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The Company Of Wolves |
Every now and again we like to put an animal in our Streaming Spotlight, and they don't come much more adaptable than the wolf, which crops up in stories and myths everywhere from the Arctic to Eurasia and North America. Whether they are shape-shifting or simply wild in terms of their abilities and beauty, they've also proved a favourite on the big screen - and here's a few that are worth howling about.
The Company Of Wolves, Apple TV
For many children in the UK and beyond, their first encounter with a wolf will be through the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood, trying to stay safe as she delivers food to her grandma. This adaptation of Angela Carter's book - co-scripted by Carter herself alongside Neil Jordan - is most definitely not for children as it immerses us in the imagined gothic dreamscape of its young heroine Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) after a cautionary tale from her gran (Angela Lansbury) about men whose eyebrows meet in the middle. Things in this world don't operate by the rules, and the action is fuelled by the subversive sexual undercurrent experienced by Rosaleen as the wolf inspires fear and attraction in equal measure. Although the structure is on the loose side, it's never less than visually arresting and features some down right disturbing transformation sequences.
WolfCop, Microsoft, Amazon and other platforms
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Wolfcop |
Jennie Kermode writes: A little indie comedy which went from winning an award at the Banff Film Festival to acquiring worldwide cult status amongst horror fans, this is the story of Lou (Leo Fafard), an ordinary small town alcoholic police officer who stumbles into a Satanic ritual and acquires hair-raising powers as a result. Aided by long-suffering colleague Tina (an excellent Amy Matysio) and cabin-dwelling conspiracy theorist pal Willie (Jonathan Cherry), he tries to unravel the mystery behind the cult and the killings so that the town can enjoy its annual Drink n' Shoot festival with minimal disruption and he can continue to hold down his job with minimal effort. Lowbrow humour and a surfeit of puns are balanced by immaculate timing, a deep understanding of the material and a lot of heart. It has fun with genre clichés - there's even a sequence in which our heroes modify the van - yet it stands on its own merits, with cracking dialogue and well defined characters. Sensitive viewers should be aware that there's quite a bit of gore and that there's a sex scene which may make you want to hide behind the sofa, if you can stop laughing for long enough to crawl there.
Wolfwalkers, Apple TV
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Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by Honor Kneafsey) and Mebh Óg Mactíre (voiced by Eva Whittaker) in wolf form. Photo: Apple TV+ |
The wolves in this beautifully detailed animation from Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, like their previous work, including Song Of The Sea, reflect both myths and history, inviting children to take a walk on the wild side that offers just the right amount of scares. Robyn (Honor Kneafsey) has arrived in Ireland with her dad, who is tasked with exterminating wolves in the forest near the town where they live. The youngster's life becomes filled with adventure after a chance encounter in the forest, as she discovers the shapeshifters who can take on both human and wolf form, including feisty Mebh (Eva Whittaker). Appropriately for a film that majors in trees, the inspiration for the look of the film came from 17th century woodcuts - but while this is no doubt aesthetically pleasing for the adults in the audience it's the tale of friendship and bravery in adversity that will hold children in its grip.
The Wolf Man, Chili, Apple TV
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The Wolf Man |
There have been many portentous women in film history, but one of my personal favourites crops up in this Universal horror classic when she tells Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr): "The way you walk is thorny, through no fault of your own". Talbot was, of course, not the first film character to be transformed, via a bite, into a werewolf, but he became the touchstone for the lore of the genre for many who would follow. As you might expect from a film from 1941, this film is built on atmosphere rather than gore and Chaney proves surprisingly sympathetic for a "villain" as he is wracked with guilt after the attacks. Curt Siodmak takes an intelligent approach all round to the scripting and if the Wolf Man isn't particularly scary these days, he still offers an impressive example of make-up craft from Jack Pierce.
Wolf Children, Funimation
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Wolf Children |
100% Wolf, Apple TV
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100% Wolf |
The Grey, Amazon
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The Grey |
You'll have to pop over to Vimeo for our short this week, which is David Kaplan's risqué take on Little Red Riding Hood, starring a young Cristina Ricci.