Capsules

Seeing as there's not been an awful lot else going on lately worth reporting, aside from the sort of work dissatisfactions that don't bear going into in public, and seeing as I don't feel like conjuring even one of the sub-fictional fragments that constitute the Random sequence, I'm instead going to throw out a few capsule reviews of the (dismayingly few) things I've seen recently.

Serenity is a near-perfect slightly-trashy sci-fi blockbuster, not only witty and fun and endlessly allusive but also managing the remarkable feat of seeming very neatly self-contained while also remaining almost completely faithful to, and neatly wrapping up most of the huge number of loose ends left by, its ill-fated television progenitor Firefly without rehashing any significant chunk of that series. Joss Whedon really is qute good at this stuff.

Howl's Moving Castle, on the other hand, though undeniably diverting, gradually dissolves from its initial crazed and even bitter creativity into something disappointingly pleasant, if not positively saccharine, and by the last twenty minutes is just asphyxiated by its own niceness. A disappointing follow-up to the wonderful Spirited Away.

Philippe Decouflé's Tricodex, performed by the Lyon Opera Ballet lately at Sadler's Wells, was also a disappointment. A third reworking of his signature piece from the 1980s, Codex, previously transformed into the mid-90s Decodex, this suffered both from an inflationary loss of the original wit and inventiveness and by being performed by a ballet company rather than his own more contemporary and diverse DCA. Ballet dancers often seem to find the vocabulary of modern dance a bit ill-fitting, and there were definitely moments of discomfort with this rigorously rhythmic and highly acrobatic work. It was still an evening of considerable entertainment value, but many sequences outstayed their welcome and seemed gimmicky and diluted. Enough remained of both the classic moments from the original and some very amusing new stuff to make it worth seeing; at the same time it felt very much like a French counterpart to Momix's Opus Cactus (which I described a little while ago and with which there were some disconcerting overlaps), a bit self-satisfied and overblown.

On the other hand, La Veillée des Abysses, by James Thiérée, was rather delightful. A circus show of sorts -- apparently intended to bring to life some famous painting, though the programme does not allude to this and I can't honestly guess which -- perhaps something by Breughel? -- this oddball concoction of mime, dance, acrobatics, music, clowning and striking design, was really very clever, inventive, beautifully conceived and immaculately performed. Somewhere between the usual notions of contemporary dance and the grandiose spectacles of Cirque du Soleil, this neo-surrealist gem has a style and charm not quite like anything else you've ever seen, though it's reminiscent of a good many things. It's touring all over the place for some time to come, so if you get the chance give it a go.

Upcoming on the agenda are a new work by DV8, which I expect to approach with rather low expectations, the return of Jasmin Vardimon's Park, which I liked a lot earlier this year, and -- if I get my act together to book it -- the new piece by Dance Bear Dance's Shunt Collective. Oh, and the Wallace & Gromit flick.

You've got to keep busy, right?
Posted by matt at October 23, 2005 11:26 PM