All Or Nothing - Mike Leigh 2002

Ultimately, the story's characters don't mesh together as smoothly as they should. The thin mother of an obese family including an obnoxious son who subsequently has a heart attack, thus pulling the family together, in a way that is mawkish and doesn't feel coherent. 

Individually they all knock out great performances, but the star is Sally Hawkins who easily has that screen-presence that fizzes and crackles. Her latest news article elaborates on her preference for privacy and perhaps that's why I've never come across her before but I'll be looking into her body of work for more gems.

Many describe Mike Leigh's work as bitter sweet, though for my taste it's about quintessentially working class English characters who live somewhat sour lives, punctuated by moments of respite described as sweet. 

It's still great work.

Update: I have come across Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine

The Wicker Man (1973)

The Original Wicker Man from 1973 is brimming with the sort of occult and pagan symbolism that many today are much more familiar with. I wonder if the six sided star head chopping reference seen above was used in the 2006 remake?

The movie that made it into the top ten worst US remakes ever. 

I notice Jay Dyer has done a review of Radioheads 'Burn The Witch' which is pregnant with Wicker Man symbolism. This is ironic given their recent concert in Tel Aviv where they ignored Apartheid Israel's genocidal segregation of the occupied Palestinians.

History Doesn't Mind Questions - Propaganda Does

This is an essential podcast between Joseph Atwill and Tim Kelly. One character who always turns up at significant moments in history is CD (Charles Douglas) Jackson or Jacobson as his real name was. This is the guy who presented the human lampshades and shrunken heads at Buchenwald which have gone missing and so can't be verified as props for psychological warfare.

CD Jackson also took care of the Zapruder film for the Life Magazine on behalf of the CIA.

He also interviewed Betty and Barney Hill of early UFO abduction fame, who we now think were part of military experiments.