Picturenose

That’ll learn ‘em…

It would be a mistake to attempt to categorize Ole Bornedal’s Vikaren as ‘horror’. It’s certainly a fantasy film, and a very good one at that. I would venture that it is probably the first real family horror film. The kids have a handle on what’s going down from very early on, and the adults – none-too surprisingly - don’t believe them…

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Prepare to meet your maker…

Reality’s not what it used to be - ‘meta’ reality, namely the displacement of characters/director/author/viewers in cinematic narrative, has been done before - John Carpenter’s In The Mouth Of Madness (1995) played the game for scares, with its central character slowly realizing that he is the doomed hero in a Lovecraftian nightmare that is being written by someone else, and then there was Philippe de Broca’s Le Magnifique (1973) starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jacqueline Bisset, which played the concept squarely (and succesfully) for laughs.

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All just a bloody game…

I’ve been a film lover since I was first terrified by the wicked witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) and a film professional for around 12 years, so, like choosing your football team late (which I also did - West Ham Utd, for those who care), it’s a relief to know that I can finally answer the ‘What’s Your Favourite Film?’ question that normally follows whenever I tell people about what I do.

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We highlight the European Parliament’s LUX Cinema Prize, as MEPs begin casting their votes on films selected for their illustration of the European integration process, topical EU issues and cultural diversity.

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Going, going, Gong Tau!

James and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the Brussels International Fantasy Film Festival (BIFFF) earlier this year. We also gave away lots of tickets for their premieres and first European showings, so if you want in next year, keep it here.

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Fools gold

Another one that I’ve been meaning to immortalize on Picturenose for some time - no word of a lie, this is among the funniest films ever made and its hilarity is in large part due to the fact that it is in French, rather than in spite of it. Not interested? Allow me to convince you otherwise…

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Shoe sighs

This was a big hit in the US, apparently: nice to know that appreciation of contrived and lifeless ‘dramedy’ is alive and well.

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Code cracker

Given all the recent talk on Picturenose about alleged bad films (and Colin taking the mickey because I did in fact happen to enjoy The Bodyguard (1992)), the time seems right to present my take on a very successful film (that was adapted from a hugely successful book) that, er, didn’t go down too well with the critics on its initial release. Well, I liked it, and here’s why…

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You don’t need to look any further. A combination of movie mania, painstaking research and quite simply mind-blowing fun has been created, discovered and, thanks to the miracle of modern technology and the fact it’s now touted on Picturenose, everyone will soon know about it.

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Subjectivity abounds in this piece. I’ve no doubt that whatever I cite as my 10 most prominent cinematic pieces of chaff, there will be those who will cite at least 11 I have missed. You are more than welcome to point out the error of my judgement.

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