Film Reviews Michael Marshall Smith Night

Film Night – Vinyl Tap, Preston.

The Vinyl Tap pub sign, Ashton, Preston, Lancashire.

The pub I visit most frequently hosts a monthly short film night, centred on films with some local interest to the city of Preston. On Thursday 23rd April, they screened an excellent trio of films related to the writings of Michael Marshall Smith, author of The Straw Men and TV film, Cruise Of The Gods. https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/cruise-of-the-gods/ The film, The Island was very loosely based on one of stories too. https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/the-island-2005/

The trio of films screened at Vinyl Tap were excellent.

From Life (2018) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/from-life/ The film can be found on Michael Marshall Smith's website https://www.michaelmarshallsmith.com/from-life

Later (2010) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/later/ The film can be found on Michael Marshall Smith's website https://www.michaelmarshallsmith.com/later

The third film, What Happens When You Wake Up At Night isn’t yet listed on Letterbox’d or IMDB so I’ll review it here.

A young girl with sleep disorder problems and a fear of the dark, ends up trapping her parents in her bleak sense of despair, unsure if she has crept into their room for comfort or they have somehow moved into hers, because none of them can find a light switch or a way out. Much of this carries on voices in the darkness, and brings a more literal meaning to parental distress over their child being ill, frightened or in trouble, because here, the parents are directly snapped into that very mindset themselves. As a lifelong insomniac I could relate to this easily.

Vinyl Tap film nights are usually on the 4th Thursday of the month, and free to attend. Check with the pub to see what is on.

Huge thanks to Vinyl Tap and Ellen Fincher of Lancashire University (until recently, UCLAN) for organizing these events.

Photo taken by me.

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Arthur Chappell.