Tag Archives: Billy Boyd

Urban Ghost Story (1998)

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Urban Ghost Story
Director: Geneviève Jolliffe
Writer: Geneviève Jolliffe, Chris Jones
Cast: Jason Connery, Stephanie Buttle, Heather Ann Foster, Nicola Stapleton, James Cosmo, Elizabeth Berrington, Siri Neal, Andreas Wisniewski, Billy Boyd
Part of: /slash Filmfestival
Seen on: 24.9.2019
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Plot:
Lizzie (Heather Ann Foster) only barely survived a car crash. She actually died for three minutes, but was reanimated. Only something seems to have followed her back to the world of the living. Her mother Kate (Stephanie Buttle) is more than disconcerted by the weird things happening around her daughter, and since she doesn’t get any other help, she turns to journalist John (Jason Connery) who uses their problems to write sensationalist news stories. In the ensuing chaos of their lives, Lizzie is struggling to hold everything together.

Urban Ghost Story works as a horror film, but even more than that it works as a character study of Lizzie and her environment shaped by poverty. It’s a beautiful, emotional and political film that should be much better known than it is.

The film poster showing mostly unfocused faces in red.
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Tell It to the Bees (2018)

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Tell It to the Bees
Director: Annabel Jankel
Writer: Henrietta Ashworth, Jessica Ashworth
Based on: Fiona Shaw‘s novel
Cast: Anna Paquin, Holliday Grainger, Gregor Selkirk, Lauren Lyle, Kate Dickie, Joanne Gallagher, Emun Elliott, Billy Boyd
Part of: Toronto International Film Festival
Seen on: 10.9.2018

Plot:
Jean (Anna Paquin) is a doctor who returns to her small hometown. She is slowly settling into her new role, when Lydia (Holliday Grainger) brings in her son Charlie (Gregor Selkirk) who was bullied. The two women instantly like each other. When Lydia, whose husband left her, can’t make rent anymore, she turns to Jean for help and Jean offers her and Charlie to stay with her, quickly deepening their friendship and turning it into something else.

Tell It to the Bees is a wonderful film with one big flaw: it shies away from the happy ending for its two protagonists. But other than that, it is simply lovely.

The film poster showing Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger embracing in front of a honeycomb background.
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Seed of Chucky (2004)

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Seed of Chucky
Director: Don Mancini
Writer: Don Mancini
Sequel to: Child’s Play, Child’s Play 2, Child’s Play 3, Bride of Chucky
Cast: Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Billy Boyd, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters
Seen on: 21.9.2017
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Plot:
Before Chucky (Brad Dourif) and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) were vanquished, they had a son, Glen (Billy Boyd). Glen is everything his parents aren’t: gentle, kind and completely murder-free. He’s curious to meet his parents, and so he resurrects them, hoping for a family reunion. The reunion does happen, but takes on a very different form of what Glen expected, as they first hit Hollywood where Chucky and Tiffany’s story is currently turned into a film starring Jennifer Tilly (Jennifer Tilly).

Seed of Chucky suddenly turns very meta and that’s a thing I always enjoy. Especially since it really proves that Jennifer Tilly is the best thing that has happened to the series. Despite some of the same issues as with the other films of the series, this is definitely my favorite part so far (together with the first).

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Macbeth

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Macbeth
Director: Eve Best
Writer: William Shakespeare
Cast: Joseph Millson, Samantha Spiro, Billy Boyd, Stuart Bowman, Gawn Grainger, Finty Williams, Philip Cumbus, Moyo Akande, Cat Simmons, Jess Murphy
Seen on: 15.9.2015

Plot:
Macbeth (Joseph Mills) and Banquo (Billy Boyd) just fought successfully for King Duncan (Gawn Grainger) and are finally on their way home. In the woods, they meet three witches (Moyo Akande, Cat Simmons, Jess Murphy) who predict, among other things, that Macbeth will become King. Spurred on by that prophecy and uncontent to just wait for it to come true, Macbeth and his wife (Samantha Spiro) hatch the plan to help things along when Duncan comes to visit. But murder comes with moral consequences – and it might not be the only thing necessary to make Macbeth King.

My recent experiences with Macbeth were all retellings. In fact, I don’t actually think that I ever saw a straight-up version of it before. How great is it, then, that this production of the play was extremely close to perfection?

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