Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

17. Aaaaaaaah!

Fans of the early John Waters and early Gregg Araki oeuvre may feel right at home with all the vulgarity and body fluids on display in Steve Oram’s Aaaaaaaah! This is adventurous and crude postmodern cinema, and the easily offended need not apply.

Oram displays a ruthless instinct with sadistic lapses into camp and caricature with Aaaaaaaah!, a film hell bent on upsetting the audience in this tale of society’s collapse. In the film the human stock has downgraded, and devolved into grunting, drooling, depraved, inarticulate primitives.

Robbed of the capacity to speak beyond gorilla-like elucidation, chest-beating, and genital-waving, I found the film to enact a Beckett-like scenario but at least half the audience I saw it with thought it was just shit. Their loss.

A winning cast of Brits including Oram, Julian Barrett, Noel Fielding, and Toyah Willcox add street cred to this one-of-a-kind mindfuck. Aaaaaaaah! is a strangely sublime picture, in turns delicate and disorienting, with a Buñuelian bite and a whiff of nasty nihilism, too. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it but you won’t ever forget it.

• Continue reading at Taste Of Cinema. Browse our Aaaaaaaah! news archive…

How I’m Making an Epic Sci-Fi Movie That Will Change the World. And Why You Should Follow Your Dream Too!

In 2006, UK filmmaker Simon Cox announced to a group of friends that his new movie, Kaleidoscope Man, would be the biggest British indie sci-fi movie of all time – A sweeping statement? Or was it?

After years of trying to get his second movie funded through traditional film industry routes, it was at this moment that Simon made the decision to stop chasing carrots and do whatever needed to be done to achieve his dream; making an epic sci-fi movie that would move and inspire people in the same way the original Star Wars inspired him. But, he was in his 40’s with a young family, broke, feeling washed up and beginning to realise that perhaps Hollywood wasn’t about to come knocking.

Now in 2016, Simon has nearly finished the hugely ambitious Kaleidoscope Man. And its good. In fact, it’s very good. But the road to getting it made has certainly been rocky and full of challenges and the finance to do it has not fallen into his lap.

Come to our fascinating one day seminar and discover from Simon himself just how he and a team of friends have managed to pull off this incredible feat.

• How they convinced 700+ people to run from attacking alien ships in Central Birmingham.

• Built the international space station in a warehouse in Nuneaton (with materials from Wikes DIY store).

• How they convinced 80’s pop icon Toyah Willcox to star in the movie.

• Sent fleets of attacking alien ships flying over Central London.

• Turned Birmingham into a deserted battlefield.

• Got primetime TV coverage on BBC London Tonight.

• Discovered a young illustrator who went from creating images for Kaleidoscope Man to Godzilla, Star Wars the Force Awakes and now Star Wars Rouge One.

• Pulled together over 500+ people to help get the movie made.

You’ll hear amusing anecdotes, see fascinating behind the scenes videos and some exclusive clips from the movie – before anyone else sees them.

Alpha Star Productions
Saturday, June 25, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (BST)
Birmingham, United Kingdom

• Continue reading at Event Tribe. Chek out the Kaleidoscope Man website for updates and recent behind-the-scenes photos from the film shoots.

More airings for Quadrophenia, with two of Sky Movies channels ahowing the classic 1979 film over the coming fortnight.

Quadrophenia: Sky Greats HD: Sunday 1st May: 10pm
Quadrophenia: Sky Select HD: Thursday 5th May: 10pm
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone. (Sky Greats HD movie channel is on Sky Channel 304 / Sky Select HD is on Sky Channel 312)

• Southern Daily Echo: All Star Line-Up Confirmed For Wickham Festival: Spike’s All Stars Band with a line-up which will include Queen drummer Roger Taylor, Marillion lead singer Fish, Madeleine Bell and solo artist/actress Toyah Willcox with a chance of other top names also making a guest appearance – Continue reading…

• Virgin Media: Shakespeare in pop: It’s 400 years since Shakespeare died! Yes, a rum anniversary (23 April 1616), but one which allows us to celebrate his input towards music culture… The Tempest: You would think with something like The Tempest, that the goths would be all over that, but no: only the Deftones and not-that-spooky-just-a-bit-darkish Pendulum have co-opted it for a title. One of Toyah’s pre-pop jobs was a role as Miranda in Derek Jarman’s interesting film version from 1979 – Continue reading…

• Vodzilla: Shakespeare 400: BFI brings the Bard’s films to VOD: With Saturday 23rd April marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the UK is going into overdrive celebrating the Bard, and the British Film Institute is no exception. This month, the BFI presents Shakespeare on Film, a UK-wide series of 300 special screenings and events celebrating the enormous impact the playwright’s life, work and legacy has had on cinema – Continue reading…

• Flickering Myth: Aaaaaaaah! Still: Toyah Willcox as Barbara – Continue reading…

• Lou Reviews: Shakespeare 400 in images: Heathcote Williams as Prospero and Toyah as Miranda in the 1979 film of ‘The Tempest’ – Continue reading…

Toyah and Sophie Anderson in a scene from forthcoming film Kaleidoscope Man. Artist Angie Cox recently tweeted the photo, saying: “My painting will be in Kaleidoscope Man. Toyah Willcox and Sophie Anderson talking about my painting in this scene“.

Director/creator of Kaleidoscope Man, Simon Cox, also updated the blog on the film’s official website at the end of last month.

Quadrophenia: Sky Greats HD: Sunday 1st May: 10pm
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone. (Sky Greats HD movie channel is on Sky Channel 304)

Only two days until Aaaaaaaah! is screened at LOCO 2016, with Steve Oram and Toyah in attendance and participating in a Q&A.

• Shakespeare 400: Celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with the stuff that dreams are made on. Hosted by the V&A and led by Shakespeare scholar John Pitcher (St John’s College, Oxford), we invite you to a festival of art, poetry, music and on-stage discussions devoted to his final, and most magical play, The Tempest – Continue reading…

• Penguin: A Guide To Shakespeare: The Tempest, directed by Derek Jarman (1979) – A wonderfully high camp, punk take on Shakespeare’s last play, Jarman’s adaptation stars the poet Heathcote Williams as Prospero and a young Toyah Willcox as Miranda. The music is extraordinary, perfectly encapsulating Caliban’s famous, ‘Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises / Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not’ and the film is a visual feast. Watch this if you like… epics, beautiful cinematography – Continue reading…

• My Favourite Things: British punk singer, Toyah Willcox as Miranda in Derek Jarman’s 1979 film version of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest – Continue reading…

• Toyah At The V&A: Toyah is a panel guest at the forthcoming Shakespeare 400 at The V&A: A One Day Festival, taking place on 22nd April 2016. Further information/Book tickets at the V&A website. More details also at toyahwillcox.com.

As well as Aaaaaaaah! being screened at the LOCO Film Festival 2016 on Saturday 23rd April, Steve Orman and Toyah will also be in attendance for a post screening Q&A at the BFI National Film Theatre 1, South Bank, London.

Will Brand manage a 20-mile-a-day hike from the Humber Bridge to Liverpool? Does it matter who pulled the trigger if your father is gunned down? And would you trust Neil Morrissey with your life?

Plus: the Who’s rock opera Quadrophenia.

Quadrophenia (Franc Roddam, 1979), 12.15am, ITV4
Roddam’s screen version of the Who’s rock opera is an excellent recreation of a seedy, sultry, angry time – the mods v rockers seaside clashes of 1964. Phil Daniels leads the way as Jimmy, a pill-popping rebel on a scooter, and there are vigorous performances from Ray Winstone, Leslie Ash, Sting and Toyah Willcox. Plus, of course, Pete Townshend’s explosive music.

• Continue reading at The Guardian.

Aaaaaaaah! will be screened at the LOCO Film Festival 2016, the UK’s only international comedy film festival. It takes place between Wednesday 20th April and Sunday 1st May at BFI Southbank, London and other selected cinemas. Toyah will attend the Aaaaaaaah! screening on Saturday 23rd April. More info by clicking below.

Aaaaaaaah! is being screened at the Indie-Lincs International Film Festival 2016 this Friday.

What strikes you most upon viewing Aaaaaaaah! for the first time, is that as a viewer, you become very accepting, very quickly of the crazed way in which the story plays out. Perhaps writer/director/actor Steve Oram forces this acceptance; the film in many ways is a wild and frenzied ambush upon its audience, which is by no means a bad thing.

The script — translated into grunts and shouts — tells a tale of monkey-like humans enacting their elemental thoughts and desires upon one another. With performances from a frankly spectacular cast, it’s difficult to not enjoy this seemingly mind-boggling viewpoint on an alternative modern day life.

Aaaaaaaah! will be screened at Indie-Lincs 2016 on Friday 11 March; between 19.00 and 21.30 in a screening with Jake Hovell’s I Could Eat a Horse, Cristian Sulser’s Scrabble and Mark Brocking’s The Barber’s Cut.

• Continue reading at Eyes on Screen. Visit the Indie-Lincs Film Festival website.

Another couple of airings of, the brilliant, Quadrophenia later this month.

Quadrophenia: ITV4: Fri 18th March: 0.15am
Quadrophenia: ITV4: Fri 18th March: 11.45pm
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone.

• View all of Dreamscape’s recent Quadrophenia news updates here. Amazing to consider this movie was released 37 years ago now.

A new Kaleidoscope Man poster, painted by Matt Allsopp who recently did the concept art for Godzilla and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Kaleidoscope Man is a fantastic new sci-fi movie – currently being made in phases. For phases 1 to 7 they successfully crowd-funded over £40,000 and shot various scenes that fit around the main story and characters.

They now have some private investors on board and have just completed shooting for phase 7. This means that 93% of the movie has been completed. With another mix of private investment and some additional crowd funding the plan is to get the movie completely shot over the next few months.

If all goes to schedule Kaleidoscope Man should be released in the summer of 2016.

Toyah has a role in this forthcoming film, playing Clare Dove. Visit the Kaleidoscope Man website. Browse Dreamscape’s KMan news archive here.

There’s a new screening for Aaaaaaaah!, along with another Q&A session with Director/Actor Steve Oram, at the Club Haus Bar & Cafe in Bristol this Saturday.

Aaaaaaaah! We Are Not Men
Film Screening at Club Haus

Portable Pictures present Aaaaaaaah! We are not men, a film by Steve Oram. The screening begins at 8pm and will be followed by a Q&A session with Steve Oram. Tickets £5 in advance.

Steve tweeted earlier this week: “Aaaaaaaah! in Bristol next sat, can’t wait. I’ll be there talking ape nonsense and pissing in the corner, come down!”

• Continue reading at Visit Bristol. There’s also more info at Portable Pictures. Browse our comprehensive Aaaaaaaah! news archive here.

Footage from Thursday’s Quadrophenia: The Immersive Experience has been uploaded to You Tube: Director Franc Roddam and cast members from ‘Quadrophenia’ including Phil Daniels and Toyah Willcox discuss the film after a special screening at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith in London on Thursday 11th Feb 2016.

Nearly 40 years since the making of the era defining British film Quadrophenia one of its stars says plans are being put in place for a follow-up.

Speaking after a special presentation of the 1979 film, which documents the Mods and Rockers descent on Brighton on a 1960s Bank Holiday weekend, Toyah Willcox, 57, tells us at London’s Eventim Apollo: “We’re talking about making a film now, getting everyone back together. I’d love it and I think Sting would be up for it. I’ve enjoyed watching it again after all those years”.

As well as Toyah, who plays Monkey in the movie, and Sting, the likes of Ray Winstone, Leslie Ash and Phil Daniels, who most recently played Kevin Wicks in Eastenders, made up the star-studded cast, while The Who guitarist Pete Townsend was one of the writers. Perhaps they could replace Lambrettas with mobility scooters this time around?

Quadrophenia – The Immersive Experience took place last night at the Hammersmith Apollo, London. View a collection of photos from the event here, a short video clip here, and a couple of photos of the venue prepared for the return of the class of 1979 (or was it 1964?) here and here. Thanks to Matthew Stanford.

Two great photos of Toyah: 1. A highly rare photo from 1980 during The Blue Meaning era, which has just recently surfaced, and 2. A photo Toyah tweeted this evening as she prepared to attend Quadrophenia: The Immersive Experience 2016 at the Eventim Apollo – formerly the Hammersmith Odeon. (Thanks to Paul Lomas for photo 1 | Photo 2 © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah has been confirmed as a panel guest at the forthcoming Shakespeare 400 at The V&A: A One Day Festival, taking place on 22nd April 2016.

‘O brave new world!’ – The Tempest

Celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with the stuff that dreams are made on. Hosted by the V&A and led by Shakespeare scholar John Pitcher (St John’s College, Oxford), we invite you to a festival of art, poetry, music and on-stage discussions devoted to his final, and most magical play, The Tempest. It will be a day, in the words of Caliban, of ‘sounds,’ ‘sweet airs’ and ‘a thousand twangling instruments’, as represented in the V&A’s collections.

Prospero’s art – the imaginative world of wizards, spells and demigods banned by the Elizabethan church but alive in people’s fears and fantasies – will be looked at alongside the physical realm of windmills, water power, and sailing ships. The poetry of the play, and the way it lives on stage and in film, will be discussed by poets Alice Oswald and Alicia Stallings, the novelist John Lanchester and the actress Harriet Walter. The many mental states The Tempest evokes and occupies – revery, stupor, frenzy, vengefulness, and wonder – will be explored and experienced by you, the participants.

• Further information/Book tickets at the V&A website. More details also at toyahwillcox.com.

Quadrophenia – 1964 is back for February 2016 in London

Relive the sights and sounds of 1964 as British movie classic Quadrophenia‘s full on theatrical performance takes place at London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on 11 February 2016.

The cinematic presentation is sure to plunge mod fans young and old into the sights and sounds of the swinging sixties, capturing the spirit of an era that fuelled a cultural revolution.

Many of the original film’s key stars will be taking part in the event including the star of the film, 1960’s Mod teenager Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels). Joining Daniels will be other major names from the cast including Phil Davis (Chalky), Mark Wingett (Dave), Toyah Willcox (Monkey), Trevor Laird (Ferdy), Garry Cooper (Peter) and Daniel Peacock (Danny).

Director Franc Roddam and cast are set to share their memories in a special one off Q&A to start off the night.

• Continue reading at The Mod Journalist. Win tickets for Quadrophenia: The Immersive Experience 2016 at clashmusic.com (entry closes 9th February).