has one of these toys, and is visibly attached to it. But the manager takes the toy away from him because he is now too old for such a thing. He fights to get his beloved toy back as a crowd of workers gathers in front of a ceremonial stage. The ensuing chase through the crowd leads him onto the stage where he himself becomes part of the spectacle, subjected to a brutal initiation ceremony that will see him finally “become a man”.

Trauma is the brainchild of Jethro Massey who intended the film's script and style to be directly inspired by the powerful propaganda imagery of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. We all know the imagery that he talks about, pictures of workers staring heroically into the distance as they toil for the greater good of the motherland. Sometimes they hold a symbol of all that is good for providing for the masses - tools, equipment or fists of grain. The Photography of Aleksandr Rodchenko, the films of Dziga Vertov and others were used as tools of inspiration and propaganda by the Soviet machine.  While this imagery was used to forward tyrannical regimes, the images themselves are, to Jethro's mind, amongst the most creative, striking and powerful ever made. Trauma will re-appropriate the style, the camera angles, the geometry of composition, the industrial landscapes, the poses and the wardrobe of the era in a modern-futurist science- fiction that questions our voluntary slavery to the contemporary digital technocracy.

Blimey - I told you that it sounds good!

But who is this Jethro Massey character? Yes, I heard you ask that. Well, in his own words;

"I work in video production with my team of talented professionals on studio and location shoots for commercials, web, corporate, documentary and music video in France and the UK. 

Having produced videos for some of the world’s leading brands in fashion (Givenchy), travel (Condé Nast), publishing (Random House), technology (Air Liquide), hospitality (Intercontinental Hotels) and music (LiveNation), and for TV channels in Europe, US & South America, and the Middle East, I craft films in a broad range of styles, from serious communications pieces to entertaining high energy videos."

Well he seems to know what he's talking about - which is always a good thing I suppose when you may be entrusting him with your hard earned money. So you have the synopsis, the concept and some bio about the director. The crowdfunding campaign has about two weeks to run and offers a range of excellent enticements and goodies that we've now come to expect. For example; 

Ten Euros will get you the Comrade award.... "Welcome to Trauma Industries comrade! Every woman and man who contributes to the cause will be be sent a link to view the film and its making-of online. You will also be rewarded with your name in the final credits..."

Fifty Euros will promote you to Distinguished labourer....  "Your face on a soviet poster. Send us a photo of yourself (or a friend) and we'll create a soviet style poster for the proud People's Labourer that you are. This poster for your personal online propaganda will be sent in digital format only. You will also be rewarded with your name in the final credits..."

For a tidy 1000 Euros you can become Hero of the Union.... "Receive a beautiful limited edition hard-back Trauma Industries photobook containing posters for the film, behind the scenes photographs and portraits of the cast and crew. You will also receive a vintage jacket or dress from the film, along with an invitation to the film's premiere (travel and accommodation not included), and the director himself will send you a Trauma Industries Postcard, from a surprise location, and have your name in the final credits..."

Now I'm not assuming in any way that Jethro for a moment will listen to my pleas - but the Distinguished labourer award (the poster) is something that would greatly appeal to me.......cough.....Jethro......cough........I can send a picture this week........cough!

WHAT WILL THE MONEY BE USED FOR?

FOR €3,000 OR MORE

+

We are on the right track, this will pay for the developing of the film and the transfers...

FOR €6,000 OR MORE

+

That's it ! We can make the film ! We've reached our minimum budget !

FOR €8,000 OR MORE

+

Fantastic ! Not only can we make the film, our sets are going to be even more impressive ! 

FOR €10,000 OR MORE

+

Wow ! Not only can we make the film exactly as we want to, this will pay for all the festival entries and prints we need to make sure the film is seen around the world...

So if you can, give this campaign your support and let's help make what could be a fabulous slice of science fiction dystopia.

Here are a few tasty links:

The crowdfund campaign page (with the intro video):

www.touscoprod.com/en/trauma

The facebook page:

facebook.com/traumaindustries

Twitter:

twitter.com/trauma_inc

And if you'd like to see some of Jethro Massey's previous work, you can take a look at his website:

www.jethromassey.com

Wolf Country #5

Occasionally in my life certain things come together that provide a snugly warm blanket of coincidence and serendipity. Take this week for example - no, I'm serious, please take it because in the whole it has predominantly sucked big chunks and I'll be glad to see the back of it. Now, I know that it's unlike me to talk very much about myself in my blog articles. As a matter of fact I like to think that I'm nothing but a consummate professional who takes his vocation completely seriously - stop laughing there at the back!..... well OK maybe I do talk about myself occasionally........ Alright, alright, I do it all the time time! Blimey, I didn't expect the Spanish inquisition.

However, there has been the occasional brief oasis of bright spots in this desert of a stressful week. A few days ago I was contacted by comics writer and all round good egg, Jim Alexander, who told me that the award nominated and critically acclaimed Wolf Country returns for a fifth explosive issue. Hurrah! Some good news at last, I thought. But wait a moment, because before I go any further I need to mention the snugly warm blanket of coincidence that happened that very same day. 

A few weeks ago I ran a blog article extolling the virtues of another venture from Mr A, Good Cop Bad Cop, which funnily enough you can find RIGHT HERE. Well actually there's nothing funny about it in a ha ha sort of way, just my usual stuff and nonsense. Apart from the usual scribbles of blogging beauty the piece also contained the inaugural 5D. A Scifi, Fantasy & Horror blog competition, the prize being the first four issues of Wolf Country. If that wasn't enough each of the comics were signed by the man himself, the aforementioned good egg, Jim Alexander.

I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting in terms of entries, but thankfully some people did actually enter my website competition, though I'm not fooling myself into thinking that the number of interested parties was down to the popularity of my website, nope I know it was all Mr A. Anyhoo, it so happens that by coincidence that on the very day of receiving the news of Wolf Country issue 5 I was also in the process of informing the winner of the comp that the comics would soon be on their way to him. 

I'm sure that it will please Jim no end to know that his fandom stretches around the world when I tell him that the winner comes all the way from Split, in Croatia. I'm sure it will please the winner, Dalibor, even more to know that I've finally shook off my bout of sickness and managed to post the comics today. I'm also pretty sure that my local post office here in the distant North East will be suitably chuffed that I broke into my penny savings jar so that I could buy the postage stamps in order to get the package three quarters of the way through Europe. So congratulations to Dalibor!

The competition prize & yes, I did consider keeping them for myself!

For those fools, yes that's what I said, fools, who are not familiar with the narrative of the Wolf Country narrative;

"A vampire settlement is surrounded by hostile werewolf tribes.  The settlement is there for religious reasons, following the teachings of a vampire god.  The werewolves don’t want them. They consider a vampire presence on their land to be sacrilege. 

It is a frontier of fang and claw, with death and vengeance the common currency.  In Wolf Country, you need to watch your back and keep your loved ones close, because someone – or something – is always out to get you." 

So here we are with issue 5 as once again we find ourselves in Wolf Country where the vampires are still fighting against werewolves. The vampire Settlement in Wolf Country has repelled the latest wolf attack, but the nightmare refuses to end. Vampire soldiers interrogate and torture the Settler named Carmichael. The Settlers are starving, waiting for an airdrop of supplies that may never come. 

Jim Alexander first described Wolf Country to me as 'vampires v werewolves in a Wild West setting - and a whole lot more'. That particular description barely scratches the surface. Yes, we may have returned once more into the middle of the battle that is taking place between the two communities, but the story is so much more than that. There are complex scenarios afoot here with implicit textures of political, sociological and religious themes that underpin and enhance the story to the extent that the numerous directions that the narrative could potentially progress is truly Intriguing - It's enough to please any Shakespearean tragedy enthusiast. If all that wasn't enough there are set pieces of suitably exquisite violence to appeal to the bloodthirsty aficionados that we all truly are.

The artwork by Will Pickering is atmospheric and evocative as ever and Alexander's dialogue is as crisp and witty as I've now come to expect from him. All that is left for me to say for now is that that the series has genuinely become one of the most exciting and enjoyable stories that I've read in a very long time. However my dear cynically challenged reader, don't just take my word for it because I have it from the the horses mouth himself that there has been TV interest in the title.

"We’re at the ‘treatment/presentation plan’ stage.... Exciting times.... Watch this space." Jim said. Ooh, tell me more and let's pretend that I'm someone that you can confide in, I replied

"It's still in the early stages, but to get to a later stage I suppose you need to be at an early stage first! Sorry I can't give you any more info - at least at this stage" he replied. 

Bugger, talk about being a bit of a tease there as well as thinking that you're being funny, Jim....... It's not as if I'm jealously insecure and would have let anyone in on his secret....... Is it? Actually on reflection, he's probably being very wise.

Written by Jim Alexander (GoodCopBadCop, Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Star Trek Manga, Spider-Man/Captain Britain) and drawn by Will Pickering (Burke and Hare, Something Fast) with cover art by Luke Cooper (Hollow Girl, GoodCopBadCop) Wolf Country is epic both in it's scale and depiction. I'm only sad that I won't be at Dunfermline Comic Con on Saturday 5th of March to buy a real paper copy (the only proper format) and get it signed by the guys themselves.

Alternatively you can order the book online from the Planet Jimbot shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/266647799/wolf-country5

Wolf Country #1-4 are also available.  Also, you can order all 5 issues as a single order for a knock-down price.

The return of The X-Files and The Walking Dead

This article can be found in the blog section of the 5D website at www.5d-blog.com. There you can also find a tasty selection of Scifi/fantasy and horror treats!

This February something of a double television whammy is getting this here blogger about as excited as one can legally get without incurring restraining orders or ridiculous accusations of stalking - And while I'm on that subject, apparently it isn't actually a valid defence in a court of law if one tries explaining to the judge that if I was to wake up to 50 emails EACH morning from the same person I would regard that as a compliment rather than a reason to call the police..... but hey-ho. Whoever said that the law was fair?

Anyhoo.........back to the February double whammy excitement. 

Firstly, In the dim and distant days of early 1994 life was akin to living in the dark ages. The Internet and the World Wide Web were still a year or two away from life changing transformation, there were no iPhones, no iPods and the usual way to make a friend request was to strike up a drunken conversation in the local pub. Blimey, just how did we exist?!

Another void in any self respecting geeks life back then was the veritable lack of quality scifi, fantasy & horror on television. Thesedays, with the advent of satellite TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime et al we seem to be experiencing a true golden age of TV with the soon to be discussed The Walking Dead, not to mention the likes of American Horror Story, Hannibal, Z Nation, Dark Matter and more tasty superhero series selections than you could shake Stan Lee at. In all honesty, it's getting to the point that I'm fast losing the time to fit them all into my increasingly hectic schedule...... But it's a dirty job and somebody has to do it. As you all know, I'm just the man for that job.

The smoking man's gonna getcha

In 1994 it all was very different. Yes, yes, yes - I know that the Star Trek franchises were in full swing and that there were no doubt some other delectable geeky crumbs out there, but it was still a comparative desert of good TV. However the early part of that year saw the arrival of perhaps the tastiest morsal of that or any other time, and in turn became a viewing habit that very quickly turned into an obsession. In other words, the greatest ever piece of television science fiction hit our screens.

From the very start of its first season it became apparent that the X-Files was a thing of unqualified beauty. For the benefit of the couple of people and their pet dog in the world who didn't manage to see this example of science fiction genius, here is a quick recap.........

Practical and serious career minded gorgeous FBI agent Dana Scully is told to keep her eye on strange and troubled not-so-career-minded FBI agent Fox Mulder........Scully likes science and  being serious.......Mulder likes paranormal alien conspiracies and cracking funnies........they work together.......Scully doesn't believe........Mulder wants to believe.....common respect ensues........Sexual tension follows big time........Scully starts to believe.......Lone Gunman......Smoking man.......Syndicate.........Mulder abducted.......Alien Invasion.......fugitives on the run. I think that just about sums things up nicely.

The first season for me is my personal favourite, not because the subsequent seasons were of a lesser standard, because they weren't (well, possibly for the exception of season 9 that is). However season 1 is where the huge standards were initially set with cinematic attention to production detail, excellent special effects, clever writing plus an intoxicating mix of character and plot driven storylines.

Oh yes, not forgetting a relationship that was positively dripping with sexual tension (though not literally, however interesting that would've been). What sets the season apart from what followed was the fact that the vast majority of the episodes were all singular stories on their own, paying very little notice to the paranormal conspiracy that forms the arc of the X-File narrative. Now, while I like a good conspiracy narrative as much as the next man, some of these self contained episodes were near perfection in terms of writing and pacing........ And chills, don't forget the chills!

This first season gave us a number of classic episodes frequently cited in top 10 fan favourites;

* Squeeze - A mutant who murders his victims with the intention of removing their livers so it can live longer....oh & it can also squeeze through seemingly impossibly tight spaces. My personal X-Files favourite.

* Beyond the sea - The sceptic/believer roles are reversed when Dana 'delicious' Scully exhibiting the leap of faith in a death row inmate's claim that he has psychic abilities. Mulder thinks the inmate is full of it. Great stuff.

Sadly, it has to be said that the X-Files suffered from the one series too many syndrome as the ideas and freshness seemed to slowly disappear - in fact it could be argued that the last two series were less than satisfactory. So too were the two movies that came after the demise of the series as it seemed the writers were stuck between providing wanting to provide a continuation of the X-Files mythology and trying to provide a stand alone narrative for the two people and their dog who had no knowledge of the TV series. What cannot be denied though is that the series did what only a few have succeeded in doing, namely transporting itself from being merely a TV programme and instead into the wider public consciousness. The X-Files found itself a pop culture phenomenon with even those foolish few who had never seen an episode were fully aware about Messrs Mulder, Scully & the smoking man. Ahhh, good times. 

The truly gorgeous Gillian & some other guy.

So when the rumours that had been around from the moment the series ended in 2002 finally became true, that the army of X-Files fans would actually see a 10th series, I was thrilled beyond belief for two reasons; The first reason is pretty obvious, for the most part this was arguably the finest example of television science fiction ever...... that's a fact which I will challenge anyone who disagrees with me to a wrestling match in a pool of custard.

The second reason is far more shallow and superficial - because while Gillian Anderson may have been on the right side of gorgeous back in the 1990's, well, let's just say that the sands of time have been very, very, very kind to her, God she looks so very good these days! 

The six episode season 10 has already began to air in the States and so far I've been able to avoid any spoilers. What I do know is that the reviews have been a little mixed. Seriously, I don't care. I simply can't wait until I see that first episode in a couple of days. 

The Walking Dead returns on 15th February here in the UK from its mid-season break. Now, many of my circle know of my obsession for the series - in fact some time ago I scribbled a few paragraphs on the subject, some of which I'm including here again.......

I discovered the Graphic novels a couple of years after they first appeared back in the dim and distant days of 2003. Yes, yes I know......once again I was quite ineptly behind the times. It certainly wasn't the first or last time. To be precise it was the summer of 2006 in which I first discovered the stunning artwork and storytelling that depicted a world where an unknown apocalyptic event has transformed the majority of the human population into slobbering, rotting flesh-eating zombies. As luck would have it at that time, I had landed a new & reasonably well paid job which not only meant that bills could finally be paid, plus I could buy good quality red wine, but it also allowed me to buy up every copy to date (and ever since) of that wonderful series. I was in regular zombie heaven.

Just part of my little collection.

A few years later (2010 to be once again precise) I learnt that the story was going to be adapted for TV, much to the suspicion and jealousy of some of my fellow Walking Dead graphic novel aficionados. I must admit that for a time I too shared their disquiet, though maybe not quite for the same reasons. I had read for months before the show aired many comments of fans worried in regard to such things as the authenticity of the story being lost and the potential of a glossy and insipid watering down of the gore for TV. There were indeed a plethora of other Graphic novel fan concerns. 

The thing is, I don't tend myself to get that precious about how the written word will fare under TV or film adaptation. There are some within the Scifi, horror & fantasy community who feel a strong degree of 'ownership' of literary material that to a unknowing third party would seem that it was actually them who had written it in the first place. For me, different mediums are entitled to treat the source material in any way they want. Reading a book is an entirely different experience from watching the same thing on screen, which is as it should be. I could never understand the controversy amongst fans (and I am a big time fan) about the adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Game of Thrones, to name but three. 

If you love the books then simply don't give a flying fig about an adaptation that deviates from the source material. Honestly, who cares? The original source material will always be there to be cherished. And do you know something else? (I'm saying this quietly now), but sometimes those changes can work.......cough....Haldir's Elves at The Battle of Helms Deep....cough!.......really works in the movie...........cough!

I did try to dislike the TV series, I really did. Even when I heard that the mercurial Frank Darabont was going to be initially at the helm I had decided beforehand that I simply didn't want to be part of of what I saw as the inevitable watering down in the mainstreaming and mass-popularity that would take place. I can remember on that night in 2010 when I sat in front of my television to watch the 1st episode, arms crossed and a fixed facial expression that signified that I wasn't going to enjoy myself, no matter what.

Well a number of seasons later, that has somewhat changed, Actually, if truth be told it changed about 3 or 4 minutes into that first episode. Yes, the show deviated almost immediately from the comic source material, and in probably in far too many ways that irked many fellow comic fans. In fact there are far too many examples of how the show has changed the original concept and storyline to mention them all here - but I'll state a couple.

1) The fabulous characterisation of Daryll by Norman Reedus has become for many the cornerstone of the series, galvanising a whole industry of 'If Daryll dies, we walk" T-shirts whenever proceedings look as if Mr Dixon might finally succumb to the Zombie bite. However, the character simply didnt exist in the original comic series and was invented purely for the TV series. However, it works.

2) The character of Shane stayed around far longer on TV than in the novels, but again this worked. The portrayal by Jon Bernthal of a man slipping ever deeper into dark insanity was a masterstroke.

3) Many of the characters seem to have become polar opposites of their comic book creations; for example Carol never really loses her meakness and self doubt in the books, yet in the TV show she has become the epitome of female power with a character ark of incredible maturity and intensity. In addition, the much maligned Andrea (who it's safe to say, was never much of a fan favourite) who on screen simply went from naivety, on to insessent complaining and finished on just plain stupid was far different from the strong purposeful Andrea who is also the lover and confidante of Rick (and still very much alive) in the comic book.

I know that these and many other examples have been a constant source of controversy amongst Walking Dead fans. However for me they not only mostly work but it means that the two can be enjoyed entirely seperately on their own merits. It would be a brave person who denies that when it comes to pivotal and powerful scenes, nothing does it better than a TV show at its best.  

The Walking Dead series boasts perhaps more than most. I won't try to include all of my favourites as I'm sure I'll certainly be kicking myself over after forgetting to include them. However I'll mention just a small number of my personal TV moments off the top of my head.

* Shane shooting Otis as they try to evade the shuffling hords.....I can still hear the screams.

* Carol's lost daughter emerging from Herschel's barn and Rick stepping forward to deliver the killing shot.

* Darryl & Merle saving  Rick et al when they return to the prison

* Hershel's demise at the hands of the Governor.

* Carol saving the group from being hung on meat racks & the subsequent breakout at Terminus. (Still my favourite ever episode)

* Beth's death - Still shaken over that!

* Carol's genuinely frightening 'Stepford Wife' baking Psychopath in Alexandria

* The whole Glenn 'is he dead or isn't he ?' affair.

The simple fact is that the series has provided some of the more genuinely jaw-dropping televisual experiences that I have ever had. 

Once again Monday nights here in the UK may finally have some meaning when The Walking Dead returns after its mid-season break to feature the introduction of everybody's favourite sociopath from the novels. The casting of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan is truly inspired. I can hardly wait.

A love letter to David Bowie, his music and The Man who Fell to Earth

A couple of weeks ago one of my genuine heroes died. It was a death that affected me far more than I ever anticipated would do, not that one spends ones time wandering around mindfully anticipating the deaths of all those that I admire of course, but the depth of loss I felt for someone whom I had never met was surprising indeed. It seems too that I wasn't alone in my experience, for if the level of coverage in all forms of media is anything to go by, then the loss of this particular icon appears to have resonated far deeper than any other public figure of recent times. It is abundantly clear that he meant so much to so many, and on so many different levels. However, as always these are my own self indulgent ramblings, while I may well not come anywhere close to matching some of the truly beautiful words that have been written about the man since his death earlier this month, this will be at least my own heartfelt tribute to David Bowie.

If truth be told, whilst I would have always regarded myself as something of a fan of his work, there was a time when I probably wouldn't have thought I was any more than just that. Being a child of the 1970's, Bowie had always been part of the cultural landscape in terms of his music for many people so  I suppose I quite simply simply took him for granted. This view of myself as little more than 'something of a fan' changed in 1981 when two things happened simultaneously to make me completely reevaluate my feelings towards the man and his work, thus regarding him in far more grander terms. You may not believe that it all happened this way, but they did.

The first of these simultaneous occurrences was the visit in one Saturday in January of 1981 by my Auntie Jane. She was the younger sister, the cool younger sister, of my mum and had always seemed to me as about as deliciously rebellious and uncaring as one could get away with in Yorkshire back in those days. Jane wore the coolest clothes, she went to the coolest gigs and had just about the coolest taste in music. Yes, there was certainly a good deal of hero worship towards her from myself back then.

The visits to her house unfortunately were rare as she lived away in the next town and back then we didn't have a car, but when did manage to visit I would always go straight for her collection of T-Rex records and play them until even she would get fed up of hearing 'Cosmic Dancer' for the 10th time in a row.

So when she visited our home in that particular January of 1981 with the promise of a very special musical birthday present for me it was with barely concealed anticipation of what I thought would be her collection of T-Rex records. However, I was very much mistaken because while it certainly was a musical present, it turned out to be her own personal collection of each and every album that a certain David Bowie had made up to that point. It even included his very latest release, a brand spanking new as yet unplayed copy of his album, Scary Monsters. For a brief moment I was a little disappointed (yes you're correct.....ungrateful little shit), after all Marc Bolan at that point was still my musical bliss and as I've said earlier, Bowie was fine but all I really knew of him was his radio play list singles. However, for once in my life I managed to hide my immature disappointment and gave her my best "oh my god!!" response as I took the record collection upstairs.

I'm a firm believer that every single one of us has certain moments in our life when things inexorably change beyond all measure. Sometimes we are aware of these moments, sometimes we're completely unaware and it's only with the benefit of hindsight that we recognise them for the pivotal moments in our existence that they are. Let me me make it clear, within a few moments of listen to his exquisite Hunky Dory album I was completely aware that in musical terms, life wouldn't ever be quite the same again. Beautiful, beautiful music in album after album. I couldn't believe what I had been missing all those years as the day quickly passed by in a haze of Ziggy, Aladdin et al.

That very same evening the second happening occurred when, taking advantage of a birthday treat in being able to stay up late on that weekend night, I chanced upon a movie featuring none other than the redoubtable Mr Bowie. Now you you must remember that by this point in my life (having justice turned 14) that I was now firmly ensconced in my private but satisfying world of Scifi & horror geekdom. I say ' private' because the world of 1980 was a very different world for the geek than it is now, there was no Internet (god help us), little in the way of super-hero movies and certainly no celebration of all things geeky that there are today. Whereas today being a nerd or a geek is tantamount to being a badge of honour, back in the day one could be in serious danger of being clipped around the head at school by ones peers for such outlandish behaviour as carrying a copy of a Phillip K. Dick novel. 

However, thanks to the ever increasing behemoth that was Star Wars and the likes of Star Trek etc, the tide was beginning to change and this here blogger was in his element - Scifi was my world. So when I noticed that not only was there a relatively rare Science Fiction offering on mainstream TV (we only had 3 channels here in the UK at that time for crying out loud - it was like living in the dark ages!) but also it starred the man whose music I had been binging and gorging myself upon all day, well I was there ready and waiting. In all truth I don't really remember what I was expecting, maybe a blaster and space fight or two, but what I found in The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) took me completely by surprise - and some thirty odd years later, it still does.

Spoilers ahead me hearties!!

The premise of the film is relatively simple. An alien (played by Bowie) from a planet dying from the effects of drought has travelled to our little world in search of the water that will save his home. This Alien has a particular set of technological knowledge and skills as his electronic inventions quickly begin to bestow upon him a great deal of wealth as part of his ultimate plan to build a spaceship that will transport water to his drought-ridden planet.

However, things soon begin to unravel for the Alien as his incredible wealth, a Howard Hughes type existence, a series of destructive relationships  and a developing addiction to alcohol soon attract the attention of the dastardly CIA (the CIA is always dastardly in these movies). This eventually results in his capture and eventual emotional and psychological destruction as his plans are thwarted at the last minute. The film ends with him a lonely broken individual, haunted by the knowledge that his family and world are beyond help.

There are a number of age-old questions that people never tire of debating; Would Mohammad Ali have beaten Rocky Graziano? Was Lee Harvey Oswald the lone gunman? Was David Bowie any good as an actor?

Well let me tell you that the answer to all three is a resounding yes. Bowie's performance in The Man Who Fell To Earth is truly mesmerising (even more so on repeated viewing) in evoking the frail (both physically and emotionally) Alien trapped in a world that he barely understands.

David Bowie's performance was exactly what this type of film demanded  - because lets be clear that this is no blasters in space Star Wars type of Scifi. In truth it is a film that arguably would struggle to be made today with its emphasis on complex exploration of both character and philosophical ideas. There is little time or consideration for special effects of even a completely coherent plot here as it ponders along on it's existential abstract way. The tone is at times almost poetic in nature and if you haven't seen it think Solaris, think Sunshine........ then you may be halfway to understanding just what an experience this film is.

Bowie was quite perfect for the part as he portrays a figure of pitfall dreamlike loneliness, both in the flashbacks to when he left his family and the empty relationships with the people on Earth. The final scenes when he is left a broken lonely alcoholic made me cry back in 1981, and still does. It is possible that his lifestyle, fuelled with copious amounts of cocaine contributed to his dreamlike performance - perhaps. One cannot avoid the fact that his personal demons of the time certainly played a part in all that he did. Nonetheless, he is masterful here.

The Man Who Fell To Earth may well be a child of its time with its 1970's undertones of Watergate infused paranoia but it still holds up astonishingly well as a great film featuring a great central performance.

I was driving to work just a couple of weeks ago when, after a few minutes of half-listening to the radio, it suddenly occurred to me that four David Bowie tracks had been played in a row. At first I thought it was the local radio displaying a rare sense of consistent musical taste. When I then heard the news I pulled the car over and cried.

However the music still remains in all its glory - for me 'Life on Mars' is a song nearing musical perfection as much as any in the 20th Century. As for his films, well the jury may forever be out in regard to his acting career - but for me we are more the richer for movies such as The Man Who Fell To Earth, The Hunger and Labyrinth. As well we should be.

Cheers David.

El círculo de Raynard (2014)

"A film crew are making a documentary about Frederich Raynard, a Nazi war criminal and expert in occultism who could have ended his days in a town in Leciñana, northern Spain. What starts as an easy job soon will become a dark adventure that will change their lives forever. 

With Raynard's diary in their hands and chased by a secret organisation, they will look for the help of a parapsychology professor. With him, they will soon find out their lives are in danger and the only way to save themselves is to perform one of the rituals from Raynard diary. The ritual that caused Raynard death years back."

I don't know about you, but I'm forever in awe of independent film makers. If it isn't enough that they often barely have two coins to rub together to be able to invest in the film's production, there's often little money left over to pay even the living costs of cast and crew. Actors and filmmakers often end up doing a multiple of jobs during the time of the production, invariably working in between the 'day jobs' that actually go somewhere to paying their bills. So against the odds a film finally may get made but then the battle has only really just begun, because the task now is to get some publicity in order for people to actually see the film - you never know, it may then recover the costs and even make some money.

So I suppose that the last part there is where people like myself come in. Now, I know that my dear reader unfortunately knows me far too well. I could say that I see myself as someone who wants to help these insane people who put their heart, soul and bank accounts into making a movie that could possibly only be seen by two people and their pet dog in Alaska. However, as I said you know that the truth is that this blogging lark enables me to hang on to the coat tails of these wonderfully creative people and bask in their reflective glory when success comes their way. It may be superficial, but hey, it's a hobby and keeps me off the streets - well actually it's the legal restraining orders and ankle tags that keep me off the streets....... but you know what I mean.

So apart from my raging shallowness and superficiality motivating me to help publicise a movie, it does actually help if the film in question is a little bit different in content and origin. Well I think that it's safe to say that El círculo de Raynard well and truly ticks both those boxes in abundance. The box I call 'well is it actually any good?' for the record, also contains a very, very big tick - it's wonderful.

This week Maria Valle, the film's producer and co-director, asked me if I would be interested in watching and reviewing El círculo de Raynard. If truth be told, I was at first a little reluctant to do so, the main reason being that I was little busy with something else and didn't feel as if I would have the time - that was until I heard some details about the film...... A Spanish made horror with elements of time-bending Scifi, Nazi war Criminals, the occult and the paranormal all rolled into one feature - what isn't there to like???!!! I was hooked.

Maria went on to tell me that the movie is a blend of history, found footage, mockumentary and narrative.  It centers on a film crew making a documentary about Frederich Raynard, a Nazi war criminal and occult expert who like many of his like never got caught or turned up dead after the war. Instead he was believed to have possibly ended his days in a town in northern Spain. With Raynard’s diary with them, what starts as an easy job soon becomes a dark adventure that will change their lives forever.

El círculo de Raynard is a low cost movie with a budget of just 12000 euros that has taken since seven years to see the light of day. In 2009 Maria and her colleagues started writing the script, which took a year and then in 2010 they shot the movie throughout the whole year during weekends and holidays. But what the heck inspired a story of Nazi war criminals and the occult? Well as Maria herself told me; " When we first started writing the film we knew we wanted to make a Scifi movie, we also knew it was going to be difficult for budget reasons and because it's an unusual genre for a Spanish movie. Our screenwriters Manuel Vidal and Rául González are big fans of all the secret societies that came up during the second world war and all the mysteries and mysticism that surrounds them. To add veracity to the project we decided to start the film with a mockumentary that fitted Spain, because Nazi precedents can be found in Spain. This plot gave us a new world to develop the story."

You may wonder if a film that mixes a number of filming styles (documentary, found-footage and traditional narrative) works - well yes it does.

The one aspect that constantly shines through is the abundance of enthusiasm in all that are taking part in front and behind the camera. The opening first 10 to 15 minutes 'documentary' section is nicely made, serving as a handy device to provide the viewer with lots of tasty background information on the dastardly Nazi, Frederich Raynard and his dastardly Nazi secret society together with their dastardly fascination for the dealings of the occult and paranormal. The section also serves to provide a chance to get to know some of the ensemble cast of the piece - namely the driven documentary director, the sassy presenter and the disgruntled camera & sound assistants - In fact all the cast are very good, with Natalia Diaz especially excellent as Sara, effectively conveying her journey from initial professional optimism after being introduced to this secretive occult reality, only to slowly realise the pain and horror that in fact awaits. 

Soon the traditional narrative section takes place as the group delve deeper into the mystery that is unfolding before them. While is could be argued that the script may not be quite as tight and crisp as it could be at times the actors nonetheless manage to skilfully convey the impending sense of foreboding and doom that their investigation has unfolded. This results in an atmosphere of genuine chill and several moments of nerve-jangling suspense.

El círculo de Raynard  clearly wears its heart and influences on its sleeve with the odd nod and a wink to a number of thematic origins whilst still remaining distinctly original in it's own narrative approach. Yes there some clear philosophical elements about the Nazis,the occult and secret societies, but don't worry those of you who like your horror not to be overly preachy or ambitious because there are a number of genuinely atmospheric and exciting set pieces throughout the third act of the drama.

This film provides a totally unexpected richly visceral experience, both on a visual and auditory level. For a start it looks wonderful with a rich tone of colour, texture and lighting which all serve to very nicely enhance the atmospheric narrative. The quality is such that visually the film completely belies the fact that it cost so little to make, it simply doesn't look cheap at all. In fact, so impressive is the visual element that I've now watched the film again without the sound and the overall effect is still striking. 

As I said earlier, I simply have no limits of admiration of the tenacity needed to complete the film production process as shown by the makers here. From the moment of inception back in 2009, almost every spare moment from day jobs was invested in the film. The main problem that Maria and the crew had was that they ad very little money. This meant that the writing of the script not only had to ensure a good tight plot but also take into account the need to use everything that was available. As a consequence, frequent adjustments to the script were constantly needed to tie in with something that they could shoot.  All the people involved were friends and everybody worked for free which was very tricky when they were shooting because we had to find days when everybody was available. 

The post-production took around 2 years as all the post-production crew had to work on the movie at night or during weekends.  By then they thought their job was done but they hadn't taken into account that they had to take care of the promotion as well. So for the past 2 years the team have been doing just that with El círculo de Raynard travelling around the world for almost one year now, participating in 12 international film festivals and winning 3 awards: Best SciFright Film in the Boston SciFi Film Festival, Best Film Award in the Artelesia Film Festival in Italy and the Special Jury Award at the Detective Film Fest in Moscow.

So where can the public see the movie? El círculo de Raynard tcan be rented (2 euros) or bought (5 euros) in vimeo on demand at the following link: vimeo.com/ondemand/raynard. Here you can find the first 14 minutes of the film for free, which is basically the opening documentary.

To find out more about El círculo de Raynard then visit their official website at www.elcirculoderaynard.com