Beelzebub's Broker

The Masters of Sitcom - Review

2012-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

My first memories of the work of Alan Simpson and Ray Galton came in the form of a video rental my dad brought home to please my mum. I hadn’t a clue who Tony Hancock was and couldn’t understand the excitement. My mum and her cousins on the circus were huge fans of the Tony Hancock records and radio shows. They knew many of the scripts off by heart and would often fall into scenes at the drop of a hat. The only connection I made with the video was when Sid James popped up in “The Missing Page”. Terrestrial TV in the 1980s ensured that its children grew up on the entire “Carry On” collection. However, even then, I noticed that there was something about Hancock that seemed better than the very broad and brash strokes of the seaside postcard humour that these later films exhibited. Later I was introduced to “Steptoe and Son” on TV and couldn’t help but be drawn to its on-going comedy drama. Again, it seemed remarkable how it could pick such a depressing setting and even creepiness and yet make it so funny. Fast forward a few years and we had just moved into our cottage on the farm. It was the night of the terrible and under-anticipated hurricane. Mum had bought the first set of BBC released audio recordings of “Hancock’s Half Hour” and we had a battery powered tape recorder to listen to them on. Since then the Hancock radio work especially has been a source of comfort to me. It has accompanied me on long car journeys, recovering in hospital (appropriately listening to “The Hospital Visit” episode for the first time) and it has got me through some tough emotional times too.

Therefore it was of little surprise that “The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe” was a real joy to read. It’s not an in depth analysis of the subject matter or even a “warts ‘n all” biography. It’s an affectionate yet honest tribute to Britain’s best loved comedy writing duo. By the time I could enjoy real comedy Alan Simpson and Ray Galton had long since ended their fruitful business relationship. They have remained lifelong friends, but their golden, silver and bronze eras had long since passed. They got out when they were on top, leaving a prolific and highly influential legacy few could come close to equalling. In this book, author Christopher Stevens, an expert on Galton and Simpson’s era of comedy, presents a collection of excerpts from the duo’s archives, including work that no longer exists in its broadcast form. Galton and Simpson made their names in a profession that was virtually destined for unsung heroism. It was rare for producers or for comic actors to want the general public to know that there was a creative genius behind artistes like Frankie Howard and Tony Hancock. The writing duo seemed to fit in well with this anonymity, as to this day Stevens found them to be incredibly modest and self-depreciating about their massive contribution to entertainment.
On that note I think there is a lot to be said about Stevens’ understated approach to writing. The book could easily have been a throwaway piece of nostalgia – the low pictures/high text ratio equivalent of a coffee table book. However, the subject matter and the material contained is so engrossing and downright entertaining only fool would want to part with it. This is enhanced by Stevens’ knowledge. He puts his case that without Galton and Simpson situation comedy would look nothing like it does today. He further argues that many of today’s sit-com icons are clear extensions of Hancock or Steptoe. The evidence he produces is pretty compelling, and it carefully shows the way the writing duo’s style evolved, providing the writers that would follow them with a rich pool of ideas.

Stevens' decision to just give surface details in his biographical sketches of the various people mentioned in the book was a prudent decision. It's not a short volume and it is clear the author doesn't want too much distraction from the actual comedy itself. This is not to say this book should be taken as an academic study of the anatomy of situation comedy or even Galton and Simpson's work; this is clearly not its intention. However, where needed, Stevens is willing to talk candidly about certain aspects of people's lives. Hancock's breakdown during his time working on the radio series, which led to him fleeing to Europe without warning and for Harry Secombe to takeover is not brushed over. Likewise, Stevens disagrees with the commonly held belief that Harry H. Corbett and Wilfred Brambell really had a bad relationship off screen.

The book takes a slightly unusual if simplistic format. Stevens has interviewed Galton and Simpson a lot, and briefly describes his experiences with them. He has also interviewed a few other people connected to their work. However, for the most part he lets the voices do the work. We find out about the two writers’ backgrounds and how they both ended up recovering in hospital together for a year, which ended up forging an almost telepathic writing collaboration. Inspired by American comedy, which they felt was decades ahead of the British, the duo had an uncannily similar idea about how What emerged were two people who prided themselves as being craftsman rather than artists, but were nonetheless passionate about their work. Here and there their strong political and (non)religious views popped up, but it never took over the pieces in the way so many other comedy franchises of today have done. Stevens also shows how many of their own experiences and people from their own lives have ended up in the material, which seems to make it all the more heartfelt. The book’s selection criteria for what excerpts to use is quite novel. It follows a chronological path, but Stevens is mindful not to just include the famous scripts. Knowing that his core reader will be the firm fan or collector, he has given precedence to scripts of work that has been erased forever by the BBC or never materialized. This means we get the wonderful pairing of Frankie Howard with Tony Hancock – which we will never hear again – and the time when Harry Secombe filled in for Hancock for three episodes, resulting in their eventual meeting. However, even if you are a casual fan of their work I am confident this not put you off. The writing is light yet informative and the material showcased is true comedy genius. It’s a wonderful book to just relax into and to recall a golden age of British situation comedy. Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The Flesh and the Fiends - an under-rated classic

2012-01-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

Cover of The Flesh and the Fiends

So, yet another friend of mine said they hadn't heard of this picture, 1. Like me, he thought Donald Pleasence was a very under-rated actor. However, he had not seen this, perhaps one of his greatest performances. Unfortunately the film, much like Pleasence, has been dismissed into the sub-genre it was marketed under. My feelings on marketing art are a sensitive issue with me at the moment, but I will address that another day. Anyway, this film is a classic example of a product that is far more than its lowest common denominator promotion would lead you to believe...

"The Flesh and the Fiends" was the second British feature film to tackle the real life horror story of 19th century murderers, William Burke and William Hare. These Edinburgh multiple killers were responsible for murdering 16 confirmed victims, which they then sold to Dr Robert Knox for his anatomy lectures. How much Knox suspected that the gruesome twosome's "products" were murder victims is a matter for speculation and it has helped turn the story into a Faustian fable. This is largely down to movies such as this. In fact, this is perhaps the one that really put the idea across. 1948's ultra low budget "The Greed of William Hart" did not present a very sympathetic Dr Knox at all. Peter Cushing who could play both an evil and a good Dr Frankenstein for the Hammer films, was the perfect person to take on the role.

The Flesh and the Fiends introduces several other elements for future Burke and Hare films (namely the Horrors of Burke and Hare and the Doctor and the Devils). There is a clear contrast made between the poor and the upper classes, mainly highlighed by Billie Whitelaw's brilliant portrayal of real prostitute murder victim, Mary Patterson. Patterson was one of most famous victims. She was recognized by many of Knox's students who had been acquainted with her previously. The Flesh and the Fiends introduces the concept of a romantic sub-plot involving her and one of Knox's students. This would be seen again in both The Horrors of Burke and Hare (1972) and The Doctor and the Devils (1985).

Donald Pleasance plays a particularly creepy William Hare, caricaturing the personification of evil that general public saw when the real man got off being hung for his part in the muders by testifying against his accomplice, William Burke.

The Flesh and the Fiends marks a high point for black and white horror at the turn of a new decade, not long before gore and cheap shocks would start to saturate the genre. In contrast to many "fright fests" the film is played completley straight and works as much as a thought provoking drama as the genuinely eerie chiller it most undoubtedly is.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Reflecting on 2011

2012-01-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

Image by Groume via Flickr

2011 was a year of beginnings for me with many long soughtafter ideas coming into physical fruition and the bones being laid for 2012’smajor projects.

The Gate House

I could hardly say anything about achievements in 2011without mentioning the completion of our house. January 2011 saw my immediatefamily and I huddled in a stationary caravan (wagon to us show folk). Outside thesnow had been relentless. We were stranded on my parents’ exposed hilltop dueto our local lanes

being very difficult to pass (we don’t get gritted). Westruggled with frozen water and diminishing gas bottles as we trudged throughsnow that came up to our waists. That’s where you last left me when Iself-indulged in my annual reflection of the previous year’s events. Outsideour window and cardboard thin walls a cleared site was the only thing thatresembled the promise of our new home, the one we had invested hard work andall our saving in. A reconstructed but totally out of use well was the onlyfeature that greeted us on the approved site. I was late the last time I wrotemy review, by over a week. I type this on my brand new ThinkPad laptop in mynewly built house on the final day of 2011. I now live in a different world.

The main praise for the house has to go to my wonderfulmother who gave us the land in the first place. My appreciation for the areathat I was largely brought up in after my family parked the circus for thefinal time has continued to increase. The English Cotswolds are a wonderland ofbeauty and inspiration. No clichés intended. You can see how this type ofenvironment breeds writers, poets and artists. Even a lengthy trip to ournearest recycling centre is a joy thanks to the dry stone walls and preservedrural villages. The woodlands and open fields are teeming with wildlife, andthe skies are clear. It’s escapism at its most romantic.

The house would not have existed if it weren’t for manyindividuals in my life and I will never forget them. Once all available funds had been spent onthe foundations we were delayed before my parents kindly provided us with aloan from the business in order to get the house finished by December and wecould get onto an affordable mortgage. I won’t bore you with the details or askyou to break out violins for the hardships we endured. We aren’t exactlywealthy, but we are very aware of how lucky we have been. Not only did we amazejust about everyone by getting outline planning permission first time around,but our willingness to collaborate rather than fight the local council meant arelatively painless transition to full planning permission for a building I amquite happy to live in for the rest of my life. Our house went through fourdesigners and I am hugely grateful for the main input by my wife’ssister-in-law, who came up with the shape we wanted during a crucial year inuniversity studying architecture. I alsohave the extra good fortune of not only having some wonderfully supportivefamily members, but also the best wife a man could ask for. She took the burdenof the project on her own shoulders and without her it simply wouldn’t havehappened. She sought out the wonderful stone that really makes the house, dealtwith all the building headaches, researched everything relevant abouthomebuilding she could find and when it came to picking up a brush it was meminding the toddler whilst her far superior painting skills ensured everythinglooked wonderful. This is not to say we didn’t have a first class builder whodid the project managing from start to finish with an eye for detail and adesire for perfection that means he is still visiting here to finish minorjobs. I just think he likes our coffee!

The house is now habitable and I write this from the study Ihave always dreamed about, surrounded by my large book collection – alltogether in one place at last! However, the story is far from over. There ismuch that needs completing and maintaining and that is why 2012 is the year Ipush myself to greater heights than ever before. You will have to excuse mycorny romancing again, but there is yet another reason the house’s title isappropriate (we have at least three official interpretations): It is the physical representation of a gatehouse to our future.

Mo Teague’s Hard Target System

2011 saw Mo Teague’s Hard Target System shift up a gear.Saudi Aramco, the world’s most valuable company, booked the services of mycoach Mo Teague and senior Hard Target instructor Al Cain to teach theirsecurity units in Saudi Arabia “Mo Teague’s Hard Target System”. I wasscheduled to teach later in the year, but unfortunately our later contractshaven’t materialized yet. I ended up covering five months of Hard Targetweekend seminars at Response Security Systems’ offices in London for the firsthalf of the year. The majority of these sessions were attended by studentstraining for their Close Protection (body-guarding) qualifications and wereoften ex-military, ex-law enforcement and regular door supervisors. I am happyto say that I received 100 per cent positive feedback from all attendees andthe experiences really helped me improve my teaching standards.

Later in the year I met up with those who attended Mo’sinstructor programme – an intensive five week programme of training at theWorld Combat Arts main gym. Aside from putting me through my paces it is alwaysa joy to see Mo train advanced students. As I said in my interview with Michael Rosenbaum this year, Mo is a criminally under-rated coach. I am very proud to teach forhim and to train under him. The man is miles ahead of the vast majority ofcoaches. His 2011 joint seminar with his US counterpart, W. Hock Hocheim wasprobably the greatest event for self-defence purists of the year. I sadlymissed it due to house-moving commitments.

Review of Mo and Hock's Seminar by Will Knowles

Part 1 of my last Hard Target Seminar in 2011

Part 2 of my last Hard Target Seminar of 2011

Regular Classes

My regular junior classes in 2011 saw several changes. Wenot only got our first brown sash in CCMA history, but also had more regularworkshops. Training has included more emphasis on grappling, weapons defenceand agility training.

BTEC Advanced Award in Self-Defence Instruction

This year saw the launch of a brand new qualification. Ifthere was one qualification I was going to achieve in 2011 it was this one; atlast accredited certificates for teaching self-defence. This is the future. Isaw it a long time ago. We live in an age where black belts are two to a pennyand instructorships in combative-based systems are being milled out faster allthe time. The value of being a martial arts instructor or even a martial artsinstructor with an advanced grade is diminishing all the time. By having a BTECapproved qualification you have something that makes you and the standards ofyour qualification stand outside the world of martial arts, aligning yourselfwith other respected professions. The experience also brought me into contactwith Keith Buchard who I look forward to assisting more in 2012 with thisqualification.

KEWAP

Steve TImperley is another individual who has greatlyimpressed me. He invited me to join his Martial Arts Alliance, an apoliticalmartial arts groups dedicated in providing support and setting standards in themartial arts community. I was granted the status of national tutor due to myaccredited qualifications. Steve’s Knife and Edged Weapon Programme is a veryprofessional service and I was very impressed both with Steve’s overall approachand his delivery of the course. The soft skills content and presentation isexcellent, as is the support offered. I didn’t take much convincing to go firstfor his regular instructor qualification and then his senior one, both of whichI passed. I also got to meet some remarkable fellow instructors during theseexperiences and sadly was also exposed to a lot of the fear and bad teachingpractices I have seen infect the world of reality-based self-defence.

Vagabond Warriors

Perhaps my most exciting experiences outside my house is thecontinued development of my Vagabond Warriors courses. 2012 is the year thatthey should really take off at Telford’s Kyushinkai Martial Arts Centre. Theseminars are designed to take martial arts cross-training into a new area. Rather teaching people new techniques orsystems, Vagabond Warriors aims to develop the individual promotingclarification, scepticism and individuality.

Children’s Basic Self-Defence Course

I provided a six-part self-defence course for juniors atKyushinkai Martial Arts Centre in Telford. The course was met with enthusiasmand the venue is brilliant. I am also grateful for the friendship I havedeveloped with the club’s owner, Sam Stewart. We have some great plans for2012.

Other memorable martial moments for 2011 included moreworkshops for Witney Boys’ Brigade, which is always an interesting challenge. Ialso did a very lengthy interview for the new martial arts podcast, The Den Show,which was divided up into instalments over four shows. As I have said before, Iam big podcast fan and it was great fun being part of such a professionallyproduced show. I give full respect to Chris Denwood who does an excellent jobpresenting and creating the episodes.

Personal Training

Matters seemed to improve with my personal training when Ijoined a local club for the first time in 18 months. For a few months I gotback into the formal training routine and caught up with my Brazilian jiujitsu, boxing and muay Thai. I even tried my hand at the fearsome art offreestyle wrestling. Unfortunately commitments with the house cut all of thisshort and I hope to re-join in the New Year once matters have settled down.Back home I experimented with a lot of high intensity training – sets of fiveminute rounds, the Tabata method, 300 reps and specific weight trainingroutines.

The English Riots

As we had our own personal and rather minor struggles out inrural Oxfordshire, our friends in the nation’s capital as well as other citieswere experiencing a far more immediate threat to their lives. I was not directlyaffected by the riots, but I knew people serving in the police that had to dealwith them. My views and opinions on the whole sad episode are detailed in anessay I started writing a week or so afterwards and recently completed. Like all national tragedies – and I includethe terrible mass killings in July 2011 in Norway – we often reinforce ourpersonal prejudices, ideals and fears by such dramatic instances as we seekmeanings. I am not interesting in meanings and I see less in the way of a societalcause. This has more to do with the actions of a minority of individuals andtheir own personal disorders. Understanding that is more in our society’s interests than in panderingto the simplistic political ideas that come out as knee-jerk reactions to suchtragedies.

Books

“The Science of Fear” (AKA “Risk: The Science and Politicsof Fear”) by Dan Gardner

Gardner is a sceptic without knowing it. Recommended bycombatives expert W. Hock Hocheim, this excellent study into society’s growingsensitivity to fear, especially irrational fear is an excellent counterweightto that long-serving bible of self-defence soft skills, Gavin de Becker’s “TheGift of Fear”. Gardner is a journalist by trade, but is a thorough researcherand backs his work up with hard scientific evidence. He reveals the dangers ofintuition and the reality behind some of societies greatest fears. An essentialread. (full review)

“The Survivor’s Club” by Ben Sherwood

Sherwood’s book also came from Hock’s excellent book cluband is recommended for the same reasons as Gardner’s work. In many ways it ismore relevant, as it deals with life or death survival situations and dissectsthe science behind why certain individuals defied the odds. The book is citessome excellent research and, again, is an essential read for today’sself-defence defence coach and student. It is marred a little by the importanceit places on faith in a supernatural being. (full review)

"The Tao of Muhammad Ali" by Davis Miller

Miller's highly original and incredibly frank biography on Ali, written as part of his own autobiography, is a thoroughly entertaining read. Some might find Miller's own story a little distracting from the usual straightforward biography, but there are few authors who really explore the true identity of this most beloved of sports and fighting icons. (full review)

"The Tao of Bruce Lee" by Davis Miller

The same can be said about his companion book on Bruce Lee. Although, unlike Ali, Miller never knew Lee, the author arguably penetrates deeper and strips away even more of this particular icon's mythology. Lain bare showing all his flaws Lee is no less than impressive as a human being as he was as a legend. (full review)

“The Godless Boys” by Naomi Woods

Woods’ debut novel is the first modern novel I have read ina while. I received it as an Amazon Vine customer, so it was a pre-editedrelease that I got for free on the condition I review it. I found the conceptof an alternative UK in the 1980s, where unbelievers were banished to an islandto be an interesting diversion. (full review)

“The Caged Virgin” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ali’s remarkably brave critique of the religion she wasbrought up in is a powerful read. The Somalia-born and now resident of Holland,has had to endure a life of hardship relatively unknown outside of thedeveloped world. Her argument for reason against even the more moderate end ofher former faith is compelling and very interesting. (full review)

“The Invisible Man” by H.G. Wells

Low on characterization and international adventure when onecompares it “Dracula” and “Frankenstein”, Wells’s story of a man driven toinsanity through his invisible power is still an exciting read. What I found particularly refreshing was theauthor’s straightforward style, which is pretty rare in the Victorian novel. (full review)

“Bad Science” by Ben Goldacre

It has been brought to my attention that pretty much allthat is contained in Ben Goldacre’s book can be downloaded for free off hiswebsite, but nonetheless I enjoyed reading the book on the train as I attendedanother Hard Target seminar in London. Goldacre’s book should be a part ofanyone’s book collection. It provides fantastically accessible information onthe nonsense being peddled by quack doctors, nutritionists, pharmaceuticalcompanies and the alternative medicine crowd. (full review)

“Tiger, Tiger: A Memoir” by Margaux Fragaso

This is perhaps the most candid, personal and honest accountof a victim of paedophilia that has ever been written. It distances itself fromthe almost pornographic tragic bios that take up whole sections of airportnewsagents and book shops by its style and realism. Fragaso has shocked many areader by trying hard to relay the genuine complexities of these types ofrelationships, shaping her abuser as a real human being rather than as ashadowy demon. She reveals the way families, often with their own problems, andlocal communities are often complicit through their denial of this type ofabuse.

Despite there being a fair bit of artistic licence – Fragaso tries totell us word-for-word conversations we have no proof of ever occurring – thereis an overall feeling of honesty. Fragaso is a talented writer and it will beinteresting to read her future work. (full review)

“The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin Zander

After reading Steve Salerno’s scathing and unforgivingdismantling of the self-help movement in 2010, I was a little ponderous aboutreading another book in this particular genre. The person recommended me thisparticular book insisted it wasn’t self-help and it certainly doesn’t seem togo down the route of most in the genre. Counsellor and concern conductor marriedcouple the Zanders provide us with the lessons they learned about creating newpossibilities with their clients and students. It provides some soundprofessional advice, often born out of the virtue of hard work and practice, aswell as prompts for creativity.(full review)

“God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” byChristopher Hitchens

We lost an intellectual giant in December 2011. ChristopherHitchens was an expert and feared debater. This particular book shows us justhow persuasive he could be in dismantling the philosophy of religion. (my article on Hitchens and full review of this book)

"50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology" by Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio and Barry L. Beyerstein

Quite simply the most important book published on psychology in recent times. Not only is it wonderfully accessible and easy to reference, but it's meticulously documented with very thorough academic notes. If you are involved in anything that touches upon psychology - from counseling to criminology to self-help to self-protection this is a must-read. (full review)

“Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt

Some have argued that this isn’t really a book on economics.However, it provides some fascinating insights into the way people function andhas the backing of some hard-to-argue-against numbers. There is the oddexaggerated story that Levitt has admitted to being too credulous on in a lateredition, but on the whole the theories are pretty sound and veryinteresting. I read it to get the dirt onsumo wrestling, which seems to be inherently fixed to some degree. However, Iquickly became fascinated at the insight into the low returns on drug-dealing,the cheating practices of teachers in response to the “No Child Left Behind”initiative and the way baby names slide up and down the classes.(full review)

“Bad History: How We Got the Past Wrong” by Emma Marriott

This is a wonderful little reference book on a much-neededsubject. Just as science has been working hard to debunk nonsense, history hasbeen left to hang out to dry in postmodern eras. The book gives you shortchapters on a wide range of popular myths about history and helps explain whythese misunderstandings about the past occur. (full review)

“Columbine” by Dave Cullen

There is quite simply no other book that comes close to DaveCullen’s thorough analysis of all the available material on the Columbine HighSchool shooting in 1999. Cullen has been interviewed by such a wide range ofpeople that our hope is that the false narratives attached to this tragedy arebeing purged from our collective consciousness. (full review)

“The Masters of Sit-Com: From Hancock to Steptoe” byChristopher Stevens (with Alan Simpson and Ray Galton)

I just began reading this book at the end of 2011, so itwill probably go on my 2012 list too. So far, I find it as comforting and wittyas my usual experiences with Galton and Simpson’s work. The book is partbiographical and part compilation of excerpts of the comedy duos best andrarest scripts.

Conclusion

2011 was a very full year for me and it is small wonder whyit seems to have passed in a blink of an eye. I have learnt a lot from a lot ofpeople online and face-to-face. I have watched how the field outside my caravanwindow has changed to foundations and then eventually a fully operationalhouse. I have a profound love for my surroundings now. I can also see atremendous scope for change and progress in the martial arts world.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Icon Series: Arch-Enemy of God - Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

Today, the death of this particular icon caused me to change my mind. Although I never knew Christopher Hitchens I can't help but feel a bit like a guilty "friend" who speaks up only after the demise of a colleague. I am never comfortable with these sort of analogies, as it smacks of hero-worship, but it seems strange to suddenly now feel it is appropriate to write about my feelings towards the new atheist movement only when one their key figures (second possibly to Richard Dawkins) dies.

Let me explain. Christopher Hitchens is a reviled human being. You have only to start writing his name on any search engine and you will start finding recent articles spitting venom all over his name and life. This is a great shame considering we are discussing an intellectual giant. Furthermore, much the figures of the religions he opposed, Hitchens was not merely a philosopher, he was a man of action. Throughout his colourful career as a journalist he put himself inside war-torn countries across the globe, often risking being kidnapped and/or murdered. He often knew the objects or religions of his criticism and disdain far better than those who worshipped them, and coupled with a witty and articulate debating style he was an arguer par excellence. This made him influential and his passion for his beliefs regularly put him in the spotlight. This made him become an icon of a different sort to some. He was a symbol for aggressive form of secularism that was not content with battling the fundamentalists or even "agreeing to disagree" with the moderates. This was a man, second perhaps only to Richard Dawkins,who become famous for wanting to do everything he could to bring an end to belief in the supernatural. The problem with this is that admiration of him - even a balanced book review like the one below - can be seen by some otherwise nice people to be offensive.

Many might argue that the problem lies with those who choose to be offended. My "friends" should take a more balanced approach. However, doing this is to lack empathy or real understanding. Nevertheless, as I write this now I do so hoping that those of my friends who have their beliefs (and the majority of my friends have a belief in something or other) understand where I am coming from with this piece.

Having said this, to revile Hitchens in the manner many have done says far more about their own insecurities and weaknesses than his. Watching fundamentalists write with shameless glee "Goodbye Christopher Hitchens... Welcome to Hell" seems to be a blatant contradiction of a religion that is supposed to preach forgiveness and love. Genuine sorrow surely should be more in line with their religious ideas.

What always interested and impressed me was the religious figures who considered Hitchens a friend or at least a worthy debating opponent. This demonstrated at least an acceptance of Hitchens as an admirable human being. The man was definitely a staunch individualist. He disliked being bracketed in with Dawkins, Harris and others, and loathed the term "Bright". Going against those who shared his socialist and liberal views on politics, he supported the Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq. He was also no fan of the Clinton Administration either, flying in the face of his own left-leaning politics. He gave unwavering support to other controversial critics of religion like Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and counted them among his friends.

He certainly had his flaws. His shrillness, much like Dawkins and Harris, could irritate me. All New Atheists seem to deny the idea that you can have religions based on non-supernatural concepts and these can be just as dangerous. As you will see in my review of his most famous atheist book, he tried to pre-empt the Stalinist example offered by those who argue this point. However, he forgets to include all the other dangerous cults of personality, Maoism for example, that lead to irrational thinking. Although it should be noted he was willing tackle the "rationalist" cult of Ayn Rand's Objectivism. He had a drinking problem and plenty of his own proverbial demons to deal with.

However, he could not deny his courage. Aside from the obvious dangers of facing extremist religious people in the public sector Hitchens was willing to criticize so-called saints that have transcended their religious base. You don't have to be a Catholic, Tibetan Buddhist or Hindu to have an admiration of Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama or Ghandi. Hitchens had little fear in exposing their flaws and I grateful for his humanization of this icons.

For four decades Christopher Hitchens provided us with intelligent arguments and superb pieces of literature. The man had an amazing wealth of academic knowledge, putting him in the high echelons of intellectual society. When he argued he did so with the best tools available, understanding philosophy, history and wit better than most. You may not have agreed with his views, but there was no denying his ability to run a good argument. Christopher Hitchens will remain an icon of man's ability to think.

I leave you with my review of "God is not Great" and one his most famous debates.

"Bad Religion?" - A review of "God is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens

With a subtitle like “How Religion Poisons Everything” Christopher Hitchens’ critique of all organized belief systems is not what you would call subtle. It is infused with an aggressive intelligence from the start. We follow the child Hitchens first being perplexed by his primary school teacher’s reconciliation between nature and Christianity, to the end, where the Hitchens of today makes the case for a secular society built on rationality.

There is no doubting the author’s academic and public standing. Hitchens is a man championed by none other than the rock star of modern atheism, Richard Dawkins, and a friend of the fatwa targeted author, Salman Rushdie. He is more than acquainted with the literary sources of the targets of his tirade and demonstrates a solid grounding in history, culture and philosophy. This helps him show the inconsistencies and intellectual flaws of the various religions. It is common for most New Atheists, of which Hitchens is regularly grouped alongside Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, to set their arguments against the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but although this trinity get the lion’s share of the critique Hitchens doesn’t allow Buddhism, Hinduism or any New Age cults much room either. His core argument is simple: belief in the irrational and supernatural, especially in the form of an organized religion, is the path to oppression, wars, tribalism and the retardation of progress. He holds that it promotes bigotry in all forms, including sexual and racial inequality, opposes free-thinking, is tantamount to child abuse and vested in an ignorant outmoded view of the world.

Each chapter systematically and uncompromisingly takes apart specific and general ground found in the major world religions, sparing little slack for even the most moderate branches. He doesn’t waste any time either. By chapter two he provides violent examples he has watched first hand in several major cities of the world and credits this violence exclusively to religion. Furthermore, he berates the representatives of moderate mainstream religion for their meddling in politics and lack of condemnation of large scale religious crimes. By making what seems like a curious and disproportionate diversion into the issue of the taboo of eating pork, Hitchens appears to wish to present the primitive and tribal roots of the Abrahamic religions. From the screams of the pig to its other remarkably similar traits to humans, including reports of its taste resembling human flesh, Hitchens theorizes that this taboo might stem from the memory of cannibalism in ancient tribal culture. Hitchens then argues and demonstrates in the next chapter how this primitive view of the world now can and does retard health care, and even allows certain harmful practices to happen even in the developed world. This includes the harmful stances, influences and restrictions they have held in the war on HIV and other newly discovered diseases. According to Hitchens the only reason why they often have taken long and aggressive stances against science is because it undermines their positions of power.

In “The Metaphysical Claims of Religion are False” and “Arguments from Design” Hitchens tackles philosophy and science. Philosophy is definitely Hitchens’ bag and where the strength of this book lies. He has a wide array of knowledge and experience, drawing upon history, science and linguistics to provide evidence against various creationist arguments. However, it is when he is looking at the whole framework of debates put by various religious apologists he comes alive and you can see why he is often called upon in open arguments.

Hitchens should be applauded for his willingness to not only tackle subjects that could very well make him a potential target for extremism – several of his other literary friends like Ayaan Hirsi Magan Ali and the aforementioned Salman Rushdie already are – but also for taking on modern saintly figures. Mother Theresa, Ghandi and the Dali Lama are not people that are openly criticized much in polite conversation. However, Hitchens does have some very valid points about all three that are difficult to dispute. In fact, so good are Hitchens’ arguments on such matters that he was called upon as a modern day equivalent of a “devil’s advocate” by the Catholic Church to contend a claim that Mother Theresa performed a miracle. Ghandi’s allowanced for violence when it suited him, his desire to retard technological progress and his position as a religious leader that effectively polarized Indian Muslims are all strong arguments presented in the book’s chapter that argues why eastern religions are not viable alternatives to the Abrahamic faiths. Likewise, Hitchens argues as many sceptics have, that the Dali Lama represents a choice for Tibet that isn’t much of an improvement of its current occupation by Communist China. He cites the Lamas’ monarchical role over people who they treated as little more than serfs.

“God is not Great” is one of the most complete and well-grounded arguments I have seen levelled at faith. I am not impressed by the impressive-sounding critiques thrown up by supposed historians. Few of his critiques come at the author with any attempt of objectivity and their arguments are usually motivated by a religious apologist agenda. Arguments that Hitchens’ own Marxist political sympathies are revealed and taint the text might be more valid.
Unfortunately although the argument for reason and against damaging supernatural ideas is well-fought, it fails to convince me that religion in itself is evil – or at least that any system that accepts absolutes is flawed and open to perverse manipulation and interpretation. Religion is not a tangible entity. Rather it is an organized manifestation of our default mechanism to believe, our need for reassurance and our desire for certainty. I contend that this does not need to take the form of a supernatural philosophy. Hitchens is apparently prepared for this argument and attempts to counter it in the very well-written and argued “An Objection Anticipated” that appears towards the book’s end. However, it is not completely convincing. In this chapter Hitchens deals with the most common argument he says he faces, namely that the largest atrocities of the 20th century were not perpetrated by religious leaders, but by atheists and agnostics like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. I have always thought the case for Hitler was shaky in this respect. The Nazis may have followed some perverse idea about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection in the form of their eugenics programme and their weird racially motivated pseudoscience, but a lot of the inspiration for the movement came from a mixture of Aryan mythology, occultism and the Protestant faith. However, Stalin, initially a trained preacher, ran his politics on the atheist political ideology of communism. Yes, there were religious leaders that bought into these different regimes and gave their blessing, but likewise there have always been secular institutions that have supported religious wars. Hitchens singles out Stalinism, but he neglects to mention the crimes of other communist leaders like Pol Pot of Cambodia and Mao Zedong who is probably responsible for the death of even more of his own people than Stalin.

In light of this it would be interesting to pit Hitchens’ argument against Scott Atran’s recent examination of religious extremism. Atran, who has also interviewed and seen religious fundamentalism at its most dangerous, sees religion as a natural manifestation of the way the human race’s mind has evolved. He makes no distinction between supernatural belief systems and “rational” ideologies, and I feel he has a strong case. Ayn Rand, herself a founder of secular atheist ideology, would often argue that the communism she abhorred in Russia had its own form of mysticism. Hitchens correctly expands on this mysticism by putting forward the case of Lysenkoism. Trofim Lysenko was Stalin’s favoured “scientist” who manipulated the scientific process to satisfy the beliefs and doctrines of Stalinism. This led to the persecution and execution of several respected Soviet scientists. Hitchens, a man with strong Marxist political roots, sees this as more an example of the irrationality of religion at work. Not surprisingly Hitchens is a critique of the right-leaning Rand too, but his argument against her philosophy is absent from this book. Michael Shermer’s critique of Rand’s Objectivism shows the dangers of atheists accepting an absolute and I think is key in the debate.

Ultimately Christopher Hitchens persuasive book – packed full of great arguments taken from history and powerful philosophical attacks that undermine belief systems created in an age far removed from now – comes just short of proving its case. To condemn religion for the major evils of this world is the easy way out. My view is still with atheist Brian Dunning when he argued the case on his podcast, “Skeptoid”. People commit evil acts. Often a religion or an ideology is just an excuse. Often the greatest perpetrators of these evil are condemned as hypocrites, which shows that they rarely follow their belief system – however outmoded or irrational – to the letter. Yes, there are clearly institutionalized evils in certain organizations, but we always find this can be traced back to the manipulations and weaknesses of individuals. Herd instinct and tribal identity are part of our genetic make-up. Laying wrongdoing at the door of an intangible entity is an abdication of responsibility.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Scepto-nomics (a review of "Freakonomics")

2011-12-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

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Steven D. Levitt stormed onto the social science scene like a rock star with his unconventional questioning and sometimes controversial conclusions on certain matters. He has come to define the term “rogue economist” and has made numbers sexy. At least that is the way his co-author Stephen J. Dubner wants us to see him. “Freakonomics” introduced Levitt to a far wider audience outside of the world of academic papers by asking unusual questions about a vast array of subjects in modern life. Each chapter is based on the academic work that cemented Levitt’s reputation for good or ill. Levitt is presented as being something of a mental enigma and I guess Dubner is his translator to us mere mortals. This debut book looks at links between such disparate subjects as cheating school teachers and rigged sumo matches. He uncovers the reason why estate agents don’t have your best interests at heart when it comes to selling property by tenuously linking this truth to what led to the growth and decline of the Ku Klux Klan. Along the way, the certain myths about the drug industry are blown apart by asking the question “Why do drug dealers live with their parents?”

Since the publication of this book, there has been a successful sequel, a regularly updated website/blog and a 2010 documentary film called “Freakonomics”. I think I am not over-stating matters if I were to say that “Freakonomics” can now be considered a modern classic in at least the genre of popular social science work. The work is now often cited and has probably done a lot to promote interest in economics. However, by having such a popular appeal one is poised to asked how credible is it?

After his headline grabbing academic papers on a variety of subjects and the cult success of this book, Levitt’s work has been targeted by several critics. This is not just down to his controversial claim that an abortion law passed in 1973 is the main reason why there was a huge decline in crime in the early 1990s, but also because several other economists do not see this as a work of economics. It has been more likened to sociology. The authors – most probably Dubner – even make the argument in the book that economics is more art than science. Such comments are bound to rub up on tender spots amid social scientists who often find their disciplines grouped under the heading “soft science”, implying less practicality, empiricism or scientific accuracy than the “hard sciences”. Not being a numbers man or a person with any scientific standing, this is territory I will save for another day. After all, the main reason why I bought the book was for the apparently undeniable argument put forward by the authors that sumo wrestling is fixed!

The authors state early on that the book has no theme. However, it is this aspect that I find so appealing. I am always fascinated with genuine and abstract links between different subjects. If you are trying to get across a single methodology or approach this can be one of the best ways to entice potential learners. So, although it might put off the more serious academic it certainly works well with the rest of us great unwashed masses.

“Freakonomics” might not be pure economics, but the methodology that Levitt applies is pretty sound and when it comes down to the numbers – which Levitt asserts “never lie” – he has few serious detractors. Aside from the arguments regarding his controversial implications I did notice there was some surprisingly familiar territory. According to software developer and “What’s the Harm.Net” creator, Tim Farley “Skepticism [US sp.] is the intersection of science education and consumer protection. We help people learn from science to avoid spending their money on products and services that do not work.” Although the book does not expose complimentary and alternative medicine or debunk psychics, it certainly provides potentially important information for the consumer based on the analysis of data. Such examples of this can be seen in the investigation into the fixing of sumo wrestling matches, understanding the data that revealed the cheating of school teachers and why estate agents have little incentive to sell your property at the best price possible. However, despite not being a work that is typically listed alongside books like Michael Shermer, Carl Sagan, Martin Gardner and Ben Goldacre, “Freakonomics” ticks many of the sceptical boxes. The edition I own blurts the slogan “Assume nothing, question everything”, which sounds like a motto befitting of the modern empirical sceptic movement. Fortunately it’s boast to explore “the hidden side of everything” does not mean we are embarking on a series of silly conspiracy theories, but appears to use good sceptical tools. The most obvious of these is the acknowledgement of the “cum hoc ergo propter hoc” logical fallacy or why correlation does not prove causation. This is particularly important when it comes to mining data. Although there is confidence in the way the authors assert certain conclusions, one feels that they are open to criticism and don’t commit the cardinal sin of pseudo-rationalists by implying absolute certainty.

Actually proof of their desire to be honest about their research and data can be seen in a later edition of this book, where apparently the authors admit to readily buying into the somewhat exaggerated stories of author/activist Stetson Kennedy’s undercover crusade against the Ku Klux Klan. However, the anecdotal style of each chapter, which cleverly links these otherwise very different subjects, is again a massive appeal of the book. Being more an historical and cultural orientated sceptic than one whose natural inclination is towards science and mathematics, I certainly found the background information on the rise of crack cocaine – and the fascinating analogy with the rise of nylon stockings – to be very interesting. I found the authors’ explanation that the crack cocaine trade, as worked through street gangs all the way to criminal corporations, to be no more than a tournament an apt description. The controversial theory on why the crime rate fell dramatically in the US in the early ‘90s is also very convincing and compelling if you can put aside personal biases. By using other countries as comparisons and by also examining the legitimacy of other theories put forward at the time is also both insightful and provides an interesting overview of the human capacity for cognitive bias. Left-wingers want to believe stricter gun laws helped when they miss the point that most people involved in gun crime would have obtained their weapons from a healthy black market. Right-wingers want to believe that new police initiatives had an impact, when there is little evidence to prove this to be true. I found the whole chapter’s conclusions to have been presented in a pretty even-handed and balanced way, and this probably stems from the initial controversy caused when Levitt published his paper on the theory.

The previously mentioned Ku Klux Klan story was also of great interest to me and long before I read the relatively modest list of criticisms targeted at the first edition of the book, I did some research of my own into this particular anecdote. After all, the idea that the makers of a Superman radio show helped to drastically reduce the membership and diminish the fear of the Ku Klux Klan is a pretty exciting idea. Although the general consensus is that the story reproduced in “Freakonomics” comes from the somewhat overblown memoirs of Stetson who went undercover, the evidence supports the whole crux of the chapter. Namely, that the influence and appeal of the Ku Klux Klan was in part down to the fear of their reputation. This reputation was dealt a severe blow when secret information of the group’s current passwords, rankings, ceremonies and rituals were broadcast in radio plays that pitted America’s favourite boy-scout against “The Clan of the Fiery Cross”. The embellished true story is actually secondary to the interesting data produced by Levitt. He asserts that the Klan’s appeal came down to their reputation built on a violent past. The figures that show lynchings attributed to the Klan diminished steadily even as the membership dramatically increased is a possible indication of this; although not to fall prey to the aforementioned logical fallacy, “Freakonomics” compounds this hypothesis with the way membership and overt influence of the Klan fell after more was known about them.

Finally the two chapters on child-rearing nicely dovetailed into the research and information I gleaned from Richard Wiseman’s “59 Seconds” as well as “50 Myths of Popular Psychology”. Being a parent, I would rather understand how little an influence I have over my child’s mental and cultural development than to deceive myself. It won’t stop me from taking my daughter as many museums as possible or from reading to her at night, but sometimes it is nice know you are sharing something for its enjoyment rather than being put under pressure to educate.

“Freakonomics” deserves a place on the bookshelf of most sceptical readers. The question as to where it fits in exactly might be a little tricky, but I know that many have been enticed into reading more about economics and the social sciences because of this book.
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

My "Case" for Halloween

2011-10-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaUnless you are a Christian fundamentalist or a neo-pagon, the celebration formally known by the ancient Celts as Samhain will have little spiritual meaning to you. Perhaps that's a rather sweeping statement, but I think for the most part if Christmas is losing the battle with commercialization (and my opinion on that is complex) then Halloween lost it a long time ago. In fact, “Halloween”, for all its association with the supernatural, is generally regarded as a secular holiday – and that suits me fine. Our middle class torch-bearers of the "old religion", bless every sky-clad and Hermetic spell-weaving one of them, look to this like a Christmas – except I guess for those also assert, with justification, that Christmas is also a hijacked European pagan festival. Whereas some of the even wackier members of the Christian Right would have us believe that this is the time Satan or the Enemy rides out. And the sight of people - worse still, children! - wondering the streets dressed as the many representations of supernatural evil must be enough to confirm their long held belief that we are all approaching the prophesised End of Times.

Being a fan of history, I quite like the ever-evolving story of Halloween. Because it means little to most, the politicization and misunderstanding of it is original purpose meets little debate. In short, it was just another ceremony to lighten the spirits of the masses as the nights drew in and the weather grew harsher. It was the Gaelic harvest festival – a time to celebrate and enjoy the bounty of the year’s crop yield. The beginning of the “Celtic New Year”, as the sun began to recede. The occupying Romans, of course, began associating this with their own Lemuria festival of the dead celebration, where they exorcized the malevolent spirits of the dead. The Christianization of Rome led to the eventual Christianization of many traditions. Therefore this harvest festival-cum-exorcism of ghosts on 31st October became All Hallow’s Eve, which preceded the Catholic celebrations, All Hallow’s Day on 1st November and All Souls Day on 2nd November. Of course, The Isle of Man still celebrate 31st October as a type of original New Year’s Eve called Hop-tu-naa, which is very similar to Halloween complete with trick or treating children. However, rather than using the North American imported pumpkin, their version of a Jack-o’-Lantern, associated with the will-o’-the-wisp legends, they use a carved turnip. The carved pumpkin that has become synonymous with Halloween to the point that orange might as well be the official colour for the celebration, is actually the North American settlers’ version of the old turnip carving tradition.

There is speculation among some historians that links the bonfire celebrations of Guy Fawkes Night on 5th November with Samhain and that, just the Catholics had done, the Protestants turned a celebration with pagan roots into their own religious festival. I heard this link made as fact quire recently on a history podcast without the fact that this is a controversial viewpoint not accepted by mainstream historians.

Personally I have no deep connection to any religious or commercial date in the calendar. Therefore Halloween suits me down to the ground. It’s a celebration that doesn’t really impose itself on you, unless of course you consider the trick or treaters to be an annoyance. Well, we have to put up with carol singers in the run up to Christmas and they could come on any number of days. Besides that, it’s all down to whether or not you attend a fancy dress party or get into horror films or stories. It doesn’t have any of the sanctimonious moralizing of Christmas or an insistence on having relative around. There is no anti-climax, as no one has any special expectations for the date and there is nothing like the pressure to spend money. These advantages could also be set against Valentine’s Day, Easter or any other celebration in the calendar. When I was at primary school I was first told any type of significance for Halloween from our visiting vicar. He explained the Hallow’s Eve connection, a time when the forces of evil could indulge themselves one last time before Hallow’s Day. Today I see that the event has gradually become a time when people can “let themselves go”. Like they need any sort of encouragement! This is just another example of the celebration moving further away from its association with general spookiness. Aside from teenage trick or treaters, one of my pet hates of Halloween is the wearing of a costume that has no connection to ghosts, zombies, vampires, witches or anything else from the spooky cannon. Call me an old stick in the mud, but you can wear your Superman or hooker costume to any other fancy dress party.

Going to parties is definitely not a must for me. I can really take them or leave them. I generally just like the whole idea of a having spooky night. Being a fan of Gothic fiction, horror movies and ghost stories it all suits me just fine. The secular nature of the holiday appeals to me too. There is no dogma imposed nor is any belief or political persuasion excluded – and there is no social stigma for those who choose to exclude themselves.

When it comes to Halloween, no-one does it like the Scottish. The country is full of gory history and superstition. From the completely fanciful legend of the cannibals of Galloway, Sawney Bean and his 45-strong incestuous brood to the haunted battlefields of someone of Scotland’s bloodiest battles, Scotland is the perfect place to visit over the Halloween period. I took my poor unfortunate family on a virtual Burke and Hare pilgrimage to Edinburgh. Resident to Edinburgh, these two serial killers committed their final murder on Halloween night. The grisly tale, which I have summarized before, is all the more sinister by the fact that it is undeniably true. We not only have accounts of their nefarious deeds, including their own testimonies, but there are some truly macabre souvenirs taken from Burke’s hugely popular public hanging. He was publically dissected by order of the court as type poetic justice and his skeleton is now displayed in the Royal College of Surgeons’ Museum; tanned skin from his body was turned into a number of macabre souvenirs. To this day you can view a matchbox made from one of his hands in the Police Museum in Edinburgh. Dissecting Professor Alexander Monro even dipped his quill in the blood of Burke and penned a letter revelling in this morbid excess.

However, the “spirit” of the occasion can be enjoyed many different mediums. If you are going to have a party why not mix up the various mixes with a rich selection of horror themed tracks. There are some great spooky classics from Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and what Halloween could miss the king of mascara and monsters himself, Alice Cooper. Then we have the wonderfully campy “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” soundtrack that demands audience participation and both the original and harder-edged cover of “Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’” provide excellent background tunes. The soundtrack of the first “Resident Evil” film works brilliantly. This is not in any small way to the fact shock-rocker Marilyn Manson was behind a lot of the musical arrangement. In fact, a lot of Manson’s work is very appropriate. Also have a good look over some of the’80s Goth scene. However, if you are going to start going down the Black and Doom metal root it might be worth remembering that although a lot of the classic instrumental stuff is impressively atmospheric, their particular vocalizations are an acquired tastes and might inspire more than their fair share of giggles from your guests. Having said that my favourite Halloween track has to be Type-O-Negative’s wonderfully irreverent “Black No.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” – not only does it mention Halloween a couple of times in the lyrics and even Lily Munster, but it also features a wonderful turn on “The Addams Family” theme tune.

Reading or, better still, listening to a good horror or ghost story is a wonderful tradition that can delight all ages if delivered in the right way. Any one of Edgar Allen Poe’s literature is virtually tailor-made for the occasion. “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Black Cat” and “The Pit and Pendulum” are my personal favourites. However, Poe doesn’t have the monopoly on the classic short fiction. The Penguin Book of Horror stories, both in audio and printed formats, has a wonderful selection of classics written by a rich variety of literary giants. This includes the creator of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, not to mention Long John Silver, R.L. Stevenson delivers a very eerie tale inspired by Burke Hare called “The Body Snatcher”. A.M. Burrage’s “The Waxwork” has a “Twilight Zone” type of charm and is comparable to Poe in this sense of mounting psychological terror. However, the most genuinely scary of the lot has to be “Moonlight Sonata” by Alexander Woollcott. There’s genuine horror in the tale without being gratuitous and then a genuinely nasty, if ingenious, pay-off at the end.

It is also worth mentioning the excellent "Pseudopod". This is a free weekly horror podcast that provides a multitude of modern horror stories ranging wide across the various subgenres, The presentation and production of this show is first rate and the length of the episodes are perfect to listen to on a Halloween night.

What better way to finish the night off with than to selection of films. Now, I haven’t just specifically chosen horrors and I haven’t necessarily chosen my favourite horrors, but those films that fit this particular occasion. Happy Halloween!

The Flesh and the Fiends

Okay, so I am really on a Burke and Hare thing here. However, the film meets plenty of criteria. It’s genuinely creepy and features a giant of classic horror cinema, Donald Pleasance as a particularly nasty William Hare. Curiously it is also the only Burke and Hare film I have seen that heavily features Halloween.

Halloween

Well, I might as well get this obligatory picture out of the way. The trouble is the slasher genre has been so badly hacked to pieces that a lot of its initial impact is impaired. Still, the date is right and the presence of Pleasance again, this time as a good guy, and Jamie Lee Curtis should be enough to keep your attention. There is, of course, Carpenter’s superior direction and his distinctive theme tune.

Sleepy Hollow

Pumpkins and the legend of the headless horseman! What more could one ask from a Halloween movie? Tim Burton’s wonderful homage to classic swashbuckling Hammer Horror delivers a picture that has a wonderful balance of thrills and humour. The cast is headed by Burton favourite Johnny Depp, who really excels in this type of very quirky role, and includes Miranda Richardson and a requisite cameo from the great Christopher Lee. Ray Park’s work as the horseman’s stunt double takes the fight scenes in a wonderfully inventive direction.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Charles Schulz’s Charlie Brown comments on any public holiday are a must for me. From silly traditions taken to their extreme to the wonderful downbeat comedy of the peace accompanied by the distinctive jazz soundtrack make this satire on the Halloween holiday a much needed counterbalance to the “excuse for excess” philosophy now connected to the event.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Burton again and this time with a film that works equally as well as a Halloween film as it does a Christmas film. In fact, it is often more connected to the latter than the former. However, it is interesting to note that it features Halloween far more prominently and was actually premiered on 31st October. The film is full of fun songs that reflect the whole tongue-in-cheek campy appeal of Halloween and contains the distinctive Burton-style take on stop-motion animation.

The Crow

Alex Proyas’ mesmerising 1994 reimagining of J O’Barr’s graphic novel is perhaps the best dark fantasy piece ever made. The story of an avenging spirit brought back from the dead to exact revenge on his murderers is set the night before Halloween on a fictionalized night of organized anarchy and crime called “Devil’s Night”. The film is a virtual love letter to the Goth subculture, but has a widespread appeal with memorable characters and quotable lines.

Nosferatu

I saw this classic silent at the cinema accompanied by a live pianist over the Halloween weekend. It was a real treat. Yes, much of the over-exaggerated “silent acting” and all the components of the movie that have been copied numerous times over the past near century did rouse regular snickers and giggles, but that is part of the fun. The film can be appreciated in many different ways. I see it as a window into the darkness of the Weimar Republic. So much of what we know as the modern horror movie can be traced back to F.W. Murnau’s masterpiece of expressionist cinema.

Ghostbusters

“Ghostbusters” is fun, exciting and genuinely funny. This movie combines the talents of a post-Blues Brothers Dan Ackroyd with a pre-pretentious Bill Murray in a comedy that rivals “Trading Places” for laughs. It’s a wonderful satire on the whole sham ghost-hunting business and plants tongue firmly in cheek as Ackroyd and fellow writer, Harold Ramis, play with the whole pseudoscientific business of supernatural investigation.

The Monster Squad

“Ghostbusters” inspired some excellent imitators. Bizarrely “The Monster Squad” featured a cast of kids and yet sported a 15 certificate in the UK. This was “Ghostbusters” meets “The Goonies”, and is as entertaining as either with half the budget. A bunch of pre-pubescents take on Dracula, The Wolf-Man, the Mummy and some vamps with the aid of Frankenstein’s Monster and a survivor from a Nazi concentration camp. The script is smart and in a way that doesn’t talk down to kids, making it very edgy for its time, and is very affectionate to the Universal cannon in a way that “Van Helsing” wouldn’t know how.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Before there was Wii exercise games and before breakfast show workouts this was how you got people moving in front of a TV. The perfect party movie, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is the perfect adult musical. Richard O’Brien brilliantly parodies the ‘40s through to ‘70s science fiction and horror B movie horror scene. In a nod to the likes of cross-dressing B movie king, Ed Wood, O’Brien has Tim Rice plays the picture’s most memorable role, the transvestite Transylvanian Dr Frank-N-Furter. The film and the live musical is a unique hybridization of schlock Americana and British eccentricity.
Please also see:
Best Horror Through the Ages and Paint it a Blacker Shade of Dark

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The Many Nightmares of Elm Street

2011-10-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaWith Halloween approaching, what time would be better than to have a look at one of the most popular horror movie franchises of all time. I was way under the legal age when I first saw one of the worst installments of the series, "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge", and was mildly disappointed. The whole build-up had been too much. School friends had told me it was the scariest horror they had ever seen and to this day I see reviews written saying pretty much the same thing. Of course, they weren't talking about this particular part - although some had seen the sequel and had just got carried away by the impact of the original. I borrowed my VHS copy off one of those adults who let's kids borrow that sort of stuff. In fact, I saw most of my first B movies off this guy. The whole taboo and decadence of the experience was enhanced by the stink of Raffles cigarettes that always seemed to cling the cases.

Anyway, the experience was enough for me to want to see Part 3, which was where the original writer/director Wes Craven lent a collaborative hand again. The result was a fantasy adventure decorated with horror elements. It was like a much better version of "Dreamscape" - a now virtually forgotten and quirky film from 1985 that also had its lead villain rip someone up with a clawed hand. I did get round to watching the original before I continued on the ups and downs of the rest of the franchise, and even as 13 year old I could see what my friends had meant about the fear factor. The trouble was comic Freddy had already taken the edge of it, so I never did get the impact that a film like the original "Ringu" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" provided when I got round to seeing them many years later. That didn't matter, I was into horror-hero Freddy. The scarred maniac of our dreams made us all laugh with him out loud. Who could blame us, The Fat Boys were rapping with the guy by the time the campy and hugely entertaining fourth part came out. Cognitive dissonance allowing me and the rest of my generation to separate the wise-cracking rogue from the implication that he were putting a sadistic child-murdering pervert.

Sadly and despite the facts that certain critics and documentaries testify to the original film's credibility, it's legacy is marred by its status as a slasher movie and Krueger's development as a wise-cracking ghoul. Matters are not helped by creator Wes Craven's incredibly sporadic levels of quality, which often call into question his status as a master of horror...

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

This is how it all began...

Tina Gray is experiencing some very disturbing dreams, where she is being pursued by a hideously disfigured man wearing a red and green striped sweater, an old brown fedora hat and wielding a single glove adorned with knives on its four fingers. One morning the teenager awakes from her nightmare to discover four slashes torn into her night shirt. The tears correspond with the razor bladed fingers of her dream stalker...

And so began "A Nightmare on Elm Street", a landmark movie in both the horror genre and the slasher subgrenre. The man in Tina's dreams is, of course, Fred Krueger who we will very soon know as the iconic bogeyman Freddy. This figure will end up being featured in six sequels, a television series, a crossover picture with the other iconic horror figure of the '80s, Jason, and then in the recent remake. It is easy to think of Nightmare as another slasher franchise, living off the back of John Carpenter's Halloween and its predecessor, Black Christmas, and after the third instalment of the series Freddy had become a figure of parody. However, this is to overlook just how good the original Nightmare really was or, for that matter, how much better the sequels were compared to most other slasher films.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is arguably director/writer Wes Craven's best work. It is true that on a basic level, Nightmare is a slasher film. It contains many of the established clichés (and they were clichés by 1984) that would be sent up by Craven's film, Scream over a decade later. It has a dark secret that spawns an almost indestructible killing maniac, its victims are mainly teenagers or young adults, the killing methods vary and it has a "last girl" character. However, what sets it apart is the concept of Krueger killing his victims in their dreams. No one can avoid going to sleep, so this dispenses with the need for the outrageous stupidity of the victims. In fact, many Nightmare protagonists are actually quite switched on and the first film's main character is an inventive and formidable opponent for Freddy.

Nightmare also transcends its subgenre and finds its place in true horror by its use of imagery - much of it disturbingly sexual - and the way it blurs reality with dreams. This latter point is its real strength. Craven is not content with just showing us that what happens in the dreams can affect the victims in reality, he warps the viewers perceptions so they are not always one hundred per cent clear about what is real and what is dreamscape.

Finally the strongest point about Nightmare, of course, is its villain. Other slasher films may rise above their rivals through tight direction, careful observation of how to build suspense, inventive special effects, iconic music scores, and even have good actors and actresses in lead roles, but only Nightmare has Freddy. By allowing the villain to be intelligent and be able to speak, and revel in his sadism, we have different dimension altogether then the mute killing machine seen in Halloween and the Friday the 13th sequels. Freddy is not especially large, but his wicked cackling personality, played unforgettably by Robert Englund, is all too reminiscent of many a childhood villain - think the Wicked Witch of the West of "The Wizard of Oz" or, more appropriately, think the Child Catcher of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Before Freddy became a comical character he really was an effective menace.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: "Freddy's Revenge"

You expect a possession entry in the Friday the 13th series. It was a cynical slasher series cloned from Halloween, never aspiring to any sort of horror greatness, and no stranger to gimmicks or inconsistency. Even when this did happen to Friday it had taken nine films and a change in production companies. A Nightmare on Elm Street - a modern classic horror movie - made this booboo on their second instalment. Fortunately it wasn't of the body hopping type, but it was a major unfortunate swerve from the original's intentions to the point that the rest of the franchise ignored it completely.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge" develops an angle where Freddy Krueger can inhabit the world of the living through the body of another. By doing this rather than becoming mortal like he was in the original, he can distort the real world turning into a literal living nightmare. Five years after the incidents of the original Nightmare, a new family moves into Nancy Thompson's house. Enter Jesse, the adolescent son of the family who has just moved in. Jesse is a rather effeminate and sickly individual, which I am not entirely sure were the intentions of the casting director, but still he deserves some credit for being that rare character in a slasher flick: a "Last Man". Jesse starts experiencing some disturbing dreams featuring our favourite burned psycho. This time, however, Mr Krueger has a proposition for his victim, declaring "You've got the body and I have brain" in his own "charming" way. Actually this is perhaps the first genuine one liner from Krueger.

There is no mention whatsoever of the twist ending of the previous film, but Nancy's diary turns up. We never saw Nancy write a diary in the first film, but fair enough the writer is at least trying to make some sort of connection with the original material. Krueger's back story is also told again and his boiler room is visited in the real world. Aside from this, however, the film does not feel like the logical next stage of the original picture. It's almost a spin-off in this respect and not a particularly good one. There would be much better examples in the Twilight Zone/Tales from the Crypt style series "Freddy's Nightmares".

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: "The Dream Warriors"

Westin Hills psychiatric hospital is playing host to seven teenagers with supposed suicidal tendencies. New member of staff, Nancy Thompson (the heroin of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street), quickly discovers that the teenagers are linked by being the last children of the gang of parents who killed child murderer Freddy Krueger. Far from being suicidal, the seven patients are all struggling for their lives against Krueger who continues his murderous rampage through their dreams. Nancy hits upon a plan to get the teenagers to fight back by using their wildest fantasies to transform them into the Dream Warriors. However, they are going to need far more than their imaginations to defeat this bogeyman...

Freddy Krueger was hot property, but after the disappointing swerve of "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge" the franchise was in urgent need of some attention. Wes Craven, who had wanted the original film to be a stand alone effort returned to work on Part 3. The film gives the feel of being the last part of a trilogy, which again was Craven's intention. However, this was not to be.

Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon reprise their roles as Nancy and her father, Lt. Thompson, respectively. They put in reliable performances alongside the very promising Patricia Arquette, who stars in her screen debut as the most predominant member of the Dream Warriors, Kristen Parker. However, the show this time belongs completely to Freddy Krueger, played again by Robert Englund. The Krueger franchise is assured for the rest of the 1980s at least by a more wisecracking rendition of the character, who uses the psychological weaknesses of his victims directly against them in their dreams. Later instalments turn the new dark humour into parody and the dream sequences into more elaborate set pieces.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: The Dream Warriors rights the faults of the second film by providing a better continuation of the story. The film's script was drastically changed during pre-production, and many of the original concepts made it into the movie tie-in novel. Just as Craven's hands had been tied with the gimmicky twist ending of the first Nightmare, he was clearly very much over-ruled with the Dream Warriors, which is clearly aimed at a more commercial audience than before. The resulting film may not equal the original picture but it still serves as an exciting dark fantasy with a wide range of special effects depicting Freddy in many different forms from a murderous television set to a Ray Harryhausen-esque stop-motion skeleton.
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: "The Dream Master"

The last remaining Dream Warriors are dispatched in succession as Freddy Krueger makes his return. However, Freddy needs more victims and it looks like he is going to get these via local shrinking violet, Alice. Alice, a friend of Kristen Parker's absorbs her dead friend's ability to draw people into her dreams, which gives Krueger access to her school friends. Despite this, all is not lost as Alice grows stronger after each death and prepares to go head-to-head with the dream demon in one final showdown. The past film revealed Krueger's strength came from the souls of his child victims. This time, however, it might just be his undoing...

"A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master" did what most genre franchises do, amp up the previous film's most saleable attributes. Freddy not only cracks more one-liners as he dispatches his victims, but there is a visual element of parody present in the film. For example, Freddy Krueger enters one scene with his four finger knives cutting through the water like a shark's fin. The wisecracks are actually more funny than menacing this time around, robbing the victims of any sympathy and bringing the franchise dangerously close to Friday the 13th territory. Have said this, I have a soft spot for this particular instalment. The characters still have more depth than most horror films of this genre and the story's concept is very good. Alice's transformation from shy retiring schoolgirl to the Dream Master is almost a dark send up of the Cinderella or ugly duckling style flicks that were very popular in the 1980s.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: "The Dream Child"

A year after the incidents of A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Child, Alice is beginning to have disturbing dreams again. This time she begins to relive the horror of child killer and then dream demon Freddy Krueger's conception and birth. After his birth, Alice witnesses the resurrection of the undead maniac in the venue where she had supposedly destroyed him. Freddy is back again and out to kill Alice's boyfriend and her new friends. He has further plans too. Alice is pregnant and Freddy has plans for her unborn child...

In many ways, "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child" should have reprieved the franchise, just as Part 3 did. Although Part 4 was in no way a bad sequel, it had lightened the horror of the series. With Stephen Hopkins at the helm for this instalment and a clear determination to give the film a darker tone, it appeared that at least stylistically the film was going back to its roots. The noticeable blue filter filming technique does make the film appear more sombre. Hopkins would go on to show his brilliant directorial skills in films such as "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers". However, the fifth Nightmare film would not earn him much praise from critics or fans.

It is not that Nightmare 5 isn't a loyal sequel. Alice and Dan from the previous film continue on in the fashion you would expect and are played by the same actors. Even Alice's father, now a recovered alcoholic, makes an appearance. The origin of Freddy Krueger is looked at again, but the visuals are not as disturbing as the picture painted by Amanda Krueger's ghost in Part 3. In fact, despite the attempt at a gothic style the whole film lacks edge. The trademark humour of Freddy is present, but his death scenes are now completely devoid of anything that resembles horror. The idea might have been to darken Nightmare again, but the material is just not there. Combine this with the fact that so far the weakest entry, Part 2, had already used the idea of Freddy trying to possess someone, and you have a rather ill-conceived project. Sadly, despite some real potential, Nightmare 5 goes wide off the mark. Unfortunately the franchise would stray even wider the next time around...
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

In the way off distant future of 1999 Freddy Krueger has successfully wiped out all the children in Springwood. The last teenager, John Doe, narrowly escapes the dream monster by being knocked past the city limits during an assault. The Nightmare series has never been big on defining what is the real world and what is dreamscape, so somehow Freddy doing this in a dream is enough for John to find himself in a different area in real life. Having acquired amnesia through the incident he ends up in a shelter for troubled children, where he meets a rebellious bunch of misfits. The group escape the home with John and return him to Springwood, having found a newspaper clipping in his pocket of the place and figuring it might jog his memory. This brings new meat back to ol' Pizza Face, but this time some startling revelations are about to made the horror icon. The source of his seemingly indestructible power is discovered and so is previously unknown fact that he had a child. Both are set to spell doom for Mr Krueger...

"Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" was released over two years after the fifth film. This was the longest gap between films since the one between Parts 2 and 3. Like Part 2, Part 5 had disappointed fans and critics. It was thought that by announcing this instalment as the final part, the film would be a financial success. This turned to be correct and influenced New Line Cinema, once they had acquired the rights to the other great slasher icon of the '80s, Jason Voorhees, they could pull off the same stunt with him. This wasn't as successful. Back to Nightmare and we find the most disappointing entry since the justly panned Part 2. In fact, it is arguably worse than this episode and future films featuring Freddy would treat the sixth part with the same disdain, in that it is virtually ignored.

Every gimmick in the book seems to be shamelessly to be pulled out for Freddy's supposed final outing. The final dream battle sequence is not only done in 3D, a cinematic gimmick that had died in the '80s and wouldn't prove popular until just recently, but the combatant teenagers actually don the glasses. Even horror rock singer, Alice Cooper is cast to play Freddy's father. Having seen the failure of Stephen Hopkins' attempts to prolong the continuity of the series and to return it, at least stylistically, back to its darker roots in Part 5, it seems that Freddy's Dead tries to do the exact opposite. The results are far worse. The film has virtually no reference to the storyline picked up in Part 3 and faithfully followed in Parts 4 and 5. Although Part 5 was hampered by a dreadful script that provided the parody, its dark style at least gave it some good visual moments. This film takes the parody and almost turns the movie into a type of mild spoof.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare

No one at the time believed this would be the last Nightmare film. I recall several reviewers at the time not even referencing the apparent finality of the film, but discussing what would happen in the picture. In a way, the film didn't lie. It signalled an end to an era for A Nightmare on Elm Street. The next instalment would be completely out of cannon, a post-modern vision creator Wes Craven had wanted to do since he made the first film called "New Nightmare". After that there would be the long anticipated match up between Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Both films would be pleasant surprises for many reasons, but then again it couldn't be too difficult to outdo Freddy's Dead.It may surprise some that Freddy Krueger creator, Wes Craven did not intend for there to be any direct sequels to his surprise 1984 horror hit "A Nightmare on Elm Street". The film's twist at the end was added due to pressures from New Line Cinema who saw the potential for a franchise. When asked to be involved in the film's second sequel, Craven offered forward a script for a metafilm. Those involved with the original film would become haunted by their own creation. The idea was rejected in 1987. However, 10 years after the release of the original Nightmare, Craven's concept became a reality. The series had released its apparent "finale" film, "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare", which although considered dreadful by most, did very well at the box official initially. Seeking a new direction and possibly taking the negative feedback on board, Craven was allowed a shot at taking complete control back of his creation.

"Wes Craven's New Nightmare" pits Heather Langenkamp, the actress who played Nancy Thompson, the heroine of Nightmares 1 and 3 against a real manifestation of Freddy Krueger. Her son is threatened by the growing presence of the dream demon, as a new script written by the haunted Wes Craven is being written. The film sees Robert Englund both play the role of Freddy and himself, which are great contrasts. I grew up watching the science fiction series "V" long before I became a Nightmare fan, so Englund is as much Willie the gentle alien as Freddy the ghoulish spectral serial killer to me. Because of his success as Freddy, he has ended up with numerous jobs either presenting tired clip-show documentaries on horror films or being cast in some terrible B movies playing creepy people. In "New Nightmare" we get a chance to see the quietly spoken and artistic Englund make a cameo appearance. However, John Saxon, who played Nancy's father in the first and third instalments, has some of the best scenes in the film, discussing the unfolding drama with Heather Langenkamp.

"New Nightmare" is the vision of an auteur. Freddy Krueger looks distinctively different to his well-known incarnation, resembling the original idea Craven had for the character. He is far darker, with an organically razor "clawed" right hand rather than the homemade glove he sports in all the other films. The film does feature some overt and subtle homage moments to the original film, which don't detract from its place as a stand-along piece. For example, in Nightmare 1 there is a brief suggestion put that nightmares can occur before an earthquake happens. Early in "New Nightmare" Heather is awakened by an actual earthquake. Interestingly real scenes of quake damage were shot when the Los Angeles earthquake hit not long before the film was wrapped, adding another angle to the already complicated concept of art becoming reality becoming art.

The film is up there with "Being John Malcovich" with its surreal comments on the way art and iconic figures affect those closest to their creation. Unfortunately, although well critically received and a fan favourite, "New Nightmare" did not take as much at the box office as any of the other previous instalments. Perhaps the general public were not happy with this portrayal of Freddy Krueger, who they had come to accept since Part 3, as a wisecracking "horror hero". Perhaps the damage had been so bad with the sixth film, that few people were willing to give it a chance. I think, however, that times had move on. This was the longest gap of all between films and Freddy was a '80s icon. Nevertheless, after the series had gone so wayward and really crashed, from an artistic perspective, with the awful "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare", "New Nightmare" provides a reminder of why the original film was such a classic horror picture. This is the proper finale the franchise deserved.

Freddy versus Jason

In the red and green corner, weighing in with one genuine movie classic and six sequels of varying credibility and quality, once an original icon of horror now a lampooned cartoon figure associated with the 1980s: Freddy Krueger! In the white and red corner, weighing in with one half-decent send up sequel: Jason Vorhees! This was the moment many slasher fans of the '80s had been waiting for. We didn't think we would have to wait this long. Proposals for the match-up had been around since 1986, but it would take New Line Cinema to eventually buy the Jason character off Paramount Pictures in the early 1990s and then go through what is known as "production hell" where several disparate scripts would be proposed and rejected until finally 2003 saw the release of "Freddy versus Jason".

The millennium saw retrospective go into overdrive in terms of fashion, music and especially films. It was a time for the remakes, the live action versions of retro cartoon and toy franchises, and for superheroes (and villains) to meet. Fans were not just a vocal minority now, they were active contributors guiding people on the internet, writing for mainstream magazines and demanding that respect be shown for nostalgia they held so dear. So, according to the publicity surrounding "Freddy versus Jason", the story is linked directly to the end of the abortive "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" and almost as terrible "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare". The previous instalments of the franchises required no place in the film. "Jason X" was set in the future and "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" was none cannon. Jason is resurrected in his dreams by Freddy Krueger in order to bring terror back to Springwood, a town which has erased the history of Freddy from its archives and put all its children on the dream suppressant drug first seen in Nightmare 3. The plan works, but Jason refuses to stand aside when Freddy wants in on the action. Meanwhile some teenagers have figured out what is going on and embark on a plan to ensure that when the two monsters clash it will finish them both.

We all waited for this film to smash our expectations and many of us were pleasantly surprised. I am happy to say I was among those many. I am under no delusions about this film's place in horror history; it is the 21st century's equivalent to Universal's "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man". However, its realization is not some desperate attempt to resuscitate an ailing franchise, that had already happened, but an unashamed commercial enterprise designed to appeal to fans of the two "horror heroes". Robert Englund steps in as a cackling and wisecracking Freddy without missing beat. Jason Vorhees is, well, Jason Vorhees. Kane Hodder had become a fan-favourite and only actor to play the role for more than one film, but he was replaced by a much taller actor in order create a greater contrast with Robert Englund's smaller stature. The film worked hard to merge the hallmarks of each respective franchise. Elm Street's switched on kids and Crystal Lake's stupid ones have their representatives in the different characters. Both Freddy and Jason's back-stories are used extensively for valid plot reasons, including the discovery of their weaknesses. It all culminates in a match-up that sees the two icons duke it out in Freddy's dream world and Jason's home at Crystal Lake. Unlike the very short eventual fight between Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man, this battle is good value for money.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Plot:

Remake of 1984's "A Nightmare on Elm Street". The teenagers of Springwood are being haunted by a hideously burnt man who brandishes a glove with razors on its fingers. As her friends begin to be killed in their dreams by the scarred man she learns is called Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), Nancy Holbrook (Rooney Mara) goes on a mission to find out their connection to the killer. She unearths a dark story of child molestation and vigilantism that has resulted in a terrible curse that threatens consume the children of Elm Street...

Review:

Sadly it was only a matter of time for "A Nightmare on Elm Street" to be remade by "The House that Freddy built". The 2000s proved that remakes of true genre-defining horror classics like "A Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Hills Have Eyes", "Black Christmas" and "Halloween" could be successful. TCM and HHE actually did a pretty good job in bringing the visceral fear and horror associated with the originals to a new audience. Then it was time to ransack a dubious classic, "Friday the 13th. In essence the original picture was really just another rip-off of 1978's "Halloween", but it quickly took on a ridiculous life of its own, becoming one of the most successful and recognizable franchises in movie history.

Like "Halloween", "Nightmare" had everything just right. However, it was much better. It took the old concept of a single seemingly indestructible killer on a revenge hunt and turned it on its head. Craven's monster, the child-killer Fred Krueger, attacked his victims in their dreams. Rather than the incredibly stupid teenagers that had been featured in "Friday the 13th" and other slasher horrors, we now had intelligent kids who fought to stay awake. In one deft move Craven eliminated the need to explain why the victims split up or made silly choices. Craven was also able to play with surrealism and merge dream and reality to create a genuine feel of helplessness in the picture. This was coupled with a certain Freudian type symbolic sexuality. Unlike other slasher horrors it didn't go in for excuses to show brief soft porn to titillate viewers before bringing in the gore. What was implied was altogether more disturbing. Krueger wasn't some mute zombie either. He was a cackling, taunting pervert like the Wicked Witch of the West on crack and spoke to society's worst fears. It spawned many sequels and none of them regained the original's dark magic, but even the worst of the batch (parts 2, 5 and 6) seemed to be a cut above the conventional slasher picture. Not so with the remake.

"How can you make 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' without Robert Englund?" was the question on everyone's lips, and answer it is appears is you can't. This vital ingredient made even the best moments of this film hard to appreciate. I read all the excitement about how the make-up and visual effects were done to make Krueger look more like a real burn victim than Englund's incarnation. The casting of Jackie Earle Haley on the back of his performance playing the part of a paedophile in the drama "Little Children" to portray Freddy also seemed well thought out. The film tries to portray Krueger as a child molester rather than an outright serial killer. This adds a better logic to the secrecy of the whole parent vigilante thing and somehow makes it more disturbing. The idea that the kids believe Krueger might have been innocent is also a nice touch. However, all of this fails to deliver. In order to honour its roots the familiar chords are there, so is the "One, two, Freddy's coming for you" jump-rope song, but as the Haley dons the familiar fedora and red and green striped sweater it all seems wearisome.

Englund appeared as Krueger in every single incarnation of the series prior to this picture. He not only appeared in the official sequels, but also in the post-modern "New Nightmare", in a movie crossover, "Freddy versus Jason", and even the TV series "Freddy's Nightmares". Englund's unique features and his voice are Freddy Krueger. There is no getting away from it and the sad thing is that any attempt to pay tribute to the original just seems to heighten this missing part.

If this was not enough - and it most certainly is - the film has plenty of other flaws. If it weren't for the aforementioned good parts in the previous paragraph I would consider this perhaps one of the most thoughtless of remakes. Haley aside, the rest of the cast literally and figuratively look like they are sleepwalking through this picture. This seems to be in line with the overall tone of the picture. There is zero mounting suspense and it all feels like a tired re-tread rather than a fresh beginning. To make matters worse, the exposition is very unnecessary. As previously mentioned, I appreciate the desire to reconstruct Freddy, but we don't need to know about micro-sleeping to explain why reality and dreams sometimes blur. By combining the supernatural with dreams, you can throw logic out the window and we all happily fasten our disbelief's seatbelt. Ever since the awful "It was all a dream" cliché came into regular currency we accept that we will be constantly wondering whether something is a dream or not. The fact that teenagers are scared to death of being killed in their sleep is enough to explain why they might be missing out on their healthy eight hours and then slipping in out of dream world throughout the day. It's a given!

The remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" should as a warning to future studios who think that all horrors that spawned sequels were not created equally. "Nightmare" could just about stand with a couple of fun instalments without Craven's input - although it should be noted that the best sequels, parts 3 and 7, were where he had a bigger say - but not without Robert Englund.

If you liked this article try this one "That Day Again"

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Bad History: A Review

2011-10-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

It’s quite disappointing to see how muchflack this excellent little book has received. I was under no illusion that thebook I was about to read was going to be a light read. The book’s title doesimply that it is to be considered to be in the same category as Ben Goldacre’s“Bad Science” and Phil Plait’s “Bad Astronomy”. Despite both of these booksbeing written for a lay audience they were not shot in details or text. EmmaMarriot’s slim collection of short essays might be with Goldacre and Plait insentiment, but the work isn’t intended to educate the reader in good historicalresearch. However, it does provide examples of what good research achieves andhow good historians view the past. Unfortunately I think many history buffswere looking forward to a heavily cited and in depth analysis of historicalmyths and a debunking of pseudohistory; not a book strictly for academics, butnevertheless one with a scholarly appeal. Recent years have seen some goodacademics, like Richard J Evans take on the postmodern anti-historical wave andothers like David Aronovitch, Kathryn S. Olmsted and evensceptical scientist Michael Shermer produce sterling investigations that bothdebunk and seek to understand the nature of conspiracy theory.

Although such books are sorely needed inhistory writing – I think way too many academics underestimate the impact ofconspiracy theories and pseudohistory – a book like this is arguably moreneeded. As Damien Thompson pointed out in “Counterknowledge”, more pseudohistoricalbooks are finding their way over from the “New Age and Spiritual” section andinto the “General History” section. Through a mixture of propaganda of thetime, influential biased historians of later times, folklore and movies thegeneral public have grown up often believing very distorted views of incidentsin history. This isn’t helped with postmodernism arguing that virtually allaccounts of the past are equally as valid as they are all just opinions.However, history is a serious study. We only ever have the past as a referenceand this is what so much is based on from building businesses to deciding legalcases to planning strategies. Good historians understand the difference betweena wild theory or biased idea about a past event and a view that is shaped bythe most compelling empirical evidence. And yet, as this book demonstrates, themajority of us have a woeful understanding of the past.

Most people believe that a typical Romangladiator fight will end with one of the participants dead. Abraham Lincoln iscelebrated as the man who fought the American Civil War to win freedom forslaves in the south. Even academics have been known to venerate Galileo as thechampion of science against the oppressive Catholic Church. And try to tellyour average patriotic Irish man that their patron saint wasn’t really Irishand didn’t encounter a single snake in Ireland. Go into your local Works or even W.H. Smith and you will see no end of mass market “fact” books.Airports and service stations have no end of pulp non-fiction on sale. Thesebooks of myths, half-truths and gross generalizations ultimately make their wayinto the mind of the undemanding reader and are often found as last minute“educational” books for teenagers. They are then referenced in popularjournalism and repeated through the generations. History has not been acompulsory subject in schools since the 1980s and yet the thirst forinformation on the past and its stories could not be greater, and can be seenby the existence of mainstream channels, expensive documentaries, mainstreammagazines and big budget Hollywoodblockbusters. People define their cultures, their national heritage, theirpolitics and even their beliefs on what they think happened in the past. Theseundeniable facts alone should scream the importance of having more light andaccessible reference books that points the casual reader in the direction ofgood history.

One of the criticisms targeted at “BadHistory” is that the chapter titles are somehow misleading. For example, whenthe chapter proclaims the myth that “Gladiators Fought to the Death”, thechapter doesn’t provide the complete opposite to this statement. I don’t seethe problem with at all. The chapter does assert that the very limited evidencewe have of gladiatorial combats shows that this entertainment spectacle, bornout of a human sacrifice ritual held at an aristocratic funeral, rarelyresulted in deaths. The reasons for this are quite commonsensical. Why wouldbusinessmen invest so much money and time in the training of individuals onlyto risk losing them in their first fight? The fictional media and documentarieson these combatants present an overwhelming picture of every single fight beinga fight to the death. Of course, some gladiators did die, as is the risk ofanyone who enters into a full contact sport, and this rate of mortality wouldhave been relative to the nature of the fights and the life expectancy of thetimes. The author explains that there were also other events featuringnon-gladiators – Christians and criminals for example – where the outcome wasmost certainly death. I don’t see how this is not providing a rebuttal of theoriginal assertion.

I admit we are only a little shakier groundwith the chapter that purports to debunk the popular belief that Mary Tudor wasa “Ruthless Persecutor of Protestants”. In this case, I concede to Marriot’scritics. Here Emma Marriot does not attempt to prove that Mary wasn’t aruthless persecutor of Protestants - she just argues that the five yearreigning queen wasn’t any worse than her father, Henry VIII, or her sister,Elizabeth I. We get a more rounded picture of Mary Tudor, a ruler who wasunlucky in her campaigns and had her better qualities “forgotten” by theProtestant propaganda that followed her death.

However, as far as I am concerned we needmore historians that try to present a more human figure of the popular “saints”and “demons” of our past. We are presented with the less ruthless and evenadmirable side of “The Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismark. Ian Mortimer’sexcellent recent book on “Henry V” has caused a dramatic shift in opinion onthe royal icon immortalized by his own propaganda machine and finally by theplays of William Shakespeare. This book, which presents the greatest amount ofprimary source research on the individual to date, puts over a compellingargument that Henry V was not the free-and-easy prince turned responsible andrighteous warrior king that Englandremembers. Evidence reveals him to be a great organizer and brave warrior, butalso a warmongering and humourless religious fanatic. Emma Marriott presents acondensed summary of Mortimer’s work in one of her chapters. Again, I cannotemphasize enough that “1415: Henry V’s Year of Glory” is not necessarily a bookthat your average casual history fan will read or even know about.

Marriott’s chapter on Cecil Rhodes, wherethe argument is put over whether or not he was a good or bad man reveals thecrux of a point Marriott is trying to put over. Life and history are not that simple.Given that the chapters are light and written in a highly accessible way, theauthor does a fantastic job of presenting the grey areas and complexity ofhistory. From the outset she explains in almost scientific terms how there areno absolutes in good history. We only see the facts as temporary conclusionsreached by the consensus of informed opinion. This opinion is supported by themost convincing empirical evidence available. Often what we find is that mythsare created to fall in line with a certain narrative of the time or even anarrative of today that simplified matters towards what people wanted tobelieve. Even the scientific community are susceptible to this and the factsabout Galileo’s relationship with the Catholic Church are far from theclear-cut battle of science versus religion that many of us sceptics like tothink it was. It turns out that his endorsement and elaboration on Copernicantheory was challenged by his rival scientists first before the pope, a goodfriend of Galileo, was brought into the fray. Far from being thrown into aprison, he lived a life of luxury, albeit under a very loose house arrest, andremained a staunch Catholic throughout his life.

However, if you are concerned that thismight be a bit wishy-washy, fear not. There are plenty of historic myths thatare shown to be complete nonsense. From the fascist propaganda that Mussolinimade the trains run on time – a persistent myth that thrives thanks to a verytwisted form of mainstream nostalgia – to the conspiracy theory that Pearl Harbourwas a plot engineered by President Roosevelt. A lot of these facts might not benews to historians, but evidence shows that a large amount of the generalpublic still believes them.

This includes the romanticized idea of the Bolsheviksstorming the winter palace with Lenin at the head in 1917. This interestinglittle chapter shows just how easily fictionalized drama, in the form of filmfootage, was just as easily mistaken for reality in the past as it is today.See Charlie Brooker’s “How TV Ruined your Life” for modern day version of thisfolly, particularly the final episode entitled “Knowledge”. Marriott explainshow a romantic dramatization of the storming of the Winter Palaceended up being reproduced on documentaries as actual footage of the event!

The book is annotated with footnotes, butMarriott quotes her reference material throughout. There is also a helpfulbibliography and a fairly extensive index. The format of the book’s shortchapters is executed in a fun way, containing several illustrations - theseinclude technical maps by David Woodroffe and cartoons by Andrew Pinder. Again,the historian critics have their gripe with this, but this is just the natureof the book and if it makes it more accessible to a lay audience then that’s agood thing.

In conclusion “Bad History” is amuch-needed book. It represents a moth of hope to battle against the Pandora’sBox of junk history and pop non-fiction that makes its way to casual historyreaders through well-meaning presents or as a last minute travel purchase. WhenI was 10 years old I received a great birthday present in the form of “TheHamlyn Book of Facts and Fallacies”. Since reading that children’s booknumerous times I have discovered that some of these facts are untrue and thatis the joy of the corrective nature of critical thinking. However, that bookplanted a seed in me to question accepted “truths” and ideas. For the most partthe book revealed old wives tales, pseudoscience, pseudohistory and bad geography.I am grateful to that book because it helped me accept many years later that alot the other fun educational books of facts well-meaning relatives gave meover the years contained a lot of nonsense. When I eventually got intoscepticism properly - which was around 13 years or so later – I found it quiteeasy to dismiss sacred cows and become aware of my own biases. New informationthat challenged old ideas did not meet with a lot of resistance from me and Iquickly understood how to filter out information that lacked substance. Mypoint here is that “The Hamlyn Book of Facts and Fallacies” helped me to pursuelearning by showing me that it is important to question. A scholarly bookwouldn’t have had that sort of impact. I hope that “Bad History” will be thefish bait needed for those who will go on to study good history and be morereadily aware of the myth-making process both in the past and of today.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Quasimodo meets Dr Doolittle

2011-10-10T02:38:00.000-07:00

The Elephant Man (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)"The Elephant Man" was probably the first film that had me reaching for tissues. That was when I was an impressionable child and bought into the simple fairy tale melodrama being told me. Today only my own sense of dignity stops me from shedding another tear of indignation, but I will get to that later. Lynch's film is a perfect symphony of pathetic emotion. The film-maker's pedigree has generally been built on art house projects, which jerk unpredictably between surreal cleverness ("Lost Highway") and pretentious twaddle ("Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me"). Sometimes his work is under-rated - "Dune" may have been overblown, but did really deserve to fall like it did? - and sometimes it is over-rated - "Eraserhead" may be nightmarishly atmospheric for a short, but it's a meandering non-event for a full-length horror. Faith in Lynch's own grip on reality was thrown into serious doubt when he praised the egregiously bad 9/11 conspiracy theory documentary "Loose Change". It also seems to tip the argument away from Lynch being a bona fide intellectual director/writer to being more of a superficial sophisticate. "The Elephant Man" demonstrates another feature of the latter argument - middle class snobbery.

However, as a visual feast it does its job well. Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt play so well as a double act I am amazed they weren't cast together in more projects. Hopkins is in a role that seems made for him and has got to have assured his future as a heavyweight actor. It is a magnificent tour de force of what it is to be a melodramatic hero. We get a full range of convincing and masterfully expressed emotions, which are just enough to arouse the sympathies in his viewers without their igniting their ridicule. Hopkins' Treves is a man of quiet and collected countenance but with tremendous compassion. From the moment we see him gaze in stunned mournful silence at his first sight of the Elephant Man - a single tear wells and in his eye and gently trickles down - to his final outbursts of rage in defence of his tragic friend, he is the embodiment of the virtuous English gentleman. Likewise Hurt hams it up beautifully as the pitiful "John" Merrick. His slurping and mumbling delicate voice would be heard again in the desperate cries of a tortured Winston Smith in "Nineteen Eighty-Four". It evokes our sense of sympathy and pity for our fellow human being on an almost primitive level. Hurt had solidified his reputation as a player of larger-than-life enigmas in the 1970s. He was superb as the delusional and sociopathic Roman emperor, Caligula, in the "I, Claudius" TV series. However, it was the way he virtually became the eccentric and outspoken gay icon Quentin Crisp in "An English Civil Servant" that won him the role as Merrick. These two are shown to be equally as impressive in scenes apart as they are together, bouncing off the supporting cast in good style.

The film looks impressive. Inspired by Lynch's visualization in Eraserhead and concentrated through the lens of one of his favourite collaborators, 1960s Hammer Horror man, cinematographer/director Freddie Francis, Mel Brooks knew what he was after: picture book Victorian English gentry and guttersnipe rogues planted in a world of post-Industrial Revolution and urban decay. From the horrific women's fight scene in Treves' reception to the scenes of steam presses at the basement level of the hospital this is a world of machines and savagery underneath the pomp and posterity of the fashionable dinners and nights out at the theatre. This is all set to a perfectly moving soundtrack. John Morris is largely responsible for the film's actual jingling soundtrack that evokes a melancholic fairground feel. The jingles are back in film's nightmare sequence. As if to reiterate the darkness associated with the freak show establishment we get a "Carnival of Souls" style accompaniment to Treves' initial visit to Merrick's place of work complete with pipe organs. It follows on perfectly from the theme as if it were some sort of bridge in the music. However, the most memorable piece of music has to be Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings". Most people seem to remember the 1938 piece either for this film or for "Platoon" some six years later. It had already gained a huge reputation for inspiring sadness after being played on the radio at the announcement of Franklin D. Roosevelt's death and at the funeral of Albert Einstein, but these two pictures virtually adopted it as their unofficial themes. Today it is a virtual cliché of reflective sadness.
Of course, perhaps the biggest compliment in this entire picture should be paid to Christopher Tucker. His incredibly make-up work on John Hurt has to be commended. He took casts from the actual Elephant Man skeleton and comparisons with photographic evidence reveal an outstanding job. So good was Tucker's work, that the Best Make-up category had to be invented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, awarding Tucker the Oscar. It was a much needed award, as following Tucker we would see some astounding work that needed acknowledgement. Think of the inventive low budget work of Tom Savini and the masterful Rick Baker. Think "American Werewolf in London", think "The Thing", think "The Company of Wolves" and "The Howling". Before the arrival of CGI, the 1980s saw a new golden age of visual effects with creativity not seen since the wonder years of Universal and Hammer Horror.
Lynch's script was based on Sir Frederick Treves' journals, written some 30 years after the death of his most famous patient and friend, Joseph Merrick - oddly Treves calls him John Merrick and this error is repeated in the film. Treves claimed that Merrick was abused and exploited by his cruel alcoholic employer, the famous showman Tom Norman - here represented by the entirely fictitious Bytes (Freddy Jones). Treves is shown to be a great philanthropist who is touched by his first meeting with Merrick and rescues him twice from the abuses of his "owner".

It's easy to condemn circuses and sideshows. Having grown up on a travelling circus and being part of a 300 year unbroken line of performers, I have had to endure a lot from the pompous, the badly informed and the plain ignorant. For the most part, show people (circuses, fairground people and street entertainers) are a minority people and spend most of their life working hard rather than indulging in intellectual or political battles, despite winning over members of the aristocracy and celebrities at different times. In 1886 public freak shows were supposedly banned in the UK. This was, in fact, the real reason why Joseph Merrick ended up in Belgium, where his manager over there robbed him blind and left him destitute. And this was the real reason why he ended up in the care of Treves for the rest of his life. The historical evidence shows that far from being places where disabled and disfigured human beings were exploited as slaves; freak shows offered a well-paid alternative to the workhouse or begging. Before he became an exhibit Merrick hawked goods on the streets for his family, but due to his appearance and inability to speak properly this bore little fruits and he ended up in the workhouse. Working in the shops set-up by Tom Norman meant that Merrick not only had a far higher standard of living he also got to share 50% of the gate with his agent. This would not have been an inconsiderable wage for any working class person in late Victorian England. However, despite the film supposedly presenting Merrick in a dignified way - "I am not an animal, I am a human being!" he at last cries in true Hollywood fashion towards the end of the picture and it became the movie's tagline - Hurt portrays him as a child-like individual. The evidence points towards a far more industrious and capable individual, and portraying in this fashion is rather patronizing.

What Lynch's film does is to provide a convenient and rather sneering view of what high society would have liked to have happened. Treves is the champion of the establishment, saving the poor unfortunate soul from the evils of the manipulative working class showman. Merrick experiences what entertainment is really all about and loves the theatre; high art - you know the type that requires funding and patronage, and sells tickets at prices that the "great unwashed" cannot afford. Who betrays Merrick in the hospital? Is it another surgeon or doctor? Why it is that villainous cockney night porter (Michael Elphick) who secretly exploits the Elephant Man again by selling tickets to his gawping friends from the pub.

I cannot help but then cast a critical eye over a society that condemns the notion of freak shows. Today the concept of the freakshow is entrenched in any every mainstream media available. The only difference is a) the freak show was more honest about what it was selling and b) the "freaks" were generally paid a reasonable wage. Today "Britain's Got Talent" auditions are a really cheap way to pool in the laughs - often through the ridicule of unpaid individuals that could have serious undiagnosed mental or psychological problems - and to draw large numbers of viewers. What is a reality TV show, showing the extreme ends of our culture, other modern day freak show? The comparison between "Big Brother" and a Victorian freak show has been made so many times now that it is a modern cliché - the difference is the latter is darn sight less cruel. Body Building is actually the sporting evolution of the circus strong man act. Then we have beauty pageants, including whole legal industries that use children. There is the entire YouTube culture and consumer-end zero budget movies that exploit wannabe actors for no-pay on the promise of being the "fame tournament". The list goes on, but the truth is we don't need to go into abstract mutations of the freak show legacy to see that the freak show is as healthy now as it was back in 1886. From "Bizarre" magazine to TV shows like "Body Shock", people pay money to indulge their curiosity in unusually shaped members of their own species. The latter example is perhaps one of the most egregious, as it is all dressed up in hypocritical sentimental commentary and pseudo-educational speak when we all know that the show is not targeted at charitable viewers or scientific academics. The sad music and "heartfelt" reflections of the show's presenters are just there to ease our consciences - a bit like the carefully constructed and completely fictitious scenes in "The Elephant Man" where Frederick Treves questions whether or not he is exploiting his friend to advance his medical career in the same manner Bytes had done to make money. Treves gets the reassurance of his kindly wife and even Merrick who confirm what is doing is good and he need not worry. We get ours from the voices of the narrators and interviewers.

As I stated before, the production for the film is without question very high, and as a work of superficial art it is rightfully considered a classic. I am not one for shouting the political correctness argument, which I think if taken to an extreme is a form of fascism. In this vein I am sure there are plenty of African-American film fans who can appreciate the qualities of a work like "The Birth of a Nation" and hopefully there are Native Americans who can appreciate some of the work of John Wayne. However, having grown up in a circus community and being a history fan I feel that works like "The Elephant Man" have more than received the just praise they deserve. Now it is time to use this picture as portal to better examine the way a prevailing mentality views certain minorities. In its bid show courage, compassion, dignity and the human spirit - all areas that the other aforementioned classic yet offensive movies tried to show - the film reveals deep prejudices that few people in the western would have even considered to be wrong. Show people have been a part of the fabric of western society for a very long time and there is far more that our culture, heritage and industry owes to them than they realize.

David Lynch is not completely to blame for this rather prejudiced and distorted historical view of Victorian England. A lot of the problems should be laid at Brooksfilms' door. I love a lot of Mel Brooks' comedy work - he is one of the few genuine geniuses of comedy - and I admire his choice of projects both in and outside of comedy. However, as seen with the very enjoyable but also historically flawed "The Doctor and the Devils", the Freddy Francis (who worked as cinematographer on "The Elephant Man") and Brooks production collaboration rarely produces anything beyond a Hammer Horror-esque view of England. Although, due to its cast and locations we can argue it is technically a British movie, it's still seen through Hollywood eyes. Lynch's surreal nightmarish sequences are not permitted outside of dream sequences, which ensured the film would not be lost on mainstream audiences. However, it is ironic to think that the film most people consider to be least surreal of Lynch's pictures is probably the furthest removed from reality.

Note: For further references on the historical Elephant Man I urge you to read "The True History of the Elephant Man" by Michael Howell and Peter Ford and to look up the BBC4 documentary "All the Fun at the Fair", available on BBC iPlayer.
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The Lie That Will Not Die - a review of "The Protocols of Zion" 2005 Documentary

2011-08-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia
"The Protocols of Zion" is director Marc Levin's documentary on the cultural impact of "The Protocols of The Elders of Zion", a debunked piece of anti-Semitic Russian literature that details the Jewish global conspiracy. Levin was inspired to create the film when an Egyptian taxi driver claimed that no Jews came to work in the Twin Towers on 9/11. The driver told Levin that this was all part of the Jewish global conspiracy as revealed in "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion". The documentary follows the continued success of a forgery despite it being exposed publically in the US press almost a century ago. The documentary looks at its historic influence over such famous anti-Semites as Henry Ford and then at the legacy of institutionalized criticism towards the Jews as exhibited through such people as Mel Gibson and his even harder-line Catholic father. The documentary covers some of the controversy surrounding the release of "The Passion of the Christ" Levin visits his own Jewish roots, discusses the Jewish roots of Hollywood and goes through various Jewish reactions to anti-Semitism from those feel it is better not to draw attention to the problem to far-right supporters of Israel. Likewise, Levin's other interviewees range from moderate critics of Israel to outright believers in a Jewish conspiracy...

Review:

Thanks to the likes of Michael Moore the documentary movie became a lot sexier at the turn of the 21st century. Thankfully although filmmaker Marc Levin actively engages and debates with his interviewees he is also more than happy to stand back and allow the audience to hear the full story. Rather than trying to push an overt political agenda and a personal theory, the film puts across a genuine desire to understand fundamentalism, hatred, fear, anti-Semitism and conspiricism. Levin gives the microphone and camera to as broad a spectrum of people connected to his subject material as possible, and in most instances gives them enough air time to receive a fair hearing.

During his talk at a Jewish award show, on the DVD's bonus features, Levin justifies this rather liberal stage sharing as being part of his method to see the human beneath the hatred. The whole documentary stemmed from a single incident where an individual believed unquestionably in the Protocols - whether or not he had read them their entirety was another matter, he certainly didn't know they were a hoax - and Levin explains that once the initial torrent of hatred had subsided he was able to see the humanity beneath. This is something that really appeals me to good investigators, writers and filmmakers. If we can separate the error from the person we are on the road to progress.
The 9/11 tragedy is used as a regular reference point for the renewed interest in the Protocols. This keeps most of the film tied to relatively recent history despite The Protocols being over a century old. The film looks at the holocaust and touches upon holocaust denialism, although Levin doesn't interview any staunch holocaust deniers - not even the white nationalist leader - and it would have been interesting to see which of them link the Protocols with this other Jewish conspiracy theory. Actually the history of the Protocols of Zion isn't really looked into at all. The film is more interested in the casual and overt acceptance of anti-Semitism in culture and the media than the origins and development of the conspiracy theory. The actual Protocols, or at least selected Protocols, are used more as an artistic device to frame certain anti-Semitic ideas and stereotyping. The only time the history of The Protocols are discussed properly are in the excellent extras on this DVD, where there is a timeline and an interview with comic-book author Will Eisner on his last graphic novel, "The Plot". On the plus side it doesn't give this hoaxed piece of anti-Semitic literature (a bastardized plagiarism of a satire on Napoleon III) any credibility, but I also feel it misses something.

Interestingly early scenes in the documentary reveal Levin's own role as a conspiracy theorist. His article in Playboy magazine supported the idea of their being a conspiracy to kill JFK. He's undoubtedly a very talented documentary maker and I look forward to hunting down some of his other work, but I cannot help but wonder whether this type of thinking prevented him from looking too deeply into the conspiricism side of The Protocols legacy. By putting its grip down to its anti-Semitic nature is to underestimate its sinister appeal. A whole culture outside of hard-line Muslims, Christians and white extremists buy into The Protocols. In fact, some of the other nutty global conspiracy theories that Levin briefly mentions early on in the film are often mixed with and might well be the bastard children of The Protocols. That would have been a very interesting avenue for Levin to have explored.

"The Protocols of Zion" is an interesting and appealing documentary, which deserves far wider distribution and attention. Even if some content might be lacking, its concept and execution are a mature step in the right direction. I think a lot of this comes down to the director's talent as an interviewer. Levin shows that a documentary filmmaker can both put himself passionately into the action, even using his family and sense of ethnic identity as centrepieces, and yet also sidestep long enough for his various subjects. The film has been criticized for its lack of focus, but in many ways I quite like the way it lets itself play-out. I am getting a little sick of heavily politicized documentaries that present a simplistic solution and do everything but allow the viewer to really think. "The Protocols of Zion" presents a far more open forum in its approach, which I think would be educational and entertaining for anyone of a moderate political persuasion.

Brian Dunning's excellent debunking of the Zionist Conspiracy

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The FIRST House on the Left - Review of "The Virgin Spring"

2011-08-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Plot:

A young Christian girl, Karin (Birgitta Pettersson) embarks on a journey to take the candles to the local church - a task only befitting a virgin of pure spirit. She is accompanied for part of the journey by her pregnant foster sister, Ingeri (Gunnel Lindblom) who secretly worships the Norse god Odin and has jealously wished a curse on Karin. On the journey the two part company and Ingari encounters a one-eyed man who causes her to flee in terror. Meanwhile Karin encounters two shepherds and a boy. What follows is a cycle of vicious violence and retribution that will leave Karin's distraught father (played by Max Von Sydow) praying for redemption...

Review:

I feel I must apologise first for any spoilers I might inadvertently blurt out in my review/examination of this classic picture. However, in my humble defence this is a film based on a traditional moral tale and revealing the beginning middle and end is about as harmful as telling you the full plot of Cinderella before you see Disney's interpretation. This is really a film about how the story is portrayed, interpreted and executed than the actual plot.

It is perhaps a little sad that many who seek out "The Virgin Spring", including me, do so because of its tenuous connection to Wes Craven's début exploitation flick "The Last House on the Left". Craven has made some very impressive horror pictures, but "Last House" wasn't one of them despite the odd reverence many horror fans bestow upon it. However, tenuous connections, particularly those that link different levels of art are an indulgence of mine. Interestingly Bergman's story has its roots in the medieval ballad, "Töres döttrar i Wänge". This traditional verse tells the story of three young maids slain on their journey to church by three highwaymen. Three wells spring up where the three girls are killed. When the highwaymen try to sell the girl's clothes to the girl's mother, she tells her husband who dispatches two of them. The surviving one reveals that they are the sons of the couple and were thrown out into the wild to fend for themselves as children. The father then repents and vows to build a church to atone for his crimes. There are fewer twists in Bergman's tale and the director is clearly more motivated to ask religious and moral questions rather than to go with the simplistic message of the ballad.

The film has been called nihilistic. I am not sure if this is entirely accurate. There is a cycle of repentance and possible redemption for all the characters, if not in this world then in a spiritual one. I would argue that if we consider this to be nihilistic then so is the Bible. There has also been criticism of the character of Ingeri, a character purely of Bergman's invention. Some critics have said she doesn't serve a purposeful function for the film's narrative. I couldn't disagree more. In many ways, she is the most interesting of the different characters and presents both positive and negative comparisons with the Christian religion. Ingeri provides a different perspective and commentary on this Christian folk fable. Despite what one review said on a horror review website, Ingeris clearly does show strong signs of remorse and her actions later in the film show her repentance. I don't feel we need an on the nose full-blow confession or soul-bearing soliloquy for Gunnel Lindblom to show her feelings after the terrible crime. In fact, she works well to show several important themes in the story. Ingeris worships the old religion, then dying out, and is the opposite of her foster-sister, although not evil. This is evident in her physical appearance, faith and attitude to life. Ingeris's bad experience with a one-eyed stranger is clearly a comment on her god, the one-eyed Odin. Her infantile and jealous curse is perhaps a comment on being careful for what you wish for or the nature of the old religion - not that Christianity is presented in an entirely preferable light. On the upside Ingeris is a survivor, but her self-preservation might go a little too far in her unhelpful if anguished witnessing of the crime that befalls Karin.

Unfortunately it has been too often boiled down to shock-for-shock sake pictures that tend to go one of two ways. We get the ultimate logical conclusion of visceral nihilism in the very empty "Last House" clone "Chaos" or we get wish-fulfilment vigilante pictures like "Death Wish" and its imitators. Craven's message in "Last House" might have been thought provoking and he certainly proved that he could do a better job with it in later films ("Hills Have Eyes" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), but his initial crude execution is the virtual opposite of Bergman's picture in terms of quality and all the more reason why patient fans of atmospheric cinema should give "Virgin Spring" a chance.

It's subtitled, in black and white, moves at a slower pace than any of its lowlier imitators and has all the obvious restraints one would expect from a European film made in 1960. However, whereas "Last House" is an exploitation film I am baffled as to why this film ends up getting review on horror sites. It's a moralistic period drama. Yes, it does have some very effective scene of menace and the rape scene, although tame by today's standards, still carries all the emotive wallop of the callous and brutal world it represents. Whereas Craven's picture was crudely shot and badly acted, Bergman's picture has great cinematography by Sven Nykvist (which remind me of Henning Kristiansen's cinematography in 1971's "King Lear") and a strong cast of actors led by the ever-impress Max Von Sydow. "Virgin Spring" has a folkloric almost enchanted beauty that perfectly juxtaposes the dark aspects of the picture and recalls feelings of the primitive fairy tale. Again, it reminds me of another later British film, "The Company of the Wolves".

"Virgin Spring" is a beautifully shot, expertly directed and convincingly well-acted picture. The questions being asked "How could a god allow such evil to happen in his world?" is a question that is asked every single day and does not just challenge the faith of Christians. On this note "Virgin Spring" now joins my list of truly thought-provoking films made by one of cinema's great visionaries. Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Top Ten Best Movie Villains

2011-07-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

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This article was written out of total unashamed (or perhaps even shameless) self-indulgence. It is shamelessly low brow geeky and will probably never find its way into any self-respecting publication. However, when I first started writing paid online reviews this topic cropped up and I just couldn’t resist the urge to put my thoughts down. Villains are fascinating characters in fiction whether it is on the big screen, as the ones below are, or in literature. Without them we don’t get the contrast with the heroes. However, there is something much than that. The villain often speaks the words we dare not speak or presents us the line we dare not tread…

Megatron - Transformers: The Movie (Frank Welker)

Unfortunately we really haven't seen Megatron at his best yet. Marvel comics, particularly the British penned scripts, presented Megatron as a fearsome warrior whose revolutionary ideas quickly turned him into a megalomaniac leader of a splinter group of transformers known as the Deceptions. This was the back story British Marvel gave the power hungry menace who despite proving himself on many occasions being both cunning and physically dangerous, often found himself fending off enemies in his own ranks - most notably Starscream and Shockwave. It didn't take long for him to turn from megalomaniac into just plain maniac. This was then carried to the extreme in his futuristic incarnation as Galvatron, who was pretty much Megatron on steroids.

The cartoon series and its big screen production, Transformers: The Movie, turned Megatron into more of a pantomime villain. Being '80s kids we tend to look back on these things with rose-tinted glasses and go on about there being more character development in our cartoon than there actually was. Megatron was treacherous, ruthless, cold-hearted and sometimes even cowardly. He varied in the cartoons from being a character that was revered by most of his own cronies as having no weaknesses to being astoundingly inept. However, as reduced as Megatron was he still had his politics with Starscream and he made a pretty damn good "boo hiss" bad guy. Frank Welker provided a gravelly voice for Megatron in the four seasons and feature length animated film, which suited him well and should have been the one Michael Bay chose for the live action film as he did with Peter Cullen as the quintessential Optimus Prime. In Transformers: The Movie Megatron is in the best form we have seen him since his first appearance. The Movie has become a cult favourite, but looking back was obviously designed to promote a whole new range of toys that hit the stores that Christmas. Megatron is Harbro Toys' "instrument of destruction" that ruthlessly ploughs through good guy characters we had all grown to love, consigning them to the bin in order to make way for the new transformers. He even achieves his lifelong objective of controversially killing Optimus Prime - a move that would so upset children in preview screenings that an announcement at the end of the film had to be inserted promising the return of the Autobot leader - before his own broken body is jettisoned into space to be recreated as Galvatron. All this makes Megatron a pretty damn good bad movie villain in my books.

The Joker - Batman and The Dark Knight (Jack Nicholson/Heath Ledger)

From his first incarnation in 1940 Batman's perfect opposite number has been an anarchic and 100% psychotic cold-blooded murderer. Thanks to the very camp 1960s TV series with Caesar Romero taking the role, who wouldn't even commit to shaving his moustache off or having his hands painted white, few people took this clown prince very seriously. It would take Tim Burton's bold attempt to make Batman moody again in 1989 and the brilliant scene-stealing Jack Nicholson to bring the character back to public consciousness as something more than a naughty prankster. Nicholson was Freddy Krueger funny, which fitted the time perfectly. He wisecracked as he killed, which was in line with his comic-book character. And yet he was also threatening, mercilessly dispatching his victims in different ways, including the lethal gas that leaves grotesque grins on the faces of those it kills and disfiguring his girlfriend.

Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger brought nihilistic and anarchic philosophy back to the character, taking their cue once again from Alan Moore's groundbreaking graphic novel "The Killing Joke". Their Joker still has the dark humour, but he is also very manipulative, at least as lethal and is willing to do anything to prove the substance of his own distorted view of the world.

John Doe - Se7en (Kevin Spacey)

I often enjoy being different in my choices and I like being told I have a different angle on things, but just as I feel Johnny Depp is certainly one of the best actors on screen I also feel that Kevin Spacey has to be up there too. Spacey is brilliant in virtually any role I have seen him play, but he seems to an especially good bad guy. Verbal Kint is an obvious choice for anyone's list of top bad guys, so I will avoid it. However, I cannot skip "John Doe" in "Se7en". Like the Kint character, his planning is flawless and he wins without making a single mistake. It makes him feel very much like the devil, but Doe, unlike Kint, does not compare himself to the Devil. Instead he sees himself as an instrument of God and plausibly argues the case for all his appalling crimes before the film's brilliant twist ending.

Buddy Ackerman - Swimming with Sharks (Kevin Spacey)

Spacey again and this time in one of my favourite films, Swimming with Sharks. Buddy Ackerman is the boss from hell. If you have seen the ar more commercial The Devil Wears Prada, the demanding Miranda Priestly's genesis is in this character. Ackerman runs his personal assistant like a slave, demanding the most ridiculous and near impossible personal requests. This is the price you have to pay in order to carry the kudos of working under him. And this is the point of the film. Telling showbusiness how it is - and not how shows like X Factor, Big Brother and Britain's Got Talent present it - Ackerman lays it on the line to his tortured assistant who is driven to vengeance. As hard as his words are, they are the very uncomfortable words of truth. Then we get to hear what made Ackerman the man he is and why, it seems, he is so successful. Like the best villains, he has hidden depths, and as much as we loathe his attitude and what he represents we cannot help but feel sympathy for him. Few actors other Spacey could carry the role off so well.

Edmund - King Lear (Robert Lindsay)

To be honest, I haven't seen many good onscreen portrayals of this classic Shakespearean Machiavelle. In fact, my favourite was Kenneth Brannagh as part of a 1994 all-star cast radio dramatization of King Lear. Nevertheless, the best actor I have seen pull off the role in something that resembles a feature film was Robert Lindsay in the 1983 TV film adaptation of King Lear. He was at the correct age and could infuse the right amount of energy into this amoral, pragmatic schemer to rival Richard III's titular villain or even the dastardly Iago of Othello.

Edmund is a perfect villain for all the right reasons. He is intelligent, ambitious and self-pitying, and yet not deluded. He knows he is evil and revels in it. Edmund is the renaissance thinker who believes that he is being the most honest to nature - the Marquis De Sade would have been proud. However, like Richard III and Macbeth he shows great courage at the end, and at the point of his death does do some good. Edmund is as full a character as any Shakespeare created and definitely has some of the play's greatest lines and soliloquies.

Hannibal Lecter - Manhunter, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal (Brian Cox & Anthony Hopkins)

Serial killers are nothing like Thomas Harris's embodiment of sophisticated savagery, Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. Lecter kills those who offend him like a professional assassin and then dines on his victims as a type of grotesque critique of their character flaws. However, it is not his career as a killer that so fascinates us in Harris's best books and, indeed, the best films. Rather it is the relationship he has with those who interview him in order to gain information on other serial killers currently at large that brings out the unique villainy and complexity in Lecter. He is a genius psychiatrist who enjoys playing mind games - more than that he likes getting inside people's minds and opening psychological wounds for the hell of it. Towards the end of the brilliant Silence of the Lambs and much of its sequel, Hannibal, Lecter reveals a vulnerable side to his personality, his love for Clarice Starling. Unfortunately this is explored is all rather implausibly explored in the surprisingly inept and cynically commercial Hannibal Rising (both in novel and film form).

Brian Cox is the first man responsible for bringing the character of Hannibal Lecter to life on the big screen (spelt "Lektor" for some inexplicable reason) in Michael Mann's Manhunter (the first adaption of Harris's "Red Dragon" novel). Cox does an under-rated - not mention understated - job on the refined maniac. He is not so much chilling, but eerily matter-of-fact in his approach to the role. Anthony Hopkins, of course, owned the role in the classic The Silence of the Lambs and its subsequent sequel and the second adaption of the prequel.

Darth Vader - The Star Wars Saga (Haydn Christiansen & James Earl Jones)

Darth Vader is a role that is too big for any one actor to lay claim to and that's a big compliment considering the character's genesis is in live action film. So many different things make up what is Darth Vader. Initially it is his presence. Visually Vader is perfect as far as space bad guys go. His face is masked and he wears a cloak and is dressed completely in black like all classic bad guys, making him both mysterious and sinister. His attire directly references the Japanese samurai, a historic symbol of disciplined violence. His mask is a brutal futuristic death's head design reminiscent of Lon Chaney Snr's Phantom of the Opera dressed as Red Death at the masked ball. His exterior is all cold machinery and discipline, but beneath the shell lurks a terrible anger originally only hinted at by his occasional outbursts in the first act of the first film and the eerie red glow behind his eye lenses. And yet there is already another element that makes up Vader. He is the most powerful user of the mystical Force, making him a product of dark magic as well as twisted science. Next we come to the voice famously delivered in bass by the great James Earl Jones.

There is so much to Vader's character. From the first film we learn that he is a fallen Jedi. As the series progresses it is revealed he is the greatest Jedi that has ever lived seduced by the dark side of the Force. All this is played out in the three prequels, where we see him as a (rather annoying) child prodigy, a petulant teenager and then as a haunted young man desperate to avert destiny. Like Macbeth, Vader begins a gifted and noble warrior, Anakin Skywalker, but driven by a passion his potential for greatness is perverted to the ways of evil. However, there is redemption for Vader and this is ultimately at the core of the whole Star Wars saga, the most successful movie series and franchise ever created. Now that makes him a pretty significant villain in my book.

Ratigan - Basil the Great Mouse Detective (Vincent Price)

Disney has produced some truly brilliant villains. Their wicked witches such as the evil queen in Snow White and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty are darkly memorable. The ugly sisters and their scarily malicious mother, Lady Trimain, of Cinderella should not be out of anyone's top 20 villains. Then there is Captain Hook of Peter Pan, Shere Khan of Jungle Book, Scar of the Lion King and most excellent Hector Barbossa played by one of my favourite actors, Geoffrey Rush, in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films. However, my actual favourite Disney villain is a bit of an odd choice. It goes to Professor Padraic Ratigan the main antagonist of Basil the Great Mouse Detective.

I love Sherlock Holmes and have actually read all the short stories and the four novels, and get as annoyed as any fan of the series when I see stupid departures from the original work. However, as flawed as Basil the Great Mouse Detective is as a film, Ratigan is the perfect villain. I would go as far as saying that his onscreen depiction is perhaps even better than Doyle's own "Napoleon of Crime", Professor James Moriarty. In the film, as opposed to the Basil books, Ratigan is a rat among mice and aggressively aware of this fact. For the majority of the film he is the model criminal mastermind and aspires to be a sophisticated aristocrat. However, in his final confrontation with Basil inside the inner workings of the Big Ben clock, his bestial ferocity is revealed in all its visceral intensity as he proves to be more than a physical match for the hero of the film. Ratigan is voiced by Vincent Price who wasn't much longer for this world, but puts in a superb performance harking back to his great performance as the vengeful ham actor of Theatre of Blood.

Patrick Bateman - American Psycho (Christian Bale)

Patrick Bateman is the '80s. He is everything about its shameless superficiality and greed. Bateman's lines reflect the soullessness of the time, where everything became a commodity even people. He shows how conformity and selfishness combined to produce an army of fashion slaves equally desperate to "fit in" and yet to rise to the top as individuals. The murders, no matter how brutal, almost seem irrelevant to the fascinating character and symbol of Bateman. They are the symptoms of his condition like the global nuclear weapons grandstanding and corporate greed was the symptoms of '80s materialism. Christian Bale proved his ability to take on disturbed and haunted individuals with his role in this film. In many ways his roles in the Machinist and Batman are different sides to weird combination of characteristics that make up Patrick Bateman.

Top Dollar - The Crow (Michael Wincott)

Without a shadow of doubt my favourite movie villain of all time remains Top Dollar in Alex Proyas's The Crow. Michael Wincott deserves far more from Hollywood. Nearly every film he has featured in from 1492 to Alien Resurrection he has stolen the show from the rest of the cast. The film is remembered for many reasons, not least of which was the tragic death of Brandon Lee that happened on set, but some of the best scenes are those featuring Wincott's performance as Top Dollar.

Top Dollar barely gets a few panels in J O'Barr's original graphic novel, but in the film he is elevated to crime boss of Detroit. He has everything I could want in a villain. There is the degree of pathos reflected in the scenes where he reminisces with his lover/half-sister. He is a criminal mastermind who has so carefully orchestrated the violence in the city that he is a virtual mayor, where nothing happens without his "say-so". Like a machiavelle he revels in his own evil genius. Like The Joker, he celebrates violent and chaotic anarchy like a philosopher. Above all else, he also has a dry sense of humour. As Brandon Lee's spectral Erik Draven works his way through the street scum that killed him and raped and his fiancé, he finds an enemy that isn't impressed by supernatural abilities. In Batman, The Joker is his perfect opposite number as he is everything that Batman isn't. In The Crow, Top Dollar is like a more experienced and even more extreme version of Draven's character. Both are interesting ideas, but I think the latter is just that bit more disturbing.

Honourable mentions - Alongside the Disney characters listed I find the following children's film villains to be worth considering: the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. I also have a soft spot for that anarchic imp of mischief, Stripe from Gremlins, Freddy Krueger of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Col. Jessop from A Few Good Men, Norman Bates from Psycho, the shark from Jaws and Max Shrek, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and even Frank Langella's portrayals of Dracula.

However, on reflection of all the characters I have mentioned and if I had to choose one best bad guy from the movies the accolade would have to go to Michael Wincott's Top Dollar. To make a character so utterly irredeemable, but yet such a great philosopher is a great achievement. It was Brandon Lee's film at the time, but years later who is the character really most quoted?

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The line between candour and sensationalism: a review of "Tiger, Tiger: A Memoir"

2011-07-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings about the proliferation of tragic biographies. This newish sub-genre is a bit like the reverse of a true crime biography. Like Steve Salerno’s definition of self-help styles, empowerment and victimization, the true crime biography caters to a perverse idea about empowerment whilst the tragic
biography focuses on the victim. In one breath I have the utmost respect for an individual who can turn legitimately terrible things in their lives into something positive. However, there is something distasteful about the idea of a whole genre dedicated to stories about abused childhoods. This is coming from a fan of psychology and criminal history. Although I admit to getting a degree entertainment from reading true crime - even a grim fascination comparable to what draws many of us to fictional horror stories - there just seems to be something depressingly pornographic in the idea that a whole section an airport bookshop is dedicated to books that have titles like “Ugly” and “Cut”.

“Tiger, Tiger” doesn’t deserve to belong in this category despite what some critics have said. It transcends the genre in many ways and it does have genuine educational value. I am not going to patronize its talented author by saying how brave she was to write this book. Somehow courage really isn’t the issue here, although I would argue that strength is. “Tiger, Tiger” is the story of a lifelong relationship between a paedophile and his victim, a little girl, Margaux Fragoso.

Margaux met her abuser when she was just seven years old and he was 51. It was a chance meeting that initially begun, in very unlikely fashion, with the child approaching her would-be abuser, Peter. Peter befriends Margaux’s mother, a woman with severe mental health problems, and invites them over to his house on a regular basis. Peter has his own children and a wife, but their estrangement from him has already begun when the Fragasos arrive. The story takes us through Peter’s grooming of Margaux and the various stages of their bizarre relationship. Meanwhile, Margaux’s family life is far from perfect. Her perfectionist and martyring father obsesses with outward appearances and becomes increasingly frustrated with his wife and daughter. They move neighbourhoods, but her mother’s fragile mental condition deteriorates and Margaux becomes a troublesome child to her father. Despite breaks in their relationship Margaux and Peter’s lives are destined to remain firmly entangled until his eventual death.

“Tiger, Tiger” is unsettling in many ways, not least than with the genuine affection Margaux regards her abuser and paints him as a three dimensional individual. Just as we find it virtually impossible to comprehend that so many individuals could have been complicit in the atrocities and the philosophy of the Nazis, the idea that a child abuser can be anything more than a shadowy beast somehow feels wrong. This is why gimmicky and inefficient ideas like “Stranger Danger” are very saleable. We want to think of paedophiles as people we don’t know despite the evidence showing that the overwhelming majority are known to the victim and good friends with the victim’s family (the majority, of course, are a parent or uncle of the victim). We also want to think of these offenders as being capable of murder and not having a conscience. Again, this is far from the truth.

Margeaux even begins her book with a discussion with a friend who tells her that paedophiles are often among the most polite and sensitive members of prison communities, despite being the most hated inmates. It’s this candour that most impresses me with her writing. You have a feel that this is really how it all happens. As a self protection coach who specializes in teaching children, I feel a heavy responsibility to have an understanding how predators operate. Recognizing that these individuals are human beings better prepares us in handling them in a mature fashion as a society.

In fact, this immature sense of collective denial is perhaps a main contributing factor to why people like Peter are able to continue to abuse. “Tiger, Tiger” describes how so many people were complicit in the abuse through their refusal to act upon their suspicions. Peter abused his victim in his own home, a place occupied by his own family and under the nose of Margaux’s own mother. He abused his victim despite the suspicions of Margaux’s father, who ended up even showing a begrudging admiration for him. He abused his victim in a community that did little more than gossip about the inappropriate nature of their public relationship. The message is clear not wishing to believe that a paedophile can be an otherwise good natured individual doesn’t help victims.

The work has been accused of sensationalizing its subject matter in order to sell copies, making it one of the most controversial books published in 2011. However, although I would agree that some of the explicit descriptions of sexual activity are unnecessary, far worse is in print. “Today I am Alice” by Alice Jamieson, for example, not only describes terrifyingly disturbing accounts of child abuse, but the psychological assumptions of the story are not backed up by mainstream science. However, it garnered little controversy despite making very controversial claims, such as referencing Satanic Ritual Abuse. There has yet to be a single proven case of SRA and many innocent adults had their entire lives ruined by unfounded accusations that were backed up by misguided Freudian ideas about repression. Somehow the fact that Jamieson paints her father as a one dimensional multiple satanic child abuser and her own condition being the highly contested yet highly intriguing multiple personality disorder makes her more disturbing descriptions of childhood rape somehow more palatable to readers.

Margaux clearly feels a need to justify the way she wrote the book and the prologue and epilogue do seem jarringly at odds with the nature of the story. However, this is possibly intentional. Margaux, a gifted debut author, spins her story with a good amount of artistic licence. She says she was an avid diary writer, but the book consists of many full-blown discussions between the book’s main protagonists. I am not against this anymore than I was with Gerald Durrel and other authors who recorded their memoirs in similar non-fiction novel style.

“Tiger, Tiger” is a very uncomfortable read, but discomfort is not always a bad thing. We need honesty and understanding if we are to better combat the evils of our society. As a children’s self protection coach I would like to advise this book to any parent. However, I would only do so with a word of caution.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Critical Thinking for Health and Medicine

2011-06-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

Image by EadaoinFlynn via Flickr"Bad Science" is a modern classic of scientific sceptical movement. Its importance and influence easily rank it alongside the defining works of Carl Sagan, Martin Gardener, James Randi, Michael Shermer, David Aaronvitch, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Carol Tavris, Paul Kurtz, Sam Harris and Phil Plait. My rather unscientific mind put it on my "to read" list for way too long. As I learnt more about the scientific method and critical thinking from subjects I was more comfortable with like history or the social sciences, I slowly made my way to Goldacre's book with trepidation.

As it turns out, and according to Goldacre, this is the problem. The general public are confused by science and therefore untrusting of it, which makes them more susceptible to pseudoscience, quackery and manipulation on a grand scale. Whether it is buying ineffective "natural" cures from nutritionist quacks to over-priced and under-tested drugs from devious pharmaceutical companies, Ben Goldacre fears that an ignorant public is being duped and the consequences can be catastrophic.

As you might have guessed by now, the science of the book is generally focused on the medical and healthcare industries. The roots of the book and its title come from a regular column the author wrote and still writes for the left-leaning "Guardian" newspaper, where he wrote from the perspective of a full-time NHS doctor. His contentious column has more then ruffled enough feathers in the respective industries he investigates and criticizes. "Bad Science" the book was written in 2008, when the backlash against nonsense in many forms was really kicking off and people were beginning to be called to account. At this time Andrew Wakefield was being investigated by the Medical Council for the MMR hysteria his unethical research paper caused and Goldacre had just come to the end of a lengthy court battle with vitamin pill guru Matthias Rath who was personally suing both the author and "The Guardian". Subsequently "The Doctor Will Sue You Now", which deals with Rath's history and the influence he has had on South Africa's AIDS denial, is a special bonus chapter inserted at the end of the section dealing with nutritionists in the 2009 paperback edition of the book. Since this edition has been published we've also had Simon Singh win his landmark court case against the British Chiropractic Association and the steady growth of the sceptical movement.

Many sceptical books consist of a collection of different topics, which are often grouped into sections. Goldacre is no different in this respect except that each chapter "follows a natural crescendo" starting with low scale pseudoscience building up to its more damaging end, which then moves onto another even more damaging area and so on until we see a global picture of bad education, misinformation, disinformation, victims and certain people unscrupulously making a ridiculous amount of money from their respective branches of bad science.

Having worked in academic circles and wearing a liberal socialist attitude on his sleeve, Goldacre clearly believes the key is education and from the first chapter onwards he takes on the role as the teacher. If the problem is a distrust and misunderstanding of science, then it is up to those involved in science to bring it to the people. He begins by explaining some simple experiments anyone can set up at home to bust the myths of detoxing, a craze that has come and gone since at least the days of enema, yoghurt and celibacy obsessed John Harvey Kellog. The ridiculous "Brain Gym" that has seduced many junior schools in the developed world gets the first special focus in the book.

Next the cosmetics industry gets a well-deserved kicking. It's among one of my increasing number of bugbears to see yet another commercial that bamboozles you with what Goldacre would call "sciency" stuff regarding over-priced moisturizers and shampoos. Not only do we get given simple and inexpensive instructions to make our own cosmetics or buy very cheap yet equally good alternatives to the big brands, but we also find out just how the companies get to say the rubbish they throw at us. Due to laws brought in 1990s that restricted the dosages of these ingredients, the most effective ingredients ever to be put in moisturizers now only show up as "talismanic concentrations". It goes on to decode the "sciency" sounding stuff that either means nothing or implies something that is not possible - for example that your body could or would ever need to absorb fish DNA!

This leads the author onto a far more common enemy of scepticism: the Royals favoured pseudoscience, homeopathy. However, if he is going to tread on ground worn well by his colleagues, Goldacre clearly wishes to be thorough and this is the first of his longer chapters. The result is perhaps one of the most detailed and well-researched debunkings of homeopathy I have yet read. He details its history and the supposed "logic" behind its dilution method. We then go through its troubled attempts by academics to legitimize the practice in the medical science world. A key part of homeopathy is the sugar pills commonly used by its doctors, which leads onto the fascinating nature of the placebo effect. Keeping his teaching hat on Goldacre provides a chapter explaining how the placebo effect works, why placebos are used as part of the scientific process of testing and finally why the placebo effect is so powerful.

A chapter on fashionable nonsense provides us with an introduction to Goldacre's second job, that of a journalist. He sees media representation and bad biased research in major publications to be at the root of a lot of the problems associated with bad science. This particular chapter focuses on the way the nutritionist industry has been invented and promoted by the media. Food has become an obsession with reports on either its apparent miraculous or demonic properties. Goldacre reveals how easily peddlers of fad diets, supplements and vitamin pills have become celebrities and millionaires based on pseudoscientific claptrap.

Step forward "Dr" Gillian McKeith for the next chapter, which singles her out for special treatment. McKeith is a perfect representation of the nutritionist industry. She acquired her qualification through a non-accredited university and "volunteered" to give up her title of "Dr" after pressure from academics who challenged that it was not legitimate. She has made her fortune out the diet plans, TV shows and books she has based on her flawed view of nutrition. Referencing directly from her work, Goldacre reveals ridiculous claims like somehow eating spinach and the darker leaves of plants will "oxygenate your blood". Somehow McKeith, who spends a lot of her time posing in a white coat in a laboratory or being rude to fat people on prime time TV, got the whole idea of photosynthesis mixed up in a big way.

We explore the "Durham Trials" debacle in the next chapter, where we read about the way scientific testing is seriously misrepresented. This chapter concerns a school that famously agreed to partake in trials that were to test whether the consumption of Omega-3 fish oils improved examination performance in their students. The whole process was flawed from the very beginning and elaborate example of the media's obsession with miracle pill cures. Despite Goldacre's investigation causing the headmaster involved with the whole sham trials to become seriously stressed, in the end the pill won the day. Omega-3 fish oils have become hugely popular in the supplement world, which nicely dovetails into the next chapter on Professor Patrick Holford.

Holford seems to be at the very centre of the nutritionist movement, dealing with the academic side of things. Like McKeith he has become a very wealthy man and health food stores have a lot to thank him for as more people flock to pick up untested and largely ineffective food supplements as an alternative to conventional treatments. Holford has also done a lot to promote conspiracy theories regarding mass produced food and drug companies. Among his very silly claims are that oranges no longer contain vitamin C. After this chapter we have special extra one, "The Doctor Will Sue You Now", which reveals alternative medicine's vitamin industry at its most destructive. Here we read about how South African politicians and the general public have bought into the idea that AIDS either does not exist or that the treatments offered by the western world are part of a conspiracy to kill them. From 2000 to the time of the book's second publication cases of AIDS rose from 1% of the population to 25%. On the back of this we have vitamin pill salesman extraordinaire Matthias Rath who has made a fortune selling his vitamin pills as the healthy alternative to conventional AIDS treatments. It's a shocking chapter that I offer to the next person who tells me that conspiracy theories don't cause any harm or that alternative remedies are always on the side for good.

When the subject of "Big Pharma" crops up I usually send out my conspiracy theory probe. It's a term now that is beloved of those who buy into the sort of nonsense that Holford and Rath peddle. Read most regular sceptic's writings, such as Skeptoid podcaster Brian Dunning, and you will see that whenever "Big Pharma" is being mentioned it is often in reference to some very stupid ideas about shadow industries repressing good nutritionist and holistic therapy heroes of the world. However, Goldacre is not afraid to go after them and bring them to account over the stuff that is legitimately bad. It's ironic that he has been called a stooge of "Big Pharma" on many occasions considering the criticism he has brought against for real crimes they have committed.

In fact, their industry does make even more money than the ridiculously lucrative nutritionist empire. It's no grand conspiracy of Illuminati proportions, but documented manipulation of facts and trials of certain drugs. We learn from the author just how a new drug gets tested and sold, and how the data can be distorted in order to market it effectively. Goldacre highlights one of the big problems in science. Its boom is over. It lasted for around half a century, where many amazing breakthroughs were made in medical science and healthcare. However, today it creeps at a snail's pace and the pharmaceutical industry is stuck with the problem with how to re-market essentially the same drugs. Worse still, certain treatments go criminally under-promoted because they cannot be patented.

The next five chapters focus on the biggest culprits in the spreading of bad information, anti-science ideas, conspiracy theories and mass hysteria: the media. He looks at how scientists with no media skills are often portrayed as bland villains in corduroy when compared to the renegade "experts" who are championed by newspapers and television. There is a chapter on how bad statistics are used and manipulated to make a good story and then we look at two big media hoaxes: MRSA and MMR. Both of these caused health scare hysteria on a grand scale resulting in real problems for the general public.

"Bad Science" is a reference book that every household should own. Science is a tough subject, especially for those who have no direct interest in the way it works. However, it is very much a part of our lives and the key to our progress. Unfortunately ignorance of it has very real consequences and this is never more evident than when we are discussing health and medical issues. Ben Goldacre does a fine job explaining everything in lay terms - particularly good for science dummies like me - and yet writing in a mature manner about very serious topics. He has a great sense of humour that is nicely balanced with deep research both as a man of science and as an investigative journalist. Given the appalling lack of research many journalist exhibit - and I urge you to read Dan Gardner's "Risk" for more evidence on this issue. Goldacre seemed to have carefully picked his subject matter, steering away from buffoonery typically targeted by his fellow sceptics. This means we don't go over too much common ground already trodden by other sceptical writers. Goldacre chooses to go for footnotes and endnotes for his referencing. His endnotes, as he tells us, have been kept to a minimum in order to keep the book entertaining. However, there is enough contained throughout the book in order for a reader follow up. Furthermore, it is all linked into his website, which I also recommend.
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Unearthing another eagle

2011-05-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Eagle of the Ninth (audio play)

Plot:

The audio play tells a tale of a noble and very brave centurion, Marcus Aquila (Tom Smith) who is almost crippled when he attacks an enemy chariot in battle. As he recovers he saves the life of a gladiator, Esca (Tony Kearney), and buys him as his slave. Having formed a bond with the man he then releases him from slavery, but asks him if he would like to accompany him on a perilous journey. Impressed by his former master’s kindness and a desire to see the homeland he was originally taken from, Esca agrees to accompany Marcus.

Marcus’s mission is to find the Eagle of the Ninth Legion. This standard is thought to be in the possession of a Caledonian tribe in the north of Britain, a tribe that destroyed the Ninth Legion in 117 AD, not long after the erection of Hadrian’s Wall. This legion’s demise brings possible disgrace on the Roman Empire and the thought of a British tribe using it as inspiration for others, is enough encouragement for Marcus’s superiors to let him go on the mission. However, Marcus has other reasons for going on the quest. He wishes to discover the truth about the last stand of the legions of First Cohort Commander – his father…

Review:

With 2011’s release of a somewhat amped up and bloodthirsty major motion picture rendition of the much loved children’s classic “The Eagle of the Ninth” by Rosemary Sutcliff (filmed under the alternative publication title, “The Eagle”) it is little surprising that earlier dramatizations would suddenly get the re-release treatment. This radio play was last aired in 1996. It was a good decade for Radio 4’s radio plays and one that saw such ambitious projects as the full dramatization of the complete works Sherlock Holmes – the first and only time this has ever been done in any medium. “The Eagle of the Ninth” is a well produced drama, but – with all due respect to the able cast – it contains no obvious stars. The book has remained popular since its publication in 1954, so it was hardly a controversial decision to dramatize it in the first place, but there is no record to indicate it was a popular adaption. It would probably have been gathering dust in the archives if it wasn’t for the release of “The Eagle” film. The fact that there wasn’t a dramatization of any of the book’s sequels would seem confirm this statement.

The play is well produced with good sound effects and a capable cast of BBC character actors. The musical soundtrack is comprised of contemporaneous Roman instruments and there is a feel of authenticity to the work. Unfortunately the action that drove the book and the new movie are conspicuously lacking. “The Eagle of the Ninth” is a story about relationships and contains a cast of interesting characters, but its appeal comes from the physical action described – both through flashback sequences and in the main story. This is not easy to convey in radio dramas and I have heard a wide variety of successes and failures in this department. Director Sêan Damer works well with the “talkie” scenes, but he might have done well to have taken a leaf out of Jane Morgan and Penny Leicester’s 1981 very good adaption of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Exposition is a difficult and dangerous technique to use, but it is pretty essential for radio plays, especially those that contain a lot of action. “The Lord of the Rings” slips up a little from time to time, but mainly carries it off. “The Eagle of the Ninth” could have done the same, as can be seen during Esca’s brief gladiatorial bout and with the discovery the Eagle. Instead they err on the side of caution and the result is a rather uneventful action adventure story.

That being said, the script is managed fairly well and the scenes that deal with storytelling are entertaining enough. For those seeking more depth to the film adaptation I would point them to Sutcliff’s book. However, more patient fans won’t be disappointed by the fact that the BBC team remained loyal to the original text and might enjoy experiencing the tale through another medium.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The Invisible Man - review of a classic novel

2011-05-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Cover of The Invisible ManA strange series of events commence in the village of Iping, West Sussex, when a mysterious stranger arrives and lodges at a local inn. The man's face is swathed in bandages and he wears huge goggles and a wide brimmed hat along with a thick cloak and gloves. He is reclusive and hides himself away in his rented room. Soon after his appearance a series of mysterious burglaries take place. Curious about the stranger the innkeepers look into his room only to see his clothes strewn across the room and the man nowhere to be seen. Suddenly his furniture seems to come to life and flies at them. Before long the people of Iping discover they have been visited by the incredible and insane Griffin, the invisible man, an individual who has terrible plans for the entire human race...

My first proper encounter with a proper "Invisible Man" story came in the form of the BBC's 1984 television series. I cannot say I relate it to the happiest of memories. I was aired on Sunday night during our colder months and only served as a mild diversion that the first day of school started tomorrow. However, it was the most faithful adaption of the book and I kept tuning in every week. Many years later and having seen several adapted and too many inspired works, I finally got round to reading the original novella.

Along with "The War of the Worlds" and "The Time Machine", "The Invisible Man" is the best known work of H.G. Wells. First published in serial form in 1897, the same year as Bram Stoker's "Dracula", it also contributed the penultimate horror icon of the classic era, joining Robert Louis Stevenson's "Mr Hyde" and Mary Shelley's man-made monster in "Frankenstein". However, unlike its immediate contemporary and those that preceded it, Wells' book does not draw out scenes with extended exposition. I have seen the original story being described as "dull" by a cult TV website, which makes me shudder to think what said reviewer would consider just about every other Victorian novel!

Wells certainly understands build-up, but he doesn't waste anytime in getting to the point. We more or less get straight into the strangeness of the story from the very beginning and the mystery unfolds at a rapid rate before the lead character eventually tells of the events that led him to become invisible. Then it's straight back into the action, building towards an exciting climax and even a mildly teasing epilogue. In this respect Wells' novella was ahead of its time.

It is this lack of portentousness that makes "The Invisible Man" a refreshing read for those accustomed to most Victorian fiction. This work does not contain the best characterization the author has to offer, but this doesn't seem to be Wells' intention. The lead characters don't have full names and even the back-story on the eponymous antagonist kept to a minimum. However, there is a philosophical heart at the centre of the work. Like Plato, Wells is arguing that if a man can no longer be seen he would feel he no longer needed morals. Nature versus nurture was a debate close to Wells' heart and being an ardent socialist, he felt that the common man kept each other in check. Griffin, a once brilliant man, is easily lured into vices like stealing and murder once he acquires a distinct advantage over his fellow humans. This then leads him to have views of world domination.

"The Invisible Man" is commonly referred to as an early science fiction novel, but you can see why filmmakers saw it as a horror. We fear what we cannot see and fear of the dark is perhaps our oldest evolutionary fear. The idea that there is a monster who doesn't even need to hide in the shadows but can be anywhere without us seeing him is a pretty scary concept. Wells understands this too and he has Griffin taunt his former colleague with this thought in the story's creepiest scene.

"The Invisible Man" is an entertaining yarn. It's not really what you would call an action adventure, lacking the international chases across exotic locations featured in "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", but it keeps rolling along without any sense of padding or needless conversation. It has a moral core, but has no pretentiousness. Some might say that its intentions are perfectly transparent, but even I would have trouble lowering myself to that kind of pun!

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology - a book review

2011-05-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Psychology, being a soft science, gets a lot rough press. We live in a time where the self-help industry and the modern day followers of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis have brought the study of how we think into disrepute. Thanks to the Oprah Winfrey Show, any quack seems to be able to give us advice on how our mind operates whilst everyone seems to have their own take on psychology, based on what they’ve seen, heard or experienced. However, psychology and its myriad of different disciplines is a science that deserves respect. There is a massive body of evidence taken from robust and decades long studies based on the hard neuroscience available and in accordance with the scientific model. Behavioural science has helped improve the way we teach and understand one another, and improve all sorts of rehabilitation. There is a thick and definite line that separates peer-reviewed and tested academic psychology and psychiatry from psychomythology. This book’s single purpose is to explain this to psychology students and the general public.

One would think that your average psychology student need not be concerned with psychomythology anymore than a chemistry student is concerned with alchemy or an astronomer with astrology. However, one would be mistaken, as this book regularly shows survey results that reveal psychology students are just as convinced by misconceptions about psychology as the average person. The trouble is myths about psychology are a mixture of information that seems intuitive and is probably a by-product of our evolution. Indeed the study of psychomythology is virtually its own discipline and there is a lot we can learn from our common logical fallacies. Furthermore, as the authors are keen to point out, there are no absolutes in science and a number of these myths contain a kernel of truth. It seems reasonable that a psychology student first became interested in their chosen subject because of certain myths and fallacies.

With this mind, the authors have approached the book as a serious text book that could be read as part of a course. In their introduction the authors also express their desire to make it readily accessible to the lay person, but I am not convinced this has been entirely successful. Although the content is based entirely on solid research and written by four eminent experts in their field it is not overly-scholarly. However, the structure is surprisingly academic, including the annoying and cumbersome in-text Harvard Referencing System. This is not improved by the lack of a single voice in the slightly dry narrative. Such problems are an unfortunate by-product of collaborative efforts. I wrote about it to a lesser extent in the otherwise excellent book on cognitive psychology, “Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)” by Carol Tavris and Elliot Anderson.

Nevertheless, the book is still an essential aid or reference book for anyone who has an interest in psychology and a fantastic starting point. As a reference book I think few people won’t be caught by at least one of the reported myths. The aforementioned 50 myths are divided up into eleven sections, focusing on one particular area of psychomythology. Each of these sections also provides an extra list of proven myths that require further investigation, 250 in total. The postscript then provides a detailed list of 10 incredible counter-intuitive truths about psychology.

If your recent reading in popular psychology has included books written by respected psychologists like Richard Wiseman and Carol Tavris or even journalists like Kathryn Schulz, Steve Salerno and Dan Gardener, as mine has been, then you won’t find anything in here that contradicts their research and conclusions. However, you might find that there is a great deal more to psychology in both depth and variety than you thought. The first section, “Brain Power”, debunks such myths as the idea that you only 10% of your brain, that some people are left brained and other right brained, Extra-Sensory Perception and the persistent nonsense about the power of subliminal messages. Thanks to Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalysis many of us have an ingrained belief that what happens to us in childhood has a profound effect on our adult lives. Much of this is debunked in the second section entitled “From the Womb to the Tomb”, as a lot firmly held beliefs about aging, including adolescence and old age. Parents with pre-pubescent offspring might be happy to learn that teenage angst is not as common or normal as we think and it’s virtually unheard of in some other developed cultures, such as Japan, and we all might be relieved to know that increased dissatisfaction and senility does inevitably await us in old age.

Along with Freud, the popular media is also regularly referenced as a source for our misinformation about psychology. The third section, which deals with memory, shows just how potent and dangerous this influence has played. The section reveals the huge fallibility of memory and our ability to remember details – an area studied in detail in the two cognitive psychology books I read last year “Being Wrong” and “Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)”. Hypnosis, a subject visited again in the fifth section, is looked at in the debunking of one of the most harmful pieces of psychomythology, the mistaken belief that repressed memories can be retrieved. This was part of the Satanic Ritual Abuse witch-hunt that saw hundreds of innocent parents convicted of paedophilia. The section also debunks the common movie and soap opera plot where most amnesiacs forget all details of their previous life and also debunks the rather silly, but equally common cure that the details return with a bump to the head. Interestingly, the film “Memento”, which features an individual suffering from short-term memory loss, is given the rare credit of being quite accurate about this sort of amnesiac’s symptoms.

The fourth section is of particular interest to me, as it discusses myths about learning. It covers the exaggerated claim that I.Q. tests are biased against certain types of people. It looks at the popular myth that the defining feature of dyslexia is reversing letters. And it also explodes a few myths, often pushed by teachers no less, regarding certain techniques for taking tests and teaching styles.

“Altered States” is a section that deals generally with psychological myths that moves into the paranormal and supernatural. “Out of Body” experiences are explained in scientific terms, as is the evidence regarding the meaning of dreams – they don’t contain symbolic messages – and the idea that new information can be learned whilst one sleeps.

The sixth section shows the extreme fallibility of the Polygraph as a “lie detector” and proves that there is a lot in the idea that money or possessions do not buy happiness. The ulcer stress connection myth takes us on a brief detour into biology as does the myth regarding the positive/negative attitude connection with cancer. This particular section is useful for exposing a lot of the self-help industry nonsense.

For those searching for love and possibly investing in specific dating agencies or websites the chapter in the seventh section revealing that opposites rarely attract might be of some interest. My fellow self protection coaches and students might be interested in reading the evidence and research that debunks the idea that there is safety in numbers – the more people present the less chance anyone will help you in a violent situation. Back to relationships and “Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus” industry is debunked to its roots with the fact that men and women share overwhelmingly more similarities than differences. This section finishes with the facts regarding the myth that venting or expressing anger is better than holding it in and should be taken note by all those in the self-help and motivational industry that like to bang on about catharsis!

The eighth and ninth sections contain the largest number of chapters, containing six each. “Know Thyself” reveals both how much of an influence genes have on our personalities and also how much we can do about it by being aware of the genetic factor. We are plagued by the mistaken idea that low self-esteem is a major contributing factor to psychological problems. Research shows that a disproportionate number of recreational killers have an inflated sense of self-esteem. Children are also far more resilient than we give them credit. The Freudian derived notion that what happens to us childhood has a profound effect on our personalities as adults is a huge exaggeration. The infamous Rorschach inkblot test and Graphology – the pseudoscience that a person’s personality can be revealed by the handwriting, as debunked over five decades before in Martin Gardner’s “Fads and Fallacies” – are also put under the investigative spotlight.

“Sad, Mad and Bad” takes a look mental illness psychomythology. The authors see how the claims that psychiatric labels cause harm by stigmatizing people – a rather bizarre idea when you consider the label is only given in confidence within a mental institution. Contrary to popular belief, depression is not an overwhelming factor that leads to a person committing suicide. The authors take note of the way schizophrenia has become widely accepted in popular culture, in our language and through the media has been confused with multiple personality disorder. I am always happy to see the autism epidemic, which is often connected with all the rubbish about vaccinations and conspiracy theories, is squarely sat on its parent-panicking backside. I also note with amusement that this section also includes the evidence regarding hospital admissions and crime increases on a full moon. I read this book not long after we experienced the “super-moon” effect, where the internet and the radio buzzed with anecdotes regarding the bizarre effects a full moon has on people and how on March 19th 2011 the closeness of the moon – the closest it has been to the Earth in almost two decades – was going to result in catastrophes. We move into statistics in this particular chapter and also the way human beings tend to “count the hits” when it comes to remembering incidents that back-up their beliefs.

“Disorder in Court” reveal the huge problem with police investigating techniques, previously discussed in “Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)”, where interviewers believe that innocent people would never admit to committing a crime, the fact that insanity is not a medical term and is rarely successful as a defence in court, and as if to upset all the CSI fans and people like me, who enjoy psychological thrillers, it also downplays the success rate of criminal profilers.

“Skills and Pills” contains quite a lot of controversy, but not without the hard evidence and research. I am talking in particular about the myth that abstinence is the best way to combat alcoholism, as prescribed by Alcoholics’ Annoymous. Steve Salerno’s “SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless” and Penn and Teller’s “B.S.” took no prisoners in their review of the AA movement, so I was ready for what I think will be shocking to many people – that a good proportion of alcoholics can recover through moderate use and abstinence isn’t the only answer. There is also the truth about electro-shock treatment. Thanks to films like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” most of us think of electro-shock treatment as a brutal, archaic and torturous practice that has no place in modern psychiatric treatment. The truth is much more different and I put my hand up to feeling quite stupid about what I thought about the treatment today.

My conclusion is that “50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology” is a must-read book for anyone who is remotely interested in psychology – from self protection instructors to business coaches to psychology students to fans of crime fiction. Its single flaw is that it is not perhaps as accessible to the general public as it was intended and resembles a text-book. However, it is a solid book of facts and a very enlightening read.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Seven days of change and consequences - a book review of "The Godless Boys" by Naomi Wood

2011-04-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Set in an alternative history where England is ruled by the Church and the secularist community has been banished to a solitary island, Naomi Wood’s debut novel,“The Godless Boys”, is a story about a dramatic week on the island. Nathaniel, the son of an original member of the secular movement, leads a gang of teenage boys, the Malades, who are determined to protect the island from any religious influence. This means intimidating potential “gots” and prowling the streets at night. Eliza Michalka lives a sorry existence on the island - a part-time prostitute and a part-time undertaker who drops corpses into the surrounding ocean - she pines after her lost love, the aloof fishmonger Arthur Stansky. However, this week all their lives will be changed when Sarah, daughter of 1976 church-burner, Laura Wicks, stows away to seek out her mother on The Island…
We are living in a time that has seen the rise of fundamental religiosity and New Atheism. Therefore it isn’t difficult to see where the author’s inspiration came from. Why she decided to set it in 1986 is another matter altogether. There is little in the way of obvious parallels with the real 1986, but I guess it helps to keep matters simple without the presence of the internet and the normalcy of mobile phones. The whole book is markedly minimalistic without being pretentious. This is perhaps reflective of the two radically opposing philosophies that form the backdrop of the story.

Wood does not explore the details of either the Christian dogma that now rules England or the strict secularist movement of The Island. Two vital dates are given for when secularists, usually involved in anti-religious activity such as church burning, were deported – 1951 and 1976 – and we are given an overview of the violent struggles between the state and rebels, but otherwise the history of the whole conflict is kept down to a minimum. Likewise aside from Christian imagery and the hatred certain characters, such as Nathaniel’s Malades, have towards religion, there are little intricate details regarding what each side actually believes. Despite one newspaper critic describing The Malades as Richard Dawkins in bovver boots, there is nothing whatsoever mentioned regarding a scientific argument against the Christians. The Secular Movement’s problems with the church are never lain out or described. Therefore, this could be a story about any society divided into polarized factions.
This leaves the story to be entirely character-driven and concerned with the relationships its players experience over seven days. One man, an ardent first generation secularist, will re-evaluate his relationship with God. Nathaniel will be made to reconsider his devotion to The Malades. Arthur and Eliza will have to look at the personal defensive walls they have created. However, the driving force for change in all of this – the story’s catalyst – is Sarah. She enters having already received a revelation after 10 years not knowing her mother had been arrested for being involving a Secular Movement terrorist attack. Although the story follows her fact-seeking mission, she seems to be the only character that isn’t experiencing personal changes in her attitude, having already gone through a dramatic personal crisis.

Despite some of its adult content, “The Godless Boys” reminds me of the typical sort of material read for GCSE English. This is not a slight on its simplicity, but I think there might be a lot teenagers can relate to in the text. “The Godless Boys” is also a story about consequences and the way different individuals react to dramatic changes. Nathaniel is a part of his tragic father’s legacy, but little does he realize he is leaving a legacy of his own in The Malades. His personal philosophy and beliefs have their own consequences. Wood succeeds in getting this across, providing certain moral twists reminiscent of David McKenna’s “American History X” that provokes a lot of thought.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

SHAM - Book Review

2011-03-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

Cover via AmazonThere is a scene in Dolly Parton’s 1992 film, “Straight Talk” that immediately comes to mind whilst reading “SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless”. Parton’s character accidentally becomes a “radio therapist” despite having no qualifications in psychology. In the scene I am thinking of, Parton is challenged by a professional clinical psychologist and only just saves herself from embarrassment by telling him she got her qualifications in the school of “screw you!” Later, when Parton fails to follow some of her own advice, she eventually confesses on air that she has no qualifications and is not really a doctor before leaving. Her viewers beg her to return and she does on the condition that she isn’t referred to as “doctor” and just her first name.

If Steve Salerno has seen this film he might remark how prophetic it was on the whole self-help industry. His book reveals the huge industry that has cropped up under the Self-Help and Actualization Movement (or appropriately SHAM) banner and the people behind it who are often hypocritical and under-qualified to offer advice. These self-help gurus have garnered a reputation brought on by their own brand of “straight-talking”, which many psychologists have argued can be very harmful to the vulnerable people they are advising. If only, Salerno might say, many of these self-appointed “doctors” would acknowledge their own hypocrisy and humble themselves like Parton’s character. Instead they have become pious millionaires and billionaires, making a fortune off a whole host of subjects they have questionable experience in and provide highly dubious or ambiguous results in. Nevertheless, Salerno argues they have integrated their ideas into our language, industry and education.

“SHAM” shows how the self-help movement can be roughly divided into two areas, victimization and empowerment. Victimization apparently came first, with gurus creating a whole host of states of victimhood they claimed their clients suffered from. Empowerment came later and was clearly more in line with the 1980s culture of power and advancement. The book documents how, mainly through their promotion by Oprah Winfrey, these gurus have grown into hugely influential individuals, hired by educators, large corporations and even governments.

Salerno’s book is divided into two sections, “The Culprits” and “The Consequences”. In the first section we read about the rise of the self-help guru and his industry. These chapters document certain key figures, such as “Dr Phil” McGraw and Tony Robbins who have entire chapters dedicated to them, and groups of specialist self-gurus such as those who use spirituality or their “life experiences” in crime – Salerno calls these guys the “Contrepreneurs” – or those who either target sport or use their sports coaching experience to apply to other seemingly unrelated activities. Essentially the crux of Salerno’s arguments against the movement is that much of the advice is overly simplistic, has little or no basis in mainstream cognitive behavioural studies and rarely solves the problems who buy into it. This latter point is laboured home time and again. Those who invest in the expensive programmes, buy the related merchandise and routinely attend their seminars don’t seem to ever achieve what is being promised by the gurus. They tell those who ask that the experiences are “life-changing”, but there is little in the way of the concrete results from any of this and the simple issue remains that they just keep going back.

Salerno says this addiction has long-term bad consequences for our very culture. Now businesses think little of “team-bonding” events or hiring all sorts of New Age gurus to help improve group performance, despite there being very little evidence to suggest these investments make any difference whatsoever. Self-help has also made its way into schools and its impact particularly via the “victimization” path is very evident. Now everyone has “issues” of some sort or another, including bullies and disruptive children, in fact everyone except for the “disempowered” teachers!

As far as sceptical subjects go, life-coaching and the motivational industry is a less black and white subject for me. I have many friends in the industry and I don’t think what they do is necessarily wrong. The line between philosopher and motivational guru is a thin one. I admit to being sold on the defining works of Stephen R. Covey, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Principle Centred Leadership”, but on reflection a good amount of his stuff is clearly cleverly marketed “old wisdom” coloured by corporate clichés. Nevertheless, I still enjoy them today and there is a lot of good commonsense stuff in there. Self-help has definitely invaded the martial arts and self defence industry I teach in and to a certain degree it isn’t harmful. However, as the New Agey side of things, along with the unscientific practice of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and the Robbins influence becomes more overt, I fear a lot for its future. Salerno does make some strong arguments that have made me think twice about certain ideas in the industry and I am grateful for the overall view of SHAM’s history. His critique of the industry stretches back to and beyond “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. This provides an interesting clash with another book popular in the sceptical movement, Richard Wiseman’s “59 Seconds”. Wiseman, who is a regular interviewee of many sceptical shows, found a lot of the assertions made in “How to Win Friends and Influence People” to stand up to scientific scrutiny. So, not all “lifestyle” books need be painted with the same brush.

I don’t like wheeling out the “balance argument”. However, many critics of this book have made the valid point that “SHAM” only offers a systematic critique of the self-help culture. However, in Salerno’s defence there are no other books that have tackled this subject head on. There are books that cast a critical eye on counselling and the therapy culture, but not the whole issue of the self-help and actualization movement. For me, seeing the way the self protection and martial arts industry are buying into the SHAM movement this book was a bitter pill to swallow. I don’t think that Salerno is always right in his arguments or even in his tone. He seems to contradict himself too. Early in the book he rightfully pulls apart the “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” franchise, by describing it as a throwback to the pre-60s gender defining psychology. Then he later, when he gets to the impact SHAM has had on education, he makes the rather puzzling and conservative-leaning assertion that boys have become effeminized by the movement. The 1990s has certainly seen the rise of the metrosexual and we are seeing more androgyny these days than in the past few decades, but these seem to be more to do with fashionable phases – such as the foppish effeminate dandies of the early 19th century. We are also in an era of extreme sports, mixed martial arts cage fighting, white collar boxing and retrospective machismo in our media. As I mentioned before some of his arguments also pit him against fellow sceptics, such as the aforementioned Richard Wiseman, and he doesn’t seem to offer much in the way of a solution. Nevertheless, much of what is said in Salerno’s book needed to be said and there is more that Salerno and Wiseman agree upon than disagree with. I would highly recommend this book to most people and it has led me to want to seek out more critiques on our therapy and self-help culture. Sometimes in order to get back balance you need an extreme work as a counterweight.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Debunked! (Book Review)

2011-02-27T09:51:00.003-08:00

Image by rexb via Flickr

Pseudoscience, conspiracy theories and superstition hits the general public at many different levels. However, despite a growing amount of excellent books used to argue the case for rationalism, logic and freethinking, they are easily outnumbered in the populist section of any bookstore or newsagent. So although the Michael Shermers, James Randis and David Aaronovitches of this world might be just about holding their own with middlebrow readerships and above, it is unlikely that your average reader of “Nuts” or “Heat” is going to be interested in their work. Even “Counterknowledge” by Damien Thompson and “How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World” by Francis Wheen seems more like short intellectual distraction than books intended for a typical undemanding readership. It is here where Richard Roeper truly triumphs with “Debunked”.

Roeper’s book is not concerned with the history of popular beliefs or the psychology behind why people believe nonsense. He isn’t really interested into recruiting you to the sceptical cause either. You won’t find much about Ockham’s Razor, logical fallacy arguments, explanations of the scientific process or psychological insights into confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance and blind spots either. And it is unlikely you will find Roeper banging his drum in the company of the New Atheists either – he’s a moderate Christian, like Damien Thompson, and therefore takes what statistically might be considered the middle and more popular stance. This doesn’t mean he takes a softly, softly approach; far from it. He gives the preposterous claims that regularly infect our email inboxes, documentary cable or satellite channel listings, newspaper stands, movie-viewings and social get-togethers all the unvarnished contempt they deserve.

For example, his chapter on the wildly disparate 9/11 terrorist attack conspiracy theories, after tearing apart all the popular “theories” put forward, including a thorough debunking of the internet documentary “Loose Change”, Roeper provides a conversational list of frequently made claims. They balance humour with simple substantiated fact, often exposing the absurdity of the claim. For example:

“CT [Conspiracy Theorist]: The holes in the Pentagon aren’t big enough to accommodate the wingspan of a Boeing 757.

RR (Richard Roeper]: As experts have pointed out, this wasn’t a Road Runner cartoon. A plane crashing into a reinforced building like the Pentagon isn’t going to leave a friggin’ silhouette. The truth: neither wing reached the building. Both were impacted and damaged before the bulk of the plane hit the Pentagon. The left wing ripped off and smashed when it hit the ground, and the right wing – being made of material not as resistant as the Pentagon – shattered on impact.”

“Debunked!” is best looked upon as a straight forward fact-filled resource book that gives you the quick reasons why and how 9/11 wasn’t an inside job, Pop Idol isn’t rigged, the Clintons do not have an assassination hit list and there is no proof that people can communicate with the dead.

The book is divided up into nine sections and reads much like your regular pulp non-fiction work, although Roeper is clearly above just about all authors that fall into this category in that he is clearly not a hack who has been employed to cover a sensationalist topic. He is clearly very entertained and intrigued by pop phenomena and urban legends – his two prior works are “Urban Legends” and “Hollywood Urban Legends”. His writing style is very light and intentionally crude at times, occasionally using bad language for humorous effect in much the same way as you will see in regular media guides and populist magazines.

The theme of the book is dominated by conspiracy theories and supposed evil plots, which is why I bought it. Being a sceptic and a fan of history, I have noticed that there isn’t enough material available to counter this infectious rubbish that seems to be replacing supernatural beliefs among credulous friends and pseudo-academics. There are more books being written to expose New Age quackery and silly ideas about astronomy, as well topics that fall within the realm of science, but very little on the stuff that distorts history and feeds potentially dangerous paranoia. We need more books like Roeper’s to be vying for attention in discount book stores and supermarkets against the usual drivel being pumped out there.

The conspiracy theories aren’t all the obvious ones. For example, rather going after the 1963 JFK assassination conspiracy theories, he goes after the remarkably even more absurd JFK Jnr conspiracy theory of 1999. At least all the 1963 “buffs” get half of the story right – he was assassinated. With JFK Jnr it’s like Diana Part 2! He also looks into conspiracy theories that have become so much a part of cultural thinking that we often consider them in the same light as specific supposed governmental plots. These include the long-held claims regarding sports fixing and the truth behind the way casinos are set up. They also include conservative Christian conspiracy theories that argue Christmas is being purposefully taken away by the heathens and political beliefs that there is a global left-wing conspiracy plot.

There are other irrational topics covered aside from conspiracy theories and evil plots, such as the infamous self-help book “The Secret” and a short section on “Miracles”. As enjoyable as these chapters are, they often seem a bit out of the place with the theme of the book. There are links in that they are all illogical and irrational ideas, but they are motivated by a different type of credulity.

The final section of the book contains a fun chapter, which could only work in this format, on conspiracy theories in film. Roeper lists the best, the worst and a three “Guilty Pleasures”. I am happy to see that Oliver Stone’s “JFK” and the 2006 reimagining of “The Wicker Man” made it on the worst list!

In conclusion, “Debunked!” is a fun easy reference book, full of scientific facts and simple rational arguments that will hopefully steer level-headed individuals who aren’t heavily into scepticism make reasoned based judgments on bizarre claims and crazy ideas.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Belated 2010 review & my best books of the year

2011-01-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

First off, I appreciate how late this, but I have been busier than ever with my various projects, which bodes well for 2011. I did consider not writing anything, as I thought moment had past, but in the end it was just too indulgent of a tradition let pass me by.

2010: The first year of a new decade, which again hasn’t received a title the majority are comfortable with. I really didn’t like the naughties as a term. It was just a non-word and totally unnecessary. For me, the 2000s, pronounced two thousands, worked in the same way as the 1900s. However, I have no issue with using the term twenty-ten. After all we were comfortable using the term nineteen as a prefix for the majority of the 20^th century. Saying two thousand and ten, which unfortunately seems to be the most popular way to say it, just seems a bit “In the year of our lord...” to me. Anyway, enough trivial debate, on with my annual review...

Humble Beginnings

Well, I started 2010 the same way as I saw it out: in a stationary caravan awaiting the construction of our house and battling snowy elements I haven’t seen since I was a child. However, this doesn’t mean we stood still throughout the year; far from it. Not only has 2010 been a year where we have sought out the best builders for the job and got the finer details right with the planners, but all systems are set now for work to begin. As I write this, it is January 2011 and the first stage of building preparation has started in earnest!

Knocking the Balls in

I looked at my career in 2010 as one big pool table. I have invested years in covering the various pockets with scant rewards. 2010 was the year I started knocking those balls in. I didn’t do too badly. The CCMA brand has attracted the attention of a wide range of clients both and outside the martial arts/self defence world. And bookings seem to be piling up for 2011. This year sees the start of my "Vagabond Warriors" cross training in the martial arts project and also my professional employment as part of Mo Teague's Hard Target System.

Changing Views, Challenging Views

I have never really thought of myself as a radical, but I see now that the mainstream world of martial arts is not a place I want to reside. It’s sad, but that place which I once looked towards in awe does little to inspire me these days. Ideas have become institutions and despite so many exciting new things happening outside the martial arts world, few instructors are grabbing this knowledge and running with it. Instead I see the superstitious world of the past now turning into the world of the New Mystics. Postmodernism has finally arrived in the martial arts world and suddenly everything is equally good, and totally contradictory ideas co-exist with one another without question, which allows for all the nonsense to creep in. And still the same egos drive this nonsense, whilst their followers feel erudite. However, the rest of the world is really beginning to wake up to the rubbish going on, and more non-martial arts documentaries and podcasts begin to look at the pyjama party with derision.

However, there is hope. This has also been the year when I have met some wonderful forward thinking, free-thinking, critical-minded and enthusiastic martial arts veterans join me on several of my open workshops in Kenilworth. Since then I have been contacted regarding a think tank for the advancement of self defence and practical martial arts training, and I have witnessed some brave individuals challenging their supposedly progressive associations and taking the bold step to go out on their own. For me, I see the whole martial arts/self defence world moving in one of two directions - those going towards science and reason and the others.

The Legend of Salt and Sauce

My niche historical book about two famous elephants that lived in the UK from 1902 until 1960 continued to sell into its second year. I received a few nice bookings, where Dad I gave a PowerPoint display and I read excerpts from the work. It is always nice to speak to people who have connections with the real story and I still get emails now from different places. Apparently there is a play being made in Chicago that is drawing some its inspiration from my book. If you enjoyed my book a few nice lines on Amazon from you would be really appreciated. Also, if you click on the words "I'd like to read this book in Kindle" under "Tell the publisher!" it apparently helps the book climb the ranks, plus we might get a Kindle edition out of it!

Animals

Despite the economic situation work was busy this year with my parents’ business. Just about any commercial you see on British TV featuring a live wild or exotic animal will come from the family business. The third annual open weekend was an even bigger success than before with capacity visitors and even an extra day privately booked for the Girl Guides/Brownies centenary. There was such a good vibe on three days with our wonderful volunteers.

Below is a list of brief reviews of the best books I read in 2010. Last year I read an unprecedented number of really good books, but the majority of the films I saw for the first time were mediocre.

Books of 2010

Countess Dracula – The Life Times of Elizabeth Bathory the Blood Countess – Tony Thorne

I started my snowy year finishing off a book I began reading in 1998! My enduring memories of reading this brilliantly researched and thorough examination of the facts around a case that has descended into very dark mythology was sitting in a Honda garage on several occasions whilst the mechanics kept failing to find out what was wrong with our CRV. Those who know me and have read a lot of my non-martial arts work will know I am very sceptical about anything that has a slight whiff of conspiracy theory, especially historical events. However, Thorne’s rational examination and debunking of certain absurdities that have arisen around the woman that has become known as “Countess Dracula” are hard for any serious historian to dispute. However, Thorne does not zealously invest in a controversial theory. He merely puts matters into context and filters out the obvious mythology leaving the case genuinely open.

Doctor Who Logopolis – Christopher Bidmead

This was an audio book I got free through my Amazon Vine membership. I have always enjoyed seeing how major changing points in a respected and beloved franchise are handled. It is interesting to see that this novelization came out three decades after the storyline had been aired on TV. “Logopolis” tells the story of the Fourth Doctor’s final adventure, which ends with his transformation into the Fifth Doctor. In reality this is a clever plot device used to explain the changing over of actors. Few franchises bother to explain this and just rely on audience’s willing suspension of belief – think James Bond, Professor Dumbledore, Superman or any number of long running TV drama characters. However, perhaps it is this inherent respect for their fans that goes back to the 1960s when the first regeneration occurred that has helped “Doctor Who” remain a firm favourite amongst the most unforgiving, critical and enthusiastic of fan bases – the sci-fi and comic-book fans. A further benefit of making the transition from one actor to another such an integral part of the story is that character they portrayed takes on its own protected identity[i]. To have the same author who penned the original screenplay handle both the novelization and the narration further added to amount of respect being paid to the franchise.

This book joined my endless supply of podcasts and several other freebie audio books from Amazon Vine when I made my regular lengthy journeys to teach mixed martial arts and self defence.

Ten Days in a Mad House

This is a classic 19^th century pioneering example of investigative journalism by Nelly Bly and the most famous expose of mental health treatment in an institution. “Ten Days in a Mad House” was a book that influenced many of our fears about the way people were treated in such places and prompted dramatic changes in health care. In retrospect it also highlights the huge amount of ignorance that underlined the running of mental institutions and those who decided who should be committed to them. The book is a report, a virtual diary, of a journalist who was able to easily fool the relevant authorities in a very short space of time that she was mentally unstable and therefore fit to be committed. She then goes undercover and endures the humiliation, lack of adequate hygiene, bad nutrition and physical abuse the asylum has to offer its inmates. When seen against the type of sensationalist, staid and downright abstract journalism that was common at the time; this is a revolutionary piece establishing the ascent of the journalist “in the field”. I began reading a lot of reputable science-based psychology studies this year and I still have a lot to wade through. A lot of the works debunk commonly held misconceptions about cognitive and behavioural psychology. Therefore, I found “Ten Days in a Mad House” to be interesting as it was written in a time when a good deal of psychological myths – hugely influenced by the likes of Sigmund Freud – were in the mainstream. Although this book does not bring into question any ideas regarding the analysis and practice of psychology or psychotherapy it does show the disturbing results of ignorance in the field.

This free book came via the Librivox volunteer public domain audio books. It was something of a dubious bedtime companion and I frequently found myself nodding off only to be awakened to an account of some awful ordeal that the reporter had to endure. My nodding off is no reflection on the story or even the volunteer’s delivery (although on the latter point it can be very hit-and-miss with Librivox), but just my final victory over insomnia. Since I can remember I have used audio books to get myself to sleep.

Understanding Reasonable Force – Mark Dawes

Taking on more bookings than ever before to teach self defence and having been selected by Mo Teague for his Hard Target System has made me push my education in self protection further than before. In recent years I have made a concerted effort to get the best information and to be able to recommend the best resources for anyone who trains under me.

There are many factors connected to the correct teaching of self defence or self protection. As more much-needed attention is thrown onto the soft skills side of things, I am witnessing many instructors who essentially started their self defence training wearing 19^th century Japanese underwear and throwing abstract aggressive movement to thin air now becoming bewildered in a quagmire of pseudoscientific information and military-sounding terminology. I watch as they itch to teach an impressive looking flow drill, hit some pads or generally engage in an exercise that involves a lot of shouting without really addressing the major and important factors related to self defence. Take the law for instance. Fair enough, during the on-set of a violent encounter your primary concerns are securing your safety by any means possible. You don’t want to be preoccupied with fears regarding the use of reasonable force. However, that is a lot easier said than done. We are regularly hit by the headlines of a sensationalist media that puts across the message that innocent people are routinely being prosecuted for defending themselves. We rarely hear about the majority of cases where people are commended for their bravery when enacting citizen’s arrests or the even more common cases that don’t even go to court because the person using self defence were well within their rights.

Dawes is a rare example of an expert on reasonable force. Understanding this area is not only important from a law-abiding citizen’s point of view, but I think it is a pretty vital responsibility for anyone who is teaching the use of force in a modern civilian situation (in other words not in sporting or historical enactment context). This book was massively overdue as are his further publications on the subject, including “Understanding Unreasonable Force”. It remains a mainstay on my highly recommended reading list for any seminar, workshop or course I give that deals with self defence.

Recollections: An Autobiography – Viktor Frankl

Having thoroughly enjoyed logotherapist creator Viktor Frankl’s tiny yet hugely powerful memoir on his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp I was intrigued to see what this extraordinarily inspirational individual had to say about his life. Psychoanalysis is now a controversial area of psychological study. Freud was its pioneer and his uncompromised attitude towards the scientific community has helped consign much of his discipline to the quackery bin. However, Frankl somehow transcends a lot of the nonsense by appealing more to philosophy than psychology. He connects the two in his autobiography and my feeling is that although I might not buy into logotherapy there is something to be said for the man’s hypothesis that when there is a strong enough “why”, a “what” and a “how” is easier to find. Like his most famous work, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, Frankl’s autobiography is a slim and humble affair. The man is not strong in the joke department despite his belief that he has used humour very effectively in his therapy, but his modest observations and self-depreciation are refreshing changes to the usual boasting that permeates your average autobiography.

In Defence of History – Richard J Evans

Despite my cheerleading for science and eventual wholehearted concession that the scientific method is the only real way for humanity to make productive movement forward, my inclinations are strongly dominated by a love of history, the arts and literature. Therefore, through the lens of empirical scepticism (it’s not my only viewpoint I hasten to add) I found my main interests for setting records straight and combating irrational thinking was in the study of good history. History seemed like the right brain equivalent to science as far as its purpose was to establish facts and discover new and exciting things about our existence. However, history, as the old “This Sceptered Isle” cliché goes, is also primarily about telling stories. Bring up as much dry research and empirical data as you like, but essentially what draws the historian is the love of recreating something that no longer exists and will never exist again. In science you can establish certain “truths” and, for argument’s sake, certain laws that stand up to rigorous objective testing. History has valiantly tried to do this and succeeded to a certain degree, but ultimately we are still dealing with other people’s perceptions of reality. The postmodern movement observed this key factor and exploited it to ridiculous lengths, essentially dismissing the whole concept of history and raising all its methods and opinions to equal status. Of course, this attitude matured as history no longer became a compulsory subject in British schools.

In this brilliant work, Evans carefully examines and scrutinizes the history of history, focusing primarily on the major changes in the way we study history. As the title implies, it is a defence against those who have argued the invalidity of the subject, but it isn’t the critique I expected. I came to “In Defence of History” after Damian Thompson’s light and entertaining book “Counterknowledge” further raised my concerns not only about the effect of the conspiracy theory on history, but also harm caused by other issues like hyperdiffusionism[ii]. Evans didn’t offer a more in-depth account of these problems, but he did provide an insight into the many methods that are used to study history and how they are progressing against the assault of postmodernism.

Becoming the Natural: My Life in and out of the Cage – Randy Couture

I was fortunate to be given an advance copy of this book by my friend, the publisher Fiaz Rafiq. How much of Couture’s book is ghost-written is debatable, but nevertheless the result is a very candid and entertaining autobiography of the life a successful amateur wrestler who fell into the game of mixed martial arts. What I especially liked about the style of this autobiography was the way Couture did not try to make excuses for any of the fights he lost. He mentions certain factors that would have influenced his performance, but he does this with his successes too. The book is light reading, but still very engaging and you get carried away in the lead-up to all his matches, often forgetting the outcome until he reveals it.

1415: Henry V’s Year of Glory – Ian Mortimer

I intended to finish this book as I flew over to Turkey, but this was my first holiday with my toddler daughter in tow, so I ended taking the whole 10 days of the holiday to finish the final quarter of this book. Nevertheless, when I wasn’t rushing around a non-toddler friendly environment it was worth it.

Ian Mortimer brought me back to history with this revolutionary approach to its study. “1415” continues Mortimer’s series on England’s rulers dating back from the 1300s. Henry V is an English icon and symbol of courageous leadership and spiritual piety. However, Mortimer’s extensive research – and I do mean extensive given the privileged access he has to primary source archives – reveals a religious fanatic who uncompromisingly engaged in a pointless war to justify his father’s usurpation of the throne. What makes the author’s approach so different and revealing is that he tells the story of Henry V’s campaign in France and the momentous Battle of Agincourt as a virtual day-by-day account of the year 1415. Far more than a biography – although a lot of the evidence provides some interesting insights into Henry’s complex character – the book reveals and reports critical events that would influence history for centuries to come – from the eventual rise of the Reformation to the English Civil War. The book also provides us with the reasons why men like Henry who were merciless in his treatment of anyone outside his closest circle of trust became so defensively protected by a mythology that became so intrinsically linked to national identity.

Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science – Martin Gardner

I began this at the end of my Turkish holiday and count it as one of my summer books.

Carl Sagen’s “Demon Haunted World” is often referenced as the bible of modern scepticism. However, another pioneer in the field was the great Martin Gardner and the great modern sceptical writer (and founder of Sceptical magazine) Michael Shermer cites this as the first comprehensive study on the subject. Gardner, like Harry Houdini, who is often considered to be something of a godfather of debunking, and James “The Amazing” Randi, the current king, was a magician. The thinking goes that this gave him an advantage in his critical thinking capacity. In other words when one knows how to create an illusion it is easier to see through the illusions (and delusions) of others. However, Gardner doesn’t touch upon this area of his career in his systemic explanation of the origins of disparate weird beliefs from those who believe in a flat or hollow Earth to phrenologists to ESP. It was written in the 1950s and stands the test of time as a relevant book on debunking weird claims. To date none of the strange beliefs he has listed have stood up to scientific scrutiny, none of his fallacies have been successfully reverted back to facts[iii] and it is still as relevant now as it was then. This isn’t to take away Gardner’s then contemporary reflections of the time. His discussions of his highly intelligent contemporaries and their strange beliefs foreshadows Michael Shermer’s essay “Why Smart People Believe Weird Things”[iv], Ben Goldacre’s chapter on the same subject in his “Bad Science” and Dan Gardner’s book on highly intelligent people who get predictions wrong, “Future Babble”. However, the one thing that is alarmingly inaccurate about Gardner’s book is his optimism for the decline and fall of such psychology-based pseudoscientific cults like Dianetics. This was a “fad” that Gardner predicted would probably run out of steam after its founder, the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, hit legal and financial problems. Today we call it Scientology!

59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot – Richard Wiseman

It is refreshing to find a genuine science-based study on psychology doing so well in the book charts. Therefore, I was recently amused upon reading some of the negative feedback this book received. The criticism aimed at the book was its lack of “new material”. Judging by the reader’s whole review, he was used to books produced by the self-help movement. Such books tend to thrive on producing new approaches to handling life and involve some form of psychology – often of the homespun variety. What the reader failed to understand was that this book is decidedly different from the overwhelming majority of “lifestyle” books out there, simply based on the fact that every single mental exercise or piece of advice stems from extensive peer-review research. Wiseman isn’t just telling you what works for him or relying on anecdotal evidence – again a common mainstay of the Oprah Winfrey approved pop psychology books out there – he is providing you with the best information available based on lengthy and extensive studies, where positive results have been repeated the world over by independent behavioural psychologists. Despite all this dry research the book lives up to its promise in providing easy mental exercises that can be done every day in under a minute.

Extra Chilli Sauce: A Dark Tale of Violence, Retribution and Success – John Skillen

The tough guy autobiography market is now saturated. They have their own sub-section under “True Crime” and in most instances the writing – generally done by ghost-writers – is as trite as the morals of the individuals are reprehensible. John Skillen is one of life’s real rough diamonds. I know this because I have met the man on several occasions and have always been impressed with his professionalism and fairness. He was one of the first people to book me to teach a children’s self defence seminar, at a time when my concepts were not exactly mainstream and many warned me that it wouldn’t work. John was already a name with an awesome reputation. He had little to gain and possibly quite a bit to lose for putting me on, but he had the courage and the belief to do so. I see this characteristic carried over into his much anticipated and very enjoyable autobiography. He is humble and not boastful of the mistakes he made in life, mistakes that got him in trouble with the authorities and time inside, and he is a golden example of someone who turned his life around for the better. Unlike many a contrepreneur, as described in Steve Salerno’s “SHAM”, John didn’t profit from his life of crime by hypocritically going around telling youngsters to not do what he did and then pocketing money from such talks. He learnt an honest trade, built himself a business teaching fitness and martial arts, and became a success. Before then, of course, he built up a professional reputation working some of the most dangerous doors in the country. John’s book doesn’t descend into piety, self-justification, psycho-babble or come across as preachy. It is just an honest tale with a positive message about change.

Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error – Kathryn Schulz

This was my summer book. This is one of the best books I have read in recent years. I was thoroughly impressed with the rational and yet very enthusiastic approach Kathryn Schulz took with her subject matter. It brings an amazing amount of optimism to a subject that we intuitively have real psychological problems with. The book looks at the whole concept of wrongness, including all the ways we can be wrong, the feeling of being wrong and how error helps us to progress. I learnt a lot from “Being Wrong” and it has helped further influence my own approaches to my work and life in general.

The Perfect Nazi – Martin Davidson

Being interested in the Nazi regime is not uncommon. A disproportionate amount of history is dedicated to the study of the rise and fall of the Third Reich and their leaders. There is something about the way it gripped the developed world and almost ruled it that frightens and fascinates us. Among the many issues arising from the Nazis, I am intrigued by the way it captured the minds of the masses. It’s something that is explored in such books as “The Reader”, which puts a compassionate human face on a person responsible for carrying out a very evil job, and films like “Good”, which explore the apathy of the career Nazis. Martin Davidson has a very prominent and respected position in the BBC’s history department, so therefore he saw it as something of a duty to uncover his grandfather’s part in the Nazi story. What he found was a high ranking SS officer who had been with the party since its extremist fringe days. There was no confirmation of his grandfather’s director involvement in crimes, as a lot of evidence was destroyed before the Allied Forces took Germany, but his career path makes it very likely he was involved with the violence of the SA and at least knew what nefarious activities the SS were endorsing.

Mistakes were Made (but not by me) - Carol Tavris and Elliot Aaronson

This served as the perfect companion book to Schulz’s more philosophical “Being Wrong”. Tavris and Aaronson use their knowledge and experience as trained psychologists to tackle the issue of self-justification and its driving force, cognitive dissonance, head on. This is the best book on the subject I have read and it provided a fascinating insight to the intrinsic problems I see facing the martial arts world of today. Again, this was a real education to me and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

A Killing Art – Alex Gillis

“Warts and All” martial arts books are few and far between. Finally the world’s most popular martial art gets its history investigated – and not before time. Most “traditional” martial arts have a murky history due to urban legends, suppressive governments, lack of literacy among instructors and jealousy among respective schools. However, Korea seems to have suffered extraordinarily. This book uses primary source material and impartial investigative methods to uncover the real not-so-ancient origins of tae kwon do and how its history got rewritten and embroiled in deadly Korean politics. Unfortunately, much like the tae kwon do satire, “The Foot Fist Way”, I feel there is still too much affection for the art itself and Gillis, a 25 year veteran of the system, still holds back some critical thinking when it comes to discussing the combative side. Nevertheless, I consider it a modern martial arts non-fiction classic, ranking alongside and in the spirit of “Angry White Pyjamas”, “Watch My Back”, “The Last Wrestlers” and “The Pyjama Game” in its frankness.

SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless – Steve Salerno

I have a good deal friends in the self-help movement and admit to following certain reasonable principles put forward by popular figures in the field. Geoff Thompson is a good friend of mine and I enjoyed the early work of Stephen Covey. I don’t do this blindly, anymore than I follow any approach wholesale and without critical thinking, but I like a lot of what a very small handful of these individuals have to say. However, a good deal of what is written out there is bunk. At best it simply repackages the obvious and at worst it bases itself on pseudoscientific principles and outright charlatanism. Salerno’s book is a complete attack on the movement. He takes no prisoners as he goes after the biggest hitters in the field – most of who seem to be protégés of Oprah Winfrey. It is not a balanced critique, but a much needed book to challenge a lot of nonsense that is permeating our media, education system and culture.

Debunked!: Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends and Evil Plots of the 21^stCentury – Richard Roeper

Richard Roeper’s very light read is a wonderful straight-up dismantling of the most conspiracy theories of our time. Roeper’s style is simple and sometimes brash. It is full of humour and not preachy in the slightest.

[i] Of course the character isn’t 100% protected. Because William Hartnell had died by the time the “Five Doctors” special was filmed a look-alike stand-in actor was required for his very small role. Still the huge difficulty and amount of explanation needed to do this is just further evidence of how much the respective actors are a part of the character.

[ii] This is the hypothesis or belief that one dominant culture is the single source for other cultures and technologies around the world. It is a view I have seen very common among many martial artists who buy into the appeal to antiquity logical fallacy and wish to establish their art as the true source for others.

[iii] The same cannot be said for the similarly named “Hamlyn Book of Facts and Fallacies”, a sceptical children’s book that I got when I was 10 years old and sowed the seed of my own critical thinking. It is interesting to see how much has changed since that book came out.

[iv] Contained in one of the best books on modern empirical scepticism “Why People Believe Weird Things”.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The Christmas TV Tradition

2010-12-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Cover of A Charlie Brown ChristmasChristmas TV has always been a mishmash of old well-worn now traditional favourites demanded by viewers year after year, and a slew of mainly awful new festive viewing experiences. Among the movies, both festive and not, shown at this time of year there is a creation we call the Christmas Television Special. This strange anomaly has its tiny performance criteria set out in the title. It must be made for Christmas and it must be made for television. The special bit is the rather superfluous part that designates this episode is different from others. Isn't every episode supposed to be? The Christmas part doesn't necessarily mean it has to have a Christmas theme, it just needs to made and scheduled for a Christmas release, but the television part is an absolute rule even though certain Christmas specials, such as the "Kung Fu Panda Christmas Special" and the "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas", are clearly spin-offs from popular movies.

Christmas specials, as we know them, started with "Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol" in 1962. Before then they were either one-off adaptations of Christmas stories or the Christmas edition of a variety show. Variety shows, although not my preferred childhood or even adult TV watching, resonate with me due to my circus heritage. I now look back on them with a warm sense of faux nostalgia, thinking back to a time when my family's circus held a prime time TV slot on Christmas Day with a production of their show.

Since then Christmas specials have varied from awful sappy sanctimonious renditions of some tale or another about Santa Claus having problems delivering presents to the most long-winded and protracted series finale I have ever had to experience: "Dr Who: End of Times". Before this lengthy affair with perhaps the longest dying sequence ever created for fiction, we had already had two false starts with David Tennett apparently on the verge of regenerating. I just found myself shouting "Get on with it!"

Below is my list of Christmas specials that I would happily re-watch each year. They are not in any particular order.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I think this is perhaps the most beloved of all the Charlie Browns bar the original feature length film, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown". Its appeal comes from its honesty and simplicity. Like a lot of Schulz's stuff, it might have been written for children, but there is plenty on offer to appeal to the adult viewers. The central focus is on the way Christmas has become commercialized and the real message has been lost. Looking back it has many of the trappings of a Christmas special I have grown to loathe and its ending is surprisingly un-Charlie Brown. Nevertheless, it is beautifully produced and somehow works with its use of metaphor - Charlie Brown seeing the beauty in the most wretched of Christmas trees. There are also some very witty lines delivered by most of the cast. This stands as the classic, but in many ways the 1992 "It's Christmas Again, Charlie Brown" is superior. Not only do we get the inclusion of Peppermint Paddy and Marcy, but it ends in typical Charlie Brown fashion.

South Park: A Very Crappy Christmas

Since its inception "South Park" has had a firm tradition of lampooning Christmas specials. The first two precursors to the show were Christmas themed episodes, "The Spirit of Christmas ('Santa versus Frosty' and 'Santa versus Jesus')". After that every year's episode seemed to be a different way to send up the Christmas message. "A Very Crappy Christmas" saw the return of their unique Christmas character, Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo (originally introduced in an episode named after him in season one) with his drunk wife and odd children, and it had a direct pop at "A Charlie Brown Christmas", even turning the special's message on its head by the time the end credits rolled.

Only Fools and Horses: Time on our Hands

"Only Fools and Horses" is the most beloved British sit-com in history. They have also had a steady stream of Christmas specials, which have since been inherited by "Rock and Chips" a more serious prequel of sorts. Many of us looked forward to each year's special, as David Jason, who played the chancing Peckham wheeler/dealer "Del Boy" Trotter, and Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played his clueless younger brother, Rodney, began to take on other projects. Eventually the writing was on the wall as the regular series ceased and the only thing left was the Christmas Specials. By the time this one, the third part of a trilogy released that very Christmas that also consisted of "Heroes and Villains" and "Modern Men", was released the show had long since past its prime. It was this desperation to satisfy customers, but ultimately ruining the product that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant would acknowledge when they called it a day for two of their popular TV sit-coms with Christmas specials. Nevertheless, this trilogy was a surprise and stands out as one of the best since the days of Granddad and the early episodes featuring Uncle Albert.

"Time on our Hands" does what every finale should do. It brings closure on everything, changing the dynamic by the end so much that it would seem mad to go back again. The ending is satisfactory and the laughs keep coming until the very end. Sadly five years later the first of three annual Christmas specials would attempt to bring back the magic and pretty much prove it should have been best left alone. This is how the whole story should have ended.

The Office Christmas Special

"The Office" introduced mainstream viewers to the Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant dream team. Not since Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge had British comedy been so awkward and yet so cool. They somehow presented flawed human beings, regularly exhibiting every type of mortal weakness, and laid it bare for us to love. The Christmas Special pretty much demonstrated the art of restraint. It absolutely concluded the series, which had only had two seasons. Gervais went on record to say he was disappointed by the way other great comedy franchises had milked the Christmas special tradition to farcical lengths and he didn't want to do that with his creation. Instead he sold The Office concept to the USA who have promptly murdered it from the first episode onwards and still milking it for all its worth after the seventh season!

Anyway, the two-part extended episodes that Gervais and Merchant produced seamlessly tied up all the loose ends left from the end of their last season in a most satisfactory way. There was a good-feel ending, although it is completely believable and humour on the way was superb. It also gave us the opportunity to finally see characters like Gareth in a position of genuine authority and for David Brent to drop lower than ever in every respect made for excellent role reversals. Everyone gets an opportunity for revenge and change. Gareth gets humiliate David. David finally gets to tell Chris Finch, a man he suffered putdowns from and desperately tried to emulate, to "f*** off". As for Tim and Dawn, well that is also very satisfactory.

Extras: Christmas Special

Gervais and Merchant scored almost as impressively with "Extras" as they did with "The Office". "The Office" Christmas special did touch upon Z list celebrity fame to a certain degree, as David Brent ended up appearing on a humiliating celebrity Blind Date live show, failed as a pop singer and tried to use "The Office" series to impress future dates. "Extras" takes us through the life of Andy Millman, a persona not unlike Ricky Gervais, who wishes for fame and fortune, but can never get the balance. The single extended Christmas episode is more thought-provoking than any of the fabulous two seasons that preceded it, with Gervais pretty much highlighting the same message that runs through the excellent movie "Swimming with Sharks"; what is it that you really want?

The episode is not short on laughs, as Stephen Merchant's equally funny performance as Millman's now former inept agent is spot on. His various attempts to see Millman who has desperately tried to break away from him, evoke both pathos and lots of laughs. It seems mad that despite this show's sharp and wry observations the exploitation continues without any subtlety. There doesn't seem to be any slowing down of celebrity-making factory shows like "Britain's Got Talent" and "X Factor". The same can be said for the humiliating reality shows starring celebrities that have slipped down the rung of success. All of this stuff is sent up in the finale of "Extras" and Millman's announcement on "Big Brother" about it being no different from a Victorian freak show is very apt.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle

It was pretty handy for Granada Television, producers of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a Christmas short story adventure for his most famous creation. Granada timed the release of this episode perfectly during the Christmas of 1984. This was a particularly festive year in my memory. It was the year of "Gremlins" the perfect anti-Christmas film, although I would have to satisfy myself with audio books and toys until the film made it to video as I was too young to see it at the cinema. It was also the year of "The Snowman", perhaps one of the most beloved Christmas TV movies in Britain, and the cosy six-part children's TV series "The Box of Delights" that will spell out Christmas to many of my generation.

"The Blue Carbuncle" looks well produced three decades on with Jeremy Brett is fine form as the best onscreen Holmes in television and cinematic history bar none. Some of the Granada series took great liberties with Doyle's original work, but they were more loyal than most. This is such an example with some entirely justified changes that make for a better visual ending. For the record Peter Cushing also played Holmes in an adaptation of this story in the 1960s series.

The League of Gentlemen: Yule Never Leave

Although the third series of "The League of Gentleman" certainly had its moments and also used an interestingly different concept, this Christmas special ended the best days of Royston Vasey. It plays homage to the Amicus horrors of the '60s and '70s with an anthology of creepy stories set around Christmas and featuring the main characters from the TV series. The vampire story starring Herr Lipp is the standout piece, although it is tight competition with the origin of the curse ill-fated vet, Mr Chinnery. This latter story is recounted again in a very spooky version of Jackanory on the DVD's special features.

Blackadder's Christmas Carol

There have been enough adaptations of Charles Dickens's famous Christmas story to make you shout "bar humbug!" at the top of your lungs. Most are dismal and lazy. However, this one written when Richard Curtis and Ben Elton were at the height of their Blackadder powers, set to give us the fantastic final series "Blackadder Goes Forth", ranks alongside the Alistair Sim 1951 classic and the Muppets' brilliant version. Here the story is set on its head with a Victorian Blackadder, Ebenezer, being the most hospitable and kind-hearted man in Christendom. Unfortunately his good natured personality leads to him being taken advantage of on a regular basis, particularly at Christmas. He takes it all in his stride as the familiar "needy" characters of the story strip him of all his festive treats. However, that night a Christmas ghost visits him to show him the sins of his ancestors at Christmas and what might happen in the future. It's a wonderful opportunity to re-visit the Blackadder of Queen Elizabeth I's court and the Blackadder who was butler to the Prince Regent in the two preceding series. All of this of course teaches Ebenezer Blackadder an important lesson: "Bad guys have all the fun!"

Well, there's my round up of ideal festive TV fun. As we live in an age of digital TV and DVDs it's great to think we don't have suffer the nonsense they churn out each year. Happy Christmas!
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

The Christmas Movie Tradition

2010-12-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

Cover of Gremlins

The Christmas movie is a big tradition in the USA. We get them over here, but they are often American films for that very same reason. Nevertheless, I grew up amid the excitement of new films being released on the cinema and plenty of old greats being shown over the holiday period. However, as I grew up I became more cynical about it all. There is an overwhelming side to Christmas that is enough to put you off the whole idea altogether. It is more than commercialism; rather it is a desire to be unashamedly tacky, sickly sweet, incredibly drunk and sanctimonious. People, particularly families, often become aggressive in their desires to “be together” or “enjoy themselves”. Therefore, it wasn’t long before I started to realize that most Christmas films, like most Christmas songs, are pretty awful. "Elf" has to be one of the most over-rated family films of all time and my high hopes were severely dashed with "Bad Santa". Most Christmas films are shown through the narrow eyes of North Americana and feel a desire to self-righteously show us “the true meaning of Christmas” via Santa Claus and miracles.

Below are my choices for the best feature films made with a Christmas theme. What constitutes a Christmas film you may ask? It is certainly a question I put to people when I name some of my choices. It seems to me that many people are either overly conservative or liberal in their selections. The conservative lot seem to regard only films that have Christmas in the title or feature Santa Claus or bang on about the holiday spirit to be the only movies to make the definition. Others refer to the huge expanse of films that are traditionally shown over the Christmas period on TV. I cannot remember a Christmas of my childhood that didn’t pass without “Superman”, “The Great Escape”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” or “Star Wars” being shown on TV. So I take the middle line with my sometimes alternative and sometimes mainstream selection of Christmas movies.

Gremlins

“Gremlins” is the perfect anti-Christmas picture. I am shocked by the common reaction to most people I say Gremlins is one of my all-time favourite Christmas films. Most people don’t seem to consider it a Christmas movie. This is despite the fact it is set over the whole Christmas period, never stops referencing Christmas, has well-known Christmas songs on its soundtrack, has most scenes featuring snow or Christmas decorations and the whole story is based around the theme of the irresponsible giving of pets as Christmas novelties. “Gremlins” is savage in its comedy, sending up the consumerism and the excuses people use to go wild over the festive period. The Scrooge character, Mrs Deagal, gets no chance of redemption at the hands of these evil little green monsters that fire her straight out of her window after messing with her electric stair lift. The film is also laced with the bitter side of Christmas via Phoebe Cates’s Kate character who reminds us that the suicide rate goes up over this time of year and reveals a dark story of how she discovered there was no Santa Claus.

Trapeze

Coming from a very old circus family I was raised on films like “The Greatest Showman” and “The Greatest Show on Earth”. However, for me, “Trapeze” tops them all. There was a time when the country I was born in didn’t snub its nose at the live entertainment tradition it created, the circus. Many families looked forward to either going to see a spectacular Christmas show in one of the UK’s biggest venues or to watch the Chipperfield’s or Billy Smart’s TV show on Christmas Day. The final act of Burt Lancaster (who began his career as an accomplished circus acrobat) and Tony Curtis’s brilliant story of a love triangle, friendship and personal achievement under the big top is set in the historic Cirque d’hivre circus building at Christmas. The show still run by the famous French circus family Bouglione still has people who were involved with this classic movie, including the man who doubled for Curtis during his most incredible feats on the flying trapeze.

Young Sherlock Holmes

Again, the title doesn’t immediately evoke thoughts of Christmas, but it works so well as a winter holiday movie for the family. From the opening titles with its chirpy upbeat score following the shocking death of the film’s first victim via Jim Henson puppetry into the wonderful narration of Michael Hordern (perhaps one of the best voiceovers in cinematic and television history), the film just seems to hit all the right places for some Christmas escapist fun for all ages. Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with the Victorian era, perhaps the historical time most associated with Christmas. Young Sherlock Holmes is certainly a departure from the usual Sherlock Holmes affair, being an imaginative “What if Sherlock Holmes met Dr Watson at School?” story rather than an attempt to adapt any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work. Nevertheless, it provides all the usual fun and frolics of an Amblin film (the production company that brought you Gremlins) and a Chris Columbus (first two cosy Harry Potters) script.

The Muppet’s Christmas Carol

Sadly Jim Henson had passed away by the time this film was produced but it did his memory proud. This is perhaps the best Muppet movie made and also one of the best adaptations of Charles Dickens’s famous story. Of course, despite a peculiar creepiness that I have always felt was present with the Muppets, this picture largely diminishes the sense of ominous threat that was present in all adaptations prior to this one. However, it more than makes up for it with an excellent performance by Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, some brilliant songs and the general wacky genius that makes the Muppets so enjoyable to watch.

Scrooge – A Christmas Carol (1951)

This is the standard that all adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” were and still are judged. Despite being a flop at the cinema in the US it quickly became a TV favourite in the 1960s. It is as much a tradition in many households as Christmas trees and decorations. Alistair Sim made the role of Ebenezer Scrooge his own, so much so that a good number of actors who took on the role afterwards seem to be inadvertently imitating him. This was later reinforced when Sim leant his distinctive voice to the character of Scrooge again in the 1971 Oscar winning animated adaptation. Michael Hordern also reprised his role of Jacob Marley/Marley’s Ghost. Hordern seems to regularly crop up in many of my Christmas choices. Here he is as intimidating as any villainous sidekick when playing the living Marley and darkly oppressive when he plays the spectral harbinger of doom. The film changes only a little of Dickens’s story, but it is a welcome addition, helping to better explain how Scrooge and Marley emerged through greed and cold-hearted opportunism. There is also a believable performance by George Cole as the young Scrooge. He doesn’t physically resemble Sim much, but his interpretation of the character is spot on.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

It’s amazing to think that this stop-motion animated film was originally released over Halloween. Now the Christmas angle just seems to have eclipsed the whole concept that the main characters come from Halloween Town. This was the film that Disney apparently wanted Tim Burton to make and even financed his pet project “Ed Wood” into the deal. It is full of great songs and really establishes the Burton look of child-like Gothic. However, not nearly enough credit is given to the film’s actual director, Henry Selick. It is arguable that although Burton wrote and produced the picture, the stylization of it is as much Selick’s. For proof of this see “James and the Giant Peach” and 2009’s darkly wondrous “Coraline”. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” still seems edgy and there is easily enough on offer to satisfy the adults in the family as well as the children.

Rocky

Several of the Rocky films (Rocky, Rocky IV, Rocky V and Rocky Balboa) are based around the Christmas period and heavily reference it. I don’t know if it is a Philadelphia thing or Stallone was playing with the idea of miracles, but it works. Rocky IV, the campiest and most financially successful of the whole series, even stages the final scene, Rocky’s match, on Christmas Day in snowy Russia. However, the first film, which is stands alone as a true cinematic classic, delivers exactly the right type of Christmas tale Americans audiences love. The final scene and match in this instance happens on New Year’s Day, and the fact that Rocky doesn’t win makes it all the more poetic.

Trading Places

Christmas is a time for fairy tales. Disney knows this and so do the traditional British pantomimes. So how about an adult rendition of the Prince and the Pauper? Set over the Christmas period, the film is layered with enough examples of Dickensian themes: gaps between the classes and the juxtaposition of 1980s greed (it was made in 1983) with “salt of the earth” compassion. Actors/comedians Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy not to mention director, John Landis, are at the top of their game in this picture. There is also memorable supporting performances put in by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche as the villainous US aristocrats, Mortimer and Randolph Duke and Denholm Elliott is wonderful as the ever-loyal Coleman. However, the star of the show is undeniably Jamie Lee Curtis. I have worked with Ms Curtis on the film “Fierce Creatures” and there is little getting away from her larger than life personality, which makes most of her performances memorable. Before this picture she seemingly typecast as a scream queen. Here she played the best “tart with a heart” caricature ever seen on the silver screen. The humour comes thick and fast without descending into semi-spoof territory and the film’s ending is fulfilling in a 1980s sort of way without becoming too cheesy.

Life of Brian

This is one of the best comedies ever written and will make that list for sure. Hell, if they can put “Jesus Christ Superstar” on over a festive season, when it is technically more of an Easter musical, I can have the pinnacle of Monty Python’s greatness. The film begins with the birth of Christ and his next door neighbour, Brian. Okay, we all know that 25^th December date was stolen from other pre-Christian religious festivities, so this is the only film that remarks on the nativity without featuring the celebration that now surrounds it. If most films that centre on the life of Jesus focus on spirituality then this is a wonderful counterbalance that sends up humanity as a whole and revels in all its ageless mortal flaws.

Arthur

This film seeps class. It is considered by many to be one of the funniest comedies ever made, it won John Gielgud, in one of his most memorable roles, an Oscar for best supporting actor and it features a collaborative theme song that is a mainstay on many easy listening radio channels. Like “Trading Places” it deals with the 1980s US aristocracy and contrasts it with the working classes. Much of the story is set over the Christmas period and Arthur’s perpetual drunkenness helps to remind us of another less savoury tradition of the holiday period.

If you enjoyed this article please vote for it on Dooyoo, Ciao and Helium.

Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

Reviving a Creepy Tradition

2010-11-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

Simply titled "Ghost Stories: Volume Two", this audio book is distinctly different from other classical collections I have listened to or read in the past. The reason for this being that each of the four tales contained within are the works of M.R. James. Despite an undeniable legacy and influence over the genre in the 20th century, James's tales are still very different from what we expect in the horror or, more specifically, the ghost short story genre. They often have the superficial criteria of a contemporary pompous upper-middle class scholar uncovering an ancient object in a remote area and subsequently becoming haunted by a supernatural entity or curse. This has become known as Jamesian. They are also not particularly horrifying, not by today's standards, not by the standards of his day and not for the standards of Victorian ghost or horror stories that preceded them. These are stories that create atmosphere and imply an unknown menace, which are perfect for the function James originally intended them: as fireside tales to be told at night to a group of gathered friends.
Typically James's listeners were aimed at the undergraduate or graduates of his time, which is probably why the story's hero is often cast as something of a stuffy intellectual; someone like a university lecturer and someone who should be above such lowbrow fancies as the believing in the existence of the supernatural.
However, there is another distinctly different element feel and style that M.R. James uses that has helped him to become known as "The Father of the Modern Ghost Story". This is the strong emphasis on the imaginative psychological element. From The Haunting - both the book and the original film - to The Omen, the Jamesian ghost story is a tale that leaves it up to the reader or, more appropriately, the listener to make up their own mind over the supernatural element.
I was unaware of this new series of audio books on the works of M.R. James, so I missed out on the first volume. Nevertheless I was impressed. The audio book is the perfect medium for M.R. James's work and in this instance the stories are told by Derek Jacobi, not only a great British actor but also an experienced narrator. He may not have Christopher Lee's booming intensity, when he read the M.R. James stories for television in 2000, but his slightly hushed tones that gently speed up during moments of excitement are very much in line with the way one would imagine the hero of the stories might talk. If Lee does well to evoke the scary atmosphere of James's work, Jacobi's strength lies in the way he speaks for a story's characters. The production values for the audio book are ideal. The eerie musical accompaniment at the beginning and the end is just enough to enhance the stories and leaving the narration uninterrupted.
This volume contains stories selected for broadcasting and is not put in any sort of chronological order or as part of one of the collections James published. They are "A Warning for the Curious", which was part of 1925's "A Warning to the Curious" collection, "The Mezzontint", which was part of the first collection entitled "Ghost Stories of Antiquary" published in 1904, "The Stalls of Burchester Cathedral" which was part of "More Ghost Stories of Antiquary" published in 1911 and "A Neighbour's Landmark", which was also part of the "A Warning to the Curious" collection.
"A Warning to the Curious" breaks the Jamesian formula to some degree by having a distinctly horrific description of a corpse. The story is about an individual's search for an ancient Saxon crown that turns out to be cursed. "The Mezzotint" is about an ancient engraving that seems to change in appearance at each renewed viewing and, for obvious reason, reminded me of "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" to a small degree. The journal of an archdeacon reveals the set of circumstances that led to his untimely death in "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral". And "A Neighbour's Landmark" follows the curiosity of a man who wishes to investigate a story he believes exists behind the line of a folk song, "Than that which walks in Betton Wood Knows why it walks or why it cries".
Despite M.R. James's undeniable ability to create atmosphere this cannot really be done with someone uninterested in this type of story. Atmosphere really is the key word. I first listened to this CD when I was driving on a typical autumn morning, weather and time conditions perhaps better suited for Winnie the Pooh than early 20th century ghost stories. Despite knowing and liking both the works of M.R. James and the talents of Derek Jacobi I found it a little difficult to concentrate. The CD is best listened to under the correct conditions. As much as James is described as the father of modern ghost stories and it is often mentioned that another distinction of his work was that they were set in contemporary times, it is also important to remember that these time were the times of his day. The stories have dated. With this in mind we need to settle ourselves down and put our minds back to the first couple of decades of the 20th century rather expect an immediate connection to now or very recent history. Finally, they were written to be listened to in a darkened room or around a fire at the end of a day with a very willing yet relaxed audience. Better still put it on around Christmas Eve and resurrect an old tradition!
If you enjoyed my review, please vote for it on Amazon and Dooyoo
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com

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