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| BEST OUT THIS WEEK: Mandoob (Night Courier) Black Dog PERHAPS AVOID: Reagan ALL REVIEWS > |
Thursday 29 August 2024
Critical Week: Sibling rivalry
Monday 26 August 2024
FrightFest: London scares me
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Scared Sh*tless
dir Vivieno Caldinelli; with Steven Ogg, Daniel Doheny 24/Can ****
Witty and gleefully gruesome, this comical horror movie revels in its practical on-set effects, as a creature causes all manner of grotesque nastiness as it emerges through toilets in an apartment block. Brandon Cohen's riotous script and Vivieno Caldinelli's amusing direction are packed with surprises that keep us both laughing and squirming, more than delivering on the promise of that rude title. And as outrageously ghastly as it gets, the tone remains amusingly offbeat.
The Substance
dir-scr Coralie Fargeat; with Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley 24/Fr ****
A parable about body image, this stylish film gently introduces its fantastical premise, then cranks things way over the top. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat may hit the themes a bit forcefully, while indulging in outrageously excessive imagery, but there's a knowing method to this madness. Even the movie's most bonkers moments come with both pointed commentary and emotional undercurrents. Frankly, more movies need to wake audiences up like this... FULL REVIEW >
The Dead Thing
dir Elric Kane; with Blu Hunt, Ben Smith-Petersen 24/US ***.
Moody and mysterious, this dramatic horror opens as an introspective exploration of yearning before shifting into something much darker. It's beautifully shot and edited to evoke emotions that remain very deep under the slick, serene surface, and the increasingly creepy plot goes in directions that create some cool physical acting and effects trickery, plus echoes of big ideas as well. So as things begin to get scary, director-cowriter Elric Kane has already drawn us into the story.
Members Club
dir-scr Marc Coleman; with Dean Kilbey, Perry Benson 24/UK ***
Camp, messy and outrageously grisly, this British working-class horror comedy starts as a silly riff on The Full Monty and quickly descends into bonkers hellish mayhem. While it's consistently witty and gleefully nasty, the story feels somewhat simplistic, which leaves the pacing rather slack. It doesn't help that the story is flatly ridiculous. But there are very funny touches along the way, and some cool character-based thrills as well... FULL REVIEW >
Full reviews of these and other festival films will be linked at the site's FRIGHTFEST PAGE >
For festival info, FRIGHTFEST >
Sunday 25 August 2024
FrightFest: London freaks out
UK PREMIERE
7 Keys
dir-scr Joy Wilkinson; with Emma McDonald, Billy Postlethwaite 24/UK ****
Skilfully shot and edited, this British dramatic thriller is vividly centred around a young couple who behave transgressively as they travel around London. Writer-director Joy Wilkinson beautifully captures the inner lives of two strangers as they get to know each other in other people's homes. And along the way, several superbly orchestrated set-pieces inventively mix romance and suspense. Although it's increasingly difficult to hope for a happy ever after... FULL REVIEW >
Derelict
dir Jonathan Zaurin; with Suzanne Fulton, Mike Coombes 24/UK ***.
Flickering between black and white and colour, this moody British thriller builds a strong sense of violent tension, even if the splintered filmmaking style prevents us from getting involved in the story or characters. But while it feels over-serious and overlong, director-cinematographer Jonathan Zaurin gives the film a striking visual style, skilfully shot and sharply augmented by a beefy piano-based score and powerfully internalised performances from a solid cast.
Fright
dir-scr Warren Dudley; with Gwyneth Evans, Jill Priest 24/UK ***.
Designed like a 1930s melodrama, this British thriller features striking black-and-white cinematography, a florid orchestral score and accents that could cut glass. In other words, it looks and sounds fabulous. It also builds a strongly involving tension through the internalised feelings of the feisty young central character. Writer-director Warren Dudley is essentially making a pastiche here, but this is also an engaging mood piece that's thoughtful, emotionally engaging and even cathartic.
Ladybug
dir Tim Cruz; with Anthony Del Negro, Scout Taylor-Compton 24/US ***
Packed with creepy and insinuating touches, this thriller builds a sense of impending nastiness right from the opening scene. Filmmaker Tim Cruz creates a haunting atmosphere that takes its time revealing the story's complex web of secrets. So while the script moves in fits and starts, peppered with moments that perhaps don't quite ring true, there's more than enough going on here to hold the attention. So the ghostly goings on become involving and, yes, haunting.
For info, FRIGHTFEST >
Saturday 24 August 2024
FrightFest: London is uneasy
ENGLISH PREMIERE
Strange Darling
dir-scr JT Mollner; with Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner 23/US ***.
After an opening caption states that this is the true story of a serial killer's rampage, this thriller unfolds in a wonderfully lurid style over six chapters that arrive out of sequence. With saturated hues and heightened performances, the film is grippingly over-the-top right from the start, impressively crafted by writer-director JT Mollner. So even it never feels very substantial, the film's twisty, playful touches keep us on our toes, messing with our expectations... FULL REVIEW >
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
dir Andre Ovredal; with Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi 23/Ger ***.
A rarely filmed section of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is the basis for this thriller, which is set on an ill-fated journey at sea plagued by something that's both murderous and unnatural. Norwegian director Andre Ovredal keeps the film grounded through quirky character touches while emphasising the dark and stormy menace. So the film becomes a claustrophobic slasher horror as it goes along, pitting a diminishing number of crew members against a monster... FULL REVIEW >
Video Vision
dir-scr Michael Turney; with Andrea Figliomeni, Chrystal Peterson 24/US ****
Snappy dialog and a witty use of forgotten video formats add a sharply entertaining spark to this offbeat horror movie about a demon-possessed videotape player. And while the direction is fairly simplistic, there are terrific camera effects along the way that give the film a woozily disorienting tone, pulling us in because the characters are strongly well-developed. Filmmaker Michael Turney also gives the audience some genuinely nasty grisliness for good measure. Plus a storming theme song.
Traumatika
dir Pierre Tsigaridis; with Rebekah Kennedy, Emily Goss ***.
Opening with a caption about childhood trauma, this horror movie submerges the topic in a demonic context that's full of jolts and grisly surprises. Instead of building suspense, director Pierre Tsigaridis deploys grubby production design, nutty editing and a super-heightened sound mix to keep us off-balance. So the main tension is the wait for the next moment of hyper-grisliness. Rather than a coherent, involving narrative, this is an enjoyably bonkers collection of nightmarish scenes... FULL REVIEW >
For info, FRIGHTFEST >
Friday 23 August 2024
FrightFest: London gets frightened
WORLD PREMIERE
Broken Bird
dir Joanne Mitchell; with Rebecca Calder, Sacharissa Claxton 14/UK ***
Blackly comical attitudes add an offbeat kick to this terrific looking British thriller, which perhaps turns a bit too grim as its plot swirls around some very nasty behaviour in a mortuary. The film has a beautiful visual style that captures the moods of characters who are grappling with big personal issues. Igor Marovic's cinematography is particularly eye-catching, while director Joanne Mitchell keeps even the most outrageous moments grounded in human emotion... FULL REVIEW >
Things Will Be Different
dir-scr Michael Felker; with Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy 24/US ****
Skilfully shot in fascinating locations, this intriguing dramatic thriller centres on two likeable siblings who are dealing with past strain in their relationship while embarking on a time-shifting crime. Writer-Director Michael Felker cleverly grounds the people and settings in earthy reality, while the wildly imaginative premise deliberately avoids a clear explanation. This effectively puts us right into the story, and makes each mysterious thing that happens darkly riveting... FULL REVIEW >
The Dæmon
dir-scr Matt Devino, Dave Yohe; with Adriana Isabel, Tyler Q Rosen 24/US ***
Moody and dark, this creepy dramatic horror is sharply well shot and edited, with cool-looking effects work and outrageous yuckiness. Much of this feels rather overstated, most notably in the characterisations and some dizzying camerawork. And because it's played at such a serious pitch, it sometimes tips over into nuttiness along the way. The title gives away what we're dealing with here, and the filmmakers show admirable determination to make this as unnerving as possible... FULL REVIEW >
Scarlet Blue
dir-scr Aurelia Mengin; with Amelie Daure, Anne-Sophie Charron 24/Fr ***
Vibrantly filmed with intensely soaked colours and offbeat settings, this French mystery thriller has a distinct visual style that keeps it from falling into the usual expectations for a genre movie. Actor-filmmaker Aurelia Mengin blends the lurid reality with outrageously eye-catching visions that add layers of intensity, often without the need for explanatory dialog. In fact, much of the film feels like a swirling fever dream as the characters travel into fascinating corners of their minds... FULL REVIEW >
For info, FRIGHTFEST >
It's been all about FrightFest for me this week, as the rest of my time has been taken up with a production job on an independent TV series. So for the next two months reviews will mostly be of films I'd seen earlier or that I can watch at home on a screening link. I may also catch things on days off. This week, every film I saw was a FrightFest movie, and these will be blurbed here on the blog (as above), with full reviews appearing on the site after the festival. Next week I'll be watching Dennis Quaid in Reagan, Mandoob: The Courier and The Exorcism of Saint Patrick, plus more FrightFest movies.
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C R I T I C A L W E E K
Thursday 15 August 2024
Fringe: Josh Glanc - Michelle Brasier - Two Hearts
Josh Glanc: Family Man
Monkey Barrel 1 • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Overflowing with goofy charm, Josh Glanc bounds onto the stage in a crop-top and begins singing an earnest song about being reminded of the beautiful day when he met his wife, as she gave him a breathalyser test. His act is a spiralling flurry of music and crowd work, peppered with jokes that are hilariously absurd, continually catching us aback with their clever observations and nutty perspectives. Each extended gag is underscored with a musical track, to the extent that if he presses the wrong button, the show takes off in a direction that's unexpected even to him.
He also continually repeats musical numbers with amusing variations. For example, each time he decides to restart the show and launches into his opening number, the circumstances around meeting his wife are dramatically different. Meanwhile, he deploys puppy-dog expressions and playful accents expertly, most notably when switching back and forth between old and young versions of himself. Everything is blissfuly bonkers as he searches the crowd for fellow silly billies, cheeky monkeys and, well, sluts, which leads into an explosion of evangelistic zeal.
While the jokes feel like they are coming in at random, there's still a wonderful flow to the show, a kind of deranged internal logic that finds underlying resonance. Bits involving threatening letters, lanyards and Domino pizza deals spin in riotously messy directions, as does a moment when he gets a bit overeager to take photographs of three hot, up-for-it guys from the front row. Best of all, Glanc peppers the show with personal anecdotes, relatable details that offer a glimpse into his soul. So it's a joy to get caught up in his escalating mayhem.
details: JOSH GLANC • 13.Aug.24
with Tim Lancaster
Gilded Balloon Patter House, Downstairs • Fringe 2024 ★★★★★
Even when a show spins wildly out of control, Michelle Brasier is one of the funniest comedians working today, completely owning the stage with her larger-than-life personality, lightning-quick wit and monster talent. As in her 2023 Fringe show https://shadowsontheweb.blogspot.com/2023/08/fringe-michelle-brasier-monet-x-change.html, she takes the audience on a hugely entertaining journey through an extended story that spins off down various sideroads while also tapping into some surprisingly meaningful themes. Not that she ever appears to be taking this seriously.
At the centre of this show, Brasier is imagining the versions of herself that she could have been if she made different decisions over the course of her life. This is sparked when she discovers another Michelle Brazier (with a z) in Melbourne and tries to sort out a misunderstanding while travelling to America for a comedy festival and dealing with an excruciating and very personal physical issue (which she describes in outrageous detail). She also realises that she would like to leave some sort of legacy to a little girl, even though she doesn't want a child of her own.
As before, Brasier is joined on-stage by partner Tim Lancaster, who plays guitar and expertly voices other characters in her stories (including himself). Meanwhile, her punchines are flying so quickly that many are lost in her exuberance, which makes the entire show panic-strikingly funny. She also has a belting singing voice, and her songs are both amusing and knowing, most notably a power ballad about being a proud millennial until a new generation came along ("What about Y2K?" she laments). With each frantic narrative layer, she pulls us in deeper, leading to a gorgeous payoff.
details: MICHELLE BRASIER • 13.Aug.24
with Laura Daniel, Joseph Moore
Pleasance Courtyard, Two • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
From New Zealand, pop duo Two Hearts (aka Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore) arrive on-stage still celebrating their marrweddingiage a few months ago back home, singing about how fabulous the big event was. They've even repurposed the decorations to create the set for this show. And they note that nothing about their lives has actually changed since they got married. What follows is a cleverly constructed journey into their relationship, which is sweet, silly and just a little bit dark, all accompanied by boisterous songs and comedy antics. This is a full-on party of a show.
With huge smiles and seemingly boundless energy, their earnest joy begins to reveal flickers of other emotions along the way. A kiss-cam roves joyfully through the audience until Joseph spots someone kissing Laura (full disclosure: it was me) and explodes with jealousy. Their sharp banter continually adds offbeat angles on their relationship, with razor-sharp throwaway gags and a series of properly banging tunes, choreographed to perfection. All of this moves at a blinding pace that keeps them (and us) slightly out of breath. And we never have a clue what's coming next.
Laura and Joseph speak about how they fell in love while performing the only love song they've ever sung together, creating a problem with HR ("I'm HR," Laura chirps). And they use other songs to travel through their past eras, including Laura's under-dressed winter club nights and Joseph saving money by avoiding the dentist. Another number triumphs their valiant efforts around climate change ("Dolphins, you're welcome"), although they can't resist a holiday in another country, especially one with a good war museum. These songs are almost criminally catchy. But it's their messy affection for each other that really wins us over.
details: TWO HEARTS • 13.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
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C R I T I C A L W E E K
Wednesday 14 August 2024
Fringe: I Sell Windows - Larry Dean - Rita Lynn: Life Coach - Erin Farrington
written and performed by Kacie Rogers
directed by Jaquita Ta'le
Assembly George Square, Studio Four • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Theres a lyrical quality to this one-woman show, as writer-performer Kacie Rogers grapples with her sense of self as reflected in a series of relationships. It's strikingly well written, using poetry, music and shadow projections to drive home the deeper ideas that ripple through her story. This makes it hugely resonant on a variety of levels, even as it's also a powerful comment on her own specific reality as a young Black woman. And she performs it in a vividly open-handed way that pulls us in, providing sharp moments of insight and some dark jabs of emotion.
Told through a fractured series of scenes that flow in and out of each other, the central narrative follows Rogers' journey to understand her own aspirations. To her therapist, she recounts a disastrous trip to New York to audition for an acting role, after which she gave up on acting and took a job selling windows at a farmer's market. And to her boyfriend, she is surprised when she reacts violently to his dismissal of her feelings. As she faces her grandfather's funeral, her dreams take her on a journey into who she is, where she comes from and perhaps where she should go next.
Running through this is a gorgeous a capella rendition of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car, which reverberates intensely with elements of her story. And several sections of Rogers' monologue are written as poetry. Clever lighting and projections add strong kicks along the way, as does her sideroad discussion of women from history whose names haven't been recorded, such as her ancestor who is only listed as "crazy woman" in an account of her 4-year-old son being sold as a slave. And Rogers' inner journey carries just as strong a kick.
details: OUTSIDE IN THEATRE • 12.Aug.24
Monkey Barrel 3 • Fringe 2024 ★★★★★
Almost absurdly likeable, Larry Dean bounds onto the stage and immediately has us in the palm of his hand, reeling off one hysterical joke after another. His stand-up feels effortless, as if he's simply speaking off the cuff, naturally funny in the way he recounts stories and makes knowing observations about the world. He also clearly enjoys clowning around on stage, and his glee is infectious.
Dean's humour stems from who he is, so he speaks about how he wishes he could be as smiley and positive as American comics, because if a Scottish person is smiley, "someone's getting stabbed". But he doesn't think he's Scottish, gay or autistic enough for those to define his act. Mainly he speaks about his hero, his 98-year-old grandmother, who died late last year. He continually circles back to his experiences with her over her final months, as she travelled deeper into dementia, and he just went with it.
Relentlessly funny, this is sharp and relatable humour that never takes the expected route through a joke. Dean is a terrific mimic, making hilarious physical transformations to quote a variety of people from his life, including his demonic inner voice. The stories he tells are personal and revelatory, so easy to identify with that we feel like we're hanging out with an unusually entertaining friend. And in stories about his boyfriend and his grandmother, he also beautifully captures the tension and balance between fame and real life.
details: LARRY DEAN • 12.Aug.24
written and performed by Louise Marwood
Pleasance Dome, Ace • Fringe 2024 ★★★
There are multiple intriguing layers to this one-woman show, which is essentially an exploration of how addiction affects identity. Louise Marwood writes and performs with very high energy, so the show has remarkable intensity that punches its themes in meaningful ways. It's also very full-on, with sharply written wording that is likely to trigger our minds to wander off and miss something, simply because it resonated in an unexpected way. Which might be a problem when the story moves this quickly.
In a repeatedly cocaine-fuelled buzz, Imogen (Marwood) appears on stage talking about how her drug of choice is "more". And she and her East End barber boyfriend Dexter are each other's enablers. Annoyed that life's rules apply to her, she decides to become a life coach under the name Rita Lynn. And she's surprised that it's so easy to lie so confidently to her clients. But she also knows that her dependence on cocaine is a problem, so she attends addict group meetings. The question is whether she's anyone without the drugs.
Well worth seeing as a display of Marwood's considerable talents, this is a cleverly written show that's performed to the hilt. Marwood slips easily between the various characters in the story, including a couple of cross-cutting moments that have an electric charge to them. And her performance encompasses a variety of styles, such as a scene in which her homelife with Dexter is played as a sitcom, complete with canned laughter. Watching her shift between roles is dazzling, especially with in several physically demanding moments. But even with its comical flourishes, this is a pitch-black drama that we watch with interest, rather than connect with on a deeper level.
details: LOUISE MARWOOD • 12.Aug.24
Manifesting Money, Real Estate and Hot People
Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Two • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
A breath of fresh air in a lineup of deliberately edgy, cynical comics, this unapologetically silly show makes us feel like we're inside an immersive Saturday Night Live sketch. Erin Farrington is almost too in tune with her alter-ego character as she leads us through a new-agey seminar designed to help us manifest our dreams. She's so perky and over-involved that we can't help but laugh at virtually everything she says. And she's definitely feeling the energy in the room.
She begins with a guided meditation that becomes increasingly outrageous and surreal. "This is meditation, not hypnosis," she stresses. "I lost two years of my life to hypnotism." She works with specific audience members to develop mantras or manifestations based on tarot cards. There are continual reminders us that it's OK to be nervous about facing the truth. And she has some cautionary rules to help avoid bad cults, because good ones can be sexy.
All of this is performed dead straight; Farrington is earnest with big emotional expressions and frequent chirpy giggles, even as her infectious smile sometimes betrays some internal strain. She fabulously digs deep into the role, so her improvisational crowd work is seamless. In the end she shouts, "I did it," declaring that she has helped us achieve our dreams. The question is whether she will ever see hers realised. And we certainly hope she does.
details: ERIN FARRINGTON • 13.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
Tuesday 13 August 2024
Fringe: Messy Friends - Eddy Hare - The Weight of Shadow - Zoe Brownstone
with Ginava, Flynn V, Skye Scraper, Bobby Knox, Mary Lamb O’God
Assembly George Square Gardens, Piccolo • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
A gentle explosion of joyfulness, this performance group from Australia have terrific camaraderie as they perform a series of outrageously colourful musical numbers. They are embracing their gender-queer identities through costumes, movement, humour and dance, using both puppetry and burlesque to blur the lines between what's often considered as family friendly. And it's impossible to watch what they do without smiling, simply because their message is one of pure positivity, even if it's also rather deranged.
After they introduce themselves to the audience, a video clip shows the group's leader Ginava at home in Perth, chatting to the camera about art and life. Then in between each number, the others get a chance to pitch in as well, sharing their thoughts, feelings and inspirations. This adds underlying personality and connection to each performance piece, and it leaves us feeling like we are part of this colourful family of artists, each of whom has a distinct way of looking at the world and their work together.
The songs themselves are bouncy and uplifting, choreographed with cheeky movement that feel both relaxed and sexy. They're also drop-dead gorgeous to look at, with fabulous costumes and a seriously talented group of performers who are clearly loving every minute. Their enjoyment is infections especially in striptease pieces like Bobby Knox's Human Behaviour, Mary Lamb O'God's hilarious Blind Date and Flynn V's smouldering Fire Starts to Burn. And in the end, as they bounce exuberantly while being masked in bright-hued frills, we wish we were up there with them.
details: MESSY FRIENDS • 11.Aug.24
Pleasance Courtyard, Cellar • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Super likeable, Eddy Hare has no trouble making us laugh at his hilariously deadpan running commentary. He keeps us right with him as he weaves hugely relatable real-life observations into hyper-surreal nuttiness, and also includes a couple of terrific songs. The show centres around his experience as an uncle, a role he takes very seriously, provoking the audience to wonder if maybe we're looking at everything from perhaps the wrong perception.
He also speaks a lot about his obsession with developing a bald patch, which he discovered at 20. He likens pattern baldness to coastal erosion, because both happen so slowly that people prefer to ignore them. Meanwhile as an uncle, he feels a responsibility to his two young nieces, hoping he doesn't turn into one of his own rather useless uncles. An extended anecdote about competing with a magician at a child's birthday party grows increasingly ridiculous as he tries to prove that he's the fun uncle.
Hare's dry, chatty delivery makes the most of his confident punchlines. And his songs are solid toe-tappers that are packed with amusing twists and turns. Through all of this, he continually puts us at ease; we can relax knowing that each joke will be smart and funny, and perhaps even surprising now and then. Although for toddlers, everything is a wonderful surprise. Indeed, nothing can compete with the laughter of a child ("No offence").
details: EDDY HARE • 11.Aug.24
with Sasha Krohn
Assembly Checkpoint • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
This mesmerising and often haunting mix of dance, acrobatics and mime is pure theatre, resonating strongly as it explores loneliness and the daily battles and triumphs we all experience. It's performed with astonishing physicality by Sasha Krohn, and was inspired by the experiences of his partner Ciana Fitzgerald. This adds an intensely personal kick to Krohn's jaw-droppingly impressive movement as he uses his entire body to express complex emotions.
It opens as Krohn wakes from a deep sleep, and struggles to get his body moving. He drags himself around the stage with some effort, eventually looking at himself in a mirror. And he doesn't like what he sees. But his hoodie won't cooperate as he tries to put it on, and his coat is an even more epic battle. Finally he fights his fears and goes outside, waging war with the elements themselves. Back home at night, his dreams send him spiralling into the air, dangling from a leg or an arm, then wearing a ruffled collar in bright flickers of spotlight. The routine repeats the next morning, but this time a few details are different.
Krohn's performance requires enormous physical strength, as he shifts and holds his weight in ways that seem to defy gravity. This includes the aerial segments, each of which is intensely demanding. Yet even if it's fairly impossible to imagine having this much skill and power, every movement is designed to convey easy-to-understand inner thoughts, feelings and frustrations, including brief moments of despair, triumph and hope. The final section may feel a bit repetitive, but small things have shifted just enough to offer the promise that depression and anxiety don't need to be the end of the road.
details: SASHA KROHN • 12.Aug.24
>
Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Three • Fringe 2024 ★★★
Relaxed and chatty, London-based Canadian comic Zoe Brownstone is a storyteller whose jokes continually lead into surprisingly dark corners. Because it's continually catching us off guard, our laughter is sudden and a bit nervous, usually triggered by another edgy confession. Her observations about society are hilariously astute, making witty realisations as she compares her life to the romantic-comedy she often thinks that she's living. And the way the real world interferes in her fantasy is often very funny, largely because it's so relatable.
Her first love is 1990s romcoms that played by the rules. "I learned everything I know about love at the Blockbuster Video store," she says. So she has launched herself into first dates with gusto, hoping for that ultimate meet-cute. This leads to an actual meet-cute at her sister's wedding in Amsterdam, where as the maid of honour she hooked up with the best man, and they decided to start a life together. But being a stepmum was a challenge. And breaking up meant losing her Dutch visa.
She acknowledges that romcoms are different now because women today see being alone as a badge of honour. So now she would like to be clean and sober from romance. While Brownstone spins one amusing story that flows into another, she peppers everything with running commentary about a range of punchy issues, including her Jewish heritage, which she sees as giving her a built-in irony. So when she says that the cure for romance is real love, she's of course speaking about the messy, scary kind of love.
details: ZOE BROWNSTONE • 11.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
Monday 12 August 2024
Fringe: The Screen Test - Dan Rath - Graham Kay
The Screen Test
written and performed by Bebe Cave
Pleasance Courtyard, Below • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Hilariously silly and viciously pointed, this one-woman show is bracingly well-written and performed to the absolute hilt by Bebe Cave. So even if it's deliberately hammy, the show is underscored with powerful subtext. It's also fiendishly clever theatre, often painfully funny as it traces a young woman who is willing herself to stardom in 1930s Hollywood. Absolutely jam-packed with barbed one-liners and physical schtick, the show's frenetic energy is so far over the top that it becomes enjoyably cartoonish.
Betsy Bitterly is sure she is going to be the top movie star in the world. In her mind, she already is, demanding adoration from her audience and confidently throwing herself into auditions for roles like "peasant whore number three". She's overexcited when she gets a tiny part in a film starring her idol Katharine Hepburn, then of course worries that another extra will upstage her. But fate seems to be on her side. Progressing through the years, she gets slightly larger roles and marries a producer who offers a studio contract ("Sure, the studio owns you, but in a fun way"). Indeed, dealing with predatory men is the key thing she needs to navigate.
"I'm an empty vessel," Betsy shouts. "Fill me up!" This is a remarkable showcase for Cave's talent as both a writer and performer, offering the chance to sing and dance, engage in pratfalls and wrenching melodrama. The monologue is so dense that there's barely a moment when we're not out of breath along with her. And even if it never feels very personal, the humour and topicality are dazzling. There's also a fascinating meta-message here about the quest for stardom, or perhaps we just have an innate need to be seen by someone, anyone else.
details: BEBE CAVE • 11.Aug.24
Underbelly Bristo Square, Friesian • Fringe 2024 ★★★★★
From Australia, self-described neurodivergent comic Dan Rath delivers one hilarious zinger after another at a rapid pace, revealing a lightning-fast wit as he interacts with the audience in his own distinct way. He darts from topic to topic, dropping sharp punchlines everywhere, often with wildly surreal flourishes. And because we are watching this on his terms, we never quite know what will happen next. This slight discomfort makes it even funnier.
The disconnected approach often feels random, almost too quick for us to catch everything. And comments touch on so many topics that the mind begins to truly boggle. He speaks about the trend for taking ice baths before launching into an extended riff on the sinking of the Titanic ("Those people were in peak physical condition, but only the survivors got the full benefits"). His stream of consciousness touches on AI, ADHD and being diagnosed as bipolar and prescribed lithium ("I take the same dose as an AA battery").
Because he's so disarmingly likeable, he gets away with floating very close to the edge with his jokes, and he knows full-well when he tips over the top, relishing the audience reaction. And what's most impressive is that virtually every gag hits the target. Even when he goes around the audience members, asking about professions, his improvised reactions are quick and hilarious. When something feels a bit off, he opts to "Etch A Sketch that sentence". And when he asks whether any of this is relatable, we all know the answer.
details: DAN RATH • 10.Aug.24
Gilded Balloon Patter House, Dram • Fringe 2024 ★★★
Opening with a montage of photos of two brothers growing up together, this show focusses on Canadian comic Graham Kay's relationship with his brother Pete, who has autism. Kay uses witty observations and anecdotes to add humour alongside a warm exploration of the quirky bonds within families. He's a great storyteller, pulling us in as he describes the people in his life with amusing detail. And he's so open and honest about everything that we can't help but root for him, because the audience isn't quite as big as it should be.
In his early 40s, Kay is feeling the pressure to have children, because his only brother never will. And he has a strong bond with Pete, deepened during the pandemic when they began making daily video calls to each other speaking as Burt and Ernie. Kay shares stories about Pete's more problematic impressions like Apu from The Simpsons ("I have to let him do a hate crime") and his love for the now badly dated Power Rangers. But even though Kay often wants to ignore Pete's calls, he's always glad when he answers, because it's so much fun to play together like they are kids.
The way Kay weaves amusing punchlines through these relatively serious stories is impressive, including accounts of his family history and chaotic scenes with his parents, which led to his own issues with OCD as a teen. Kay is terrific at mimicking his family members, and audio clips add Pete's voice into the mix too. So their connection becomes vivid as this show continues, a complex mix of responsibility, affection, playfulness and guilt. He loves how Pete, by his very existence, reveals who's cool and who's a jerk. And that they're always there for each other.
details: GRAHAM KAY • 10.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
Sunday 11 August 2024
Fringe: Paly & Jay - Derek Mitchell - Sid Singh
with Tez Ilyas, Viraj Juneja
written by Viraj Juneja • directed by Ameet Chana
Assembly George Square, Underground • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
A knowing attention to detail and extremely likeable characters combine to lift this immersive two-hander into something thoroughly entertaining. With the theatre set up as a wedding venue, we are offered a glimpse into the lives of the DJs on stage through a series of hilarious conversations and clever flashbacks. And it's strikingly well written and played by playwright Tez Ilyas and Viraj Juneja as loners from different generations who are finally beginning to understand the connection between them.
Even if others are dubious, Pali (Juneja) is proud of the business he has built up as a lively DJ at Asian events in Southall, West London. Fiercely protective of his equipment, he is thinking about promoting his enthusiastic young roadie Jay (Ilyas) to a DJ so he can book more gigs. But Jay isn't taking this very seriously. As they host a wedding reception, they begin to explore their past, including the DJ competition that made Pali afraid to take the mic himself. And now with his wife filing for divorce, Pali is feeling very alone.
Things are off-balance from the start, as the guests have arrived before they're ready. The set is a riotous barrage of technical equipment and colourful lighting rigs, adding to the authenticity of the characters, who are played with strong comical timing and real emotion by the engaging Ilyas and Juneja. The script is funny and knowing, flickering through witty slapstick as well as much darker drama. And it's deepened by character details and revelations that pull us in to the evolving relationship between this uncle and nephew. We root for them to sort things out and move forward. And in the end we want to get onto the dance floor ourselves.
details: RIFCO THEATRE • 10.Aug.24
Pleasance Courtyard, Baby Grand • Fringe 2024 ★★★★★
Bounding on-stage in a Dutch milkmaid's outfit, complete with bonnet and wooden clogs, Derek Mitchell uses his huge smile and slapstick physicality to great effect as he explores the immigrant experience through his own personal history as a guy from the American Midwest who lives between the Netherlands and Great Britain. This allows him to get very silly as he pokes fun at his own cultures while also making some pointed comments about the bigger issues. For example, he recognises that he is a "business class" immigrant as opposed to an "economy" refugee.
All of this is framed by his desire to make everyone feel comfortable, so he gleefully pokes fun at cultural differences, linguistic quirks and the tricks all of us use to put each other at ease. Mitchell is an expert storyteller, hilariously throwing in pitch-black asides as he skilfully switches accents. He isolates the primary difference in the way the Dutch are unsentimental and unapologetic, as opposed to how the English are never honest about their feelings. And he skilfully interacts with the audience on a very personal level.
Along the way, Mitchell continually provokes us to think about things from new perspectives, drawing out elements from audience members that he can juggle seamlessly into his patter. One of his more intriguing observations is about how closely we cling to the gibberish that identifies us, like a flag or an accent, superficial things that give us surprisingly deep feelings. This leads into a hilarious riff on pronouns ("I'm a millennial and I'm so tired of this!"), hostile airport architecture and more riotous true anecdotes about colourful people he has met along the way who have added something to his story.
details: DEREK MITCHELL • 9.Aug.24
Just the Tonic Cabaret Voltaire, Liberty Room • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Smart and loose, Sid Singh's stand-up is gleefully transgressive, constantly pushing the boundaries of enormous issues like racism and colonisation. So we often feel like we should be shocked by the things he is saying, especially as he criticises artists who deliberately evoke their ethnic identity in their work. But his delivery is so offhanded that, even if we feel like we need to disagree with him, we are willing to hear him out. And it of course helps that he keeps us laughing with his sharply pointed punchlines.
He begins by talking about how most countries in the world are in political turmoil at the moment with the annoying left and evil right, and he should know because he moonlights as a human rights lawyer. As an Indian-American, he feels like he has re-colonised himself by moving to Great Britain. So he launches into a series of hilarious gags about all three cultures, weaving in lingering historical issues from British imperialism to Nazi violence to the seriously dodgy antics of his own ancestors in India. And he reminds us that "I'm here to insult you, not teach you."
Singh's main target here is representation, which is often used to excuse horrific crimes or to exploit history for personal gain. A performer who centres work around their background culture is selling it, simplifying it and playing into dehumanising stereotypes. And this creates false ideas about the real issues in the world, sidelining truly urgent things like climate change and refugees. So in between the laugh-out-loud jokes and rambling anecdotes, Singh is reminding us that what we do now is more important than our past. And that we are more complex than what's repeated in those politically correct narratives.
details: SID SINGH • 10.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
Saturday 10 August 2024
Fringe: James Barr - Rachel Kaly - Ghost of White Hart Lane
directed by James Barr, Maddie Parry
Underbelly Bristo Square, Buttercup • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Chatty and relatable, James Barr launches as a stand-up routine with jokes that perhaps don't land as hilariously as he expects them to. And he quickly begins to deepen things considerably, revealing that this is actually a confessional one-man show about the lingering trauma of being abused by someone he loved. It's a bold piece that finds laughter in unexpected places, often of the nervous variety. But Barr's charming presence makes it both entertaining and urgent.
At the start, he boasts about how many men he has slept with, hoping the straight guys in the audience aren't shocked (or maybe jealous) about such a big number. But he reminds us that he has always been looking for love, and he thought he found it with his unnamed ex, living together for two years and adopting both a dog and a zoo flamingo together. And his mother loved him. But while Barr maintained his bright personality on morning radio and various TV appearances, the truth was that his boyfriend was violently attacking him.
"You have to laugh to heal," Barr notes, continually cycling back to his close relationship with his mother, with whom he shares a love for men. Yes, his gallows punchlines are witty and pointed, especially his story about healing in a Berlin sex club. Along the way, he makes important comments about how staying silent about abuse protects the attackers. He also digs into childhood trauma, cycles of violence and feelings of guilt. Yes, behind the comedy this is serious stuff, and it's so raw and honest that it can't help but be moving as well. In the end, we want to give him a hug.
details: JAMES BARR • 9.Aug.24
With her tiny physicality and nonstop patter, Rachel Kaly has a disarmingly engaging presence on stage. She immediately begins talking about the things that are wrong with her, starting with the simple fact of her birth before leading into a complex exploration of mental illness issues she has dealt with both in herself and, mainly, her estranged father. So the show feels confessional and almost unnervingly raw. And she's such a great storyteller that it's also hilarious.
Feeling like a stream of consciousness, her script is carefully constructed to carry the audience through a series of momentous events in her life. And aside from her parental issues, she isolates witnessing 9/11 from her New York home at age 6 as a spark that brought out her inner paranoias and obsessions, ironically turning her into someone who terrorised her siblings. This leads into knowing explorations of anxiety and depression that have a remarkable mix of witty punchlines and dark emotions.
She uses a video screen to reveal key messages and images, leading to a climactic moment during which she uses the audience to help her draft an email to her dad. Everything has an offhanded tone, and her comical beats are often amusingly surreal as they play with issues that are extremely close to the bone. So the show itself feels like yet another form of therapy for Kaly, who describes the full range of treatments she has endured over the years. "I thought this show would be cathartic," she says hopefully. "But it's not," she adds with a smile.
details: RACHEL KALY • 9.Aug.24
with Cal Newman
written and directed by Martin Murphy
Underbelly Bristo Square, The Dairy Room • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
This one-man show recounts a well-known true story about a famous father and his son, offering remarkable insight into both men. It's strongly written by Martin Murphy (based on Rob White's bestselling memoir), perhaps even overwritten as it challenges the audience to keep up with its fractured timeline, splintering anecdotes and detailed personal observations. But even if it sometimes fees rather wordy, it connects vividly with audiences thanks to a fascinating, moving and impressively performance by Cal Newman.
It's a seriously demanding one too, featuring a wide range of characters who come to life through vocal and physical quirks. At the centre is Scottish footballer John White, who rose to stardom in the early 1960s playing for Tottenham Hot Spurs, after the Glasgow Rangers told him he was too slight. After leading his team to triumphant championships, the nation was stunned by his sudden death at age 27, struck by lightning on a golf course. Only 5-months-old at the time, his son Rob grew up wondering who his father was, feeling it was apt that his nickname as a player was the Ghost.
Newman goes full-out with this performance, bringing out the athleticism, humour and darker emotions that pull the audience in deeply. Set around an old suitcase of objects in the attic, all Rob has ever known about his dad, the show is sharply well directed with a compelling range of action beats and telling insight into the connections between fathers and sons. In this case, a boy only knows his dad through his larger-than-life heroic image. But of course this play reveals his humanity as well.
details: BRUISED SKY • 10.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
Friday 9 August 2024
Fringe: BriTANicK - Huge Davies - Apricity
BriTANicK: Dummy
with Brian McElhaney, Nick Kocher
Pleasance Courtyard, Above • Fringe, 2024 ★★★★★
Even if they're big time writers and performers, Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher return to Edinburgh with a new show that turns their previous masterclass (Feb 2023 review) inside out and upside down. This is a staggeringly smart and funny concoction, sketch comedy that spirals and dovetails hilariously into an enormous meta-joke. So even if it kicks off in the usual formulation, with Brian as the nice-guy alongside outrageous and deeply wrong best pal Nick, things quickly begin to turn surreal.
The script begins to shift after Nick confesses his addiction to puppet porn. This show has a sponsor that sells things like "attention from your father 30 years ago", leading to a series of wildly inventive time-twisting gags that are peppered right to the end of the show. Along the way, they interact with the disembodied voice of their director Riley, who appears to be a toddler. And each scene plays on ideas of people being controlled by someone else in a variety of laugh-out-loud ways.
Expertly performed in a way that makes it feel improvised and surprising, the show is a terrific mix of stand-up, sketch comedy and slapstick clownery, with moments that are silly, dreamlike and sometimes rather dark. And where it goes is inspired, exploring ideas about ambition, nature and nurture in ways that are both amusing and sharply pointed. As all of the gags begin to collide in the final stretch, it's impossible not to feel like we've been played by experts. And it's also impossible to imagine quite what they will come up with next.
details: BRITANIK • 8.Aug.24
Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Quite possibly the most miserable comic at the Fringe, Huge Davies is so relentlessly bleak and tetchy that he keeps the audience in the palm of his hand, taking us through various goofy songs that spiral into raucous rants or demonic chants. He continually notes that this is the worst crowd he's ever played to ("Why aren't you clapping?"), moaning if even one person doesn't join in ("I feel like I'm doing all the work up here"). It's ridiculous, and very funny.
With a keyboard strapped to him, he plays the show as if everything is going wrong, from his tech guy Alec's missed cues to an issue with a section of the keyboard that plays bullet shots instead of notes. Songs range from an account of his poor childhood to a profane ditty about a hot tub and a number passed down through generations of ancestors about trying to maintain an empty seat next to him on the train. Each of these evoke pop culture references that have been warped through his own distinct worldview, often diving in a bit too deeply into big hot-potato topics.
Songs circle around family members, and Davies presents them with deadpan wit underscored with flickers of emotion. He draws knowingly on his Asian heritage throughout the show, noting pointedly that he's the only Asian in the room. "I thought white people would like this," he says about his Friends-based riff. And in the comments about his family, moving and resonant elements undercut the otherwise unhinged and downright abrasive flourishes. In the end we almost feel like we've been assaulted, and yet we leave with a smile.
details: HUGE DAVIES • 8.Aug.24
by Casus Creations
Assembly George Square Gardens, Palais du Variété • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Lyrical and expressive, Apricity is a mix of acrobatics and dance that's unusual because there are no "ta da!" moments; the performers never ask for applause, instead transitioning smoothly into their next piece. So this is a strikingly beautiful show that looks almost effortless but features jaw-dropping feats of strength and balance. And there's an emotional undercurrent created with moody music and open-handed facial expressions, which makes it absolutely magnetic.
From Australia, this five-person crew features three women and two men of various sizes, but each of them lift others and are lifted themselves higher and higher until they literally touch the ceiling of the spiegeltent. Their fluidity is often astonishing as they transition inventively through whole series of moves without pausing, shifting weight from person to person imperceptibly to a create seamless whole made up of five very gifted parts.
Along the way there are eye-catching aerial routines with a ring and a rope, a cheeky interaction with a hoop, some playful tumbling and a climactic piece in which they walk on lanterns before building increasingly high towers and throwing shapes atop them. It flows so smoothly that the audience applauds whenever we can, but most of the time we are almost hypnotised by the astounding strength and skill, all delivered with a sense of wonder that reminds us that these performers love what they do. And it's infectious.
details: APRICITY • 9.Aug.24
For info, EDINBURGH FRINGE >
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C R I T I C A L W E E K
I only had two film screenings this week: the oddly conceived videogame action comedy Borderlands, with a great cast grappling with a ramshackle script, and the superbly uplifting true-life drama Radical with Eugenio Derbez. I also saw the colourful stage musical Frankie Goes to Bollywood and watched lots of FrightFest movies, which I'll cover when the festival is on at the end of the month. This coming week, I will watch Alien: Romulus in a cinema and more FrightFest movies, but mainly I'll be attending shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.
C R I T I C A L W E E K
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