Fantastic Metropolis

Movies

Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki

I was probably the last person in the western world to see this, and yes, it’s really amazing. Great gloriously-fanfared parades of strange spirit-monsters, and even the train ride is beautiful.

Scarlet Diva, Asia Argento

Sloppily gorgeous Asia Argento in a semi-autobiographical movie from a few years ago. She seems a bit stupid and keeps blundering into victimhood but it’s a great movie, with Joe Coleman as a slimy, puckish satyr, and a central scene where Asia puts on her make-up and smudges it off again and that’s all, with beautifully sad music playing.

The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson

Putting aside all the god stuff, this movie gives a fair picture of human cruelty on an average day. (Though as a depressive migraine sufferer I think it pales in comparison to a mere walk round the block.)

Music

Smile, Brian Wilson

I know, I always thought the Beach Boys were a bit ridiculous too, but this Smile thing, aside from a few embarrassing animal impersonations, is beautiful.

Flight of the Behemoth, SunnO)))

Subsonic nosebleed low-frequency utter doom guitar.

WO.8, Scorces

Hypnotic long-sustained drone music.

Soviet Kitsch, Regina Spektor

CD Baby comes through again. Regina can be a bit cutesy à la Bjork sometimes but other than that she’s amazing, a great songwriter, funny and able to curve her voice around in ways you’ve never heard before. Saw her live, a gorgeous Jewish girl with a huge mouth. Wow.

---

Karloff’s Circus, the fourth book in Steve Aylett’s Accomplice series, is published by Gollancz.