"The Martian" / Made In Roath 2015

During a scientific mission on Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after an explosion. Left behind by his crewmates, he faces a struggle, not only to survive, but also to alert his bosses on Earth as to his plight; and even if he were to succeed, any successful rescue would take years…

“The Martian” is Sir Ridley Scott’s most satisfying film in quite some time, possibly since “Gladiator”. Matt Damon’s irreverent, resourceful hero is supported by an excellent cast, including Jessica Chastain as his ship’s commander, Jeff Daniels as the careworn head of NASA, Kristen Wiig as a PR chief, Donald Glover and McKenzie Davis as minor but crucially important nerds, and a number of Brits – Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Benedict Wong - in pivotal roles. As might be expected from the director of “Blade Runner”, the visuals are breath-taking; but there is also much humour, the 1970s disco soundtrack underlining Watney’s determination to remain upbeat.

Written by Drew Goddard, based on a novel by Andrew Weir, and set only a little way into the future, the science is on a believably human level – no chatty computers, no magical food-generating machines, no instant transportation through wormholes, etc. This is a tale of human courage, ingenuity and co-operation. In fact, in a genre which thrives on dystopianism, “The Martian” is hearteningly positive and optimistic. I almost wish I’d paid the extra to see it in 3D.

This past week saw Cardiff’s boutique Made In Roath Arts Festival, with artists’ open houses, pub theatre, music, photography etc.  I managed to contribute this year, with a purpose-made video inspired by “The Book Of American Negro Poetry” (ed. James Weldon Johnson, 1922), shown in the garden of vegetarian bar/restaurant Milgi.

The Aframerican Poet from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo.

"Grav"/ Aphex Twin

Been mostly writing. And rewriting.

I got to review a play for British Theatre Guide – “Grav”, a biography of rugby player Ray Gravell, at Sherman Cymru, featuring an excellent solo performance by Gareth John Bale.

And found the time to make a few more poetry films; as well as making use of some music offcuts from Soundcloud, possibly posted by Aphex Twin, and combining them with burlesque footage from the New York World’s Fair in 1939-40, taken from the Prelinger Internet Archive...

Dali Swimsuit from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo.

"Littoral"

My latest short film, based on a piece from The Poetry Storehouse; written and narrated by Kristin LaTour. As always, the images are taken from the public domain Internet Archive; the vintage glamour model is Adele Dolman.



"Littoral" by Kristin LaTour from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo.

"Blue/Orange" / "Mundane Dreams"

Several years ago, I went to see Joe Penhall’s mental health themed play “Blue/Orange” on one of my birthday West End Theatre trips. The cast was to die for – Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln, and Chiwetel Ejiofor – and it was an entertaining and thought-provoking experience but I don’t think I quite got it. Last night I saw it again, for the British Theatre Guide, produced by the newly formed Canoe Theatre at Sherman Cymru, and it all seemed much clearer. Excellent work all round.

I’ve made another short mashup film, based on an amusing piece from The Poetry Storehouse, by Jessy Randall and Daniel Shapiro. Jolly fun.

"Mundane Dreams" by Jessy Randall and Daniel Shapiro from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo.

"Sue: The Second Coming" / "A Queer Christmas"

I’ve been to see, and review, two festive shows aimed at mature audiences this week.

First up was Dafydd James’ and Ben Lewis’ “Sue: The Second Coming” at Chapter – the sort-of sequel to a previous musical offering featuring their very popular creation Sue Timms. Very relieved to have found it highly entertaining, despite not having seen the original. Also relieved that when I bumped into Dafydd whilst I was en route for my next assignment, he didn’t want to stab me, despite having read my review.

The second entertainment was “A Queer Christmas”, from theatre company Mess Up The Mess, put together by Bethan Marlow. This took place in several locations along Swansea High Street; the company kindly provided transport from Cardiff. Ambitious in terms of form and content, and obviously a logistical nightmare, but very rewarding.

In other news, I paid another visit to the Poetry Storehouse, and made another short mashup film based on a piece I found there, entitled “Dirty Old Man?” by David Sullivan. My attention was also drawn to an interview with poet Peg Duthie, on the Moving Poems website, in which she was quite kind about the film I made of her piece.

"Dirty Old Man?" by David Sullivan from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo
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