Sci-Fi London; and visiting the BFI

And so, over a month later, I finally manage to finish off the rest of my London summary. What else did I do besides attend the Nightmare USA event?

Well for one thing, the Sci-Fi London film festival also happened to be on that weekend, so I guess I might be in danger of losing my geek status if I didn't at least attend something at this festival.

So on Sunday afternoon I took in a double bill of THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT and QUATERMASS 2, two classic British sci-fi movies based on the legendary Nigel Kneale BBC shows.

On the one hand, they don't really offer anything different to the countless American B-movies of the 40s and 50s, but I just get a kick out of seeing the Brits do it just as well - you know, back in the day when we could make movies that just about competed with the Americans at their own game.

Both films have dated as much as you'd expect them to, but at the same time there's an undeniable charm about them. Even if people are being killed by aliens, it all seems so quaint and innocent you can't help but love them. It's the kind of attraction that only old black and white sci-fi movies seem to possess.

That night I attended a screening of 28 WEEKS LATER, the US-made sequel to the hit British sci-fi horror 28 DAYS LATER. The screening was a few days in advance of its premiere, so maybe my writing about it here would have been quite interesting were it not for the fact that I've taken so long to get round to it that the film has been and gone from cinemas in that time.

Still, I should say at least that despite some outlandish contrivances to rival Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS rehash, it was a lot of fun. The film may not have been shot on video this time, as Danny Boyle's original was, but it does its best to recapture the mood with the same theme music and a hyperactive visual approach that isn't a million miles away from the energetic action of the original.

It should also be said that the scenes of deserted or overrun London were very well realised (albeit not matched by a knowledge of London geography, causing my London-based co-viewers to laugh out loud at some of it). That said, the most bizarre thing about watching this film was that I was watching it in London. Many of the deserted streets I was watching on the screen I'd actually walked through on my way to the cinema. Weird feeling.

That was all I managed at Sci-Fi London, but I still managed to squeeze in more films courtesy of the British Film Institute.

ROVING MARS 2D was a gripping look at man's attempts to study the red planet; ROAR: LIONS OF THE KALAHARI was a 3-D movie that observes the life and tribulations of a pack of lions living in the middle of an African desert plain; both were seen and enjoyed by me on a trip to the BFI's IMAX cinema.

Also at the BFI, I checked out the new Mediatheque facility, a development that must surely mark a major step forward in the quest to make the archive available to all.

The Mediatheque, for those who don't know, is a new facility at the new-look BFI that contains several monitors with access to an ever-increasing sample of material from the BFI's archive, with new material (often in themed packages) being added every month. And it's free.

The system is not without problems - evidently it's still being broken in and is experiencing some technical difficulties - but it's a treasure trove for experts and casual viewers alike. I watched THE FUGITIVE FUTURIST, a short silent film from the early days of cinema that used trick photography to show what London might look like in the future; I also watched an old BBC documentary about the slave trade.

Britain has such a wealth of quality TV in its archive - from the days before 99% of TV became unwatchable tosh aimed at idiots - and this is a fantastic way to introduce new viewers to it; to remind them what TV is capable of and that there is more to this medium than people sitting in a room insulting each other and being humiliated while viewers phone in to vote on stuff. In fact, aside from grabbing new viewers, it's also a great way to catch that programme you remember that you really want to see again but hasn't ever been repeated or released on video or DVD. For example, you can dip into the archives of the BBC's critically acclaimed PLAY FOR TODAY slot; or check out Paul Greengrass's stunning BLOODY SUNDAY, a film that is now out of print on UK DVD. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to the IMAX and the Mediatheque (not to mention a little trip to the BFI shop) I did manage to squeeze in one screening at the BFI's National Film Theatre.

That screening was DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. I confess I've never seen this three-hour epic, but if you're going to see it for the first time, it should really be in the cinema. It's a love story on an epic scale, with every aspect of production carved in perfect detail. The cast are all stellar, but particularly Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. Then again, if the film had been utter garbage, I'd still have been happy to watch Julie Christie for three hours. But I do think she's a great actress all the same.

So now I guess I need to go back to writing about regular cinema and home viewing, as that's all my recent festival shenanigans over and done with until August, when the annual fun and frolics of the Edinburgh festivals kick off.

Who knows, maybe I'll even manage to write more than one blog entry one week as well.

Nuns, Dubliners and the apocalypse

As promised, here's a brief summary of the films I took in at the National Film Theatre while I was on my Morricone-related trip to London.

I arrived on Thursday, just in time to catch a screening of madcap Japanese classic SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST. While the Italians probably dominated the so-called "nunsploitation" genre, this effort is one of the finest. For those of you wondering what the hell these films are, they're trashy movies that are best summed up as nuns behaving badly. Imagine women-in-prison films, but more blasphemous. What do you mean you've never seen a women-in-prison film?

Anyway, SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST is basically a string of set pieces involving nuns doing various things that you really, really don't expect to see nuns doing - if that makes it sound sleazy, trashy, blasphemous or just plain wrong then, well, you're right, it's guilty on all counts.

However, in this particular case it's so beautifully shot and so completely over the top in its barking mad craziness you just can't help loving it. Well, when I say "you", I probably mean "I", really. It's on again at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh this weekend, just in case I've sold it to you.

On Friday, I took in THE DEAD, John Huston's last film as director and part of the lengthy retrospective dedicated to the great man that is currently playing at the NFT.

Adapted from a story taken from DUBLINERS by James Joyce (an appropriate choice given that Ireland was Huston's adopted home), the tale begins just before an annual dinner thrown for family and friends by three ladies in turn of the century Dublin, and ends a short while later in the bedroom of one of the couples attending.

It's not fast moving or eventful, but then Joyce was never a conventional writer so a conventional film probably wouldn't be appropriate. Regardless of whether you are reeled in by the evocation of old Dublin created by Huston or if you just think it's a dull series of scenes of people talking to each other, when we approach the finale and Angelica Huston tells her husband of the young Irishman who fell in love with her a long time ago, you'll be needing a couple of hankies at the ready.

On Saturday morning I attended the first session (there were four in all) of the United Nations film festival, a gathering of documentaries of varying lengths on serious subjects - after my recent write-up of the human rights film festival I attended you'd think I'd learn my lesson but no, I ended up just as depressed by this group of films.

While a lot of them were short films (some were just a minute long or less, clearly intended to used as TV spots) the main documentary in the session I attended concerned the sex traffic trade and followed one man's attempt to find his wife, who has been sold into slavery in Europe.

I could tell you that he finds her, alive, in the end and brings her home - but true as that may be, it gives the impression that the documentary has a happy ending. Unfortunately the return of his wife is just one small part of the bigger picture and every other part of the conclusion will make you angry, depressed or both.

The final event I attended was one of the annual MISSING BELIEVED WIPED events held by the BFI to showcase some of the lost television material that they have managed to locate and restore over the past year. While there was some comedy on offer, I opted for the thread entitled NUCLEAR THREATS, which consisted of an episode of sixties show OUT OF THE UNKNOWN (think TWILIGHT ZONE, but by the BBC) and THE CRUNCH, an episode of STUDIO 64 written by the legendary Nigel Kneale (of QUATERMASS fame), who died recently.

LEVEL 7, the episode of OUT OF THE UNKNOWN, was about a group of soldiers recruited to man an underground base in the UK in the event of a nuclear war, which of course soon breaks out. The usual pitfalls of old TV were in evidence (some stiff acting, a bit of woolly science and some outmoded views on certain issues) but all of these are overcome firstly by the tension created and secondly by the bleak and pessimistic view of an apocalyptic future, which is so filled with misery and hopelessness that any minor quibbles about dated TV productions are crushed in a tidal wave of despair. In other words, it's great!

Kneale's THE CRUNCH does what TV has always done best - take a limited number of characters in a very small location and then stir things up. In this story, a foreign dignitary from a (fictional) former British colony is holding the UK to ransom with a thermonuclear device in the heart of London, determined to retrieve what Britain has stolen from them (in terms of both assets and true independence).

Again there are some dated elements but they're minor, and with the exception of bit of mysticism towards the end that seems at odds with the rest of the piece, it's a remarkable drama that holds up surprisingly well, demonstrating exactly why Kneale was one of the fathers of intelligent television drama. Oh and it also featured British TV mainstay Peter Bowles as a young soldier and, in a very brief role, an extremely young Olivia Hussey. Just so you know.

Right, must dash - I'm off to see SWORD OF DOOM, a rather splendid old samurai movie. Bye for now.

Ennio Morricone @ Hammersmith Apollo, London

Friday night, and I arrived at the Hammersmith Apollo in London to discover that despite the tickets stating that Ennio Morricone's show was a 7:30 start with doors opening at 7pm, actually they'd decided it was going to start at 8:15pm.

After wandering around for a few minutes, swearing at a disfunctional cash machine and being stared at by a mad person in Tesco I decided to just go in and check out the venue (I'd held off on accound of their "no readmission" policy but finally gave up waiting).

I figured that if nothing else I could go in and get a drink. Except of course that the switch of arrangements meant that everyone else was there early as well, and they were all thinking the same thing. I'm not surprised either since, with most of the crowd already there, we were packed in so tightly that sardines could mock me without fear of recourse and the foyer of the Apollo had turned into a smoke-filled sweatpit.

It's strange that despite the concert starting forty-five minutes later than planned there were still plenty of people for whom it seemed troublesome to actually get to their seat on time. Equally strange was the high number of people who had to leave for the toilet within a few minutes of the concert beginning. If it was to get a drink, it seems strange that they couldn't have done it earlier or waited for a break; if it was to genuinely get to the toilet then I'm equally mystified as the venue was so hot I'd already sweated so much out of me that I was close to turning into dust.

I know what you're thinking - this is just turning into a massive grumble. Well, not quite, but I've a few more to get off my chest (without even mentioning the £4.50 booking fee - can anyone explain that to me?). Nice as the venue is, it's not as suited to a full orchestra and choir as something like the Albert Hall, or the Royal Concert Hall (Glasgow), or the Usher Hall (Edinburgh), or the National Concert Hall (Dublin), or, well, an awful lot of places really. And it must hold a record for the most toilet stalls with broken locks, ever.

But okay, I'll quit moaning and get on with the show.

Jonathan Ross (he of television fame) popped up on stage rather unexpectedly at the start to talk gushingly of Mr Morricone's achievements before the maestro himself took to the stage to much applause and cheering from the audience.

The concert opened with three pieces from NOVECENTO which, I confess, I know sod all about, except that the music's nice. For the most part, the next suite was also comprised of music from films I'd never heard of or at least never seen (nice though, and some of it familiar) with the exception of the fantastic "Deborah's Theme" from ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA. It's a great film, but Morricone's contribution lifts it to another level and it's great to hear that music performed live by a great orchestra (the Roma Sinfonietta if you're interested).

The next suite was much the same in as much as I don't know most of the films they came from, but again the music was terrific and highlights (I'm familiar with the music if not the sources) were the startlingly impressive renditions of "The Sicilian Clan" and "Come Madalena". You'd recognise the music even if you've not seen the films and the latter marked the evening's first appearance (not literally - she was hidden off stage for this part) of the cracking soprano Susanna Rigacci.

I was of course more than familiar with the next suite, given that it was a medley of pieces from Morricone's work on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. Actually, I say "of course" as if you should be aware of how much I love spaghetti westerns, but actually I think I've only written one blog entry on spaghetti westerns - Blindman to be precise - and two if you include my very brief comments on the Spaghetti Western Orchestra at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. I must rectify that some time.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. For this suite, Rigacci was brought out onto centre stage (presumably she was held back in the name of showmanship) to a rapturous welcome, although she remained silent for the opener. The audience didn't, however, as everyone in the auditorium instantly recognised the theme from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (rearranged for concert performance but still remarkably faithful). There's just something about watching a 100-member chorus (the marvellous Crouch End Festival Choir) get ready for this theme tune that just makes your hair stand on end.

Rigacci got her chance to shine though as this gave way to the theme from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, quite possibly the most beautiful piece of music ever written, which in turn segued into the theme from FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE, quite possible the second most beautiful piece of music ever written. And before the talented soprano left the stage (once more to incredible enthusiasm from the audience), we were treated to "The Ecstasy of Gold" from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. In case you don't know, that's the bit at the end where Eli Wallach bolts it round a graveyard in search of the gold. It's also the tune that everyone left the Apollo singing.

We were then treated to themes from CASUALTIES OF WAR (don't know that one, but it's good) and SACCO AND VANZETTI (not seen the film but was familiar with the music - again, nice).

The final suite was a collection of themes from THE MISSION - starting with "Gabriel's Oboe", which really showcased the talents of Carlo Romano of the Sinfonietta, and ended with "In Earth as in Heaven", which is another one that you are guaranteed to know even if you've never seen the film.

By way of an encore (or rather three encores) we were treated to a reprise of "The Ecstasy of Gold" and CASUALTIES OF WAR, and a theme from QUIEMADA, which again I'm not familiar with but it's a stunning piece of music.

That was it - everyone loved it and everyone left with "The Ecstasy of Gold" stuck in their head. I've never heard quite so many bad soprano impressions in one place as I did while standing in Hammersmith tube station on Friday night.

And to give you an indication of just how enthusiastic I am about Mr Morricone's music, I had also booked a ticket for the only other date, on Saturday night.

So I got to the Apollo on Saturday night (a bit later - I'd learned my lesson) for more of the same. The only real differences were that firstly we didn't get Jonathan Ross and secondly that I had a drunken man approach me beforehand outside the entrance, who tried to explain to me that Morricone actually played for Manchester United. I didn't get it, but he thought it was funny.

He did actually have a long dark coat and an unshaven look but rather than deliberately looking like he'd walked out of a spaghetti western, I think it was just because he was a wino. Imagine Django as an unemployed Londoner and you've got the picture. I was as amazed as anyone when he turned up inside the gig later on - and then, on the way out, decided to tell everyone he was a cowboy. I must give him credit though, he did do a really good American accent.

Incidentally, there were actually a few people dressed as cowboys and Mexicans at the Saturday night gig, so I salute their efforts. The same can't be said for the would-be singers though, as once again I found myself making my way home quickly to avoid not just scary tramps but also really bad soprano impressions. Still, you have to love the enthusiasm - that's Morricone's music for you.

In case you're wondering, I did actually make it to some films while I was in London - which you expected, I'm sure - but as this as gone on long enough I'll save those thoughts for another day. Right now I'm off to practice my soprano singing.