Trailer: “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” (2020)
A new trailer is out for “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” which is essentially a new cut of “The Godfather Part III”.
Having recently recut and re-released both “Apocalypse Now” and “The Cotton Club” in the past two years, Francis Ford Coppola turns his attention to the last of “The Godfather” trilogy – a so-so film that has long sat in the shadow of its two predecessors which are outright masterpieces.
The new cut clocks in at 152 minutes, ten minutes shorter than the original but it isn’t a straight ten minute cut as Coppola has apparently substantially recut the entire film which hits select theaters on December 4th ahead of a Blu-Ray and Digital release on December 8th.
Featuring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan, Jason Flemyng and Greg Wise
Lisa: [about the singing at the very first choir rehearsal] “It was like incantations of a bunch of witches.”
Released recently on both DVD and Blu-ray is the English drama “Military Wives” (2020), as with many of these types of movies it is based on a true story which is designed to be a feel good as well as uplifting story, not only that it has a gimmick of sorts and that is the idea of Army wives forming a choir of sorts and entering a concert, becoming famous and reaching millions around the world. Of course this is a movie that features a great English cast that also has some social commentary and a few laughs which is par for the course for this type of movie. Ultimately this movie is exactly as advertised albeit a little slight but with lessons to be learned especially about class which is a pervasive subject in the UK and has now become linked, sometimes replaced by race, especially in popular movies.
It’s remarkable the seeming ease that the British Film Industry is able to produce great independent drama, comedies and horror movies each and every year. Not only that, but the talent on show always seems to be original as well as first class. What many of these English films have in common is that they are based around something unique or have some kind of gimmick, this new movie “Misbehaviour” has both of those, but feels like it is stretched too thin to actually make the impact it should. While it is an ensemble with a large group of characters, the narrative itself feels rushed with so much plot to cram in when the actual event takes place it feels like an afterthought with a part of the story, a court case, that is never seen, which to me feels like a big part of the real life story. This movie has much in common with many of the British movies produced over the past twenty years, it has some well known actors that could all carry their own movies, it has a concentration of on location production, is based on a very English story and most often has relatively inexperienced writers and directors.
“Military Wives” is based around the wives of military personal who all reside on Base together, with their partners away serving in Afghanistan, the women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the center of a media sensation and global movement. Of course this is not the only story with a variety of women married to different ranks trying to get along, not only that there are tropes involved that would normally be seen from the mens point of view that is now through the wives. So throughout the narrative we see the reaction to husbands being wounded, being killed, being left behind to look after administrative duties and the natural friction between higher and lower ranks.
The real weakness in the movie is the script by Rachel Tunnard and Rosanne Flynn who really seem to have just looked at other English movies of a similar ilk and painted in the details around a fairly routine plot, which is a shame as it deserved some more tension and originality especially when you have Kristin Scott Thomas in one of the lead roles. I suppose unsurprisingly the producers have recruited director Peter Cattaneo who is best known for the breakout hit (and one of the first types of this English movie) “The Full Monty” (1997). Over the years Cattaneo has proven himself to be a very good director of both movies and television which shows here in a competently directed and well balanced piece that has a number of very good performances which would have been even better with a more original and thought out script.
“Military Wives” is led by the performances of Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan who each play to their perceived strengths going by their past roles, so we have Thomas as the higher ranking wife who is austere and humourless, juxtaposed with Horgan who is all personality and who seems to be the funny one who is the life of the group bringing everyone together. Of course as with many of the characters and of course performances it is all about what is going on beneath the surface and both actors are good enough to project exactly what is required for audiences to understand where they and the story are going. There is nothing to really fault with all of the actors performances, it just might have been more fulfilling for them to have more to sink their teeth into.
The very idea of a choir in the armed forces was something new and so grabbed the public’s attention when this group of women gained some fame and appeared on an English television show which is what, on the surface this movie is about. “Military Wives” explores in a small way what it is like to be left at home while their partners leave to go into a tour of duty which for the most part highlights some very real concerns but is subverted a little by the comedy and music. It does seem to be two narrative strings that are forced to co-exist but never really hang together in a meaningful way which for me is a missed opportunity and also means this is a movie that instead of standing out from the pack is just one of many. This is a drama with comedic and of course musical elements, my feeling is it needed to stick to a genre and ride it out, so a more unconventional way may have been a musical or a straight drama, but I could not help but feel the actual comedy did not fit.
With all of that said “Military Wives” is a very enjoyable movie with some good music and terrific performances but it just misses on being something meaningful with a comment to make on the position of the military, the role of women in the forces – serving to not – and the way the public views the military when it appears that their presence in other countries is not wanted. However it is a good watch and I recommend a rental or wait for a streaming service to pick it up down the line.
Following its first trailer release at DC Fandome and then subsequent pulling due to a legal dispute over its song use, HBO Max has now revealed the new trailer for “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” – his recut of the 2017 DC Comics team-up film.
This trailer is pretty much the same as the last one though there’s several scenes featuring new footage while the whole clip is in black-and-white this time.
Featuring: Jon Finch, Warren Clarke, James Cosmo, Denholm Elliott, Geoffrey Beavers, Nicholas Ball, Janet Fielding, Peter Cushing, Brian Cox, Diana Dors, Pierce Brosnan, Barbara Ewing and Gareth Thomas
Narrator:“Have you ever spent the night in an empty theatre?”
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD is the horror anthology series from four decades ago, “Hammer House of Horror” (1980) which sees like many similar shows of its era a number of different actors, writers and directors coming together to create some macabre stories that have originality as well as scares for audiences of the time.
An anthology series created by Hammer Films in association with Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment, it consists of thirteen hour-long episodes, originally broadcast on ITV.
Each self-contained episode features a different kind of horror. These vary from witches, werewolves and ghosts to devil-worship and voodoo, but also include non-supernatural horror themes such as cannibalism, confinement and serial killers.
If you are any kind of movie watcher then you recognise the name ‘Hammer’ as the English production company that turned out horror movies for decades so it seems obvious that at some point they would enter the world of television which they did with this short lived series. Even though the Hammer movies were low budget affairs this series is even lower but they does not effect the quality of the storytelling which is very high. This series is fun to watch and worth every penny.
Video
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. Most of the episodes show minimal age signs some look brand new. Some look better than others, but all look acceptable and most are superb in overall visual presentation. The materials have little in terms of grain and debris, while colors and contrast look good also.
Audio
The audio isn’t as impressive as the video, but for mono tracks from this era they sound very good. The music sounds very good in some of the episodes and solid in all of them, while dialogue is clean and never hard to understand.
Episodes
Witching Time: After a fierce storm, a musician goes out to his barn to check on his wife’s horse, but discovers something unexpected instead. He finds a young woman lying in the hay, who claims to be a witch from the 1600s and while she was to be burned, she managed to transport herself here, to save her own life. Of course, the man finds this to be laughable and after he locks her in a room, he calls his doctor to have a look. But she is gone when the doctor arrives, which leads the man to think he is having mental issues, mainly due to his excessive work habits and a starlet wife, whom he thinks is cheating on him.
The Thirteenth Reunion: It seems like a new weight loss fad comes and goes every day, but at a new special clinic, the results speak for themselves. Sure, lots of diets work for a while, but then you add back the pounds, though this clinic promises no such relapses. But there is something about this place that just seems off kilter, despite the success stories.
Rude Awakening: I think we’ve all had the same dreams a few times, where we revisit them each night, as opposed to new ones. While that can be good if the dreams are pleasant, returning nightmares can be horrific, perhaps even remaining with you after you wake.
Growing Pains: A lot of people find poetry fun to read and quite relaxing, but in this case, it turns out to be a terrible mistake. A very unusual poem is the central force in this story, as after it has been read, a spirit from the realm of the dead is awoken. If the book that houses has some type of solution, can it be found and recited in time to keep the spirit under control, or will this vengeful undead force remain free forever, to wreak chaos?
The House That Bled to Death: We’ve all heard stories of haunted houses, but most are urban legends or tall tales, right? When some new people move into the house at 42 Colman Road, they have no idea what horror lurks inside the place, but soon enough, they will know. This house is haunted and for real, as all sorts of hideous events and happenings unfold, all to the total terror of the new residents, to be sure.
Charlie Boy: In spooky stories, we sometimes hear about cursed objects or such, where an inanimate object comes to life, for whatever reason. While that seems hokey to most people, some folks are about to discover first hand how real the situation can be. An African souvenir is involved here and it has been involved in voodoo rituals, which means some of that voodoo passed into it and of course, that’s bad news.
The Silent Scream: An ex-con has been released from prison and seeks to start over again, perhaps on the right side of the law this time. As such, he finds himself a job and tries to walk the straight & narrow, but little does he know how tough that can be. His newfound profession involves a lot more underhanded tasks than he expected, which means he could be on the fast track back to prison, or perhaps an even worse fate, should he leave.
Children of the Full Moon: After he awakes from a hideous nightmare, a man discovers he is back in his own life, free from the horror of his bad dream. It all seemed so real to him though, as it if it were real and he was trapped in the middle of it all. But now he has woken up and is resting inside of a hospital, pleased to have ended his miserable dreams.
Carpathian Eagle: A series of brutal murders has started, which seem to be connected in many ways, which means one person or group is behind them. As one of the top inspectors delves into the rash of killings, he discovers there seems to be more to these crimes than meets the eye, but he is unable to believe his own eyes.
Guardian of the Abyss: I assume that antique dealers run into all sorts of unusual items, some from times long ago and now, the items might be useless or used for a different purpose. But some items remain useful and one of those items could be a mirror, which collectors often like to attain, as old, unbroken ones can be quite valuable.
Visitor from the Grave: A young woman is alone inside a cottage, which is off the beaten path and quite isolated, to be sure. But she is soon joined by someone else, although this is unwanted intruder and in a desperate turn of events, she kills this unwanted visitor. It would seem her troubles were over for right now, but even though this intruder is dead as can be, the young woman is about to visited again, by a much darker force this time.
The Two Faces of Evil: I’ve heard a lot of stories about insane hitchhikers and the like, where the hitcher kills, rapes, or scars the driver kind enough to pick them up. But unlike most urban legends, the tales of the hitchhikers have some truth, as a lot of people have been killed, raped, or seriously wounded by the folks they’ve picked up.
The Mark of Satan: A morgue is an eerie place to work, as it can mess with your mind, cause you to see or hear things that aren’t even there. So when a young man starts out as a worker in one, he tries to prepare himself, to avoid those kind of issues. But some events arise that make him question his situation, which at first he assumes are due to his mind, not some horrific deed.
Featuring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, David Denman and Hope Davis
John Garrity:“I swear, I’m going to get my family into that bunker.“
Clayton:“I know you will, John.”
Released last week to on-demand services is the latest Gerard Butler action movie “Greenland” (2020), a fairly uninspiring run of the mill genre movie that sits within the mediocre range of output one has come to expect from the Scottish actor who has made a living after a surprisingly good start to his career that someone like Steven Segal or Jean Claude Van Damme used to occupy, in a post millennial milieu of equal standing.
Movies that are based around an apocalyptic event are not new at all, in fact they have been around for decades, arguably reaching their height during the Cold War where the science fiction genre would routinely have plots about mankind coming to an end from shapeshifting aliens, to asteroids hitting gar Earth, to nuclear war, in fact there were any number of ways we were going to reach our end. “Greenland” occupies that sub genre of story where parts of a comet are going to make plane fall, wiping out humanity. It is fairly de rigour in these movies for mankind to try and destroy the offending objects thereby avoiding calamity, although as we have progressed in our movie watching it has become common for some of the objects to crash, thereby making use of state of the effects to show cities being blown to bits, just look at the two of the most famous asteroid movies ever in “Deep Impact” (1998) and Armageddon” (1998) where see Paris and Washington being blown to bits.
However it wasn’t really until “2012” (2009) that we saw the destruction (mostly) of the Earth and how some of the lucky people might survive, in arks of a sort, the Biblical elements of this movie are all over it and none too subtle. Of course the best way to attempt to do something new is to take two ideas and meld them together which never really works as there was probably a reason why they were seperate in the first place which brings us to “Greenland” basically a movie that takes the aforementioned “Deep Impact” and “2012” but without any of the humour, rationalism and fantasy, while at the same time making it serious, po-faced as well as actually quite boring and paint by numbers, kind of similar to much of Butler’s work over the past fifteen years.
Written by Chris Sparling who seems to have made a career taking others previous successful ideas, changing them slightly then writing screenplays that are then produced to some modicum of success. It is completely obvious to those with even a passing knowledge of this genre how this movie is going to unfold with all of its obvious plot points and coincidences that make the narrative move along at a somewhat brisk pace with an ending that is almost a duplicate of the ending to “2012”. Added to this is the director Ric Roman Waugh who is mediocre at best and worked with Butler last on the sequel “Angel has fallen” (2018), which despite being an uninspired movie with a pedestrian plot and again ludicrous plot points was a box office hit internationally, meaning there will be more to come. Waugh who can obviously direct is here hampered by a narrative that hinges on silly science as well as coincidences that once they start occurring seem like they should have been corrected in further drafts, but this is lower common denominator film-making at its best (worst?).
“Greenland” is based around John Garrity a Scottish architect living in Atlanta, Georgia with his estranged wife, Allison, and their diabetic son, Nathan. The family prepares to host a party with their neighbors to watch the passing of an interstellar comet, named Clarke. Arriving at a grocery store to pick up last-minute items before the party, John and Nathan notice a fleet of military cargo transport jets flying north in formation. In the store, John receives a strange automated phone call from the Department of Homeland Security, informing him that he and his family have been pre-selected for emergency sheltering.
Led by Gerard Butler who now has his Scottish accent built into his movies, here plays the same kind of person we have seen from any number of his movies which means for his fans you know exactly what you are getting. Very little in the way of building a character instead a broader version of the hero who has a wife and a son, he is of course estranged and his child has a sickness, thereby creating some kind of tension even before the comet hits, making it easy not only for Butler but for his wife played by Morena Baccarin, his son by Roger Dale Floyd. Both supporting actors have very little to do except for being in danger, shouting and crying, something many of Butlers have to do in opposite him in any number of movies.
If you can buy what this movie is selling, that a comet could come close to Earth with bits breaking off, for no apparent reason, and that no-one would pick up on that it was not going to hit where the authorities said it was going to and that a government could keep a secret about bunkers for the chosen few then this is for you. Not only that but the narrative is told from one family’s perspective and that they would be enough jeopardy to get split up then someone find their way back together all the while making up for their past mistakes as well as finding their way to another continent to live for nine months to emerge to a bruised planet then you win twice.
However, for me there is just too much absurdity going on to make this enjoyable or even a guilty pleasure, it just boggles me how this was made and how anyone could think it would be successful in theatres. I probably would not even recommend it as a watch on a service like Netflix or Dinsey+, stay well clear.
Featuring: Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Keeley Hawes, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Manville, Rhys Ifans and Greg Kinnear
Sally Alexander: [speaking on TV about The Miss World Competition] “The only other forum in which participants are weighed, measured and publicly examined before being assigned their value is a cattle market.”
Coming soon (hopefully) to a cinema near you is the English based and produced “Misbehaviour” (2020), a drama with comic overtones that brings to light a period in 1970 when a women’s movement staged a live on air protest at the Miss World contest, which attempted to highlight how mass audiences viewed women, especially men but also how other women saw themselves not only in the public arena but also within their own lives. All of these aspects are highlighted by the relationships within the movie as well as how the media uses and is used to push one agenda while ignoring another. “Misbehaviour” brings together a very good high profile cast, gives them all room to breathe with their own stories that link up to the main narrative but is a little let down by some formulaic writing as well as uninspired direction which means this is a movie that, like so many British stories that are produced each year could get a little lost, which is a shame as this is not only an eye opening story but illustrates clearly that the idea of a movement based around women still is not only viable but is needed.
It’s remarkable the seeming ease that the British Film Industry is able to produce great independent drama, comedies and horror movies each and every year. Not only that, but the talent on show always seems to be original as well as first class. What many of these English films have in common is that they are based around something unique or have some kind of gimmick, this new movie “Misbehaviour” has both of those, but feels like it is stretched too thin to actually make the impact it should. While it is an ensemble with a large group of characters, the narrative itself feels rushed with so much plot to cram in when the actual event takes place it feels like an afterthought with a part of the story, a court case, that is never seen, which to me feels like a big part of the real life story. This movie has much in common with many of the British movies produced over the past twenty years, it has some well known actors that could all carry their own movies, it has a concentration of on location production, is based on a very English story and most often has relatively inexperienced writers and directors. What is healthy to see with “Misbehaviour” is that it is a feminist narrative that has been directed and co-written by women who are not newcomers with some experience in large productions.
Written by Gaby Chiappe and Rebecca Frayn and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, this movie is very well executed with a bit of a sprawling narrative which encompasses a very large cast, so it is difficult for a real feeling of a solid story, it seems like as an audience we are moving all over the place even though there are only a few locales we actually visit which also for me is a little claustrophobic. It takes a real skill to not only balance a narrative, but also a large cast as well as a really important message, giving respect to real people without making them cyphers, offering real insight in a visual medium. One thing that all of these characters have are moments when they have to explain why what is happening is important, which becomes a little tiring, there for me are too many points of view. This is a very left movie which indicates why in some respect we see a movement against a very disjointed point of view. I mean this is a movie that not only attempts to comment on feminism but also racism, the mass media, sexism, colonialism and a host of other ideas that make for a messy narrative. Experience would help hone the themes as well as bringing the narrative together, however both writers and directors do a very good job.
“Misbehaviour” is based around the 1970 Miss World competition which took place in London, hosted by the US comedian Bob Hope. Arguing that beauty competitions objectify women, the newly formed women’s liberation movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast of the competition. The plot as I have stated is actually simple and is carried off well, this is however all about the narrative and themes which are mostly carried off well.
This is a movie with a stellar cast led by Keira Knightley who shares the screen with some other fantastic actors, this is not a new kind of role for her as she has been playing character parts a lot over the past decade, she knows exactly the performance required and has great chemistry with relative newcomer Jessie Buckley, who again shines in a limited role. In support there are numerous actors to point out but the other standouts for me are the always great Lesley Manville as Bob Hopes long suffering wife, who in a small role makes an impact with only a few lines and Greg Kinnear as the aforementioned Hope, who does not imitate but hones an unmistakeable performance as the legend. Finally Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the contestant from Grenada really underplays her role to amazing effect, for me stealing the movie from everyone else.
All in all while “Misbehaviour” is not the perfect movie it is very well executed with a message that is highlighted by the protest at the Miss World pageant which could have been a lot longer or presented in a much more visceral way. It would have also been beneficial to see the court case or at least how it was handled by those involved. As with many based on real events movies there are always titles in the conclusion to show what happened to some of those involved, which is always a nice epilogue. In this case we see the actual people involved in a modern contact with an all too brief title saying what they went on to accomplish. There are also real photographs in the end titles of the real people as well as some priceless footage of the organiser of the Miss World show. I would recommend this highly, it is a fun movie with a very real message that is bolstered by some excellent performances.
Featuring: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson
Sydney:“Hey. Hey!”
John: [raises his head] “What?”
Sydney:“You want a cup of coffee? You want a cigarette?”
John: [groggily] “What?”
Sydney:“I’m a guy that’s offering to give you a cigarette… buy you a cup of coffee.”
Released in Australasia for the first time in any format but this time on blu-ray is the stunning debut from auteur Paul Thomas Anderson in the form of the low key drama “Hard Eight” (1996) which was a box office flop but a Festival hit especially at Sundance where it definitely made an impact and led to his first bonafide success in the now classic “Boogie Nights” (1997). Like many of Anderson’s films “Hard Eight” tells the story of flawed characters coming together by way of chance to try and find their way through not only their own lives but each others which the writer/director is able to pull dramatic tension out of making this a somewhat hidden gem from the 1990s.
As with many of Andersons film they almost all about narrative and character with very little in the way of plot, that is not a slight in any way at all, in fact what this means is that there is a very natural way any story will unfold. “Hard Eight” is a study in and of character, it has three main protagonists who are all lost in one way or another which again is a theme within the narrative of many of the directors films, they actually have much in common with one of Anderson’s main influences, Robert Altman. Both directors made films that almost always felt quite personal for one reason or another, mostly because they saw life from a particular point of view, they often involve class differences as well as featuring actors who would crop up time and again which helps to link works thereby creating a kind of shared Universe or linked character profiles.
“Hard Eight” is based around Sydney, a senior gambler, who finds a young man, John, forlornly sitting outside a diner in Nevada. He offers to give him a cigarette and buy a cup of coffee. Sydney learns that John needs $6,000 to pay for his mother’s funeral. He offers to drive John to Las Vegas and teach him how to gamble and survive. Although John is skeptical at first, he agrees to Sydney’s proposal. From here we follow each character as they attempt to make a differnce in each others lives to a greater or lessor extent within the narrative while following a plot that meanders at best.
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson who was making his debut with “Hard Eight” you can see, looking back, how his career would unfold as he built a reputation as a maverick as well as an original voice, something that what truly rare in the 1990s, and even rarer now in our modern age. From this starting point over the years the budgets have increased, the people who want to work with Anderson has grown and audiences have embraced his unique style that could be off-putting but is embraced. There are three elements of Anderson’s films, present here, that are a kind of signature that would flow through to most of his oeuvre, they are the dialogue heavy nature of his scripts, the use of the camera as not only observer but also revealer of a kind ion truth and the use of silence, which again may seem illogical to say in a dialogue heavy movie but these are juxtaposed very well throughout.
“Hard Eight” has at its core three revealing and original performances by three very different actors who were all, at the time at very different stages of their own careers which is reflected seamlessly into the narrative of the film. The leads are very definitely Philip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly who are brilliant together and would appear together in the next two Anderson films, with their performances here it is easy to see why they have fantastic chemistry and are two sides of the same coin. With able support from both Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson who both play characters that they would become well known for, something Anderson does his best exploit to make “Hard Eight” a full rounded and original debut film from someone who would become a master of the medium.
“Hard Eight” has been a film that has been around on DVD in North America for some time, with its release on blu-ray in Australasia it is a must have for any film lover, in fact demand has been high so if you are able to purchase it you should, highly recommended.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray
Audio commentary by director Paul Thomas Anderson and actor Philip Baker Hall
Audio commentary by director Paul Thomas Anderson, actor Philip Baker Hall, Michelle Satter (Sundance Film) and various crew members
Written by: Jack Thorne based on Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss
Directed by: Marjane Satrapi
Featuring: Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley, Aneurin Barnard and Anya Taylor-Joy
Pierre Curie:“Your main problem, Marie, is your arrogance.”
Marie Curie:“My main problem is you. And the fact that I love you so utterly.”
Released recently on DVD is the biographical film “Radioactive” (2019) based around the adult life of Marie Curie the physicist and chemist who became famous for her studies into radioactivity, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. The film is led by the central performance of Rosamund Pike who once again features in a true story playing a real life person, but like her recent efforts in other biographical films she outshines the movie she appears in, which only seems to illustrate the deficiencies in the entire film.
When films are produced about real people, especially those that have changed the course of history or effected it in some way there may be a feeling that just explaining that or highlighting it is enough, but this is rarely the case. There have been some truly excellent biographical films produced that have become timeless, two that spring to mind are “Laurence of Arabia” (1962) and “Gandhi” (1982). What both of these have in common are of course the importance of their central person, the fact that they were helmed by legendary directors who both had a passion for their subject, actors that inhabit their parts, a budget that reflected their importance and scope to reign in a plot that could be sprawling and unwieldy in lesser hands.
“Radioactive” commences in 1934, Marie Curie collapses in her laboratory in Paris. As she is rushed to the hospital, she remembers her life. In 1893 she was frequently rejected for funding due to her gender but entered a partnership with Pierre Curie. After Marie discovered polonium and radium, the two fell in love and got married, having two children. Soon, Marie announces the discovery of radioactivity, revolutionising physics and chemistry. This is a bit of back and forth in terms of narrative which may have been original decades ago but now feels very non cinematic as well as reminiscent of a movie of the week, boring, staid and routine.
The film adapted by Jack Thorne and directed by Marjane Satrapi does feel uninspired, the passion for the film feels lacking as well as unimaginative, and for a subject who was nothing but creative and imaginative feels simplistic and crowded with small rooms, no light, just repression. The possible issue lies within the two creatives behind the camera who have either had little real experience in Satrapi and Thorne who has experience but in staid English dramas or formulaic dramas, not what was required with “Radioactive”. This should have been a film that forced its way into the light, juxtaposed images and showed a woman alive for she must have been to accomplish what she did.
What should be a gripping look into the final years of a woman that faced dangers as well as her own fears is actually quite a dry almost clinical piece of work that does shine especially in the main performance given by Rosamund Pike who expertly portrays someone who is a three dimensional character that battles with someone or something in almost every scene, at times as a viewer you feel exhausted as you witness what seems inevitable but at the same time wishing the outcome was not set in stone as of course it is. I found myself wondering what this movie would have looked like in the hands of a writer and director who had more experience as well as a vision of a story that would grab an audience offering a narrative as well as real social commentary which would have offered an equally as well as compelling plot to back up the great central performance.
In saying that I do recommend this movie, it is an education if a bit of a slog, it feels like it could have made a much better long form series or documentary with re-enactments instead of yet another Rosamund Pike led movie of the week, remember this is the actress who was in the explosive “Gone Girl” (2014), I hope this does not remain the nadir of her career.
Featuring: Antonia Prebble, David de Lautour, Dan Musgrove, Esther Stephens, Todd Emerson, Pana Hema-Taylor, Xavier Horan, Sophie Hambleton, Reef Ireland, Ashleigh Cummings
Ted:“No rhinos around here mate: just a pig dressed as a ponce.”
Released on DVD this month is the long running television series “Westside” (2015-2020), this is the full series now that the show ended its run just recently.
“Westside” (2015-2020) is a New Zealand comedy-drama television series created by Rachel Lang and James Griffin for South Pacific Pictures. It is a prequel to “Outrageous Fortune ” (2005 – 2010), and chronicles the lives of Ted and Rita West.
Believe it or not there was a time when any kind of drama that was about New Zealanders that would or could air on New Zealand television was unthinkable unless it was a soap in the vein of Shortland Street (1992 – present) or going back further “Close to Home” (1975 – 1983). So it is amazing that after many television embarrassments as well as failures a show like “Outrageous Fortune” (2005 – 2010) not only found a home but also was successful and well reviewed by almost anyone that seen it.
Like the best period televise from any country, not just New Zealand, the success lies in the ability to place the timing of the plots without being too wink wink nudge nudge or by making too big a part of the fact that it is set in the past. In a way this is the key to the success of “Westside” it easily slips into the 1970s period with some great on location filming, sets that are straight out of old photo albums and of course the acting ability of all those involved, which are all top notch even for a series that must always have been budget conscious.
Of course there are always going to be comparisons to what was a huge hit and a touchstone for New Zealand drama in the original series “Outrageous Fortune”, but this prequel holds its own both with its new bold cast as well as the characterisations of the previously known characters who are younger and being portrayed in a vert different light, which again is surprising and refreshing.
This new box set is not only excellent value but contains a run that is historically accurate reflecting the times that have gone before in a somewhat realistic way which is a change from some of the New Zealand made dreck currently airing on New Zealand television.
Episodes:
Series One
All That Impedes Thee from the Golden Round: Ted West is released from a 3 year stretch in prison to find out one of his former gang could be a snitch and Lefty has taken over the leadership role. Unhappy with how Rita and Wolf have been treated Ted sets about putting things right.
1975 – Is’t Far You Ride?: As Ted’s away on a job, a bored Rita pursues other interests. And Wolf’s act of vandalism starts a war with the Doslic neighbours. Ted’s jewellery tribute to Rita inspires Wolf to make amends to his mother, as Rita embarks on a bold plan to get her own career. But peace making Ted finds the Dallies have more to recommend them than wine . . . One of them has skills Ted can use to best his personal great white whale, the safe at a mine. But the job comes with unexpected complications and Rita will have to work the angles to save her husband, and achieve her dream.
Instruments of Darkness Tell Us Truths: Ted and Rita both champion good causes: a disco dancing overstayer and a mouse who needs to roar.
Our Poison’d Chalice: Another poisoned lamington leads everything in the family and the gang falling apart. Exploring a new line of business with notorious Marty Johnstone ‘Mr Asia’ unites them all back to what they know best.
Dire Combustion: The biggest job yet has explosive consequences for the Wests. Oh, and Wolf has a girlfriend.
But for a Wayward Son: Ted and Rita find Wolf has been doing the dirty, in more ways than one. But how to deal with their problem child?
Series Two
Episode 1: Rita West is reunited with love of her life Ted, but has lost a son. The gloves are off in the war with the Horsemen and there’s a storm in a teacup.
Episode 2: Rita helps out a friend from prison and Wolf get an upwardly mobile job. The Springbok tour creates employment opportunities for Ted and there’s a swingers’ party.
Episode 3: Ted goes after a wad of South African cash. A crime close to home has the Wests joining forces with the police and neighbourhood watch.
Episode 4: Wolf gets fired, which angers Rita and pleases his boss. Bert and Falani take a road trip to Hamilton to watch the infamous Waikato/Springbok game and switch sides twice, in the game that never was. Wolf enlists Sparky and Eric to go on a frozen fishing expedition for Evan. The long-suffering Ngaire seeks affection and romance, but could Mike McCarthy be a fatal attraction? Ted twiddles his thumbs and Rita surprises him with a job offer. And Phineas’ world comes crashing down when his mother dies.
Episode 5: It’s hectic times for Rita and Ted: a royal wedding – a funeral – forbidden love – a family feud – plus a Nazi.
Episode 6: Times are changing for Ted. Rita wants to expand her business and keep the peace between father and son. Wolf mixes business with pleasure.
Episode 7: Ted and the boys go hunting South Africans while Rita has a mess to sort out with her growing business and an explosive affair.
Episode 8: The wives financially support their men – which doesn’t go down well and the Springbok tour divides the gang and the country.
Episode 9: Rita’s in charge of her first big job and the stakes have never been higher but can she rely on those closest to her?
Episode 10: Ted gets one final crack at the South African money. Wolf’s at war with his parents and the rest of the country are at war with themselves.
Series Three
Episode 1: Rita and Ted return from their holiday to a rude surprise and Wolf gone. Rita distracts herself by waging war on the new neighbours, And Ted is dealt a blow he probably saw coming.
Episode 2: Lefty is a desperate man and Ted is dragged along for the ride. The gang has to look to the past if they have hopes of a future.
Episode 3: Wolf grows dissatisfied with his career, but it turns out that’s the least of his problems. A sexy blast from Rita’s prison past arrives with dangerous intentions.
Episode 4: Guilt over Evan is tearing Rita and Wolf apart. McCarthy feels compromised by his lady’s past. A fateful meeting at the forbidden dairy leads to fireworks.
Episode 5: Rita may have finally found her match. Fear forces Bilkey in too deep. A means to an end changes everything.
Episode 6: Bert is deceived and destroyed. Rita proves there’s no fury like a woman scorned. Wolf ups his game.
Episode 7: Wolf plays with the big boys. Rita gets under Cheryl’s skin. A last minute change of plans may cost everything.
Episode 8: Rita makes a deal with some devils. Mike buckles when his personal and private lives collide.
Series Four
Episode 1: Time on the inside puts Cheryl and Wolf on trial. Phineas’ manhood gets in the way of manning up. McCarthy strays far from the thin blue line.
Episode 2: The gang gets roped into the silly season. Ngaire comes home and she’s brought gifts. Cheryl’s Christmas cheer turns deadly.
Episode 3: Wolf holds Cheryl back from the edge. Rita suffocates in a full house and seeks help from a potential threat. Ted’s future looks crime-free and hopeless.
Episode 4: Rita rebels against Cheryl’s plan to go straight, Wolf struggles to leave his life of crime behind and Ted’s winning streak comes to an end.
Episode 5: Ngaire and Lefty explode. Eric’s love-life may not be in dire straits. Bilkey finds out all’s fair in love and war. And Ted’s bad attitude puts him and Rita in real danger.
Episode 6: Rita has her mind blown. Bert and Carol’s arrangement is threatened by a blast from the past. Ted makes a comeback, but it might all be for nothing.
Episode 7: Sparky’s love combusts. Memory lane leads Ted to old promises. Phineas comes clean over his dirty little secret. Round two for Rita leaves her wanting.
Episode 8: A grisly murder pits the gang against each other, Cheryl and Wolf are at each other’s throats over wedding venues, and Rita gives Ted an ultimatum.
Episode 9: Ngaire encounters a familiar face at Cheryl’s hen’s party while Wolf is lead astray by an old flame at his stag do. Phineas and Bert fight for Carol.
Episode 10: The Wests come together for Cheryl and Wolf’s wedding but the groom has cold feet, and the cops threaten to derail the nuptials.
Series Five
Episode 1: It’s 1987, and the parade down Queen Street for the NZ America’s Cup yachting team is in full swing. Ted and his guys are hiding out on a job, and Wolf and his boys have their own plans. Of course, nothing goes to plan.
Episode 2: Rita is dealing with trouble and strife both at home and abroad, as the repercussions from the two bungled robberies spread. It seems that the Wests have awakened an enemy considerably more powerful than even Rita’s iron will.
Episode 3: When an immovable object meets an unstoppable force all-out war is the inevitable result. As Ted lies in his hospital bed, Rita calls the troops to arms, to see off those responsible. Many innocent letter-boxes will perish as a result.
Episode 4: In which the ground literally moves, as Ted’s gang head down to Edgecumbe for their first job without their leader. Meanwhile, Cheryl brings a hippy into the West house, leading to a very uncomfortable visitation from the past for Rita.
Episode 5: A West family children’s birthday party for the 4-year old twins. What could possibly go wrong? Apart from the appearance of a gang of angry clowns, of course.
Episode 6: Ted does not believe in such a thing as a truce; or in playing a long game. Ted has suffered and Ted wants some payback for that suffering. Luckily for him, where there is a Rugby World Cup final at Eden Park, there is a way.
Episode 7: A plague has descended upon the West house. But even as she hovers near death there are still some things only a woman like Rita can sort out – like doing a deal with the devil, before they all drown in the deep blue sea.
Episode 8: The Wests are a family with a lot of secrets. Having these secrets is not the problem; keeping the secrets is the problem. Thus it is that Rita and Wolf go head-to-head in a game of mutually assured destruction.
Episode 9: The war that has been simmering under the surface, between Rita and Wolf, bursts into fruition as Wolf takes matters into his own hands.
Episode 10: October 1987. As the stock-market crashes around the West family and their associates an old dynasty crumbles and decays, while the next generation finds a home in which to forge the next one.
Netflix has released the official trailer for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” the feature adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s Tony Award-nominated play.
Chicago, 1927. In a recording session, tensions rise between the trailblazing singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), her young and ambitious trumpeter (Chadwick Boseman) who aspired to make his own mark in the music industry, and the white management determined to control the legendary ‘Mother of the Blues’.
The project is the late Boseman’s final feature. Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Dusan Brown and Taylour Paige co-star. George C. Wolfe helms from a script by Ruben Santiago Hudson. The film debuts on Netflix on December 18th.
Featuring: Steve Coogan, David Mitchell, Asa Butterfield, Dinita Gohil, Sophie Cookson, Jonny Sweet, Asim Chaudhry, Shirley Henderson, and Isla Fisher
Samantha:“No one reads the Mail Online, it’s cleavage clickbait!”
Sir Richard McCreadie: “Yeah, except I’M the tit this time.”
Released on DVD is the latest collaboration between director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan in the black comedy/satire “Greed” (2020) which features at its core a billionaire loosely based on embattled retail baron Sir Philip Green who has been mired in scandal and apparently subjected people working in his business empire to abuse and other inappropriate behaviour that was at times racial, physical and sexual. When you read about Green or see him in the news the ability to skewer him, is lifestyle and to a certain extent his friends becomes quite obvious, so to people like Winterbottom and Coogan it is just low hanging fruit.
“Greed” is a satire which means Winterbottom has taken a familiar story and genre, making fun of it through imitation, providing a comedic spin on serious issues. That means through humour Winterbottom and Co. are attempting to illustrate how and why Green needs to be exposed, not only him but the many like him who are committing actual crimes and getting away with it. The great thing is that the director and actor have almost made careers out of the genre making fun of everything from entire genres, to the famous and of course most famously themselves. They are experts at it, this movie only cements that fact.
“Greed” takes a non-linear approach to the life of Sir Richard “Greedy” McCreadie, a billionaire fashion mogul, with frequent flashbacks to his rise from relatively humble (though still affluent and privileged) circumstances as an outcast and rebellious student at an unnamed British public school, to his rise in the 1970s and 1980s as a powerful high-street fashion merchant, to his testimony at a recent government hearing on financial and ethical abuses within the fashion industry. It becomes clear that, despite McCreadie’s self-image as a hard-nosed and savvy businessman with multiple celebrity friends, much of his wealth is in fact based on ruthless exploitation, including a reliance on sweatshops in Southeast Asia for his fashion lines, tax avoidance, asset stripping and similar questionably ethical financial dealings.
I for one always look forward to any work by Michael Winterbottom who must be in the top five of greatest living English directors, there are few that could match not only his prolific output, but also his quality of work especially over multiple genres which is stunning in itself. Winterbottom often defies the genres in which he works, by either subverting them or pushing the limits in which they exist. He is a director that does not always succeed but when you watch his films as an audience member you know you are seeing his vision with little compromise. In “Greed” there is a definite point of view which is of course a liberal one, it also rallies against the rich and powerful something that has been occurring for the past few years with people like Green, Weinstein, Epstein and a host of others, this is definitely a film for the time we live in right now, both Coogan and Winterbottom recognise this.
When Steve Coogan began his career as a comic he was always able to harness whatever performance he required but these were almost always broad, however over the past ten years with better and more interesting projects coming his way his own acting ability has come to the fore which is exactly why he is able to carry off his performance in “Greed”. I actually think this one of Coogan’s better performances, he actually plays it quite straight letting the material speak for itself which means not a lot of his normal mannerisms, it works extremely well.
While it has been said “Greed” is reminiscent of recent films “The Big Short” (2015) and “Laundromat” (2019) for me it is more likened to the underrated and magnificent “Fast Food Nation” (2006) brilliantly directed by Richard Linklater, someone who has more in common with Winterbottom than either Steven Soderbergh or Adam McKay in terms of the kind of genre and movies he produces. I enjoyed “Greed” a lot, it ticks many boxes for me and it is great to think that the director and stars best work may be ahead of them.
Universal Pictures has released a new full trailer for the period western drama “News of the World” which sees the re-teaming of “Captain Phillips” actor Tom Hanks and director Paul Greengrass.
Based on Paulette Jiles’ 2016 novel and adapted by Luke Davies (“Lion”), the story begins five years after the end of the Civil War. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks), a widower and veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe.
The film is still on track to open in cinemas this Christmas.
Featuring: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Krysten Ritter, Charles Baker, Matt Jones, Robert Forster, Jonathan Banks and Bryan Cranston
Walter White: “You’re really lucky, you know that? You didn’t have to wait your whole life to do something special.”
Released recently on DVD and Blu-ray is the followup of sorts to the hit series “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013) in the form of “El Camino” (2020) which features at its heart the character of Jesse Pinkman who survived the end of the series, this new movie gives a kind of closure that feels less like a coherent narrative, more like a bumper two episodes of the series put together. Inherently there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, this is after all written and directed by Vince Gilligan, who has proven himself time and again fully capable of creating must see television, this new movie is no different and even if it just let audiences revisit some of their most beloved characters it would be enough, but “El Camino” is far better than that, as you might expect.
“El Camino” is almost exactly the movie you might expect to wrap up the series, although it does feel like there is much more to tell. At this stage writer/director Vince Gilligan knows exactly what he is doing not only with these familiar characters but also within narrative storytelling as well. He has behind some of the best genre televise of the past thirty years, he has never been more assured as he has with his baby “Breaking Bad”, he knows these people, the situations and most importantly can construct a plot with a narrative that feel so intertwined that sometimes they feel like they may fall apart at any moment but they hang onto to each other like a living entity until the final moments, leaving the audience wanting more. Here Gilligan directs his first real movie after experience helming other shows but of course because “Breaking Bad” was at times truly cinematic he has no issues creating a great looking movie with grand vistas, close ups but most important always with the story front and centre, its actually maddening he has never directed a movie earlier in his career but the small screen seems to have been his home. I wonder if this should have gone to cinemas for a limited run just to see it on the big screen with fans of the show in two.
The movie begins in flashback, with Jesse Pinkman and Mike Ehrmantraut having a discussion shortly before they leave Walter White’s meth business. Jesse asks Mike where he would go to start over. Mike replies that if he were younger, he would go to Alaska, an idea Jesse finds appealing. In the present, Jesse flees the Brotherhood compound in Todd Alquist’s El Camino. He goes to the Albuquerque home of Skinny Pete and Badger, who hide the car and give Jesse a place to sleep. The next morning, Jesse calls Old Joe to dispose of the El Camino but Joe flees after discovering its LoJack. Pete then devises a plan to make it appear that Jesse fled to Mexico after trading Pete’s Ford Thunderbird for the El Camino. Whilst the movie never hides from what occurred in the series I will not give any more detail regarding story but needless to say it movies back and forth through time with parallel narratives running next to each other which means we see Walter again, a treat for all fans. There are old characters as well as new ones which means the plot keeps one foot in the past as well as one squarely looking outwards, maybe a hint of what is to come once “Better Call Saul” (2016-present) reaches it conclusion.
No matter who features in “El Camino” and Mae no mistake this has a deep cast this is most definitely Aaron Paul’s movie which is good for him as it reminds audiences why they liked him in the first place. There can be a tendency for actors who are closely associated with a role to never truly escape it no matter what they do, one need only look at signature roles which of course Aaron Paul had with Jessie Pinkman. Since the ending of “Breaking Bad” Paul has endeavoured to play many parts, keeping extremely busy in film and television with mixed results, but with Pinkman there is no harm in playing someone you know so well, it shows, think David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, an actor who knows who is playing from top to bottom, while being very good in other roles we all want more of what we like. The rest of the cast are all great and know they are all supporting one character which they do incredibly well, of course it does not hurt to be a part of a phenomenon in any form.
If “Breaking Bad” was all about meticulous plans with effects flowing from those this new instalment is all about making your own luck, living in the moment and hoping survival will come out of that. It’s also interesting that the Jessie had to have help from the person that killed his girlfriend which informs the entire story. As I have said I don’t believe this to be the end of the story, I think there will be more at some point, after all with a spin off show and this movie, surely Gilligan has more up his sleeve.
Special Features
Audio Commentary with Vince Gilligan and Aaron Paul Deleted and Extended Scenes Gag Reel Scene Studies with Vince Gilligan Super Commentary!: An ensemble audio commentary featuring 46 members of the cast and crew Making El Camino: A behind-the-scenes documentary featuring never-before-seen interviews with the cast and crew Snow Globe: A Breaking Bad Short Skinny Pete in the Box Teaser On the Radio Teaser Rocker Salvage Commercial Vamonos Pest Commercial “Enchanted” by Chloe x Halle Visual Effects Design Galleries
Featuring: Kate Lyn Sheil, Jane Adams, Kentucker Audley, Katie Aselton, Chris Messina, Tunde Adebimpe, Jennifer Kim, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Michelle Rodriguez, Josh Lucas and Adam Wingard
Jane:“Humans are the only animal or creature that pretends to be what it’s not.”
Released this week on DVD is the drama/horror “She Dies Tomorrow” (2020), written and directed by Amy Seimetz, a movie that is as original as one can get within the horror genre, which is saying something considering how bloated this milieu has become over the past fifteen years. Seimetz, although known popularly as an actress has carved out a niche as a director of both television as well as three films, each getting progressively more confident and meaningful than the previous. It does not hurt that she can call on a number of high profile acquaintances to appear in her movies thereby giving them a hint of authenticity as well as a profile others might not be able to get in a crowded marketplace.
I have made the point before but the past ten years has been a bonanza for genre movies, especially horror, not only does there seem to be more being produced than ever before, especially with the advent of cheap film making equipment, more quality filmmakers entering the genre as well as more production companies realising there is money to be made, especially with the increase in online streaming services. This is where Jason Blum and his Blumhouse production company has entered the market finding a cost/revenue model that works for them, partnering with a major distribution partner in Universal and not limiting itself to theatrical projects, but also partnering with Netflix. What we have with “She Dies Tomorrow” however is something that is becoming rarer and rarer, that is a non Blumhouse or Netflix horror movie that makes an impact, is original and is directed by a woman that attempts to make social commentary through genre tropes, bending them and defying conventions in a very good way.
“She Dies Tomorrow” is based around Amy a young woman who has recently purchased a house, and is congratulated over the phone by her friend Jane. When she visits, Amy reveals to Jane that she knows she is going to die the next day, which Jane initially writes off as a result of Amy consuming alcohol. Amy repeatedly says that she wants to be turned into a leather jacket after she dies, so she could be made into something of use. Jane leaves, telling her she will call the next day. Jane returns to her house to continue studying samples under a microscope, but suddenly becomes paranoid and rushes to Amy’s house, leaving several voice messages but being unable to contact her. She then leaves to go to her sister in law’s birthday party.At the party, Jane appears disheveled, confusing the other guests and disturbing them by saying she, too, is going to die tomorrow. This actually reads a little like the low budget but effective horror “Pontypool” (2008) that works on a similar conceit although far less personal.
The movie has its influences which the filmmaker uses to their obvious conclusions, there is a varied color palette that changes as the characters get lost in their own world views and ‘infections’ which come into view when we realise what is happening with the contagion being actually quite easy, not too dissimilar to a certain disease sweeping the world currently. Seimetz directs this movie with a small budget but like many modern independent movies this has a feel, look and screenplay that is extremely tight and well honed.
“She Dies Tomorrow” has a huge list of great character actors that all know what kind of movie they are appearing in and obviously know how to adjust their onscreen personas to give the director what she wants which is a challenge especially when some are supposed to be feeling the effects of the spell they are under. It is fun seeing some of these actors playing parts outside their wheelhouses, at once familiar but different as they serve the vision of the screenplay which is different to what they normally appear in, that is high budget broad genre movies that millions will watch as opposed to movie that is a sub genre movie at best.
I actually recommend this movie highly as one of those horror movies that transcends its genre, sure it may come across like an independent thriller but it is much more than that. The horror elements exist but very subtly in the same way a Lars von Trier movie might, all drama and tension but with definite horror credentials. It is also a break to have a true female directed horror movie that is not a remake, reboot or a sequel, something it seems only independent cinema is able to accomplish.
A short 30 second teaser for “Halloween Kills” has arrived.
David Gordon Green returns to helm the film which sees Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak and Robert Longstreet returning along with original 1978 actors Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace and Nancy Stephens as Nurse Marion Chambers. Anthony Michael Hall takes over the role of Tommy Doyle.
“Halloween Kills” opens in cinemas on October 15th 2021.
Featuring: Holland Roden, Keegan Allen, Pasha Lychnikoff, Denzel Whitaker and George Janko
Alexei: [addressing the group before they enter the escape room] “Ok, now remember, as real as everything might seem, you’re safe.”
Recently released on DVD and Blu-ray is the social media based horror “Follow Me” (2020) that even though the world is in a pandemic managed to receive a small theatrical released, making little waves anywhere which is down to the quality of production as well the complete unoriginality of this entry into the horror genre. Not only is this a trope laden horror movie that has been done many times in the past few years, but it dresses itself up as some kind of millennial socially justified horror movie but with little scope and transplanting the location to some Eastern Europe locale it comes off as some kind of “Hostel” (2005) rip off with no originality with actors that are not really up to a major release as well a writer/director whose talent does not match his ambition.
I have made the point before but the past ten years has been a bonanza for genre movies, especially horror, not only does there seem to be more being produced than ever before, especially with the advent of cheap film making equipment, more quality filmmakers entering the genre as well as more production companies realising there is money to be made, especially with the increase in online streaming services. This is where Jason Blum and his Blumhouse production company has entered the market finding a cost/revenue model that works for them, partnering with a major distribution partner in Universal and not limiting itself to theatrical projects, but also partnering with Netflix. What this means of course is that there are literally a whole heap of other filmmakers who believe they could copy the model of low budget/high returns, but of course what Blumhouse has done is to, on the most part, create some original content, this is where the copycats have failed by producing some fairly ordinary genre content. This is exactly where “Follow Me” falls, maybe fifteen years ago it may have been considered interesting but in 2020 it feels like a C grade effort at best.
“Follow Me” is based around the celebration of the ten year anniversary of content creation within his successful vlog #ESCAPEREALLIFE, social media personality Cole Turner flies to Moscow with his girlfriend Erin, best friend Thomas and their friends Dash and Sam. In Russia, Dash introduces his wealthy playboy friend Alexei Koslov who promises he has arranged a personalized escape room experience guaranteed to terrify Cole. I am not even going to go into the rest of the plot of this movie, it is standard stuff with very little in the way of surprise, but if you have never seen a horror built around social media, torture porn or others of its ilk then it may surprise, other than that it is trope laden and run of the mill.
One of the larger issues within this film are its cast of characters as well as the actors cast to portray them. For a movie like this to work, you need to care about the characters or at least some of them, and that is simply not the case. I didn’t care about Cole and his need always to get that #Content, his whole character is summed up in the fact that after his girlfriend was almost dragged away by some thugs, he was more interested in if there was any footage. Dash is just as bad, and the rest of the characters have so little development; it is a case of why bother. Because of this lack of character, I found the rest of the film honestly quite dull instead of tense as the film hopes.
“Follow Me” does attempt to deal with some very large issues but because of the nature of the movie as well as the budget these are not very well examined at all which is a huge loss as genre films are the best way to analyse any kind of social commentary in a meaningful way. This is not a particularly original movie, which is all this movie could have going for it especially as a genre movie. For genre movies, any genre at all to succeed there needs to be a few elements present, of course it has to take place within an established genre which this does, but then it has to subvert those genre expectations to provide an audience with something new. Given the expectations of today’s audiences this new element doesn’t even need to be smart or too deep in any way, so it is saying something that “Follow Me” really has nothing to offer except for some onscreen violence which again is not too original in its execution, think maybe “Hostel III” (2011), that is not a good thing to compare it to.
Is there a reason to watch this movie? Well thats a hard question to answer but put simply of you have no real experience of the horror genre then there might be something here for you. However, if as an audience member you have a love for the horror genre then I would give this a miss, unless it is streaming and you are curious.
Featuring: Julie Graham, Rebecca Grant, Andrew Leung, Siobhan Redmond, Martin Trenaman, Olivia Vinall and Sarah Woodward
“Queens of Mystery” concerns Matilda Stone, a young detective who has been assigned to the constabulary in her fictional hometown village of Wildemarsh in England. There, Matilda is also reunited with her three crime novelist aunts Cat, Beth, and Jane, played by Julie Graham, Sarah Woodward, and Siobhan Redmond. From here one can imagine what happens, there are murders to be solved with all manner of plot twists that have become the staple of UK based amateur sleuthing detective shows, of course like many of them there are women at the centre who are able to solve what the professional authorities are unable to.
Of recent pedigree thing “Agatha Raisin” (2014-2019) but with a more feminine bent which considering the amount of female actresses is a welcome thing. It is odd to consider that many of the high profile shows based around actual Detectives solving crime, think “Foyle’s War” (2002-2015), “Lewis” (2006-2015) and many more, they are mostly men, whereas the amateur side is almost all women, possibly an honest reflection but maybe it would be a bit more realistic with women crossing over.
The entry to the show is the character Matilda played straight by Rebecca Grant who is very good in her role especially when cast against three super experienced and professional actresses in Julie Graham, Sarah Woodward, and Siobhan Redmond who play varying levels of different people, they are smart, funny, successful but are loyal to each other and most of all show their emotions when required. The three of them are also loyal to a fault which again is nice to see, there are no arch relationships or real squabbling over anything, men are also not their driving force.
That is not to say the show is perfect in its execution, the show gets off to a bang with the first two parter but tension as well as character development take a back set in the final two full length stories which was a real shame in my eyes and a missed opportunity. This is not the end of the world however and I believe with some smarter writing this could become a very good series that runs for some time, after all with four strong women shows have gone further on less.
If you enjoy eating a series that is not all doom and gloom, in fact is anything but, except for the odd murder, then this is the show for you. It is more or less violence free with a healthy does of humour and could be considered family viewing as it is on the low end of scary or offensive. It tells a story that is becoming more popular that is people leaving high stress jobs, busy cities for a quieter life, which some would argue does not really exist.
Episodes
Murder in the Dark: First Chapter: When newly promoted Detective Sgt. Mattie Stone is assigned to her hometown of Wildemarsh for duty, her boss strictly warns her that her job will not require the help of her three crime writing aunts, Beth, Cat, and Jane.
Death by Vinyl: Death by Vinyl gives an insight into Cat Stone’s years in an 80s new wave girl band and her love affair with Nikki Holler, its lead singer. “Volcanic Youth” and their entourage have been invited to record a reunion album at an exclusive retreat not far from Wildermarsh – but it’s not long before one of them is found dead. Matilda begins her investigations and soon becomes aware of motives for murder buried in the band’s past. Only by teaming up with veteran ex-band member, Aunt Cat, can Matilda piece the fragments of these scattered lives together.
Smoke and Mirrors: The stage adaptation of Jane’s book endures numerous snafus before opening night; electrical problems, and a notorious arts critic writing a potentially bad review. Meanwhile, Mattie searches for new clues in the case of her missing mother, but an onstage murder brings her to the theatre.
Featuring: David Jason, Pam Ferris, Philip Franks and Catherine Zeta-Jones
Sidney Charles ‘Pop’ Larkin:“This calls for a cocktail!”
Once again recently released on DVD is the now constant favorite David Jason starring “The Darling Buds of May” (1991-1993), a relatively short lived television show that is now quite famous for being the first major mainstream series or movie featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones who is a standout and would of course go on to Oscar winning success as well as a high international profile. One of the main element sof the show that I believe still makes it a success as well as it being re-released on DVD every few years is not only its timely setting, that is, it is a period piece that is of extremely high quality but also the stories themselves which are never dark, but enjoyable and full of hope, no matter what happens, it is difficult not to smile when reaching the end of each installment.
“The Darling Buds of May” concerns the Larkin family who live on a farm in rural England. Sidney (“Pop”) and his common law wife Florence (“Ma”) have six children, eldest daughter Mariette, followed by their only son Montgomery, and other daughters Primrose, twins Zinnia and Petunia, and Victoria. Ma is a housewife while Pop supplements his farm income with various other not entirely legitimate enterprises. Tax collector Cedric (“Charley”) visits to audit Pop, but falls in love with Mariette and quits his job to live the rural life. Pop and Ma’s relationship is depicted as loving and affectionate throughout, although Pop is flirtatious and subject to numerous advances, most of which Ma is aware of and evidently unconcerned by. Proud of all his children, Pop’s schemes evidently provide well for the family, although he is just as motivated by doing good and helping others as making a profit. From here the adventures of the entire family come into play with no real tension but that is made up by alot of good natured storytelling which has never really gone out of date. This makes sense as it was produced possibly as an antidote or reaction to not only the UK politics of the time but also to the International feeling at the the time.
To say the series was a success is an understatement, it was and remains a fan favorite which is down to quite a few factors that coalesced around the show. Of course the star of the show was David Jason who was becoming the television legend he is today, this would mark his first real starring role in what was a drama with humor something he would follow up with in the years to come. However there were the actors Pam Ferris and Catherine Zeta Jones who would also come to the fore playing women who whilst they were secondary characters has some very real agency, they were knowing of the men and made sure they always came out on top.
This was a series where the natural environs played a part, they were a character as well in that the locales served a purpose, the land was something that all the characters not only inhabited but relied on as well for their lives and their livelhood. “The Darling Buds of May” was filmed on location with many interiors of course on soundstage, but the look of the series was as authentic as could be, something seen mostly seen in movies, but when one thinks of modern dramas the locations pay huge parts, they offer an individuality that sets them apart much like this show did when it was screened and something it was ahead of.
“The Darling Buds of May” remains very much one of the English television series that many not only remember but are able to re-watch which explains why it is always available on DVD or in the UK on streaming services. It is a credit to the taste and power of David Jason that ever since he first appeared on television screens he has been a constant presence in great high quality viewing and this is no different. It does mean that he can taken for granted and that he is one sort of genre but in fact he spans genre easily and this show proves it. This is also a show that while Jason is the lead he is at ease sharing the screen with others, even those actors who are untested, something he would have learned from one of the greats in Ronnie Barker. I highly recommend this series, for like all those years ago this is a time when we all need a laugh and some reminder that there was a time when people just got along.
Episodes
Series One
The Darling Buds of May: Cedric Charlton, the tax inspector, arrives on Home Farm to help the Larkins fill in their tax form. He is distracted by their beautiful daughter, Mariette. The Larkins distract him further by attempting to teach him crib and getting him drunk. He wakes with a hangover, and is unfit to return home. Eventually, he forgets life in the office.
When the Green Woods Laugh: The day of Charley and Mariette’s wedding is looming. Pop sells a country mansion to an aristocratic couple. When Pop rejects the advances of Corrine Perrigo (Celia Imrie), she gets her revenge by persuading the woman to charge him with assault, when all he attempted was stop her from falling. The Brigadier is best man for the wedding. Eventually, Pop is found innocent and the wedding goes ahead.
A Breath of French Air: The Larkins go on holiday to Brittany. The weather is appalling, the food revolting, the receptionist unfriendly. The weather improves, and a mechanic sees the crest on the doors of Mr Larkin’s car and thinks him a lord. As a result, he is treated better, even by the receptionist, Molet. The hotel patronne, Mademoiselle Dupont, gives Pop and Ma her room. Primrose falls in love with a local boy named Marc – Antoine Gammelin and wants to stay in France.
Christmas is Coming!: As Christmas approaches, Charley and Mariette go to view a house to rent, unaware that Tommy Mason, an escaped convict is hiding there. Pop later discovers him in the Larkins’ hen-house where Victoria is taking food to him. He explains that, since his imprisonment, his wife has severed all ties with him but he is anxious to see his children.
Series Two
Oh! To Be in England!: Mam’selle Dupont comes to stay with the Larkins, and discovers the truth – Mr. Larkin is not a lord. She is disappointed but comes to terms with it, and enjoys her stay. Pop saves an old woman from being cheated, and buys a fair from his friend, Fruity Pears, who is unable to run it after being attacked by thugs. Primrose’s relationship with the French boy has fizzled out; back in the UK she falls for Mr Candy, the young vicar in charge of christening the young Larkins … and a newly arrived Charlton.
Stranger at the Gates: A young man named Pieter who says he is Danish arrives on the farm, and starts doing odd jobs for the people in the village. Everyone, including Mariette, thinks he’s the bee’s knees, much to the resentment of Charley. Meanwhile, Montgomery is being bullied by local boys, and Primrose is attempting to win Mr. Candy’s heart. She mistakes his sister for a girlfriend, and angrily leaves him. Charley discovers that Pieter is German and has been hiding his identity because of the anti-German sentiment in post-World War II Britain.
A Season of Heavenly Gifts: Pop Larkin unwittingly becomes involved in smuggling when he receives gifts from a grateful pilot he helped after a crash-landing. Meanwhile, an evil Polish man named Mr. Cope attempts to prevent Charley and Mariette from buying Mrs Kinthley’s hopgarden. The pilot invites the family to a party at his club, which they greatly enjoy. Montgomery Larkin is unhappy at Naval College, where he is training to be a sailor in the merchant navy.
Le Grand Weekend: Pop and Ma’s proposed weekend in Paris is disrupted by a storm, and they spend the time in a country house.
Series Three
The Happiest Days of Your Life: The twins go to boarding school, while Charley starts doing the books as a part-time job for the brewery to which he wishes to sell his hops. Charley and Mariette decide to buy the brewery. The whole family repairs the twins’ boarding school, which was otherwise going to be forced to close by the bank for not keeping up with the repairs.
Cast Not Your Pearls Before Swine: Pop builds a swimming-pool, and buys two hundred pigs from George Harran, a confidence trickster who is also cheating Edith, who has fallen in love with him. Meanwhile, Primrose has a new love interest—a member of the swimming pool building crew, from Liverpool. Pop prepares a trick against George to put all to rights without hurting Edith.
Climb the Greasy Pole: Pop runs for rural councillor while Charley and Mariette struggle at the brewery and have problems in their relationship. Gypsies get involved in Pop’s campaign for rural councillor. Charley and Mariette have to work on their marriage as Mariette is attracted to Tom Sargent, after which they at last finalise the deal to buy Bristow’s brewery.
Written by: Gerald Vaughan-Hughes based on “The Duel” by Joseph Conrad
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Featuring: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney and Tom Conti
Narrator:“The duellist demands satisfaction. Honour, for him, is an appetite. This story is about an eccentric kind of hunger. It is a true story and begins in the year that Napoleon Bonaparte became ruler of France.”
Released recently on blu-ray is master auteur Ridley Scott’s debut film, “The Duellists” (1977), a stunning lush film that brings a fairly simple plot to life with great actors and a hint at what was to come for the director whose first few films, including this one, would pave the way for a career that would always challenge the times in which they were made with memorable performances but most importantly a visual quality that few have ever been able to handle for an entire lifetime. The release of “The Duellists” is a world wide exclusive for Australasia which is welcome as it not common for our market to receive such things.
As “The Duellists” is a debut for director Scott, there are some elements you might expect to see, that is an uncomplicated story with unknown or little known actors, a kind of amateurish not found in established talents and a genre piece that fits a formula without many flourishes. With this first film Ridley Scott almost arrives a full formed auteur, you can tell while viewing the film he knows exactly what he wants even though he is working with a limited budget and a simple enough story. However what is apparent from the very beginning is that this is not your typical debut, for one it has at its centre two incredibly gifted actors who never take the easy road in Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel who both shine in a film that was not typical of its day, as well the supporting cast including Albert Finney and Tom Conti who could have been leading their own films but here play excellent character parts. We also see on location filming in some challenging conditions that may have scared a lessor director but these vistas would become hallmarks of Scott’s films, especially those that were using the geographic landscape as a character as is the case here. One of the elements that has dogged Scott is his seemingly lack of ability to really nail a complicated story with visuals first and almost everything else second, this is not a factor here as it is a road movie of sorts with a roving narrative and plot which suit him well in this case anyway.
“The Duellists” is set in 1800 at Strasbourg, obsessive duellist Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud of the French 7th Hussars, nearly kills the nephew of the city’s mayor in a sword duel. Under pressure from the mayor, Brigadier-General Treillard orders one of his staff officers, Lieutenant Armand d’Hubert of the 3rd Hussars, to put Feraud under house arrest. However, Feraud takes it as a personal insult when d’Hubert tells him he is under arrest at the house of Madame de Lionne, a prominent local lady. Upon reaching his quarters, Feraud challenges d’Hubert to a duel. The result is inconclusive; d’Hubert slashes Feraud’s forearm but he is attacked by Feraud’s mistress before he can finish him off. As a result of the fight, the General dismisses d’Hubert from his staff and returns him to active duty with his regiment. Of course from here they duel throughout he movie in different areas, with their rivalry becoming the heart of the movie.
Whilst this was Scott’s first narrative film working with many collaborators he was an experienced director, having made a career and setting up a company producing adverts for major corporations, the most famous is arguably the Apple advert he directed that was a riff on George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ (1948) as well as the Michael Radford film that would follow in 1984. It is obvious that with this first film that Scott knows exactly what he wants and how to get it, it can be no coincident that Frank Tidy the cinematographer was new to the feature film environment as well, but gives the director exactly what he wanted, a palette that is crystal clear in the dark or light and helps set Scotts signature look that he would crystallise in his next feature “Alien” (1979) with another debut cinematographer Derek Vanlint. It has been long known Scott wanted to emulate Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” (1974) which used natural lighting to give a realness and authenticity and to a degree he succeeds in making this a moody melodrama with action movie tendencies.
“The Duellists” has long been a forgotten Ridley Scott film, written off because of the impact he would make with the aforementioned “Alien” as well as his third feature the incomparable “Blade Runner” (1982). But now with the advent of DVD and now thankfully blu-ray it is time for this film to take its place amongst Scott’s very best, especially in regard to some of his minor works and his seemingly inability to stop revising the ‘Alien’ franchise.
As this is a Ridley Scott film it can be easy to forget about the actors, I wonder what it took to get two American actors who had remarkable pedigree to go to France and make a movie with a first time untested director with many scenes filmed in the outdoors with some gruelling action scenes. Whatever got them in this film it was a boon to the movie with two physically gifted actors who you can tell relish their roles as well as facing off against each other, they both have something to prove and not only stands out in their oeuvres but Scotts as well.
Video
Sourced from Paramount Picture, this 1080p 1.78:1 presentation of “The Duellists” offers a crisp image throughout. However, it would appear that at some point, those behind the HD restoration have enhanced the brightness during specific scenes as I noticed that some digital noise was present in black areas of the screen. There’s a nice ambient quality to the many interiors scenes, which are lit via candles or lamps, while natural colours show up beautifully during outdoor sequences.
Audio
Sound is very rich in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, which is evident from the menu screen. It’s an immersive track that accentuates Howard Black’s score and excellently accentuates the dialogue’s eloquent use of language. English subtitles included.
Special Features
Audio commentary with director Ridley Scott
Audio commentary & Isolated Score with composer Howard Blake
Interview with actor Keith Carradine
Duelling Directors: Ridley Scott and Kevin Reynolds interview
Featuring: Mark Wingett, Gary Olsen, Trudie Goodwin, Peter Dean, Robert Pugh, Colin Blumenau, Jon Croft, Gary Hailes, Colin McCormack, Chris Jenkinson, Richard Huw, John Salthouse, Jon Iles and Paul McKenzie
PC Jim Carver:“Bradford? She’s got about as much community spirit as Adolf Hitler.”
Re-released recently in repackaged cases is the long running (now defunct) police show “The Bill” (1983-2010), the longest running police show in UK television history, as well as one of the longest running dramas ever. This first set is titled “The Bill: Series 1 – 4” (1983-1988), which includes the first four series as well as what would become the pilot episode ‘Woodenhead’.
When “The Bill” premiered it showed something that had rarely been seen on television, a working police station set in the fictional Sunhill with the narrative set from the point of view of its police officers with no part of the seperate plots told from the criminals, no home life seen (at least in the early years) and only rare conversations about any real home life. Not only were those elements in play but in the early series there were scenes of violence, open racism, alcoholism, swearing and other aspects that attempted to reflect what it was like, not only in early 1980s London but also within the police force itself. When viewing some of the episodes within the first four series it can feel like a show that is firmly set in the 1980s, with most of the officers being white (definitely no minorities in CID), and most of the supposed criminals either being newly arrived foreigners, minorities, young people or lower working class, which is a fairly sad state of affairs. The other element that actually makes the series look very good is the hand held style, the seemingly natural shots, at times if you stumbled across an early episode you might think it was a reality show, which adds to the tension and perceived realism. Finally the casting of either new actors, character actors or very little known actors meant that they all seemed like they were making it up as they went along which again added to its authenticity. Finally in terms of keeping it as real as possible there was a divide between the CID (the plain clothes detectives) and the uniform police which again created tension, and it was difficult for the beat police officers to cross the divide to CID, but when it happened it was obvious how it would go, in the beginning, at least.
The first four series were all one hour in duration with episode orders increasing with each subsequent year until the fifth series when a format change occurred in that episode length decreased to thirty minutes (airing three times a week) and the number of episodes increased to around one hundred and two per series, which is a huge increase to workload and regularity, it also meant that viewers were seeing the actors on-screen a lot, this is also meant that the characters who were considered part of the main cast became incredibly famous, they were not unknown for almost a decade, or until they were dropped from the show, which happened with increasing regularity.
Whilst watching these first four series one of the aspects of the show that becomes apparent is the large cast, with the very main actors being, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin, Peter Dean, Colin Blumenau, John Salthouse, Jon Iles, Jeff Stewart, Graham Cole, Robert Hudson, Nula Conwell, Tony Scannell and Peter Ellis. In fact many of these actors would stay for years, with Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole, Eric Richards and Mark Wingett staying with the series for three decades. In terms of the cast through the first four series is that there seemed to be no reason for cast changes with new officers arriving and departing rather quickly, one example is the great character actor Ralph Brown who played P.C. Muswell, he was an open racist who was in almost every episode of the first and second series but by the third had disappeared, he was one of a number. Other interesting developments that would occur would be something that the show had in common with Dick Wolf’s “Law and Order” franchise in that there was such a demand for actors that it was not uncommon for guest stars to go on and become huge stars, some examples were early appearances of Sean Bean, James McAvoy, Ray Winstone and a host of others which are always great to see and spot.
This is just the first box set to be re-released with series five and six arriving in November, these are the first two full one hundred plus episode series, so they are not only good value for money but they see something very interesting happening, that is a step up in production value with not only set filming, but also on location filming, overarching narratives that run for a number of episodes as well as a police station that looks and feels like something far more permanent than is seen in these first four series. There is a lo-fi feel about these series, there is no central or decentralised call centre, there are no real interrogation rooms and the sets feel a little underdone, but because everyone buys into them there is no issue from a viewers point of view, but it is noticed when viewing seasons beyond this and that must be a reason for the releases the way they have always been done, although this is the first time that series four has been included with one to three.
There is no doubt there is a feeling of the beginning of something, but at this stage within the first four series this is a show in search of something, what that is becomes clear by about series five. However in saying that there are a lot of individual stories that easily illustrate the role of certain functions within the police station as well as the kind of crimes one might expect within the inner city as a beat cop. It is also a show that once bought into is like no other show of its time in its attempt at reality with life on the beat. Once it became very popular it did become more polished with much of the sex, violence and swearing cooling right off, but when you reach over fifteen million people per episode it needs to become palatable for a mass audience. Again there are parts of these series in particular that stand out, for instance there is only one black police officer who is teamed or around the one racist which is a little formulaic, this was dropped early on, with more minorities involved as the series progresses.
I recommend this highly, it is vastly rewarding for those that stay with it which is not hard. I am looking forward to the next few series which arrive soon.
Series One
Funny Ol’ Business – Cops & Robbers: Carver is still getting used to life at Sun Hill, as he continues to raise his popularity level amongst the other officers. Meanwhile, Galloway is desperate to get results on a recent spree of break and enters.
A Friend in Need: When a spate of bomb hoaxes begin to threaten peace and harmony in Sun Hill, Brownlow becomes eager to find the hoax callers and stop chaos from breaking out.
Clutching at Straws: When a gang of thugs use violence to extort money from local youths, Brownlow takes a “hands off” approach. Cryer and Galloway investigate a series of attempted child abductions.
Long Odds: Litten’s day goes from bad to worse when he gets on the wrong side of both Galloway and Cryer. Meanwhile Edwards pursues a mugger into a derelict building.
It’s Not Such a Bad Job After All: The discovery of a teenage body from suicide leaves a bitter taste in Ackland’s mouth.
The Drugs Riad: A well-planned drugs raid goes amiss when an informer of DI Galloway’s is stabbed and the supplier manages to get away in a car which bears diplomatic plates.
A Dangerous Breed: Litten is up for promotion and he is desperate to prove himself to Galloway.
Rough in the Afternoon: Litten allows a man to take a car from the police impound that does not belong to him. Meanwhile, Carver and Edwards attend a domestic dispute that revolves around a custody battle.
Burning the books: CID are on the trail of a thug who has stolen an important briefcase.
Death of a Cracksman: The team at Sun Hill investigate an old fashioned safe cracker.
The Sweet Smell of Failure: A tip in a counterfeit perfume case leads Carver and Ackland to two elderly pensioners who have a reputation of stealing things going as far back as WWII
Series Two
Snouts and Red Herrings: Everything is in chaos at the Sun Hill Police Station, with workmen, new cases and a new PC named Abel Lyttleton’s arrival.
Suspects: There has been an armed robbery on Sun Hill’s manor. The wages office of an umbrella manufacturing company has been cleaned out. The police are on the scene with Sgt Roach leading the investigation.
Lost: CID and uniformed officers investigate the disappearance of an 8 year old girl.
Home Beat: Brownlow wants to start a Neighbourhood Watch program within Sun Hill.
Hostage: DS Roach and Sgt Cryer take charge of a siege operation.
The Little Pig: PC Edwards corners a pig that was released from the City Farm.
Ringer: A serious road crash results in six deaths. Meanwhile DS Burnside goes under cover.
Public and Confidential: A Polish sailor seeks political asylum at the police station.
Loan Shark: A young mother caught shoplifting confesses to Sgt Cryer that she is in debt to a loan shark.
With Friends Like That…?: Sgt Cryer brings in Debbie Lindfield, who is reluctant to report a rape. Meanwhile DS Roach investigates a burglary.
Whose Side Are You On?: Sun Hill police take on a local youth group in a five-a-side indoor football match.
The Chief Super’s Party: Brownlow throws a farewell party for his retiring clerk.
Series Three
The New Order of Things: Sgt Peters and Sgt Penny apprehend a man who is waiting to attack PC Muswell. Meanwhile PC Carver begins his CID training.
Some You Win, Some You Lose: Chief Superintendant Brownlow and DI Galloway lead a massive raid on a drug den within a local council estate.
Brownie Points: PC Reg Hollis has been nominated for the position of the station’s police federation representative. Meanwhile the “Tom Squad” are out in force, cracking down on prostitution in Sun Hill.
Missing, Presumed Dead: A shooting occurs in Sun Hill but none of the neighbours appear to have witnessed anything. Meanwhile, PC Yorkie Smith discovers more than he bargained for when making door to door enquires.
Domestics: Residents take action against a women’s refuge in their area. D.I. Galloway gets tough with his detectives about the clear up rates of burglaries in the area.
What Are Little Boys Made Of?: It is discovered that elderly people are being targeted by a group of children.
Blind Alleys, Clogged Roads: PC Jim Carver is sent to the morgue to investigate a suspicious drowning. DI Roy Galloway and DC Mike Dashwood are reprimanded by a judge presiding over a fraud case.
Double Trouble: DI Galloway conducts an identity parade after an attack on a woman. PC Shaw and WPC Ackland come under scrutiny from the complaints investigation bureau.
Sun Hill Karma: WPC Martella applies for a position in the Bermuda police force, but after being punched during a fight, and failing to prevent a suicide jumper, she feels she is not up to the job and withdraws her application.
Skipper: WPC Ackland’s father is dying in hospital. PC Taffy Edwards is given traffic duty after arriving late for parade, whilst Sgt Cryer and PC Patel investigate an alleged rape.
Overnight Stay: Half the relief, including CID, are at a hotel guarding a sequestered jury in a gangland murder trial. Back at Sun Hill, Inspector Kite deals with a serial nuisance confessing to bigamy, and PC Shaw brings in a man with a blow-up doll.
Not Without Cause: Sgt Penny is asked by a landlord to investigate a lady on the top floor who is keeping cats. Meanwhile, Inspector Kite arrests four people for a breach of peace that he caused.
Series Four
Light Duties: Recently transferred to CID, DC Carver is feeling seasick while he and DS Roach work on a case on the police launch.
The Three Wise Monkeys: D.S. Ted Roach and D.C. Mike Dashwood are on the trail of armed robbers who have taken a women hostage.
Good Will Visit: D.S. Ted Roach and D.C. Mike Dashwood are on the trail of armed robbers who have taken a women hostage.
Home Sweet Home: Sgt. Cryer leads a raid to enforce an eviction order on a squat occupied by upper-class kids. Meanwhile, P.C. Smith and P.C. Haynes are called to the local library where a homeless woman and her kids are sheltering.
All in good faith: WPC Martella and WPC Ackland report a bogus gasman to Acting DI Roach.
Just Call Me Guvnor: Burnside arrives to takeover Sun Hill CID. He takes charge of an undercover operation to nail a gang of ruthless football supporters.
Caught Red Handed: When Carver spots Yorkie having a secret meeting with a drug dealer in a pub, he and Burnside are convinced he’s got himself involved in drugs however Yorkie admits that they were for his upcoming rugby match.
Homes and Gardens: Yorkie befriends Mickey Cozen, a man with the mental age of 7. After taking him home, they get into an argument and Mickey knocks Yorkie out. The father then bundles Yorkie and his son into the car and abducts Yorkie.
Country Cousin: DS Jarvis arrives in London to arrest a suspect believed to be living in Sun Hill. Uniformed officers attend a bus crash where the driver and passengers are badly injured.
Alarms and Embarrassments: The crew at Sun Hill investigate a robbery at an off-licence.
Stealing Cars and Nursery Rhymes: Yorke volunteers to do some work at a youth club, a decision he will later regret when he is forced to deal with a gang of vicious teenagers who go joyriding which later turns into a murder investigation.
Hold Fire: A traffic accident leaves many people dead and Yorkie in hospital. CID discover a big time gangster, who got caught up in the accident.
Bad Faith: When a known burglar escapes from custody, CID are convinced he will return to his old estate and begin a stake out.
Requiem: After human remains are discovered in a sub-divided townhouse, CID launch a hunt for the former occupants of the flat where it was found.
Tresspasses: After finding a newborn baby dumped in a skip, Ramsey tries to discover why she was dumped there.
Save the Last Dance for Me: An escaped convict arrives in Sun Hill to settle an old score with his ex-girlfriend.
Runaround: An agoraphobic old lady thinks her neighbours are being burgled. CID investigate when a dead body is found in a cafe.
The Trap: Burnside sets a trap to settle an old score by parking a van full of VHS recorders in front of his house with the door open but the trap is back backfires. Tom Penny pays the price for having come back to work too soon after being shot.
Community Relations: Conway attends a council meeting where his attempts to make changes on the Jasmine Allen estate results in a riot.
A Dogs Life: When Ramsey investigates a theft at a library, CID discover the man rumoured to be behind the theft is a gangster from Manchester.
Trouble & Strife: PC Ramsey befriends Joanna Mancini, a pregnant women suffering from domestic abuse. However, Joanna rejects Ramsey’s help and tries to deal with her abusive husband herself which leads to a confrontation.
Running Late: WPC Brind makes an enemy of Burnside when she gets in the way of a CID operation; she arrests a teenage tearaway on the local estate, she is suspicious about the girl and her family so she decides to investigate.
They Say We’re Rough: Cryer and Martella investigate an army surplus shop that appears to be stocked with stolen goods. When two military police arrive to take over the investigation, Cryer discovers that there may be more to the case.
Blue for a Boy: When a young baby is kidnapped by a mystery man, CID turn their attentions to the baby’s mother Brenda, who appears to have something to hide. Burnside pushes Brenda to the truth and the man’s identity is revealed.
Chasing the Dragon: D.S. Roach spots a drug deal taking place on the Rochester Estate, but he, Carver and Dashwood fail to catch the dealers. P.C. Haynes and P.C. Ramsey spot the escaping car in their panda and give chase.
The Coop: P.C. Edwards and W.P.C. Ackland are on their lunch break. They investigate a terrible smell coming from a nearby property, and discover a shed full of the carcasses of battery hens.
The Quick and the Dead: Sgt Peters attends a physical fitness evaluation, but does not do too well. PC Ramsey & PC Frank give chase after witnessing a robbery.
Witness: PC Ramsey & PC Smith are looking after a witness in a court case who is applying to become a special constable.
Here We Go Loopy Lou: Bob, Claire and Taffy investigate the report of a man carrying a cross which is found hanging from a crane.
Stop and Search: Sgt Cryer introduces two special constables who will be joining the relief: Mary Kilnair and Brian Defoe. While on patrol with P.C. Edwards, Kilnair is pricked by a junkie’s needle, there is concern she may have been infected.
Spook Stuff: W.P.C. Martella and P.C. Stamp take an American woman who has been caught shoplifting into custody. She is very insistent that the police contact her husband who is staying in a hotel.
Evacuation: It’s a busy day on the station front desk, and P.C. Smith fails to notice that someone has left a hold-all next to the desk. When it is discovered, Insp Frazer orders the station evacuated as a safety measure.
Personal Imports: P.C. Melvin sees a chemist being robbed, but he has powder thrown in his face and the thieves escape. D.C. Carver spots what looks like a drug exchange and pursues the car.
Paper Chase: A schoolgirl has been abducted, and D.I. Burnside is determined to find her. The girl’s father is reluctant to have the police involved, as the kidnappers have threatened to kill his daughter if the police are called.
Intruider: While Melvin and Haynes are on the beat, they are nearly decoyed away from a robbery. Giving chase Haynes is diverted to an armed robbery while Melvin has to let his prisoner go so he can help Haynes.
Conflict: D.Cs Tosh Lines and Jim Carver are carrying out an obbo (observation) on a man who might lead them to an arms dump. W.P.C. June Ackland and P.C. Pete Ramsey arrest him because he beat his girlfriend who didn’t want him to go out.
Duplicates: Due to her slight resemblance to a missing woman, W.P.C. Brind reluctantly agrees to perform a reconstruction of her disappearance for television.
Snout: D.I. Burnside visits D.C. Carver’s prisoner, and interrogates him alone, against regulations, leaving Carver outside wincing at his methods as he hears Burnside bellowing at the prisoner.
Old Habits: W.P.C. Brind is called to the house of an elderly lady, who has just been robbed. The old lady is in such a state of shock, she attacks Brind and then suffers a heart attack. It appears there’s been a spate of burglaries.
The Silent Gun: P.C. Haynes arrives at a house to investigate what seems like a routine disturbance. Instead he finds a bailiff who has been shot in the hand while trying to evict the lodger in the upstairs room.
An Old-Fashioned Term: Edwards and Martella find the naked body of a woman who appears to have gassed herself to death.
Getting Stressed: Frazer witnesses an accident on the way to work. On informing the man she has rescued she is a police officer he hits her. Ramsey deals with a victim of assault and an old lady helps Mike Dashwood with info about motorbike muggers.
Tigers: D.I. Burnside receives a phone call from an Asian boy who is frightened that a gang from the White Swan pub are planning to attack his father’s restaurant. D.C.s Carver and Lines check it out but their car gets turned over.
Guessing Game: Neighbours report an elderly man who hasn’t been seen for days. P.C. Ramsey breaks into the house to find the man dead on the floor. It becomes apparent that the man had a fetish for restraining women against their will.
The Assassins: Yorkie and Haynes investigate a removal van. The elderly driver doesn’t think the company is to be trusted and he is proven right after visiting the station three times. Tosh’s wife turns up looking for housekeeping money.
Outmoded: Sun Hill police are being called out to a series of bogus shouts which the Yard pins down to a computer hacker breaking into the police computer network. Sgt Cryer investigates, and finds a former university student.
Digging Up the Past: An excavator on a building site has uncovered some human remains, and Sgt. Cryer calls in C.I.D. Cryer is avoiding returning to the station, as his son Patrick is being charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
Taken into Consideration: D.C. Dashwood and D.C. Carver are on an observation in a street where a spate of burglaries has taken place. They see a young man, Kevin Boswell, climbing over a wall with a bag full of 50p pieces, and they arrest him for theft.
