Repo: The Genetic Opera. Blood, Guts and Singing …

Wow … !

I think four people have had an experience, tonight.

That sounds ominous, doesn’t it?

But it isn’t.

Really, it isn’t.

Well …

I’ve got to admit, I had planned to put Guy Ritchie flick, “Snatch” on, tonight, when Adrian, Allison and Paul all tottered over to see a film, tonight.

Until Adrian, in a slightly more puckish mood than usual — and I’m hoping he doesn’t mind being described as being puckish? … Adrian? — showed off something he’d picked up at Brentwood Library.

Repo! The Genetic Opera.

Which looked rather interesting, in a sort of Bladerunner/cyberpunk sort of way.

But what surprised all of us was the one thing we weren’t expecting.

It’s an opera.

No, seriously, it’s an actual opera: with singing?

Yeah, that kind of Opera*!!

Not something I think Adrian expected to find in the Horror section.

Although it’s a decidedly Grand Guignol opera, especially in the earlier stages.

Blood, guts, assorted organs: and lots of scenes of Anthony Steward Head disembowelling people and happily singing as he goes.

And looking rather gleeful, as he does …

Now I mention it, the plot’s a bit Guignol, as well.

Although maybe I should say Gothic?

Actually, that’s a good choice of words, there, I think; I think anyone who goes for Lene Lovich, Storm Constantine, or Within Temptationº will love this. If nothing else, the look and feel of High Fetish, Late Victorian, post-industrial Steam-punk will go down well.

But I was saying the plot’s a bit Gothic. It’s …

Um …

Multi-threaded …

But boils down like this.

It’s 2056, 26 years after a plague has decimated humanity, and allowed a biotech company to achieve a lot of power by controlling organ transplant: and having bailiffs available to extract late payments … with a scalpel.

Following one such Repo man — Nathan, played by Anthony Stewart Head — as he goes about his job, and worries about his sick daughter, Shilo.

It gets tangled, from there …

But you can see why — from the blurb on the back of the box — it was easy to get the impression it’s something it’s possibly not …

We definitely got the impression it was a straight out action film.

•••••

Is opera supposed to be like this?

Frankly, I don’t know.

Coming from the sort of background where any kind of opera is a rare thing, I don’t think any of us would have watched Repo! had we known it was — quite literally — an operaª.

It’s not the first form of entertainment we’d go for.

And I think we all agreed that, at an hour and a half — usually about right for most movies — it was pushing it, length-wise, but — big word, that, ‘but’ — but it was definitely not one we’d’ve collectively usually gone for.

And while it’s not as fun as The Rocky Horror Picture Show — I don’t think there’s anything as much fun as The Rocky Horror Picture Show — I think we definitely wouldn’t have missed it.

This is a very different, interesting and, for all of us tonight, an unexpectedly watchable film.

Seriously watchable!

And, to quote Allison, herself; “It’s quite an experience!”

•••••

Cast
Character	Actor
Alexa Vega	Shilo Wallace
Paul Sorvino	Rotti Largo
Anthony Head	Nathan / Repo Man
Sarah Brightman	Blind Mag
Paris Hilton	Amber Sweet
Bill Moseley	Luigi Largo
Ogre	Pavi Largo
Terrance Zdunich	Graverobber
Sarah Power	Marni

•••••

* I’ve got to admit, it’s practically the only one I’ve seen. Or second one I’ve seen, if you include Tommy.

º Within Temptation rate a mention because that’s exactly who I was reminded of, hearing the score, itself. Or, at least, the one album I’ve got, by them; 2003’s Mother Earth. Definitely worth a listen.

ª Strictly speaking, it’s an operetta, rather than an opera. There’s some minimal spoken dialogue, which makes Repo! The Genetic Opera the former, rather than the latter. Amazing what writing pub quizzes can teach you …

Another Daily Teaser …

Well, here we go, a little later than I was expecting, but now the less … The Teaser!!

And I’ve got to admit, finding out the details for the first couple of questions was nice.

But at any rate, here’s today’s question’s …

Q1) The famously scheming Nicolò Machiavelli — from where we get the word ‘Machiavellian’ — was born today in 1469; in which Italian city was he a politician?

Q2) Machiavelli’s most famous book — which gave him a reputation for scheming and deviousness — was called what; The Prince, The Patrician, or The Servant?

Q3) Talking of books, which windy Margaret Mitchell novel won the Pulitzer Prize, in 1937?

Q4) The Godfather of Soul was born on 3^rd May, 1933; how was he better known?

Q5) And finally … which English boxer was born on 3rd May, 1934?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) May 2^nd, 1933, saw the first recorded modern sighting of which legendary creature … ?

A1) The Loch Ness Monster.

Q2) May the 2^nd, 1536 saw the imprisonment of which of Henry 8^th’s wives?

A2) Anne Boleyn

Q3) On May 2^nd in 1952, the world’s first passenger jet plane — the De Havilland Comet — made its maiden flight, from London to where?

A3) Johannesberg.

Q4) May 2^nd is also the day that, controversially, a British submarine sunk which Argentine ship?

A4) The ARA General Belgrano.

Q5) And finally, which English actor died on May the 2nd, in 1999; Oliver Reed, David Rappaport, or Michæl Hordern?

A5) Oliver Reed. (David Rappaport died May 2^nd 1990, and Michæl Hordern today in 1995 …)

Hope they were fun!

The Daily Teaser …

Well; adding a touch of video to one of my earlier posts, took longer than I expected …

I thought I’d add another clip from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” to the last Teaser Post; you can see it here …

But, at any rate, here’s today’s teasers …

Q1) May 2^nd, 1933, saw the first recorded modern sighting of which legendary creature … ?

Q2) May the 2^nd, 1536 saw the imprisonment of which of Henry 8^th’s wives?

Q3) On this day in 1952, the world’s first passenger jet plane — the De Havilland Comet — made its maiden flight, from London to where?

Q4) Today is also the day that, controversially, a British submarine sunk which Argentine ship?

Q5) And finally, which English actor died today, in 1999; Oliver Reed, David Rappaport, or Michæl Hordern?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) May Day, in 1328 saw England recognise which country’s independence?

A1) Scotland.

Q2) The irony is that May Day also saw the Act of Union between the two countries; in which year of the 1700’s?

A2) 1707.

Q3) May Day in 1751 saw the very first cricket match played in what’s now … where?

A3) The USA. (In New York.)

Q4) May Day also saw the introduction, in 1840, of the first adhesive postage stamp; how’s it known to us non-philatelists?

A4) The Penny Black.

Q5) The Great Exhibition was opened at the Crystal Palace, on May Day, 1851. In which year of the 1930’s did the Crystal Palace burn down?

A5) 1936.

Q6) Talking of burnt down palaces, which palace reopened on May Day, 1873, after almost burning down?

A6) Alexandra Palace.

Q7) May Day, in 1869, saw the opening of which Paris institution … ?

A7) The Folies Bergère.

Q8) Today is also the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker; he was the husband of Mary, and the patron saint of whom; carpenters, electricians, or brickies?

A8) Carpenters.

Q9) May Day is also celebrated, in many parts of the world, as International … what … Day?

A9) International Labour Day. (Labour Day, Workers Day, what have you.)

Q10) What form of dancing is traditionally performed in England, on May Day?

A10) Morris dancing.

Q11) And finally, what’s the name of the ancient Celtic May Day celebrations?

A11) Beltane.

Here’s hoping they’re enjoyable!

Cthulhu, Calling

Isn’t it funny how a post work conversation can go, sometimes?

It is, though, isn’t it?

I got talking to Will — my boss — tonight, about all sorts of thing.

One of the things that did was … well, believe it or not, H. P. Lovecraft.

The horror writer?

I don’t know if you’re familiar with him, at all, but Howard Phillips Lovecraft was a writer who wrote during the 1920’s and ’30s.

And not one popular during his lifetime, either.

But he did gain something of a cult following in later years; Stephen King’s a bit of a fan, for example.   And some of the people Lovecraft wrote to, whilst alive are fairly well know, to fantasy and SF fans; Robert Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith, and, not least, R. E. Howard — he of Conan The Barbarian fame.

But finding out about Lovecraft through other writer’s isn’t how I came across him.

Nor did I pick any of his work up, at school; the mid Nineteen-eighties possibly did a lot for my education.

But it didn’t exactly include odd American pulp writers who were somewhat darker than most.   Shakespeare, and Arthur Miller, yes, but not early twentieth century New England horror writers …

No, I found out about Mr Lovecraft another way.

Remember me telling you I used to play role-playing games, back in the day?

Very way back in the day!

It’s probably something that sprung out of being a Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings, fan, when younger.   And managed to take in Star Trek, Blake’s Seven — and dear ol’ Conan, bless ’im — along the way.

Oh, and had a quickish look at Michæl Moorcock, as well; who I always thought was odd, but there’s no accounting for taste, is there? 

I do know it’s a legacy that’s left me looking forward to the next Terry Pratchett book.   For most of the past two and a half decades.

Some of Terry’s earlier work …

Well, I’m talking as someone who’d played, read or collected* most of the rpgs current back then, and ‘got’ many of his reference points; I’m still much convinced that Terry Pratchett’s original idea for the city of Ankh-Morpork came not from London — although I have seen the map of Ankh Morpork — but from Fritz Leiber’s ‘Swords of Lankhmar’/Nehwon setting; used as one of many background settings for Dungeons and Dragons.   Something I know Terry Pratchett played.

Funny old thing, Leiber was inspired to go into writing as a result of reading the work of a certain Rhode Islander …

But I’m digressing, aren’t I?

The point I’m trying to make, here, is that I, like others, came across Lovecraft as a result of a game; in this case, the rather good Chaosium 3rd edition of Call of Cthulhu.

Which was — as others in the Chaosium line-up — a derivation of their rules for RuneQuest.   In itself, something of a novelty; one that went against the formula established by the venerable Dungeons and Dragons.

Both games, like many in the Chaosium line up, used a percentage based skills system — as opposed to a level based system — to show how strong, intelligent, or educated a character was.

There were other differences, as well.

Dungeons and Dragons had several different back ground settings.

Call of Cthulhu just concentrated on one …

Which is where H. P. Lovecraft comes in; Call of Cthulhu took its title from a Lovecraft story … and its setting from what’s usually referred to as …

The Cthulhu Mythos …

Hmm …

Should I put sort of drum-roll, there?

Maybe.

That’s what caught my attention, in the various bits of background in the rpg of Call of Cthulhu; mentions of a Cthulhu Mythos.   And got me trotting off to to the local bookshop to get hold of a couple of Lovecraft collections.

You see, something that Lord of the Rings gave me an appreciation of was fantasy works with a well put together background.

A convincing background is the heart — or, at least a major artery — of good fiction.   You have to be sympathetic to the characters, and gripped by the story.   The world they move through, real or imagined, is part of them and the story.

So I was rather interested in reading Lovecraft, after reading and playing,the game based on his world.   Oh, and seeing Reanimator, the 1985 film based on one of his stories.

I’m still reading Lovecraft, years later.

Not so much because I feel he’s a stunning writer.

I’m not convinced he is, although I’m no literary critic.

But more because the background that he built — and that’s a big part of the many short stories he wrote — is much like digging through a gold mine.

You’ll get tons of rubble; some of his views are decidedly politically incorrect, in this day and age.

But the pay-dirt — both Mythos, and stories — makes it worth it.

Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror and The Shadow Over Innsmouth are core stories.

But the one that scared me witless was The Colour Out Of Space.

To quote a certain Maine based horror writer, “Get thee to Lovecraft and be Scared …”

* Remind me do write something up about Traveller, at some point …

More stuff about the Cinema!!!

Phew!

The amount of digging I’ve just done!

And not to get the cinema built, either.   Except metaphorically, either!!!!

But, at any rate, I’ve just spent a — debatedly — fruitful 20 minutes or so, emailing Kerry Hartnett, the Local Government Ombudsman team member who, seemingly, deals with our area, to find out as much as possible about the possible complaint that the various anti’s may have put in.

Please notice I say MAY have put in.

Because they can’t actually say whether they have or not, because of the various Data protection laws.

Hmmm …

I don’t quite know how I feel about that.

I do know it’s frustrating not to know for certain, simply if one’s been received, or not.

And I also know that, based on the information I’ve received from both Kerry Hartnett at the Local Governed Office, and from the Planning Office at Brentwood Coucil, that we should send a letter of support to Steven Boyle — the Complaints Officer at Brentwood Council — to help offset any complaints that the Swan Paddock Residents Association or the Save Brentwood Action Group choose to make to the Ombudsman Office.

Here’s his email adress; steve.boyle@brentwood.gov.uk

And here’s the email I sent; 

“Dear Mr Boyle, I’m writing to show my support for Brentwood Council’s approval for the recently approved William Hunter Way development – BRW/729/2008 — as I feel the associated shops and cinema will bring both much needed jobs and entertainment to this town.

As a jobseeker, I look forward to appying for a job, there, and also hope it will bring many years entertainment to the area; something Brentwood has been in sore need of.

I also feel I should point out that the Swan Paddock Residents Association, and Save Brentwood Action Group do not represent all the residents of this town, nor necessarily have the towns best long term interests at heart.

Please feel free to look over the various posts I have made about it, on http://niknaksoldpeculiarblog.blogspot.com/search/label/cinema”

Obviously, if this is something you’d want to do yourself, I’d seriously urge you get going with the cutting and pasting!!

Actually, I’d seriously urge you do it, now; I don’t know whether a complaint has been made, although I suspect it may have done.

Every bit helps …