More News of Andrei Nekrasov

Since no man can possibly write about news AFTER his death (although, there was the rather dubious posthumous Alexander Litvinenko post in the papers not long after HIS death), I can only assume that Mr Nekrasov’s latest post on www.robertamsterdam.com means that the director is indeed alive and well.

In his post, Mr Nekrasov writes about Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case (which opened May 23rd in London… sadly I’m a Scottish student and was unable to attend) and of his beloved Russia.

I like reading Mr Nekrasov’s writing; it is obviously the writing of someone who dies a little inside as his country, his motherland, grows that bit more corrupt. Bear with me as I write this; it sounds like I’m being cruel.

But passionate people are those who make the world that little bit more bearable. Passionate people are those I can relate to and hold close to my heart. I am not passionate about my own country – I am proud of my heritage, of course. The reason I am not passionate about my own country or the United Kingdom in which it is situated is this; we are all corrupt. We have allowed ourselves to become increasingly American, not to mention greedy and ignorant. Religious holidays lose their meaning (of course, who doesn’t like a Christmas dinner where the meaning is “togetherness”?) and kids are more determined to destroy museums rather than appreciate them.

I am embarrassed to live in a country whose football fans cannot control themselves after a loss (you know who I’m talking about), even more so to live in a place in which the intelligent and passionate, the creative minds, are thought of as less than the sportsmen or the idiot with a gun.

I admit I look up to Mr Nekrasov. He deserves recognition for his outspokenness, a bravery which, ultimately, could spell his demise.

All of us who are outspoken could be killed for believing what we believe. From the extreme such as Alexander Litvinenko to the ordinary tragedy such as Sophie Lancaster, the Goth girl who was murdered for simply dressing differently.

The world we live in sucks, but people who stand up for what they believe in nonetheless make it better. (Of course, it tends to depends on what they believe in/are passionate about!)

Read Mr Nekrasov’s latest writing here: http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2008/05/andrei_nekrasov_a_letter_from.htm

[Movie Review] InAlienable

First off, let me just say that I’m a massive fan of Walter Koenig; his acting and writing. So I was very excited to hear about the film InAlienable, a story written by Koenig and starring him, too.

InAlienable is a bizarre sounding idea, kind of sounding like a weird Mpreg fanfiction. It’s about a man name Eric Norris (Richard Hatch) who, after losing his family in an accident, is overcome with guilt and pain, not helped by his sarcastic, twisted boss Dr Shilling (Walter Koenig) who insists upon fuelling the loss and grieving with every cutting insult and manipulative word.

However, along comes a meteor, the favoured plot device of sci-fi writers looking to create a story based on Earth involving creatures not-of-this-world. The meteor brought with it what is described as a tentacled, gooey thing which somehow becomes a black rock (possibly an egg form), which is given to Norris. After a fling with his colleague Dr Mayfield, he finds himself invaded by an alien parasite which hooks itself up to the entire organ system in order to survive.

After a time, Dr Norris “gives birth” to a weird-looking baby; a sort of humanoid with strong tentacles (think Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2) and without a nose (think Lord Voldemort). At first he’s a little fearful of it, but slowly, he grows attached to it, and gives it a name. It’s called Benjamin. Dr Norris believes it’s his son.

However, the FBI are called in by Shilling (who else?), who accompanies them every step of the way and tries to make sure the alien dies. In a very cruel way throughtout the film, he continually attempts to cause psychological damage to Norris, in an attempt at revenge. Revenge for what? you might ask. Well, I don’t really want to spoil the movie but I’m sure you get the picture.

InAlienable is actually not as bad as it sounds. It’s very easy to follow, the acting is impeccable and there are plenty of laughs to complement the gripping scenes. Koenig’s talent as both a writer and an actor really shines through and Richard Hatch is impressive as Norris.

Eric Norris is a brilliant character; the perfect broken man who just wants a family, his family. His state causes him to love the alien baby, his “child”, and tries to protect it, and the way in which this is portrayed had me on the edge of my computer chair. However, the end of the movie, while a logical conclusion, could have used more transition, and more of Norris’ healing process.

Shilling is likewise a wonderful character, though one whose neck was just begging to be snapped. Malice drips off of him; that neurotic, borderline psychotic way in which he took the utmost pleasure in his employee’s pain caused my jaw to drop open, and I silently wished the alien baby would turn around and cause his end. Once again, we could have used a little more insight into the psychology of Shilling.

If you do decide to watch InAlienable, don’t expect too much from the CGI. It’s good to a degree, but Renegade Studios have really just started out, and so some of the special effects appear very “Doctor Who.” However, they work well and the alien props are beautifully done.

All in all, I thought InAlienable was a well-thought out and interesting film which I thoroughly enjoyed. I give it 9/10, with the point removed due to its shortness and lack of storytelling near the end. For the most part though, the storytelling is quite good, nd if you like intelligent sci-fi, this may be the movie for you.

 

InAlienable is available to watch through www.renegade-studios.com for $2.99 per 72-hour viewing period.

Andrei Nekrasov’s Home Ransacked… Just Under A Year Ago

I feel quite sad in only learning about this now. I’d hoped to be current in Mr Nekrasov’s activities and yet I seem to lag.

Since I didn’t hear of this, I’m guessing not a lot of people did. Basically, the story is that Andrei Nekrasov, friend of ex-

Andrei Nekrasov

Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko and documentor of the latter’s life and death, went to his home in Finland to find the windows broken, books all over the place and the place in an awful mess just one day before a film about Litvinenko by himself and the dead man’s widow was to screen at Cannes. Nekrasov reported the incident, which was dismissed as common vandalism. According to one account, Nekrasov was left rather frightened, in his own words, “a bit scared”, as there may well have been a political motive behind the incident. Why is this? Upon reaching his bedroom, Nekrasov found lying upon the bed a picture of his friend as he was in hospital days before his death.

You never asked, but what’s my view on this? Well, it’s an interesting story.

I was interested greatly in Nekrasov’s movies and his friendship with Alexander Litvinenko. Naturally that led me to research him. There’s not a lot of information on Mr Nekrasov, sadly. However, what we do know about him is that he too is a defector. His movies are politically charged; and some (Lubov And Other Nightmares especially) deemed too racy. So it is completely plausible that those who wrecked his home were looking to kill him, or at least rough him up a bit.

Litvinenko in 2006, before his death.
This is the picture that was left in
Mr Nekrasov’s bedroom.

However; it’s just as plausible that some annoying Finnish brats decided to play mind games with the director and wreck his house while they knew he was away. We’ll probably never know. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I certainly hope Mr Nekrasov is safe and well.