Out For Justice (1991)

Steven Seagal stretches himself yet again as a tough, New York cop out to kick ass to avenge the death of his colleague in this bloody, brutal action thriller that benefits immensely from a smattering of familiar faces in the supporting cast and pacing that never lets things slow down for too long.

Seagal plays Gino Felino (no, that really is the name that they’ve given him), a man who gets very, very upset when his partner is gunned down in the street in broad daylight by drug-addled and power-hungry maniac Richie Madano. Gino will do whatever it takes to get to Richie, even if it means upsetting the gangsters that he’s always maintained cordial relations with, arresting Richie’s family members and generally busting up shady areas that he knows Richie has been known to frequent. As Gino gets closer to Richie, the risks get higher and higher.

Director John Flynn has produced a few decent movies during his career and this is one of them, as long as you’re a fan of Seagal’s fighting style. David Lee Henry’s script isn’t bad either, managing to balance a little mystery and a little soul-searching for our leading man in between the nose-breaking and ass-kicking.

Seagal is, as ever, as appealing or unappealing as you’ve already decided to find him. He knows his target audience and delivers accordingly. Thankfully, he’s surrounded by some great acting this time from the likes of Jerry Orbach, Dominic Chianese (probably best known nowadays to people as “Junior” from The Sopranos) and a magnificent William Forsythe being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . magnificent in the role of Richie Madano. The ladies onscreen include Gina Gershon, Julianne Margulies and Shannon Whirry in a small role. 

 

The action scenes are enjoyable, a mix of style and harsh straightforward moves that are Seagal’s trademark. Out For Justice would, arguably, be the last Seagal film to really have that slight edge, that coating of old-school revenge thriller over the martial arts polish, and it’s all the better for it, boasting a finale as satisfying as it is bone-crunchingly painful. 
 

7/10.  

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Hot Moves (1984)

A group of horny teens vow to lose their virginity before beginning their senior year of high school. Yes, Hot Moves is yet another 80s forerunner to American Pie and it’s also one of the better outings in the 80s teen sex comedy subgenre.

The plot doesn’t get complicated in any way, and leaves room for moments that are really nothing more than music videos showcasing the sun-kissed activity of Venice Beach, but that means that viewers can sit back and enjoy a series of extended skits all based around people just trying to have sex.

Michael Zorek gets the most screentime, playing Barry, but the central character is really Michael (Adam Silbar), who appears to want his girlfriend (Julie Ann, played by Jill Schoelen) for sex that has yet to happen. Michael is jealous of a girl (Heidi, played by Deborah Richter) that he sees accompanying his brother along the beach and this sets his libido into overdrive. Not that it takes all that much.

Hot Moves has, obviously, dated quite a bit since it was released almost 30 years ago but it holds up better than many others from the time thanks to a relatively likeable group of lads anchoring the shenanigans and a number of set-ups for laughs that are actually pretty funny. Things take a little while to get going but once Barry thinks he’s in luck with a woman who likens him to a big teddy bear it’s pretty solid for laughs from then on.

The movie also receives a big boost thanks to the lovely ladies onscreen. Jill Schoelen is cute enough, Deborah Richter is gorgeous and there’s also some onscreen time for the beautiful Monique Gabrielle.

Peter Foldy and Larry Anderson are the men responsible for the script. It’s no classic but spaces out enough info and details to lay the groundwork for the bigger laughs and the more satisfying moments. Director Jim Sotos may have only helmed about half a dozen movies in his career but he doesn’t do too badly here, providing enough sunshine, smirks and nudity to keep the core demographic pleased until the end credits roll. Yep, Hot Moves holds up surprisingly well. 

7/10. 

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Ghostwatch (1992)

Forget Cannibal Holocaust . . . . . . . . . THIS was the show that surely impressed the Blair Witch boys. Watching Ghostwatch now is a rich, rewarding experience. Quite an eye-opener considering what followed in the faux-reality horrors of the next ten years or so (and on, of course, but the 90s and turn of the 21^st century arguably saw the biggest impact made by this particular sub-genre). But to review Ghostwatch I really have to go back to it’s initial airing on the BBC on Halloween night, 1992.

I was 16 (turning 17 in a couple of months) so you’d think that I would be beyond being really scared by anything on TV at that point. But nothing had been on TV that had quite the impact of Ghostwatch. On that particular Halloween night I was babysitting. On my own. The child was asleep so that was that, it was just me and the TV in the corner. Ghostwatch was due to start and I was intrigued, not expecting too much. Michael Parkinson was hosting, a reliable and trusted face from British television and there were other familiar, comforting TV stalwarts – Craig Charles, Mike Smith and Sarah Greene. Apparently, many people in the UK had read in advance about Ghostwatch and knew that it wasn’t real. I hadn’t. Apparently, many people didn’t switch the thing off as soon as it appeared to end and so could read the end credits. I didn’t. This means that the 90 minutes I spent watching Ghostwatch, on my own at the age of 16, were the most terrifying 90 minutes I have ever experienced in the company of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

A recent viewing of Ghostwatch (almost 20 years after it’s original airing) actually left me feeling pleased that it stood up quite well and I felt I had every right to be terrified all those years ago.

The basic premise is a one-off “ghostwatch”, obviously enough, by the BBC. Michael Parkinson is sitting in a studio with a Dr. Lin Pascoe (Gillian Bevan), the phone lines are open and information is being passed along via Mike Smith while Craig Charles and Sarah Greene hope to capture the action on location. That location is a house in a standard English street that has been the scene of much paranormal activity, most of it centred around two young girls (Suzanne and Kim Early, played by Michelle Wesson and Cherise Wesson). The girls are pretty traumatised while the mother (Pamela Early, played by Brid Brennan) is worn out. Will the cameras actually catch anything on film while details are revealed about the history of the ghost, named “Pipes” by the mother who initially tried to appease her daughters by telling them that the strange noises they had been hearing were caused by the pipes.

What’s so effective about Ghostwatch is just how realistic and believable it is during the first hour. The stories being aired, the banter between presenters, the sleek BBC presentation of everything – it all feels just as a programme of this kind would/should feel.

Not all of the actors are up to the task of carrying the thing off (though I never noticed back when I thought it was all real anyway and was too busy trying not to soil my underwear) but most of them do a good enough job and a few do very well indeed. In fact, Sarah Greene deserves particular credit for portraying a version of herself that remains quite believable even as things get decidedly spooky.

The direction by Lesley Manning, and script by Stephen Volk, keeps everything finely balanced. The first hour is a slow burn in many ways but still has one or two big frights in there. What it does so expertly, however, is to throw in tiny details that mess with your perceived view of events and to foreshadow stuff that you forget has been foreshadowed even as it’s scaring the bejesus out of you, in a final 20-30 minutes that still raises goosebumps on my arms to this day.

Based largely on “The Enfield Poltergeist”, Ghostwatch retains an authenticity about it that fans of real-life paranormal studies should appreciate. It also remains an intelligent and thrilling experience and deserves to be seen by all horror fans, if only to see how the BBC aired such a curious Halloween treat that became Britain’s answer to that old Orson Welles “War Of The Worlds” interpretation.

9/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Marked For Death (1990)

Steven Seagal steps up to the mark to put an end to that voodoo and hoodoo that you do, in a movie that ends up being one of his very best thanks to a decent script, enjoyable baddie and the standard slap-happy chop-sockiness from our hero.

Seagal plays John Hatcher, a DEA agent in need of a holiday. The war against drugs clearly isn’t working and Hatcher needs to take a break from everything. He heads home to visit his family (including Elizabeth Gracen, Bette Ford and a young Danielle Harris) and finds that the dangerous world of drugs has begun to infiltrate his old neighbourhood, much to the chagrin of his old coach, Max (Keith David).  Hatcher doesn’t want to get involved but when he’s caught up in the middle of a violent shoot-out he realises that he has to help. But these drug-dealing Jamaicans, led by the fear-inducing Screwface (Basil Wallace), will go to any lengths to maintain their superior position. That includes targeting Hatcher’s family, which only makes Hatcher angrier.

I don’t know quite why I love this movie as much as I do, I just know that it will always be a favourite of mine. The action is decent, Seagal still can’t act and the content is slightly less gritty than his first two star vehicles but Marked For Death has plenty to make up for that. The opening sequence is great fun, and features a silent and younger Danny Trejo, the supporting cast is massively boosted by the inclusion of the great Keith David, it’s a blast watching Seagal face voodoo “powers” head on with his usual bone-breaking style and then we have one of my favourite exchanges in any action movie ever: 

“One thought he was invincible... the other thought he could fly.”

“So?”

“They were both wrong.”

Michael Grais and Mark Victor are responsible for the script, which is full of a few other gems that should raise a smile, and Dwight H. Little directs what may remain a highpoint in his film career. 

 

It’s undeniably dumb in places, especially with the inclusion of Joanna Pacula’s character for nothing more than a bit of exposition, but it’s also consistently fun, benefits from a great turn from Tom Wright, has room for a small Kevin Dunn appearance, throws a decent car chase in there and some impressive swordplay. If Steven Seagal hadn’t lucked out with Under Siege I still say that this would have remained his finest hour. 

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Hard To Kill (1990)

Steven Seagal’s second star vehicle has so much good stuff in it that it’s one I thoroughly enjoy despite (or, perhaps, because of) how ridiculous it all is.

The star this time plays the brilliantly-monikered Mason Storm (surely a character name that Nicolas Cage was kicking himself for missing out on). Mason Storm is, as if you didn’t know already, a tough cop who will do what needs to be done to expose corruption and bring down the bad guys. Except this time his work follows him home and a bunch of hired killers do their best to stop the respiration cycles of Mason, his wife and child. Mason is pronounced dead, for his own safety, and it’s almost the truth – he spends a number of years in a coma. Thankfully, when he wakes up he has some immediate assistance from nurse Andy Stewart (Kelly Le Brock) as the baddies coincidentally find out his whereabouts and set about trying to kill him.

One montage or two later and it’s time for the scumbags to be running scared as Seagal lets his anger grow with his strength and sets out for revenge/justice.

Okay, so Hard To Kill could also have been titled Hard To Take Seriously but the comedy factor here is just as entertaining as the, quite enjoyably brutal, fight scenes. Whether it’s Seagal escaping from killers while wheeling himself around on a hospital trolley or just Seagal being given a ridiculous beard to show how time has passed, this film is full of chuckles. There’s also the “cool” saxophone soundtrack moments, the unbelievable relationship developed between patient and nurse and the absolute contrivance of everything that screams “80s action” (though this was released in 1990 and is, technically, a film from that decade).

Seagal is okay, still best when he’s simply kicking ass, and Le Brock does alright in a rather thankless role but there’s also great support from people like Frederick Coffin (as grizzled, trusted colleague, O’Malley), Branscombe Richmond and the great William Sadler as a crooked senator.

 

Stephen McKay’s script is very much by-the-numbers and Bruce Malmuth directs in a similar style but the whole film also has a pleasing edge to it. It may cop out occasionally (no pun intended) but it’s often a pleasing revenge thriller with the more satisfying moments showing Seagal mercilessly toying with and then despatching  those who destroyed his life. 

7/10 

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Nico AKA Above The Law (1988)

A Steven Seagal movie in which the wooden one bumps up against rough bad guys and does his slap-happy chopsocky schtick. No different from any other Steven Seagal movie then. Don’t let that put you off though, this is Seagal’s first movie and, alongside the next four, remains one of his best. It’s actually worth revisiting the man’s early works to remember just how good he once was.

Directed by Andrew Davis, from a script that was developed from a story by Davis and Seagal, the movie is all about tough cop Nico Toscani (Seagal). Nico was a special covert agent in Vietnam but left in disgust as he saw the war being used as a cover for profiteering from drug money. He doesn’t tolerate hypocrisy and doesn’t care who he upsets, until the day when he runs up against a major baddie who targets his family and those around him.

While it’s not the best of Seagal’s first five movies, Nico holds up as a solid action flick with a decent plotline and enough action beats spaced throughout to keep things moving briskly along. The direct, powerful fighting style that Seagal uses helps things feel fresh and a step apart from a hundred and one other, more stylised martial arts movies.

It also helps that the supporting cast includes an on-form Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Henry Silva, Chelcie Ross and numerous other folk recognisable to viewers of this type of unpretentious entertainment.

 

Davis handles directorial duties well but both director and star would go on to peak elsewhere (Davis with The Fugitive and Seagal with Under Siege). Nico certainly remains an enjoyable option for the action movie fan though.

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

His Name Was Jason: 30 Years Of Friday The 13th (2009)

A documentary about the most enduring slasher icon of the horror genre, to date, and brought to you by the people who made Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, you'd expect something great here but you'd be mildly disappointed.

With some fun linking material provided by the great Tom Savini, His Name Was Jason provides an overview of each instalment of the Friday The 13th franchise with clips, comments from those involved and observations from fans of the series.

The big problem that this documentary has is it's short runtime. 90 minutes. 90 minutes to cover a franchise that includes even more than the Elm Street series, which itself managed to get a 4-hour runtime in documentary format, and has a wealth of backstory already well covered in numerous books. The fact that a lot of this documentary also feels like an advert for the remake/reboot doesn't help either.

There's still plenty of fun to be had here, with most of the usual suspects in attendance (Sean S. Cunningham, Kane Hodder, Betsy Palmer, etc), but when you stop to think of all the "behind the scenes" material that could have been included, the countless parodies and riffs and the marketing offshoots then you start to realise what a bit of a wasted opportunity it all is. And that's just the tip of the Crystal Lake iceberg.

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Hardbodies (1984)

Oh, the '80s. That giddy era when the music was lively, the clothes were unashamedly garish and teen sex comedies were ten a penny. Hardbodies is, unsurprisingly, a teen sex comedy.

The plot sees three older men rent out a nice place on the beach for the purposes of partying and getting the company of nice, young females. They enlist the help of young Scotty (Grant Cramer) for the latter part of the plan and Scotty helps the guys learn just how to "dialogue" the ladies and get great success. Scotty, however, is as much a gentleman as he is a horny young man and doesn't like it when one of the guys, Hunter (Gary Wood), tries to go too far with a girl who's not ready.

It's got sunshine, occasional and brief nudity, a "witty" best friend character (played by Courtney Gains) and one or two life lessons in there, so Hardbodies shouldn't be all that bad. Sadly, it is.

While it's not a terrible film, it is one of those movies that's probably best remembered with fondness rather than rewatched nowadays. The script is pretty dull, the characters aren't all that appealing and there's a story strand about a girl band that makes the thing feel more like an extended episode of Happy Days than anything else.

Plenty of people still have a soft spot for this movie but, I assure you, there are plenty of better films of this ilk out there.

3/10.

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Switching back on.

The madness of the EIFF is all over and done and it's reinforced two things.

1) The work and expended energy pays off with some great rewards and
2) Even though I was tired out I was looking forward to more viewings outwith the festival.

The past 10 days or so saw Kathryn and I becoming veritable strangers, ships passing in the night, but Kathryn is gracious enough to tolerate these things on occasion because she knows how happy it makes me and the effort I put into things.

So what lies ahead in the realm of Flickfeast and here in bloggy-land? For some reason, best kept to myself, I plan on getting through as many Steven Seagal movies as possible, I'll be catching up on the many purchases made over the past month or so and there are a number of movie marathons coming up at some point (the Final Destination flicks, the Death Wish movies, Russ Meyer and Russ Meyer, etc, etc).

So for those interested in the slightest, a movie review or two WILL be appearing here soon after far too long a hiatus.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010).

For fans of Freddy Krueger, this is the ultimate love letter to the franchise that has provided people with thrills and nightmares for the better part of three decades now.

 

Wisely, and thankfully, leaving the miserable remake to its own devices, this documentary covers everything you could want to know about the eight movies that run from the first Elm Street flick to the Freddy Vs. Jason movie, covering the rise and rise and inevitable fall of New Line Cinema along the way. Almost everyone is here to talk about their part in the franchise and I do mean almost EVERYONE (the only major player missing is Patricia Arquette).

Of course, the majority of the tales come from, or relate to, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp (who also narrates proceddings), Wes Craven and Robert Shaye but everyone involved has something to contribute to the fond memory bank.

 

The first remains a solid classic but it’s funny now to be reminded of just how unexpected and lucky that was for all involved. With the sequels, however, it’s a complete free for all. Ask 100 different fans to name their favourite Freddy movie and you could probably get at least one person nominating each of the different instalments, a personal taste test shown by the varying opinions given by the talking heads onscreen.

 

There’s the blatant homo-eroticism of the second movie, that you can’t believe so many people were ignorant of while it was being made. The fun premise of the third movie, which also saw Langenkamp return. The fourth movie remains a fan favourite and has the best resurrection of Freddy ever. The fifth film features a twisted look at pro-life. And, of course, the sixth movie told us that Freddy would die. In 3D. Then Craven reinvented the character and took his first steps towards what would become the Scream franchise with the brilliant, sadly underappreciated (at the time, and by the fans, anyway) New Nightmare before we got to the battle we’d been waiting to see for years and years, Freddy Vs. Jason.

 

Of course, people have the fondest memories of the movies that they were personally attached to but the other surprise about watching this documentary is just how much everyone involved can be proud of. Every film may not have been as successfully executed as it could have been but they all try to stay true to the character and the concepts while moving the franchise forward and pleasing fans all at the same time. That’s more than can be said about Freddy’s Nightmares, the TV show also covered here that quickly began a downward spiral after an impressive first episode.Directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch deserve a lot of credit for making this four hour documentary a consistently enjoyable, consistently interesting experience and there’s also praise to be heaped upon the editors, the animators who created some great visuals (especially at the start and end of the whole thing) and everyone who agreed to share their memories of a franchise that will stay a firm favourite in the dark hearts of fans for many years to come.
 

9/10. 

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Hot Dog . . . The Movie (1984).

Very much a product of it’s time, this is one Hot Dog that sits nicely beside it’s cinema counter siblings. In other words it’s weak, tasteless and will probably leave you with a feeling of discomfort in your guts. Even viewing such movies within the context of the time they came from, there’s only so much casual racism, sexism and unfunny boorishness that viewers can take.

 

The thin plot of this film sees a young lad named Harkin Banks (Patrick Houser) picking up a hitch-hiker, Sunny (Tracy Smith), en route to a big skiing competition before getting closer to her, closer to a bunch of slacker skiers who have some natural talent but no self discipline, closer to a caricatured German baddie and closer to the lovely Shannon Tweed. Perhaps things will build to an ending that mixes some skiing action in an all-or-nothing kind of deal. You think?

 

Directed by Peter Markler, and written by Mike Marvin (who was also second unit director for the ski sequences), the most frustrating thing about this movie is how it wouldn’t have taken all that much to make it just a little bit better. There is actually some well edited skiing and stunt work here and there. David Naughton is the lead slacker skier and he’s a likeable enough guy even if he will always be remembered as, arguably, the screen’s most loveable adult lycanthrope. And if you’re a young teen hoping for some gratuitous nudity in your films then the inclusion of Shannon Tweed is like a solid-gold seal of shenanigans.

 

Sadly, everything is just weighted down by a pair of unlikeable leads (and the character of Banks singing a ditty and playing some gentle guitar after bopping with Sunny at a bar playing host to a wet t-shirt contest is one of the biggest “WTF????” moments I have had in some time), a pre-pubescent fantasy of how well-endowed women will act around anyone with a penis and a bizarre streak of xenophobia painting Europeans in general as shallow cheats and Germans, in particular, as cold relics of yesteryear who need a good slap in the face every now and again and reminded of the fact that “zat eez the vay of ze vorld” (quote made up by myself, ridiculous German accent supplied by the movie in the form of John Patrick Reger’s performance).

 

The kind of movie that makes you glad we’ve moved on quite a way from the '80s. 

 

4/10.

 

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share  

Exciting times.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In other words . . . . . . not to cast aspersions on the writing skills of one Mr. Dickens . . . . it was like most times.
Fluctuations, ups and downs, this past week and the time ahead has been/will be very exciting for a number of reasons.
This blog was always set up to be a back up, somewhere to come to with the writing that I didn't want to overwhelm Flickfeast but every blogger knows that once a blog begins it gets what it wants. Which is why I am here at the back of one in the morning writing a little apology to myself (or, rather, my blog) for having abandoned it for a while and having to abandon it for a while longer.
The past week or so has seen me attend the awesomeness that is Dead By Dawn, lose a laptop to a dangerous PC virus caused by . . . . . . my own temper and a dodgy wi-fi connection and then gain a shiny new laptop from my lovely lady. I've also seen some great films (Insidious being a doozy) and tried to chill out. Because in two days I go to Southern France and I don't want to watch any movies or be online. I am forcing myself to have a proper holiday and, for the first time in a long time, feel that I really deserve it.
The new job is going very well (there's one person rubbing me up the wrong way but there always is, right) and in a few weeks it will be time for the Edinburgh International Film Festival. That means a busy busy time for me and a load more movies.
In the minor bad news stakes - anyone who was enjoying Resonance (hiya April) probably won't see it continuing for a while longer than I expected. Two reasons. 1) The self-imposed holiday and return to an overburdened workload. 2) The noted I had worked on for the next section were on the dead laptop.
But this is not the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . it's a hiatus.
Cheers
:-)