The Double

Are you sitting in a cinema feeling nervous, uneasy, slightly confused and… Loving it? You must be seeing The Double.

(Like what I did there? Maybe not my best...)

It hasn’t had much promotion, but The Double is the latest black comedy directed from London’s very own Richard Ayoade of IT Crowd, Mighty Boosh and Big Fat Quiz Of The Year fame. The film is based on Dostoyevsky’s novella of the same name, written in the mid 1800s.

Simon James is, if we’re honest, a bit of a loser. He works hard with no recognition, he looks after his sick mother who shows him no thanks, and he fancies the blonde at work, who’s falling for the new guy, James Simon - who looks and sounds exactly like him. But there is something different about James; he’s charismatic and confident and with this, manipulative and mean, and soon Simon is once again completely taken advantage of. With his misfortune increasing with every turn, how much is too much, and what will it take for Simon to rid his doppelganger?

I’d say that Ayoade has taken a modern twist on a classic, but as it’s set in a fantastical forties (… or fifties… or sixties…) setting, it’s not exactly brought up to the present. This of course makes the film incredibly stylish amongst the gloomy, theatrical staging. As an audience member it’s like you’re looking down into a magical world, with the story being played out almost in puppet form (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, which exudes the same sensation).

I don’t know who’s responsible for the film’s Wikipedia page, but really, E for effort. A seven-sentence plot description? Yes, The Double has one, big overall theme, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in content. The dialogue is witty, fast-paced and thrown back and forth between the cast members effortlessly; Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska and Jess Eisenberg (really, it does feel like three of them) are joined by fantastic though brief performances by a host of recognisable faces, including Sally Hawkins, Chris O’Dowd and Wallace Shaun.

If you do go and see The Double, stick with it. In the first ten or so minutes I felt like I’d made a horrible mistake by taking my friend along, but later when we were both chuckling, I was pleased I’d stayed. It’s unlike most films I’ve seen, but just like other visionary directors (again, like Mr Anderson), I feel The Double is the start of a whole host of great films to come from Richard Ayoade.

20 Feet From Stardom

Never underestimate the underdog. This week I was back at the pictures, first to see 20 Feet From Stardom.

For a music lover like me, the poster for this film is pretty eye-catching; glitzy, glamorous, and with a cast list that reads “Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder and Bette Midler”… But, for once, this lot aren’t the stars of the show. The real leading ladies are those that usually shy away at the back; the incredibly talented backing singers. Morgan Neville’s film looks at the (ironically) “unsung heroes behind the greatest music of our time”.

I hadn’t heard of the film until the night of the Oscars, when it picked up the award for best documentary, and after the nomination clip and the sound of a harmonious chorus in the studio, I knew I wanted to see it. The screening I went to was more than half-empty, but I can only hope this is because everyone has seen it already.

If you know your musical stuff, or were around at the time, you may recognise some of the names, most notably Darlene Love and Merry Clayton. Up until the introduction of Love’s group The Blossoms in the early 1960s, the pop world had been dominated by all-white back-ups who, although successful, were a little too well-behaved for the music that was to come. When The Blossoms boomed, everyone loved their gospel-influenced sound, and bands and singers across the world wanted to know how to get their hands on them.

Throughout the film, we watch and listen as the singers recollect their journeys to the stage, as well as their battles when they got there and sadly, the fall of many great talents. In the case of Darlene Love, her story is haunted by disloyal producers who cheated her out of her much deserved recognition, and then many, like Merry Clayton, failed at making the big-time, despite singing some of the greatest riffs of the time.

But don’t think the movie is one big sob story; there are great anecdotes (did you know Merry recorded “Gimme Shelter” in her curlers and silk pyjamas?) and I was goose-bumped all over from titles to credits. 20 Feet From Stardom also introduced me to some incredible voices, such as Tata Vega and Lisa Fischer. Get onto Youtube for a sneaky preview or if you’re like me, you’ll be downloading the soundtrack on iTunes.

If I’m being really nit-picking, there were a few downsides, the biggest one being that, despite wanting to bring the backing singers to the front of the stage, there were STILL some people who were interviewed without ever hearing them sing or tell their story. But I wouldn’t let that ruin my enjoyment of the film. 20 Feet From Stardom is like one big concert, which I will happily watch again and again and again.