Archive for June 8, 2010

RAW: Film – Fish Tank – 4K

Jun 8th

Posted by Peter in RAW: Film

Angry Mia (Katie Jarvis) lives in a nasty, soul destroying British housing estate. She has dysfunctional relationships with everybody from her family to girls her own age. At 15, she faces dilemmas over whether to pursue her dancing or go to a special school desired by her mother but for the moment rage is mostly all that consumes her. All that changes however when her mother (Kierston Wareing) brings home Connor (Michael Fassbender) who promises to inject some love into the home.

This is a highly confronting film where the boundaries of property and person disappear in ways that becoming ever more problematic as the movie progresses. The language is coarse and the cinematography often contributes to the sense of dissonance. Jarvis gives a magnificent performance, mixing both anger and determination to get what she wants. Fassbender’s Prince Charming is totally convincing even though there are persistent worries as to the appropriateness of his relationship with Mia.

The last 15 minutes is deeply unsettling and is as uncomfortable to view at times as say scenes from last year’s Samson & Delilah. The juxtaposition of homely desires – the family picnic, tidy rooms, generosity to all – against the moral vacuity that all the players embrace keeps one engrossed.

Rated as the best British film of the year, Fish Tank is a must see (if you can stomach it.)

Kryztoff Rating    4K

,

RAW: Lisette and Her Faux Manouches – Nexus Cabaret – 3rd June

Jun 8th

Posted by Peter in Cabaret

A musical exploration of love and all its pleasures and pains is common fodder for the Cabaret Fringe. But Lisette and Her Faux Manouches promise some less expected songs portrayed in less expected ways (Roy Orbison in Spanish anyone?) and delivers a beautiful and at times tragic review of love in all its forms.

Lisette battled on through a thin audience and an ill-fitting and sterile venue with a voice that drips with experience, aided by her excellent backing band: her faux manouches, or, for the steadfastly mono-lingual, ‘fake gypsies’ . Her voice is unpretentious, she leaves all the vocal acrobatics to the amateurs on reality television shows, and what is left is pure, unguarded and evocative.

Likewise, her musicians are all skilled and understated, and they let the finely crafted songs do the talking, blending the traditional with gypsy, jazz and Cabaret. Lisette served to remind us of the beauty of Jaques Brel, Django Reinhardt, Roy Orbison, and even the James Bond theme; their songs interwoven with her far flung stories of love.

Though one might suspect Lisette’s patter between songs was slightly over-rehearsed and at times was somewhat deflated by the venue and reticent audience (her jokes worked best when off the cuff) Lisette and Her Faux Manouches was close to captivating if for nothing but the music itself – a worthy look for anybody appreciative of music with a European twist.

Kryztoff Rating – 3.5K

, ,