Rockfield:The Studio on the Farm (2020) hits virtual theaters Friday

This is the story of two brothers who wanted to make music,  and in the rush to get better built a studio on their farm where musicians such as Robert Plant, Black Sabbath, Queen, Oasis and others went to make music history.

Watching the opening minutes of ROCKFIELD I thought this was going to be an over long DVD extra. It was good but nothing special. Then studio funders Kingsley and Charles Ward tell the story of trying to go to EMI to play them their music and ending up talking to George Martin, that things began to get interesting. I mean they got really interesting as their stories (including one of wandering into the recording of Bohemian Rhapsody) collide with the stories of the musicians (Ozzy talks about going to the farm for the first time) and magic happens. This transforms into the tale of how one family shaped music history.

I had a blast.

I'm going to be honest and say I was not planning on seeing ROCKFIELD but a slot in my schedule opened up and I said yes. I am s glad I did because one it gets going this film is so much fun. The truth of the matter is I had so much fun that the only thing I can say is wrong with the film is that they didn't get more people t tell their stories. I mean the stories of hat happened would probably fill a shelf of books.

What a fun film.

ROCKFIELD hits Watch Now @ Home Friday and is on the Coda Collection on the 29th.

The Lighthouse (2016)

The BAFTA winning film THE LIGHTHOUSE is being billed as a horror film by the people releasing it to theaters and VOD this Friday (July 6th) however it really isn't. More a historical thriller, this retelling of the Smalls Lighthouse tragedy is a solid and very tense story of the dangers of isolation.

On a remote island some twenty miles from the farthest point of anywhere stood the Smalls Light House. In 1801 it was a rickety structure that was built to warn ships traveling in the Irish Sea of local danger. It did not have a good reputation and the keepers were sure that not only didn't the light house want them their neither did the island itself.

Nearing the end of the month long shift, and with food running low, the two man crew of Thomas and Thomas awaited the relief boat. However things went wrong as a terrible storm kicked up and the men had to wait it out as the storm raged. Trapped and fearing death closing in madness began to creep in and take over.

This is a creepy two-hander that has mood to burn. We know things are going to go wrong just by looking at the place. The lighthouse is a run down and god forsaken place and we are instantly ill at ease. Things get tenser as the two men grumble begin to go about their business revealing themselves to be lost souls. Both have secrets that haunt them and make their lives miserable. By the time the storm hits we are on the edge of our seats waiting to see what in the hell is going to happen.

The performances by Michael Jibson and Mark Lewis Jones are killer. They sell their characters perfectly and we have do problem believing that they are both heavily damaged individuals. And their drop into madness is something we absolutely buy.

This is a great little film. Its so good that I'm kind of shocked that more people aren't talking about it. Is the lack of discussion because the film doesn't really fit in genres? It isn't a horror film and it isn't wholly just a historical drama. SO what is it?

What it is is a film that worth seeing. See it on the big screen if you can, but if you can't  VOD is fine as well.

Pondering the deeply disturbing Bridgend (2015)

I saw BRIDGEND last year at the end of Tribeca and I wrote up a short capsule review which went:

Based on true story about a Welsh town where there is an epidemic of suicides among the kids. A deeply troubling and haunting film that will hang with you for days. This film deserves way more than this short little piece (which is all I can do in the wake of the end of Tribeca) so I'll be doubling back in a couple of weeks to take a look. For those who don't mind troubling films this is a must see.

I should point out that there is documentary out from a few years ago on the same subject which is also deeply troubling..

The idea was to go back afterward and write up the film in fuller longer review. I never did.

Basically after Tribeca kicked my ass I didn't have it in me to do any thing more beyond what I had done. I thought nothing of it and then went on to the next thing.

And then a couple of weeks ago I got an email from the PR people handling the film- Basically it was "Hey Steve, there's this great film coming out on Fandor called BRIDGEND, would you want to review it?

I wrote back "I saw the film last year at Tribeca and thought it as great. I will see about expanding the capsule review if I can find my notes."

"Great. Here's the press material and a link to the film so you can refresh your memory."

And then I pulled at my notes, and I looked at the press material, and I sat with my finger poised over the link for the film - and I turned off the computer and went outside and sat in the sunshine.

I couldn't go back to the head space of the film, more importantly I don't want to go back there.

(That's a rave boys and girls)

BRIDGEND tells the story of a Sara and her dad, a new policeman, who move to the village of Bridgend and find out all is not right there, it seems there is a curse of sorts, the villagers are killing themselves in droves and there is no explanation as to why. As the father seeks to find out what is causing all of the deaths the town is left to ponder the damage left in the wake.

The rash of suicides is real, While most have been of young adults the cluster has included people into their forties. In the first two years of the tragedy 24 people died, By 2012, five years on, the numbers had reached at least 79. Police desperate to stop copycats asked that the deaths not be covered in the media.

The film bothers me. The film gives life to something that I find hard to fathom is happening. I've read all sorts of explanations but none of them quite work for me. The film doesn't really have any concrete answers, which is why it's so troubling.

And of course the film hooks you by giving us two likable characters who are thrown into the middle of a mystery without an explanation-thus putting them in danger.

BRIDGEND is an excellent film. It is a film of quiet power. Yes the film will provoke a reaction from you when you see it,  But it's also a film that is going to stay with you for a long while to come, say a year later. For me the film has popped up several times over the last year in conversations and I quietly backed away from them because I don't want the film haunting me, As the quote on the poster from Variety, this is real world horror which is more terrifying than make believe because these monsters are out there.

This is definitely a film I recommend, even though it isn't one I ever need see again. Its a film that will make you feel something and ponder yourself and existence and why terrible things happen as well as the damage left behind. It is not a film for all audiences, but for those willing to go into the darkness it is worth your time, money and effort to see it.

Fandor is the exclusive SVOD platform for the film

Gospel of Us: The Passion of Port Talbot (2012)

The Gospel of Us: The Passion of Port Talbot is a film that is bewildering fans of its cinematic director Dave McKean. It is not a fantastical film of his own creation and therefore, for some of his fans, seems to be not worth taking notice of. The reality is the film is a one of a kind cinematic confection that is really unlike any other film I’ve run across.

The film is nominally a record of a new styled Passion Play that was put together by actor Michael Sheen in his home town over Easter weekend, 2011. The play lasted over three days and wandered all over the town. It told the story of a teacher who disappeared into the wilderness for 40 days, and then returned to town. He then got under the skin of a fascist corporation and its puppet police force before ending up crucified. In actuality the film is mash up of documentary, fantasy, narrative, allegory, and several other genres, into something wholly unique.

The film was the result of McKean and Sheen talking about a book project that would highlight Sheen’s three most important roles: Hamlet, Edgar Allen Poe, and the teacher in this play. As they discussed the play, McKean asked who was going to record it. When he was told no one, he suddenly found himself pressed into service.

McKean was given more or less total access to the rehearsals and the performance with one proviso: he could never be out in front or interfere with the performance in any way. (The one time it did happen the cameraman was admonished, which worked to the production's advantage since it drove the paparazzi into the background...it also makes for a truly magical moment on screen). Due to the vast expanse of the show (it literally covered the entire town), and a tight budget, he was limited in the number of cameras he could use, and didn’t get everything he wanted. However, thanks to the BBC, who was making a documentary, and the copious use of iPhones by the audience, he was able to supplement his footage with the work of others.

This wonderfully weird mix of documentary and narrative is very clearly not a straight forward recording of the event as it happened. As anyone who sees the film will quickly notice, it's full of altered images and changes. At one point one of the characters is morphed into a McKean designed bird creature. At other times McKean has erased the vast crowds that were watching events, or he has frozen them in time while mystical things happen. He has added some sequences with a godlike builder, others with a small girl (who may be dreaming the whole thing), plus there are some pick-up shots. The passion play as performed has been altered for McKean’s own purposes- and we are so much the better for it.

How is it?

To be completely honest, I don’t know entirely. I'm very much leaning towards saying it's one of the best films of the year, but I'm not completely sure...though each time I watch it, it is certainly one of my most treasured viewing experiences. I’ve seen it three times now (twice as the film alone and once with the commentary), and I’m still slightly vexed by the picture. It is most assuredly a stunning achievement. It’s a film that refuses to be anything but what it is. Due to the fact that the film is so incredibly unique, despite on the face of it seeming to be typical, one’s instinct is to fight it. I suspect that the film’s incredibly low rating at IMDB is the result of this battle between expectations and reality.

To be certain, the film isn’t perfect...then again it never could be. The imperfections are the result of a combination of the original event, how the film was shot, and budgetary considerations. There are bumps and missteps here and there. Some of the language can be a tad arch for a film (but perfect for a play), at other times it's spot on perfect and moving.

No matter what you think of it, you have to remember that except for a fluke or pure chance, this film would never have existed. It’s a film that came together because someone had suggested recording what was a one time only event.

I love the film a great deal. I know I admire it much more than that, though each time I see it my opinion goes up greatly. This is a film that tries, and succeeds, in being something special.

It’s also a film that requires multiple viewings. Never mind that one should listen to the commentary on the DVD with the director so you can marvel at how he put the film together. It simply requires multiple viewings just so that one can really see it and appreciate its own rhythms. As I've said, I've seen it three times, and each time I'm more and more amazed at the wonders contained inside it.

As for fans of McKean, you all should be making an effort to see it, for while the film is a reimaging of a passion play, he has fused it with his own visual style. There is not only the aforementioned bird creature, but also image manipulation that could only have been created by the artist himself. Anyone saying this isn't a McKean film hasn't seen it.

Easily one of the finds of the year...and one of the best as well.

See this film.

And come back tomorrow when I talk to director Dave McKean about the film..