You Have Been Watching...Urban Ghost Story

Good Evening. Scotland doesn't have a great tradition in horror movies, which is odd considering the wealth of Scottish Gothic and supernatural writing which provides potential material. There are a few exceptions such as The Bodysnatchers, Dog Soldiers, The Wicker Man etc, but there should be many more. It's not that we shy away from the horrific. In recent Scottish cinema there have been disturbing scenes such as the power tool attack of Shallow Grave, the baby crawling on the ceiling in Trainspotting and even Mel G's disemboweling in Braveheart. But these scenes are a result either of greed, malice, drug induced hallucinations or just some good old fashioned violence. Perhaps we prefer our modern horror to be of the realistic kind rather than supernatural.

Urban Ghost Story is a film that tries to bring the two strains together. Set in Glasgow the film opens up with a terrible car accident when two teenager's drug-induced joyride ends in tragedy. The film does that rare thing in recent years of being a fairly straightforward ghost story instead of having intricate torture scenarios or teenage monsters. Imagine Poltergeist or Amytiville Horror but set in the Gorbals and you are close to what Urban Ghost Story is aiming for, and there are lots of nods to the history of the horror genre.

It's not a great film, but it's not as bad as you might imagine. Admittedly the cast doesn't fill you with hope; it includes Sean's lad Jason Connery, ex-Eastender Nicola Stapleton and original Die Hard villain Andreas Wisniewski but everyone does a good job, even if the accents sometimes slip. (As an aside, if producers want a non Scot for a part set in Scotland, then I have no problem with that. But why not allow them to be English, Welsh, Irish, American or whatever if they cannot talk the talk. All of these nations, and many more, have representatives who have settled in Scotland and no one would be upset by their appearance in film and TV. But I digress). There are some really strong performances, including the criminally underused James Cosmo and Stephanie Buttle as the matriarch of the haunted family. Special mention must go to Billy Boyd's unnamed loan shark. I've said in another post (see You Have Been Watching...On A Clear Day) that Boyd deserves more than always being cast as the comedy side-kick, and this proves it. Once you get over the initial surprise it becomes clear that he is perfect as the 'wee-man' playing the hard man to impress his father. He's all cheap suits and cowardly actions, and it's a great turn.

The real star of the film is Heather Anne Foster who plays the central character of 12-year old Lizzie. Foster captures the confusion of the (pre)-teenage years; a period of pressure to be old before her time, but still retaining a childish wonder at the world without full understanding of the accompanying dangers. It's a role that could have been terribly melodramatic but her fear at what is happening to her is never overplayed. This is Foster's only film, along with a couple of Taggarts, and on this performance that's a criminal waste of talent. Here's the trailer:

It struck me watching Urban Ghost Story that it is rare that a working class family are the ones who find themselves under attack so to speak. In the movies, and most other fiction, it is usually the middle classes who are spooked. That in itself makes this an interesting production, and the world that Lizzie's family live in is realistic without ever becoming voyeuristic, which is often the case when housing schemes appear on screen.

The film wears its low budget well, opting for some off screen scares that are often more successful than full frontal monster action could ever be. I'm a big horror fan, and while the result of that is that few things genuinely scare me anymore (sadly), this gave me proper thrills and chills. It does become ludicrous in places, but it's a horror movie. I'd be disappointed if it didn't. If you want a possible tagline for the film it could be; 'Beware the Fish'. To understand that you're going to have to watch it. Don't have nightmares.

Dr Jekyll and Mr MacNeil...

Perhaps the most enduring Scottish story is Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It not only taps into our primal fears of good and evil, but asks questions of society's changing values and examines the pressure on the individual to fulfil the accompanying expectations. It also touches upon that Scottish stereotype of perceived division, both in terms of nation and the individuals who reside there, but surely such claims mean little in today's Scotland, or at least no more than anywhere else.

The most recent screen appearances of Jekyll and Hyde include 2007's Jekyll, BBC's modern day take on the myth starring James Nesbitt, and two American film versions in 2006 and 2008 respectively. The former is a teen drama populated by people who just failed the audition for GLEE, and the latter stars Dougray Scott and Tom Skerritt and is misogynistic tosh. In a far more fitting setting 'Jekyll and Hyde' have appeared as part of Allan Moore's graphic novel series following the exploits of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and now Stevenson's tale is the inspiration behind Kevin MacNeil's latest novel A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll and Hyde.

MacNeil is perhaps best known for The Stornoway Way, his 2006 debut novel, which if you haven't read I suggest you rectify that situation as soon as possible (you can get it on Amazon for 1 new pence + p&p). It is a fantastic novel that deals with an area of Scotland and its culture often overlooked in modern Scottish art, but is part of a rich tradition of the literature of the Highlands and Islands. If you want a modern Scottish novel that is different but still recognisable I can think of few better.

But I'll talk about The Stornoway Way another time. A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll &Hyde is a book, in keeping with Stevenson's original text, that never lets the reader settle. It starts with a literal bang, and everything that follows is a little off. And you're not sure why. It's one of those books that you have to read parts over again to try and make better sense of what you have just taken in. It is not until the final quarter that this all makes sense, and it is testament to MacNeil's skill that he manages to tell a story that is believable but also unsettling, both psychologically and literally. I have to admit that some of the earlier occurrences in the novel were unbelievable at first, but not outrageously so, just enough for me to believe that this book was poorly written. I was wrong.

It is a difficult book to talk about without spoiling it for others, so I'll avoid mentioning too many specifics. MacNeil writes a realistic internal dialogue for the central character Robert, a man whose mind is a mess, a situation which the author sets up in this opening line 'I'm in two minds'. After being involved in an accident Robert is determined not to lose his acting roles, and his girlfriend, to his nemesis Wolfe. It appears that he is psychotic in his paranoia, which is perhaps understandable, at least to the reader. What follows is a distinctly Freudian examination of the Id, Ego and Super-Ego, and the power of the mind for self-deception. What MacNeil manages to convey so well is a sense of not knowing what to believe; of having your expectations challenged, and that applies to the reader as well as Robert.

A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll &Hyde is, in the end, a terrific read. One that I was sad to finish. I went back to key passages to see what clues I could find in the novel that I had missed first time round. Even as I write this I know I'm going to read it again, and soon, and that is a very rare occurrence these days. This is a psychological thriller, that is not particularly thrilling but is far more psychological than I originally gave it credit for.

It is concerned with the masks that we all wear, the roles that we play. The distinct difference between how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves. Kevin MacNeil understands that all the world is a stage, and he can empathise with the fragile psychological state of the players. In the original tale Henry Jekyll wanted to try and rid himself of his more base thoughts and desires. Stevenson knew that we are reliant on our consciousness and personal morality to stop us from becoming Hyde. MacNeil suggests that such an attempt is futile, and that the best we can hope for is to be able to keep our darker urges at bay. If, for some reason we can't control our Hyde side, then all hell may break loose.

Since it's Halloween this weekend I'll leave you with a clip from my favourite big screen version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the 1932 film featuring an amazing double performance from Frederich March in the title role(s):

Don't have nightmares.

You Have Been Watching...16 Years of Alcohol

After my recent post on Laura Fraser (see Tell Laura I Like Her...) I think it only right that we look at one of the films that backs up my claim that she is an overlooked and underrated talent. One of her best, and most archetypal, performances can be found in 16 Years of Alcohol. Written and directed by Richard Jobson, it is an intensely personal film based on his memoirs of the same name. You sense that Jobson threw heart and soul not only into the script, but the movie as a whole.

I've always been a fan of Jobson. From his musical beginnings in The Skids and The Armoury Show I've followed his career closely. I even bought his solo stuff (I still own a vinyl copy of Badman, which even Jobbers would admit was not great). He obviously wanted to be successful, but on his terms. Jobson is a real renaissance man, one who has written and performed poetry, modelled in style magazines such as The Face and Arena and presented various TV art programmes. He may not have been the greatest musician, but he has always had a sense of style and ambition that is rare to find, one that was perhaps always leading him to the world of film. In the way that he controlled every aspect of his life Jobson was an auteur before he ever got near a camera. 16 Years of Alcohol was his debut feature and although he has made interesting films since, it is still his best.

The cast is full of well kent faces. Kevin McKidd plays the lead role of Frankie Mac, the appointed leader of a gang of skins whose interests are music, clothes and violence in any changing order of importance dependent on his mood and his alcohol intake. Laura Fraser's Helen is the first character to come into his adult life that offers hope of a better future and although the story is never simple the relationship between Helen and Frankie is where the healing begins.

There are great performances from some of the best character actors around such as Ewan Bremner, Stuart Sinclair Blyth, Jim Carter and the always enchanting Susan Lynch. Bremner, who too often is asked to play comical 'Spud-u-like' roles, here plays it straight and when he does so he is one of the most dependable actors that we have.

There are lots of fine cameos here. The rest of Frankie's gang, the group of actors that Frankie meets, and the characters who inhabit the 'local' are all important. The scenes that are particularly evocative are the flashbacks to the young Frankie's life; a boy who is proud as punch at having such a charismatic father and beautiful mother. Lewis McLeod is a stand-out as the father who Frankie discovers has feet of clay and keeps his brains in his trousers. The moment the boy realises his hero is flawed is a heartbreaking scene, and is a key moment. Here's the trailer:

16 Years of Alcohol is incredibly stylish, assured and perhaps surprisingly restrained. There are a few moments when Jobson overdoes the visual whimsy, but these add to the individualistic tone and separates it from most other 'gritty' Scottish films. He has a style that sometimes strays into the realms of magical realism, and I find this refreshing in terms of Scottish cinema. In this sense the director that Jobson is closest to is Lynne Ramsay.

The music and settings are just right, and he doesn't overdo the sentimentality. This feels like a life lived, and that is not just down to Jobson's script but McKidd's performance and the characters that surround him. Some people may feel that it relies heavily on the cliché that all a man needs is the love of a good woman, but that is to misunderstand the film and its message. In the end Frankie has to try and save himself rather than looking to others for salvation.

I said in my round up of Scottish Films of the 00's (see Top Ten Scottish Films of the 00's...) that this was my favourite of that decade. Watching it again I think it is even better than I first believed. On a second viewing you can look past the flashier aspects and concentrate on the often raw performances. Jobson has the talent and vision to be one of Scotland's great filmmakers, but so far has been limited to just four feature films. Of those both The Purifiers and New Town Killers are comic book fun, but the most surprising is A Woman in Winter which reminds me of Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain in places. I'll be discussing A Woman in Winter in the future. It's not easy to find so if you can track down a copy, snap it up. It shows the visual flourishes that appear in all Jobson's films when at their most ambitious. Consideration of Jobson's back catalogue makes me wonder why we don't see more from a man who doesn't strike me as someone who is inclined to rest on his laurels. My guess is that his refusal to compromise will mean that his promise may remain unfulfilled; admirable perhaps, but a shame nonetheless. I hope I'm mistaken.

Tell Laura I Like Her...

I've had quite a few chats recently, on-line and off, about the merits of the work of Laura Fraser. They resulted from her appearance in Small Faces which was one of last month's 'You Have Been Watching' featured films (see You Have Been Watching...Small Faces) and my claim was that she is an underrated actor who hadn't been seen nearly enough in recent years. With impeccable timing two new Scottish drama's premiered last week BBC 1's Single Father and BBC3's Lip Service, both of which feature Laura Fraser.

Fraser often plays the conscience of the dramas in which she appears, and is often the character who is the catalyst for change in others. There is something about her that suggests dependability. Even when her characters' life is in turmoil she is there for others. In Small Faces she is wise beyond her years, and in other Scottish features such as The Flying Scotsman and 16 Years of Alcohol, she 'saves' the male lead. Even in medieval blockbuster A Knights Tale, she manages to keep her head when all around her are dancing to David Bowie.

I think that it is high time that Laura Fraser was given her due. Yes she has appeared in The Match and Kevin and Perry Go Large, but then Bobby Carlyle has been in Plunkett and Macleane and The Stone of Destiny (a contender for the worst Scottish film of all time), and Peter Mullan recently graced the Roman/Gothic gubbins that was The Last Legion, and nobody thinks the less of them for it. Even when appearing in something that is not perhaps the best of quality (such as Nina's Heavenly Delights) Fraser always delivers a stand out performance.

To understand what I mean take a look at the new BBC dramas mentioned above. In Single Father, which was almost unbearable to watch at times such was its emotional impact, Fraser plays the recently deceased wife of David Tennant (who is proving to be a quite phenomenal actor). Appearing mostly in flashbacks, she has little screen time but manages to convey her importance to husband and family; a key role as the audience has to believe the depth of his awful grief. Single Father is worth anybody's time as the script, and particularly the central performances, are moving, surprisingly subtle, and engaging.

Lip Service is none of these things, and if the first couple of episodes are anything to go by, Laura Fraser is the only one who is actually called on to act or show any emotional depth. The central character of Frankie, played by Ruta Gedmintas, is so spectacularly unlikeable that it may just be the greatest performance of the year. She channels Kevin the Teenager and Shane McCutcheon, a remarkably similar character from The L Word, the Showtime drama which was obviously another influence. I think that Lip Service wants to be a lesbian Queer as Folk, but in terms of the writing and characterisation they are poles apart and, perhaps most importantly, Lip Service is nowhere near as brave. Not surprising when you discover that writer Harriet Braun's other credits include Hotel Babylon. Like that show it is glamorous and vacuous, and, while that will be enough for some, it all feels a bit clichéd. Perhaps I'm being overly harsh, and I realise it is a considerable success that a lesbian drama should be made at all, but when the chance arrives the result should be better than this. Special mention must go to the sex scene in the morgue, complete with cadaver on table, which is laughable, and not in any good way.

Here are a couple of trailers for Single Father and Lip Service. Single Father is worth watching although it is not always easy. Lip Service is only worth watching for Laura Fraser:

I Build Collapsible Mountains...

There are two fantastic new releases out this week from Scottish artists. One is Belle and Sebastian Write About Love by, unsurprisingly, Belle and Sebastian which I previewed recently (see Write About Love, Right About Now...), and reviews of it can be found all over the place, from Uncut and Q to The New Statesmen and probably Machine Knitting Monthly. I was going to write one here but after playing it I thought; it's Belle and Sebastian and it's as strong a collection of their songs as there has been. So if you like B&S then you'll love Write About Love and will probably already own it, and if you don't then I doubt anything I'll write here is going to change that.

But, so far, it's not my favourite release of the week. I find most Belle and Sebastian albums are pleasing on first and second listen, but after a few weeks you realise it has become the soundtrack to your life. They make music that you fall in love with, but at the moment we're at the dating stage, and I'm excited about how things will unfold. The music that has actually guided me to and fro through Glasgow in the last few days, and which was love at first listen, comes from I Build Collapsible Mountains, the unwieldy name of Luke Joyce's solo project. I Build Collapsible Mountains' debut is A Month of Lost Memories and since I got my hands on a copy it's been the first thing I listen to as I try and move into the day. You couldn't ask for a gentler introduction to a chilly morning.

It's the kind of music that you can imagine playing behind the scene in an indie movie where the geek and the girl realise they are perfect for each other. At least that's what happens in my head. It has a little of the James Yorkston about it, but is certainly in the area of Jose Gonzalez/Iron and Wine/Bon Iver. If you like acoustic troubadours who sound as if their life is in their boots then this is for you. Trust me on this one, it's a thing of beauty. Have a listen to the first track Rails which gives a good indication of the whole:

You can sample the whole thing and more @ webuildcollapsiblemountains but as a wee extra here's Where We Go Tomorrow:

This is the debut release by Peenko, whose indispensable blog can be found @peenko . It is a reliable source of all that's good in Scottish music at the moment, he even gives you freebies every Friday, and I suggest you visit regularly for new discoveries. I Build Collapsible Mountains may be the first, but I'm guessing not the last, release from the Peenko Records stable. It's going to be a hard act to follow. You can catch up with both artist and Svengali at The Classic Grand on the 5th Nov for Aye Tunes vs Peenko 3 where the bill also includes The Seventeenth Century and the always wonderful Come On Gang.

While I'm promoting events; you should also be aware of the forthcoming Oxjam event which is on the 29th November, also at the Classic Grand, and kicks off at 7pm. Tickets are £4 in advance and £5 on the door, and for your money you'll see The Clyde, Kochka, Nevada Base and The Winter Tradition. The night is organised by Favourite Son, another excellent writer on Scottish music that you should check out. It should be a great night for a good cause. Further info can be found at:

www.oxfam.org.uk/Oxjam

and

www.favouriteson.wordpress.com

You Have Been Watching...Tunes of Glory

Certain films take you by surprise. You come at them with preconceived expectations and leave with those confounded. The poster, the cast, the trailer and accompanying soundtrack normally work together to prime you for what you are about to watch but every now and again they lead you in the wrong direction. One such film is Tunes of Glory.

Everything I knew about Tunes of Glory led me to believe that I was going to watch a film concerned with the traditions of Scotland coming under attack from an English invader. There are aspects of this, but the Scottish traditions that feature, and the Englishman who challenges them, are more complex than I was expecting. The script is an adaptation of James Kennaway's debut novel of the same name, and the characterisations are as subtle and memorable as you would expect from such a writer, but what really makes the film are the performances from the men who play the main protagonists; those future Knights of the Realm Alec Guinness and John Mills.

It will be a shock to nobody that Guinness is superb as Jock Sinclair, the man from Glasgow who joined the army as a young man by way of fights on Sauchiehall St and a spell in Barlinnie. Guinness perfectly captures the bullying peacock that is lost in his love for whisky, revelry, and what he believes is the undying, and universal, admiration of his men. The drama comes when he is given a new commanding officer played with typical restraint by Mills. His character Lt Col Basil Barrow is everything that Jock is not, and who represents all that the Scot despises, and perhaps envies. As the film unfolds there is a battle for the hearts and minds of those they would command, and the men, like the audience, see their loyalties torn as the film progresses.

The supporting cast are strong, but are completely overshadowed by the two Sirs. They seem to understand and accept their roles and act accordingly. The best examples of this are Gordon Jackson's Capt Jimmy Cairns and Duncan Macrae as the Pipe Major. Jackson in particular gives a wonderfully subtle performance as the thoroughly decent and dependable Cairns, who obviously has great affection for Jock, but who puts aside any personal feelings to perform his duty and do right by his battalion. Here's the trailer:

The film was directed by the late Ronald Neame who would go onto direct The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (see You Have Been Watching...The Prime of Miss Jean Br...), Scrooge, The Odessa File, and, one of my favourites, The Poseidon Adventure, as well as screen adaptations for Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and Great Expectations. With Tunes of Glory it appears as if there is not much directing needed, which is surely a sign that the film was in safe hands. In many of the obituaries that followed Neame's death in July this year it was said he was an 'actor's director'. That slightly ambiguous tribute makes perfect sense after watching Tunes of Glory. When faced with such great actors it may seem as simple as pointing the camera and standing back, but the fact that his films are marked by great performances (think Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie or Albert Finney as Scrooge) shows that he was a man who could draw the best from actors and refuse to let other aspects of the film overshadow them.

The film has its flaws. The key dramatic twist arrives far too abruptly (and is ludicrously given away on the film's poster), and Susannah York is wasted as Jock's lovestruck daughter, but if you're looking for something a bit different then I would suggest Tunes of Glory. It's not the story that will stay with you but the very different central performances that show two of Britain's finest actors in their prime. For those alone it's worth an hour and a half of your time. One word of warning. If you're adverse to the bagpipes, best steer clear, or at least have a hand on the volume control.

Lanark...

This month's Indelible Ink column, which can only be found over at dearscotland, looks at Alasdair Gray's Lanark. I describe it as Scotland's most impressive novel, and while that doeasn't necessarlily mean that I think it is the best, there is no arguing that it is one of the most important works in the Scottish Literary canon.

Lanark is the novel that has takenthe greatest influence from, and in turn made the greatest impression on, Scottish literature. It connects the modernism of the early part of the century with the predominately urban sensibilities of the second half, but its influences are many and more varied than that suggests. By setting out his novel as he does Gray sets the reader a challenge right from the beginning, but it is more out of playfulness and love of perspectiverather than an intellectual exercise. This is a novel to enjoy, not one to work at.

Scottish novelists can be accused of being parochial, and this is not about what or where they write about, but is more a state of mind. It is a narrowing of focus that concentrates on the local or national, which is perfectly understandable, and sometimes desirable, but which became the standard for Scottish fiction for many years. The idea of writing an epic novel seemed anathema to modern Scottish writers, yet that is what ‘Lanark’ is. If Alasdair Gray had never written another thing he would still be acclaimed for writing ‘Lanark’.

Next month’s novel: James Robertson is a writer who is probably best known, although not well known enough, for his superb third novel The Testament of Gideon Mack, and in the space of four novels he has proven to be one of Scotland’s most versatile and involving writers.

Like many of the novels looked at in Indelible Ink so far, Robertson’s The Fanatic is a debut and is a terrific introduction to his work. It manages to bring together old and new Edinburgh, and, by extension, ancient and modern Scotland, something that can be found in all his fiction, either implicitly or explicitly. Like Alasdair Gray, James Robertson demands concentration from his readers, but it is always worth the effort. He educates as he entertains, which is surely what we want from a novelist.

Next 5 books:
1. James Robertson The Fanatic (Nov)
2. James Kelman Kieron Smith, boy (Dec)
3. Suhayl Saadi Psychoraag (Jan)
4. Ron Butlin The Sound of My Voice (Feb)
5. Duncan Mclean Bunker Man (Mar)

A Play, A Pie & A Pint: 200 Not Out...

This week Oran Mor's regular lunchtime theatre presentations A Play, A Pie and A Pint puts on its 200th production which will be 40 two minute plays by playwrights such as Liz Lochhead, Alasdair Gray, Gregory Burke, Douglas Maxwell and Dave Anderson. There is a theme for the writers to work with, 'Glasgow Then and Now', which is slight enough to ensure that audiencess will see the widest possible range of drama, time allowing.

Play 199 was Good With People, a two hander by David Harrower which starred TV's Blythe Duff and Andrew Scott-Ramsay and was a great example of what A Play, A Pie and A Pint does so well. Two actors, given a superb script to work with, related a story that was personal, moving, funny and poignant. Due to the necessarily basic nature of the setting the focus of the plays is on the writing, and it has to be good in such circumstances as there is no where to hide. The demanding nature of A Play... is one of the reasons so many major writers choose to take part, (although there are plenty of new voices to hear as well) and they are often supported by some of the best acting talent around, both from stage and screen.

It is such a simple premise but it survives due to that quality. In less then an hour some of Scotland's best playwrights get to tell their audiences stories that are dramatic, involving and are over by the time you have to go back to work. You can't ask for much more than that on a wet Wednesday lunchtime.

These plays are always worth seeing if you are able. Even if you think that theatre is not your cup of tea, you are only there for 50 odd mins, get a wee drink and a feed, and you may just see something that will change your mind. I think that even bad theatre throws up something interesting, but the standard of everyone involved at Oran Mor means that you're unlikely, and would be unlucky, to be able to test that theory.

This institution is exactly the sort of thing those of us who feel passion for the arts should support. If you are old enough to remember what happened to independent theatre, and the arts in general, in this country the last time there was a Conservative government then you understand the importance of such ventures. Here's artistic director David MacLennan giving a brief history of A Play, A Pie and A Pint:

There is a pact between Oran Mor and the audience; if we put on quality theatre you must come. So far that pact remains unbroken and both sides must ensure that it remains that way.