Articles + Quotes on Film & TV

 As I've said, some historical figures will be portrayed more than others and it is all the more exciting when one of the lesser known ones is given their chance to shine. With this one, it is Catherine Parr in the hot seat - and I mean that in every sense of the word. The Tudor court towards the later years of Henry VIII's life was full of pitfalls and dangers and regardless of your rank or apparent popularity, your life was always one step away from disaster and a very painful death. For those unaware of the history, in 1536 Henry VIII was in a jousting accident. Not only was he out cold for an hour or more and historians now believe that he suffered some serious damage to his front temporal lobe - the part of the brain focussed on personality. But on top of that, the weight of the horse landing on his leg, led the skin to literally split and tear, causing ulcers that never healed properly.  And it wasn't as though he was a happy go lucky monarch to begin with. So almost ...

 Unless your life and career path have gone in a very specific direction, there are some worlds which remain behind closed doors.  Which makes it all the more thrilling when a filmmaker opens those doors and let you in on the secret. Whether it's inside the Vatican and the process involved in selecting a new Pope, or New York City on the 11th of October 1975 and the first ever episode of a TV show called Saturday Night is about to go live, you're the lucky passenger along for the ride and it's a rollercoaster from beginning to end.  For the first, director Edward Berger, writers Peter Straughan and Robert Harris has crafted a heightened thriller. The director and cinematographer do well in utilising the building's architecture to properly portray the might and majesty of the Catholic Church, and in doing so, the men within and how closed off and claustrophobic it must feel - and in so doing, puts us in the same frame of mind.  We are joining Cardinal Lawrence on this...

 Tonally, this series is quite the refreshing change from the usual spy thriller - which aside from a few standouts, has lagged a little over the years - makes this one feel like a bubbly, fizzy lime juice cordial that has a few unexpected flavours - like aniseed, perhaps. The twists and turns are fun and exciting and it just makes for a great show overall. One of the main differences from others in this genre, is that the main relationship between the two protagonists is that of a friendship, as opposed to a budding romance. It makes the series itself feel grounded, even when the bullets and knives are flying and like every other crazy story, suspending the disbelief a little higher than usual. In this friendship, you have Helen and Sam - Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw respectively, whose banter and close connection make for some of the lighter moments of the show, even if Helen's face might be covered in blood or Sam is holding a shotgun. The storytellers have balanced the eleme...

 It is always refreshing to see a film or simply, a story, progress along its route, purely informed by the characters and their own motivations and the circumstances in which they live.  Whether it is the sixties in the American Midwest or the thirties in London, the principle and the tangled web that they weave among themselves and seemingly insignificant others, the appeal remains the same and keeps a strong hold on you from beginning to end. In both, you have a main character who will act as they see fit, regardless of how it affects others around them, as long as their life remains the same. The circumstances of both have times and attitudes who would either turn a blind eye or an indifferent one. The authorities in both are scornful and resentful but they appear when it seems right to act.  You, the viewer, see the seeds of their own downfall early on. They appear in the background, looked down on and dismissed by the main character, but in the back of your mind, yo...

 If I've said it once, I will say it again, whenever a screenwriter delves into the dusty pages of history, one has to take special care in the telling of it. Not only doing justice to the real people involved and not just honouring their deeds and heroism but also a fair portrayal of those on the other side of the coin. For the first of those two, American pilots in World War II in Masters of the Air, I honestly wasn't expecting to be drawn in so intently and be so invested in the survival of the main characters (all based on real people), production values - especially the score by Blake Neely, is set firmly at eleven. I suppose I was just used to the typical war films all big heroics and sending in the cavalry at the last minute to save the day.  This production is five stars all the way. The ugliness of war is there for all to see, they do not go light on any of the details - which means both sides show the horrors of what everyone did to stay alive and the overall series ...

 In the middle of year six, I started attending Helen O'Grady's Drama Academy. Typical education sneakiness of actually teaching kids the skills to enable them to be confident out in the "real world" and with the fun bonus of how to project your voice while simultaneously messing about on the "stage" and acting out improvisation prompts and at the end of each year, a whole play. Nearly seven years, growing and learning in community buildings, after school during term time.  Good times all round. And it was definitely part of the draw card for me, for this new film, set at a summer theatre camp that beautifully illustrates the allure of performing on stage, telling stories and bringing them to life, for both the kids that attend and the teachers - and it's hard to tell who is the more committed or passionate about the craft. It's clearly a labour of love for Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin and Nick Lieberman - all four wrote it, the first three a...