Cinema and Whale

With plenty of time off over the holiday period I’m doing a lot of reading, working my way through ‘London Lore’ by Steve Roud, a guide to the myths of the city which is helping me to create the world of the Gap. I’m also reading ‘The Writer’s Tale’ by Russell T. Davis of Dr Who fame which is him examining the role of the writer, where the ideas come from and pressures of making such a demanding show.

I’ve been filling in between both of these larger works with some short graphic and children’s works. Down in Buckingham in a charity shop I found several first edition Clive Barker books. Son of Celluloid is a horror work, and like many of Barker’s stories it starts off as one thing and then merges into another, subverting the idea of horror but still keeping the frights to a maximum. He seems quite happy calling on all genres and then twisting them to his own accord; I’ve always seen him more as a fantasy author who includes moments of pure horror.
Set in a cinema where a man has died resulting in the very building and its memories becoming an entity, it’s a quick precise tale let down only by the art work which is just a little bit bland.

“This Morning I Met a Whale” is a children’s environmental tale told by Michael Morpurgo from the point of view of a young boy who speaks to a whale stranded in the Thames. Based on a true story it’s a careful rendering of the environmental concerns of the moment without the sugar coating expected for a young persons work. The illustrations are wonderful pastels by Christian Birmingham that shows London as a luminous early morning city in a realistic and natural way.

Read this week:

Son of Celluloid by Clive Barker, Steve Niles and Les Edwards
This Morning I Met a Whale by Michael Morpurgo and Christian Birmingham

Gloriously Bloody

Finished the new Clive Barker last week, one of the many books I received for Xmas. His new book moves him away from his roots (horror) and more towards the mythic literature his stories have displayed over the last few years. It's a good read, short but precise the narrator speaking directly to the reader. It is also very funny.

****

Saw Sweeney Todd last night. Gloriously bloody in the Hammer Horror style with a fine cast and some wonderful over the top acting. London looked great, dark, brooding and nasty. Depp and Carter are slowly being turned into one of Burton's own character drawings, with the darkness under the eyes becoming more pronounced and the hair becoming a living entity.
The only thing I couldn't get to grips with was the singing. It was often quite distracting and fell slightly flat, only the acting keeping it on target for me.

****

Finished the first draft of what I am currently calling 'Mind the Gap' (though this will probably change). I'm taking a week off as I need to send out a few short stories and want to do a rewrite of the the script for 'The Park'.

Read this week: Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker