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E M O C L E W CHVRCHES | PHOTO: HELEN MESSENGER
Welcome from the editor
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ello and welcome to the latest issue of VultureHound. This issue the team has taken a look at the year ahead and shared their most anticipated films and albums of 2019.
EDITORIAL DAVID GARLICK |Editor/Design| david.garlick@vulturehound.com
As well as looking the future of film, after the success of Stan and Ollie, we look back at some classic Laurel and Hardy films and give our favourite moments. Guillermo del Toro’s films also get ranked from 10-1.
MICHAEL DICKINSON |Film Editor|
We have The Rock on the cover but wrestling gets more of a look in this issue as we ask What the Heck is an AEW? It will all become clear...
helen.messenger@vulturehound.com
If you’re reading this online don’t forget you can get it in print at vulturehound.bigcartel.com. If you’re reading it in print, thanks for your support!
zoe.williamson@vulturehound.com
David Garlick (@davidgarlick) Copyright 2019 VultureHound Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of VultureHound Magazine. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@vulturehound.com.
michael.dickinson@vulturehound.com
HELEN MESSENGER |Music Editor| ZOE WILLIAMSON |Television Editor|
Daily updates from VultureHound.co.uk MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 03
2019 2019
VULTUREHOUND’S 10 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2019
or film fans, a lot of the joy of cinema comes not only from watching movies but also from the anticipation. Pouring through every little detail found in the trailer, speculating on the twists and turns the movie will take, furiously debating why it will be the ‘film of the year’ with friends and colleagues, and if the mood strikes, shouting your excitement at random passers-by in the streets.
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As movie fans who love to do all of those things, here at VultureHound we’ve voted on which 2019 movies are the ones that get us to those levels of excitement. We’ve picked out our ten most anticipated films of 2019, ranked them and assembled some of our writers to share their thoughts on what makes these movies worth getting excited for:
fighting with my family
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restling movies can be quite hit or miss, particularly given the all-consuming nature of the WWE machine. We’re squarely within that machine for Fighting with My Family, which tells the story of recently retired WWE star Paige and her younger years in a wrestling-obsessed British family, but everything looks like it’s set just right for this one to fly. Stephen Merchant is in the director’s chair and he has assembled a terrific cast, with the incomparable Florence Pugh as Paige, alongside the likes of Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Jack Lowden and Vince Vaughn. Merchant has also been ably supported by Dwayne Johnson — modern wrestling’s biggest mainstream success story — in shepherding Paige’s terrific story to the big screen.
Out Now | Words: Tom Beasley
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hazam! looks brilliant. Is it because it’s directed by David F. Sandberg? Maybe, but that’s not the main reason. Is it because it features a rollcall of emerging actors such as Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer alongside the talent of Mark Strong and Djimon Hounsou? Again, partly, but that’s still not the main reason.
shazam! 04 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2019
No, the main reason is that it looks fun.
Out April 5th | Words: Pat Fox
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Joker
ith Wonder Woman 1984 now being moved to 2020, the next big theatrical release for DC Comics after Shazam! will be a peculiar but fascinating oddity in Joker, a completely separate, standalone movie about the roots of Batman’s ultimate arch-nemesis. This DC movie looks not to be your standard comic book film, and a film detailing such an iconic villain’s origin story is one risky gamble, but whether or not that gamble will pay off remains to be seen once the film opens this October.
Out October 4th | Words: Ryan Pollard
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
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verything about our beloved Fast & Furious franchise is quite frankly, bonkers. Whether it’s plots, actions sequences, or Dwayne Johnson’s enormous biceps, nothing in this series is done with subtlety. And over the last decade, there has arguably been no two actors better suited
to these over the top action films than Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, which makes their Fast & Furious spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw, an eagerly anticipated adrenaline pumping entertainer. Their banter back and forth is classic cheesy action humour, but both actors pull it off, as they possess a charm and charisma missing from someone like Vin Diesel. Also, both characters have
different skill sets when it comes to fighting, making the action even more enjoyable. Combine all of this with our beloved Idris Elba playing Hobbs and Shaw’s antagonist, and ladies and gents; we have ourselves an unmissable summer blockbuster.
Out July 26th | Words: Humza Hussain
MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 05
2019
pider-Man: Far From Home sees the start of the MCU’s Phase 4 slate of films, and promises to place Tom Holland’s young Spider-Man at the centre of the franchise. He may be dealing with the small issue of being a pile of dust at present, but it was always inevitable that he’d be back. After the brilliance of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, it would be the dumbest move in comic book movie history not to continue.
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Spider-Man: Far From Home
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Out July 5th | Words: Matt Dennis
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ot only the first Marvel film where a female superhero is front and centre (without a male counterpart sharing top billing), but also the first Marvel film where directing duties are shared by a woman. Co-written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the story will see U.S Air Force fighter pilot Carol Danvers become Captain Marvel, one of the galaxy’s most powerful heroes, and join the elite Kree military team, Starforce. The film will introduce the evil enemy Skrulls which Captain Marvel will no doubt be fighting. Set in the 90s, we’ll also be treated to familiar faces as well as new recruits into the MCU. We’ve been waiting a very long time to see the first female-led superhero film from Marvel and as this film is also a prelude to Endgame, expectations are high and anticipation is even higher.
hat started as a pair of video games called Pokémon Red and Green for the original Gameboy has transformed into a globally known brand with further video games, anime, manga, mobile games, cuddly toys and more.
Out March 8th | Words: Katie Hogan
Out May 10th | Words: Jennifer Drewett
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Now in 2019, we are due to see the first major liveaction Pokémon movie: Detective Pikachu, otherwise known on the internet as Deadpool 3: The Great Mouse Detective. I was somewhat sceptical at first but upon seeing the first trailer, I became instantly excited. The trailer shows a huge amount of potential for great entertainment. It barely matters if it’s a trashy but enjoyable movie or the Oscar-winning darling no one saw coming: it looks like it’ll be the movie every adult and child who has grown up with Pokémon in some way will endlessly enjoy.
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e have had restling movies the teaser can beposter. quite hit We or miss, have hadparticularly the teaser trailer. given the And all-consuming now, with 2019nature in full of swing, the WWE the machine. We’re countdown clocksquarely can tickwithin and that machine tock towards the for Fighting summer with release Mythe of Family, fourth which instalment tells theinstory the of recently Toy Story franchise. retired WWE Will star the Paige and wheels, wings her or younger potatoyears headin segments a wrestling-obsessed fall off this British family, animation juggernaut? but everything Will it be looks an like outing it’stoo set far? just right for this one to fly. Newcomers Patricia Arquette, Keanu Reeves and Stephen Jordan Peele Merchant are setisto injoin the series’ director’s mainstays chair and onhe has assembled voice cast duty, aand terrific therecast, is a with scentthe of incomparable promise with Florence the news Pugh that Inside as Paige, Out writer alongside Joshthe Cooley likeshas of Nick been Frost, Lena handed the Headey, director’s Jack chair. Lowden In terms andof Vince story, Vaughn. what Merchant we currently hasknow also is been thatably thissupported is set to bebya Dwayne road trip Johnson — romantic comedy modern (yes, wrestling’s really) that biggest will give mainstream way to success a final scene storythat — inTom shepherding Hanks hasPaige’s alreadyterrific dubbed story a to the bigin ‘moment screen. history’. No pressure then.
he supposed restling movies final canchapter be quite in hit or miss, the Skywalker particularly Saga, with givenForce the all-consuming Awakens director nature J.J. Abrams of the WWE back machine. in the director’s We’re squarely chair. The within film is thattomachine set end thefor Saga Fighting once and withfor My Family, all, and by the which sounds tells the of things, story of will it recently do soretired in style; WWE ending starthe Paige and her long-lasting war younger that started years in aAttack wrestling-obsessed of the Clones, British family, returning Lando but Calrissian everything to the looks forefront, like it’s revealing set just rightfuture the for this of one the Jedi to fly. and determining the final fate of one of the best new characters in Star Wars: Kylo Stephen Merchant is in the director’s chair and he Ren. has assembled a terrific cast, with the incomparable It promises theas best of both worlds, taking Florence Pugh Paige, alongside the likes the of Nick character progression of Rian Johnson’s movie Frost, Lena Headey, Jack Lowden and Vince Vaughn. and mixinghas it with crowd-pleasing nature of an Merchant also the been ably supported by Dwayne Abrams It could reunite themainstream fanbase and Johnsonspectacular. — modern wrestling’s biggest remind us all why we got so excited for more Star success story — in shepherding Paige’s terrific story Wars in 2015. to the big screen.
Out February 14th | Words: Tom Beasley Out Jun 21st | Words: Greg Wetherall
Out February 14th | Words: Tom Beasley Out December 19th | Words: Emrys Moungabio
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“P
Avengers: Endgame
art of the journey is the end.”
That’s what Tony Stark utters at the opening of the record-breaking Endgame trailer that was released last month, and while he might be drifting alone in space, you get the feeling we’re being addressed here. For the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, unfamiliarly, in doubt; while you can be sure the franchise that churns out half a billion dollars with every film won’t come to a complete standstill, the shape of things to come is, for once, uncertain.
Out April 26th | Words: Chris Shortt
MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 07
LIVE
WORDS + PHOTO: DANI WILLGRESS
S E K A N S E L TT A R E TH D N A R TE R A C K FRAN THE EMPIRE, COVENTRY rank Carter And The Rattlesnakes take to the stage of sold out The Empire in Coventry, the biggest night of the tour. It’s not surprising that the band sold out the 900 capacity venue when you bear in mind this is a band that has sold out Brixton Academy not that long ago. The band is explosive with energy, frontman Frank Carter in particular despite being ill he still brings his all. The stage antics, and off stage, are insane as he climbs onto the crowd and performs headstands on top of fans. The setlist is a brilliant mix of material from the previous two albums, new unreleased songs and of course recent single Crowbar. Now it wouldn’t be a Frank Carter gig if he didn’t bring up important topics such as harassment against women and mental health. Like all Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes shows it didn’t disappoint.
WORDS + PHOTO: DANI WILLGRESS
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WORDS + PHOTO: HELEN MESSENGER
CHVRCHES cotland’s Chvrches may only have one top 40 single to their name but tonight a good 10,000 people have trekked to North London’s Alexandra Palace indicating a band still on the rise even if they haven’t quite hit the big time just yet.
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Support comes from another pop synth set up, Lets Eat Grandma whose set builds from a gentle soft start to a blistering wall of noise and back again. New songs from the duos second album ‘I’m all ears’ really shows the move in maturity of both sound and lyrics over the past couple of years. As expected this is a band plenty of the crowd arrived early just to see. In some ways producing a livelier response than the headliners. Chvrches arrive on stage and launch into opener ‘Get Out’ one of their bigger singles. Singer Laura Mayberry full of energy through the set leaves plenty of time in between songs for some well receive crowd chat alongside band members Martin Doherty and Iain Cooke. Despite the energy on stage and a great mixed set the Thursday night London crowd feels a little flat. Maybe they are just zoning out and enjoying the music, but in such a cavernous venue it’s very easy to be distracted by the people around you rather than the ones on stage.
ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON
The set unusually ends with ‘Never Say Die’ and Chvrches prove they are certainly good enough to hold a crowd of this size. Now to hit the big time.
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2019
WORDS: EMRYS MOUNGABIO
2019: A Year of Endings
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s you can see from our ‘Most Anticipated Movies’ list, 2019 is set to be a year full of varied and colourful films. But, even more so, it’s a year of endings.
The most obvious ‘endings’ are those of Star Wars and Avengers. Although the two franchises will inevitably continue, both have reached the climax of the stories they’ve been telling in recent years, with the core Avengers speculated to bow out after their rematch with Thanos, and the reborn Rebellion ready to make one final shot at taking down Kylo Ren and the First Order. Similarly, the theme of things coming to an end is spread across several other big movies this year. Both the Toy Story franchise and M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable series both return (or in the case of Glass, has already returned) to screens this year to tell one final story. In other news, Ben Affleck has finally confirmed that he will not be returning to Batman; a timely announcement, considering Warner Bros. plans to de-emphasize the shared universe aspect of their DC Superhero movies. It’s a strange coincidence that all these (and other) franchises have timed their spiritual ‘endings’ for the year of 2019, but perhaps fitting, as it means the last year of this decade is perhaps the most packed when it comes to anticipated content. Audiences love to see how a story comes to a close, and if the films don’t manage to stick the landing, well, next year is a new decade, where we’ll see what wonders the newer iterations of these franchises all have in store.
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FROM ELDERLY VAMPIRES TO FISHY ROMANCE:
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o r o T l e d
PHOTO: MARGARET MALANDRUCCOLO
10. HELLBOY (2004) It’s a mark of Del Toro’s consistency that this perfectly solid film sits at the bottom of the list. One of his first forays into the world of comic book blockbuster filmmaking, it’s a slightly overlong tale that leans on spectacle over character. Given how well Del Toro handles character when he allows it to be the focus, that’s a real shame.
WORDS: TOM BEASLEY
DEL TORO
or me, Guillermo del Toro is the most consistently interesting filmmaker working today. The Mexican maestro has shown over the years that he can turn his hand to movies at any budget level, from his tiny early films through to the comic book blockbusters he made in the noughties and the sophisticated mid-budget fare that has become his focus in recent years.
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The thing that comes through most clearly in Del Toro’s work is his humanist approach to filmmaking. He believes in empathy above all else – human empathy for fellow humans, or an audience shifting that empathy towards a ghost, a monster or any other kind of supernatural creature. It’s not something many directors can pull off, but Del Toro has done it time and time again. But despite his success and reliability, he has often struggled to get stuff made. His adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness has been in development hell for years and, at one point, he was set to helm The Hobbit. Now, though, after winning an Oscar for The Shape of Water, he’s pushing ahead with some great projects, including an anthology horror series for Netflix and, perhaps most excitingly, a stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio for the streaming service – his first animated film. With that in mind, it seems like a good time to rank Guillermo del Toro’s 10 feature films as director...
With that said, though, Hellboy is an enjoyable film that benefits from the synergy between Del Toro’s love of monsters and the weird and wonderful world of Mike Mignola’s source material. It’s just all a little too much.
9. BLADE II (2002) Again, the low placement of this
film on the list is simply a result of the fact Del Toro doesn’t make bad movies. Blade II is an engaging and deliciously violent blockbuster that shows just how compelling the superhero genre can be when it is spliced and mingled with the DNA of horror films.The team behind the upcoming New Mutants should definitely take note.
clearly showed faith in Del Toro to take the character and the story in the direction he wanted. In recent years, that has certainly proven to be the way to make a superhero film work, from the barmy comedy of Taika Waititi in Thor: Ragnarok to James Wan’s wildly successful Aquaman in the last couple of months.
It’s a movie in which the studio
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DEL TORO
8. HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008) Everything that was slightly disappointing about the first Hellboy film was rectified in The Golden Army four years later. It’s packed with some grotesque beasties and enjoyable spectacle, as well as satisfying emotional arcs for all of the key characters. Ron Perlman, of course, is even more gruffly charismatic than he was the first time around. This film is Del Toro at his most accessible, but he hasn’t compromised on any of the idiosyncrasies that make him who he is. As the union of Hollywood and the European arthouse, it’s very impressive indeed.
7. MIMIC (1997) Famously, this is the one film of his that Guillermo del Toro speaks about in slightly unfavourable terms. Having only made Cronos at that point, he felt that his vision was compromised by working in the studio system. He has since released a Director’s Cut of the film, though, and Mimic in this form is a very fun B-movie. There are lashings of the thematic depth and arthouse appeal that you’d expect but, at its heart, it’s a silly film about giant bugs. Mira Sorvino is great in the lead role and the grimy environs of the New York City sewer system are realised with palpable filth. The creature design, too, is a feat of gross-out beauty, revealed to the audience slowly via some surprisingly subtle direction and tension. In this case, Del Toro has done better than I think even he realised.
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6. PACIFIC RIM (2013) A lot of stuff goes bang in Pacific Rim. A lot of noise is made too. And there are giant robots. But that’s where the similarities with Michael Bay’s awful Transformers franchise end. Del Toro’s kaiju vs. robots smackdown is one that is realised with real heart beneath the warped metal. Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi tell an elegant story of connection, while Idris Elba brings gravitas as the leader of the human resistance. Del Toro’s action sequences are big and bombastic, but they’re also entirely coherent and easy to track. The audience never loses the emotional connection to what’s unfolding because Del Toro doesn’t lose sight of the human beings lurking beneath the titanium fists and swinging automobiles. It’s the best of his American blockbusters, for sure.
5. THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE (2001) It might not be the best of Del Toro’s movies set during the Spanish Civil War – more on that later – but The Devil’s Backbone is the ultimate humanist take on the ghost story. The undead child at the centre of the horror in this film isn’t really even the centre of the film itself, with an unexploded bomb in the courtyard of the orphanage setting casting a bizarre aura of threat. Like all of Del Toro’s horror efforts, the monsters in this movie are not the monsters at all. It’s the forces of General Franco and his fascist regime who are more terrifying and evil than anything from beyond the
grave. That Del Toro manages to make his political points while also delivering a very scary movie indeed is testament to his remarkable understanding of what makes the horror genre tick.
4. CRONOS (1993) Guillermo del Toro’s debut feature very much served as a mission statement for what was to come. It’s a vampire story, but one in which the central player is an entirely benevolent antiques dealer – a man who doesn’t want to quench his thirst with human blood, but wants it to go away by any means necessary. Federico Luppi’s central performance is simply heart-breaking at the centre of a story that is built around the relationship between him and his granddaughter. There’s also a malevolent businessman and a thuggish Ron Perlman in play, combining to make a horror tale that uses vampiric iconography and style to tell a very human story.
3. CRIMSON PEAK (2015) Savaged by some critics on its initial release, Crimson Peak also transpired to be a rather expensive box office bomb. It grossed just $75m worldwide from a budget of $55m and was dismissed as a hysterical, frivolous slice of gothic nostalgia. That assessment is not entirely unfair, but it fails to recognise how wildly entertaining the movie is. Even if it were just Jessica Chastain shrieking for two hours, it would be more than enough for me. Del Toro takes the gothic surroundings of his mansion house
THIS IS A MOVIE THAT FEATURES SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE IMAGES IN MODERN CINEMA set and fills them with candlelight for an atmospheric spookfest that gives way to lurid violence in the unhinged third act. One day, it’ll get the love it deserves but, for now, it’ll have to live with the bronze medal slot on this list.
2. THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017) After more than two decades as a critically beloved filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro finally won his Oscar last year for The Shape of Water. His tale of the tender romance between Sally Hawkins’s mute cleaner and an imprisoned fish creature won him the award for Best Director, as well as netting Best Picture over some far more conventional Academy picks. It’s a fitting culmination of Del Toro’s career to date, making explicit
his dissolution of the dividing line between the human and the supernatural. There’s something very appropriate about it being a Guillermo del Toro film that broke the Academy’s long drought in which they failed to recognise genre material. The Shape of Water is a beautiful, elegant movie that manages to horrify and fascinate in equal measure, while also wrenching at the audience’s heartstrings. It’s a real triumph.
1. PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) I absolutely love the idea that, in between two very demanding comic book blockbusters, Del Toro just popped back to Europe to make one of the best movies of all time. Pan’s Labyrinth uses fairytale imagery and flights of fancy to draw attention to
the evils of human beings at their most unimaginative. It’s as much about the power of escapism and imagination as it is about the evils of Francoism, finding depth amidst the darkness in the way that Del Toro is so often able to achieve. On a more basic level, this is a movie that features some of the most memorable images in modern cinema. Everyone who has seen the chilling Pale Man is unable to remove that character from their mind and the malevolent faun is another great achievement of Doug Jones’ creature performance. Given the fact this is a film about imagination, it makes sense that Del Toro’s is in high gear. Pan’s Labyrinth is not just Del Toro’s masterpiece. It deserves a spot on any list of the best movies of all time and is one of the great dark fairytales.
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LAUREL AND HARDY
WORDS: KELECHI EHENULO
LAUREL AND HARDY: THEIR BEST MOMENTS hen it comes to the comedic duos that have influenced cinema, noone comes close to Laurel and Hardy. Seriously, no one.
endlessly escalating situations they often find themselves in. Whatever the circumstance, the same magic wouldn’t exist if their jokes were performed by other comics. ‘One of a kind’ and ‘legendary’ are casually thrown around when describing actors, but Laurel and Hardy undoubtedly live up to that statement.
As influencers of comedy, their work has become the bedrock of sharp wit, physical slapstick and comedic timing, inspiring a generation of talents such as Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, David Schneider and none other than Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.
Thanks to director Jon S. Baird (Cass, Filth), audiences now have a chance to once again witness that outstanding partnership in the charmingly delightful biopic Stan & Ollie starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly.
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It’s the simplicity of their humour that frequently strikes at the heart of their talent. They’re the original odd couple, and in their well-timed universe, they bring a combinational balance to their films. It’s the ‘Southern gentleman’ and the dimwitted English companion. It’s the occasional mannerisms of Hardy’s exuberant tie-wave and Laurel’s head scratch. It’s the absurd and
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With that in mind, it’s time to take a step back into history and celebrate some of their best work from their glorious heyday.
Busy Bodies (1933) It’s only twenty minutes long and yet Busy Bodies could have been the significant influence to Home Alone! Working at a sawmill is a hazardous job, and Laurel and Hardy make
the most of it. The entire film is a ‘moment’, packed full of fast-paced, running gags where one thing leads to another with Oliver Hardy (typically) on the receiving end. It’s safe to say that they lost their onscreen jobs once the film ended.
The Music Box (1932) Similar to Busy Bodies, whenever Laurel and Hardy have a job, the physicality of the role ends up being part of the joke. As delivery men, they try to move a piano into a home by climbing some stairs. Not to spoil it, but the hilarity that comes from The Music Box is how the piano ends up back at its original, starting position.
Saps at Sea (1940) “You’re going to like this because it’s just like how mother used to make.” Not only does Saps at Sea have to contend with Hardy’s allergic and violent reaction to the sound of horns or the pair renting a boat to escape the drama, but it involves one of the best/worst plans by the
When it comes to the comedic duos that have influenced cinema, no-one comes close to Laurel and Hardy.
duo. Having a stowaway murderer on their boat is one thing, having to make food for him is another. In a bid to trick him, get back to shore and collect the reward money, the pair ends up making ‘synthetic’ replacement food (string for the spaghetti, red paint for the tomato sauce or a sponge for meatballs) for their uninvited guest. The plan backfires spectacularly due to one, unforeseen circumstance – their guest was watching the entire time and forced them to eat their creations. It has to be seen to be believed, just for their facial expressions alone.
Way Out West (1937) No ‘Best of Laurel & Hardy’ list is complete without mentioning the dance number from one of their beloved and well-known films. Arriving at Mickey Finns Palace, Laurel and Hardy are greeted by the sounds of J. Leubrie Hill’s ‘At the Ball’, performed by The Avalon Boys. In any other film, this moment
would have been a ‘nothing’ scene – easy background music for arriving guests. But two minutes later, it becomes one of the most iconic moments in cinema history.
have been reactionary figures to their jokes, their wives always seem to be ahead of the curve of their misdemeanours and end up being the smartest people in the room.
Granted, it’s silly and playful, but their personal mannerisms and quirks are littered throughout every move. It comes as no surprise that Stan & Ollie brilliantly incorporates it as its centrepiece as a definitive moment in their careers. It brings a smile to your face.
That is brilliantly illustrated in Sons of the Desert, where Stan and Ollie lie to their wives so they can both attend an ‘all boys’ convention, aptly called ‘Sons of the Desert’. Having discovered their lying ways (thanks to the beauty of cinema), the entire third act is the duo trying to worm their way out of that lie, involving mishaps such as escaping to the attic without making a noise, building a hammock or sliding down a drainpipe. Naturally, everything goes wrong for them, but the pure enjoyment is watching the duo take a notable step back and giving their significant others that empowering spotlight to shine and expose that truth.
Sons of the Desert (1933) Laurel and Hardy have always made a formidable pair. That is despite forming by accident! But an underrated aspect of their sketches involves their ability to play on partnerships. That’s not specifically related to the dynamic duo. It’s quite the opposite. More specifically, it relates to their wives. Their wives have always been an essential fulcrum of their relationship. While other characters
Stan & Ollie is in cinemas now.
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VULTUREHOUND’S 2019 music Preview
es 2018 was an amazing year for brand new music but you just wait and see what 2019 has in store for you. Here are the bands and new releases the team here at VultureHound are most excited about.
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Helen Messenger
code orange
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he Orange County hardcore outfit didn’t so much dominate the metal world two years ago as obliterate it, 2017’s Forever the Death Star to Earth’s Alderaan. A truly majestic piece of music that will be heralded as a stone cold classic for years to come, anticipation is sky high for the group’s fourth effort that is expected to come out in 2019 and, given such factors as their abrasive demeanour, outright refusal to any sort of conformity and a wealth of avenues with which to take their brutal, crushing sound, they’ll probably exceed all expectations yet again.
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Martha
fter a relatively quiet year, indie/ punk/pop quartet Martha popped up just before Christmas with the news that they had signed to Big Scary Monsters and had a brand new single called Heart is Healing. It’s our first sign of an as-yet-untitled new album, expected a little later this year, and from the look of it it’s everything we could hope for from the Durham foursome: warm, fun, deeply heartfelt and catchy as hell. In fact it might be poppiest, happiest-sounding breakup song ever – marrying earnest, touching lyrics (‘This year blew my world apart/Admin with a broken heart’) with irresistible pogoing pop hooks like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
WORDS: RICHARD BELL, BEN ADSETT, ROISIN TUOHY, ELLIOT LEAVER, AMBER DENWOOD, JAMES AUTON | LIVE PHOTOS: VICKI BAILEY
erhz wit ged tibnle hr fihgee C my family restling movies can be quite hit ndie punk trio Cheerbleederz or miss,toparticularly given the signed Alcopop! Records late all-consuming nature ofa cracker the WWE last year and released machine. We’re squarely The within of a record to celebrate. that machine for Fighting Faceplant EP isn’t anythingwith like as My Family, which the story humiliating as its tells moniker would of recently retireddisplaying WWE stara wellsuggest, instead Paige and her younger years in a wrestling-obsessed earned confidence to their brand of upbeat fuzz pop. British family, but everything looks like it’s set just New single Staying Up Late’s delightfully animated right for this one fly. video captures thetobubbly charm at the heart of this band, all while paying an appropriately adorable Stephen to Merchant is inclassic the director’s and he homage 90s sitcom Sabrinachair the Teenage has assembled a terrific cast, with the incomparable Witch. The EP’s best song Cabin Fever features singer Florence Woods Pugh as Paige, alongside the likes of ever Nick Kathryn sounding happier than anyone Frost, Lena Headey, Lowden and Vince Vaughn. has while singing theJack words ‘I think that we’re all Merchant has been ably supported by Dwayne doomed’, whilealso Don’t Hesitate calls for traditionally Johnson — modern wrestling’s biggest mainstream marginalised voices to have confidence in their art – success story rallying — in shepherding Paige’s terrificgroup. story an important cry from this all-female to the big screen.
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Out February 14th | Words: Tom Beasley
Sleater with fighKti innngey my family restling movies can Sleater be quiteKinney hit t’s four years since or miss, given came outparticularly of the woods withthe all-consuming nature of the WWE 2015’s No Cities To Love, after a machine. squarely decade ofWe’re inactivity. The within result that for Fighting with was amachine reassuringly good record My Family, the story that showedwhich their tells DIY punk of recently retired WWE star roots were still firmly intact, Paige hersensibility younger years in aon wrestling-obsessed as wasand a pop evident the absurdly British family, but everything it’s set just catchy single A New Wave. Thelooks bandlike announced an right for this one to up fly.with St Vincent by posting a extraordinary team picture of themselves on social media in the studio Stephen Merchant inspite the director’s chair and he with St Vincent. Butisin of her very high profile, has assembled a terrific cast, with the incomparable St Vincent’s involvement on the as-yet-untitled new Florencewhich Pughisasdue Paige, the likes Nick album, out alongside at some point later of this Frost,isLena Headey, Jack Lowden Vince Vaughn. year, unlikely to overshadow theand band themselves. Merchant also Cities been ably supported byare Dwayne SC provedhas with No To Love that they still Johnson — modern wrestling’s biggest mainstream every bit the outfit that took their inspiration from success — in and shepherding terrificastory the Riot story Grrl scene used it toPaige’s help inspire to the new big screen. whole generation of young musicians, and a new record from them is something to get very excited Out February about indeed. 14th | Words: Tom Beasley
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oly Roar Records were the standout label in metal in 2018, releasing superb album after superb album. At the very top of the tree were Rugby’s Conjurer; debut album Mire was a tour de force of sludgy riffs, savage twin vocal lines, punk abrasion and expansive post-metal brilliance. There might not be any new music due from them this year, but a short headline run of the UK and Ireland next month will be followed by their first tour of the ‘States, thus setting up for their already impressive upwards trajectory to skyrocket into the stratosphere and beyond.
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MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 17
2019 2019
Venom prison
Fontaines DC
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t’s been widely lied about that rock’n’roll is dead. If faced with middle class privileged skinny jean wearing Strokes wannabees with only half the talent of Casablanca’s et al then it maybe it is a reasonable viewpoint.
Prowling the stage like he wants to pick a fight with the front row wearing what looks like his Dads old brown leather jacket and cords, Grian Chatten, doesn’t say a word, stares out the crowd and fronts the frantic dirty rock’n’roll band that clearly do not give a f*ck. They don’t look like they are enjoying themselves; it appears more that this is a necessity than a pleasure. They graced us with a couple of incendiary singles in 2018, “Too Real” “Checkless Reckless/The Boys From The Better Land” and the word on the Liffey is that Dan Carey has produced the debut L.P and it’s all ready.
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t seems a lifetime ago that death metal bruisers Venom Prison released Animus, a sonic blast of pure venom and anger injected straight into the musical bloodstream of anyone who dared give it a spin. The reality is it was only 2016, but the quintet’s relentless touring in the time since endeared them to not only people who relish the extremer end of the metal spectrum, but also those who had never ventured close to it beforehand. The follow up, due out this year, will likely be just as chaotic, thus propelling Venom Prison on a deservedly fast upwards trajectory.
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Spielbergs he ever-building soundscapes are condensed into clever songs full of complexity and indie pop credentials. This combination creates tracks with longevity and a real sense of self, the complex musicianship and real understanding of choruses and hooks just shows how good the song-writing here is. Lyrically everyday life is covered with clever word play and a tone that is completely relatable, every word cleverly leads into and out of choruses and hooks that are made to be sung along to.
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There is no doubt that these songs are going to sound incredible in a packed room.
w3ith ng33 ver hti figFe my family espite the constant pining that fans will harbour for the superb Letlive, Jason Butler has ensured his unabashed rage and animosity towards the current political climate remains in the open. Continuing the harsh, bullish mentality of his predecessors, Fever 333 are set to become the angriest band to pick up guitars and drums since Rage Against the Machine and their initial EP Made an America received acclaim from all corners upon its release last year. Full-length debut Strength in Numb333rs is unleashed this month and promises to kick things into overdrive with a healthy dose of pure, unadulterated spite.
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Read our 5 star review of Strength in Numb333rs on page 41
band who, quite frankly, need no introduction. The eighteen-legged juggernaut known as Slipknot are back with a brand new album this year and, if latest song All Out Life is anything to go by, they are about to take us on a dark and twisted journey the likes of which haven’t been seen since their 2001 opus Iowa. Still one of the best live bands on the planet and continuing to pack a serious amount of punch, the legendary masked riders of the apocalypse are about to leave the rest of the competition trailing in their dust. Again.
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MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 19
ALL ELITE WRESTLING
WORDS: JORDAN CHAFFIOTTE
What the
H ec k Is an
AEW? f you’ve been around the wrestling community lately, you’ve probably heard of AEW. No, it’s not a root beer, or a television network. It’s a wrestling promotion, and as you may have noticed, a very big deal. Within a few days of announcing their new promotion, All Elite Wrestling, fans were already using the shorthand of AEW. The hype is intense, but don’t be
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intimidated by the hardcore fans. There’s a lot here for even the most novice fan to enjoy. If you’re curious about AEW, VultureHound is here to answer all of your questions, plus a few you probably never asked.
WHAT THE HECK IS AN AEW? All Elite Wrestling, or AEW is a new independent wrestling promotion in North America, and the first to make a big enough splash to scare WWE in a very long time. Backed by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and his son Tony, it’s throwing
around some serious offers at wrestlers. Former WWE, WCW, ECW and NJPW star Chris Jericho signed with them, riling up rumors of who else AEW could poach from WWE. The main attraction are the Executive Vice Presidents, Cody, the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Kenny Omega. All four are massive stars both in the US and in Japan, where they were all members of a group called The Elite.
SO WHAT’S THE ELITE?
PHOTOS: AL POWERS FOR MGM GRAND
IT’S NOT A ROOT BEER, OR A TELEVISION NETWORK. IT’S A WRESTLING PROMOTION, AND AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, A VERY BIG DEAL
MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 21
ALL ELITE WRESTLING
the NWO’s iconic hand gesture called the “too sweet.” As apart of their departure to start AEW, these members of the Elite were kicked out of the Bullet Club.
THAT’S WAY TOO MANY GROUPS, WHO DO I ACTUALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT? Okay, buckle up. Cody, the Jacksons, and Omega are all apart of The Elite. It refers to their YouTube Series Being the Elite where they supplement storylines through vlog-like sketches. The Elite used to be a subgroup of The Bullet Club. Now, the Bullet Club was a group formed years ago by Fergal Devitt, of non-Japanese wrestlers who played villains. Japanese wrestling is clean and by the book, it’s about honor. Devitt and his Bullet Club came in and spat on all of those traditions and norms. They were reminiscent of a WCW group called NWO, which also riffed off of being outsiders coming into an established brand and messing with the status quo. The Bullet Club even repurposed
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Fair enough. First and foremost there’s Cody and Brandi Rhodes. The name Rhodes may sound familiar, because that’s the son and daughter-in-law of famous wrestler Dusty Rhodes. Cody wasn’t getting the creative opportunities he wanted in WWE, so him and his wife left for greener pastures. He was one of the first to prove that you really could make it as an indie wrestler and that WWE wasn’t the only option. Next is the Young Bucks, Nick and Matt are possibly the two hottest acts outside of the WWE. Tag team wrestling is not a priority in the WWE but the Young Bucks have elevated it in other promotions. Their most high profile signee is
Kenny Omega, arguably the best wrestler in the world today. He’s coming off a massive ten-year long storyline with Kota Ibushi, that was ten times deeper and more emotional than anything WWE has done basically ever. Hangman Page, Joey Janella, Pac, and the Lucha Brothers are also names you may hear.
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO EXCITED ABOUT IT? Since WCW folded, there hasn’t been any true competition for WWE. It’s allowed them to really monopolize the industry. Last year, this same group of wrestlers put on a show called All In which was intended to prove that WWE was not the dog in the game. They sold out within 30 minutes. Not only that, they put on a good show. It was exciting, surprising, and far more story-driven than the majority of what wrestling fans normally see. AEW also seems to be uniquely positioned to push wrestling forward as an industry. First, Brandi
Rhodes, who serves as the Chief Brand Officer (a thinly-veiled jab at Stephanie McMahon) announced that AEW would be paying female talents the same as male talents. A look at any salary report from WWE will show there’s a serious wage gap over there. Then they hired two LGBTQ+ wrestlers in Sonny Kiss and Nyla Rose. If they’re able to make their promotion a more inclusive environment, they could push WWE and other promotions to do the same.
SHOULD I BE EXCITED ABOUT IT? Maybe! One of AEW’s biggest points of appeal is in its storytelling. While WWE has a tendency to get cheesy and superficial, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be AEW’s jam. I looks like it’ll be a case of take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Their top priority is putting out a strong product, and they may have more freedom to do so since there’s less pressure from shareholders. WWE’s also a family-friendly product, and if All In was any indication, AEW
will most certainly not be angling for a PG rating. That opens up a path for them to be edgier and push the envelope. It could be really entertaining. As a litmus test, you can look to their YouTube show. Being the Elite has taken wrestling stories to a whole new place. If you enjoy a witty and quirky style of entertainment, you’ll probably like it. The storylines are wild and it’s a fun way to dip your toes into the world of wrestling. Fans are interested in seeing how AEW weaves these storylines into their programming, but it’s safe to say the vibe will carry over to the new promotion. Take a look at a few of their videos and see if it jives with you. For those who like to casually watch wrestling, it’s likely that having true competition in the North American market will drive a better product across the board. WWE will have to step up its game in order to keep up if AEW is successful in building a brand that is exciting, fresh, and forward-thinking. It gives performers
more leverage, up to this point they haven’t had that many options outside of WWE. There are already reports of various WWE stars angling for better contracts since the announcement of AEW. From all indications, AEW is going to make a big splash, so get ready to hear a lot more about it. Their second show, Double or Nothing, is in May, and sold out even faster than All In. Check out Being the Elite on YouTube and keep an eye on AEW. It’s sure to be one heck of a journey.
MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 23
THE ORVILLE
WORDS: GRAE WESTGATE
THE ORVILLE’S MARK JACKSON rom the creative mind of Seth MacFarlane, space-age comedydrama The Orville has captured the hearts of sci-fi fans new and old.
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As the show begins its voyage into its second season, we were lucky enough to catch up with the ship’s resident emotionless robot, Mark Jackson to discuss hidden treasure, giant aliens, and the hopeful future of sci-fi…
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How does it feel going into the second season of the show? Well, great! We wrapped in October, and then you just move on and do other stuff. In my case, leave the country and get on with life! And then it’s nice to come back to talking about it! Gives me a nice cosy feeling to be able to chat about it!
The Orville was kind of your first big break on TV. How did it feel to be taking part in a Seth MacFarlane gig?
Like everyone else, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the show! I’ve followed Seth’s work for over a decade… I’ve watched American Dad and Family Guy pretty much every day since they came on… it’s my bedtime treat! It’s storytime with a few laughs… characters which you know really well… That’s the appeal of those shows. So I think Seth has really recreated that with The Orville. Okay, the stories are a bit longer, but you have characters and adventure. It’s live-action, which is different from those shows, but of course he’d already done liveaction with A Million Ways to Die in the West, which I really enjoyed.
from the creative mind of Seth MacFarlane, space-age comedy-drama The Orville has captured the hearts of sci-fi fans new and old.
He’s so prolific in everything that he does. He throws all he has at it, so I knew it was going to be special. So working with Seth, I already felt like I knew the way his mind works from watching all these amazing shows. He’s an incredibly funny, generous, kind, smart man, and someone that I am privileged to call a friend.
What do you think it is about his humour that makes him so prolific, and such a giant in modern culture? He’s one of the world’s greatest satirists. He’s not afraid to say what he thinks. You only have to follow
him on social media to know that, and I really admire him for that. Lots of people in this industry shy away from saying what they think because of their fear of how the industry will view them. But Seth has actually made his career on doing just that, which is such an admirable thing. I take my hat off to him, and long may he continue doing it!
With Isaac, how has it been playing an essentially emotionless robot? (laughs) Well, being such an emotional man… You just work with what you have in the script really!
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THE ORVILLE
The nice thing about playing Isaac is the suit. That’s ninety percent of the way towards playing Isaac. Then it’s the voice, which is very measured. Keeping that measure takes you the other ten percent. He’s an oddball, and keeping that consistency keeps me on track. He doesn’t have emotional content, which is usually the easiest thing for actors to get involved with, but I have a real responsibility to keep Isaac true to his own form. It’s a meaty challenge for me to get my teeth into.
Having spent 700 years away, what can we expect from Isaac and his development in the second season? I’m very pleased that someone pointed out that I should have 700 years of back-pay! I like to think he’s got that stowed away somewhere, just a huge chest of whatever coinage they have in the future. Though I suspect actually we’ve done away with currency… I’ll have to check on that! My Orville knowledge is slipping through my fingers! The thing is, he’s consistent; in 700 years he’s collected a lot of data, but it’s not on humans. In fact, it’s not on any kind of species that’s onboard the ship, so I’m not sure it’s particularly helpful! He continues to collect data on what he sees around
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him, and reacts accordingly to that knowledge. I think he’s always subtly transforming. To be able to bring that side is quite a fun thing to do.
Speaking of the species on the ship, you’ve met some bizarre creatures during the first season, and I imagine even more so in season two. What has been your weirdest experience on the show so far? You can get on set early in the morning, you’re barely awake, clutching a coffee, and there’s someone putting some sort of battery-operated thing in your back and making sure you’re all sorted, and then from round the corner unexpectedly, some seven-foot, thickskinned alien that you never thought could even exist comes crawling at you. And the weirdest thing is that you don’t even bat an eyelid nowadays! It’s bizarre how familiar it’s become. I think that’s pretty cool; to be able to say that’s part of your daily routine. It’s pretty special!
Last year when we spoke to Scott (Grimes), we discussed how the show was getting a lot of comparisons to Galaxy Quest and, obviously, Star Trek. How do you feel it has evolved beyond that?
What I’ve always said about The Orville is that it stands upon the shoulders of all these giants. We owe a lot to all these shows. But we have formed something new for the fans. Because, let’s face it, we’re popular because all these other shows have been popular before. We’re very lucky to have the Trekkies on our side. It’s a bit concerning; they’re very intelligent viewers! But they love quality entertainment, and I feel that with The Orville, we’ve been able to deliver that. I think the writing team are very brave in the way that they artfully mash together comedy and very touching drama that manages to deliver powerful opinions and powerful discussions on really important themes of today. It’s really quite remarkable that they manage to do it all in what is essentially forty-five minutes of television.
With all of the giants proceeding you, why do you think we as an audience are so obsessed with a space-based future? What I think is great about the human condition is that we always have the ability to look ahead of ourselves. We always have the ability to question “what will come, and how can we make it better? How can we shape our futures?” Obviously, if we go far enough into the future with any show, we’re going to get space travel in there. And the wonderful thing about that is that we get to explore our horizons in ways we can’t right now. I often read science-fiction books and think “gosh! We’re so far behind!” And it’s not going to happen in my lifetime, and godammit, it’s so frustrating! I think what The Orville does so nicely is to offer a hopeful view of our future. We’ve had all of the dystopia in our sci-fi of late, and that’s fine. But it’s nice to bring a bit of hope back into our science fiction.
The Orville, Thursdays at 9pm, only on FOX
SPIELBERGS
WORDS: BEN ADSETT
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: SPIELBERGS Hi guys, how’s it going?
draw inspiration from all this, as well as literature, movies and everyday interactions.
We’re doing great! So much positivity coming our way ahead of the release of our first album! At the same time we’re really busy rehearsing for the upcoming tour.
How hard is it to combine hooks/choruses with complex musicianship?
What were your highlights of 2018? The release of our EP Distant Star, and the good reviews we got I would say. And also playing our first ever UK shows.
What does 2019 have in store for you? A lot, it seems. We will be touring Norway and UK this spring, and hopefully do a bunch of festivals in the summer, in Norway as well as abroad. In between the shows and in the autumn we will be recording some new material. We’ve got more coming!
What can you tell us about the record? We put a lot of work into it, and tried to show the full spectrum of what Spielbergs can be. It’s released on By The Time It Gets Dark, our excellent label, and will be available on yellow 12” vinyl and CD.
You have a varied sound, where do you take influence? From all over the place, really, but we do admire bands that take risks in their music, that are not afraid to show diversity. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead is one band that we all respect and have listened to a lot. Their willingness to mix long, jamlike songs with more immediate tunes have always spoken to us as musicians and songwriters. We listen to everything from punk-rock to jazz, and probably
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Hmm, how to answer this without sounding cocky? Big choruses have been a focus for us with this band, and something we have tried our best to achieve. The musicianship is really just the three of us bringing our different playing styles together. But our focus has been mainly on the songs, and not on impressing with our playing.
How does your song writing process work? Either Mads (guitar/vocals) or Stian (bass/vocals) brings an idea for a song to the rehearsals, and we work on it together. When the song itself starts to come together we play around with tempo, fills, dynamics and such. Sometimes it’s done in a couple of weeks, sometimes it takes months to get it right.
Is your live sound different from your recordings? We try to do the record justice, but some of the songs have been “reborn” in the process of working on the tour-set. But there will be loud guitars!
How hard is it to balance the live and recorded sounds? We didn’t want to limit ourselves in the studio with live sound in mind, so we did a lot of overdubs. These things are hard to recreate live, but we’ve got help from our good friend Ole Torstein Hovig, who will be playing synth on the tour. He helps us fill out the sound, and make sure most of the sound from the record is recognizable live as well. There’s also more
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MASTODON O2 ACADEMY, BRISTOL energy to the songs when they are being played live, more pace and flow.
You are touring the UK next month, are you looking forward to it? Oh yes! This is our first ever UK tour, and we’re super excited! Can’t wait to visit all the venues and meet the audience face-to-face!
How much pressure do you feel on a headline run? There is some pressure for sure, but this is what we’ve been working hard towards, so we’re looking forward to showing the audience what Spielbergs is all about.
Outside of music what interests does the band have? We like to read and watch movies, and eat good food, either by home cooking or trying out new restaurants. In the summertime the forests and mountains in Norway are really good for hiking and fishing. Mainly brown trout and perch, with the occasional pike. There’s actually a river in the middle of Oslo where you can catch salmon as well as trout. Fishing in the middle of town is great fun, as you can sit down at a pub and grab a beer in between the casts!
What are your 5 favourite albums? …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Source, Tags And Codes Hot Snakes – Suicide Invoice Mogwai – Come On, Die Young Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation The Get Up Kids – Something To Write Home About
astodon sound utterly monstrous tonight, from the opening notes of ‘Iron Tusk’ through to the closing strains of ‘Blood and Thunder’. On record they’ve always been great but they’re an entirely different beast live, incredibly tight and showing exactly why it’s a travesty that they’re not already in arenas on these shores. It’s such a captivating show that when Troy Sanders introduced ‘Chimes at Midnight’, a ripple of shock goes through the room as the realisation sets in that the first fifteen minutes have flown by in the blink of an eye. Every one of the twenty songs played is treated as the absolute highlight by both band and audience alike, but both ‘Steambreather’ and a ferocious ‘Capillarian Crest’ just get their noses clear along with ‘Megalodon’, which is back up by the best of the immense, psychedelic images projected behind the band onto the screens.
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Two thirds in and the band are joined by Scott Kelly of Neurosis, who has been guesting with them on this run, and somehow makes everything ten times heavier. It’s no surprise that Kelly is perfectly suited to the likes of ‘Aqua Dementia’ and ‘Crystal Skull’, but the fit is so seamless that it’s not unjustified to suggest he should join permanently, a view echoed by many once proceedings are over. Kelly takes lead vocals on the majestic ‘Crack the ‘Skye’ and even grabs a guitar for ‘Diamond in the Witch House’, as if attempting to test the foundations of the venue itself in the most metal way possible. The building survives, thankfully, and the experience of this show will do so for a long, long time in the minds of everyone fortunate enough to be a witness. Mastodon have, quite simply, slayed.
WORDS: ELLIOT LEAVER | PHOTO: NORMANDY MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 29
ARCHITECTS
WORDS: SHAY JENKINS | PHOTOS: GARETH BULL
ARCHITECTS MOTORPOINT ARENA, CARDIFF
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rchitects took to the stage with brand new single ‘Death Is Not Defeat’ from the highly accredited, brand new album Holy Hell. The new album was a strong influence in their set list this tour.
With a lot of fan’s recently trying to influence Architects to play some tracks off older albums, we were only faced with ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ which the crowd seemed more than happy with! The pyro effects in the show were undeniably top class and the atmosphere and emotion in the room that night was indescribable. A track I wanted to hear live from Holy Hell was ‘The Seventh Circle’, the heaviest and shortest track on the album, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. A tribute to the late genius Tom Searle touched many hearts in the room, including my own, the lads rounded up with the ultrapopular track from Holy Hell, ‘Doomsday’, giving everyone a final chance to get loose if the hadn’t already, before heading home.
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LIVE
MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 31
SEX EDUCATION
WORDS: AMBER DENWOOD | PHOTO: NETFLIX
N O I T A C U D E SEX S N I K S Y A D N R IS THE MODE rowing up queer in the early 00’s, a certain amount of selfdiscovery was done through TV shows that held an age rating a lot higher than your actual age.
water, for example) but it did the job. Yet, as times change, Skins has become slightly outdated in its representation of the minority youth.
One of the shows which had the most influence during those confusing adolescent years was E4’s very own Skins. Showing the gritty details of growing up and tackling subjects that they don’t teach you in school, characters like Emily Fitch and Sid Jenkins felt like a group of friends helping you understand how life as a teenager actually worked.
The show isn’t flawless. Despite being set somewhere in modern Britain, the cast all sport Letterman jackets instead of school uniforms and throw American footballs around locker-filled hallways. Each house is plastered with décor that feels like the show could be set in the 80’s, but text messaging is used as a huge plot-device.
Sure, there were elements which were a little far-fetched and disconnected from real life (most people have never driven their parents car into a large body of
Writer Laurie Nunn has stated that this was a creative decision to give the series a John Hughes nostalgiafeel. This doesn’t stop these points giving the impression that Netflix is
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Fear not, right on cue Netflix have given us what can only be commended as the Skins of modern times: Sex Education.
on a mission to get their moneys’ worth from this production by making the show accessible to thousands of different audiences at once. Despite this, the bad more than outweighs the good that is done over these 8 episodes. With lesbian mums, the glamorous Eric and his equally as glamorous crush Anwar, a lesbian couple who are learning to scissor and a surprise revelation in the lovable rogue that is Adam, homo-representation is thrown at us in masses. Granted, it probably shouldn’t have taken this long to have a show which feels like a genuine step forward – and not as though a token gay character was thrown in as an afterthought – but it sure feels good to have one now it’s here.
Just like its predecessor Skins, the show takes on tricky subjects like repression, abortion, poverty and teenage hormones.
AWARDS
AWARDS SHOWS: ARE THEY STILL RELEVANT? his year’s awards season has been nothing but a farce. Full of controversy, it has awarded alleged paedophiles, everyone lost their minds at whether ‘Roma’ should be nominated as Best Film or Best Foreign Language Film and saw the beginning and immediate end of a ‘Best Popular Film’ Category at the Academy Awards. Not to mention completely backtracking on all the momentum gained from last year’s Times Up and #MeToo movements.
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The quantity of queer relationships given screen time in the show isn’t the only important aspect either. Each queer character’s story feels complex and well thought out, and they are all written to be at different points of self-discovery. This is a refreshing break from seeing a gay character play out the same coming-out story which has been seen time and time again, without completely removing this aspect for viewers who need to see it. While Sex Education may have won my heart with its LGBTQ representation, it boasts so much more than this. Just like its predecessor Skins, the show takes on tricky subjects like repression, abortion, poverty and teenage hormones. What gives it the upper edge over E4’s drama, is that there is no mistake the show is not here to glamorize any of these issues. They are tackled in all their acne-ridden, awkward boner-filled glory. It feels like someone is finally telling the kids how it is.
It would not be unfair to assume that awards shows have become irrelevant. The Oscars this year will be going ahead as a host-less show, after Kevin Hart stepped down from his role after homophobic jokes he posted online were resurfaced. The Academy seems especially out of touch, not only with the social climate, but also with public taste. Black Panther’s Best Picture nomination shook up the coveted spot as a film that actually represented box office success. Many members of the general public have been thrilled by the Academy’s choices to nominate wider reaching cinema as opposed to arthouse fare. Despite this, the most recent backlash has involved the Academy’s decision to cut airing some of the technical categories in their programming. Filmmakers have taken to social media to rebuke this decision stating that cinema cannot exist without those categories. Promoting the work of such craftspeople is an important factor in the case for awards ceremonies, providing inspiration for future generations and a greater appreciation of the craft.
WORDS: CHLOE LEESON MARCH MARCH2019 2019VULTUREHOUND VULTUREHOUND3331
BOJACK HORSEMAN
The problem with
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WORDS: JENNIFER DREWETT | PHOTO: NETFLIX
B ojack Horseman is a Netflix original animated series revolving around the titular Bojack (voiced by Will Arnett) and his life as a washed-up, has-been tv star. He has a support network: his lodger Todd (Aaron Paul), his agent Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), close friend Diane (Alison Brie) and frenemy Mr Peanutbutter (Paul F Tompkins) but that fails to stop Bojack from regularly indulging in self-destructive behaviours that derail his life. Why? He’s a complicated character dealing with mental health issues he recognises but has no idea how to actually address properly nor the willpower to stick to a meaningful form of treatment. The show regularly delves into the dark aspects of mental health, its causes, the coping mechanisms adopted by the characters and its consequences. Mental health issues the characters deal with have a number of origins: sexual abuse, addiction, career dissatisfaction, childhood trauma at the hands of parents, lack of self-esteem and turbulent relationships. These depictions hold nothing back; their unflinching, unrelenting darkness drags the audience into a confused state of catharsis and despair. It doesn’t provide any truly
satisfactory endings on the mental health arcs the show explores. The audience is left in an emotional free fall without knowing where to go from there. There’s no comfort to be had. That is the point though, isn’t it? Mental health issues are dark and difficult without a linear line of progression often depicted in Hollywood entities. They cannot
THE SHOW REGULARLY INDULGES INTO THE DARK ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH, ITS CAUSES, THE COPING MECHANISMS ADOPTED BY THE CHARACTERS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. be resolved in the space of a few 30 minute episodes. TV shows and movies that revolve around mental health tend to show a character hitting rock bottom, folks not quite understanding but somehow metaphorically kicking the character into action that resolves everything in a formulaic and superficial manner that wants to claim credit for being deep. The character’s mental health issues regularly cause them to act badly but it’s excused because mental health is hard. Somehow a misanthropic cartoon horse is able to execute the
naked truth of mental health far more effectively than 13 Reasons Why, Split, Thirteen and a lot other entities that cover mental health. Bojack Horseman doesn’t pretentiously sit on a self-imposed pedestal trying to sell glamorized illustration of a stigmatised problem approximately 1 in 4 people experience personally. It shows depression and anxiety realistically against the backdrop of a very fake, artificial Hollywood setting. This series re-entered my life very recently. I didn’t realise how much I needed it. Due to a variety of emotionally difficult events, my mental health experienced a gradual but devastating decline. This has lead to nightly anxiety attacks, traumatic flashbacks and feelings of unbridled mind numbing despair. For reasons I cannot disclose, I couldn’t pursue mental health assistance until the other day when I saw my new GP. Bojack Horseman has been a series that has not only made me feel less alone but reaffirmed that any of my bad behaviour stemming from my struggles is still bad behaviour that needs sorting. Most importantly it’s doing something for me that’s super important right now: it allows me to feel. So what’s the problem with Bojack Horseman? It’s too good. A cartoon horse should not be the best representation of mental health problems we have.
All the seasons are currently available on Netflix with season 6 coming in 2019. MARCH 2019 VULTUREHOUND 35
REVIEW WORDS: MATT DENNIS
THE WET, WET, WET CLASSIC COMES TO BLU-RAY
waterworld
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t the Universal Studios Theme Park in Studio City,
California, hidden away within the maze of Minions 3D rides, Harry Potter attractions and kooky merchandise outlets sits a strange, almost alien attraction – the Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular stunt show. Essentially the movie
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Waterworld condensed down into an explosive 20-minute theatre piece, complete with stunt actors swinging, zip-lining, fighting, splashing, diving, jet-skiing and shooting each other, the show offers a nice little bit of entertaining escapism for those fed up of the endless simulators and nauseating rides elsewhere in the park. Enjoyable as it is, what strikes and astounds one about this attraction the most is how such a thing has survived so many
years, whilst big crowd-pleasing attractions like the Jurassic Park and Jaws rides have either been closed for refurbishment or simply banished to the backlot altogether. Considering the fact that Waterworld was neither a critical darling or a big BoxOffice smash upon it’s release in summer of 1995, it boggles the mind somewhat as to why such an attraction still has the same draw when other more popular movie-themed rides and shows have gone the way of the dodo.
Obviously it may be to do with the fact that it is the only stunt show on offer in the park. But even then, why not update it with a newer blockbuster? Could it be that there’s more to Waterworld than audiences and critics afforded it on it’s controversial release? Rewatching the beautifully restored HD version that Arrow Video has just released on limited edition blu-ray, it sort of makes sense. One of the film’s many overlooked accolades is its action sequences, each a thrilling and outlandish set piece that makes full use of the film’s post-apocalyptic, aquatic environments. Director Kevin Reynolds is no stranger to creating big action spectaculars onscreen and here we see the man at the top of his game, creating kinetic, breathtaking action . The ambitious visuals are further complemented by excellent production design and practical effects, which all give the film a unique, detailed and captivating look. Waterworld is much more fun then it’s reputation suggests, even if the whole shebang is pretty cliched. Essentially just Mad Max on the open water, the story follows the typical narrative for such post-apocalyptic occasions – tough loner finds himself on the run from an unhinged gang of villains, with a kid and a
woman in tow who happen to have something of value (in this case, a map to dry land tattooed on the youngster’s back). But the conceptualisation of the postflood world depicted here are fresh and engaging enough to make up for the story’s shortcomings. Granted though, beyond the action and effects, the film does flounder as a result of the uninspiring narrative detailed above. It doesn’t help that Kevin Costner as Mariner is an unlikeable arsehole for the most part, whilst the other characters are paper-thin at best. The film also feels too long, with many a scene or sequence that could easily be cut slowing proceedings to a halt once too often. However, the impressive action scenes, James Newton Howard’s swashbuckling score and the excellent production design all help raise the film from beneath the depths to a large extent, whilst Dennis Hopper is a perfectly unorthodox villain of the piece in the pantomime mould. It’s certainly worth a revisit, especially when Arrow Video’s generous package comes with so much extra material. Those who adore the film unconditionally will be thrilled at the two extra discs included here, each containing an extended cut of the film. The European “Ulysses” cut comes complete with previously censored shots and dialogue, whilst the third disc contains an extended
US TV cut that adds an additional 40 minutes of footage. If the prospect of more movie doesn’t thrill you, then at least Arrow Video has cultivated a nice selection of extras to justify your purchase. Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld is a 102-minute retrospective that goes behind the scenes of the film, featuring a myriad of candid interviews with the production crew (no Costner or other cast-members appear though). There’s also an original featurette pulled from the archive showcasing further footage from the film’s production, as well as a short interview with film critic Glenn Kenny waxing lyrical about ecologically themed apocalypse movies. A load of galleries and trailers, a selection of freebies and a neat little collectors book completes what amounts to a fanpleasing set. Watching Waterworld again, it’s clear to see why it has appeal and audience-pull over twenty years on from it’s controversial release. An ecological tale that steers clear from being overtly preachy, instead relishing in the imaginative concepts such a world make possible and delivering an action packed blockbuster unlike anything else we’ve seen before – no wonder it still draws in the masses, both on home video and at theme parks.
REVIEW WORDS: HUMZA HUSSAIN
THE FILM WRESTLING FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR
Y L I M A F Y M H T I W G N I T H FIG uite a few years have passed since we last got a Hollywood tale about professional wrestling. As a matter of fact, Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler is the most recent example, and that earned academy award nominations. However, The Wrestler gave us a rather dark portrait of the sport, which left former WWE champion Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart claiming parents would rather have their children become porn stars as opposed to wrestlers after watching Aronofsky’s story. But thankfully, everybody’s favourite hero, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, brings
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us a much brighter, inspiring picture of his former profession with his production, Fighting with My Family. Fighting with My Family is inspired by the channel four documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, and it tells the real-life story of Saraya Knight’s – better known as WWE superstar Paige – journey to accomplishing her dream of becoming a WWE superstar, and the struggles her family faced during this time. The film begins with thirteenyear-old Paige (Florence Pugh) fighting with her older brother Zak (Jack Lowden), as she tries to change the channel to something non-WWE related. When their father Ricky (Nick Frost) walks in
on his children fighting, instead of breaking up their fight, he shows Zak how to properly apply a headlock on his sister. He then convinces his thirteen-year-old daughter to wrestle due to them being short staffed. Fast forward years later, Ricky’s children are now an integral part of the family business, with Paige promoting their shows by handing out flyers on the street, and Zak running their classes for wannabe wrestlers. And although they put all their effort into their own small company, the family’s ultimate goal is for both Paige and Zak to land a job with the WWE. When the opportunity finally comes knocking; only half of the Knight family’s dream becomes a reality. WWE trainer Hutch Morgan (Vince
Vaughn) selects Paige to be a part of the company’s developmental system, but Zak is left behind. As intense as the film can be at times, it is balanced out by a large dose of comedy which leads to several laughs out loud moments. The humour is also a brilliant tool to suck in non-wrestling fans because even though writer/ director Stephen Merchant treats wrestling with the utmost respect, he does not shy away from embracing the absurdities of the business. And this is evident in the hilarious scene where Ricky tests out different objects to use in a wrestling match. First, he smashes a trashcan lid against his wrestler’s face, followed up by a bowling ball to the privates. Scenes like this are not just amusing to all viewers, but it invites the non-wrestling fans in as they no longer feel like outsiders, because even the wrestling film acknowledges elements of Paige’s profession that can be a little silly. The brother/sister dynamic is another strong part of Fighting with My Family, especially when watching the contrasting struggles of Paige and her brother Zak. While Paige battles with the reality of the opportunity she dreamed about for years, Zak struggles with accepting the fact he may never be able to accomplish his dream of making it in the big leagues. Their situations are not only relatable, but it’s made even more compelling by the shift in their relationship with one another. Also, the film is full of fantastic performances. Dwayne Johnson’s unmatched charisma brings an extra spark to pivotal moments
in the story. Nick Frost deserves an honourable mention for being the comedic relief, leaving you laughing even in the most emotional of scenes. However, the story revolves around Paige, and the show stealer is in none other than the actress who plays her, Florence Pugh. Florence Pugh beautifully taps into the different sides of Paige. She’s tough, in your face at times, but at the drop of a dime, she can be overwhelmed with emotion. Most wrestling fans tend to forget Paige was only a teenager when she made her way to America to train with the WWE, and Florence does a brilliant job of reminding you that this girl is still a kid trying to discover who she is. Her facial expressions when Paige looks at the ex-models and cheerleaders in WWE’s developmental, shows us someone who is still unsure of herself. Florence’s performance as Paige will satisfy diehard wrestling fans, who will also be happy with how the actual wrestling scenes look, as well as the overall presentation of their favourite sport. The film does highlight how difficult the life of a wrestler can be. However, unlike The Wrestler, it does not fixate on the negatives. Not only is Paige presented as a Rocky-like figure, but audiences also get to see the heart-warming side of wrestling. They see how it can be a community that brings people from all walks of life together, and how it can be a place where dreams become a reality. The in-ring action is also intelligently used to keep the story flowing at a steady pace. Often it’s
during a wrestling sequence where we’ll see time has passed because Paige will go from a thirteen-yearold to an eighteen-year-old, and it’ll show her progressing during her WWE training. The editing is crisp, so there is no dull or unnecessarily long scene. Unfortunately, Fighting with My Family does have a tendency to be a little “Hollywood.” It is not always factually correct because Paige and Zak never met The Rock on the day of their WWE tryouts in London, and there are some noticeable changes made to Paige’s famous RAW debut. While it’s not uncommon for real-life stories to be tweaked for dramatic purposes, the changes in Fighting with My Family stick out like a sore thumb, especially for those that are familiar with the material. There will also be times where those who are less knowledgeable of Paige’s profession, will find themselves wondering what a term or action means. Stephen Merchant has to be given credit for explaining a lot of wrestling terminology throughout the film, but you can only explain so much: this isn’t a documentary after all. Overall, the good far outweighs the bad. Fighting with My Family is without a doubt the film wrestling fans have been waiting for, and it’s the film non-wrestling fans didn’t know they needed. Once the credits roll, people will be happy, surprised, even finding that lump in their throat after watching this tale of a girl who was never supposed to make it, but somehow dropkicks her way to the top of WWE.
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An adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk takes place in ‘70s Harlem. Words from the seminal American author open the film, in an epigraph that partly reads: “Every black person born in America was born on Beale Street, born in the black neighborhood of some American city… Beale Street is our legacy”. The ‘Beale Street’ that Baldwin and Jenkins explore is a tale of love suddenly thwarted by criminal injustice. The couple concerned are Alonzo ‘Fonny’ Hunt (Stephan James) and Clementine ‘Tish’ Rivers (Kiki Layne) – childhood best friends for whom, suddenly, romance clicked into place. A pair of destiny’s own design, their blossoming romance is halted when the 22-year-old Fonny is wrongfully incarcerated on an accusation of rape. Only 19 herself, Tish is left with the responsibility of not only acquitting Fonny, but of raising a child while doing so. Interspersing past with present, the film is anchored by a narration from Tish, one that seems entirely distinct from both accounts – and serves to keep Jenkins’ film allied with Baldwin’s distinct literary presence. “I hope that nobody has ever had to look at anybody they love through glass”. Lifted
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WORDS: CHRIS SHORTT
repare yourselves, for Barry Jenkins has mastered the look of love. The Oscarwinning writer/ director has followed up Moonlight with another tender, volatile story of romance and hardship. His latest work of art is an exhibition of passion in adversity – a self-assured paean to love that is as intoxicating as it is urgent.
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK seemingly verbatim from the novel, it’s one of many lines in the film that strike an agonising chord. The constant narrative switching might otherwise distance us from the film, but here its effects are potent – demonstrating the transtemporal power that this love wields, and embroiling us along the way. Such is the magnetism between James and Layne, it would be easy for the supporting cast to remain peripheral. Instead, Beale Street ends up belonging almost exclusively to Regina King, who portrays Tish’s mother Sharon. Completely supportive of her daughter’s predicament, Sharon becomes fiercely devoted to Fonny’s acquittal – and in doing so, King summons up the performance of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Brian Tyree Henry continues his extraordinary year with a lingering presence that completely negates his short-lived presence on screen (not unlike Mahershala Ali’s Oscar-winning turn in Moonlight, as it happens). As with Moonlight, it would be remiss not to mention the discernible impact of Wong Kar-wai on how Jenkins shoots and arranges these slow-motion intimacies. And while the director has certainly never shied away from his influences (the Criterion ‘Closet Picks’, anyone?), it would be doing Jenkins a severe disservice to reduce his directorial presence to that of an amalgamation of homages (à la Tarantino). Instead, it feels as though we are living through a special moment in filmmaking – wholly unique to
the canon, and the most exciting route that cinema has revealed to us since, well, Moonlight. Jenkins seems to possess an insight that few, if any, have ever accessed on the silver screen before – operating on a whole new understanding of sensitivity, of compassion, of love in its purest form. It’s an understanding that is shared by composer Nicholas Britell, whose magisterial piano and strings on Moonlight exuded an almost inconceivable degree of emotional vulnerability. With Beale Street, Britell has again crafted a sonic marvel that captures the very nucleus of love – unrestrained, nonvocal, and deeply infatuating. For those in love and those that are yet to find it, the marriage of Britell’s stirring trumpets to Jenkins’ eye for momentary intimacy is as close to the real thing as we’ll ever get to it in an auditorium. In If Beale Street Could Talk, love permeates. It breathes with both a jittery apprehension and an assured disposition, two conflicting states that somehow exist in a perfect union. What we’re seeing is a real love, pure and unadulterated, existing in its own plane of warmth, longing and simplicity. In Jenkins’ compassionate hands, love needs no grand backstory for its impression to be truly felt – only a gaze into the lens. Every ounce of ardour and bitter agony is construed in those eyes, in the momentary pauses that seem to last not seconds but years. This is a special film that bears ‘the look of love’, and Jenkins is on a mission to give us all the bug.
REVIEW
WORDS: ELLIOT LEAVER
FEVER 333 – s r 3 3 3 b m u N in h t g n e r t S he political soapbox that Jason Aalon Butler has built himself over the past decade has been nothing short of extraordinary. Whether it’s been with former outfit letlive, current band FEVER 333 or side project Pressure Cracks, the oneman wrecking ball has ensured that he’s always been at the forefront of the call to arms against the establishment, his music doubling up as the megaphone he uses to shout his vociferous speeches of rebellion opposite whichever government should be his target. January 18th, sees Strength in Numb333rs unleashed, the follow up to FEVER 333’s critically acclaimed EP Made an America that blew a sizable hole in End of Year lists across the world.
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Anyone who pines the demise of letlive – and there are plenty – should take the opening prologue as a definitive sign that they won’t be back any time soon, because with a throat-ripping shout of ‘I want them to know there’s a motherfucking fever coming!’, Strength in Numb333rs storms out of the blocks with Rage Against the Machine-esque guitars, a
ridiculous amount of bounce and arena-sized choruses that wouldn’t go amiss on a Linkin Park album from the early 2000’s. It’s not fully metal and it’s not fully rap, but as has been ascertained over the last twenty years, when both are blended together just right the results are dynamite. Suffice to say, FEVER 333 have managed this over ten tracks and forty minutes of relentless, furious brilliance. It will come as no surprise to hear that Butler is an utter sensation across the record, the closest somebody will ever get to the masterful performances of Zack de la Rocha in his prime. Whether it’s the brutal, vocal-destroying opening to the raucous ‘One of Us’ or the softer, emotionally-laden tones used on the autobiographical ‘Inglewood’, Butler commands every vocal line with the right amount of weight and power, showing a diversity and range that will see his stock rise ever higher as the album gets out to more and more people and his message becomes near-Gospel to an unhappy, unsettled generation. Of course, said message wouldn’t go anywhere if it seemed like a load of hot air, but the lyrical prowess on Strength In Numb333rs is another major factor in placing
it head and shoulders above its competition. ‘Prey for Me’, a track that shifts pace halfway through, is anchored through its latter stages by the superb “You’re not the only one that feels like the only one”, a line that deserves to be plastered on billboards across the globe. Likewise, ‘One of Us’ delivers a warning shot, “Stand up or die on your knees” a violent picture of what will occur if something doesn’t give in the current climate soon and ‘The Innocent’ is rooted in the simple yet substantial ‘Long live the innocent!’ rallying cry. The more one listens, the more savage each song becomes until the words are near enough cutting through bones with their unforgiving stance and crushing reality of the planet in the present day. It’s been nearly twenty-seven years since we were introduced to the likes of ‘Killing in the Name’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Bombtrack’ by four pissed off individuals from Los Angeles, and whilst it’s taken nearly three decades, we finally have a natural successor to that outrageous debut record. Strength in Numb333rs will shake foundations to their very cores and rightly so, because this is as angry and furious as it gets; an album that is guaranteed to be talked about in the same vein come 2036.
WORDS: ANNA CALE
ALBERT FINNEY
ALBERT FINNEY: THE REST IS PROPAGANDA rom the opening scene, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a remarkable film. No opening titles, no rousing music score, this is a film that heralds itself as real and raw as we are immediately thrown into the noise and bustle of the factory floor. The main character Arthur Seaton is not introduced to us as a classic film hero, instead we see him working and hear him bitterly voicing his thoughts on his job, his colleagues and his ambitions in a rousing monologue that sets the film apart.
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Albert Finney, who has died at the age of 82, breathed life into Arthur Seaton and dominated the screen from that opening scene. A physical force of nature, he oozed confidence and bravado, his blunt masculinity bursting through. He was handsome and his performance sexually charged, but he brought intelligence to the role as his character mocks the hypocrisy and monotony of the factory and the powers that be.
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Finney’s Seaton rose above the ridiculous existence of his peers and the social norms that he derided, instead riding the wave of his own personal revolution down to the pub. This wasn’t an ambitious young man wanting to escape his roots, he just cared about himself. “What I’m out for is a good time, all the rest is propaganda,” he declares in his opening voice-over. Finney’s performance was fresh and exhilarating and helped to turn the tide and herald a new wave in filmmaking, his working-class accent signalling a sea-change in cinema. Finney was the future. Finney made his directorial debut with Charlie Bubbles (1968). Written by Shelagh Delaney, it focussed on a successful writer returning to his home city of Manchester and felt like a reflection of the reality of 1960s cultural success. The 1970s and 80s gave Finney an opportunity to explore a versatile set of roles, including Scrooge (1970) and as Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Alan Parker’s Shoot the Moon
(1982) opposite Diane Keaton, was a poignant study of a failing marriage. He received further Oscar nominations for his critically acclaimed role in The Dresser (Peter Yates, 1983) with fellow British New Wave alumni Tom Courtenay, and Under the Volcano (1984). He also appeared in the much-loved Annie (1982). His body of work won new admirers amongst the next generation of independent filmmakers, with the Coen brothers casting him in Miller’s Crossing (1990), Steven Soderbergh in Traffic (2000) and Erin Brockovich (2000), a wellreceived performance which earned his fifth Oscar nomination. He also worked with Tim Burton. Finney brought layers of complexity, charisma and intelligence to every role. Although his image is fused with that of the British New Wave, his work didn’t just define one generation of filmmaking, it transcended that singular categorisation. With such a long and varied career across the decades and so many moments of greatness, his legacy will continue for generations to come.