azanti0029 Reviews

Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (2024)

The perfect educational segway into the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history

[9/10 · 1 January 2024]

For anyone who doesn't know the story of the Horizon Post Office Scandal, it's hard to sum up in a few line sound bites. Essentially at the turn of the year 2000 the entire Post Office Network in the UK became computerised. The new computer system, Horizon, was outsourced and designed by Fujitsu. It was already late, had gone over budget and was full of bugs, but was launched anyway. Soon thereafter Postmasters all over the country began experiencing shortfalls on their accounts, shortfalls which due to their draconian contract they were legally liable for. The Post Office had an entire investigation and legal department responsible for prosecuting postmasters, which it did with great vigour, while exercising no investigation whatsoever to the Post Masters claims - that Horizon was at fault. This party line continued for near on 20 years, while Postmasters all over the country were having their lives systematically destroyed by the very brand they had been working for. Many lost most or all of their savings, relationships suffered, and some committed suicide.

The main protagonist here is Alan Bates (Toby Jones) a former Subpostmaster who begins to rally other victims to his cause, and ultimately takes the Post Office on in the High Court. The span of the story here covers a period of well over twenty years and it does well to juggle multiple narratives and storylines, as well as give a greater insight into some of those who were responsible (at least two of whom, portrayed in this drama, should be facing prison sentences) fort this utter travesty - The meat of the screen time goes to Bates, Jo Hamilton (an excellent performance from Monica Dolan) and Lee Castleton (a nice out of type casting of Will Mellor in the role) - Postmasters all at the sharp end of this tale. A couple of composite characters make up some of the other Postmasters and other characters in the story including Bob Rutherford (Ian Hart) are composites, his character being based on the Second Sight duo of Ian Henderson & Ron Warmington. Hart nails them both superbly wioth his role. Other notable performances are the likes of Lia Williams and Katherine Kelly, playing Paula Vennells and Angela van den Bogerd, two women who were out of their depth in their own Post Office Senior Management roles, let alone in exploring the Horizon issue at hand. And whose lying apathy is brilliantly captured by both actors. Shaun Dooley, an actor I always have a lot of time for is great as Michael Riffikin, the man who saw first hand accounts being altered by employees at Fujitsu remotely. Amit Shah & Alex Jennings both give solid turns in their respective roles.

When I first saw the trailer for this series, I was initially worried that such a crucial story of our time had been reduced to a Ms Marble like Sunday easy going drama affair. Fortunately, despite the God awful song on the closing credits of every episode, this drama scores more than it misses and doesn't shy away from several of the darker aspects of the story.

For the most part this is a show which does a superb job of juggling an incredibly complex topic, and is anchored by solid and well researched performances. Some of the dialogue is very expositional at times, (especially in episode 1) but there is a lot to pack into the four hour running time. In what really should have been a six parter for a story of this type and scale, inevitably some things, events and people were not included. It did feel a little criminal not to at least mention the investigation work done by Panorama, (a major turning point in the story) or have the name of investigating Journalist Nick Wallace mentioned by someone, somewhere in the show. (his name is in the credits to be fair) These were key turning points in the fight for justice and warrant inclusion and I am sure we could have had a few less shots of the impressive Welsh Countryside and a bit more meat elsewhere.. But this is essentially the Postmasters story, and while it would have been interesting to see more scenes on who, what, where and when took key decisions at both the Post Office and Fujitsu, this drama should go a long way to waking up the general public on this crucial issue of public interest, who have been largely ignorant of it for so long.

It's vital viewing and essential part of the quest for justice in what has become the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history. I remind you, like the show does itself, the fight continues for many, and its not over yet.

Highly recommended.

The Cost (2022)

Superbly taught, well written, acted and directed thriller shot during the pamdemic

[8/10 · 9 November 2023]

The history of how The Cost was able to be made at all, is almost as interesting as the film itself. So as there is no confusion for the benefit of other readers, this is no 'Shill' review from some angry bitter individual, who probably hasn't even seen the movie. This is a review from a highly critical cinema-goer, who likes to spend his pennies wisely.

Matthew Holmes, probably the most underrated and under supported film maker in Australia arsenal of talent decided to make a movie out of pure frustration in-between the small lifts of lockdown. Armed with a tiny crew and a strong concept, he approached the material with a practical sense of what could be achieved under such conditions. A noble cause indeed, but is it any good?

In a word - Yes.

Opening with a long build up, where you're not quite sure of who is who, we're introduced to three men. One has just been released from prison, the other two kidnap him and drag him to woods in the middle of nowhere, where it's revealed, he has served time for raping and killing a young woman. One of the men is her brother, the other is her husband. They intend to make him suffer, but at what cost to themselves?

The Cost asks the viewer some pretty uncomfortable questions. How far would you go for revenge if you knew the outcome would change you forever? That is the dilemma for both not only the characters but also our audience.

A film like this, with a tight cast and well written dialogue, is always going to stand or fall on the performances of the three leads. Fortunately the acting here is outstanding, and I do not give that compliment out lightly. Kevin Dee gives a raw, terrified performance as the criminal Troy, while Jordan Fraser-Trumble as the former husband David plays the uncertainty of his characters conviction to see things through with great skill. But it is the brooding performance of Damon Hunter here who steals the show. You suspect he could be every bit as dangerous as Troy, on any given day of the week, and this dynamic trio makes for riveting viewing. Only someone seeking to bash this film for the sake of their own importance, with absolutely no understanding of the craft of acting would critique these performances as any less than top quality. These are three actors who completely committed to the film and made it work. The tension builds thanks to the skilful direction of Holmes, and the tight screenplay, written by himself and Gregory Moss. This is an Australian Blood Simple for the modern era and the team involved should all be marked as people to watch out for.

Made for a mere fraction of what it would cost Hollywood this is independent film-making at its finest. I highly recommend this film, which while not without a few small flaws is well worth your time.

So I ask the Australian Production Power Houses and Gatekeepers, how many films does a filmmaker of the obvious talent that Mr Holmes clearly has in spades, have to make on his own before you will give him the support he so clearly deserves?

Dreaming Whilst Black (2023)

'I'd like to report a stolen bank card please....'

[8/10 · 24 July 2023]

Back in 2018 Adjani Salmon created a web series comedy series of the same name, (I reviewed that too) on a lower budget, now it's back. Essentially remade for a main stream / wider release, with co-production funding from the BBC & A24 and co-created by Max Evans and Natasha Jatania.

The basic story is the same - Kwabena (played by Salmon) is a young aspiring black film maker, working in a day job he hates, where his predominantly white workmates want to drag him to do rap duo karaoke on a Friday night after work, while he struggles to stay creative. He lives with his brother (Demmy Ladipo) whose partner is awaiting the birth of their baby. Meanwhile a chance meeting with old friend Amy (Dani Moseley, more on her later) leads to the possibility of funding for Kwabs passion project 'Jamaica Road' , a love story based on the lives of his Grandparents who were part of the Windrush generation. A film funding organisation is interested, but real life events force him to compromise his art and take on a different subject matter or in order to get his work noticed. Rotating around this are a number of other subplots including Kwabena's love interest with Funmi (Babirye Bukilwa) and Amy's struggles to be valued at work for the right reasons.

So is it any good? In a word, or two words in fact - It's excellent.

Dreaming Whilst Black doesn't differ hugely from the original series, in terms of content, tone or narrative. The bigger budget allows for more seasoned actors in certain cameos or supporting roles, but this is basically the same show with some extra bells and whistles on, and with the original concept already so well realised, it is all the better for it.

I can only imagine the battles Adjani would have had to keep his vision of this show consistent with so many cooks on board overseeing this new version. No doubt with the likes of independent and much respected (and loyal) producer, Nicola Gregory by his side, that process would have far less challenging than it might have been. It's also clear to me that Ajani fought hard to keep on many of his original cast and again, this is a massive positive for the series and the show allows an array of talented younger actors to really show their abilities. The supporting cast here, including the many cameos are extremely well played (so props to Casting Director Heather Basten for a great job) - special mentions to Babirye Bukilwa, Will Hislop, Alexander Owen, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Tom Byrne (I can see that film being made) and Toby Williams. The young cast is backed by seasoned veterans like Jo Martin (whom I still want to see play Doctor Who for a full season) Martina Laird, Jessica Hynes, Peter Serafinowicz, and Roger Griffiths. However the two stand out actors in this show for me are Dani Moseley, whose portrayal of Amy is effortless - No one wants to be on the receiving end of her dagger eyes! A subplot revolving around educating the young on Britains role in Colonialism and slavery is extremely well handled. Amy's storyline is just as interesting as that of our lead. Its to the shows credit that both characters get this much room to breathe. The young rapper who plays Kwabena's cousin, Daniel Ogbeide-John is also excellent and I suspect has a long career ahead of him.

The show is also beautifully shot, with Nathalie Pitters & Second Unit Director Dean Charles, giving the show a consistent feel. The costumes by Jodie-Simone Howe are off the charts, and add a great layer to the characters.

But I must give highest praise to the shows creators, and production team. The series manages, very successfully I might add, to juggle the switching tones of the story extremely well. One minute we're covering a topic about clash of Caribbean & Nigerian cultures, later someone's life hangs by a thread in hospital, and you're right there with them. Few shows could change gears that quickly so successfully, but this show does it with ease. The main characters all feel believable and the conflicts among friends are bubbling away, I can see a much is subtly being set up for the second season. Much of the off beat humour reminded me of the whacky 1980s comedy Better Off Dead, with John Cusack - and those jokes landed surprisingly well, from dreaming potential outcomes of an argument mid scene to talking babies and split future personas of the leading character.

If I have any criticism of a show which is taking on racial stereo typing full on in the face in a modern culturally diverse London, it is this. I had to watch the series twice to check this was true - Literally every single supporting white character is either racist, unintentionally racist, offensive, patronising, self entitled, or just plain dumb. I know these people exist, God knows I've met enough of them myself, but its a little over played. Alexander Owen's character, as Kwabs friend and work mate, was the only white character in the show who had any nuance to his personality. A well meaning guy with a good heart, with incredibly big feet in social situations and a general lack of understanding of different cultures. I hope we see more of him in season 2. I get it and I get the target audience for the show, but with literally every single white character getting this treatment, the show did risk hoisting itself on its own petard at times.

This aside, this is a solid piece of work that juggles comedy, pathos, potential heartbreak and tragedy with great skill. The writing is razor sharp, the leading characters well defined and its the sort of show we need to see more of. You genuinely care about the leads in this show, especially Amy, Kwabs and dare I say it Adam - Roll on season 2 please. The sooner, the better.

By the way, if anyone is wondering what my headline of this review refers to - it's the funniest line I've heard in a show in a long time!

The Endless Night (2023)

A compelling, complex, well acted drama that takes on some of the most important issues of our time

[10/10 · 31 January 2023]

Back in 2013 even here in the UK, news reached our far flung shores of the terrible tragic events of the Kiss Night Club fire. For those not familiar with the story - In Santa Maria Brazil students from six universities organised a joint night at the Kiss Nightclub during which two local bands would perform. During the performance of the second, careless use of a handheld firework set inflammable insulation in the ceiling alight. The band failed to properly alert the problem to the audience until it was too late and fire quickly spread, releasing poisonous gas into the air..

The club was packed way beyond its safety capacity at the time, had a poor layout for swift evacuation, no emergency exit, inadequate fire fighting equipment, no evacuation plan prepared, poor lighting and inadequate signage for the only exit. In the panic to escape a huge number of students were crushed but over 180 fled into the bathrooms from which there was no escape, dozens more had severe burns and ultimately 242 people were killed in the tragedy.

Now the story of these awful events, based on the book by Daniela Arbex is brought to life in a five part drama series, available on Netflix and it has to be said, in my case is responsible for me going to bed at an extremely late hour. It's not an easy watch, but watch it we should, for this is a very potent and important message here.

I put the first episode of this drama on last night at 2am and found myself watching all five episodes of the drama, unable to pull myself away from it, resisting a search on google fo discover the outcome. Now, I am not just a casual viewer on Netflix, but a playwright who has tackled similar issues of social injustice in my own country and worked on a number of dramas in this genre. I found the critical reviews on here highly suspicious and the negative comments to be largely without foundation. This is an extremely well written, compelling story about an issue which underlines many things that is wrong with the world today - Those who have very little in society are poorly served by those they elect to lead them. Over the five episodes we discover an entire litany of corruption and poor regulations which allowed the circumstances where such a tragedy could occur. This story is very reminiscent of other such painful disasters, such as the Hillsborough football disaster and the more recent fire at the Colectiv Nightclub in Bucharest. Which itself, proves lessons still have not been learned. This is an important message, and this show understands that. It's core message to its critics - Are the lives of our children worth nothing to you?

After showing us the story of fire itself (which must be extremely difficult viewing for anyone who was there, or knew someone who was there) the shift changes to the investigation to find those responsible before focusing on the key parents who campaigned relentlessly to have those responsible at a higher level brought to justice. The show gives an episode to the Police investigation and sheds light on the complete failure of health and safety at every level. Someone else commented the show doesn't highlight these other issues enough, but that is NOT true. The series does exactly that, which is the entire reason the parents continued their quest in bringing people to justice. To highlight these issues. There is also nothing wrong with the music, tone of the piece, nor its presentation. This is a first rate professional production in every sense and anyone calling it amateurish should hang their heads in shame for doing so.

As the parents demand answers, their own DA suffers from a lack of complete inertia, even trying to prosecute them in return for being critical. This is a vital part of the story and one of which I was completely unaware.

Several of the cast do an outstanding job of portraying the anguished parents as well as the frustrated Police investigators, who identify 28 people responsible for the chain of events, but the DA only appear willing to go after the four obvious scape goats. The band members and the night club owner and manager. Of the cast, special mention must be made of Thelmo Ferdandes and Paulo Gorgulho who play Pedro Leal and Ricardo Martins, fathers of two of the dead children, who lead the campaign of justice. Leonardo Medeiros gives an extremely layered performance as Geraldo Alberto Ramos Fontes, another bereaved parent, whose very much an outsider but has a pragmatic legal approach to the case, proving many facts early on which would take the DA years to admit. Special mention must go to the young Brazilian cast, many of them unknowns, playing victim and survivor alike. The give their characters an international resonance whose loss will be felt by any parent. It is extremely important in a drama such as this, that we feel we know those who are victims in such events, so that we, the viewer have some sense of their loss as well. This was a group of people out to have a good time, in the prime of their lives. They depended on the regulatory bodies of their state to protect them in such a venue and the state failed them. This drama sheds light on an important flashpoint in history, which is not just only relevant to Brazil, but to the entire world. Trust me when I say, there's other clubs out there, where this is waiting to happen. To those parents who fought for so long, and still fight for justice of their children. You have not done so in vain. I have heard you and I will do my best to make sure the world hears you too.

Essential viewing.

Our House (2022)

Banal, boring, mediocre twaddle.

[3/10 · 21 March 2022]

Someone obviously bought a writers handbook and read the set up chapter but forgot to spend any time on the section about characters.

Despite some good performances from a mostly decent cast 'Our House' offers nothing new in the way of a drama for evening the most mundane night of television.

It's one of those dramas where you can see the twists coming a mile off, where as everyone seems to want to do today, we get multiple timelines and scenes out of sequence.

It's just ultimately very unsatisfying and you can honestly watch the first episode and episode 4 recap and you really haven't missed much.

There's also some massive plot holes, but let's not bother with those.

With so much choice of what to spend your time watching, I'm sorry this type of stuff just doesn't cut it anymore.

Cheaters (2022)

Where is the press for this refreshingly entertaining and believable show?

[8/10 · 16 February 2022]

The premise of this show is a relatively simple one. Two strangers delayed by a cancelled plane, end up having a one night stand. Josh is motivated to do so by personal reasons still haunting him back home. Fola's initial lack of interest, finds herself soon game once the alcohol kick in, or was she just playing it cool and actually on the prowl for a hook up? So a night of passion is had which Josh soon regrets. Expecting to never to see each other again, the strangers oh so nearly on a plane, soon find their lives destined to cross again in the very near future.

I'm avoiding spoilers here.

The show is broken into ten minute shorts, all of which aim for the straight comical vein and while the narrative premise and subsequent setup is not especially original the show works largely thanks to two outstanding performances from the two leading actors. I give credit here to Casting Director Catherine Willis for her choices in that regard. The show would not have worked without them.

Josh. McGuire who plays Josh (Were no other character names available?) imbues his performance with comical empathy, playing a man in a relationship which he already knows is broken, yet like many people remains due to personal insecurities. The fact that he feels like a run of the mill bloke rather than the next Jamie Dornan on the casting breakdown, makes both the show and his performance all the more endearing.

The always solid Susie Wokoma (I predict a Bafta for her within 5 years) comes into her own here with the powers that be finally giving her a role that she can really sink her teeeth into which allows her to show her considerable range for both comedy and the shows more darkly humourous moments. Although Fola is both attractive and confident, it's great also to see her character has not been cast by some stick like waif and the show makes a strong point of showing beauty comes in many forms with all the characters in the show. These feel like real, believable people, people you might know on your street. With those points made I also want to add none of the casting nor characters here feel forced to serve any kind of social or box ticking agenda which of late has felt so obvious and forced at times that it detracts from the story. Everything here feels natural and organic, just as it should in a show of this quality.

It's a really strong show, with solid performances which feels painfully short at ten minutes per episode but clearly the writer has applied themselves as not a line of dialogue is wasted. This is a great show - give it a decent time slot and a second season please.

'Sorry, am I over sharing?' - Yeah I do that sometimes.

Boiling Point (I) (2021)

Outstanding work from the entire team - cast and crew

[9/10 · 11 January 2022]

Long single takes have become something of a fad in films recently and some have gone further and either made their entire narrative look like a single action from start to finish with sophisticated cheating in the edit suite (such as 1917) or made the trick work for complex action sequences (like Extraction) but this outstanding piece of work goes the whole hog and in Boiling Point the technique of a single take entirely serves the requirements of the story and not visa-versa. Starting its life as a short, this film was still filming when the first lock down hit and no doubt the cast and crew felt the pressure for real when told they only have time to do two more takes before the production was going to close (4 in total)

The story focuses on rising talented Chef Andy Jones (Graham in the performance of his life) who's recently branched out and gone solo to open his own venue and escape from under the thumb of his former boss celeb chef Alistair Skye (Jason Flemyng, bringing a brilliant slimy nuance to his character) - However it's a busy night for the new popping venue and tensions soon rise as their venue is over booked and different personal agendas among the staff soon give way to conflict and as the title would suggest, reach a boiling point.

Rising star Director Phillip Barantini fully utlises the adage 'I wish I could be a fly on the wall...' to full effect as the venue comes to life with a colourful assortment of characters one might find in any similar environment. As the camera drifts seamlessly from table to kitchen to back alleys to the bathroom and back again we often hear part of conversations that allude to a character's backstory or mindset and let our own imaginations fill out the rest. I've watched the film three times now and every time I notice skillfully woven details and hints of information that I missed the previous time. The set up works so well for four reasons: 1) The skillful direction 2) the superb performances from ALL the cast, especially the younger actors with the smaller roles, they really stayed with you long after the film is over. 3) The pacing and timing of the story, the key beats peel away like an onion, constantly upping the tension as the gloves come off and the stakes are raised and 4) but by no means least, the incredible camerawork in a real single take from Matthew Lewis. He hasn't been mentioned in enough reviews, so I single him out for well deserved praise here.

There's so many beautifully played moments in this piece its almost a masterclass in acting of itself. The style of the film and it's story will not be for everyone and it is certainly not a thriller, a tense drama would be a more accurate description, but the film feels as if this is the most accurate insight you're ever going to see into how your 5 star meal (downgraded to 3) arrives at your table. The whole film feels entirely real and believable and deserves all the praise and awards it receives, which I certainly hope will rise well into double figures. Just outstanding storytelling and pure cinema at its finest.

Four Lives (2022)

BBC back on form with this essential, compassionately made drama about one of the worst mistakes in British Policing

[9/10 · 4 January 2022]

Four Lives is an incredibily accurate drama documentary that tells the story of what would become known in the media as The Barkingside Murders or Grinder Serial Killer. The killer in question preying on young men via gay dating apps and giving them too much GHB (also known as the date rape drug) to enable him to assault them.

The real story here though is the absolute bungling of the police investigation. Lessons from Lawrence had clearly not been learned and such familiar mistakes were further compounded by a poor approach towards LGBT sensitivities, a failure of due care towards the victims families and any effort to do the most basic of policework.

This story could not have been told in a single film, nor even as a two parter and somehow three still feels a little indequate but this essential story was well structured and gives great insight into the terrible blunders made by the police that will literally leave you screaming at the television.

Here it is the quality of the writing that stands out from the outset, as adequate screen time is given to each of the four young men who ultimately became Port's victims, so we feel invested in their lives and their futures. Equally we feel the loss by their friends, relatives and lovers. The show has a number of stand out performances including several from the lesser well known cast, among those which deserve special mention are: Rufus Jones (who you will reconogize as he never stops working) Samuel Barnett, Jimmy Bradshaw, Paddy Rowan, Michael Jibson and Ella Kenion bring some of the smaller roles to life with great skill, while Sheridan Smith, Holly Aird and Jamie Winston fill the shoes of the more meaty roles with their usual gutsy portrayals. The real stand out performance here though is Stephen Merchant as Port, whom I expect we will see a great deal more of in serious roles after this. The one moment in the show where he chooses to smile is truly chilling. Roberts Emms also gives a very emotive and raw performance as the partner of one of the deceased. The visit by the Police to his home is a scene which is hard to digest but one for which he brings a really visceral poignancy with his performance.

Four Lives is not an easy watch, and having watched both this and Anne practically back to back two days in a row, I felt something of an emotional wreck by the end of that journey. This show leaves you feeling angry towards the police by the end of it and really demonstrates, sadly, the days when you could just trust them to do their job are a distant memory. Hopefully this programme will reinforce to them the lessons that should have been learned from this story. An outstanding piece of drama and a credit to all involved.

Anne (2022)

Anne - first rate, acting, direction, writing - the type of drama we should be making

[9/10 · 2 January 2022]

Some might say that after the Jimmy McGovern drama on the Hillsborough football disaster there would be little more to add about the tragic events of that fateful day in April 1989 but not so. There are hundreds of stories about Hillsborough, from those who were directly impacted by the events of that day, to those who were subsequently effected by it later. The fight for justice and truth far exceeeded the narrative of the 1996 drama and in many ways still continues to this day. One of the key individuals who fought for justice for her son was Anne Williams, who lost her son, Kevin aged 15. Williams co-authoured a book about her experiences (When You Walk Through A Storm) but her campaigning for justice went far beyond that. She took her case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Anne is the story of this incredible woman and I know she was incredible because I was lucky enough to meet her in person. Everything that she was is brilliantly brought to life in this drama by a tour de force performance by Maxine Peake. Her husband Steve (played by the hugely underated Stephen Walters, who also appeared as Ian Glover in the 1996 drama) is the perfect pairing oppositte her and fine casting on the part of the Casting Director. We follow their search for the truth which ultimately pulls their family apart. The production expertly recreates the scenes from that tragic day and all that followed in the wake of one of the worst catastrophes in the history of British football. The bigger horror of course was the way these individuals were treated and the extent to which the cover up permeated every element of the subsequent events. The film conveys these in a visceral way which takes you firmly back to all that those who lost someone experienced. It's raw and brutal and Walters and Maxine relive every moment of it as if they lived it themselves. The number 51 scene alone is Oscar worthy for both of these actors.

Anne Williams and her family are the people whose stories deserve to be told and I am so glad that a project which was no doubt tough to get funding, found a way to get made. People like Williams are the unsung heroes of humanity. Her like are the people who should be on the honours list. Ultimately she came to represent the best of us and this drama has done her justice. When her life became all about that same word - Justice. Producers, director, writers, cast and production team, you have done her proud. I will raise a glass to Anne and you all tonight. First rate superb drama.

Squid Game (2021– )

Battle Royale meets The Hunger Games

[8/10 · 23 September 2021]

An outstanding piece of Korean Television drama. If you can see it with the subtitles and not the dubbed version, do so. As others have said the dubbed version is atrocious.

This literally is as I have described above. A motley group of Koreans are given the chance to compete for a huge cash prize in a fierce competition where the soon find out to lose means death.

Nearly 500 competitors are plucked from all walks of society to take part. What do they all have in common? Poverty or huge debts or both. The eclectic bunch of men and women complete some times against each other and some times in small teams on a string of games which soon sees their number dwindle to a few dozen.

While we focus on a few key characters, some of whose lives have collided outside of the game, there's various subplots including one very improbable narrative about organ trafficking. Where the show is strongest, is simply when it focuses on the games themselves and the moral dilemmas the characters have to face. (One man is forced to kill his wife in one round, although several of my school mates would tell you that is a good thing)

There are some stand out performances from the ensemble cast, inventive production design and excellent visuals.

I don't want to say more for fear of spoilers. Definitely worth your time.

Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)

Comprehensive and uncompromising, from 9/11 to the fall of Afghanistan

[9/10 · 7 September 2021]

Turning Point 9/11 is a sweeping documentary that covers everything from the immediate impact in 9/11 to the abuse of human rights and advocacy of war powers that followed in its wake.

Covered with interviews from all sides of the conflict, from intelligence officers who worked on tracing the 9/11 terrorists to Afghan female soldiers in the new model army, this exhaustively researched documentary series, wisely and rightly gives a voice to people from all sides, ages and backgrounds who were impacted by the events of 9/11 and the subsequent war on terror.

It's much to it's credit that the filmmakers have been able to interview such a wide range of people, including former Taliban, and this film would have felt incomplete without their participation. I'm not sure how anyone can rightly say it has a political agenda, when the only thing that sneaks up on you as the series unfolds is what a complete disaster the whole campaign has been in terms of financial and more importantly human cost. This is not a fact which is up for debate, so it's pretty hard for anyone to debunk that one.

There's so many parallels to the Vietnam war before it than one wonders how did we make such stupid mistakes. One can only hope we do not repeat them again and heed the lessons of history.

The testimony of all those who took part, on all sides, is at its most heartbreaking during the interviews with the ordinary men and women who have lost so much, be that a father who was a fireman or a young man who lost his bride to be to a drone strike. Highly recommended.

Seven (2020 Video)

Brave and compelling work - see it for yourself.

[8/10 · 6 September 2021]

I think we all knew where we were during 9/11 2001, an event seared into the minds of all who witnessed it and into the hearts of all those who were directly affected by it, forever. The impact on their lives is hard to feel in tangible terms. Most of us around the world saw it through television screens and for once it wasn't a story that felt so far away. The direct lasting impact of 9/11 on New Yorkers (and others) has been one of long term PTSD for many, cancer and other related illnesses for others and a complex array of lawsuits over compensation that took a team a long time to resolve (See the film Worth, for an excellent dramatisation regarding that specific issue) Then there is Building Seven (WT7) also known as the Salomon building, which collapsed, almost in demolition style, later the same day. The nature of the buildings collapse, partially caused by damage sustained by the collapse of WT1 & WT2, mirrored that of a controlled demolition and gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories regarding if its demise was intentional or not. Now I will add here I am not an advocate that 9/11 was a US Government conspiracy. I do not believe there was a widely orchestrated cover-up. However I am a bigger believer in free speech and also a firm believer in listening to a well articulated argument and there still questions that many feel are unresolved. It is often the role of a documentary film maker to establish facts and ask questions, and find answers to such issues they seek to tackle in their narratives. Questioning any official version of the events in questions comes with an inherent risk of career suicide. So before one is so dismissive of a work, it's always best to actually watch it first and understand the film makers motivations behind it.

With 'Seven' filmmaker Dylan Avery does just that. He asks questions, and explores the issue of WT7 with a number of top structural engineers in the field and explores the various arguments. A range of qualified experts took part in this documentary and there was not a crackpot among them. These were people who only dealt in facts. This is not a film that trusts a conspiracy theory down your throat. This is a discussion on a topic which has divided opinions on the exact cause of building's Seven's demise. Avery wisely avoids being drawn into wild speculation theories but sticks to the science and tackles the facts. The credible line up of those who are skeptical give the film more weight than others which have explored similar topics in the passed.

Challenging any of the established narratives of 9/11 requires a careful and sensitive approach and that is what Avery delivers here. You may reject the arguments the film explores, but explores is the right word. It is after all the cornerstone of any democracy that you should be able to ask questions. The Vietnam war was known to be unwinnable before American boots were even on the ground, but those who back then tried to tell anyone that, were derided. It is right and proper that questions should be asked, even if the answers to those same questions are plausible and there's an answer, we should live in a society where it's okay to ask them in the first place and that is really what is at the heart of this film.

Ultimately this documentary might leave you with more questions than it does answers it is still compelling viewing, especially for anyone who still has questions on this issue. As a piece of work, it is as important as the more widely distributed films on the topic. Avery is an important film maker, as his previous documentary, 'Black & Blue' on Police brutality has shown he is more than capable of taking on difficult topics and has outgrown his earlier efforts of his youth. It's important to note that the latter documentary is a film which he undertook way before the events of George Ffloyd, Fruitville Station or BLM had even transpired, but has had a criminally poor release and even less recognition that he deserves. His efforts to tackle such difficult social and political narratives should be applauded, not derided and his efforts deserve wider recognition than the industry appears willing to give him. Watch it and decide for yourself. Recommended.

Stephen (2021)

Sets a standard for true story drama rarely seen 1996 'Hillsborough'

[9/10 · 31 August 2021]

Few murders in the UK have had as much publicity of that of Stephen Lawrence, a young black man travelling home from a friends house who was murdered in a racist motivated brutal attack by five white youths.

Stephen is a sequel to the 1999 'The Murder of Stephen Lawrence' directed by Michael Winterbottom, which covered the murder itself. It's focus covered the corruption, institutional racism, horrendous foul ups and mistakes (some deliberate) that followed the case which allowed Stephen's murderers to go free. It was a solid film, visceral in its telling, ending with the suspects facing the public wrath as they left the 1998 public inquiry into how the case was handled.

Now comes 'Stephen', a three part drama series written by Frank Cotteral Boyce, which picks up the new investigation in 2006, run by volunteer DI Driscoll (Steve Coogan) who still comes up against internal politics that dogged the old investigation. Stephen's parents, long since divorced, (Hugh Quarshie, reprising his role as Neville Lawrence & Sharlene Whyte as Doreen Lawrence) are both extremely skeptical. Soon modern forensic techniques and missed evidence comes to light that might lead to conviction, Driscoll is determined to get the right results for the parents.

Any true story, especially one about a subject as important as this landmark case, needs to be handled not only with great care, but thoroughly researched and told truthfully. The recent Channel 4 effort, Deceit, set in a similar genre was riddled with inaccuracies and a misjudged agenda which robbed it of any credibility. Fortunately, on the strength of the first episode alone, I can tell this production has been handled with great care to ensure the material was handled properly from the outset and the correct narratives and characters were placed at the forefront of the story.

All the cast are first rate, and having met both Neville & Doreen Lawrence myself, I can say the actors have captured them perfectly. Their voices are almost identical to their counterparts, and they both underplay the their scenes with the appropriate measures of restraint at every turn. I must also make special mention of Mr Coogan, who really created a character for Driscoll and ensured he was not comparable to any of his other more well known characters. I am certain there will be completely undeserved jibes at him but had we never seen him in anything else, I cannot see how anyone can rate his performance as anything but extremely authentic and truthful.

This is an extremely important series, exploring the loss of a child and the compassion that was lacking from one of the countries most important organisations. I would add it should be essential viewing for every school in London, along with its predecessor. It does shy not away from unveiling the raw impact of the fallout damage the case has caused for so many, especially Stephen's parents. This production is an outstanding achievement to everyone who worked on it. Highly recommended.

NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½ (2021)

An extremely well researched factual documentary, giving time to the voices of the people who were there!

[8/10 · 30 August 2021]

Okay - just going to state this from the off that I have no political bias here and it's clear that haters are just going to hate and try and put people off watching what is one of the most intimate, current and emotively poignant documentaries ever made about a city surviving a plethora of pain, but with a huge 'Butchers Bill' of loss that will be felt for years to come.

Spike Lee through a series of interviews with everyone from officials, to Doctors and Nurses and your average people on the street, gives an authentic vocal narrative to the people of New York City, over one of the most turbulent periods of its history.

I had this programme on in the background as I was working, but gradually I was so compelled by the authentic power of the stories of the real people who lived through the times of Covid and BLM, that I had to watch it all again.

What Lee captures here so viscerally, more important than anything else, is the HUMANITY of the people he interviews. The power of their stories, of friends and families losing loved ones in the pandemic, losing faith in their leaders, after the murder of George Ffloyd is a power piece of filmmaking that deserves to be seen and shows Lee at his best.

There is no conspiracy nonsense here, so don't listen to such comments, clearly made by people who haven't even seen the whole show. If anything Lee highlights the danger of this, by showing how such an attitude cost one person their life. He has, in this mini-series, captured one of the most important times in history through the voices of the people who were there, who saw and experienced everything they're talking about, first hand.

From firefighters, to cops, to actors to restaurant owners.

This is the sort of documentary politicians the world over should be watching. It's a power reminder of what can happen, when you forget the reason you were elected to power was actually to serve the needs of all people you govern, and protect all the people you serve.

Brilliant authentic film making.

Deceit (2021)

Completely bias and inaccurate

[1/10 · 29 August 2021]

Originally called My Name is Lizzie this drama focuses on the story of Sadie Brynes (Niam Algar, who is excellent) who is an undercover British female Police Officer, a social climber, seeking advancement in both career and personal relationships. Working undercover on a drugs ring the opening sequence proves she's prepared to do anything to get the job done, including willingly sleeping with a dealer. It's 1992 and it's not fun being a WPC in a male dominated Police Force. Yet despite the force being institutionally racist at the time, we're also led to believe, the applauded officer on her team is black. Unfortunately rather than focusing on the real issues of this terrible and tragic case, this version of the narrative feels like a box ticking exercise.

The focus of the story then becomes the real life murder of Rachel Nickell, brutally murdered on Wimbledon Common in 1992. I won't go into spoilers here beyond to say a honey trap is set with officer Brynes posing as the bait, overseen by the pompous self important psychologist Paul Britton (Eddie Marsan, excellent, as always but he doesn't really nail the real Brittons tone or arrogance and feels too remote) So Brynes poses as Lizzie and writes letters to suspect number one Colin Stagg.

Many Liberties are taken with the truth here. Brynes wandering into a confused nickell inquiry room is a complete fiction, she was not introduced in this way. Peddar says he called Britton in to the case, but that decision was taken by Bassett, his commanding officer. Not by Peddar. There's a great deal of tell don't show. Peddar with fag in hand (Treadway, completely miscast) is seen briefing the officer on what to do, but it was Britton who did that from the outset. There's much quoting of Stagg's fantasy letters, but rarely put into proper context of the letters which Britton wrote, that preceded these, constantly demanding him to speak of such fantasties. I understand this is to create a certain suspension of disbelief, but it fails to show how flawed the whole operation was in its inception from the beginning.

Above all, the greatest insult of this drama is that this is Colin Stagg's story. He was persecuted by not just the Police but Brynes herself, (not her real name, better known by her codename Lizzie James) who was prepared to do anything to nail him, not just to close the case, but also advance her own career. Many details here are left out to make the leading female more sympathetic. How can you mention Stagg's compensation payout at the end of the film, but not mention the one that Lizzie James received, which was the largest of it's type at the time and she got hers over a decade before Stagg got anything.

Brynes had several chances to turn around to say her bosses 'You know, I don't think this is the guy... even when it was obvious that he was not the killer...' She didn't. The show intimates that Brynes herself wrote the letters to Stagg, they were scripted by Britton, she merely copied them out. There is much suggestion of Brynes living alone in dark rooms, getting into character, where the truth is she was in a relationship and went home every night. There's a shot where Brynes see's Rachel's boyfriend Andre Hanscombe and son about to go into court to suggest some unspoken bond between them. This never happened and is a complete fiction. The recreation of the first phone call between Stagg and the officer, is so bias its purely to serve an agenda. The words are nearly correct, but the call was accidentally cut, the officer did not hang up, and Stagg's tone was nothing like as portrayed. Clips of this phone call are on various documentaries on this subject, Stagg was nothing like this. .

There was a chance to tell a real compelling story here, exploring the full issues of what went wrong with this case. Instead we have a women's issues drama where all men are evil, arrogant or incompetent, and it's not that such a narrative about a female officer isn't compelling and shouldn't be explored, but not at the expense of the truth. Stagg might not have made for so easy a hero, all the more reason to tell his story and this is his story.

Far More (2021)

Far More - superior recut of Sex, Death & Bowling - Family drama about relatable issues

[7/10 · 22 July 2021]

I will endeavour to make this review of more use, to those unfamiliar with this film or it's previous incarnation.

Far More is a simple, unobtrusive family drama which tells the story of successful gay fashion designer Sean McAllister (The often critically underrated Adrian Grenier) who travels back his rural hometown to visit his terminally ill brother Tim (Drew Powell) which forces him to re-live and come to terms with old conflicts from his past. These include his overbearing and unsympathetic Father, Dick, whose primary focus is to win the local bowling tournament (The always excellent Daniel Hugh Kelly) and a bully from his old High School days, whose son is following in his footsteps.

Sean's Nephew Eli (Joshua Rush) is always pestering his Grandpa to ask 'Why did Uncle Sean leave...' while trying to understand the moods and actions of the adults around him, as well as dealing with some issues of his own.

Circling around his dying brothers bedside are various friends and family members who come into conflict with one another. Old friends return to share good times, but find themselves unable to offer any real comfort or deal with the death facing their former teammate. The wife and the nurse disagree over how his brother should be treated - live a little longer but be drugged up the eyeballs on the time, or less drugs, more pain, but live more compos mentis in the moment. Sean very much observes these conflicts from afar as he prepares himself for his brothers imminent demise.

When his Father's bowling teammate is injured, the family name and tournament prize are at stake, which gives Sean a chance to connect with his nephew, reconcile with his Father and for a brief window, to be the son his Dad always envisaged. A brief oasis is found in the midst of a family tragedy with is all too short lived for all concerned.

I called Far More simple and unobtrusive at the beginning of this review. I will qualify that further by saying this is not a drama that seeks to ram a social agenda or message down the throat of the audience. These characters and stories will feel familiar because we have come across them. The small town conflicts that play out between family members and their friends and loved ones will feel familiar to anyone brought up in the small town rural environment of the USA.

As the story progresses it becomes apparent that Sean has unresolved issues that are trapped in his past, and in order to move forward with his present relationship back in New York, he must find a way to confront them in the present. Further light is shed on this narrative through a number of flashbacks to Sean's time at High School, where his brother was the popular athlete but always stood up for his younger brother, who was coming to terms with his homosexuality at the time and often a victim of bullying from his brothers teammates..

Much of the narrative in the present is viewed through the eyes of the Nephew, which I am told took more dominance in the older cut of the movie. It works far more effectively to have him as very much the silent observer rather than being the narrative voice over, much like The Wonder Years. This is primarily a story about a young man, Sean McAllister, coming to terms with the imminent loss of his older brother while finding a way to heal his own wounds through reconnecting with his distant Father.

Far More is the writing / directing debut of talented actress Ally Damian Walker and it's an extremely commendable debut with much to recommend it. The film was previously rush released under the title Sex, Death and Bowling and not to her satisfaction. Wisely, she was allowed to recut the film and it was then re-released it in its present form. Few directs get to tweak their work some six years later but I can assure you, it's something more directors often aspire to do. (Just ask George Lucas)

Far More, might be a small story, but it carries big emotional threads that weaves a dramatic tapestry of conflicts, to anyone who has dealt with the dramas that often come with a large and complex family dynamic. It's beautifully acted and directed and has a number of outstanding performances including an underplayed, but perfectly poised turn from Grenier as Sean, and superb cameos from the likes of Melora Walters (criminally underused here) Selma Blair, Richard Riehle, and Drea De Matteo. The younger cast in the flashback scenes to Sean's time in High School all give solid performances in their scenes.

If the film has a weak spot, then it's in the bowling subplot which while perfectly plausible is occasionally a distraction from some of the superbly underplayed family drama scenes. But it does provide a satisfactory way of tying the story elements together but could have done with an injection of more drama.

Far More is very much a slice of life story, I am certain many will find something relatable in a tale, where the town, setting and characters will feel familiar to all those who grew up in rural USA.

Dreaming Whilst Black (2018– )

Extremely well written, well observed comedy web-series. What a talent.

[8/10 · 27 April 2021]

First - just to be clear, this is a review for the webseries, not the TV pilot, which I've actually still yet to see.

Written and starring the talented Adjani Salmon and shot with a whole heap of love by the cast and crew, these series of vignettes tell the story of Kwabena, an aspiring Jamaican film maker, living in London. He tries every route he can to get into the business only to be told he needs more experience (been there buddy) while in his personal life he struggles to live up to the expectations of his family while navigating the stormy waters of tinder dating. (utterly hilarious episode) He joins one set as a runner, where everyone assumes he smokes weed and can't seem to walk down the street without being mistaken for a dealer. His uncle disapproves of his fashion look (an excellent Roderick Burrows, an actor who has always been criminally underused) while his friends around him embrace a more mainstream lifestyle of 9 to 5 and video games in the evening. Ultimately, he decides to do make a film himself but then a new love in his life starts to undermine his priorities.

Although some of the humour comes from clash of culture and themes around assumptions of cultural identity, the beauty of this show is that much of the narrative is universal and will appeal to a wide audience. Salmon plays the lead role beautifully, totally understated and what he may lack in experience, he certainly does not lack in talent (so I guess experience isn't always a prerequisite to the gift of storytelling and performance eh?) The show touches upon many issues and one which is a parody of the unfair class system in terms of getting ahead, is brilliantly done. I am sure the filmmakers must have seen the film 'Living in Oblivion' for the nods and anyone who has worked on a low budget set, as a runner or had to do their own crowdfunding campaign for their movie, will find many a laugh to be had here.

Dani Mosely must get a special mention for her performance as Amy, in the role of long suffering 'Okay, I'll be the producer on your film and best friend' part. She does the Amy look of evil, so well and I'm glad to see she was also cast in the BBC pilot which has just been commissioned from.

This is one of the most earnest and honest pieces of filmmaking I have seen in a long time. Salmon is an outstanding talent and I am certain he will be holding a bafta in his hands within his lifetime. Recommended.

13 Seconds in Kent State (2021– )

Impressive for a web-series - telling a story of the media captured George Floyd moment of the 1970s

[9/10 · 26 April 2021]

Even if you haven't heard of the events Kent State May 4th, 1970, you probably have seen the iconic photograph of Mary Veechio screaming over the corpse of student Jeff Miller. In the spring of 1970, protests were gaining momentum across the United States, against the countries involvement in the Vietnam War. In late April of that year President Nixon ordered the bombing of Cambodia, which led to a string of student protests across the American University campuses throughout the USA. At Kent State University, the National Guard are called in to quell campus unrest over the weekend, arriving on the Saturday night. On the Monday when the full body of students return to campus from the weekend break, they find themselves under military occupation. A rally is called to protest at the presence of the guard later that day and while only a couple of hundred attend, hundreds more are watching the events unfold as they walk between classes. During an attempt to disperse the students, one section of the Guard suddenly opens fire and kills 4 students, (including two just walking to class) and wounding nine others. It would become one of the most iconic and darkest moments in American history.

Five years later the friends and families of the injured the deceased would attempt to get justice in an American courtroom.

During the lockdown of 2020 a group of actors from both America and the UK, brought to life an older screenplay from British writer Lance Nielsen, which covered events of the civil trial which followed the shootings in 1975, five years later. Performed live online and split into five parts, the story follows New York lawyer Joseph Kelner (Michael Lipman) who leads a group of lawyers, the families of the dead and injured against The Governor Ohio (Paul Carr) and a seemingly corrupt legal system led by Judge Young (Kenny O'Connor) which connives to thwart them at every turn. A whole plethora of actors play those who were there on the day, as well as those who are seeking to prosecute or defend them. Uber talent and indy film supporter Jason Flemyng even appears in the final episode. Stand out performances come from the four actors who narrate us through the story. Nadia Lamin (Allison Krause) Tom Patrick Coley (Jeff Miller) Amy Ginsburg (Sandra Scheuer) and Luke Hobson (Bill Schroeder) play the roles of the four students who died that day with emotional depth and passion in their performances. They guide us through each episode, in almost an ethereal state, looking on from afar as those they love endure abuse and anguish at the hands of those fired that day or were complicit in the cover up of the crime. Josie Ayres (Elaine Holstein) is especially affecting as the Mother of Jeff Miller, and some iffy accents aside, the rest of the cast all play their roles with conviction.

For a live online drama with practically a zero budget conceived by nothing more than passion and determination, this drama, with its limitations, really shouldn't work but it does, largely thanks to a well paced script and very committed performances from the cast of some forty actors. As the story draws you in, one soon forgets the limitations of 'background only sets' and the shocking facts of what went on in a US courtroom, make the drama compelling viewing.

The modern parallels with this story are many, not least of which is, this is a story of people murdered by those in uniform whose role should have been to protect them. It asks the question - when is humanity going to change it's narrative?

Much like its predecessor, 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' - 13 Seconds in Kent State covers a very important forgotten and shameful moment in history, which should no longer be tucked away. John Filo's photograph that captured the execution of a young man for doing nothing more than exercising his right to protest, was the George Floyd moment of the 1970s. This trial and all the drama that went with it, is extremely well explored in this, albeit limited, means of narrative. This might be effectively a radio play, performed live by one company of actors, covering all the roles, with a few extra bells and whistles but this only makes it all the more commendable and worthy of your time, especially if you have more than a passing interest in the period or the subject. Recommended.

Wendy Williams: The Movie (2021 TV Movie)

A tough one - but there's a reason I've rated this as a 7

[7/10 · 4 February 2021]

Okay, so to be clear from the outset, I am not someone overly familiar with the career of Wendy Williams nor know her story outside of her show and I've only seen a few clips of that because my better half is a huge fan.

So I am coming at this from a place of impartiality and really new nothing about this woman, I didn't even know she had fainted once on a show. Now I am always interested in a good biopic, especially a raw and honest one. I'm also aware of some of the other work of some of the cast, so I was curious to see how they did with their roles, so needless to say, my interest was piqued.

You probably don't need me to outline the story, but I do a short synopsis in every review I do, so I won't break that habit now.

After a short opening set in the present we flashback to the childhood of Ms Williams, where it would appear she was brought up in fairly middle class surroundings but had a Mother (played by Lisa Huget - excellent, give her more work please!) who didn't quite know where to direct all her daughters energy and an envious older sister, of whom we find out very little. (But this is Wendy's story, so that's okay) A few conflicts aside she appears to have come from a fairly loving and stable home compared to many. Adult Wendy's interest in the 80s music scene soon leads to her pursuing a career at a radio station, then as a DJ, then as a controversial talk show host. Soon she's dishing dirt on the careers of music impresarios left and right and making as many enemies as friends. She also develops a bad habit for two things which would remain fairly consistent through her life. Cocaine and Bad Boys, both of which would cause her various states of distress at different times. She's raped by a star after doing drugs in his hotel suite and ends up in relationships which ultimately become abusive and controlling. Her longterm boyfriend Kevin Hunter (Played with superb nuance by Morocco Omari who some will know from the show Empire) ultimately ends up becoming her greatest adversary and her break from him, her ultimate victory. The film charts the various highs and lows and doesn't pull any punches about Wendy's flaws of which she has many, culminating from a word from the actual lady herself.

Okay. So did I find this engaging, as someone with little interest in the subject matter? Absolutely. But the primary reason for this was because of the performance of the lead CIERA PEYTON, she was absolutely outstanding. For any actor a role like this is not only a poisoned chalice but extremely challenging, if you imitate a person too closely and you risk effectively just doing an impersonation (How many times have we seen someone do a bad Borat?) but stretch too far from the persona of the subject and you risk losing their essence and thus credibility. Ms Peyton pitched her performance perfectly, not only did she capture the energy of Wendy, but you felt at all times like you were watching the real person and that is no small achievement. She made the show eminently watchable. Wardrobe and hair, first rate job too, she looked and sounded every bit the part.

So why are people being hard on this movie? I think this is why - The story of Wendy's life is told in super fast rollercoaster fashion in a film which really felt like it should have been a two parter and it does so with LOTS AND I MEAN LOTS, OF VOICEOVER!!! (Thankfully with the voice of the actress playing Wendy, more on her in a moment) overuse of this technique was off putting and unfortunately this was the shows biggest flaw. I mean we really don't need a voiceover explaining what the AIDS crisis was, when we've seen Wendy reading a pamphlet on the subject and is in a clinic with a massive aids poster on the wall. You really don't need to spell out every scene for us in this way - give your audience and your lead actor credit. We can follow the story and the constant voice over was often unnecessary and at times very distracting and reduced the impact of emotional scenes. We kept being told about things we had just seen or were about to see - just let us see the drama play on screen. I get it, there was loads to include and the writing had a sense of panic about it. 'I must comment on this...' but the drama was all there. I'd actually love to watch the film again with no voice over at all and just a few titles to show change of time and place and really let the performance of Ms Peyton breathe because she really does deserve all the credit she gets for her performance.

It's hard to watch this and not feel empathy for Wendy's story, by the end of it I honestly just wanted to hug the woman and tell she is loved by many and that this in any life, of itself, is no small achievement. She's someone who has obviously endured a great deal and I suspect this movie will be a cathartic experience for her and I sincerely hope it gives her a greater sense of peace and closure on those doors from her past which really do need to stay shut. I can't say how one sided this version is and obviously it cannot be without some bias, but its too the films credit that Wendy's ex, Kevin, though portrayed as flawed, was also shown to have a deeply caring side and was more complex in his failings than most portrayals of this type in similar films and again, that is also down to the acting. Because the film did not fall into that trap, that is another reason why I had to give it credit. Without that and Ms Peytons performance it would have got a 5 due to the issues I have mentioned but its strengths go a long way to redeeming these. If you're a Wendy fan, she's putting it all out there on line for you to see, and no doubt you will enjoy a greater insight into her journey which has been anything but boring. In the same context, neither was the movie and I sincerely wish her well. If you're not a fan, its still worth seeing for some damn good acting from the lead. I've been generous with my rating but the stars were definitely earned.

It's a Sin (2021)

A compelling and first rate drama - just wish we'd had it sooner.

[9/10 · 1 February 2021]

It's A Sin works equally well as both a drama and a historical document as to what those times were really like for so many people. Davies has shown great skill to juggle so many elements and social narrative of the period so accurately.

Set over five episodes and covering a period of time from 1981 to the early 1990s, the story follows the lives of six friends, all of whom converge in London seeking a better life and sexual acceptance among their peers. No sooner has the latter been found they find their times of social frivolities and partying rudely interrupted by a mysterious illness that at first seems to be just a rumour but is all too soon making its way uninvited into their ranks. Until ultimately it can no longer be ignored. The cast of largely unknown actors throw themselves into their roles with great enthusiasm and while some are more annoying that others, they all feel believable and perhaps more importantly, like someone we know, or, who we knew once who is no longer with us. There's Richie (Olly Alexander) the inspiring thespian, who doesn't want his hedonistic approach to life changed by the virus, Roscoe (Omari Douglas) recent runaway from an overbearing Nigerian christian family who would sooner see him beaten to death at home than embrace their son as a homosexual. Jill (Lydia Baxter) is the obligatory fag hag of the group and Baxter is great in the part, but we ultimately find out very little about her and her character outside of her interactions with the group. She ultimately represents all the straight friends who stood by the held the hand of many a dying gay man in their final hours and perhaps, that is all we need to know about her. Shy suit wearing Colin, (A superb debut from actor Callum Scott Howells) a trainee tailor, is the most sensible and least adventurous of the group which makes what happens to him, all the more poignant. Ash (Nathaniel Curtis) and bus attendant Gregory (David Carlyle) make up the rest of the entourage, and are the more thinly drawn of the troupe but the actors do very well to make their mark with their scenes. The range of characters might seem stereo typical to some but they will seem all too familiar, I am sure.

A number of other characters rotate around the fringes of this group, and special mention must be made of Neil Patrick Harris, playing a Brit no less, with a flawless accent and performance, who befriends Colin and introduces him to the wider Gay Community in London.

As the story unfolds, the unseen virus becomes ever more present upon the lives of this social circle. Soon people begin to disappear. Slowly at first, while everyone pretends it isn't happening or going to effect them until ultimately it hits closer to home and everyone is forced to deal with the plague affecting their community. Davies skillfully intertwined these stories with a number of powerful truths that were so pervasive at the time. He's not slow to point out the initial ineffectual indifference from within the gay community itself 'We don't want those leaflets in here!' cries one character as an activist desperately tries to warn his own community of the impending danger. The NHS is shown both at its early worst and best in the latter stages of the epidemic, with harrowing scenes of those abandoned and left to die in old hospital wings with cold meals left unserved by the door, contrasted with the specialist wards that came later and did such great work with the sick and the dying.

Outside of the community Davies has weaved a clever tapestry which skillfully includes many of the typical characters, those who survived the plague will have met on their journey - from the parents who were loving, to those who refused to admit their sons were gay. From those who whisked them away from the arms of their friends, to those who found love and companionship in the friends and lovers of their dying sons and brothers. The scenes of difficult funerals, indifference and confrontations with local health authourities are all in here and Davies does well to pack so many familiar moments into the five episode running time.

The show is not without its weaknesses, it captures the peroid reasonably well through the music and production design, but fails to capture the real sense of the gay London of the 1980s and early 1990s. The feel of those unique venues and tunes of long gone institutions are not really captured here, with Manchester obviously doubling in for London (shot of Houses of Parliament aside) and Wales for the Isle of White. There's also a strange absence of drugs from the era, perhaps it was felt that being so prominent on QAF, they were not needed here but in the 1980s Gay London, cocaine was everywhere and by 1989 you were as likely to know someone from the Soho gay elite who had died on the Marchioness disaster as you were someone who was HIV positive. But this is a journey seen through the eyes of the young, searching for their place in a culture which was slowly intruding its way into the public consciousness, looking, like the characters themselves, for acceptance from both their own community and the world at large.

Davies cleverly makes a clear statement about the hypocritical nature of Thatchers own ministers, a cabinet which was riddled with indifference towards the epidemic all the while commiting sins of their own. It's not spoiler to say that not everyone makes it to the end and Davies makes a point with one character who escapes unscathed to state, you could have one partner or many, sometimes it was just down to luck who was afflicted. The biggest praise must go to the cast here, of the leads there isn't a weak link among the lot. You might care about some characters more than others but they all feel real and only the most inhuman of people's would find themselves devoid of emotion when any of them depart. Keeley Hawes and Shaun Dooley act their socks off as parents completely unequipped to handle the diagnosis of their son, nor support him in the way he so desperately needs.

It's such a shame this drama wasn't made a long time ago. It could have gone a long way to addressing issues of stigma that were so prominent in those difficult and trying times. But getting anything made these days is a real struggle and it's to the credit that the show manages to encompass so much in a relative short running time. There were many heroes from that time whose stories have been forgotten. It's good to see them live again, even if it's hard to watch them go. But as one character said 'I had such a good time' - Highly recommended. Summary: A powerful, well acted drama, which would have been even more impact had it been released 25 years ago

American Skin (2019)

Worth your time. Puzzled by the low ratings.

[8/10 · 16 January 2021]

A Marine veteran (Nate Parker) working as a school janitor tries to mend his relationship with his son after a divorce. When his son is killed by a police officer (Beau Knapp) during a traffic a stop, who is then found innocent without standing trial, he takes matters into his own hands. Teaming up with a group of friends, he storms the Police Station where the officer works, takes the occupants hostage and conducts a trial of his own.

I tend to take time to review two types of films on IMDB, small independent well-made films, which need support and films of any size or budget that deserve better praise than their getting. American Skin has an extremely talented team behind it. Nate Parker writes, stars and directs this story, which explores the very current and immediate question of the relationship between the Police and the African-American on the street. In the wake of George Ffloyd never has this topic been more important at a time when America has never been more divided since the Civil War. I can't help but feel that there has been a concerted effort by certain parties to give this film a low rating because of the issues it confronts. I pride myself on being impartial on my reviews and will do so again here.

American Skin comes across more like a stage play and I don't know the history of the script but I personally would have loved to have seen this movie on the stage, as it has that kind of energy and setting. Once the opening act is out the way, the rest of the story is essentially set in the Police station as the impromptu jury argue out the merits of the case (this scene felt too short to me) and the hostages argue out the issues with their captors. This many big statements from one side then the other, thus at times the script can feel a little preachy and expositional BUT and it's a big but any film that tackles this deep wound in America's social narrative is almost certainly going to come across that way at times. To dismiss this piece of work is to dismiss the issues it seeks to explore and if starts conversations, no matter how small, about this issue, then it should be commended for that alone. Parker has assembled an extremely talented ensemble cast of both well known actors and some relative unknowns in the ranks here and there isn't a weak performance among the lot. Perhaps one of the issues with the movie however is in the first 15 minutes of the film, you think this is going to be a film where everything is seen via CCTV and cell phones and then it changes tack a few times, which can leave the viewer discombobulated at the beginning as to the tone and style of the film, but persevere because it's worth your time.

Parker handles the entire process well and coming from someone who knows how hard it is to wear multiple hats, he's done an extremely good job here. The pacing of the film is extremely tight and the story greatly compacted in the short running time. I personally would love to see this on a theatre stage, with a slightly longer script as the merits of the argument are played out between the characters. I felt we could have been more but I suspect Parker was very conscious of the fact that he didn't want the film to come across as to 'talking heads' - Again I must praise the acting here. Parker himself always commands the screen in any role but his co-stars here are all first rate. Beau Knapp who plays the officer responsible for his sons death manages to inject some empathy into what could have easily been a two dimensional character and its nice to see Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy) in a very different role (Give him a lead part someone, he can handle it)! Some special mentions must go to Shane Paul McGhie and Milauna Jackson who are both outstanding and perhaps a little underused. I know they both have fantastic careers ahead of them.

In the times we currently live in I am all too aware, just from conversations I have with my American friends just how savagely divided a nation your country is right now, as if George Ffloyd wasn't enough, the world only had to look at the events of January to be reminded of that. I have no doubt many of us are asking ourselves this question - 'What can I do, in my role, as a member of the human race, to make this planet a better place? How can I contribute towards improving the social narrative in my community? How can I effect change?' - Maybe this film was Parkers contribution when he asked himself that question. THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT A 4.4 movie and even if I didn't agree with Parkers views on this topic, I certainly wouldn't rubbish his efforts for trying to effect change. Recommended.

The Stand (2020–2021)

Sorry this is just a mess - seriously who thought changing the running order was such a great idea

[3/10 · 21 December 2020]

This new adaptation of The Stand was something I was really looking forward to but I haven't been let down this badly since the last season of Game of Thrones.

Something went seriously wrong with this production and whoever greenlight the badly misjudged decision to mess about with the running order of the story, should seriously be fired from their job. It just doesn't work and just because it's a cool trend right now, doesn't mean you should try be like bloody West World. I mean who decided this? Have you even read the book? Do you understand how storytelling works? Stop embracing a trend which kills all tension and eliminates any chance of character development or emotional connections with your viewing audience.

Now look, off the bat, I enjoyed the ABC 1994 version, it was a decent adaptation for the time, a bit cheesy sure, but it was fun and had good casting with characters who had solid arcs and it was enjoyable and at least watchable, but it was, as others have rightly said, very much of its time in terms of tone, style and content. A more up to date remake was most welcome, even timely considering the subject matter.

The plot follows various American characters as an unknown virus wipes out 95% of the human race while the remaining others are immune. The survivors gravitate towards two opposing forces - one side led by Mother Abigail (the force of good and cool hair) or Randall Flag (The force of bad, but with more drugs and swingers parties taken to eleven) and eventually things are set for a showdown between them. Good vs Evil, lots of religious symbolism, none of which I have an issue with. Mixed in with this are the lives of various characters on both sides of the equation some of whom cross from one side to the other.

This new non linear approach to the story is a classic example of: if it isn't broke don't try and fix it. None of the changes that deviate from the narrative of the book work here and the casting all feels off for some reason. Listen there's some good actors in this thing, but the tone, pace and story all fail because of the disjointed narrative and the constant jumping around of timelines destroys any chance of you becoming really invested in any of them. Some of the most important progression dramatic beats and character arcs are completely lost here and it just doesn't work, at all, on any level. So many roles feel so miscast and the actors performances don't really gel nor have any emotive impact because we don't feel nor see a sense of progression. One moment we're in the past, then present, then the future, then back somewhere else, by which time I was wishing for Gary Sinse and Rob Lowe to turn up from the original.

The production design feels off too. Yeah dream sequences, can feel weird and out of place, but some of the actual scenes do too. Either one person was given too much power on this show and no one thought to rein them in or it was the extremely opposite and it was too many cooks or pulling the narrative and design all over the place. the entire production lacks a cohesive vision. I mean you can literally hear the Producer meetings 'Oh we should do this with the timeline, it worked so well in that other show... people will love it." Well I've got news for you. Stephen King has been around a long long time, and his fanbase were brought up on productions like Salems Lot and Christine, which followed traditional storytelling modus operandi and you know what - it worked.

This doesn't. What a colossal waste of talent. There's some good performances here but I honestly will not be tuning in for the future episodes, you lost me on episode three. Massively disappointing.

Muscle (2019)

A visceral disturbing and all too truthful film

[8/10 · 5 December 2020]

Word of mouth on this had me waiting with anticipation to catch this film and seeing the likes of Fairbrass and Burroughs, two actors whose work I follow, were in it, even more so. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed.

In case you've missed the one sheet MUSCLE is the next film from force of nature director Gerard Johnson, who isn't afraid to tackle subjects of the masculine stereotype and turn them firmly on their head. For the first twenty minutes or so we follow the life of average joe, Simon (Cavan Clerkin giving a superb performance) a man who works in sales and hates his job, shares a house with his girlfriend where the spark of romance, let alone any love, is long since dead. Simon's idea of rekindling their fires is to offer to order a Chinese takeaway, where as the reality is she can no longer stand the sight of him. Feeling unconfident about his body, and wanting to improve his confidence at work Simon opts to join the local gym, where supposed regular trainer Terry (Craig Fairbrass) sees him struggling and offers to take him under his wing. Initially unsure, Simon agrees and is soon improving his health and beefing up but it's too late to placate his girlfriend who leaves him, but as luck would have it Terry needs a place to stay and is soon spicing up his life with sex parties and lines of charlie as thick as tampons but that's just the start of Simon's problems.

Shot in black and white and with its slow brooding pace in the first half, Muscle may well on the surface, not appeal at first, but it truly is a film worth enduring, because the longer you watch it, the more compelling it becomes and you soon find yourself sharing Simon's loss of control. (The no holes barred sex party sequence is certainly not one to watch with your Mum, a cup of tea and a hobnob) Here the stark but beautiful photography by Stuart Bentley serves the narrative well, giving the film a dark and brooding tone as we snatch glimpses of the unwelcoming industrial landscape that coats the fringes of Newcastle city. Simon's entire life feels like somewhere you wouldn't want to but the film feels as though it could be set in a city anywhere that you know. No shots of the iconic bridge to be seen here, just bleak industrial smoke stacks and bleak run down streets.

The characters that inhabit this world which I've personally had one foot in myself, I can assure you, are all too real and Lorraine Burroughs is almost completely unrecognisable as Crystal, the real power behind Terry's fear earned throne. This character was all too familiar to me and Burroughs nailed her completely. But it is Craig Fairbrass who is the power house engine that propels the narrative of this movie. He's more terrifying here than in any other role. While the character of Terry may, in some respects feel familiar to some of his more well known roles, here Fairbrass plays the insecure man with a deep level of complexity not previously seen before. At one point you nearly feel sorry for him, unable to connect or trust people and rejected by those he loves, only to learn that he too is under a spell of his own. The film is worth watching for the performances of the leads alone. The only thing that let it down for me was the Police station scene where Simon finally goes to make his complaint. The scene with the officer felt out of touch with the modern world and It just wouldn't have been handled as portrayed because of new regulations to handle such a complaint. I found that took me out of the reality of this world a little bit but fortunately the temptation to take this thread further was resisted. As others have said the ending was perhaps a little unsatisfying, but always leave people wanting more eh? If they make a sequel, I will certainly be there to watch it. Recommended.

I May Destroy You (2020)

It took me a long time to find the courage to review this title - this is why

[9/10 · 5 November 2020]

There's a small list of films and television shows that have profoundly affected me either because they have created an awareness on a subject I was previously completed misinformed on (Hillsborough) or have impacted me so deeply I became an activist (And the Band Played On) while others have just connected with me on an emotional level for more personal reasons and in the case of IMDY, it was certainly the latter and partly about timing.

I May Destroy You follows the life of London blogger Arabella (Cole) propelled to sudden fame by a hit best seller, she's trying to find something relevant to say for the difficult second album. While trying to live up the expectations of both her agent & publicist, who are trying to define her image for her, rather than her organically discovering it on her own. As she struggles to focus on work she finds herself dealing with a sea of overwhelming emotions after a night out that she only remembers through nightmarish flashbacks, which leads to her recollecting images of a serious sexual assault. These events cause her life to slowly unravel as she tries to discover what happened on that fateful night but neglects her own friends issues in the process, often with dire consequences.

If Cole had focused on Arabella alone, it might have been hard for the audience to stay with her on this journey, but equal perspective is given to best friends Terry and Kwame (Opia & Essiedu both SUPERB) whose lives are impacted by some of Arabella's poorer choices, but may themselves have also played their part in the circumstances which led to Arabella being sexually assaulted. There's no good guys or bad guys in this show, only people, real characters, defined by their actions.

Just when the show starts to feel in comfortable territory MC will throw a hand grenade into an already complex subject and the issue of sexual consent is something which is under constant examination throughout the show and rarely has it been tackled as well, nor honestly, as it has here. Frequent flashbacks to Arabella school years give the present narrative some clever twists and unique contexts, especially to old school mate Theodora (Webb, just excellent) who now runs a support group for victims of assault, someone who is probably the most ill suited person on the planet to do so.

I am sure I still would have thought as highly of this show, as I do, had I not been the victim of a serious sexual assault during its broadcast, something which, for someone of my age, was not only extremely difficult to deal with, as it was to discuss with even my closest friends. This show became my support group. This show helped me on the road to healing from that awful experience and for that Ms Cole, I truly hope, one day, I get to thank you in person. Who would have thought it would serve such a role in my life.

There is so much more I could say about this show and while its not flawless and there were a couple of moments (walking into the sea in Italy) which risked borderline on the ridicule and felt like I was suddenly in a different show, fortunately these were few and the its positives far outweighed those moments.

Michaela Cole is an actress I have been aware of before even Chewing Gum, as I had my Casting Director offer her a role in a small indy we were involved with (Which she gratefully declined as CG was happening at the time) but I always remembered her, due to the uncanny similar energy and physical presence she had to someone I knew once whom sadly is no longer with us. Thus I followed her work with interest.

MC is one of those few individuals that once in a while comes along and rocks the industry to its core, refusing to be bullied by its worn mechanisms nor defined into purely ticking a diversity a box. She has a remarkable grasp on not only her own culture, but how it fits in the narrative of modern society and has defined her own struggles. Yet it is to her credit that she finds completely unique ways to explore the subjects she tackles with a unique narrative tapestry that is both relatable and obtainable to its audience. Her work has a vein of reality which gives a truthful voice to subjects that are difficult to digest, yet refuses, like real life, to give us easy and simple answers. Avoiding cliches of portraying Arabella as simply a victim nor labelling characters who behave reprehensibly, as black and white villains. These insights are invaluable in not only engaging the audience but starting conversations about the issues she chooses to explore and few writers and directors can make this claim about their work.

She is quite simply, one of the most exciting talents the UK has ever produced and long may this continue. Needless to say, I highly recommend this show, you might not like everything you see, but that, is often the reality of life, is it not?

Hosts (2020)

An indy Horror film made with more heart & skill than many of the majors

[7/10 · 7 October 2020]

It's Welcome to Dinner meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers with new British Indy horror Hosts and this film deserves your time - Young Couple Jack (Neal Ward) & Lauren (Nadia Lamin) are looking forward to sharing their Christmas Dinner with their local friendly neighbours, the family who live close by, consisting of Mum and Dad (Frank Jakeman & Jennifer Preston) Sons Eric & Ben (Lee Hunter & Buddy Skelton) and daughter Cassie (Samantha Loxley) but when some strange lights are seen in the couples garden and Mum has some heavy news to break to the family, you just know things are going to go from Turkey to Tits Up in a matter of a heartbeat over the Yorkshire Pudding.

I won't say any more about the story itself, as we don't want to get into spoilers here.

HOSTS began its life as an on-line Crowd Funding Campaign, via the Youtube channel of its creators, and while it might not be the next Saw of the Horror Genre (Nor should it need to be) it's an extremely well made, tightly directed, film with a number of well thought out camera shots and clever design concepts.

Any indy film without exception always has a more challenging road from script to screen than most and the team behind this movie put it out on line for all to see, so you could follow their journey from day one. While films must always be ultimately reviewed on the final result on the screen (because ultimately that's all your viewing audience cares about) the team of Oakes and Leader are among a small number of the new generation of film-makers, to have made their journey of getting this film out there so transparent. So even if I hated the film, which I didn't, I still wouldn't be dishing out some bell end of a one star review.

HOSTS, yes, was made on a tiny budget, (I think it was 20k?) and is shot around incredible limitations, but the fact that up and coming talents and entertaining comedy duo Leader & Oakes (Check out their amusing and informative channel Dark Fable Media on Youtube) have been able to deliver with a film this polished is a testament to their creativity, passion, drive and skill behind the camera. Few would dare to try such an enterprise with so few resources and such a punishing and extremely short shooting window, let alone those who thoughtlessly would see fit to dismissively give this film a one day star review. (Doing so makes those reviews have absolutely no value and they should be ignored and only underscores the fact that these reviewers have no concept of what makes the genre of horror great in the first place.)

I'm not going to shower the film with endless false praise because it's not a movie without some issues. While occasionally the lack of an adequate budget betrays itself and some moments of the story do jar briefly, the many strengths of the film allow these, for the most part, to be overlooked.The acting is a mixed bag, but all the roles are competently played, with some notable stand out performances (Especially from Samantha Loxley & Buddy Skelton) But from the creepy opening, you know this film will be a little bit different and deliver in the right boxes for it's well worn genre. It's not a film for the faint hearted and probably not one to have on during Christmas Dinner either and what you make of the ending, will depend on how you like to digest your entertainment at the end of your meal.

Oakes and Leader are both self taught at their trade and you can see their numerous informative videos regarding film making on their channel, and they have put everything they've learned to good use here. As a first outing, this product is impressive and they should, quite rightly, be proud and pleased with the result and its well deserving of distribution the film had been searching for. .

Overall, this is a solid indy film, made by a duo of determined and extremely talented filmmakers, who instead of procrastinating from the sofa, got up and made their first feature, allowed us to follow their journey and produced a very worthy product. It would appear many horror critics agree with my assessment, so fans of the genre, check out this film out and STUDIOS, give these guys a shot at something with the proper financial support they deserve. For even the smallest but decent budget I am certain they will deliver an absolute corker for the normally difficult second album. Recommended.