frightfest 2006

august bank holiday weekend just wouldn't be the same without frightfest and we have been (for the seventh year running) treated to some superb films. and of course some stinkers too. like broken. trust me. don't ever watch this film!!! frostbite (a swedish vampire film is being re-made as 30 days of night) was dire too... the marsh was pretty awful.





mark gatiss was there to introduce the first films - a hammer horror trio - pictured here with paul and the back of ian's head, two of the wonderful organisers. note the severance poster in the background. we saw it as a special charity screening (in aid of teenage cancer trust) on the thursday evening.





films i recommend are:


pan's labyrinth (director guillermo del toro was there for q&a afterwards).
hatchet (good ol' low-budget slasher starring harmony from angel).



isolation (a gruesome film starring cows. yes, cows. director billy o'brien there for q&a).
adrift was actually ok. so much better than open water!!!! but then i knew nothing about it beforehand.

the living and the dead was amazing (in spite of the dodgy title), so well shot, such brilliant acting, (director simon rumley there for q&a).

them could (should) have been so much better.

as could grimm love (aka butterfly). why was it shot with germans speaking in english with dodgy german accents???

the lost was ok, the redeeming feature being the nastiness of the lead character.

sheitan was a brilliant, grotesquely disturbing film, especially vincent cassel's character. he was so creepy!


on the last day we saw h6:diario de un asesino which was another shockingly disturbing film. not recommended as it was too horrible.

ghost of mae nak was good, if a little predictable in places. spooky enough though.

puritan was good enough, mainly because the cast were on-hand to regale us with anecdotes! and as it was david soul's birthday we all signed a huge birthday card for him and sang happy birthday!!!



behind the mask was as amusing as it was slasher, giving us all the tricks of the trade of your average serial killer, like freddie and jason!


the final film of the festival was by far the best. the host was brilliant in every way and i thoroughly recommend it.




edgar wright also visited, and showed us a special trailer for hot fuzz which was hilarious!!! really can't wait....

leon

well i went to leon for lunch and had a splendid salad, all broccoli and peas and quinoa and alalfa sprouts and stuff. very tasty indeed. lovely building too with lots of sofas and books to while away the afternoon. i was disappointed however to see that in spite of their "everything we sell is a superfood" mentality (which should be highly praised) the feel and the workings of it all are fast food. now superfoods usually go with the slow food movement but that of course doesn't mean that they must. it distressed me greatly to have my salad order yelled over the serving person's shoulder and to appear in a cardboard box (which it then had to be eaten out of with plastic cuttlery - i did ask for real stuff but was told they didn't have any - at the rather lovely old table, yeah - probably made out of some endangered wood and aged) in the blink of an eye. i am sure the cardboard is recyclable but which office worker takes something like that back to their office and puts it in the recycling bin? or takes it home to recycle? now i am not just having a go at leon. ok i am. but only because it was my first trip there and i had such high hopes. just why are people so crap? why does everyone need a bag with their sandwich that is just being walked from the sandwich shop back to the office? it only takes a minute. and then they throw it away. YOU DON'T NEED THE BAG. take one with you if you need something with handles. this frustrates me more than just about anything else. it's like at supermarkets (who are evil and i shouldn't go there but where else do i get my haloumi?) where even if you do take your own bag they insist on giving you another one for that last item that won't quite fit and you can easily carry. grrrrr. and people want a multi-pack of crisps in a separate carrier from the loaf of bread etc. aaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh YOU DON'T NEED THE BAG. and while i am on it people who say yes to a bag when they have bought a greetings card or if they already have lots of bags and still ask for more. YOU DON'T NEED THE BAG.
sheesh. i'll stop for now.

and then...

so we went camping to the forest of dean (britain's first national park) and visited the wye valley, particularly symonds yat where i went canoeing when i was a nipper. saw some peregrine falcon chicks learning to hunt pigeons which was rather fab. we stayed in a campsite that features in today's featured book and plan do do a few more too.


i am mighty glad the summer has come back. seemed a bit like the end of the year what with getting ready for back to school and even talking about the hirage of christmas temps... eeeeek i say.


i have given up alcohol for a while too. it's hard but it needs to be done. will have to toast s&n's new pad at the weekend and it would be rude to do it with water though!!!!! it's for many reasons, one of which is to fight my flab. i do wonder how people manage to loose loads of weight in such short spaces of time. i do my best but it takes ages!


well that's it. i'm done in what with all this typing and no red stuff to keep me alert. think i need a nap........

lazy bag

yes, yes. i am a lazy bag. haven't said anything for ages as i haven't had anything to say. not really. went camping to the forest of dean and wye valley with two splendid companions. a fab time was had. since then though..... nothing. well i've done stuff, just not worth sharing really! i will though. after the weekend. i promise..... but don't hold your breath!