Going back to my previous post made a while ago that explored Romero's Dawn of the Dead; the Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is one of the first truly great post Night of the Living Dead zombie movies.
Shot in England, and Spain, the film highlights issues surrounding pollution, the environment and a corrupt police force (which was *very* forward thinking for its time)
I saw this after DOTD and felt a twinge of disappointment (no shopping malls and a distinct lack of action) but over the years, it has grown on me (and Linda) due to the atmosphere, the cinematography and the way it "humanises" the genre as the story is mostly told through the eyes of two innocent, relatively normal people who have been dragged into events that are beyond their understanding.
Several years ago, Linda treated me to a birthday tour of the locations and I managed to take a few photos.
Apart from being a great movie, it has an awesome soundtrack.
I was introduced to the writing of Jonathan Carroll several decades ago. His words, unlike many others, live inside you after reading his books.
This has to be one of my favourite books of all time. Nightmarish, funny, sexy, intriguing and very very dark with a hint of redemption. The dialog and characterisation is just....amazing. Characters like Weber, Sasha and Wyatt are so life like yet perfect in many ways that most of us would never be lucky enough (within our limited lifetimes) to meet people such as them. However, Philip Strayhorn is made of the worst nightmares. Evil is a concept, in my opinion, but...temptation and weakness resides in all of us.
"Flashing back and forth in time, the story concerns the apparent suicide of filmmaker Philip Strayhorn, whose bizarre Midnight series has attained cult status. Strayhorn's best friend, Weber Gregston, a filmmaker with a more intellectual bent, is drawn into a dizzying series of events by a videotape that Philip leaves him. The wickedly imaginative twists and turns that follow are only one facet of this intriguing tale, which seems at times like a framework on which to hang a myriad of metaphysical notions. What, for instance, is one to make of a tattoo of a crow that comes alive in an airplane lavatory? Carroll's style is elegant; his writing is by turns disturbing, fey, sardonic, grim--frequently within a single paragraph. The unexpected lies at the heart of this novel, and readers seeking a provocative and stimulating--though not always easy--read will be rewarded" (Source)
This book is part of a trilogy that started with Bones of the Moon and ended (in a heartbreaking way but offered us a beautiful and redemptive resolution) with From the Teeth of Angels. (All of the books can be read in isolation but I highly recommend reading them in order to see how the characters evolve and become entirely different people).
One day, I will get that tattoo of a crow but both of my closest friends have now passed away so it seems a little, "out of time".
This, if you love action movies is one of the best ever made. And, it was directed by an English dude!
But, if you are squeamish....meoooow.mmmmmm...mmmmmm...mowww!
Now, in context, I think the people behind the Walking Dead might have just watched these movies and then *owned* it...in order to create one of the best fucking episodes ever!
Christ on a cracker - Daryl Vs Beta. Jeez, and the #highwaymen ???
The Wire - one of the greatest media achievements ever committed to television. I will not begin to analyse the discourses or the political climate as many better writers have nailed it completely.
For context, I bought the series quite cheaply (* note 1) and it sat there for a while until Linda and I took the plunge and it was akin to going down the rabbit hole. We loved it. Transfixed by the characters, the plotting, the acting but most importantly: The writing.
I've spoken to a number of people who have watched the series and we all agree - you align yourself to a character but over the course of the series, you always have a soft spot for one and for me, it was Jimmy McNulty. And of course, Omar
Being of partial Irish descent (with a bit of Scottish and god knows how much American after something I learned prior to the death of my mother about my father's parentage/heritage), I align myself with McNutlty's strangely warped (but at the same time moralistic) view of the world (and the need to jettison morals, or at least dial them down when needed - morals can be noisy, annoying things but they should never get in the way of *not* doing the right thing).
The show cannot be summed up in words simply by myself or anyone - it means different things to different people. But above all, it was fucking amazing and innovative. Treat yourself if you haven't seen it and appreciate the subtlety of each season's opening sequence which is designed to reflect the narrative.
Do yourself a favour - view it. Put it on a wish list or a bucket list. You will not regret it.
*Note 1 - (I upgraded to the blu-ray recently, which I must add is a thing of beauty)
