Midnight Video

The second Midnight Video of 2012 has docked in the harbour of Podcast Bay and what cinematic treasures have we recovered from the ocean bed of film flotsam and jetsam.
The Artist is the film that has been on everyone's lip for months now. A loving homage to the silent cinema years of yore, but in 2007 Australian auteur Rolf De Heer had a similar idea to Michel Hazanavicius and gave the world Dr Plonk - a loving homage to the silent era that tips it's hats to the likes of Keaton, Lloyd and the Keystone Kops.
Next up is Poland's best selling film of all time (as of writing this still stands). Sexmission could be the utopian dreams of randy teenage boys the world over, but for Max and Albert the bizarre realities of a female-only world prove anything but dreamlike in this thinly veiled satire about life in a communist regime.
To round things off, we continue our 'British rock stars in the movies' season with the apparently little seen Julien Temple directed vanity project of a certain Michael Jagger. Running Out Of Luck sees The Jagger abandoned and lost in the middle of Brazil and presumed dead. Cue extensive music videos, cross dressing, hallucinations and one half of Cheech and Chong's female offspring.

Here it is! The first Midnight Video podcast of the year in which George Lucas will release The Phantom Menace again, but this time in life fulfilling 3D.

As an antidote to that cinematic equivalent of the ending of A Serbian Film we are delighted to offer you these movie morsels to whet your appetite before your potential skull fucking:

Alice In Acidland - a movie title that promises you something beyond the already whacked out Lewis Carroll tale, or does it?

Lisztomania - last year saw the passing of one of British cinema's largest and most vibrant characters in the shape of Ken Russell. We take a look back at the English Fellini's flamboyant and not too subtle biopic of the first pop idol.

Lisztomania also marks the beginning of a new section of the show. We've decided to incorporate a 'mini season' of films in to the show and our first is: British rock stars in film. The possibilities are not quite endless, but we'll do our best to dig out some of the lesser known (and maybe more forgettable) films of some of the biggest names in the rock/pop business.

The Island - alas we won't be reviewing the German language only Super 8 version (which I have as an extra on my German DVD copy [Phil]), but even better we'll be shouting from the crow's nest about the full uncut version of the adventures of Maurice Micklewhite and his crossing of cutlasses with David Warner's band of merry (and possibly stinky) buccaneers.

Giant turkeys, rivers of canned bitter and knitted monstrosities are just lurking around the corner for most people, but wait, 'Hark! The herald angels sing' Midnight Video are here to offer you an unseasonal respite in the form of a podcast that neatly attempts to side step the obvious, so if you're looking for reviews of festive faves such as Die Hard, Gremlins and Trading Places, well look elsewhere after soiling your ears with our mulled wine fuelled waffle.

Show 26 is a bit different in that three wise listeners very kindly offered us three cinematic treats to review. The movie magi gifts consisted of The Great Silence, My Favourite Year and Brain Damage - an eclectic and unpredictable trio that is befitting of the show I think you'll agree.

Midnight Video 25 reveals our amorous intents as Oliver Reed tries to lose his virginity, but not his mind in Dr Heckyl And Mr Hype. Donald Sutherland powders his nose (cheeks, chin, neck, etc.) and adjusts his wig and codpiece in Fellini's Casanova before Richard Burton's lust for love and taste for uroxicide display themselves in the colourful Bluebeard.

China's first animated feature film, Humphrey Bogart as a drunk klansman and Robert Hardy with barely concealed incestuous urges. It can only mean one thing... another episode of Midnight Video has entered the iSphere.

Princess Iron Fan is China's first major commercial contribution to the world of animated feature films and derives from the moralistic tales found within the great Chinese tome; Journey To The West.

Humphrey Bogart plays a disillusioned blue collar worker in Black Legion who becomes a slave to the bottle and a rather dubious 'club' who model themselves on the Ku Klux Klan.

And Hammer studios' Demons Of The Mind sees Robert Hardy turned up to 11 as the pater familias of an aristocratic family with dark secrets.

Show 23 sees us brave Arctic conditions and forced baptisms in the Euro-Russian helmed The Red Tent before we swap our furs for Trilbys and red wigs in the post-apocalyptic Radioactive Dreams and then we round things off with an unusual take on time travel in The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey.

Our fortnightly schedule comes a cropper as we honour the ancient festival of All Hallow's Eve by watching four 'classic' horror films in a bid to regale our ghoulish listeners with our inconsequential jabber and babble.
Our trick or treating antics begin with a knock on the door of the House Of Frankenstein before legging it to the station and boarding the Horror Express. Our stop is Manchester, where we alight and and find ourselves amongst The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue before wandering through the resting place of souls and ending up at The House By The Cemetery. Some familiar voices accompany us on our travels tempting us with treats and deceiving us with tricks.

Midnight Video 22 wonders at the rice-based uber monster that is North Korea's answer to Godzilla, the endearing and mighty Pulgasari; before joining Peter Wyngarde on his journey into disbelief in Night Of The Eagle and then we round the show off with some high grade jazzsploitation with Sun Ra's inimitable Space Is The Place.

Show 21 sees Midnight Video come of age and to help us celebrate our legal quaffing of lite beers in the ol' US of A we have ushered in some distinguished guests.

Ladies and gentlemen please raise a bottle and/or glass to the talents of Mr Marlon Brando, Mr George C. Scott and (blink or you'll miss him) Sir John Gielgud in John G Avildsen's fossil fuelled (or is it?) The Formula.

And behind those titans of the silver screen donning their bespoke furs, custom daub designs and downing flaming sambucas: Mr Ron Perlman, Mr Everett McGill and (stark naked) Ms Rae Dawn Chong - put your lighters in the air for Quest For Fire.

Finally pulling up the rear and drinking out of a skull we have Mr Victor Sjostrom: watch that scythe and whatever you do, don't be the last to die before midnight on New Year's Eve or else you'll be going home in The Phantom Carriage.

Show 20 sees Midnight Video donning a samurai sword for Izo, a silver mask for Who? and a 10 metre pole for On The Silver Globe.

Also in this weeks show we have a (relatively) important announcement about future shows and there is a bumper bundle of listener's contributions to The A-Z of Film through Midnight Video.