About Last Night - 1986

I'm not sure what it is about the 1986 film "About Last Night" - but I have always loved and been drawn to it.  Based on the original 1974 play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago" by David Mamet - About Last Night is most probably my favourite romantic film of all time.  This film does not need any CGI, special effects, high speed car chases or even explosions.  It is a real film - a story with real people in real situations.  My favourite kind.

The original play by David Mamet.  1974

As the years pass, I keep returning to this film (directed by Edward Zwick) and my love for it never ceases.  It's about sex (there is lots), falling in love, friendship, relationships, breaking up, making up and more sex.  It's about last night.

There are some brilliant acting performances all round here, with this film (one of the original "Brat Pack" movies) being far superior to 1985's popular "St. Elmo's Fire".  The chemistry between the two leads is touching and steamy with plenty fireworks too.  Demi Moore has never looked more beautiful than she does here as Debbie (despite some of the dodgy 80's fashion).  Rob Lowe plays the role of Danny.  Well, I am not gay but he was a handsome bastard, wasn't he?  Backed up brilliantly by James Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins who co-star as the two lovers' best friends who both seem to be hell bent on breaking the two of them up.

"double headphone deal..."

The music also plays a massive part in my love for this film too with a typically upbeat 80's soundtrack; including music from the likes of Sheena Easton, John Waite, Bob Seger, John Oates and Jermaine Jackson.  I actually own the original soundtrack on LP and have it framed in my office at home.  Along with its soundtrack, this film never fails to make me smile and just feel good about life.  And to me, that is everything I want in a film or story.

Director Edward Zwick ("Glory", "Legends of The Fall", "Blood Diamond") has only returned to the "romantic comedy" genre once in recent years; 2010's "Love and Other Drugs", which he both wrote and directed, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.  I really enjoyed that movie also and these two films share that same kind of spirit and on-screen chemistry, with full rounded characters and I was not the least bit surprised that Zwick was behind "Love and Other Drugs" as well.

The original motion picture soundtrack on LP.

  So, if you want to smile a little, get a little hot under the collar and escape to the 80's for a wee while, give About Last Night a viewing.  If you have seen it before - watch it and fall in love all over again, once more.  Falling in love is easy, staying in love is the hardest part.

The film was remade in 2014 - starring Kevin Hart and directed by Steve Pink.  Please read my blog post for my thoughts about that one.

Trainspotting - 1996

Spring 1996 - I was living in the south of England and I had heard a lot about this much talked about, hyped and controversial new film featuring a bunch of Scottish heroin addicts slumming it up in a grim Edinburgh of the mid 1980's.  It was of particular interest to me, being Scottish and with me also having lived in Scotland's capital city for a few years in the mid 1980's also.  Although the film is set in Edinburgh, Trainspotting, for the most part, was largely filmed in Glasgow with other small sequences filmed in both Edinburgh and London, England.

I watched this film, as a naive 15 year old not quite knowing what to expect, largely out of curiosity and to hopefully be entertained.  Well, I was NOT expecting this!  It was shocking, scary, hilarious, violent, exciting, energetic, twisted, tragic and very quotable!

It also features an amazing ensemble cast with career making performances from Scottish actors Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle - ably backed up by the likes of Johnny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, Kevin McKidd, Peter Mullan and featuring a small (debut feature film) role for Kelly Macdonald ("No Country For Old Men", "Boardwalk Empire) who features in a rather uncomfortable role as a school girl - well, I say it's an "uncomfortable role" but what I really mean is that it always makes me feel a little uncomfortable and uneasy, but it was still a memorable role all the same and adds to the film's library of colourful and eccentric characters.

Talking of Robert Carlyle - who plays the role of sociopath Francis Begbie, it appeared to me that this rather violent character seemed to inspire would be violent drunks all over Scotland.  It is one thing quoting some of this character's memorable dialogue, without believing that you actually were a Begbie-like character.  I have actually known some people and been in their company drinking in the past who took great pleasure in quoting Francis Begbie and taking great delight in reliving his on screen antics.  And with alcohol fuelling the fire to these aggressive people's way of thinking, that could only lead to trouble.  But to be honest, these certain people only wish they could actually be Begbie - kinda like expressing their manliness in the only way they know how, by trying to intimidate people and show how hard they can be.  Quite the role model, don't you think???

The music was another big character in this film and its brilliant soundtrack works perfect here too - featuring the likes of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Pulp, Primal Scream, Sleeper, New Order and Blur - as well as that most iconic of tunes from Underworld; "Born Slippy" that just screams out to me "Trainspotting" every time I hear it.

Based on the original novel (of the same name) by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh (who also has a tiny cameo as drug dealer Mikey Forrester), directed by Danny Boyle ("Shallow Grave", "28 Days Later", "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Beach") with Producer Andrew MacDonald and written for the screen by John Hodge (who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay) - Trainspotting (with age) just gets better and better.  A movie of real guts, style and bravado.   My love for this film appears to be getting stronger with each viewing, a sign of a true modern classic that pulls you in and hits you in the face like a ferocious steam train and leaves you gasping for more - pretty much in the same way I feel about the 1979 British cult classic Quadrophenia and Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973).

Irvine Welsh

"Glorifying drug abuse"?  Yeah, right.  For me, this is most definitely an anti-drug film - that scary downward spiral of drug addiction does not look fun whatsoever to me and leads to absolutely nowhere.  It does, however, make for an amazing movie going experience and (despite the subject matter) is as much a coming of age and uplifting film about friendship as well as the obvious extreme black comedy and controversial themes throughout.

One of the best British films of all time (ranked 10th in a list of 100 by the British Film Institute (BFI) and was also voted as the best Scottish film of all time (2004) in a general public poll.  Although I believe that "Gregory's Girl" is actually the best Scottish film of all time, but I suppose I am a little biased and we'll talk about that film in another blog soon!

There has been ongoing talk of a Trainspotting sequel in the works in the not too distant future and it has been confirmed that Ewan McGregor has agreed to star again as Renton in the follow up to the 1996 classic - so we wait with much anticipation!  Read here for more information.

"choose life..."

John McPhail - a promising Scottish film director

The film making industry is a very tough and competitive business, where funding is really hard to come by.  Particularly in Scotland - where it is very difficult to get funded and we have nowhere near the money nor resources for our talented and creative.

The past 12 months have been an amazing whirlwind for Glasgow based film director/writer John McPhail (28) and Worrying Drake Productions .  He has won several awards for his short films including a couple of awards at the Virgin Media Shorts and at film festivals in Edinburgh and New York.  Together with producers Andrew Lanni and Lauren Lamarr - they have been making huge inroads into the UK film industry winning several awards with their quirky romantic comedy style, portraying real and fun characters on screen, with a massive sense of realism and familiarity with their audience.  And this is all in Mcphail's very first year of making these short films with Worrying Drake, which makes it all the more remarkable.

John McPhail.

I first came across Mr McPhail and his work after seeing his funny and sweet comedy film short "Just Say Hi" which was entered into the UK's biggest short film competition; Virgin Media Shorts (2013).  Just Say Hi actually managed to scoop two of the competition's most prestigious awards - The Nikon People's Choice and The Tivo Award (chosen by Virgin Media customers). 

A beautiful little gem about the comical and cute ongoing chemistry of two potential friends, lovers when they catch one another's eye at a bus stop.  I had a strong feeling about this film and, for me, Just Say Hi was very unlucky not to have made it a hat-trick of awards on the night, losing out to the film "Touch" (by Nimer Rashed) which pipped them to the best short film award.

Just Say Hi clicked with me right away and this charming little short film was the people's choice as well as the favourite with Virgin Media customers.  Many would argue that these are actually the best awards and compliments you can receive as these people are your audience!  

Still from "Just Say Hi"

As a story teller, lover of comedy and romance with ambitions to work on my very own short film projects soon, this film really struck a chord with me and touched me from the moment I first viewed it.  And I am sure many thousands of other people will also love it too, a simple stumbling tale of the excitement and awkwardness of a potential new romance.

"Just Say Hi" will actually make its European Debut in Paris on the 2nd of May - then it will screen in over 100 Cities world-wide as the Worrying Drake team have been accepted to the 16th edition of the Très Court International Film Festival. 

"I think i speak for the rest of the team when i say I'M FREAKING DELIGHTED" - John McPhail.

Worrying Drake are working extremely hard to help fund their debut feature; "Where Do We Go From Here" a romantic comedy adventure which is "a story about love, friendship and self discovery...".

"We can't make this film without funding so the impact that our backers have by donating any amount is absolutely massive and so greatly appreciated!"  Worrying Drake Productions.

Members of the public can do their bit to help them achieve their goal through indiegogo's crowd funding campaign, via their website.  By donating to this project, you will be helping to create a potentially great Scottish film that may well be loved for many generations.  Perhaps, the new "Gregory's Girl"?  

There are also quite a few perks and exclusive gifts you can receive for your donation, including exclusive access to the film making process, a walk on part in the film, DVD copies of Worrying Drake's trilogy of short films; including "V For Visa", "Doug & Steve's Big Holy Adventure" and the award winning "Notes".

They have already achieved over 50% of their £10,000 target (as of Tuesday 18th March 2014) and all money raised from donations will be used to gain access to the most compatible equipment, for the costume design, make up, art design and locations, to help them do the most professional job possible.  And of course, to help feed and water the entire team whilst filming!

 I can not stress how much I am passionate about this project - because I truly believe in John McPhail and the rest of his team at Worrying Drake - I can only see them going onto bigger and better things.  Sometimes, you just know.  I have no doubt it will be made possible though and you can help to create something special and be a part of it too.  The best films, in my opinion, are about real people, real situations where one can relate, raise a smile and you finish the film feeling good and happy.  I really would love to work with these guys - maybe someday, who knows.

It has also been announced that the short films "Notes" and "V For Visa" have been offered a distribution deal with Short Film TV and Shorts HD - a 3 year deal where the shorts will play on a 24/7 channel in Europe, East Africa and the USA.

For further information and details, please check out their indiegogo funding campaign and please feel free to share this blog post if you believe in this project.

Kevin De Bruyne - a faster David Beckham

Everyone knows how much a fan I am of the current Belgium football team - and I just wanted to say a few words about one of their young players, currently plying his trade in the English Premier League with Chelsea.

One of my favourite players in this Belgian squad is Chelsea youngster Kevin De Bruyne (22).  This young lad's pace, technique and overall hunger and appetite for the game is a joy to be hold.  He is one of the best attacking young midfielders in Europe and despite being a first pick for Belgium, he does not start for Chelsea every week and that is a real shame, because the Chelsea fans are missing out.

He was one of the top players in the German Bundesliga last season on loan with Werder Bremen and apparently Wolfsburg are eyeing up a January move for him.  To be honest, he would be far better off away from Stamford Bridge playing somewhere else as he could play for any team in Europe, such is his talent.

  Chelsea have just got far too many attacking midfield players to keep absolutely everyone happy and if your face doesn't fit at that club...

Kevin De Bruyne.

How would I describe Kevin De Bruyne?  A faster David Beckham, who can dribble, score goals and has a left foot equally as good as his right.  To think that England could've snapped him up (his mother is actually English) - but he chose to represent the country of his birth.  England's loss and Belgium's gain.

Trollhunter - destined to become a cult classic

I watched the Norwegian "mockumentary" horror/adventure TrollHunter the other evening for the first time.  There were some crazy, hilarious moments (I felt that they were deliberate and tongue in cheek, but maybe not...) - some of the monster/troll names were "interesting" TOSSERLAD and RIMETOSSER being a couple of them and there's also a scene in the film where the gang/crew are stuck in a cave hiding, while a small army of mountain trolls are just a matter of yards away, minding their own business (and farting loudly), that was pretty funny.  Oh, and by the way, not to sound too judgmental, but those mountain trolls are ugly! 

Remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger said; "you're one ugly motherfucker..." about the alien in "Predator" (1987) ???  Well, these guys were well and truly beaten with the ugly stick.

A typical looking Troll seen in childrens' books - very similar to the mountain trolls in Trollhunter

Also, the moment that Hans the trollhunter revealed one of his troll proof iron/steel superhero outfits, my stomach was actually aching and had us all in stitches!!  Some people are put off watching a foreign language film, but there are English subtitles and once you get settled into the adventure, you forget all about it.  In actual fact, hearing the Norwegian dialogue, only adds to the fun of the film, particularly in the more tense moments and action sequences.  Oh, and who knew that trolls hated Chrisitans???  Watch it and find out more.

Theatrical poster.

All in all though, I thought it was a very clever and well made monster movie, which is surely destined to become a cult classic.  Written and directed by André Øvredal, Trollhunter was filmed in the mockumentary style with "found footage", which brings obvious comparisons to "The Blair Witch Project" and was filmed on location amidst some stunning Western Norway landscape and scenery (it actually reminded me of parts of Scotland a little), the acting was pretty solid too, with well known Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen a stand out as Hans the trollhunter.

Hans, the trollhunter - (played by Otto Jespersen)

Apparently, several American movie production companies have been fighting to acquire the rights to a (no doubt over the top, over produced) remake, so I suggest you check this one out first, before Hollywood claims it as their own and everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.  Then you can be proud to say; "it wasn't as good as the original..."

"Troooollllllll!!!!"

New Olympia Swimming and Leisure Centre - Dundee

So, the new Olympia Swimming and Leisure Centre in Dundee finally opened its doors yesterday (Thursday 27th June 2013).  More than 6 months behind schedule and at a cost of over £30 million.  I am a little sad that the original Olympia has finally shut its doors for the last time, I always thought that it was a great and perfect location right by the water (and almost like a wee escape from the city centre), got lots of fond memories of the old place. 

Ideal location - The old Olympia Swimming and Leisure Centre.

But times are changing and a more modern complex was needed.  I am sure I will grow to love the new Olympia and look forward to taking my daughter there soon and enjoy going to the place as a family as well - it really does look like an impressive, modern and fun place.

New Olympia Swimming and Leisure Pool - Dundee, Scotland (June 2013)

It doesn't appear to be quite the most spacious of places and I'd imagine it would get very crammed during peak times.  The old place was definitely a lot more open and spacious.  I am also not convinced that it is the greatest of locations to be honest (by Gallagher Retail Park near the City Centre).  It could cause mass havoc and contribute to a lot of traffic congestion in the area, not forgetting how dangerous it could be with the busy roads surrounding the new complex, particularly with the many young children and families that will be going about.  People will just have to be a little patient and take that little bit extra care.  Food for thought.

Below is a wee video (provided by The Courier), showing you clips of the new Olympia with some of its first visitors giving their thoughts also.

Those that belittle

People who indulge in the art of belittling others are one of the lowest kinds of people and are clearly unhappy with themselves and their own life.  While belittling may serve the purpose of lowering the other person's confidence or self esteem, whilst for a short while boosting the confidence of the one doing the belittling - this is a really sad way to live your life and makes you a very ugly person.

I try my very best to not let these types of people bother or upset me, but it is very hard sometimes, the sensitive soul that I am.  But I am trying my very best and getting better with dealing with these kinds.  There are far more important people and things in life to worry about than these cowards.

Half the time, the person doing the belittling, is in actual fact only belittling themselves at the end of the day.  Belittling others makes you neither tough nor impressive.  It just makes you stupid and rude.