AERIAL SPORTS - CHER ALBRECHT

Art-Venders... Assemble!

By Allan Sko

A dancer-actor-photographer, visual artist, composer-poetsinger, choreographer, and musical director-singer-songwriter walk into an arts centre… It sounds like a ridiculously elaborate set up for an esoteric joke but fortunately, for the sake of Humour, it is in fact the premise of the exciting, new collaborative project of the Belco Arts Centre’s Artists in Residence. “Earthbound is a new intergenerational, multi-arts performance group which has come into being to undertake the inaugural Belco Arts Rhizome five-month residency,” explains Courtney Allen, who frankly did a Herculean effort pulling all this information together for this scintillating article. “We are bound in examining the existential threat of climate change, and in exploring art’s purposive role in felt, emotional responses to such crises. In our time of profound environmental crises, we explore the patterns and rhythms that connect people with nature through dance, music and visual art.” Allen is the dancer-actor-photographer of the crack fivestrong multi-disciplined arts squad. Rounding out the team are visual artist Sally Blake (whose Night Goddess art adorns the background of this very article), composer-poet-singer Glenda Cloughley, musical director-singer-songwriter Johanna McBride, and performance poet-musician Danny Pratt. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman is the theatre consultant and choreographer supported by the Agent Phil Coulson of the group, Craig San Roque. As well as their own artistic fields, each member brings a wealth of experience and a new perspective to the singular piece. “I bring a long artistic and research career that explores human’s relationship to, and place within, the natural world,” explains Sally Blake. “Visualisation of the natural laws and patterning that hold humans in the right relationship with Earth, as well as the consequences of these unravelling is my art’s work. My art takes many forms as I make across textiles, sculpture and drawings opening up many potentials for the theatre space.” With a solid footing on both sides of the camera, Allen brings a different aperture to proceedings. “Behind the camera I bring a background of six years in both commercial and fine art photography, creative direction and producing,” Allen says. “In front of the camera I bring a background in dance and acting. I have always held a deep passion for humans’ interconnection with nature, and expressed this through multiple works where I dance outdoors at site specific locations.” Johanna McBride further compliments the brew. “I bring to our group years of experience as a choral director and accompanist and a great love of working and playing together,” she explains. “For the last 18 years I have been directing music for A Chorus of Women. We have been passionately engaged with human relations to the Earth and I look forward to helping with A Chorus of Women’s contribution to our work in progress performance in June.” Glenda Cloughly is like a sage-like cheerleader of the group, albeit with the brain of a professor. “I bring a passion for telling inspiring wise law stories about nurturing life and unsquishable confidence in the wellsprings of love and people’s capacity for creative action,” she reveals. “Since 2003, I’ve written lots of music and words for A Chorus of Women’s large performance repertoire of original songs and major choral productions. Much of this has drawn on my training as a Jungian psychoanalyst and my research background in cultural psychology and the indigenous layers of European mythology.” And much like his chosen written artform, poet slash musician Danny Pratt keeps it cogent. “I’m bringing the sum of my life’s experience in music and poetry. At the moment that is distilling through Earthling Blues.” Collaboration can create a cacophony of creativity when working well, but can be a tricky balance to achieve. How have our members faired during such multitudinous imaginings? “Working across generations and art forms is exciting to me,” Sally Blake explains. “It is also challenging as we have hugely different ways of creating and understanding the world, and ourselves as artists. The collaborative pot is heating up and bubbling with potential. New things are beginning to emerge, fragile and tender.” Courtney Allen echoes these sentiments. “I have found the collaborative process incredibly eye opening and educational,” she says. “I have never worked with such a diverse group of artists across different generations before. We all have vastly different artistic processes which has been challenging in the making of the work. We have recently found more form and settled into our roles which has given us the momentum and clarity needed to combine creative capacities.” With Directing as one of her skillsets, Johanna McBride has found herself more at home in the environment. “Five passionate artists working together and being guided by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, a marvellous choreographer and theatre artist has had its challenges and has been wonderful and inspiring. After many years of directing others, I have really enjoyed being directed. I have also loved improvising, playing with my own music again, and learning to jam with others to Daniel’s music.” For Glenda Cloughley, it’s been an experience of discovery: “I began the residency saying that I’d never written a note of new music with anyone else in the room,” she says. “I’m hoping to free myself into more playful practice.” And whilst the previous section saw Danny Pratt’s contribution brief, it is on the topic of collaboration that the man comes alive. “It’s been good!” Pratt beams. “It’s been a lot of listening, deep thinking, feeling, connecting, and sharing with these artists,” he enthuses. “Sitting together in vulnerable, sometimes heavy states. Letting the work brew both in the space between us and within our individual processes. Sometimes it’s been challenging for me to dwell in deep conversation rather than discovering the nature of our work together through play and process, but as we

start to move into those areas more, I feel the value of how we have gotten to where we are now. “Learning further to acknowledge the difference in process of other artists has been valuable to my practice,” he continues. “Both in observing the aspects of their artistic thinking that have broadened my approach. As well as understanding how to work with other people more fluently. Also, just simple things like planning and organisation which is something this bunch are very good at… and I’m getting better at.” And in closing, Pratt describes perhaps the greatest gift collaboration can bear. “Speaking specifically to what it has brought to my own practice; I’m excited to be realising some of my songs with the creative support of the group,” he enthuses. “I’ve got these earthling blues grooves that are coming to life alongside Johanna McBride’s amazing musical mind and the others. She’s writing choral accompaniment to be sung by women over three generations as a sonic body for the core of the song and guitar to leap around in. “The feeling of playing it, is like being in the dream of what a song might sound like that you can’t quite remember when you wake up. I’m humbled and excited to share these sounds new to my music and process when we perform together.” With the bonafides well and truly established, and the machinations of the process worked through, the only thing that remains, of course, is Earthbound itself, and what each artist hopes to achieve through the project. “Within Earthbound I hope to find a robust and secure way of working across artforms, where each of us can bring our full creative potential to the performance space,” Sally Blake extols. “I hope the works I create as a visual artist can be in a dynamic relationship to the poetry and music and dance within the embodied space of the theatre. I believe that by finding ways to truly connect across artforms, and to imagine our purposes iterated visually, aurally, and kinetically we will create something much bigger than any of us could do alone.” As for Courtney Allen, she is full of hope: “I hope to expand my choreographic abilities and refine a disciplined dance practice. I hope to learn as much as possible from my incredible dance mentor Elizabeth in the world of movement, emotionality, stage and theatre knowledge. “I hope to deepen my artistic practice across both dance and music through the knowledge and guidance of my fellow collaborators,” Allen continues. “I hope to achieve a beautiful body of work together that is both engaging and moving across the collective themes we as a group are all deeply passionate about sharing and the change we are hoping for.” Johanna McBride once again champions the benefits of the collaborative process. “I hope that our continued learning process of collaborating across different art forms, temperaments, and generations will not only continue to broaden and deepen my artistic practice and all our work, but might set a modest example in our world. I believe we are all seeking, separately and together, artistic expression of the elements of transformation that are needed for humanity to continue thriving on this planet.” And Danny Pratt is suitably poetic in closing. “I’d like to further my understanding and capacity for communication of humanity’s connection to our earth through absorbing the other artists’ perspectives,” he says. “I’ve learnt a lot from the wisdom natural to all the women in our group, but particularly the older wise ones; about connection to nature, the patterns of life, and the power of art to help tether these fraying bonds. If I am able to gather and synthesise these important ideas and delineate them through my creative processes of poetry, music and art, I’ll be happy. Earthbound is on Saturday 26 June at 8pm. See belcoarts.com. au/earthbound/ or call 6173 3300 for more info.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,” George Bernard Shaw is famously quoted as saying. CHER ALBRECHT and AERIAL SPORTS STUDIO are firm in their mission to ensure Shaw’s words don’t come to pass, as BMA’s ALLAN SKO discovers.

Aerial Sports is an aerial acrobatic and circus studio in Mitchell that offers a variety of classes such as aerial silks, static trapeze, and lyra. There are ground based circus classes ranging from partner acrobatics to juggling and hula hoops, ensuring you don’t have to run away and join the circus for a fun and creative way to move your body. “We like to think of ourselves as an alternative to a typical gym workout,” Cher explains. “You still get a great workout, but instead of weights, you’re using your body to move in and out of positions. By the end of class, it feels like you’ve had your gym workout session.” Aerial Sports has a come-one, come-all policy, whether you can bend your body like a pretzel, or if your bones feel like they’re made of the snack. “Our classes are playful,” she assures. “Play involves exploration, investigating what your body can do, and discovering your own abilities. The workout becomes secondary, and fitness an after-effect.” The bonafides of Cher to create such the space for fun and fitness that is Aerial Sports are plenty. Growing up in Los Angeles, Cher started performing professionally at 17, singing and dancing at a local theme park. “When I was 19, I was first introduced to the static trapeze when a friend brought one to Venice Beach and put it up on the built-in play equipment,” Cher tells us. “I fell in love with Cirque de Soleil and always wished to be a part of the show, but my path took me to stunts in live stunt shows at theme parks.” The perilous world of stunt work pointed Cher’s career in one exciting direction, but it just wasn’t the right fit. “I then decided to dab in TV & Film stunts but quickly grew dissatisfied with the industry,” she reveals. “While doing stunts I would often train with fellow circus folk. My first trapeze was gifted to me in 2003, and I just wanted to learn more. It wasn’t for a few more years that I started focusing on aerial acrobatics, as an alternative to stunts.” Soon Cher found a deeper connection to the craft. “When I came to Australia, I focused on it solely because it reminded me of home and was the only physical outlet that I found fulfilling,” she continues. “I always dreamed of having a warehouse where I could play and do all the physical things I like to do.” And, in November 2015, it finally came to fruition with the creation of Aerial Sports, with an initial start of a singular silk class comprising her friends. From this humble beginning, the space and its activities soon grew gently and organically. “In 2016, I had a friend say their teen would love it ,and in April 2016, I started our first teens class, plus had two silks adult classes (the most popular), one lyra, and one static trapeze class,” Cher explains. “From there, we’ve allowed the studio to grow naturally, as the demand came. In Feb 2017, we added a second teen class and our first kids class, plus our consistent adult schedule, adding beginners only classes - up until then, they had all been mixed level classes. By 2018, we had three kids classes, two teen classes, and nine adult classes.” As the years rolled on, progress soon accelerated. “We expanded into the space next door, giving us much more room to grow,” Cher enthuses. “In 2019, we started running classes simultaneously. It was a scary move for us because I knew we were limited on teachers, and if a teacher got sick or hurt, it could be a huge issue. One class is hard enough to cover, but now two!” And with more classes, it naturally lead to the tricky task of finding more teachers, a quest that, in turn, saw the ever-resourceful Cher expand her operations even further.

“The chance of finding someone who can teach Circus/Aerial Arts is few and far between, and in Canberra it’s even less,” she reveals. “Luckily, I had a few friends that loved aerials and also wanted to teach.

“Then I started teaching other students or friends who were interested in teaching, to become aerial instructors. I’ve since developed and incorporated a teacher training program and a curriculum to help teachers teach and students learn.”

With classes going strong, attention now turns to getting the good word out there.

“We just had a successful student showcase and found people telling us they didn’t know Canberra had talent or shows like this, let alone a place to learn how to do it.,” Cher admits. ”In non-Covid times, we were doing showcases twice a year, and aim to get back to that. “It’s so satisfying to see students do moves they didn’t think they were capable of,” Cher beams. “To do cool moves they’ve seen others do, and to join the showcase and glowingly perform in front of their peers and family. I love seeing people as excited about aerials as I am.” And if all these has peaked your interest to give it a go, but seeing pictures of lithe people bend in amazing shapes or being suspended from a high place put you off, may I remind you... Come one, come all! “We have created an extensive curriculum, so students with no experience or strength and flexibility can learn as an absolute beginner and still get something out of it,” reassures Cher. “As students progress, they gain the strength and flexibility needed for more advanced moves. Instructors range from uni students, scientists, professional aerialists, and mums. We like to create a fun, friendly, and uplifting space where you’ll gain great friendships and a supportive space to learn, grow, and push your body to new movements. “ So get involved. After all, you only grow old if you stop playing. To join a class, hire a performer, or simply find out more, contact the good Aerial Sports folk via info@aerialsports.com or 6262 0215. Their website is aerialsports.com.au facebook.com/bmamagazine

with Andrew Myers

Black Sabbath – Master of Reality

This is an exclusive repress of the highly influential band’s third album! This pressing is replicating the original Master of Reality that came in a boxed cover, with Vertigo Records authentic logo, and included a band poster tucked away in the sleeve. A new addition is this pressing is on purple vinyl and numbered for the occasion.

The Doors – Morrison Hotel Sessions

The prolific ‘70s psychedelic rock band The Doors just celebrated the 50th anniversary of Morrison Hotel – the band’s fifth studio album. Digging out rare sessions recordings this is the first time these fly-on-thewall tracks will be heard, featuring renditions of Peace Frog, Roadhouse Blues and Queen of the Highway; a must-have for The Doors’ die-hard fans.

Ariana Grande – K Bye for Now (SWT Live)

K Bye for Now is Grande’s FIRST live album to be distributed and pressed onto vinyl. This LP set was recorded during her Sweetener tour cycle, featuring her hits, such as, God is a Woman, and Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored, Side to Side, Break Free and Thank U, Next. Do not sleep on this one as all Grande-stan’s will lap this one up!

The Cure – Faith

The kings of goth are here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their dreary post-punk album Faith, exclusively released on picture disc for Record Store Day 2021. Featuring songs like Primary and The Holy Hour.

Engelbert Humperdinck – Engelbert Calling: The Boxset

The man with the most “That sounds like a fake name” name ever has just compiled his 80th album, featuring fresh new recordings of his classic songs with additional help from legends such as Willie Nelson, Dionne Warwick, and Elton John. Engelbert Calling is spread over four 7” discs that are numbered out of 800. This boxset will not stick around!

Ed Sheeran – The A Team

It has been ten years since Sheeran’s breakout single hit our airwaves and the phenomenon began. For Record Store Day ’21 there is the clear vinyl pressing of the single on a 7” disc; features the studio version and remixes.

For audiophiles all around the world Record Store Day has become an occasion to bask in the celebration of vinyl records and, to be frank, also an excuse to buy some especially released records for the day. Due to our old mate COVID-19 the celebration has been split over two days to comply with current social restrictions: 12 June and 17 July. Here is a short shopping list of some of what can be scooped up on the days. For the full Record Store Day releases, visit www.recordstoreday.com.au

The Ramones – Triple J Live at the Wireless Capitol Theatre, Sydney, July 8, 1980

This is a previously unissued live radio recording from the greatest punk band in the world -The Ramones. This LP was originally recorded during their End of the Century tour, featuring Blitzkrieg Pop, I Wanna Be Sedated, Teenage Lobotomy and Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment. Pressed on 180g vinyl and limited to 13000 copies worldwide.

Evanescence -The Open Door

It has been 15 years since this gothic gem was dropped, and we were given the powerful Call Me When You’re Sober, the piano laden Lithium, and the opener Sweet Sacrifice. Pressed on two grey marble LPs. Oooooooo!

Hall and Oates – Voices

An absolute must-have for 1980s pop connoisseurs! Voices was released in 1980 and propelled the heartthrob duo to household names with the upbeat You Make My Dreams, romance-laden Kiss on My List, and The Righteous Brothers’ cover of You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’. Voices is pressed on translucent vinyl, complete with an obi strip and booklet.

Aretha Franklin – Oh Me, Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly, 1972

Aretha Franklin needs no introduction. She is the soul and blues powerhouse singer that every musiclover should know of. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You), Spirit in the Dark and, of course, Respect. This is limited to 10,000 copies and especially pressed for RSD ’21 on two orange and yellow discs.

Czarface – Czar Noir

Czar Noir is the unique LP and comic book combo by the American hip-hop supergroup. This is a new adventureorientated escapade courtesy of DJ 7L and the Czar-Keys, weaved together as you read the comic along with the record. Yes, I am serious. This has never been issued before and is limited to 5000 copies worldwide.

Pearl Jam – Alive

To coincide with the 30th anniversary of Alive being released, the grunge gods have been kind and are gifting us a reissued 12” LP of the hit single on both vinyl and also cassette! Features the single and three B-sides with side-B being an etching.

THE ROYAL BELGIAN Early this year, Canberra and “Most nights we

CONSPIRACY Melbourne based The Royal slept in the car,

STEEL SHELL Belgian Conspiracy released Hold which is the ‘Steel [ ] On, an impressive, understated Shell’. It was a folk-pop song in the sedan, not meant style of Bon Iver which for sleeping. It received an amazing wasn’t glamorous response at radio and or Instagram on streaming platforms. stuff. The trip They’re now back with a second single, Steel Shell, another indie folk-pop gem that shines a reflective light on an enduring friendship and a lifefollowed my time in Europe taking care of my sick brother. Steve and I met in New York, where we started the trip. We remain best friends.” changing experience. Steel Shell features many of the same elements as their previous Utilising the refined musical sensibilities and skills of guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Moozy, Steel Shell is an intimate meditation on the longlasting bond between two people. As Moozy says about the song: single, tasteful guitar layers, soothing vocal textures, strong melodies, and expressive performance from Moozy. Steel Shell’s most persuasive element is its melodic structure, which goes hand in hand with the lyric and the themes explored. The narrator looks back over a particular period in his life that has undoubtedly left its mark. “It’s based on a long road trip I did with my childhood best friend, Steve. We did not check emails, social media, or take mobile phones or computers, which meant we were really alone with each other. We drove from New York through the centre of the United States to LA and then looped back around again through the deep south all the way back to New York. Steel Shell is a moving invocation of remembrance, an inviting contemporary sort of lullaby that evokes the spirit of reminiscence in all its subtle comforting splendour. Taken from The Royal Belgian Conspiracy’s forthcoming and much-anticipated album due out soon, Steel Shell will undoubtedly repeat the success of Hold On. VINCE LEIGH

ANIRBAN JEE MOVE OUT Canberra singer-songwriter and producer Anirban Jee has [ ] released a superb new R&B pop track, Move Out. The new song follows the enormous success of his previous singles Mayday, Deep Down feat. Mary Ann Van Der Horst (2014 X-Factor artist) in 2016 and Undecided feat. Judd Field in 2014, both of which received generous airplay on commercial and community stations. The success of these tracks sits alongside Anirban’s numerous awards and achievements collected recently, including Songwriter of the year 2018 (Australian Songwriting Contest), Songwriter of the Year 2017 (SongsAlive Australia), Winner of the International Category at the 38th Australian Songwriting Contest 2018, Winner of the Ballad Category at the 38th Australian Songwriting Contest 2018, Winner of Contemporary POP Category at the 35th Australian Songwriting Contest 2017 and many, many more. Move Out displays Anirban’s masterful ability to create strong melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. As Anirban Jee says about Move Out: “The track is symbolic of standing up to our troubles and fighting back with resilience and not letting our problems and worries get the better of us and steal our peace of mind.” Move Out was recorded, produced, and mastered by Sydney’s multi-platinum producer Steve Peach from Stereo Missile Recordings, Sydney. Steve produced and mixed for numerous record labels such as Universal Music, Sony, and Central Dance Records, and has worked with artists including Icehouse, Marcia Hines, Stafford Brothers, numerous The Voice contestants, Jenny Morris, Sophie Monk, ErikaHeynatz, Lonnie Gordon, Slinkee Minx, and Choirboys. Move Out is minimalist dance-pop yet has a finely-honed feel about it, as it explores the typical tropes of the genre without succumbing to the more predictable characteristics of it. Move Out is a dynamic, soulful track with Anirban’s vocal performance a feature, communicating a lyric of self-determination with suitable well-balanced energy. With an assortment of memorable moments and overall accessible appeal, Move Out is sure to be Anirban’s next big hit. VINCE LEIGH

ROYAL BLOOD TYPHOONS

It is still hard to comprehend that British rockers Royal Blood are just a duo with a bass guitar and a drum kit! With album number three recently released, their sound has only been personified and well tightened. Typhoons is an album about selfreflection at one’s own destruction at the will of substance abuse.

If you look beyond the glossy and pummelling production, you can see a tale of how lead singer-bassist Mike Kerr has become two years sober. Typhoons is a more dance inspired release but that doesn’t slow the boys down. Lead single Trouble’s Coming opens the album with a rumble into gear like a foreboding elephant, courtesy of Ben Thatcher behind the kit.

The dark and brooding Million and One slows down to let you reflect and take in each emotional smack and bruise of the lyrics, such as: “All I wanted was someone to take me home. All those nights I felt I was alone…” Limbo is a shimmering and self-loathing track about letting your demons take the steering wheel of your life. “Tears in my eyes. Slept in a murder scene last night,” bellows Mike Kerr in this dark-dancey hit. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age fame produced the snarky single Boilermaker; the bass line slaps you around the face and offers you another stiff drink. The instruments are crisp, the vocals are polished like steak knives and the production all round is mwah. For a band that only started out not even ten years ago they have gone from strength to strength with the trio of albums under their respective belts. To sum Typhoons up in a phrase: it’s black glitter. ANDREW MYERS

ANDY MISON Andy Mison has just released his the overall patina of the FERGUS CIRCUITS debut album Fergus Circuits. The melodies, which swing [ ] multi-instrumentalist, singer and from outright big hooks producer has been refining his to the more subtle groove skills for some time and this collection of songs is undoubtedly a induced kinds, such as in culmination of this assiduousness. Sell It To Me Slowly. From the opening track Bring Me Back To Life to the closer You Made The majority of the tracks Up My Mind, this album maintains a cohesive, consistent aesthetic are bright, high-spirited, and writing style. And there’s a good amount of quirk too, amid the with some variances in feel layers of vocal, slabs of synth, and melodic vigour. that make up for the less Bring Me Back To Life seems to set the tone and temperament, a tendency for adopting synth sounds impregnated with a robust, friendly kind of menace, rippling bass parts, and rhythm programming efficiently aligned to the cause, which is a curious hybrid of funktinged, electro-pop. common heterogeneous nature of sonic scope. Utilising tracks like Indigo Child, which features a chilled-out drum pattern providing a change in As we delve deeper into the album, we get more accustomed to dynamics, works, with the listener coerced into taking in the various the meticulously applied sound and vocal choices, and, of course, textures without the album’s prevailing fusillade. Perhaps the stand-out feature of Fergus Circuits is the songwriting. Despite the obvious performing, recording, and programming skills on display—in fact, in some cases, despite them—these tracks, for the most part, stack up melodically. Mison knows his way around a song and in some cases cogently blends styles that have surprisingly charming results, such as in As Long As We Live, which adopts indie ’80s aesthetics and paints them over with a ’60s flavoured melody and chord structure, all the while maintaining the album’s dominant palette. If you like your electro-pop imbued with a smattering of funk, the odd jazz chord inversion, and a considered melodic bent, then Fergus Circuits is worth a listen.

VINCE LEIGH

THE WORD ON FILMS

with Cameron Williams

THE WORLD WAS SUCH A WHOLESOME PLACE...

There’s nothing subtle about the Disney villain Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians. To stay on brand, her live-action origin story, directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya), ensures anything understated is nuked out of existence.

Picture this: Cruella de Vil (Emma Stone; The Favourite) stages a fashion show while a cover of The Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog howls in a way that only that song can. That happens. She pulls up in a luxurious car with the number plate ‘Devil’ while The Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil plays. That happens. But Cruella isn’t interested in sympathy because it wants empathy. Why? Because you have to relate to the maniacal, black-and-whitehaired fashion designer who will one day come up with a plan to make a coat of out of puppies (for the record, this reason still remains unclear after the film). The clock turns back to 1970s London where Estella, soon to be Cruella, works as a grifter alongside her buddies Jasper (Joel Fry; Game of Thrones) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser; Richard Jewell). Estella wants to be a fashion designer and gets her big break when she’s noticed by the world’s greatest fashion designer, the Baroness (Emma Thompson; Late Night). Estella discovers the Baroness is linked to her past, falls asleep one night, and wakes up and decides to be Cruella.

Yes, it happens that quick. Soon, a feud between Cruella and the Baroness develops that pushes Estella to extremes.

The period details of Cruella and the Vivienne Westwood inspired fashion choices make it pop. Gillespie, cinematographer Nicolas Karakatsanis (I, Tonya) and costume designer Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road) bring vibrancy to foggy London town and the conservative fashion scene as Cruella shakes it up with Joker-esque antics. Thompson is at her icy best as a fashion tyrant, and Stone has great chemistry with Fry and Hauser as a trio of con artists. The heist elements of Cruella are where the trio shine before the film is overwhelmed by a laboured backstory that hinges on paternity and Disney’s bad habit of killing off parents. The further you get into the Estella/Cruella dynamic, the further the film de-fangs its villainess and plops her in the misunderstood category. Cruella settles for vengeance and answers questions not many people were asking rather than offer up an intriguing heel turn. THE MAN IN THE HAT [ ] Every so often, something comes along that quietly converses with your soul in a wordless language in which memory and meaning, intent and sentiment, understanding and action, are one, when past and future impress themselves inevitably upon the present. Essential to such a work is a character — at least one — whose heart is large enough to embrace whatever life throws at it. The work’s subject, its plot, its story arc may not matter; it may be unrecognisable or nearly impossible to describe. And if the story is repeatable, its outline may be inadequate to explain the mysterious joy or sadness the work evokes. Have I just spoiled The Man in the Hat? No. In fact, it is a story, and an engrossing one; a road trip of sorts by “The Man” (played by the veteran actor Ciarán Hinds); a pilgrimage, perhaps; a series of seemingly preordained coincidental surprises. A simple story, at heart, of simple things, and told with barely a word spoken throughout. But it is beneath the almost wordless story of this journey — beneath its allegory to the wealth of life’s essential mysteries and revelations, its imponderable cycles and connections — that the film speaks to us in that language without words. In this language of the soul, co-directors John-Paul Davidson and Stephen Warbeck are fluent. And it doesn’t hurt that it includes the most gorgeous cinematography of northern France. The Man in the Hat is a rare gem, and it does feature wonderful characters and whimsy. Yet I can’t explain what makes it a work of such spiritual nourishment. I can say with reasonable confidence, though, that your life will be the poorer for overlooking it. Screening at Palace Electric cinemas. JOHN P HARVEY

I’M YOUR MAN [ICH BIN DEIN MENSCH] [ ] Alma is a research scientist at Berlin’s acclaimed Pergamon Museum where she is searching for evidence of lyric and poetic works in Sumerian cuneiform tablets. She agrees to take part in, and provide analysis toward, a project in which a company creates humanoid robots to meet individual owners’ specific needs and desires. Although after a first meeting with the robot designed to match her characteristics, Tom (Dan Stevens), Alma decides she wants nothing more to do with the project. Her boss persuades her to continue with the experiment. Tom is everything Alma wants — on paper — but she can’t overcome that his behaviour is merely the output of an algorithm, albeit one that can adapt to circumstances and learn from her negative responses. And the more perfectly Tom tailors his behaviour to her apparent wishes, the stronger become Alma’s frustrations. I’m Your Man explores our perception of relationships, how we evaluate them, and how we try to understand what lies behind behaviour. The film also raises the question of what constitutes connection. What if we could have a companion we could trust implicitly despite our varying moods? What if we had 100% surety of fidelity in body and mind that many vainly strive for? And what if we never had to worry about becoming a burden as we age or our health fails? What if we could swap thinking with the one we love for absolute certainty? I’m Your Man doesn’t try to answer any of these questions. But, with companion robots already a reality, the issues that the fictional Alma’s experience with her companion robot raises about our humanity provide plenty of food for thought, in the guise of an entertaining tale of an asymmetrical relationship. Screening at Palace Electric Cinemas. MICHELE E HAWKINS DE GAULLE [ ] World War II, June 1940, Paris. Germany has battered the French military. In a French cabinet meeting, the commander-in-chief, Marshall Philippe Pétain (Philippe Laudenbach) insists that the country, lacking important machinery of war, must negotiate an armistice that would see it side with Hitler. An uncompliant Charles De Gaulle (Lambert Wilson) protests that France must instead fight the Germans where it can. De Gaulle travels to England to seek Britain’s military support from Winston Churchill (Tim Hudson). But meanwhile, France descends into universal privations, sudden displacement, and unprovoked fatalities. The political has become personal for De Gaulle as well as for those back at home. His wife, still in France, must make her own decisions in the interests of the family’s survival, particularly of its youngest member, Anne (Clémence Hittin) who, with Down Syndrome, is a natural target for Nazis. Largely a dramatisation it may be, but De Gaulle broadly attempts a sympathetic depiction of the man, emphasising his courage and tenacity in rebuilding the French fighting spirit from a position of exile, as self-declared leader of the free French. Ambitious, and knowing what must be done, the De Gaulle character holds, along with his wife, Yvonne (Isabelle Carré). The film’s sole disappointment lies in its depiction of Churchill, with a contrived stubborn gruffness bearing little relationship to the real Churchill’s toughness and intelligence. This perceived flaw aside, through superb acting all around, the film succeeds as insightful entertainment by drawing us into Charles De Gaulle’s political and personal turmoil. De Gaulle conveys, remarkably, a sense of the degree to which history can hinge on strength of character. Screening at Palace Electric cinemas. JOHN P HARVEY THE DREAM FACTORY [TRAUMFABRIK] [ ] When a young boy’s heart is broken, his grandfather helps him to see that true love is worth fighting for by telling him the story of a man he once knew. In this way we meet Emil (Dennis Mojen), who in 1961 leaves the army to find work at a major German feature-film studio where his brother, Alex (Ken Duken), is head of props. It’s here that Emil meets and falls in love with Milou (Emilia Schüle), the dance double for famous actress Beatrice Morée (Allenie Salvo González). Unfortunately, Emil inadvertently makes an intractable enemy of the studio head, Director-General Beck (Heiner Lauterbach). Determined not to lose Milou, Emil refuses to leave the studio premises, instead meeting in secret. Things appear to be going their way, with Emil due to woo Milou with a surprise on the morning of Berlin’s split, leaving Emil in the East and Milou in the West. Soon, Emil devises an ambitious plan to bring them back together. But to pull off his plan he’ll need a lot of help, including from his reluctant brother. And he’ll have to stay out of the way of DirectorGeneral Beck.

Mojen and Schüle, as Emil and Milou, make the perfect star-crossed lovers, and the combination of spontaneity and ingenuity that they evoke in each other would tickle anybody’s creative ribs. As well, the choreography of motion throughout matches the cast’s impeccable delivery of a script that translates beautifully, even in subtitles. Filled with grand studio sets, a deeply engaging love story, inspired improvisation, and joyful comedy, Dream Factory is one movie you must see for its sumptuous visuals, its loveable characters and heartfelt acting, and for a storyline that will find a place in your heart. Screening at Palace cinemas. JOHN P HARVEY