southdavid Reviews

The Steel Bayonet (1957)

Real Steel

[7/10 · 29 May 2024]

Another film watched for The House of Hammer" podcast, "The Steel Bayonet" sees Hammer still flicking between low budget black and white films and full colour expensive affairs like "The Curse of Frankenstein". Despite being one of the former, I quite enjoyed "The Steel Bayonet" and thought it prime for a remake. I should also say that there are two versions of the film on Youtube at the moment. I'd suggest that, if possible, you should watch the colourised version. (Normally I hate those, but the overall quality of both the visual print and audio track are far superior).

Towards the end of the North African campaign of World War 2, a depleted force, led by Major Alan Gerrard (Leo Genn) is tasked with securing and defending a small farmstead. The farm is of key strategic importance as Military intelligence believes that the Germans are massing a larger army to lead a counterattack. From the farms water tower, Artillery Captain Mead (Kieron Moore) can call in strikes on the advancing Afrika Korps, but they eventually become aware of his position.

I thought that this was a really good war film, betrayed slightly by its filming location being somewhere in rural England and certainly not the North African desert. The main performances are really good, though on the version I watched it was unfortunate that the poor stock meant I couldn't tell a lot of the soldiers apart, so when they began to die it didn't mean as much to me as it might have. (I had no idea Michael Caine was in it until I read the Wikipedia page). It's a good story though, of heroism and sacrifice, and is perhaps surprisingly critical of the war office, given how soon after the conflict the film was made.

It's the first of these Hammer films that I've thought was crying out for a remake. A more genuine filming location and a little more realism in the dying acting is all that's required. As it was though it was a nice surprise and one of the few I'd actively recommend.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023)

Bass Hunter

[7/10 · 29 May 2024]

I've been watching "Yellowstone" and its historical spinoffs over the last few years and whilst, no longer technically taking place in the same universe (whatever that means in an historical old west context) I, of course, settled in to watch "Lawman: Bass Reeves" too.

Having escaped from his 'owner', Confederate Colonel George Reeves (Shea Whigham), Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) eventually establishes a life for himself and his family on a struggling farm. He meets a Deputy US Marshal, Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) who he assists on the capture of a criminal. Seeing an aptitude for it, he becomes a Deputy himself, earning quite a reputation for bringing people to justice. Though it's not directly his responsibility, he comes to wonder if justice delivered here is truly that, particularly for African Americans.

Despite not being in the world, tonally the show is pretty similar to the rest of "Yellowstone". It's a grim story of violence, threats and retribution with little in the way of humour. Taylor Sheridan can still pull in a good cast though, including smaller but key roles for Quaid, Barry Pepper, Donald Sutherland, Paula Malcomson and Dale Dickey. The second strand of the story is the home life that Reeves leaves behind. His wife is played by Lauren Banks who clashes with their eldest daughter, played by Demi Singleton, about the relative safety Reeves position gives them, so soon after emancipation.

I will say that perhaps the show includes a bit too much of the home life, especially as, assuming this is the end of the series as is, it doesn't really go anywhere. The subplot to that subplot, involving Grantham Coleman as a man with a vision of black sovereignty in the future also doesn't really go anywhere. Much of this feels like it suffered due to the decision to switch the show from an ongoing series, to a one and done.

However, it's great whenever David Oyelowo is on screen. Bass Reeves is a smart and capable hero, albeit one struggling with the result of his skill and Oyelowo displays the duality of all of it. If it was just a little more consistently focused on him, I think I'd have thought even higher of the series as a whole. Instead, it was just good, rather than great.

Bone Trouble (1940)

Bone of Contention

[7/10 · 28 May 2024]

I've been neglecting my watching of the films in the "shorts" section of Disney Plus recently, so thought I'd get back to one. The next one was "Bone Trouble" a 1940 Pluto short back in the RKO distribution era.

Having woken up hungry, Pluto (Lee Millar) spies a bone next to his still sleeping neighbour Butch the Bulldog (Clarence Nash). Unfortunately for Pluto Butch wakes up and chases Pluto through the town. They end up at the carnival and after a few other rides they end up at the House of Mirrors, where Pluto spies an opportunity turn the tables.

I've said that rewatching some of these classic era Disney shorts has been somewhat of a mixed bag. This one though I thought was pretty good. The visual work, particularly in the hall of mirrors is particularly strong, as Pluto morphs into various other animals. The music too is also strong in this one, as the action is set to the notes, which wasn't uncommon in this period of animation, but this is an example of it noticeably working well.

I wish they were all this good.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

The Fast and the Furiosa.

[8/10 · 28 May 2024]

Whilst I don't have much history with the other "Mad Max" films I did see "Fury Road" and, like everyone, thought it was amazing. "Furiosa" whilst not quite as dynamic or immediate as the film it's prequel-ling, is still great.

Furiosa (Alyla Browne) is kidnapped by a Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) torturing and killing her mother to get them to give up the location of their settlement. Years later, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is now working on the War Rig, shifting supplies between Immortan Joe's (Lachy Hulme) Citadel, the Bullet Farm and Gastown, which is now under the control of Dementus. Dementus though has plans to rule all the wasteland, which may give Furiosa her chance for revenge.

Whereas "Fury Road" was a nonstop chase movie, this is much more of a world building action drama. The relationships are established, and we take the time to see Dementus take control of Gastown, rather than just learning that it has happened. Furiosa begins as a young child, traded for her lack of mutations then escaping and growing up pretending to be a male in the Citadel. Taylor-Joy has barely any lines of dialogue and it's mostly her expressive eyes that do an able job of conveying her emotions. Fortunately, she's supported by a staggering performance from Chris Hemsworth. Whilst the fake nose might be questionable, the verbosity of a man driven to psychoses by grief, the duality of his ambition mixed with incompetence, and the threat of Dementus are reason enough to see the film.

Thought they're fewer and further in between than in "Fury Road" the action scenes in "Furiosa" are similarly spectacular. The best of which is probably the attack on the War Rig by The Octoboss, one of Dementus' lieutenants who becomes disillusioned and goes rogue.

Whilst not quite as visceral as its predecessor, nobody makes these film quite like George Miller, I really should try and see the earlier set.

Inside No. 9: Mulberry Close (2024) Season 9, Episode 3

You can find the perfect blend.

[6/10 · 24 May 2024]

This was the first episode of this season of "Inside Number 9" that I felt a little underwhelmed by. It was fine, but not funny, clever, or nasty enough for my personal tastes.

Damon (Reece Shearsmith) and Val (Vinetta Robinson) move into a quiet suburban street. Their loud arguments and 'tone lowering' Halloween decorations draw the polite scorn of neighbours Kenny (Steve Pemberton) and Sheila (Dorothy Atkinson) and dog walker Larry (Adrian Scarborough). One morning, after another loud set-to, Damon hauls two suitcases to the car and the curtain twitchers come to the conclusion that he has murdered Val and is disposing of the body. Eager for the Netflix documentary, they decide not to call the police, but to investigate themselves.

The conceit of the episode is actually quite good. It's filmed entirely on a static doorbell camera, pointing across at Kenny and Sheila's house. It captures the private barbs the couples fire at each other when they're out of direct earshot of each other. It's absolutely the sort of restriction that breeds innovation. Performances are good, as you'd expect from a trio of respected and capable guest stars. The tiny twist gag, which I won't spoil, at the end is pretty solid stuff too.

It just felt, by their standards, a bit of a middling effort. To return to my opening paragraph, it was reasonably humorous, somewhat clever and had a sting in the tail - just not quite strong enough in either aspect, or focused enough on one, to hit the absolute sweet spot. I enjoyed it fine, and, as I've said before on reviews for other episodes I haven't loved, Shearsmith and Pemberton on their worse days are better writers than most on their best. The episode just didn't do enough for me.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Mon-key to the castle.

[6/10 · 22 May 2024]

My love for the "Planet of the Apes" franchise I'm afraid doesn't run particularly deep. I liked the trilogy that Matt Reeves provided, but I've never even seen the original run and, naturally, disliked Tim Burton's reimagining. I thought this one was reasonably good, but perhaps a bit lightweight.

Several generations after the death of Caesar, Noa (Owen Teague) sees his village burned and his friends and family captured and forced into slavery for a local tribal king, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Noa sets off to rescue his tribe, joined by an aging Orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) who remembers the true teachings of Caesar and Nova (Freya Allan), a Human who has not fallen victim to the intelligence stripping virus.

I suppose, despite the many qualities the film does have, the main criticism I had was that it felt a bit like it was produced to keep a franchise going, rather than because there was some super compelling story that needed to be told. There is an interesting aspect to the plot that could be explored if this does go on to become another trilogy, that Caesar has become a mythic, perhaps even religious figure and, much like humans do, atrocity and oppression is happening in his name. The other main thrust of the plot would likely be the organisation of the remaining smart humans and I'd imagine, if this trilogy continues, that they'll take over as the antagonists.

It does look amazing though. The apes are photorealistic, and Weta remain the preeminent visual effects house in the world, at the moment. The action scenes are solid, and it might be laying the groundwork for some more interesting ideas and films in the future.

It was fine, I guess. Is the bottom line, but if it's going to continue, I'd like it to do something wholly more interesting.

Criminal: UK (2019–2020)

Time Bandits

[7/10 · 21 May 2024]

I've written reviews for each season of "Criminal UK" that you can find against the final episode of each run, but now I've seen all we're going to get (I presume) I thought I'd put something here.

"Criminal UK" is a shortform miniseries - released on Netflix that tells the story of three unconnected police interrogations - though there is some narrative stretched over the top of the episodes related to the lives of the interrogation team. I understand that there are similar variations of the show set in Spain, France and Germany, each using the same sets but with different stories. I haven't got to any of those yet, but I'd like to at some point.

I feel like this season was fine, if never quite hitting the heights again of the first episode, which is what it needs to be. Shorn of anything too flashy, given their only allowed three sets, the show feels like a play... and in that case, what it really needs is an acting masterclass from the suspect (or the suspect's lawyer) up against the regular cast. All of whom are fine and well established actors in their own right, such as Lee Ingleby or Katherine Kelly. This though is only really is the case in the first episode, where David Tennent is mesmerising as he both stonewalls and then offers an explanation for what happened to his murdered stepdaughter. In the second one, Hayley Atwell (whose a fantastic actress) was, I felt, a little miscast as a council estate woman and in the final one, Kevin Eldon does well as the solicitor and Youssef Kerkour is fine, but they're overshadowed by that first episode.

I like "Criminal UK" quite a bit and I say this as a man who doesn't really like police procedurals. The performances are really good, from the main cast and the guest stars, and the cases are compelling and smartly written, always with a twist, even when they're just trying trap a person they believe is guilty. The guest stars in this season are Sophie Okenedo, Kit Harrington, Sharon Horgan and Kunal Nayyar and they're all great, though "Big Bang Theory's" Nayyar is perhaps the most revelatory, if that's the only place you've seen him before.

I know that obviously enough people weren't watching the show and that's the only factor that matters, but it does feel like this could have continued to run and run for years and, with the set building and decoration apportioned across all variants of the show, it seemed like it should have been an easy win.

Criminal: UK: Sandeep (2020) Season 2, Episode 4

Season Two Review

[8/10 · 21 May 2024]

Years ago I watched the first season of "Criminal: UK" Netflix's interrogation focused police procedural. I always meant to come around to the second run but it passed me by, until now! The second season is again strong stuff and I do think that the show is one of the biggest misses of Netflix's time.

The specialised Met interrogation team return for four more cases. A convicted killer's wife who reveals more than she should, a businessman accused of rape, the head of a paedophile hunting vigilante group and a convicted killer, who they believe potentially has another victim. The cases see Vanessa (Rochenda Sandall) get a chance and disgraced former colleague Hugo (Mark Stanley) get a chance at redemption.

I like "Criminal UK" quite a bit and I say this as a man who doesn't really like police procedurals. The performances are really good, from the main cast and the guest stars, and the cases are compelling and smartly written, always with a twist, even when they're just trying trap a person they believe is guilty. The guest stars in this season are Sophie Okenedo, Kit Harrington, Sharon Horgan and Kunal Nayyar and they're all great, though "Big Bang Theory's" Nayyar is perhaps the most revelatory, if that's the only place you've seen him before.

I know that obviously enough people weren't watching the show and that's the only factor that matters, but it does feel like this could have continued to run and run for years and, with the set building and decoration apportioned across all variants of the show, it seemed like it should have been an easy win.

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire: The Way Out (2024) Season 1, Episode 6

Season One Review

[7/10 · 21 May 2024]

Two years ago, "Tales of the Jedi" was a minor, if interesting exploration of some aspects of the "Star Wars" sage that hadn't been seen before. This "Star Wars Day" was marked with a new sister season, focusing on two previous existing villains, one who repents and one who does not.

Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) survives an attack by General Grievous in her youth, rises to the role of magistrate of the planet Corvus and attempts to assist the Empire. Her thwarted endeavors see her make an ally in Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). When the Empire falls, she refuses to realign with the New Republic. Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) a jailed former Jedi is offered the chance to join the inquisitors and hunt Jedi's. She accepts but quickly becomes repulsed by the tactics employed and goes into hiding.

Utilising the same 3D animation art style as "Rebels" and "The Bad Batch", like those shows this looks great. The vocal performances are terrific, usually utilising someone who voiced the character previously or played them in a live action appearance.

They are though, as with the Jedi run, a bit slight. You can, and I did, power through them all under a two hours. It's better then to think of them as a bonus, extra but perhaps inessential back story to some characters. It's certainly easy to feel that way about them when they come out on May the fourth. Viewed through that ideology, these shows are a triumph. They are also in a more sensible order this time, than they were in the Jedi series.

It's a cool time. I wonder what we'll get in two years' time "Tales of the Rebellion", "Tales of the Sith" or my choice "Tales of the Road: With the Max Rebo Band"

3 Body Problem: Wallfacer (2024) Season 1, Episode 8

Season One Review

[7/10 · 21 May 2024]

I've never read the source material, but I was intrigued when I learned that this adaptation would be Benioff and Weiss' follow up to "Game of Thrones". I enjoyed it, though even in this apparently simplified version, I can see why it hasn't quite caught on quite like "G. O. T" did.

A group of friends, who were training as physicists but have subsequently diversified into different fields are drawn into the response of humanity to an invasion by an alien race, one that is announced, but won't take place for 400 years. The aliens currently have vastly superior technology and are capable of monitoring Earths response, even down to private conversations. There are also a covert group of humans eager to welcome the San-Ti to Earth and are carrying out their instructions in preparation.

I understand that there are many changes made from the source novel, both to change the Chinese characters into more of a worldwide structure and to simplify some of the science and theories that's utilised. It's still got quite a high concept though. Alien invasions are not a new story, but preparing to fight one in four centuries is, and the other ideas, like that the enemy knows anything that's spoken about, making planning almost impossible, are new too. It's not exactly an action-packed series, though there are a few murders and one very memorable set piece around the middle of the story, and I wonder if that might have been a contributing factor to the show not quite becoming a phenomenon. The idea that this one small friend group could be quite so integral to the defence of the world is a bit of a stretch, but also it's another conceit that makes the show accessible, the interactions between the characters provides an emotional centre to what is a show ultimately about rationalism.

It's actually quite a British production at heart. Both in the central characters and in especially in the (slightly odd) guest stars that feature in the video game segments; Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, Phil Want, Naoko Mori and the actor Kevin Eldon. As always, Benedict Wong is the MVP and brilliantly steals every scene he's in.

It's a shame that it's not done well enough to allow Benioff and Weiss to make all the seasons they had planned, but a return to conclude the story (if that is indeed what's happening) is welcome news, I'll certainly be back.

IF (I) (2024)

If only.

[3/10 · 20 May 2024]

Whilst "IF" is not perhaps the worst film I've seen at the cinema this year, it's certainly the one I disliked the most. It's going to take some explaining, about both myself and the movie to get to why, but first, obligatory plot summary.

Already shaken by the death of her mother, Bea (Cailey Fleming) stays with her Grandmother Margaret (Fiona Shaw) whilst her father (John Krasinski) undergoes an operation, the seriousness of which he's downplaying. Bea sees a strange creature one night and follows to the upper floor of her grandmother's apartment building. The creature is Blue (Steve Carell), a purple monster and Cal (Ryan Reynolds) eventually explains that Blue is an imaginary friend whose child has grown up and forgotten him. Cal is trying to find Blue, and other forgotten Ifs, new children and Bea agrees to help.

OK. I'm a middle-aged guy now and I'm beyond the need to be "cool". I don't need everything to be dark and edgy to enjoy it and I've come to learn that crying at the cinema can be a great, cathartic, release. This is to say that my issues with "IF" were not that it was maudlin or sentimental - it's that it doesn't earn its emotional moments by hanging them on a compelling story. It is, truth be told, a bit of a confused mess, the "rules" of which are never made clear. For example, Bea, Cal and Lewis - voiced by Louis Gossett Jr - interview the imaginary friends to try and best pair them up with a potential kid, but none of this matters as, apparently, kids can either see an imaginary friend, or they can't, so why bother with them in the first place. You bother, because it gives a chance for all of Krasinski and Reynolds friends to appear in the movie as a voice for a little while.

There are positive elements in that the CGI and its interaction with the real world is quite well done and "The Walking Dead's" Cailey Fleming gives a really good performance in the main role. But it's not very funny, and tonally is much different than the trailer presents as that seems to focus exclusively on the broader comedic moments. I can't imagine what it would be like to bring younger children to this expecting something comparable to "Kung Fu Panda 4".

Those small positives do exist and that's why I'm drawing the distinction between "worst film" and "film I disliked the most".

Doctor Who: Boom (2024) Season 1, Episode 3

Sweet Child O' Mine

[8/10 · 20 May 2024]

Russell T makes a call to another one of Nu-Who's former showrunners to return and do what, arguably, he did best - a high concept, one off episode that lives long in the memory. "Boom" isn't quite the match for his best efforts, but it was good and, for perhaps the first time, showed that Gatwa's Doctor is indeed the same person as the ones that came before.

Having dashed to try and respond to a scream for help on distant planet, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) stands on a landmine. With the slightest shift of his weight liable to set it off, Ruby (Millie Gibson) has to try and save him before time runs out. The planet is currently involved in a war between a clerical army and an unseen opponent, with A. I. weaponry, like the landmines, or the roaming ambulance droids playing a key role in the conflict.

So far, whilst I've enjoyed Ncuti Gatwa in the role, for plot reasons as much as anything else, I'm not sure he's really felt like he's the same "Doctor" as before. I've talked about the fearfulness that he needed to overcome in both of the previous episodes, but also, he's much lighter than other have been. Here though is when that's switched on its head. It a thrilling central performance from Gatwa and there are moments when the vengeful Time Lord rears his head, almost condescending in his scathing for the algorithmic acceptance of tolerable casualties.

Away from that it's perhaps most notable for a role being played by Varada Sethu, who we know is going to become a/the companion next season. It's not the first time that a companion, or even a Doctor, will have appeared in the show before returning in a more significant role, but it's interesting that it comes in such a quick turnaround this time, especially as we're told that she's not playing the same character - there's always a twist at the end though.

I guess my only real complaint was that there was an element of deux ex machina to the conclusion - quite literally in this case - that I'd have preferred to be a little more planned and there were a few elements of the "stand still and don't move" that stretched the credibility a bit. But it was good, really good, the best episode so far.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)

Alice in chains?

[7/10 · 17 May 2024]

Another Blu ray watched at Random out of my big box of Blu Rays was "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" a British thriller I was aware of but had never seen before. I enjoyed it, though I might have to leave it long enough to forget what's happening before I watch it again.

Two men, Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) kidnap Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton) and take her to a flat they've prepared. They make their demands and wait for confirmation to provide instructions on where to drop the cash. Vic is a professional criminal, as is pleased with their choice of victim here, but Danny, who first suggested Alice as a target, may have had an ulterior motive.

The film feels like the sort of one we made in the 90's quite a bit. An extremely low budget crime thriller, with some two young stars and a slightly more recognisable face in Eddie Marsan. It recalls something like "Shallow Grave" or "Twin Town". The performances from the cast are really good. Arterton is the most put upon, as you might imagine, exposed as she is handcuffed to a bed for much of the film. But there are depths to the kidnappers too that are revealed across the run and Compston and Marsan ably play those too.

The story had twists and turns that I did not see coming, which is always a big bonus for me, given the volume of plots I've seen before. As I said, it won't stand up to much repeat viewing unless I forget what happens but if you've not seen it, or it's been a while, then I'd recommend it.

Clarkson's Farm: Calculating (2024) Season 3, Episode 8

Season Three Review

[8/10 · 17 May 2024]

A third visit to "Clarkson's Farm" which sees the divisive television presenter try to operate his Oxfordshire Farm, and demonstrate the difficulties that the farming community are currently up against as the subsidies, that have previously been a lifeline for some farmers, are coming to an end.

This year Jeremy has come up with an idea. He makes Kaleb Cooper Farm Manager and puts him in charge of the traditional farming of the fields, what and when to plant, fertilise and harvest. That only makes up about half the land he owns though. So, Jeremy is going to take the rest and see what he can get from it. This includes growing mushrooms and mustard and harnessing the existing nettles and berries that grow anyway. He also plans to utilise a wooded area to raise pigs and borrow goats to clear out areas of brambles. The two then compete to see who generates the most profit at the end of the year.

The pig rearing is perhaps one of the key elements of this series, and definitely its most emotional, as a high percentage of their first litter are killed by their mothers who, in their exhausted state, accidentally squash them against the side of their pen. The handling of corpse after corpse of dead piglets is desperately sad. Their method of fixing this for the second round is quite ingenious, a halo ring around the inside that keeps the pig from pinning the offspring. It's another year that looks all the way through like it's going to be disastrous, as again the weather doesn't play ball though the competition all hinges on just how high Kaleb's yield is going to be.

There's no big movement back towards some of the contrived elements that occurred in the first season, though the decision to buy a hovercraft, for essentially just one scene, feels like it's headed that way.

I'm interested in seeing what happens next, particularly if there's an improvement in the field that the (frankly bizarre) combination of George Lamb and Andy Cato from Groove Armada experimented on this year. I do wonder how many more seasons it'll run for though as really, we should be settling into the good techniques now and how much more experimentation can there be. I'll be back for season four though.

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

To the Victors go the spoils.

[7/10 · 16 May 2024]

It's taken a few years of the podcast, and a couple of decades for Hammer themselves to get to the sort of film that they would become synonymous with during the 1970s. And though the Quatermass film had pointed them in the right direction, "The Curse of Frankenstein" is a big, bold and successful step.

From his prison cell, Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) recounts his story to a priest ahead of his execution for murder. Having brought a dog back to life, Frankenstein and his tutor turned partner Paul Krempe (Robert Uruqhart) disagreed about what to do next. Whereas Krempe favours publishing the results, Frankenstein wants to go further into the research and resurrect a human, but not just any human, an idealised one, created from the best elements of various bodies.

Unlike a lot (but not all) of Hammer's output so far, this actually looks like a proper film. Sets, special effects, good sound recording, colour images are all here. It actually looks like it could pass for an American movie of the time. It doesn't look like the Universal versions of the characters though, with Christopher Lee's Monster being very different, less stylised (and therefore less Iconic) but maybe a bit more realistic, than the Karloff creation. There is a gory, though basic effect when the monster is shot that lives in the memory.

It's not a straight adaptation of the Shelley story by any means. Characters are invented and there is much more of a focus on the Doctor himself, played with aplomb by Peter Cushing. Far from rushing into the science and then regretting it - Victor this time seems like the science is just an excuse to get to the murdering that he's always fancied trying and he is forced into restarting the monster several times. (and, based on the sequels will presumably continue to do so).

But I enjoyed this one, a well-acted and well directed film that, for the first time, feels like a movie that doesn't suffer in comparison with what was being created in the US.

Doctor Who: The Devil's Chord (2024) Season 1, Episode 2

Fixing A Hole

[7/10 · 16 May 2024]

Whilst the Christmas special and premier episode had elements that I liked but a main storyline that I didn't, this second episode is far better balanced and, but for an element at the end that I didn't care for, was comfortably the best one so far.

Ruby (Millie Gibson) suggests that the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) takes her to see The Beatles recording at Abbey Road studios. They arrive in the 60's to discover that the band, Cilla Black (Josie Sedgwick-Davies) recording next door and an orchestra have all lost their Musical mojo. Music in general has been plucked from the world, by Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) and the knock-on effects of a tuneless world are catastrophic.

Already I spend my time with "Doctor Who" looking for the themes and ideas about what might be to come. The Toymaker talked about their being much worse, celestial beings out there than him and Maestro too talks specifically about "The One Who Waits" in the same pride/terrified tones. This is, I'd have thought, a clear signpost towards who this seasons "big bad" might be. It's interesting that, for the second episode in a row, the Doctor runs away from an initial confrontation with something, whereas previously they would probably have tried to engage - perhaps more so with Maestro rather than with the bogeyman. He talks about only being half of what he was, as his soul was split to defeat The Toymaker. I'd imagine were going to see some of the necessary recovery across the rest of this run.

The show had received scorn online a few months back for the fact that the actors playing the Beatles didn't really resemble them that much. Truth be told that didn't really matter, as they were largely tertiary to the story and only John and Paul had any lines. Jinkx Monsoon was great though, whether she was belting out a song, terrifying a music teacher or breaking the fourth wall, she was magnetic. Speaking of breaking the fourth wall, that's now happened three times in three episodes, I wonder if that's a co-incidence or whether there's something going on there too.

The bit I didn't like was the song and dance number at the end. That's two musical sequences now in three episodes as well and, whilst I do like a musical, even in something incongruous like "Agatha All Along" I don't think either of these have been good enough to justify their fourth wall breaking nature and, whilst I don't think I need everything to be 'cool science fiction written specifically for the adult nerd audience' I'd be happier if there weren't any more.

A definite upturn though and look who's back writing next week !

Inside No. 9: The Trolley Problem (2024) Season 9, Episode 2

Combustion Engine

[7/10 · 16 May 2024]

A good old Pemberton/Shearsmith two hander for the second episode of this final season (with the exception of a couple of phone voices). Whilst it never quite twisted up to a level I was overjoyed with, I like the darker, more horrific, episodes best of all and this was certainly one of those.

Having become concerned with his wellbeing, after finding him standing on a bridge alone at night, therapist Blake (Steve Pemberton) brings Drew (Reece Shearsmith) back to his house for a cup of tea. Whilst they begin with mild therapy chats, Drew's fragile and explosive mood swings quickly have Blake wondering whether this was a good idea.

Not a super funny episode this time, barely a joke in it save for a funny line about Gregg Wallace. Instead, this one is all about ratcheting tension. You could have guessed, from the premise, and the previous episodes writing, that one of them was not what they seemed, it was all about how it was going to go. Whilst I appreciated the way it did go and, as I say, the more disturbing the episodes are, the more I like them, I did wish that perhaps it had found another way to tie itself more tightly to the formula of the Trolley Problem. By that I mean, and this is as spoiler free as I can make it, I think the decision maker in the problem is supposed to make a fully informed choice, which the character here doesn't get to do.

It was great though and another example of just what we'll be missing when the show ends in a months' time.

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (2023) Season 1, Episode 0

Crooked Spire.

[6/10 · 14 May 2024]

Having decided to review these episodes of the quasi-rebooted "Doctor Who" as they air, I realised I needed to jump back an episode to review the Christmas special, which was the full debut of Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor. So, last night, I rewatched it - the night after watching the "Space Babies" episode. It feels quite similar, in that I like the character and the overall arc building but am a little less enamoured with the creature element.

Beset by a run of bad luck, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) attracts the attention of The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa). Ruby is the adopted daughter of Carla (Michelle Greenridge) who has fostered dozens of other children and receives another baby on Christmas Eve 2023. Ruby is in charge of the baby for only a few minutes before she's kidnapped by Goblins, who intend to eat her. Ruby engages in a rooftop pursuit, where she's joined by The Doctor and they climb aboard the Goblin ship.

As with the next episode I like the mythology building that Russel T Davies was always so good at. We establish the mystery of who is Ruby's mother, when she is left on a church doorstep on Christmas Eve. The adopted daughter angle plays alongside The Doctor still coming to terms with the fact he was also adopted by Gallifrey (Interesting that Davies intends to keep that bit of lore and work with it, rather than ignore that controversial Chibnall idea).

The Goblin's themselves weren't a bad effect, as much as an uninteresting design. Everything about them felt a bit haphazard though, for example, they're feeding the baby to the Goblin King, but he's so unfeasibly large the Baby wouldn't even make a snack for him. Why does the female Goblin have a perfect human singing voice whereas none of the rest do? Everything to do with tying Ruby into the days with the accidents and co-incidences didn't really make much logically sense either. (The less said about the song the better).

As with the episode that follows, the good news is that I like the continuing elements, though felt underwhelmed by the episodic elements. Hopefully the series will get those right soon too.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Giver me strength.

[4/10 · 13 May 2024]

Sigh. I've put it off for a few weeks but unfortunately, I have to now admit defeat and settle in for Part two of "Rebel Moon" - a series that, most worryingly, nobody seems to be able to determine how many films it's planned to be spread over. That confusion is demonstrated here, with a movie that should have been the third act of the last film but is instead dragged out to two boring hours.

A resurrected Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) sets his dreadnaught on a course for Veldt. His plan is now not only to take the grain, but to capture Kora (Sofia Boutella) and present her to the motherworld, where she is public enemy number one. Titus (Djimon Hounsou) starts to teach the farmers the art of guerrilla warfare, so they can defend themselves. Kora plans to attack the ship and kill Nobel properly this time, before she does, she admits to the gang her part in the assassination of Princess Issa (Stella Grace Fitzgerald).

I feel sorry for Sofia Boutella, this and "Argylle" in the same year is an unenviable double bill. To be fair, none of the problems with this film are down to her, or any of the actors really. They're all just playing boring, lifeless characters in a boring, lifeless film. To be fair, this part is a bit less of a mess than part one was. That was a mishmash of cribbed and stolen ideas. Part two is, at least, coherent by only stealing one idea. The "mercenaries teach the village to fight" plot from "Seventh Samurai". It still looks good too, with the CGI budget being put to good use and still heavily leaning into Snyder's obsession with slow motion.

But I just don't care. I don't care about these tedious cliché characters or their story that I've seen done before and better. I don't care whether they die or succeed, or what they reveal about their pasts. It's all so anodyne and I hate the artifice of the "directors cuts", exploiting history for a cynical attempt to make me watch this rubbish again.

This is better than the first one, and if they continue to improve at this rate, Part seven might just scrape into acceptability.

LMA Manager 2007 (2006 Video Game)

Pardew for an update.

[7/10 · 13 May 2024]

Picked out a random game from my 360-collection looking for something new to play and landed on "LMA Manager 2007". I wasn't overly excited about it as, with the exception of the PSP "Football Manager" series, I've never found that the mouse free interfaces lend themselves particularly well to Football Management games, but after a while I settled into this one, and thought it worked quite well.

Take charge of an existing football team and guide them to glory or establish a new team and guide them up from the bottom. As well as influencing tactics, player recruitment and training mechanisms, the game allows you to get involved in the commercial side, with advertising and ground development choices to be made.

Immediately I struggled with getting around in the game, but I did eventually work it out. There is a top menu, that you navigate with the Left and Right triggers and then another menu level within each top option that is navigated with the left and right bumpers. The Y button then switches you into the contents of that menu. Initially I struggled with other selection choices too, like swapping players in and out of my team, but I settled into that too.

I never watched the actual games I managed being played in the engine, preferring instead to race through to the end of the game and fight out the result. That was unusual, because I wasn't in charge of substitutions or changing tactics, though it looked like that was a possibility, so maybe that was something I chose. After you've played a match, there is optional analysis available from Alan Hansen and Gary Lineker. The game only has one licensed song, "Arms Open" by Snow Patrol, which it played on a loop as I was setting the game up. I like the song but it began to grate pretty quickly on the third play through. Once you start the game though, it stops playing that song.

It doesn't feel like it has the depth that Championship Manager had at the same time, let alone comparable to the game now but I've played other games that did this same thing worse, and I do think it's a little sad that nobody offers a challenge to "Football Manager" anymore.

Doctor Who: Space Babies (2024) Season 1, Episode 1

Snotts Landing.

[6/10 · 13 May 2024]

Not sure how I feel about this being dealt with as a new "show" rather than a new season of "Nu Who", but I guess it gives me an excuse to jump away from reviewing every episode of that iteration and to start again from here.

Introducing Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) to how the Tardis works lands she, and the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) on a space station manned by a crew of babies, seemingly abandoned by their creators and looked after by an overseeing computer (Golda Rosheuvel). The abandonment isn't the crews only problem though as, in the lower decks, between them and the Tardis is a vicious looking creature nicknamed "The Bogeyman".

Mixed feelings about this episode. The good news is that I liked the elements that are going to stay, for this season at least. Gatwa and Gibson are both great and there's a nice dynamic between them. It's got some funny lines and it's continuing to do what Davies' previous run did and layering in the season story - which looks like it will be focused on Ruby's parentage, the mystery of which began in the last Christmas special.

The actual episode though was a bit confused and had some horrible CGI. The creature effect was fine, if perhaps a little generic. The CGI mouths of the talking babies though was both badly done and off putting, and I really didn't like seeing it. The show also felt confused as to whether they were actual babies though, I think the logic was that they were 6-year-olds that hadn't developed but they didn't act like that sometimes. (Also, that's not how an airlock would work). The Disney Dollars seemed to have been spent on a CGI dinosaur world that appeared earlier and shots of the Tardis.

Davies is perhaps a bolder writer now, from the shows he's written since his first run with The Doctor, and, whilst the show has always been socially conscious, there are explicit analogies made about both the abortion laws and refugee policy within this story.

Whilst this first episode is a bit underwhelming, particularly to proclaim the shows new start, I'm not overly concerned that the shows headed in the wrong direction or anything like that. Hopefully, without the need to do all the introductions stuff from now on, and with more time for the story, things will pick up.

The Fall Guy (2024)

Cunning Stunts

[6/10 · 10 May 2024]

Another slightly tough review for me to write, this one, as I do think that some of the problems I had with the film were caused by situations quite specific to me. If you're not going to read any more of this review then the top line is that I liked the film, but I didn't love it.

Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is called back to work by producer Gail Mayer (Hannah Waddingham) a year after a serious accident injured him during a stunt. The accident also prematurely ended a relationship he was having with Camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) who is now directing this film, her first feature. Gail had an ulterior motive for calling Colt though, as the films star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has fallen in with a bad crowd and disappeared. Desperate to save Jody's film, Colt begins to track Tom across Sydney and finds his stuntman skills are soon put to use.

The problem with "The Fall Guy" that's just for me is that the trailer includes a lot of the film's key moments, including elements of all the stunts and the banter between Gosling and Blunt. That trailer has been running for a long time and I go to the cinema a lot, so I have seen that trailer dozens of times. Although it does keep some of the plot hidden, so doesn't give the game away in that sense, I did feel like I'd seen the film almost before it started. There are some regular issues with the film too, it does keep us, the audience, in the dark about it's actual plot for too long. Some aspects of the resolution, spoiler free but related to the veracity of visual and audio recordings, don't ring true.

There are plenty of positives though, the leads and the supporting cast are good. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has a lot of fun with the McConaughey-esque drawl. The stunts, which are all done practically as, if nothing else, the film is a love letter to the stuntmen and women of Hollywood are all really good.

It's not that it doesn't add up to very much, as much as it doesn't add up to as much as I wanted it too.

The Negotiator (1998)

Fall of the Roman Empire.

[7/10 · 9 May 2024]

One more DVD watched, for the first time in a long time, on its way out of my house. I used to really like "The Negotiator" and watched it quite a bit. There's a great big dollop of uncomfortableness watching the film now though, but it still has a great cast and a good story.

Hostage negotiator Danny Roman (Samuel L Jackson) is arrested for the murder of his former partner, who had recently disclosed to Roman that members of their unit were embezzling money from the disability fund. In a desperate bid to clear his name, Roman takes Internal Affairs detective Terence Niebaum (J T Walsh), commanding officer Grant Frost (Ron Rifkin), Neibaum's assistant Maggie (Siobhan Fallon) and a con man Rudy Timmons (Paul Giamatti) hostage at the I. A's downtown office complex. As Roman attempts to find out what Internal Affairs knew about the embezzlement, he asks for colleague Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey) to negotiate on behalf of the police.

Obviously, there's a big Kevin Spacey sized issue with so many top films from the late 90's and early 2000's and I write this review in the week another documentary of allegations about his behaviour has been released. This is Jackson's film, but Spacey is definitely the second lead and is in the film an awful lot. Your tolerance for this may vary but, for me, I can't look at him in a film anymore without automatically thinking about the allegations instead of whatever he was doing in the film.

The rest of the cast is amazing though, it's a who's who of character actors from the time. I've not yet mentioned John Spencer, David Morse, Paul Guilfoyle, Regina Taylor, Michael Cudlitz, Nestor Serrano and Dean Norris all of whom are here and all of whom are great. This was one of J T Walsh's final films, before his death and the film is dedicated to him.

I was surprised to learn that the film was a financial failure, as it was quite popular at the time, and I remember it being well reviewed. Provided you leave enough time between viewings to forget who is actually behind the embezzlement then I think the story is good and this is an engaging grown up thriller.

Inside No. 9: Boo To A Goose (2024) Season 9, Episode 1

Something in the (Canada) Water.

[8/10 · 9 May 2024]

The ninth and (probably) final season of "Inside Number 9" begins with a really good episode, that hides a political, or perhaps societal, message in its typical blend of comedy and twisty horror.

A late-night tube train breaks down, trapping eight passengers in a carriage. During the power failure, the purse of Nurse Elena (Phillipa Dunne) is stolen, and suspicion quickly falls on homeless Mossy (Charlie Cooper), who arrived, begging for change, moments earlier. Authoritarian teacher Raymond (Mark Bonnar) leads the accusations and impromptu investigation, but his methods stoke division between the other passengers.

The societal message is clear, as the carriage divides along the lines of who resists Raymond's despotic orders and who chooses a quiet life of obedience. This is particularly pronounced when suspicion falls on Joel Fry's conspiracy theorist Finn, who categorical refuses to allow his backpack to be searched, until a vote takes place on it. It's perhaps the most forthright that the lads have been on wider society since the "Last Night of The Proms" episode.

As is typical of the show, the performances are really good and there's some funny lines mostly coming from Pemberton and Shearsmith themselves, as bawdy drag queen Wilma and reserved Gerry respectively. The twist, I have to say, I did not see coming - which is always welcome, and like all the best twists the series as done, some of the earlier moments and lines will work differently if you rewatch the episode with that knowledge. It's almost impossible to talk about that twist without spoiling it, or even referencing the sorts of films it's aping. I will say that, despite not guessing it, I found it a tiny bit anticlimactic, which is why the episode hasn't scored even higher.

Tough to accept that there's only five left. I'm already looking at tickets for the stage show.

Ripley (2024)

Really good. Believe it or not.

[8/10 · 8 May 2024]

I've never read the Patricia Highsmith books, but I have seen "The Talented Mr Ripley" and a few other adaptations of his stories. This gorgeous Netflix adaptation, perfectly cast, is an excellent and probably definitive version of the first story.

Believing him to be one of his son's friends, conman Thomas Ripley (Andrew Scott) is asked by industrialist Herbert Greenleaf (Kenneth Lonergan) to travel to Italy and convince his son, Dickie (Johnny Flynn) to return to the U. S from his trust-fund playboy lifestyle. Dickie though is having rather a good time, writing and painting and romancing another ex-pat Marge (Dakota Fanning). Tom quickly comes to see the appeal of the life, and ingratiates himself in Dickie's life, to the chagrin of Marge and of another friend, Freddie Miles (Eliot Sumner)

It's a production of high quality. Oscar winner Steven Zallian pens the adaptation and directs every episode. The black and white aesthetic apes the classic 60's produced Italian films of Fellini and Antonioni, though the high-definition camera work picks up the specifics of Scott's face and his thrilling central performance. Scott is brilliant. Whilst too old for the role as written, he's able to convince as Ripley in his twenties whilst (hopefully) being able to keep playing the character in his later stories, when the character is a little older. He makes the character a distant, mirthless character, but somehow you still root for him to evade capture for the murders he commits.

I was familiar with the beats of the story from the Mingella adaptation but what perhaps was unexpected is quite how funny the show makes aspects of it. Also new are some more fantastical dream elements, Ripley is haunted by his victim or by grandiose comparisons to Caravaggio that he engages in.

It's not lost on me that not everything in entertainment needs to be an intellectual property that is monetised to breaking point, but I really think there's an opportunity here to do a proper adaptation of the other four Ripley books, even if not on a strict timeframe. Leave two / three years between them - maybe more if the source novel suggest it. Very good.