Saturday, May 21, 2005

strings


strings
Originally uploaded by jamesandthebluecat.
Went to the NFT to see a preview of Strings (official film site over here).

Felt rather uncomfortable at the start, as where my attention had been alerted by the words "epic journey of revenge", "dark fantasy" and "chilling", other people seemed to have just seen the word "puppets" and decided to bring their kids along. Which as the rain-soaked opening contains scenes of a marionette severing his own head-string and plunging lifeless into a flooded basement, could have made it a tad unsuitable. However, either kids these days are made of sterner stuff (quite possible), or they were just horrified into a catatonic state (which if you ask me is how youths should stay until they're twenty-five, at which point they have to get a proper job in a bank*), because they stayed silent throughout.

Anyway, it's worth seeing, even if just for the bit with the Lake of a Thousand Dead, with the fantastic vignette of dead marionettes frozen together, icy strings disappearing into the cold sky. Brrrr.

Talking of icy films, the Mighty Evans and I spent a happy/drunken hour working on taglines for The Viking Heist Movie. Picture if you will a nice dramatic silhouette of a group of vikings, the legend beneath reading:

"Meet the Pillage People"

Or possibly:

"Fjord To Be Wild"

First by Evans, second by me. Either's good, I reckon. Technically, yes, I should finish (ahem - 'start') the script, but I do so like the marketing...





*PP and I had an excellent discussion about how we can barely even see people under twenty-five these days, unless they're astonishingly sparky (that gets me off the hook), and so the average walk down the average high street in Britain consists of staring at mobile phones seemingly bobbing along of their own accord. Unnerving.

14 comments:

moira said...

I'd say "inundated," rather than made of sterner stuff.

This is very possibly out of your realm of interest, but I've been sporadically following a humble film project called Rustboy. Lovely stuff.

James Henry said...

No, no, totally in my realm of interest in that I've heard of this, but was unable to find it as I couldn't remember the name. So much appreciated, thanks Moira.

Matt said...

Love the Pillage People.

How about "Bjorn to be wild"

or "My kingdom for a norse"

James Henry said...

Like it.

Matt said...

If you wanted to go for the general heist feeling, you could tap into the kinda "lock stock" vibe with:

"Vikings. Have some."

Delivered with a harsh voice, you understand.


And I have been doing other stuff today, not just thinking on this.

Fizzy good said...

I like the 'Lock, Stock' idea. I know my opinion means very little, but I do love to express it anyway.

I agree about the young, they are beastly. Obviously I'm the exception to this rule... for some reason.

James Henry said...

Who said your opinion means very little? Point them out and I will smash them up.

Fizzy good said...

You know, I'm not sure; possibly it was me. You could smash me up, but since my opinion means very little it's probably a waste of time.

Matt said...

Or "A Man Called Norse".

"Lock, stock and a bloody great axe".

"Hagar strikes back"

Oh, get on with your work...

Johanna said...

Isn't "Björn free" or similar the name of some Abba cover band?

James Henry said...

Bjorn Again?

James Henry said...

Grrrr....

patroclus said...

This Boy´s Leif?

James Henry said...

I hope you've done more interesting things in Venezuela than think up Viking puns...

That is good though.