#this/that/&theother: Guy Ritchie, Paul Rowlands, Ken Russell, Julie Burchill, Marc Almond, Stuff ...
#this/that/&theother:
And so it came to pass …the writer/ director Guy Ritchie burst onto the cinema screens in the ‘90s with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, an amphetamine-pumped, rat-a-tat-tat barnstormer full of fast-talking ladanage, jump cuts a-go-go, top tunes and everything including the kitchen sink. This and most of his follow-up films were cracking burst of adrenaline and serotonin. You could bloody well smell the testosterone. Perhaps, there were a few career missteps along the way but he recently returned to doing what he does best with the film The Gentlemen. And now there is a series spin-off of that film over at Netflix and bloody good fun it too. Funny, violent and not for the overly sensitive it features couple of cracking turns from Ray Winstone and Giancarlo Esposito and a splendid score from Christopher Benstead.
And on … Now, Anne Foerster’s Lou (2022) is an odd one. The titular character is a grumpy, suicidal old loner living out in the boonies who is embroiled in the search for her neighbour’s kidnapped daughter. The film is engrossing, atmospheric, violent, and has a brilliant central performance from Allison Janney …
And on … Paul Rowlands is one of the most enjoyable film critics around. He is a true enthusiast and nothing like the mealy-mouthed moan-merchants that seem to riddle the internet these days. He writes about films at Money Into Light and even interviews the splendid Daniel Waters . He was recently a guest at Philip Duke’s Making Tarantino: The Podcast talking about Ken Russell’s brilliant The Devils (1971) and you really should check this out.
And on … There was a time when music fans hid away in cliques and cults- maybe the still do- punks, hippies, mods, new romantics, et al, and never the twain shall meet. Thankfully, most of us have grown out of that nonsense but I was still more than somewhat surprised to learn of the musical collaborations between Soft Cell’s Marc Almond and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. And they work damned well. Check out the video for The Lord of Misrule and don’t be put off by the fact that Marc bares more than a passing resemblance to EastEnders’ Dot Cotton.
And on .. Making Marylyn, starring Suzie Kennedy, is a play by Julie Burchill and Daniel Raven. It premiers in Brighton in May and it looks to be well worth a gander. Check it out of you’re around an about …
And finally …
Let’s be careful out there …
Paul, you are so right about The Gentlemen. It was smart, sharp, witty and sassy. I found the entire cast was fantastic, from main roles to supporting. Theo James, Kaya Scodelario (who I fell in love with), the always spectacular Ray Winstone, Daniel Ings, Giancarlo Esposito (who I believe stole the damn show in Breaking Bad), Joely Richardson and last but not least, Vinnie Jones who never, ever, disappoints.