Category Archives: Clear Spot

I’m ready for my close-up special: London Film Festival 2012 review part 2

In the second of two special hour long editions of I’m ready for my close-up, celebrating the 56th BFI London Film Festival, Alex Fitch talks to film critic Sarah Cronin about films they’ve seen at this year’s LFF. Films reviewed include: restored German silent movie The Loves of Pharaoh, sex therapy drama The Sessions, Italian Big Brother satire Reality, new Thomas Vinterberg film The Hunt, restored Lee Van Cleef spaghetti western The Big Gundown, François Ozon’s In the House, Korean crime drama Nameless Gangsters and Helpless, an adaptation of Miyabe Miyuki’s novel Burning Train to Korea. Alex talks to retired film editor Ian Rakoff about hostage drama Argo and comedy SF film Robot and Frank. Also, director Chi Keung Fung, best known for co-writing Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer, discusses his directorial debut The Bounty, with translation by Wan Yee Wong, Australian director Amanda Jane talks about her family comedy drama The Wedding Party, and actor / director Ben Affleck discusses his new film Argo. (Originally broadcast in an edited version 18/10/12 on Resonance FM)

Poster for The Bounty, Argo (film within a film + actual), The Wedding Party, The Sessions

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Official London Film Festival website
Electric Sheep Magazine online
Ian Rakoff’s blog
Info about the real Argo incident
Australian official website for The Wedding Party
Info about HK15 and Terracotta film festivals
Continue reading →

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I’m ready for my close-up special: London Film Festival 2012 review part 1

In the first of two special hour long editions to celebrate the 56th BFI London Film Festival, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist and film critic Mark Stafford about films they’ve seen at this year’s LFF. Films reviewed include: the new Ralph Steadman documentary: For no good reason, Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, The Shining documentary Room 237, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Sally Potter’s Ginger and Rosa, Hyde Park on Hudson, Good Vibrations, West of Memphis, Beware of Mr. Baker, Animated Monty Python reunion: A Liar’s Autobiography, French cartoon Ernest and Celestine, and Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie…
Also, Alex talks to director Richard Bates Jr. about his excellent new teen body horror movie Excision, which stars Traci Lords, Malcolm McDowell and John Waters and is best described as a cross between We need to talk about Kevin and I was a teenage Frankenstein! (Originally broadcast in an edited version 16/10/12 on Resonance FM)

Posters for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Excision, Antiviral

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Official London Film Festival website
Mark Stafford’s website
London Cartoon Museum
Electric Sheep Magazine online
Continue reading →

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Book List: Magical Realism

In this month’s Book List, Alex Fitch talks to author Michael Chabon about his latest novel Telegraph Avenue and his collection of autobiographical essays, Manhood for Amateurs, which both display the writer’s love of collectables and ephemera from comic books to lego, Blaxploitation films to classic funk records.
Also in a Q and A recorded at Waterstones, Piccadilly, Sarah McIntyre talks to author David Almond and illustrator Oliver Jeffers about their collaboration on The Boy who swam with Piranhas and Jeffers’ latest picture book, This Moose belongs to me, which combines the artist’s use of painting, collage and word balloons to create a fable about collectivism for younger readers!

Covers of Telegraph Avenue and Manhoof for Amateurs by Michael Chabon, The Boy who Sawm with Piranhas by David Almond and This Moose belongs to me by Oliver Jeffers

(Originally broadcast 11/10/12 on Resonance FM) Continue reading →

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Reality Check: 35 years of 2000AD – Pencils and paint

In a companion podcast to a recent edition of Panel Borders, Alex Fitch talks to a pair of iconic artists, responsible for illustrating many of 2000AD’s most memorable characters to celebrate the title’s 35th anniversary year. Kev Hopgood has drawn Judge Dredd, Future Shocks and Harlem Heroes, before going on to co-create War Machine in the American Iron Man comic; while Henry Flint has rendered memorable runs on Nemesis the Warlock, Rogue Trooper and ABC Warriors.

(Expanded podcast of the second half of a Clear Spot, broadcast 26/09/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

2000AD covers by Kev Hopgood and Henry Flint

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com Continue reading →

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Panel Borders: 35 years of 2000AD – Words and letters

Covers of 2000AD progs 1799 and 1800 featuring a promotional image from Dredd and art by Chris Weston and Simon Bisley

Continuing our month of shows about comic book anthologies, Alex Fitch talks to Matt Smith about editing 2000AD and writing prose adventures of Judge Dredd, to David Baillie about penning Future Shocks, and to Annie Parkhouse about lettering “the galaxy’s greatest comic” in its 35th anniversary year. Matt also discusses penning a comic strip prequel to Dredd 3D in the latest Megazine, David discusses the concept of ‘selling out’ as a small press creator and Annie talks about her travails with international creators on American comic books. (Originally broadcast as the first half of a Clear Spot, 26/09/12 on Resonance FM)

For more formats to stream or download this podcast in, please visit www.archive.org
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Reality Check: Counter Measures

In the second of a pair of podcasts about Doctor Who audio spin-offs, Alex Fitch talks to actor John Banks, producer David Richardson and director Ken Bentley about Counter Measures, a new Nigel Kneale influenced audio drama that continues the story of the supporting cast from Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks. Alex also talks to actress Pamela Salem about reprising her Daleks role for the new series as well as her history of appearing in British telefantasy such as Blake’s 7 and Into the Labyrinth plus her role of Miss Moneypenny in the Bond film Never Say Never Again.

Counter Measures poster and still from Remembrance of the Daleks featuring Pamela Salem and Simon Williams

(Expanded podcast of the second half of a ‘Clear Spot’, broadcast 17/08/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com

Links: More info on Counter Measures at bigfinish.com
Previous podcast on Doctor Who spin-offs The Minister of Chance and Kaldor City
Wikipedia pages on Doctor Who serials: Remembrance of the Daleks and Robots of Death featuring Pamela Salem

Listen to Alex’s shows on Doctor Who companion Professor Bernice Summerfield and Who convenions, featuring an interview with Sylvester McCoy Continue reading →

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Reality Check: The Minister of Chance

In the first of pair of podcasts about Doctor Who audio spin-offs, Alex Fitch talks to the writer / director, Dan Freeman, and one of the stars, Paul Darrow, of The Minister of Chance. The series is a crowd-funded, mp3 download serial which follows the SF / fantasy adventures of The Minister, a character who first appeared in the Doctor Who webcast, Death Comes to Time. Alex talks to Dan about the creation of DCtT and The Minister of Chance and to Paul about acting alongside Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy and reprising his iconic role of role of Avon in Blake’s 7 and Kaldor City audio plays.

Promotional images for The Minister of Chance and Kaldor City, starring Paul Darrow

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com

Links: Minister of Chance / Kaldor City / Blake’s 7 audio websites Continue reading →

Reality Check: The Minister of Chance [ 37:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Book List: Anthropomorphic Literature

To complement this month’s series of Panel Borders on anthropomorphic comic books, tonight’s Clear Spot explores the use of animal characters with human characteristics in literature. In the first half of the show, we’re proud to present an extract from one of Bryan Talbot’s lectures on anthropomorphism in children’s books, cartoons and comics, and their relevance to his own graphic novels series Grandville. Alex Fitch also talks to Bryan about his interest in the subject, and to children’s writer and illustrator Helen Ward about her adaptations of Aesop’s Fables for modern audiences. (Originally broadcast 13/08/12 on Resonance FM)

Bryan Talbot talks about Kamandi (photo by Matthew Rees) / cover of Grandville vol. 3 / covers of Varmints by Helen Ward + Marc Craste / Cover and interior spread from Aesops Fables adapted by Ward

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other formats you can download / stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org

Links: Bryan Talbot’s website
Video of Bryan giving his talk in another location on youtube
Buy Grandville as an ebook from Dark Horse Comics

Information about Helen Ward’s titles for Templar Books
Review of Helen’s adaptation of Aesop’s Fables at Publishers Weekly
Watch the animated film of Varmints on vimeo

Wikipedia pages on anthropomorphism and Aesop’s Fables

Listen to Alex’s previous month of shows on anthropomorphic comics Continue reading →

Book List: Anthropomorphic Literature [ 1:04:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Book List: Young Adult authors

With many kids now on their summer holidays, in this Clear Spot, Alex Fitch looks at two authors who are writing books aimed at the ‘tweenage’ audience. Philip Reeve discusses his award winning Mortal Engines series, his interest in steam-punk fiction and his new novel Goblins!; Jodi Picoult talks about her first Young Adult novel, Between the Lines, co-written with her daughter Samantha Van Leer, as well as her interest in comic books as displayed in her novel The Tenth Circle and her short run on Wonder Woman.

Cover + interior illustration of Between the lines, cover of Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult / covers of Mortal Engines + Goblins by Philip Reeve, promotional art for Seawigs by Reeve + Sarah McIntyre

(Originally broadcast 23/07/12 on Resonance FM)

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other formats you can download / stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org Continue reading →

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Wildebeasts at the Elephant

Fari Bradley discusses shamanism, ‘beast visions’, social change and social cleansing with prolific artist Marcus Coates. Coates consulted with locals and developers alike to devise a shamanic intervention into the regeneration of Elephant & Castle and its Heygate Estate.

Coates’ interactions with the amazing array of characters around the Elephant and Castle culminated in a vision-ritual performance with 16 piece disco-Prog group Chrome Hoof at the iconic Coronet theatre.

The subsequent documentary film Vision Quest: A Ritual for Elephant & Castle was screened in an empty shopping unit in the centre, long-since marked for demolition along with the estates and areas around them. “I asked them how would you represent this place in terms of an animal? […] The council were amazing actually, the way they co-operated with the process […] You don’t actually see this in the film, but afterwards I asked them to envisage in a very personal way what their personal vision was, ’cause you have corporate vision and these scripted visions but I wanted them to invest in their own personal vision of what the Elephant could be. ” said Coates “.”

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