I'll hold tight - I'll remember to smile

Our Director Writes:

Diary of a Mature Student: Waiting for the day after the day

So it occurs to me that for a film blog, there isn't too much actual writing about, y'know, film. Apart from complaining about 3D, but that makes me a redshirt in a sea of crimson.

Here's the thing; studying anything tends to change how you look at whatever it is you study. I know this isn't a revelation, but as has been said before, it's like watching a magic show from the side of the stage, where you can see the mirrors and paraphenalia. You won't catch all the misdirection and presdigitation, but you won't miss it all either, and that halfway stage between knowledge and understanding can get kind of annoying.

So watching your actual film becomes a kind of well, look at how they did that, or I can see the plot structure from here, and you can kind of tell what's going to happen way before it does, which any sane person who's seen enough films can also do, but at least they're not inculcated into doing it as a routine.

So you - or at least, I did - start looking for films that are different in some way, and start to treasure that little occasional bit of difference. It's not quite the same as the fan who rabidly defends the obscure because they like it before it was cool. It's just... When something falls into the venn diagram of both different and good, well, that's a nice event.

This is why I need you to check out Black Dynamite.



Black Dynamite is, in an odd kind of way, the perfect film for film students. This is primarily because, in aping the low-budget films it affectionately parodies, Black Dynamite helps point out what you shouldn't do while making you laugh at how they do it.

The DVD comes out in the UK on Monday, for the low, low price of £7.99. You have no reason not to buy it, because it's one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Granted, my recommendation not withstanding, it's also very well done, extremely clever and has one of the best sight-gag setups I have ever seen, without any hyperbole.

So... there you go! That's this month's quota of writing about actual films.