Every month, I’ll introduce you to some little-known British films and even some from across the Channel in Europe, along with any entertaining pieces of news or perhaps an actor or director profile of someone well-known or someone up and coming.
Coming Soon: “Cuban Fury” (2014)
It’s Nick Frost (2007's "Hot Fuzz") plus Chris O’Dowd (2013's "The Sapphires") plus...Cuban dancing? Definitely a must-see, released at the beginning of 2014. It’s like “Step Up” with geeks.
If you’d like to whet your appetite with some brief images of Frost salsa-dancing and a behind-the-scenes look, there’s a video blog on YouTube. "Fun" is one word to sum up the movie — a mix of erotic, sensual dancing and perhaps the geekiest blokes on our screens now.
The story is about a young man, Bruce, full of promise in the salsa-dancing world to whom something terrible happens that “changes his life forever” (sounds familiar). The film, directed by James Griffiths, co-stars Rashida Jones (the U.S. “Office”) as the suit, Bruce’s boss and love interest. Shes dates Drew (O’Dowd), who attempts to block Bruce’s efforts to woo his girlfriend.
A well-worn story, yes, but the aforesaid combination of sexy dancing and British comedy actors sounds like a fantastic combination. Let’s see in 2014 if this is true.
Coming Soon: “Filth” (2013)
Looks like someone was paying close attention to "Trance," James McAvoy’s earlier film this year. "Filth” appears at first glance to share similarities to Danny Boyle’s hallucinogenic twisty-plot crime thriller. There’s also a bit of “Trainspotting” mixed in due to the fact that both books were written by Scottish author Irvine Welsh.
McAvoy, complete with scruffy beard to add an edge to his filthy character, plays policeman Bruce, who is on the hunt for a murderer in Edinburgh. He seems to be doing well in these morally dubious roles. I wonder what “Trainspotting” would have been like with McAvoy as the lead rather than Ewan McGregor?
This is a late-Saturday-night film with friends as it’s going to be pretty grim but a lot of fun.
Peter Cushing is 100!
It would have been Hammer Horror icon Peter Cushing’s 100th birthday this year (if he was still alive). The man was known as monster fighter and monster destroyer, rarely the monster itself.
After almost 20 years of theatre training and treading the boards, he embarked on his extensive career as an icon of the horror genre. Adding many little human nuances to his parts, he made each one his own and made them real, not just characters. Here are select roles from different stages of his career.
Dr Van Helsing in “The Horror of Dracula” (1958)
The ultimate pairing in classic horror: Christopher Lee as Dracula and Cushing as his nemesis, Dr Van Helsing, in glorious Technicolor. The first Dracula film was made by Universal Pictures in 1931 then reworked with permission from Universal by Hammer.
The story is pretty familiar by now: Vampire hunter goes to slay Count Dracula, is turned, fellow hunter (Van Helsing) arrives to investigate, pursues the Count and attempts to rescue as many buxom women in floaty nightgowns as possible.
On its 50th anniversary, “Dracula” was refurbished by the British Film Institute (BFI), and all those gory bits cut out back when it was first released have been reworked back in. Cushing is excellent as the stalwart man of faith and science, dashing to save everyone around him.
Arthur Grimsdyke in “Tales from the Crypt” (1972)
"Death lives," booms the narrator in this actually quite terrifying horror from the 1970s, which features an anthology of stories about the deaths of a group of five people after a visit from the Cryptkeeper. Death lives!
Expect lots of things lurking in shadow to pop out, as well as some fantastic old-school special effects. This is a more niche horror that came out later in Cushing’s career.
Cushing wrote his own part in the film, which tells the quite horrific story about a junkman hounded so much by his wealthy neighbours that he commits suicide. They even get his dogs taken away from him. Grimsdyke gets his revenge a year later from beyond the grave and rips out one of his tormentor's hearts (see, I told you!). Titled Poetic Justice (quite).
Death lives!
Grand Moff Tarkin in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” (1977)
Cushing’s gaunt face and dead eyes haunt the viewer well after he’s left the screen. As Commander of the Death Star and Regional Governor of the Galaxy, he’s just as intimidating as Dark Lord Vader and almost just as ruthless. He does well to kill any emotion in his acting, except for expressing contempt at the imbeciles working around him.