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Reviews
And Then There Were None (2015)
Try this 'other' Christie novel
The previous reviewer made some very fair points - essentially commenting on the fact that all the best Marple/Poirot books have been filmed ad infinitum. 'Death Comes as the End' ought to be filmed, because it is as tricky a Christie as ever she wrote. It supplies everything the previous reviewer wanted - No Miss Marple; no Hercule Poirot and it is a classic Agatha Christie whodunit - set in ancient Egypt. This, I believe was the only time Christie set any of her novels outside the 20th century. I believe her second husband Sir Max Mallowan (a well respected British archaeologist) used to take Christie on his Egyptian digs and (that) this ended up being the theme of the book. As I said at the outset, no Poirot/no Marple, but it as good a Christie novel as you are ever going to get.
The X Files (1993)
Superb!!
I was inclined to agree with one or two of the tepid comments about the first episode - where various reviewers suggested Mulder and Scully seemed: 'asleep at the wheel' The X Files were though, always meant to be a slow burn and I think it was very fair of Chris Carter to bring potential new viewers 'into the picture' (let's face it, it IS fourteen years or so since The X Files closed shop) with Mulder's monologue in Episode One.
Sit back quietly; watch Episode One and it will surely GRAB YOU so that it is impossible not to NEED to see what happens next. Episode Two is a killer - it gets you by the neck and doesn't let go. You are inevitably HOOKED and (a) can't wait for Episode Three and (b) experience the dread of what is to come after Episode Six. (THERE HAS TO BE A SERIES 11)
Mulder and Scully have aged gracefully over these best forgotten fourteen years. They are relevant; on the mark and still perfect in The X Files. Long may they reign. (American television just does not get better than this, in terms of bringing back to life one of its best series ever.)
Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door (2015)
Perfection
Peter Allen. I remember him from HK when I lived there - the HK Hilton being one of the preferred ex-pat drinking grounds at the time. Latterly, I have seen and loved Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz and have been quietly wishing for a filmed portrayal of the life of Australia's greatest song writer. Thanks now to Network Seven, here it is and this intimate and hugely personal mini-series is pretty much perfect. It is riveting from beginning to end and God willing, it deserves to clean up at our next Logie awards ceremony.
Much has already been written about the superb performances of Joel Jackson (Peter); Sigrid Thornton (Judy); Rebecca Gibney (Mum) and Ky Baldwin (who was simply AMAZING as young Peter) and to that, I would like to add the wonderfully understated Nick Farnell (Dad) in a role that no actor wants to play in 2015, given Australia's abhorrence of domestic violence.
In other words, all the actors (leading and supporting) were brilliant. It can not have been easy for Jackson and Thornton to pretty much 'nail' the vocal and physical nuances of Peter and Judy; in truth, if they had not managed to get this right, the film was going nowhere.........but they did and the result was a triumph. The only real life visual evidence of Mum was on Peter's 'This is your Life' and clearly, Gibney came across as a much more attractive lady. That said, I would say that she was the rock upon which the film stands. She was your perfect mother of the time.
I do not believe there is any need for me to re-tell the Peter Allen story, save to say (and to reiterate) what several other competent reviewers have already said......that the director/producers have gone to very great lengths to get all the elements of him and his life properly researched. The subtle reflections of country NSW in the 50's/60's are matchlessly put together and this great team of actors makes the resulting pastiche of the first 40 minutes or so (and what Australia was like, way back then) utterly believable.
It was a perfect beginning and without wishing to give anything away, it made for a perfect ending to a marvelous film.
When Peter left Australia of course and whilst still 'one of us', he was, then, in reality loved (and owned) by the entire world. His songs have stood the test of time and will go on giving pleasure for ever. If it weren't for Peter, Hugh Jackman would never have won a Tony for The Boy from Oz. Warts and all, Peter Allen was a consummate Aussie entertainer and this film shines the necessary light on what was a truly remarkable career. IT IS NOT TO BE MISSED.
I can remember very well, flying into Sydney in the 80's/90's and after we had landed, hearing Peter Allen singing 'I Still Call Australia Home' throughout the cabin. And what about 'that Qantas commercial' for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with those hundreds of white shirted kids singing it at Uluru and then around the world?! That truly Aussie commercial still brings tears to my eyes and I am man enough to say that this superb film did exactly the same. Watch it all in one go (and edit the ads if you can). I guarantee you'll be swept away and though there are some undoubted elements that might have been better handled, the overall effect is one that any Aussie and anyone else watching from overseas will love and remember for a very long time.