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Reviews
Little Birds (2020)
Don't waste your time. . .
You know a programme is going to be bad when the main scene setting credits read 'New York 1955' and then the camera pans to a 1957 Chevrolet.
This kind of lazy content continues throughout the first episode - after that I gave up and switched over.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Glossy but but so, so cliched.
I really wanted to like this film but after 45 minutes I'd had enough and had to leave.
Obviously this may be completely unfair and the next hour may completely rescue the film so I'll apologise if that's the case.
Generally I'm all for a schlocky musical with not much of a storyline but I'd at least like to have to guess what might be about to happen next.
This certainly isn't the case here - I'd put money on every viewer being able to work out the entire plot line within the first 15 mins or so of this movie and there wasn't enough happening to keep me interested.
Oh, the plot is also completely ludicrous and entirely unbelievable - I won't 'spoil' it for anyone but I'm not sure there's much to spoil . . .
Britannia (2017)
Laughable but strangely watchable
As I've come to expect, pretty much any programme made by Sky is going to be reduced to lowest common denominators in terms of plotting, script, dialogue etc.
Obviously it'll be shot with a decent budget to look nice and glossy but it'll lack any real depth of character and every cast member will be totally unbelievable - even when they manage to grab a classy actor you know they're only doing it for the money (and who can blame them!) and will be hamming it up as much as the rest of the cast.
Britannia does not fail to meet these lowly expectations and, if anything, surpasses them in how truly awful it is in places.
It only vaguely bothers me that there are glaring historical inaccuracies as it's described as a 'fantasy' plot - the real history was obviously not interesting enough for Sky's scant regard for accuracy.
However, some of the plot lines are faintly ludicrous and, in places, laugh out loud terrible.
The dialogue bounces all over the place with some characters pushed to try and use language that sounds vaguely appropriate whilst others appear to have strolled in off a London street and use modern language and idioms at will - something that will actually date this production more than if they'd bothered to maintain some sort of overriding linguistic style.
The poor druids are particularly hilarious in places but hey, they've spent loads of money making them look spooky and interesting so who cares?
The odd thing is that, if you can get past some of the atrocious first episode then the 'spectacle' draws you in and it becomes watchable and a sort of mind-numbing entertainment.
I'd definitely recommend viewing with a remote close at hand so you can zip through the worst of this. There are some particularly bad, and ultimately irrelevant, plot lines that you can quickly skip past to reduce an average episode down to around 35-40 minutes.
Luis & the Aliens (2018)
5 year old grandson loved it!
Recorded this to watch with my grandson and he absolutely loved it. He laughed out loud several times and asked to watch it again as soon as it was over!
He's watched the last 30-40 minutes about 5 times already.
Really doesn't matter that the story is relatively simple or the animation may not be Pixar's very best for a young child as he's just watching a film and not trying to over-analyse everything.
Escape at Dannemora (2018)
Some great characterisation but very ponderous.
Both Arquette and Lange are excellent in this and it's almost worth watching just to see them. Although Arquette seems to have received most of the plaudits I found Lange's performance to be spellbinding at times.
However, and this was a big issue for me, the whole series is so slow and languidly paced at times. There are sections of the escape tunnelling that feel like you're watching in 'real time' and it gets to the point where you simply don't care any more.
You know they are going to escape - it's in the title of the series! Why drag out these scenes when you have some great characters to play with instead?
Even some of the main character scenes are stretched at times and various themes are simply repeated from episode to episode.
Del Toro is always watchable but there are so many scenes of him performing a mundane task or just looking 'pensive' that even when he's on the screen you're screaming for the pace to pick up a little.
The whole thing feels like it could have been so much more effective and dramatic over 3-4 hours rather than 7.
I enjoyed it purely for the fabulous portrayals from Arquette and Lange but I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone spends 7 hours of their life watching it unless they have a fast forward button on their remote at their side. . .
Play for Today: 'Nuts in May' (1976)
A true British classic!
I absolutely love this film from the wonderful Mike Leigh. Roger Sloman's portrayal of Keith is just a masterpiece. If you are of a certain age and have lived in 'middle England' you will have come across a Keith or two on your travels but this one is an amalgamation of all of them.
Alison Steadman's Candice-Marie is his perfect, ever suffering, partner.
There are so many fabulous little moments and quotes to remember.
Truly a 'must-see' for anyone interested in the history of British cinema.