A TOWN NOT QUITE LIKE THE REST... WELCOME TO "MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD"

I was a little dubious when I picked this book up and saw a red sticker, in a familiar script proclaiming it was from the author of the bestselling True Blood series. I used to be a fan of True Blood. Honestly, I am not much of a fan anymore, it is my humble opinion the plot line of the series dropped severely below par a few seasons in and never quite recovered – I haven`t read the book so I am unable to comment on the connection between the series and the books. It is my view though, that stickers loudly proclaiming the previous successes of the creator of one particular item be it a book, a film or anything else, is a possible signal for a mediocre work.  Still, the little book did a good job of selling itself. It promised a darker story than the Sookie Stackhouse novels and a dead body artfully placed in the corner of the front cover promised at a mixture of magic and murder mysteries – a particular favorite with me as you probably know by now. So I bit. I bought it (I could get it two for one with Mayhem – check here for the review – so that definitely helped with my decision). I got so sucked into the book that on my four hour flight over to Turkey, I did not even turn on the entertainment system. I started leafing through the book in the lounge because my flight was delayed by about half an hour and well, when the plane landed, I was still burrowed in the book. That should tell you something or other – I rarely miss an opportunity to watch a free film.

Sookie Stackhouse fans will find the setting painfully familiar. It is set in a small, southern town, Midnight, Texas. The town is dusty, small and almost completely abandoned - but strangely enough the handful of inhabitants who are left seem to prefer it that way. This way there are fewer people to avoid and more room for… Personal lives. This means there aren`t too many newcomers to this town, but Manfred Bernardo is a rarity (in more ways than one) who was looking for just this kind of town. However, as unobtrusive as a newcomer may be, a new presence will always create ripples and waves in the day to day life of a small town. And in a town like Midnight, you can never be quite sure what those waves might wash up…

Now, serious fantasy and horror fans beware – this is not quite your cup of tea. I mean yes, the ``slightly`` meaner fans of True Blood have pointed out that the TV series is little more than soft porn with fantastic creatures in some episodes and I can assure you the book is not so bad. This said, it is not the kind of book any serious horror fan will find particularly easy to get their teeth (or fangs) into. The book abounds with handsome, striking men with supernatural powers (and more often than not platinum hair for some reason) and beautiful women who could pluck their eyebrows with one hand and strangle you effortlessly with the other, should they so choose. Love triangles, all the intrigue that comes with them and ancient family secrets are also plentiful. In fact, although I do not like this kind of speculation, I am almost sure the book was written with the hope of it becoming some sort of TV series as so many of the characters seem to be either directly borrowed from and elaborated on stock characters from fantasy series all the world over, ranging from the friendly witch to the ancient and wise vampire who only feeds on bad guys. Oh and the handsome and mysterious stranger who rides into town guarding secrets of his own (but that character is much older than fantasy as a genre – High Plains Drifter anyone?).

I think it is the abundance of these characters and the `televisionish` feel to the story that slightly dwarfs the serious elements. Because there are some potentially good meaty storylines and serious plot twists in there, but I honestly felt that they could have been expanded on a bit more. More attention seems to be given to the love triangles and the mysterious pasts of some of the characters which, in the scheme of things, are little more than exposition around the real story. Was this left a bit ``hanging`` in the hope that it could be elaborated on camera? I have a suspicion it might be the case.

This said, like I mentioned earlier, I was so badly hooked on this book that I finished it in what ended up being a matter of hours. It`s a typical best seller and good little page turner, it just isn`t by any stretch of the imagination high literature. Nor is it trying to be.  I strongly recommend you get it for your daily commute – or to while away the hours on a long trip. Just don`t expect to be able to write a thesis on it. 

BEWARE ALL "SKELETONS" AND THOSE WHO HIDE THEM...

If the aim of first time director Nick Whitfield was to make a film that would make his viewers talk about it and think, I can guarantee you, he has succeeded. I have so much to say about this film but I am completely unsure where exactly I want to begin. Or how to begin. Yes, this is going to be a long one peeps. And as you can guess, not all I have to say about it is praise. But then again, the film has sort of wormed its way into my heart, so much so that I reckon you should watch it. I’d be fascinated to find out what you make of it. If nothing else, you can have a good old rant about it…

Bennet and Davis are psychic exorcists. Their job is, basically, to get into people and reveal the skeletons in their closets. You might, at this point, wonder what the point of such a job is, but take a look at their clients, for example there is a young couple preparing to get married who want to take this step before they get married – as a show of devotion if you will . Or there is a middle aged couple who want to try it partly out of their interest in alternative therapies of all sorts, partly to better their relationship. But the latest case Bennet and Davis have to deal with is unusual. On the surface it seems like a relatively average job – a woman wants the team’s help to relocate her missing husband. However, the moment they arrive at the house, it is clear to our heroes that something is wrong. And it is not just their own personal demons. It turns out there is a reason a massive promotion is attached to this case. It truly is their toughest one yet…

Now… Where to begin. I love so many things about this film. Not least the fact that the director has chosen to portray our psychics as very, normal people, very human. Hollywood tends to add an air of “mystique” to the whole affair, fair enough I suppose. But I have always thought that it is not exceptional looking people with deeply noble characters that should have “powers”. No, I think if you think about it realistically there would be an infinitely greater chance of them being normal looking people with very normal strengths and weaknesses.

Then there is the whole concept. The world the film creates is highly original and yet so very close to our own that one cannot help getting sucked in from the first moment. All this despite, and here I come to the first weakness of the film as I perceive it, the minimal, almost non-existent explanation of what the heck is going on. I get what has been attempted here. In avoiding all Hollywood-style clichés, the aim is to create a “12 Monkeys” ish feel. You know, the story slowly unravels. We don’t truly get what’s happening until the last instant. It all falls into place at the eleventh hour. I get it, I respect what has been done. It is my humble contention it doesn’t work. Even if you want the audience to work out what is going on in its entirety without any “explanation”, you should at least give them enough clues to go on. The complete and utter lack of information is, I think, the reason a lot of reviewers online wrote things like “oh they’re ghostbusters or something” in their reviews. It is very tempting and completely understandable to lose patience with the process entirely. Because, fact, you cannot feel “included” in a story if, at the back of your mind, you are constantly trying to work out what the heck you are watching.

I mean, yes there are films like this. And if it were not for the ending, you could argue that, the director was trying to present a different, completely unconventional viewing experience, you know, a more “cutting edge”, “existential” feel, sort of mixing the sensation of watching a film with watching a fly on the wall documentary. But the ending… It’s basically a message about not dwelling on the past and looking to the future and it is given in the most sugar-coated, Hollywoody, “family unit reunited”y (yes Mom, I know that is not a word, I’m trying to make a point) style imaginable. You know how allergic I am to “very happy” endings. What’s that I hear? I’m not to be a misery-guts? What is wrong with happy endings I hear you ask? Now hang on a minute. I’m not arguing against happy endings all together as a concept. I’m just arguing for them to be a little truer to real life.

I’m thinking, for example of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest film Once Upon A Time in Anatolia (check out my review here if you have never heard of it ). I would argue, for example, that , contrary to appearances, that film does actually have a happy ending. Why? Because the character of the prosecutor is brought face to face with a  truth he has been in denial about for a long time. This denial and his refusal to cope with the matter in hand have been holding him back in his life.  He is, at the end of the film, shown a clear path. What he should do to go on with his life. True, he is surrounded by pathos, the other characters do not have such paths out of the sadness that surrounds them, but the prosecutor seems generally interested in truly healing himself and no longer being content with “stop-gap” solutions. Now that’s a happy ending. That is real character development. I mean think about your own characters and how they have developed over the years? Did any of it happen in a matter of days / weeks? Were you transformed, as if by magic, or was it a slower, “baby steps” affair? Quite. Ceylan presents his happy ending by showing the moment of awakening and hinting at the transformation to come. There is no need, I would argue, for arrows and neon lights. Especially in a work that has so many very original and different features to it. It is a brilliant film though. I would have done it slightly differently but hey. What’s the point of art if we can’t discuss these things?