K.A. Laity's Blog, page 25

Visiting Leornora’s House

Catching up on my viewing as it seems to be one of the few things my exhausted brains can comprehend. Art — especially art by my trimulierate Carrington, Varo & Fini — is sustaining me when I am running on fumes and finally admitting to that fact. I am doing better about not taking on... Read More

Joik, Gloria’s Call & Leonora’s Journey

I am still catching up on things amidst a mad week (hopefully the last for a while) but I wanted to be sure to post this video from the Biennale mostly so I can find it easily to watch again. It features Sámi noadi Ánde Somby — I just love his modern four winds hat... Read More

Film for a Friday: The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

THE BRASHER DOUBLOON (1947) There’s a reason this film is not remembered as fondly as other Chandler adaptations: it’s not as good. With lacklustre leads and very little style or ambience, there’s really only the plot to keep you engaged and who goes to Chandler for plot? In smaller roles there’s the always wonderful Florence... Read More

Paranormal Daphne du Maurier

Random watch of the week: The Breakhrough (1975) — I believe a rec strewn in my path from Stones perhaps. I nearly scrolled past when I saw Daphne Du Maurier’s name and thought oh, give a go. And Simon Ward (who led me down a side quest for the 1970 television series based on Dumas’... Read More

Surrealism, Tarot & Leonora

I am woefully behind on everything and making so little progress. What better time to watch some of the videos from the Biennale! This one of course I was very much anticipating. I know I have shared talks with Susan Aberth and Tere Arcq many times and they have spoken about Leonora and YET, there... Read More

Only The Stones Remain

Before I was laid low with fever and dreams, I watched a couple of folk horror classics that I had often heard about but never watched. Being well-versed in 70s American television horror I remain sadly deficient in the British counterpart, though I have made great strides since the whole folk horror boom arose (mostly... Read More

Spook Racket: Psychic Mafia

Oddly enough in the seemingly endless line of grifters and con artists in and around the spook racket, I had not read this volume. I first ran across the BBC radio series on it — part of their ongoing fascination with grifters like Anna Delvey. Lamar tells his story (with Spraggett’s help) with relish, albeit... Read More

Tell It To the Bees

I looked up the other day: the air was full of bees! I tried to see where they were coming from but found instead where they were going to: this bush on the other side of the fence. It was absolutely astounding to see. I kept my distance but I couldn’t stop staring. All the... Read More

Saturday Matinee: The Clairvoyant (1935)

Apropos for Derby Day (no, the other one, my American friends) I can recommend the early Gainsborough film starring Claude Rains, Fay Wray and Jane Baxter. Rains and Baxter are music hall performers with a mind reader act very familiar to Nightmare Alley fans. It’s a family tradition and they seem happy on the circuit... Read More

Film Noir Friday: Fallen Angel (1945)

FALLEN ANGEL (1945) Dir Otto Preminger Attempting to capture the magic of Laura the year before, Preminger got Dana Andrews back into a fedora and Joseph LaShelle lensing but no Gene Tierney, alas. Instead we have a ripe Linda Darnell as the bad girl Stella (she shines at night of course) and Alice Faye as... Read More