Stage: Charmingly transgressive

Vertigo
Connor Burns
Soho Theatre, London • 16-18.Nov.23
UK tour 6.Oct.23-23.Mar.24 ★★★★

Scottish stand-up Connor Burns takes his acclaimed Fringe show on the road, travelling to pretty much every corner of Great Britain (plus a stop in New York), ending up back home in Glasgow in March. His offhanded style of delivery and deliberately edgy material make him thoroughly engaging, especially as he continually apologises for each transgressive gag. Then he says something even more outrageous, which leaves us laughing conspiratorially.

Most of all, Burns is lightning fast, quickly picking up on what's happening in the theatre, and weaving razor-sharp punchlines into each throwaway comment. He delights in skating close to the edge of controversial subjects, mischievously riffing on things like female empowerment, gender identity and Oscar Pistorius, and he miraculously manages to do this without ever losing the audience. He has a gift for accents, and joyfully lampoons a wide range of people, starting with his own Scottish brogue before mercilessly taking on Australia.

What makes this so engaging is that he delivers every jab with expert timing, as if he's having a private chat with us, confiding his politically incorrect opinions, even though we know that he's joking (and he reminds us just to be sure). His jaggedly hilarious comments about shifting genertional attitudes, as a Millennial looking at Baby Boomers and Gen Z, are wonderfully observed to add unexpected depth to the material. And through all of this, his cheeky, knowing smile is utterly charming, undercutting our ability to be offended by even his rudest material. This is a rare gift, so we can only hope that Burns never gives into pressure to tone things down.

For information, visit CONNOR BURNS >

photos by Melody Joy • 18.Nov.23

FrightFest: Say your prayers

The 24th FrightFest comes to a close this evening in Leicester Square. It's been fun to mix with such an enthusiastic crowd over the past four days, wishing I'd dug more deeply into my wacky T-shirt drawer. Watching these indie films on the huge Imax screen has been fun, especially when the filmmakers themselves are there, slightly overwhelmed by how big their movies are and how much the crowd is enjoying the nastiest bits. Here are a few final highlights, including a link to my 23-year-old review of a 50-year-old classic...

The Exorcist
dir William Friedkin; with Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller 73/US *****
People who call The Exorcist the scariest movie of all time must not get out much. It's creepy, genuinely disturbing and thoroughly wrenching ... but it's not scary! As it gets into the minds of its characters, it finds powerful suspense and drama. And a startling examination of how we can never really understand the nature of mankind ... or God... FULL REVIEW > (from the 2000 director's cut)

Failure!
dir-scr Alex Kahuam; with Ted Raimi, Noel Douglas Orput 23/US ***.
Full of witty touches, this crime thriller is shot in a single, prowling take as an already dodgy situation spirals even further out of control. Writer-director Alex Kahaum keeps things moving briskly, with colourful characters entering the frame of skilful cinematographer Ernesto Lomeli's camera. The film is talky and repetitive, with personal scenes more engaging than business ones, but it's anchored by a riveting turn from Ted Raimi.

Founders Day
dir Erik Bloomquist; with Naomi Grace, Devin Druid 23/US ***.
Like a 1980s slasher movie on meths, this riotously energetic thriller deploys high-volume grisliness from start to finish. It's sharply shot, played and edited, although it's the sound and music that carefully guide the tone, stirring up anxiety exactly as expected. But there are also constant throwaway deadpan comedy moments. Actor-filmmaker Erik Bloomquist packs a lot into this nutty movie, which is sure to keep genre fans happy... FULL REVIEW >

Home Sweet Home: Where Evil Lives [Wo das Böse Wohnt]
dir-scr Thomas Sieben; with Nilam Farooq, Justus von Dohnanyi 23/Ger ****
Filmed in one elaborate take, this German horror thriller becomes increasingly bonkers as night falls in real time. It's adeptly directed by Thomas Sieben and powered by an astonishing performance from Nilam Farooq. Because the expert camerawork by Daniel Gottschalk maintains her point-of-view so skilfully, the fact that several plot elements remain enigmatic only adds to the freak-out. And the filmmakers have several cool tricks up their sleeves... FULL REVIEW >

Reviews of these and other films will be linked at SHADOWS' FRIGHTFEST page.

For details, FRIGHTFEST >

FrightFest: Stand by me

This long weekend is crazy busy in London, with the streets of the West End clotted with tourists, plus the pulsing events at Notting Hill Carnival. I've been hanging around in cinemas at the 24th FrightFest, surrounded by fellow oddball movie fans, actors and filmmakers. It's a lot of fun, and there's one day to go. Here are highlights from Sunday...

Here for Blood
dir Daniel Turres; with Shawn Roberts, Maya Misaljevic 22/Can ***.
Set around an aspiring professional wrestler, there's a wry double meaning in the title of this movie, which mashes up elements of broad comedy and home-invasion horror. Director Daniel Turres shoots this like a pastiche of vintage scary movies, complete with wildly excessive gore. The filmmaking may be somewhat cheap and cheerful, and the supernatural story elements unnecessarily over-egged, but the movie is also boldly inventive and riotously funny.

Cold Meat
dir Sebastien Drouin; with Allen Leech, Nina Bergman 23/UK ***.
Tightly contained within a snowbound car, this edgy thriller hinges around a battle of wills between two people who really don't want to be trapped together. Director Sebastien Drouin cleverly expands the visual palette with external scene-setting imagery, back-story flashbacks and some deranged nightmares, so the film plays intensively on various layers. And even if it's slightly half-hearted, the nod to Native American folklore creates a powerful undercurrent... FULL REVIEW >

The Seeding
dir-scr Barney Clay; with Scott Haze, Kate Lyn Sheil 23/US ***.
Skilfully creating an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread, writer-director Barney Clay echoes a range of wilderness horror classics as he carefully crafts a modern-day folk tale. And it's deeply disturbing, like some sort of a surreal nightmare. Nothing is terribly original here, but the movie has a confident sheen, building sympathetic characters against the odds as it cautions against venturing into isolated, and insulated, parts of the American West... FULL REVIEW >

Raging Grace
dir-scr Paris Zarcilla; with Max Eigenmann, Jaeden Boadilla 23/UK ***.
Issues of class and ethnicity run right through this British drama, which draws in elements of farce and horror as its story shifts and twists with pointed intent. Writer-director Paris Zarcilla stirs in details from his Filipino heritage to add some deeper currents of meaning. And even if the storytelling feels a bit undercooked, the settings, music and editing create at atmosphere that's almost too vivid... FULL REVIEW >

Minore
dir Konstantinos Koutsoliotas; with Davide Tucci, Daphne Alexander 23/Gr ***. 
Enjoyably offbeat, this Greek action-fantasy infuses a modern-day legend with a witty sense of humour and a surreal queer sensibility. A large ensemble cast has fun creating a collection of hilariously quirky characters, while filmmaker Konstantinos Koutsoliotas skilfully builds a growing sense of ominous menace before the gore starts to flow. And swirly dreamlike sequences, which ripple with inventive effects and makeup, add to the mythical sensibilities... FULL REVIEW >

Reviews of these and other films are linked at SHADOWS' FRIGHTFEST page.

For details, FRIGHTFEST >

FrightFest: Now here's a treat

The 24th FrightFest powers into the long weekend with exuberant crowds at its Leicester Square venue. Hanging out there is a lot of fun, with a superb buzz of activity everywhere. It's almost more like a horror fan convention than a film festival, with people in freaky costumes but a full-on happy vibe. It runs through Monday, so if you're nearby, it's well worth a visit. And most films are British, European or even world premieres. Here are some highlights for Saturday...

Cobweb
dir Samuel Bodin; with Woody Norman, Lizzy Caplan 23/US ****
Unusually strong characters bring this atmospheric horror film to life, especially as it takes a twisted approach to issues like bullying and child abuse. First-time director Samuel Bodin uses every trick in the book to keep the audience on edge, putting us through the wringer alongside the people on-screen. It definitely helps that the adept cast bring much more to the characters than is written in the screenplay... FULL REVIEW >

Where the Devil Roams
dir-scr Zelda Adams, John Adams, Toby Poser; with Zelda Adams, Toby Poser 23/US ***.
Made by the entire Adams family, this stylised horror romp is packed with extreme gore and devilish humour. Actor-filmmakers John, Toby and Zelda play a father, mother and daughter in 1930s America who embark on a murderous rampage while trying to hold their family together. So the film is a bizarro mix of emotional connections and satanic nonsense, plus lots of blood. And underlying warmth continually takes us aback.

Herd
dir Steven Pierce; with Ellen Adair, Mitzi Akaha 23/US ****
Starting as a marital drama, this film develops strongly resonant themes before transforming into a marauding zombie thriller. Steven Pierce directs the film with a sharp sense of both the settings and relationships, which pulls the audience in further. It's a fresh approach that brings new ideas to the genre, highlighting the drama and grisliness while making pointed commentary about people who would rather fight than help each other... FULL REVIEW >

The Moor
dir Chris Cronin; with Sophia La Porta, David Edward-Robertson 23/UK ***

With an earthy, documentary style, this often unnerving thriller revisits a missing-children case through the eyes of people who have a lingering connection to it. Although the film is far too long, director Chris Cronin has a terrific sense of the English countryside, mixing wide-scale landscapes and gritty handheld urgency. So while the pacing is a bit choppy, the vivid central characters add a strong emotional kick... FULL REVIEW >

Transmission

dir-scr Mike Hurst; with Vernon Wells, Dave Sheridan 23/US ***.
This ambitious horror film uses a range of pastiche styles to tell a story that's created by channel-hopping through TV broadcasts. Writer-director Michael Hurst infuses everything with the same B-movie production values as the films and programmes within the film. Each element has a strong kick, and the way they combine is fiendishly clever. But there isn't space for character depth as everything circles around an overall narrative.

Pandemonium
dir-scr Quarxx; with Hugo Dillon, Arben Bajraktaraj 23/Fr ***.
Essentially three shorts woven together thematically, this relentlessly grisly and devastatingly bleak movie explores the afterlife through the eyes of three people whose sins have condemned them. Yes, it's all very catholic in its take on right and wrong, and French writer-director Quarxx wallows in this simplistic morality while having a lot of fun with elaborate sets, makeup and gore. It's also expertly shot, edited and acted... FULL REVIEW >

Reviews of these and other films will be linked at SHADOWS' FRIGHTFEST page.

For details, FRIGHTFEST >

FrightFest: Get me out of here

The 24th FrightFest kicked off in London last night, and runs over the long weekend with a programme of scary movies for genre fans. There's a wide range of films in the programme, and as usual I'll see as many as I possibly can. Horror is my favourite genre, simply because they are so hard to make well. If a movie can actually scare me (rather than jolt me with a loud noise or sudden edit), I'm in! Here are some highlights from Friday...

The Dive
dir Maximilian Erlenwein; with Sophie Lowe, Louisa Krause 23/Ger ***.
Filmed on location in Malta, this tightly contained thriller plays out almost in real time as two sisters fight for survival. With engulfing underwater cinematography, director-cowriter Maximilian Erlenwein avoids distractions, resisting adding something menacing like a hungry shark. Instead, the narrative expands to evoke the history between these siblings, adding some melodramatic touches to a series of frantic life-saving efforts that continually take our breath away ...FULL REVIEW >

What You Wish For
dir-scr Nicholas Tomnay; with Nick Stahl, Tamsin Topolski 23/US ****
Beautifully filmed in a lush corner of Colombia, this thriller starts out loose and relaxed before writer-director Nicholas Tomnay begins turning the screws. This starts with a skilfully orchestrated moment of silent horror, which spirals quietly into something chillingly nasty set against the contrast between the haves and the have-nots. Moral questions swirl throughout this film, so the narrative becomes startlingly involving as the events twist and turn.

It Lives Inside
dir-scr Bishal Dutta; with Megan Suri, Mohana Krishnan 23/US ***.
After a moody-nasty prolog sets the tone, this film cleverly shifts into the usual story about a social-media obsessed American teen. But everything is tinged by the characters' Indian heritage, which is linked to the horror that's unleashed. Writer-director Bishal Dutta tells the story skilfully, keeping the people and settings grounded while indulging in flurries of hyperactive movie grisliness. And the chaos escalates steadily to an outrageously nasty finale... FULL REVIEW >

New Life
dir-scr John Rosman; with Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin 23/US ****
Intriguing and enigmatic, this increasingly nasty thriller creates a tense situation long before any plot details begin to fill in the picture. Central themes connect to the process of starting over, while the plot becomes more intensely horrific in an eerily real-world sort of way. With slick, visual style, writer-director John Rosman skilfully keeps everything grounded, which makes the bonkers craziness and excellent makeup work that much more effective.

That's a Wrap
dir Marcel Walz; with Cerina Vincent, Monique T Parent 23/US **.
So meta that it's virtually a pastiche, this horror comedy continually references both scary movies and the moviemaking process itself. Director Marcel Walz keeps things moving, but the uneven pacing reveals the inexperience of the cast and crew. Still, the idea is strong enough to sustain the film through its rather long rough patches. As does the mix of witty red herrings, and a playful use of expectations.

The Weird Kidz
dir-scr Zach Passero; with Ellar Coltrane, Tess Passero 23/US ***.
Using an inventive and distinctly handmade animation style, writer-director Zach Passero spent eight years creating this witty horror comedy. With an amusing collection of teen characters, it's a pastiche of 1980s monster movies. A steady stream of hilarious banter and rude gags will appeal to the 12-year-old within most viewers. And the story takes some genuinely scary turns along the way, with moments that are tense and violent.

Reviews of these and other films will be linked at SHADOWS' FRIGHTFEST page when possible. 

For details, FRIGHTFEST >

Stage: Happy vibes when we need them most

Omid Djalili: The Good Times Tour
UK tour 2.Jul.21-26.Nov.22

With rumblings that Britain is heading back into lockdown, it felt almost rebellious to attend a live stand-up concert with an audience of some 2,000 people, even if we were all jabbed, masked and tested. Actor-comic Omid Djalili is six months into this major tour, back home in West London with some tailor-made jokes at the ready. His relaxed stage style instantly puts the audience at ease, poking fun at the things on our minds at the moment. The pandemic is a major topic of conversation, as are the scandals and corruption that are rife within Boris Johnson's government. But Djalili isn't a particularly edgy comic: he's more like a naughty schoolboy, saying things he knows will get him in trouble, then doing a little dance for joy before moving to something even more transgressive.

This approach simply puts a big stupid grin on the faces of everyone in the audience, laughing at gags that perhaps aren't that funny but touch just the right nerve. And the way he interacts with the crowd makes it seem like he isn't working at all - he's simply spending some time trying to make us giggle, willing to tell an appalling dad joke, to do some goofy physical slapstick or put on a wide range of accents, knowing that this might be borderline offensive. Then he hits us with a timely, pointed zinger that reminds us how carefully put together the show actually is. In other words, he's a consummate entertainer, hilariously reminding us of his roles in big movies over the years while demonstrating hints of vulnerability. He may be a middle-aged man now, but he's also just a kid who wants us to like him. And the best way for him to know that we do is to make us laugh. And laugh. And it works beautifully.

Hammersmith Eventim Apollo • 18.Dec.21

For tickets and information, visit: OMID'S WEBSITE

Silent disco: Dancing in the streets

With West End theatres closed for the foreseeable future, getting that live-performance experience is going to require a bit more active participation. So I headed out on a stage musical-themed Silent Disco Walking Tour of London's theatres, which has been revamped with social distancing in mind - we had to wear our masks, for starters (with a mask break along the way). Cordless headphones connected us with our guide Shaun, a mind-bogglingly energetic performer who never stopped bouncing for two hours and 12,000 steps. And stewards Vicki and Tom made sure we didn't get lost along the way.

It's definitely a surreal experience to walk through crowded Soho streets full of people dining al fresco when you're listening to your own soundtrack. It was wall-to-wall music, with Shaun's commentary offering groan-worthy jokes, intriguing historical notes and instruction in whatever choreography might be required. This meant that everywhere we went we were enjoying a private joke, usually at the expense of the hapless people on the streets around us.

The music was very easy to sing along with, as it majored in bigger hits, starting with Bohemian Rhapsody (We Will Rock You), and moving through the likes of I Will Survive (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Hello (The Book of Mormon), Gravity (Wicked), You'll Be Back (Hamilton), 9 to 5, The Circle of Life (The Lion King) and medleys featuring Abba (Mamma Mia), Motown and the unlikely trio of Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi and Katy Perry (&Juliet).

We crossed three streets in raucously annoying style: walking like Egyptians (tenuously linked to The Prince of Egypt), moonwalking (Thriller) and doing full Tina Turner motions to Proud Mary (Tina). We did an Irish jig outside Come From Away and the Time Warp in honour of Rocky Horror. There were also some moody numbers from Les Miserables and Cats. And quite a lot more. We also hit a remarkable number of West End theatres from Soho to Shaftesbury Avenue to The Strand and Drury Lane - the only section skipped was St Martin's Lane / Charing Cross Road.

It was lot of fun (and good exercise too) for a glorious Sunday afternoon. And Shaun, Vicki and Tom put on a proper show themselves. So even if it sometimes feels a little like summer camp, and those who are easily embarrassed might think twice, it's also fun to shed those inhibitions and hope no one you know walks by at a particularly flamboyant moment. Here are some of my embarrassing screen grabs from the video they assemble of the tour (click to enlarge). A link to the full video is below.

For information: www.silenttours.net. Recognising the impact of the pandemic on the arts, £5 from each ticket sold is donated to the Theatre Artists' Fund, set up by the Society of London Theatres to provide emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK during lockdown. 

View this post on Instagram

A great way to end a weekend of tours!💖🎧 #silenttours #westend

A post shared by Silent Disco Walking Tours (@silenttours) on Aug 2, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

40th London Critics' Circle Film Awards: The inside scoop

Being the 40th anniversary of our film awards, we decided to make our event a bit bigger this year, and indeed it felt extraordinary. Not only did we hand out three special awards to deserving winners who rarely get a spotlight, but the evening was punctuated with powerful moments that echoed the kinds of big themes movies should be tackling. As the chair of this event, I'm involved in each element of the night, so it often feels overwhelming in the weeks beforehand. Then I love sitting back and seeing how it all unfolds. And it was a gorgeous evening.

In the photo above, Elle Fanning watches as Sally Potter signs Sandy Powell's jacket. These were the first signatures on the garment, which Powell plans to wear to Bafta and Oscar before auctioning it to benefit the charity that is working to save Prospect Cottage,  the late filmmaker Derek Jarman's home in Dungeness: CLICK HERE FOR INFO. All photos are by Dave Benett, and you can see them larger by clicking on them.

Our host for the evening was actor-writer Sally Phillips, who kicked things off with a riotously irreverent opening monologue and never let the pace flag. Her inventive, hilarious running commentary kept the mood light, intimate and celebratory.

Our first special award of the evening was The London Critics' 40th Anniversary Award, which went to the animation powerhouse Aardman. Founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton were on hand, with a couple of pals, to accept the prize.

In the middle of the ceremony we gave our our second special honour, The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, which Elle Fanning came along to present to writer-director Sally Potter. Fanning's first film role was in Potter's Ginger & Rosa, and she also stars in her next project The Roads Not Taken, which had an exclusive clip in her introductory reel in advance of the film's world premiere next month in Berlin.

The third special prize came right at the end of the ceremony, as the gifted costume designer Sandy Powell also won The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film. Producers Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen presented the award to her on-stage.

In between those, we handed out awards in our usual categories. The Souvenir (left) won two prizes: Joanna Hogg collected the award for British/Irish Film of the Year, while its star Honor Swinton Byrne won Young British/Irish Performer. And Mark Jenkin was on hand to win Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for his fable Bait.

Jessie Buckley (nominated as British/Irish Actress) was on hand to collect Actress of the Year on behalf of her Judy costar Renee Zellweger (left). And producers Ramin Sabi and Anthony Toma accepted British/Irish Short Film of the Year for The Devil's Harmony, while the director was off winning a prize for the film at Sundance. Others who couldn't make it included Florence Pugh, who has attended multiple times before as a nominee and this year won British/Irish Actress; Celine Sciamma, whose Portrait of a Lady on Fire was named Foreign-Language Film of the Year; and Barbara Ling, who won Technical Achievement for her production design work on Once Upon a Time ... in America. And producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff was on hand to accept two awards on behalf of her films: Actor of the Year for Joaquin Phoenix in Joker and Supporting Actor of the Year for Joe Pesci in The Irishman. Others sent video messages...

Bong Joon Ho sent two witty videos to accept both Director of the Year and Film of the Year for Parasite. "Awards are important," he said, "but even more so, to every single person who's watched the film, I hope they remember it in their hearts forever, like a parasite that never leaves your brain."

Noah Baumbach recorded a wry thank you as he won Screenwriter of the Year for Marriage Story. "This is an especially important award for me because both of my parents were film critics," he said. "And when I get a bad review it feels like my parents are criticising me."

In accepting her Supporting Actress of the Year award for Marriage Story by video, Laura Dern said, "As a girl who on her 16th birthday turned to her actor parents and said, 'I want to be a real actor: for my birthday present, I want to go to Rada,'" and did, and learned so, so much in that beautiful city of yours, I'm very grateful."

And after an astonishing year of expertly immersive scene-stealing work in The Lighthouse, The King and High Life, Robert Pattinson won British/Irish Actor, noting, "I'm happy that I'm allowed to play crazy people in movies so that I don't have to be crazy in real life." Of course, his very active fan base immediately went nuts on Twitter. And one other award had a multiple acceptance...

For Documentary of the Year, For Sama directors Edward Watts and Waad Al-Kateab sent a video explaining their absence: "We're in Washington trying to meet Congresspeople, spreading our message to stop bombing hospitals, trying to get people to care about Syria even though it's impeachment time!" Meanwhile, Waad's husband Hamza Al-Kateab, who is featured in the film, and their colleague Afraa Hashem took to the stage to deliver a powerful plea on behalf of the people of Syria.

Part of my job was of course to thank the sponsors, because the entire event could never happen without them. New partners this year included our headline sponsor Pearl Pictures Productions, Fitz English sparkling wine, Whitney Neill Gin, Vestal Vodka and Double Dutch mixers, which joined our returning venue sponsor The May Fair, Remy Martin and our official car Audi.

And here are some more photos of our guests this year...

Nominees Jessie Buckley (for Wild Rose and Judy) and Raffey Cassidy (Vox Lux)

Nominees Noah Jupe (Honey Boy and Ford v Ferrari) and Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman)

Actor Mike Beckingham and producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley

Producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Joker and The Irishman) and nominated composer Daniel Pemberton (Motherless Brooklyn)

Special guests included filmmakers Hannah and Jake Graf and actor-musician Ruby Turner

Obviously, the photo of the night.

The Battleground: Baseball in Hyde Park

So I got to celebrate the 4th of July with the first ever Major League Baseball event held in London. It happened to be a gorgeously warm and sunny evening at BST Hyde Park, the summer-long festival that includes concerts, open-air movies and perhaps the best array of street food and drink I've ever seen. The MLB Battlegrounds took over the main stage for a homerun shootout between the Boston Red Sox and the L.A. Dodgers. Being a native of Los Angeles, there really was no question who I would be cheering for.

The event is somewhat contrived, as the teams aren't actually represented here: these batters are a collection of players wearing the jerseys, including on each team a retired MLB all-star, a British cricketer, a female softball pro and two past or present baseball players. They smack away pitches trying to hit as many homeruns as possible, with added targets for extra points. At the end of round one, the Dodgers were in the lead, and then it became an individual competition, with the Red Sox's Carlos Peña (above) and the Dodgers' Federico Celli (right) facing off for the title. Celli's final 31-point round was simply mind-boggling, claiming the crown.

• Dodgers: all-star Cliff Floyd (captain), former baseball pro Shawn Green, Italian-born baseball pro Federico Celli, softball pro Karla Claudio and England cricketer Alex Hales.
• Red Sox: all-star Carlos Peña (captain), former baseball pro Gary Davidson, German-born baseball pro Julsan Kamara, softball pro Taylor Hoagland and England cricketer Jos Buttler.

Random touches abound for this kind of event (a live DJ! a dance battle! a highlights reel!), and it all features that general rah-rah American sporting atmosphere. But it was nice to see Londoners turn out by the thousands (20,000 to be exact) to scream their support, catch fly balls and fight over t-shirts fired from airguns. Having a media pass that allowed me to watch from right on the stage helped make it even more fun! My Instagram posts are below...

It's Dodgers v Red Sox at the first ever MLB event in London. No surprise who I'm cheering for. #mlbbattlegrounds #bsthydepark

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline) on Jul 4, 2017 at 10:22am PDT

It's a 4th of July Red Sox v Dodgers dance battle. A little random #mlbbattlegrounds #bsthydepark

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline) on Jul 4, 2017 at 10:48am PDT

So the Dodgers won round one, obviously. Here's the view from backstage #nofilter #mlbbattlegrounds

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline) on Jul 4, 2017 at 12:40pm PDT

And the winner, for the Dodgers, is..... #mlbbattlegrounds #bsthydepark

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline) on Jul 4, 2017 at 1:50pm PDT