Today's show: Exploring the Smoking Cabinet

Today on Resonance FM at 3.30pm Alex Fitch is guest presenting Richard Thomas' show on Ephemera - Tight Pudding and is talking to Claire Cook, Simone Pyne and Kate Grove about the "Burlesque Cinema" weekend they've curated at the Curzon Soho Cinema and Volupte Lounge in London. The Smoking Cabinet mixes short films, features (The Blue Angel), live acts and talks to explore depictions of cabaret on film from the 1890s to the 1930s.

Podcast: Asif Kapadia's Far North

To compliment the live review shows that take up I'm ready for my close-up during this year's London Film Festival, we have the second of a series of exclusive podcasts featuring interviews with filmmakers and programmers involved in this year's LFF. Virginie Selavy interviews Asif Kapadia, director of The Warrior, about his new film Far North which premieres at this year's LFF - download now... (edited by Alex Fitch)
(mp3 format, 28.6mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Round-up of what to see at the LFF at Electric Sheep Magazine
Book tickets to see Far North
IMDb page on Far North
Wikipedia page on Asif Kapadia

Tonight's show: The 51st London Film Festival part 3

Tonight on I'm ready for my close-up at 10.30pm on Resonance FM, John Riley, James DeCarteret & Tom Geens begin the second week of discussion and preview of the films they've seen at this year's London Film Festival, tonight focussing on two films showing in the avant-garde strand of the LFF - Seven easy pieces and Milky way...

Links: The 51st London Film Festival
Our show on History on film which covers films shown at last year's festival
Alex's reviews of last year's festival

Podcast: Short films at The London Film Festival

To compliment the live review shows that take up I'm ready for my close-up during this year's London Film Festival, we have the first of a series of exclusive podcasts featuring interviews with filmmakers and programmers involved in this year's LFF. Virginie Selavy interviews curators Simon Young and Philip Ilson about the short films they've chosen for this year's festival - download now... (edited by Alex Fitch)
(mp3 format, 27.5mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Read a partial extract of Virginie's interview at Electric Sheep Magazine
More info about Halloween shorts curated by Philip
Philip's "Death to short film" manifesto as quoted at The Dawn Chorus
Info on short films curator by Simon at remotegoat.co.uk
Simon's Shorts International website

Today's show: The 51st London Film Festival part 2

Today on Friday's extra episode of I'm ready for my close-up at 5pm on Resonance FM, Mark Stafford, James DeCarteret & Tom Geens continue to discuss and preview the films they've seen at this year's London Film Festival.

Links: The 51st London Film Festival
Our show on History on film which covers films shown at last year's festival
Alex's reviews of last year's festival

Tonight's show: The 51st London Film Festival part 1

Tonight on I'm ready for my close-up at 10.30pm on Resonance FM, Mark Stafford, James DeCarteret & Tom Geens discuss and preview the films they've seen at this year's London Film Festival.

Links: The 51st London Film Festival
Our show on History on film which covers films shown at last year's festival
Alex's reviews of last year's festival

Podcast: The p0rnification of visual culture

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 57.2mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Gypsy Caravan and the Raindance Festival

Also, tonight at 10.30pm, I'm ready for my close-up is back on air, starting with a compliation of two interviews recorded for podcast. Alex Fitch talks to Gypsy Caravan director Jasmine Dellal and I for India director Sandhya Suri plus Virginie Sélavy interviews Suzanne Ballantyne, lead programmer of the Raindance Festival.

If you'd like to hear those interviews in their original context you can do so now and you can find links on each of the two pages:
Suzanne Ballantyne (Art-house cinema podcast) /
Jasmine Dellal and Sandhya Suri (IRFMCU 13/09/07)

Podcast: Art House cinema podcast, September '07 - Raindance special

It's Resonance FM's latest Art House cinema podcast featuring reviews of films released this month at 'Art House' cinemas in London and also showing at the Raindance Film Festival... This show is presented by Alex Fitch with contributions from Virginie Sélavy (editor of Electric Sheep Magazine) and Michael Hall (video shop manager and lead singer of the band Nebraska... In this episode there's also an exclusive interview with Suzanne Ballantyne, lead programmer of the Raindance Festival.
You can stream the show by clicking here and pressing the play button or right click here to save the mp3 file direct to your computer...

Films reviewed include Disturbia, Syndromes and a century, Drawing Restraint 9, The Amazing Lives of the fast-food grifters, Exhibit A and The Boss of it all.

Links: You can read print versions of Virginie's reviews in Electric Sheep Magazine
Londonnet's guide to all the times and locations of all films currently showing in the Capital's cinemas
Alex's interview with Allan Moyle, director of festival opener Weirdsville

(mp3 format, 28mins / 26.9mb)

Podcast: The weird(sville) films of Allan Moyle

Tonight's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 27.7mb)

N.B./ Tonight's show's contains very strong language !

So, if you are offended by such phrases as c**k-s**k*r and mother-f****r (which crop up frequently in Allan's reenactment of dealings with one of the producers of his films!), you have been warned!

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: The Weird(sville) films of Allan Moyle

Concluding I'm ready for my close-up's exclusive run of online podcasts*...

Alex Fitch interviews Allan Moyle, the cult film director of such classic movies as Pump up the Volume and Empire Records about his career and his new film Weirdsville which opens next week's Raindance Film Festival.

Check back here around 10.30pm BST to download the show or click on one of the following links to download / stream the show from the Internet Archive, Feedburner or iTunes...

*While Resonance FM moves studios across London... Normal service will be resumed on Monday.
The podcast only shows will then be broadcast on FM in the Autumn

Links: Official Weirdsville site
IMDb pages on Weirdsville and Allan's films
Wikipedia page on Allan Moyle
Allan's website
Raindance Film Festival website

Podcast: 'Bolly Horror' and the making of "Hell's Ground"

Tonight's show is now ready to download... (mp3 format, 28.4mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: 'Bolly Horror' and the making of "Hell's Ground"

Continuing I'm ready for my close-up's exclusive run of online podcasts*...
Alex Fitch interviews Pete Tombs, producer of Zibahkhana (Hell's Ground)** and writer of Mondo Macabro plus Tejinder Jouhal, a film programmer at the ICA about their season of 'Bolly Horror' movies.

**technically this is 'Lolly Horror' as the film was made in Pakistan, but I'm going with the ICA's name for their season...

Check back here around 10.30pm BST to download the show or click on one of the following links to download / stream the show from the Internet Archive, Feedburner or iTunes...

*While Resonance FM moves studios across London... The podcast only shows will then be broadcast on FM in the Autumn

Links: Info about the 'Bolly Horror' season at the ICA and tomorrow's screening of Zibahkhana
Reviews of Pete's books at The extraordinary movie and video guide
Info on the cross London India Now season
The Mondo Macabro DVD label
Wikipedia pages on Bollywood cinema, Lollywood cinema and Hell's Ground

Podcast: London Frightfest 2007

Tonight's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.9mb)

Continuing I'm ready for my close-up's exclusive run of online podcasts*...

Alex Fitch interviews video shop manager Michael Hall about his thoughts on the horror genre and previews he's seen of this year's Frightfest horror film marathon in London, including reviews of Black Sheep, Daywatch and Disturbia. Also, in an interview conducted a year ago, Alex talks to film student Greta Mills about her perspective on last year's Frightfest including George Romero's (then) Zombie tetralogy and its unnecessary 'sidequel' Day of the Dead 2: Contagium!

*While Resonance FM moves studios across London... The podcast only shows will then be broadcast on FM later in the Autumn

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Official Frightfest homepage
Michael's band Nebraska's myspace page and website

Podcast: 50 years of American Splatter or how I learned to stop worrying and love the grindhouse!

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.1mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

One last plug for tomorrow's event...
N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

Tonight's show: 50 years of American Splatter* or how I learned to stop worrying and love the grindhouse!

Continuing our celebration of Walpurgiswoche, Alex Fitch interviews Stephen Thrower, editor of the legendary Eyeball magazine about his Grindhouse festival on Saturday at the Riverside Studios cinema in Hammersmith; Stephen will be showing 6 rare American splatter movies to help illustrate his book (Nightmare USA) and introducing Q&As with the film-makers. Alex and Stephen talk about the history of Grindhouse cinema, its influence on recent teen slasher movies and reasons why Tarantino's latest is looking like a flop...

*Yeah, alright, Psycho started filming in 1959, so strictly speaking, it's 48 years of American Splatter, but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it!

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com


Links - Buy Stephen's book from fabpress.com
Buy tickets direct from the Riverside Cinema
Wikipedia page on Stephen Thrower
Kamera.co.uk review of Eyeball Compendium

N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

Podcast: The current state of Sci-Fi Movies

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 27.3mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

If you'd like to buy any of the films that Louis Mentioned which showed in last year's festival:
Die you zombie bastards!, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America and The Machinist are available to buy on PAL region 2 DVD, while
Subject Two and Recon 2020: The Caprini Massacre are only available on NTSC Region 1 DVD...

Tonight's show: The current state of sci-fi movies

Alex Fitch interviews Louis Savvy, organiser of Sci-Fi London, the capital's annual science fiction and fantasy festival about this year's event. Sci-Fi London is held from the 3rd to the 6th of May and this year features such films as Recon 2022: The Mezzo incident and Plane Dead (a.k.a. Flight of the living dead), documentaries like Future by design and also runs concurrent with Cine-excess, a conference on cult cinema that includes screenings of David Mamet's Edmond and Gyorgi Palfi's Taxidermia. Alex and Louis discuss these films, the highlights of last year's festival and (natch) the current state of sci-fi on the big and small screens.

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

In comics news: It's the GRAPHIC NOVEL WEEKEND at the Cartoon museum in London, so why not go along to hear talks by Posy Simmonds, Ilya, Nick Abadzis, former Close-up guest Mark Stafford and forthcoming Close-up guest Bryan Talbot... Click here for more details.

Links: Sci-Fi London homepage
Cine Excess homepage
Taxidermia review at backprojection.com

N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

Podcast: "How gay is the screen" part 2

Last week's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.7mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com
Read reviews of films showing at the LLGFF at backprojection.com
Listen to an episode of Midnight Sex Talk about gay bars in London
If you're one of our Californian listeners, you can catch Small Town Gay Bar at Outfest on Wednesday

Tonight's show: "How gay is the screen" part 2

Following the conclusion of this year's London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Alex Fitch interviews director Malcolm Ingram about his documentary Small Town Gay Bar and then talks to Inigo Andersson (a film night and club promoter) and Michael Hall (a video shop manager) who are helping to encourage access to gay film-making the rest of the year when the festival isn’t on...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: The London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
IMDb page on Small Town Gay Bar
Film Wotever's Myspace page
Michael's band Nebraska's Myspace page
MSNBC article on how TV is 'less gay' this year