Alien: Covenant...missed opportunity

(Release Info London schedule; February 17th, 2020, Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Pl, London WC2H 7BY, United Kingdom, 9:00pm) https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/WhatsOn?f=15507148 "Come To Daddy" Norval Greenwood (Elijah Wood) is a 'Los Angeles DJ' who receives an invitation to visit his father Brian (Stephen McHattie) after a lifetime of estrangement. The sincere invitation sends 30-­­something Norval to his estranged father with hopes of reconciliation. Norval is a privileged man-­­child arrives at the beautiful and remote coastal cabin of his father, who he hasn’t seen in 30 years. Once Norval arrives at Brian’s isolated seaside home, he discovers that reconnecting with the cynical old man; and fitting himself into his dad’s messy life; won’t be easy. He quickly discovers that not only is dad a disapproving jerk, he also has a shady past that's rushing to catch up with him. Now, hundreds of miles from his cushy comfort zone, Norval must battle with demons both real and perceived in order to reconnect with a father he barely knows. Hope turns to panic, as he uncovers his father’s shady past and is forced to face his inherited demons. Norval is a peculiar character, a somewhat pretentious 'LA' export with a carefully cultivated look; monk cut, pencil mustache, draping layers, wide-­­brimmed hat, limited edition gold phone designed by 'Lorde'. He describes his career in the music industry in the most self-­­congratulatory terms. He's not someone you can pigeonhole. He's a DJ! He produces blazing beats. He tinkles the ivories. He promotes high-­­profile events pertaining to music and the performance of music. He’s maybe kind of an asshole. Norval’s look is crucial to the story, as it firmly establishes the character as a fish out of water in his father’s remote, rural setting. We've to find the authenticity behind Norval’s wilder characteristics. He keeps the emotional truth of that alive, as well; whilst also telling a pretty bloody, funny, genre tale. The isolated house, it’s going to make such a great juxtaposition for the character’s isolation. This is very much a father and son story, and even though it draws pretty freely on what actually happened, that the very core of the movie comes from a son’s love for his dad, and their relationship, and everything that entails. Like the best stories, "Come To Daddy" springs from a deeply personal place. It's really driven by an epiphany after Brian's dying, and just thinking, ‘oh my God, life’s short. Get your act together. The passing of a parent is life-­­changing under any circumstances, but the film expériences the loss in a rather more unusual way. Is it really a good idea to bring the body back after embalmment to spend some time with the grieving family? Living with your father’s corpse for a week in his house. For much of the week, Norval is alone in the house with the body resting in an open coffin, as he sleeps in his father’s bed and wears his clothes. Strangers come and go, paying their respects to a man who sounded nothing like the man Norval knew. They speak about their shared past with him and mentioned faraway places and strange anecdotes, stories from people he had never heard of. It seems to us like they're talking about someone else. During the week, Norval endures dark, intense dreams, and his mind starts playing tricks on him. He returns to his childhood bedroom, surrounded by a lot of bric-­­a-­­brac of his past. It's a strange time. Reading a lot of Roald Dahl's 'Tales Of The Unexpected' and watching many ‘70s 'Giallo' movies. And drinking copious amounts of Rooibos tea, often up to five bags per cup. It feels like a wild amalgam of sly thrillers like Mankiewicz’s "Sleuth" (1972), and Lumet’s "Deathtrap" (1982). Well, that’s really phenomenal and crazy and weird; and right up our alley. This is the exact kind of thing that we’re drawn to, which is kind of off-­­center, kind of weird, kind of dark, kind of funny. Because as many strange, surprising places as "Come To Daddy" goes, it all comes back to that personal core, to that cathartic, eureka moment when your father died. As sons, we always have unfinished business with our fathers. But what happens if that unfinished business comes looking for us? The music of "Come To Daddy" is inspired by 'KPM' stars like Barry Morgan and James Clarke, David Shire’s 'The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three' and Jerry Goldsmith’s 'The Mephisto Waltz'. The music really revolves around Norval and his dad. To speak to that sense of a child's impressions of their hazily remembered father, the film uses a beachy motif derived from play-­­along backing loops recorded in the ‘70s for 'The Mattel Optigan' home organ. This stuff is contrasted with a lot of bass instruments, again to reflect Norval's feelings about his dad, electric bass and contrabass, often combined, as well as the bassier woodwinds using lots of extended techniques that really get close to the player's mouth, and so go to a much less musical and more visceral, almost creepily human, place. That equilibrium between emotional honesty and darkly funny violence makes for an atypical tone distinguishing "Come To Daddy" from many other contemporary films. The film breaks through those expectations and have the audience unsure of where it's going, from dysfunctional family reunion to psychological mindgames to possible supernatural overtones to a wildly over-­­the-­­ top comedic thriller. Psychologically-­­driven chamber piece films, often out of 'The UK' in the ‘60s and ‘70s, are all part of the film’s narrative 'DNA', including "Sleuth" for the cat &mouse twists, Glazer’s 2000 film "Sex Beast" for the jarring lead antagonist and turns from comedy to violence, Losey’s 1963 thriller "The Servant" for the mindgames with those we’re inavoidably linked with, Friedkin’s 1968 adaptation of Harold Pinter’s "The Birthday Party" for the pitch-­­black comedy of menace, and Peckinpah’s 1971 "Straw Dogs" for the simmering violence awakened in the lead. The film is a tribute to this type of cinema. Gritty, character-­­based thrillers that were literate and laced with pitch-­­black humor. The film creates a Pinter-­­esque tale that will immediately drawn in viewers, but then playfully keeps switching gears on them. Just when they've a handle on everything, we chicane again. "Come To Daddy" is a thoughtful, character-­­driven thriller spiked with uncommonly dark comedy and more than a few outrageous turns. One part a retro, ‘70s, 'British' exploitation chamber piece, one part 'J-­­Horror' misdirect and, finally, a full-­­throttle, get-­­in-­­your-­­face revenge thriller. It’s a virtuoso high-­­wire act that will play to the fervor of a raucous midnight crowd, or to the more genteel sensibilities of a Sunday afternoon matinee.

(Release Info London schedule; March 13th, 2020, ArtHouse Crouch End, 159A Tottenham Ln, Crouch End, London N8 9BT, United Kingdom, 6:20pm) https://film.list.co.uk/listing/1384260-and-then-we-danced/ "And Then We Danced" A passionate coming-of age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, "And Then We Danced" follows Merab (Levan Gelbakhiami), a competitive dancer who's thrown off balance by the arrival of Irakli. (Bachi Valishvili), a fellow male dancer with a rebellious streak. A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern 'Georgian' society, "And Then We Danced" follows Merab, a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary (Ana Javakishvili) for a spot in 'The National Georgian Ensemble'. His world is suddenly turned upside down when the charismatic and carefree Irakli arrives and becomes both his strongest rival and desire. The arrival of Irakli, gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak, throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause him to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships with Mary and his family. In this conservative setting Merab finds himself having to break free and risk it all. In Georgia there are three things that are upheld as the paragon of 'Georgian Tradition' and 'National Identity'; 'The Church', 'The Traditional Polyphonic Singing', and 'The Traditional National Dance'. This film is about the traditional 'Georgian' dance culture. It has a very large role. The lead person we follow in the film is a dancer and we imagine being him in an alternate reality. It's a story of how gender conservative and strict 'The Georgian Dance' scene is. 'The Georgian Dance' represents the old and the burgeoning love between two of the dancers represent the new. Homosexualiy is a big problem in 'Georgian' dance. The real lives of the people in the film and what’s going on in Georgia now affects the story. It's ever evolving. Telling the story of young 'LGBT' people and their struggles on a smaller scale but also showing the history and situation of Georgia today on a larger scale. All children in Georgia go to dance classes from a very young age, just like perhaps 'Karate' plays a large part in 'Japanese' culture. The inclusion of 'Georgian' dance in the film comes from the interviews with Georgian's dancers. That dance plays a great part in 'Georgian' history and culture. To juxtapose the traditional with the new 'Georgian' dance is an obvious choice for the film. This film is not only a very interesting look into a part of the world not so many people are familiar with but also a heartfelt movie about the importance of being free. Love stories in their different forms can catch us off guard. The world of the traditional dance as a micromodel of society. When we witnessed some brave kids trying to have a pride parade in Tbilisi, Georgia in 2013 be attacked by a mob of thousands organized by 'The Orthodox Church', we've to address this issue in some way. Everything is based on real stories. The young generation now is like any kid anywhere in the world, everything is globalized and they grow up with the same pop culture. However, in Georgia there's a great divide between this generation and the older generation who lived during 'The USSR'. The circumstance that Georgia and other former 'USSR' countries are in at the moment is very fragile. All of these countries are unique, of course, and in Georgia’s case the strong ancient traditional values play a large part in the current situation. Western values are considered a threat to 'The Old Georgian' ways. And for a country that has been conquered over and over again throughout the centuries, keeping their cultural identity becomes a matter of survival. 'The Georgian' language, their ancient alphabet, wine culture and food culture etc. are extremely important for them. We've a differences of opinions and flaring tempers is the norm. Confines of tradition and forbidden love. People are getting more tolerant towards the questions of gender and sexualities worldwide. In many ways it seems as if we're going backwards in many 'European' countries. It seems the polar opposite sides are becoming more severe regarding these types of questions everywhere in the world. The film shows that even though you open up and move into a different direction you can still own and keep your traditions. "And Then We Danced" tracks the intensity of desire brilliantly through the leaps and whirls of the dance steps. The fluidity and sensuality of the film is quite impressive. In a world in which the golden rule is submission, 'The Georgian' dance cannot be or express anything else but virility. And what happens when a teenager’s first crush meets beliefs that deny him the right to happiness? A disconcerting romance set against a wave of conservatism in Georgia that preaches tolerance to difference.

(Release Info London schedule; February 28th, 2020, Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Pl, London WC2H 7BY, United Kingdom, 3.25pm ● 8.45pm) https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/WhatsOn?f=15887572 "Color Out Of Space" After a meteorite lands in the front yard of their farmstead, Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage) and his family find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism as it infects their minds and bodies, transforming their quiet rural life into a technicolor nightmare. "Color Out Of Space" is a cosmic nightmare about Nathan Gardner and his family, whose recent retreat to rural life is quickly disrupted by a meteorite that crashes in their front yard. 'The Gardners' peaceful escape quickly becomes a hallucinatory prison, as an extraterrestrial organism contaminates the farmstead, infecting everything and everyone it can. 'The Gardners' are a family who moves to a remote farmstead in rural 'New England' to escape the hustle of 'The 21st Century'. They're busy adapting to their new life when a meteorite crashes into their front yard. The mysterious aerolite seems to melt into the earth, infecting both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly color. A meteorite crashes near 'The Gardners’ Farm', releasing an alien organism that will turn the family’s quiet rural life into a colorful and hallucinogenic nightmare. Nathan, Theresa (Joely Richardson), and their three children Lavina (Madeleine Arthur), Jack (Julian Hillard) and Benny (Brendan Meyer) start to notice strange occurrences after one night when an earth-shaking event deposits a strange object in their front yard. The mysterious aerolite seems to melt into the earth, infecting both the land and the properties of space-time. The object soon sinks into the earth and that's when the incidences escalate, animals and people acting very oddly. Soon, the place is overrun by the shadows. Mutant forms of technicolor flora start sprouting, while local animals begin to display bizarre deformities. Death stalks the town, madness reigns, and it starts to look like the rest of the world might follow. To their horror, 'The Gardner Family' discover that this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches; including them. Soon, 'The Gardners' realize that they too are susceptible to the extraterrestrial pathogen, and must escape the contagious cloud that has consumed their farm. With the help of friendly hydrologist Ward Phillips (Elliot Knight) and eccentric neighbor Ezra (Tommy Chong), the family attempts to battle a nebulous entity that they can barely begin to understand. What chance can a few humans have against a force capable of traversing the gulf between worlds, a nightmarish being that exists beyond the limits of the human spectrum? The rural tales are queer. They might be even queerer if city men and college chemists could be interested enough to analyze the water from that disused well, or the grey dust that no wind seems to disperse. Botanists, too, ought to study the stunted flora on the borders of that spot, for they might shed light on the country notion that the blight is spreading, little by little, perhaps an inch a year. The color of the neighboring herbage is not quite right in the spring, and that wild things leave queer prints in the light winter snow. Snow never seems quite so heavy on the blasted heath as it's elsewhere. Horses grow skittish in the silent valley; and hunters cannot depend on their dogs too near the splotch of grayish dust. The mental influences are very bad, too; numbers went queer in the years after Nathan’s taking, and always they lacked the power to get away. Then the stronger; minded folk all left the region, and only the foreigners tried to live in the crumbling old homesteads. They could not stay, though; and one sometimes wonders what insight beyond ours their wild, weird stories of whispered magic have given them. Their dreams at night, they protest, are very horrible in that grotesque country; and surely the very look of the dark realm is enough to stir a morbid fancy. What it's, only God knows. In terms of matter we suppose the thing Nathan describes would be called a gas, but this gas obeyed the laws that are not of our cosmos. This is no fruit of such worlds and suns as shine on the telescopes and photographic plates of our observatories. This is no breath from the skies whose motions and dimensions our astronomers measure or deem too vast to measure. It's just a color out of space; a frightful messenger from unformed realms of infinity beyond all 'Nature' as we know it; from realms whose mere existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the black extra; cosmic gulfs it throws open before our frenzied eyes. But whatever demon hatchling is there, it must be tethered to something or else it would quickly spread. It fastenes to the roots of those trees that claw the air? One of the current Arkham tales is about fat oaks that shine and move as they ought not to do at night. H.P. Lovecraft's short story, 'The Colour Out Of Space', was published in 'Amazing Stories' in September 1927, making it a 'Public Domain' work in Europe. 'The Colour Out of Space' is a first-person narrative written from the perspective of an unnamed surveyor from Boston. In order to prepare for the construction of a new reservoir in Massachusetts, he surveys a rural area that's to be flooded near Lovecraft's fictional town of Arkham. He comes across a mysterious patch of land, an abandoned 5-acre (20,000 m2) farmstead, which is completely devoid of all life. At the centre of the farmstead is an old well. The site fills him with an unnatural sense of dread, and he hurries past it. In the early 1880s, the farm had been productive, run by a Nahum Gardner and his family. Then, one afternoon in June 1882, a large meteorite crashed into the farm, beside the well. It was metallic and contained a substance of an indescribable color that proved toxic. While scientists were never able to tell what or who the meteor contained, it's effects were undeniable; the entire Gardner family was struck by insanity, illness, and worse, whilst the land around them was slowly drained of life. "Color Out Of Space" follows the disastrous fall out in Arkham after it's struck by a meteorite. One of H.P. Lovecraft’s most emblematic stories now comes to the big screen It's a genuine lineup of fantastic visionaries. That’s a sure-fire recipe for cinematic delight. But what does a colour fallen from the sky look like? How will the monstrous creatures inhabiting the 'Blasted Heath' look? And what about the famous 'Lovecraftian' terror that defies description? It's a ominous and colorful world in which the characters live. The film brings the classic sci-fi story to life with the traditional alien aspects while also bringing it up to date with modern technology. Although numerous H.P. Lovecraft adaptations have been done over the years, it’s easily argued that many of these adaptations have done a disservice to the legacy and memory of the late Lovecraft’s works. Although H.P. Lovecraft has been adapted both directly and indirectly over the years, rarely has there been a faithful adaptation that truly captures the cosmic dread that he was known for. Many of "Color Out Of Space" predecessors fall into the horror comedy genre, something Lovecraft purists decry is in direct opposition to the complete and utter lack of levity in his work. There’s nothing funny about Lovecraft. He believes that 'The Holy Grail' was a black stone 'Aerolite' that was the fragment of a meteorite that had slammed into earth many, many, years ago which had potentially been the basis of a number of religions. If you rubb them together, you can see how they bled when friction is created between the two stones. It seems like magic, but the film believes that these are merely alien metals that secreted some sort of high-density substance in the iron family. It's a film about a meteorite slamming into a family farm on planet 'Earth' that brings an almost spiritual; like change, for the worse, in this case, to the humans and all life forms that it comes into contact with. 'The Holy Grail' itself may have been a meteorite that changed humanity in so far as it led to the birth of many organized religions that survive to this day. In this moment, the film makes reality appear just as magical as H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction.