This time I hope this blog works as I spent ages typing up this day and the whole lot vanished in to the ether! Or wherever the lost blogs go?
Went to Manchester again this time to see Archie's animation at the under 18's film fest. at the Cornerhouse cinema. It was a cold morning with a beautiful sunrise that Hazel managed to snap with her trusty digital camera through the grimey train window. I read some of Andrew Collins "Where Did It All Go Right?" which is good (see links for his website). Had breakfast at the college and then went to the Cornerhouse to see the short films with a packed cinema full of High School kids who had obviously come straight from school in a coach.Very noisy lot!
Most of the films were mercifully short and some were great like the plasticine animations of werewolfs in wythenshawe and the magician producing rabbits from trousers etc. Archie's looked great on the big screen and it really made him realise the potential I think as when he got home he started right into making another flash animation about a cave man thinking about what the wheel (he invented in the last one) could be used for. Squashing rabbits!
Afterwards we had a walk into the centre of town. Bought some Dutch pancakes with sickly chocolate sauce at the Continental market by the town hall and had a ride in the big observation wheel. Then to the
URBIS museum of city life which is very impressive biulding like a big wedge of stilton. Unfortunately not much, besides the funicular railway, inside to justify the huge expense of keeping this thing running. Lots of videos and "inter-active" buttons to press but with little sense of discovery or fun attached. Afterwards dragged our weary carcases to the station via the pound shop where I found some great old cult movies- three per disc! the original "Little Shop of Horrors", which is awful ( the Frank Oz version is much better)and Herk Harvey's "Carnival of Souls".
This is the first issue of CURIOS THING made back in 1984/5.