Days 184 to 187

I’ve been feeling a bit better, but kinda tired and restless and unable to focus on doing anything, so I haven’t done much except watch TV and DVDs:

As Above, So Below, I first saw this found footage horror film on Netflixs and really liked it, but then it wasn’t on Netflixs anymore, so I picked up a hard copy. In a nutshell, a couple of archaeologists are searching for the philosopher's stone in the Paris catacombs. They find it and then things go pear-shaped and the group is whittled down one by one, until the last few manage to escape. If you’re a horror/supernatural fan there isn’t anything new in this film, secrets and past mistakes come back to haunt people, beliefs get shaken and what people thought was superstition becomes true, jump scares, etc., but the film does them well. There’s a real sense that these are real people making real decisions (but not necessarily sensible decisions!) and then dealing with the consequences. 

American Mary stars Katharine Isabelle as Mary, a poor medical student who gets involved in the world of body modification and uses it, initially, as way to make ends meet, but then uses it get revenge. This is an odd film, I had thought that it was going to be normal horror/slasher kinda film, but it’s more of a coming of age/blooming and love story. As Mary gets more involved in body modification she becomes more confident, more assured and the timid, unsure, reverential student is long gone in the rear-view mirror. There’s also an odd relationship between Mary and a stripclub owner/gangster Billy, it’s clear that Billy has fallen (or is at least infatuated) with Mary, but it’s never clear how Mary feels. 

 

Jen and Sylvia Soska have written an intriguing story that had me thinking about body modification, what is socially acceptable and what isn’t (e.g. tattoos vs horns) and why people what to change their bodies, long after the film had finished. They also do a great job as directors, the film looks great and they keep you unsettled and build and build the tension until Mary’s past actions come back to bite her. Katharine Isabelle does a great job, and is well supported by the rest of the cast, in bringing the story to life and making us care for these people. Highly recommended.

I also watched the 2-disc reissue of Future Shock! The Story Of 2000AD, I had got this documentary when it was first released, but couldn’t pass up on this expanded version – as a Grant Morrison fan, how could I miss out on the extended interview with Grant Morrison, and extended interviews with Pat Mills, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons and Karen Berger. 2000AD is a piece of British history and the original documentary did a great job in explaining how influential 200AD was and still is and explaining, warts and all, on how 2000AD came to be and it’s struggles over the years, and this expanded version adds even more meat. Highly recommended.

 

I also listened to the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus album. It’s an ok album, the non-Rolling Stones tracks are ok, but aren’t anything special and the spoken road intros from Jagger, John Lennon et al sound very off the cuff, unrehearsed and when they try to be funny it just falls flat. The main reason I got this album is for the Stones tracks, which sound good but a little unrehearsed, so you can understand why this album was shelved for so long.