Mama

Synopsis:  Offscreen, a man kills several of his business partners and his wife and then runs away into the woods with his two little girls.  He prepares to commit murder suicide but at the last moment is killed by a strange presence in the cabin.  Mama!  Five years later, the girls are found by their uncle living ferile in the cabin and are subsequently put under the care of a psychiatrist, who agrees to recommend the uncle and his girlfriend as the childrens' legal guardians - as long as they agree to move into a special home where he can monitor their progress.  They all agree to this, but it quickly becomes apparent that Mama has also come along for the ride!

So, why did we pick this movie for last Sunday's movie night.  Very simple.  Kev hates the scary ones and jumps like a girl!  It really adds to the fun when you have someone in your company who hates and loves the scary movies with equal passion.  And if the volume of Kev's jumps is any measure of success, then this movie is a triumph!

The Director, Andres Muschietti - extending his earlier short film into a feature - is sure-footed throughout and makes very effective nods to a number of other genre films which obviously inspired him (from Rear Window, through Repulsion, to Ringu and beyond).  This leads to a very thoughtful and beautiful looking movie with significant visual punch.  There is very little gore and the scares are delivered more through good old fashioned "boos" which are high in atmosphere than spatter.  And with that in mind, the scares do indeed come a mile a minute, with the movie remaining unnerving for almost its entire running time.

The movie was produced by Guillermo Del Toro which by itself raised the interest of our group of movie lovers.  While not on a par with his previous supernatural productions such as "The Orphanage", it's a solid and creepy movie which delivers great scares and quite a few emotional hooks, especially the ending.  If anything, it is only let down by an over reliance on CGI over practical effects.  A focus on the latter would have led to a more understated film, which in my opinion would have raised it from very good to great.  But if you fancy a few jumps with the lights down low, this one comes recommended.

Yamazaki 12 Year Old

Met a lovely chap called Colin today who informed me that he had bought a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on the back of my recommendation below.  Gosh!  The wonders of the internet.  So with one follower in the bag, I thought it was time to unleash a few more thoughts on recently sampled quality drams.

The Yamazaki 12 year old (available in Waitrose and other reputable supermarkets!) is a corker of a Japanese dram.  My take on this one is simple - Christmas cake in a glass!  It is fruit heaven, with plenty of body, smooth and oily on the palate and lots of winter spice and lovely citrus notes, which then develop into an almost rum finish.  It is an outstanding dram for the money and the consistency in quality is a bit embarrassing to a Scotch drinker.  Every bottling delivers and you need never fear in buying a bottle and then being disappointed.  The Japanese take their quality control seriously and their approach to whisky production is no different.  While an essentially artisan tradition, Suntory have brought a level of quality to their whisky making process (especially around their wood selections) which mean the finish is always consistent.  No nasty sulphur notes on this baby!

It's one to be enjoyed over a fine book or listening to your favourite album.  I'd go for the second side of 'Low' by David Bowie, but also appreciate that our tastes may differ.  Nevertheless, regardless of the soundtrack you choose, this whisky offers much to enjoy as it warms in the glass and opens up its charms.

Interestingly, Yamazaki is owned by the Japanese Suntory Empire, which also includes a few Scotch malts in their repertoire (such as Bowmore and Auchentoshan).  Thoughts on these two will no doubt follow shortly.

The Monster Under the Stairs

A short film my boys and I made a few weekends ago, when it was wet and windy and we needed to keep ourselves amused.  We hope you enjoy it.

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Louise Page

Just returned from the funeral of my dear colleague Louise Page, who passed away as a result of a rare bone cancer at the age of 42.  We met on the Common Purpose course a few years ago.  On that course, a small group of us bonded and have stayed in touch - meeting for meals, sharing work stories and supporting each other.  Her funeral was uplifting and a real reminder to enjoy life and friendship in the moment and appreciate the beautiful things that come our way to the fullest.  She told me she was looking forward to hearing my Steve Martin story next time our group met up.  I was looking forward to telling her it, just to hear her laugh.  Unfortunately, due to her illness, that never happened.  She will be missed and I'll never watch Jurassic Park again without thinking of her (which is a good thing!).  Au Revour Louise.

The "after crying" picture of her in this post is one taken recently by Scottish photographer Rankin for his "Alive: In the Face of Death" exhibition.  A BBC documentary featuring Louise's involvement in that project will be shown on BBC Two's Culture Show on 1 June 2013.