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How to Talk to Girls at Parties
UK / USA 2017
produced by Iain Canning, Howard Gertler, John Cameron Mitchell, Emile Sherman, Neil Gaiman (executive), Peter Fornstam (executive), Rose Garnett (executive), Hugo Heppell (executive), Josie Ho (executive), Winnie Lau (executive), Michael J. Werner (executive) for See-Saw Films, Little Punk Productions, Screen Yorkshire, Channel 4, Delish Films
directed by John Cameron Mitchell
starring Alex Sharp, Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Matt Lucas, Abraham Lewis, Ethan Lawrence, Ruth Wilson, Tom Brooke, Joey Ansah, Stewart Lockwood, Nansi Nsue, Charlie Wood, Kazmin Borrer, Ross Tomlinson, Marina Bye, Lucy Jayne Murray, Elarica Johnson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Joanna Scanlan, Eloise Smyth, Lara Peake, Alice Sanders, Hebe Beardsall, Jumayn Hunter, Rory Nolan, Mikko Makela, Cohen Day, Stephanie Hazel, Matthew Maguire, Tristan Pegg, Allison Saxton, Jed Shardlow, Andrew Horton, Eddie-Joe Robinson, Jessica Kate Plummer, Luke Hearfield, David McCarrison, Travis Simpkins, Taylor Jay-Davies, Mark Douglas, Natalie Lauren, Hinako Matsumoto, Ranulph Redlin, Chris Clark, Cris Haris, Sam Ayres, Matteo Piombino, Kian Hunt, John Christian Otteson, Charly Malone, Victoria Denard, Martin Tomlinson, Ferhan Kana, Charlotte Bleything, Clare Crowther, Katie Stanton, Elizabeth Briand, Emma Wattam, Felix Rehnquist, Catherine Long, Mollie Nash, Joshua Kekana, Olivia Short, Ida May, Caitlin Leigh Snell, Semere Sebhatu, Catriona Smith, Rosaria D'Agostino, Maria Kinsella, Paul Bell, Nell Hardy
screenplay by Philippa Goslett, John Cameron Mitchell, based on the short story by Neil Gaiman, music by Nico Muhly, Jamie Stewart
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Croydon, 1977: Enn (Alex Sharp), Victor (Abraham Lewis) and John (Ethan
Lawrence) are teenaged punk rockers who think they own the world just
because they publish a fanzine (that has so far made it to issue 3), even
if at punk rock concerts, they're usually treated like little kids. After
one such concert, they're heading to the after party, get lost ... and
suddenly find themselves in a huge mansion with some totally odd people
who perform all sorts of bizarre dances in garish fetish costumes - and
some are into some weird sexual shit as well. Fact is (and the audience
learns this, but not our heroes yet), they're aliens, there to explore the
earth and to mingle with locals - though their idea of mingling alone is
already not very much on the convincing side. But at this gathering, Enn
meets Zan (Elle Fanning), falls in love with her, and his talk about punk
rock fascinates her (even if she has only a vague idea what he's talking
about). Anyways, she eventually requests temporary leave of her group to
explore this world called punk - and she and Enn have a happy if rather
odd time together. However, not everybody's pleased about Zan's leaving
the group, so eventually they capture her and bring her back, to be
punished - and probably eaten, as it's custom with her race that the
parents eat their children to gain their wisdom. Of course, Enn can't let
this happen, so he gathers all his punk friends to storm the aliens'
mansion and defeat them with good old punk rock and everything that goes
with it (including tons of drugs and booze) - which naturally leads to a
very weird finale ... Nicole Kidman plays something like the godmother
of punk, Matt Lucas one of the alien leaders. Ok, this film
doesn't start very promising, just like any other coming-of-age story, and
the fact that it's set during punk rock's heyday doesn't help (or hurt)
either. And then the alien narrative sets in and everything's changed.
Sure, on paper the whole thing sounds like late 1980s/early 1990s horror
comedies like Beverly Hills Vamp
or Nightmare Sisters -
with the small difference that this film is just bat shit crazy, but it
manages to create a world convincing enough to let that crazy blossom
without losing its narrative in the process. And clever art direction and
some bonkers performances help here for sure. Might not be for everyone,
but if you allow yourself to open to the isane of this film, you're likely
to at least like it!
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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