Splinter

Diwali Down The Downsman

Celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali down the local...

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

90 years ago today they buried the body of an unknown Warrior. His tombstone in Westminster Abbey is the only one that it is forbidden to walk over. Engraved on its marble stone are these words...

BENEATH THIS STONE RESTS THE BODY

OF A BRITISH WARRIOR

UNKNOWN BY NAME OR RANK

BROUGHT FROM FRANCE TO LIE AMONG

THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THE LAND

AND BURIED HERE ON ARMISTICE DAY

11 NOV: 1920, IN THE PRESENCE OF

HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V

HIS MINISTERS OF STATE

THE CHIEFS OF HIS FORCES

AND A VAST CONCOURSE OF THE NATION

THUS ARE COMMEMORATED THE MANY

MULTITUDES WHO DURING THE GREAT

WAR OF 1914 - 1918 GAVE THE MOST THAT

MAN CAN GIVE LIFE ITSELF

FOR GOD

FOR KING AND COUNTRY

FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE

FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND

THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD

THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS BECAUSE HE

HAD DONE GOOD TOWARD GOD AND TOWARD

HIS HOUSE

Ikiru

Kurosawa's 1952 masterpiece Ikiru is one of the films I'm looking at for my dissertation.

Here's the iconic swing scene...

And these are the words from the song he sings to himself...

Life is brief

Fall in love, sweet maiden

Before your red lips fade, before passion cools

For there will be no tomorrow

Fall in love, sweet maiden

While your hair is black, while your heart is still aflame

For today will never return

Tulleys Farm

Went to Tulleys Farm in West Sussex with the fam this Halloween...

Brother & I with our masks...

Nausea

...that is the danger of keeping a diary: you exaggerate everything, you are on the look-out, and you continually stretch the truth... I'm going to bed. I'm cured, and I'm going to give up writing down my impressions, like a little girl, in a nice new notebook.

There's only one case in which it might be interesting to keep a diary: that would be if *

*The text is missing.

Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea

The House of the Devil

If, like me, you're a fan of Horror films but over the years have become increasingly disillusioned with the genre, what with the spate of ridiculous remakes and teen slashers, then you could do a lot worse than to watch a little independent film called The House of the Devil (Directed by Ti West).

Ashamedly, I'd never heard of it until last night when I was browsing the dusty shelves of my local Blockbuster (of which, this particular branch is an ever depressing place, forever empty and reeking of loneliness... but enough of my Thursday night). As per usual, I found myself getting angry at the majority of pathetic films on display and was all but ready to jack it in, go home and get something on pay per view. That was at least until this diamond in the rough exposed it's pert little self to me...

It was only the other day that I was wondering why nobody makes Horror films like they used to during the late 70's and 80's anymore? By that I mean films that take their time to buildup some real tension instead of rushing headlong into a tedious, cliche ridden plot. Most Horror films these days seem to want to make the audience piss themselves during the opening thirty seconds and then attempt to supply a cheap 'jump' every 6 minutes thereafter. This film trades in those obvious techniques and opts instead for dreadful anticipation, there's no instant gratification here, the audience is in for the long game.

Although it was only made in 2008 it looks like it's straight out of the 80's. This is pure retro homage, and they've pulled it off superbly. The score is brilliant too, really capturing the time period and tone of the film very well. This moment in particular is great and very creepy in its correct context, featuring a tune by The Fixx. It's a great sequence, she can move too...

Although House of the Devil isn't the scariest film out there, I respect it for not pandering to the expectations of the Multiplex audience and for not conforming to the conventions of recent slashers. It uses suggestion and suspense over all-out gore, it's a real slow-burner. Fans of Rosemary's Baby will not be disappointed.

So, if you're looking for a good, intelligent Horror flick this Halloween, you can't go wrong with this. Here's the trailer to whet your appetite...

On a final note, it's worth watching it if only for the performance of the lead actress, Jocelin Donahue. She's one to watch I think.