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Reviews
Good Omens (2019)
Loved it!
Absolutely loved it! The humour, and the banter between David Tennant and Michael Sheen is cracking! The show itself is a visual feast.
I believe that Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen had plotted a sequel which was never written. Please, please, please let there be more!
Newton (2017)
A must watch!
An understated, clever, topical, black comedy with a heart about democracy, elections, our responsibilities as citizens and the power of conviction. Laugh out loud in places, poignant in others, and always honest.
I watched it a couple of times at the Tribeca Festival in New York where it was in the competition section, and both times it received an ovation from a house full theatre.
Brilliantly written, artfully directed and wonderfully performed. A must watch!
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Must watch
I really enjoyed this show. It delves into a little known and little explored era of history, i.e. the Saxons and Vikings battling over England and the birth of a nation, and is fascinating. It is refreshing to see a period drama which tells a different story but in a very relateable way. The show has a great cast, wonderful storytelling, and very good production values. Some people find similarities with Game of Thrones, but personally I prefer The Last Kingdom. It is based on fact and history, and has much less violence and gratuitous nudity. I hope they continue with further seasons. I am really looking forward to seeing what is going to happen next to Uhtred, Alfred and all the others. Highly recommended!
Desperate Romantics (2009)
Thoroughly enjoyable
Yes, well it may not be completely accurate and the writers may have taken certain liberties with the characters and the timelines, but I thoroughly enjoyed this show. It's a fast, funny, witty, sexy romp which doesn't take itself too seriously. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, as is the fact that everyone seems to be having a really good time playing some very interesting characters. I've watched it about three times now over the years and have enjoyed it every time. It's also made me curious to read up more about the PRB and their work. The actual PRB and their circle were, in many ways, extraordinary and occasionally over the top, and their lives were pretty fantastical, so this version really isn't much a stretch - I rather think they would have appreciated the 'inventive spirit' of the show's creators in bringing a contemporary interpretation of their story to the screen, as mentioned in the introduction / disclaimer at the beginning. If you want a staid art history docu-drama, this may not be for you. But if you want a fun, well made, entertaining, modern interpretation of a particular time and place and a group of people whose lives were, at times, stranger than fiction, go for it.
Sulemani Keeda (2014)
A refreshingly different little gem
If you have a few brain cells, a sense of humour, and are as sick of the '100 crore' rubbish being churned out by Bollywood on a daily basis, please do watch this movie. You will love it. It is as indie as indie movies get, so don't expect it to look as slick and manufactured as your typical Bollywood Khan starer, but the very fact that it is an indie movie is what makes it so charming and refreshing (and lights another beacon of hope for a more diverse Indian film industry).
The movie is about two struggling writers trying to get their screenplay produced - one a relatively straight-laced idealist, the other an in- your-face, street smart guy on the make, with a hidden vulnerability. The caste is virtually unknown - in fact most of them were not actors before this movie was made, but they are all from the movie industry. The lead, Naveen Kasturia (Dulal) worked as an Assistant Director, the co-lead, Mayank Tewari (Mainak), is a columnist, screen-writer, poet and amateur stand-up comic, the pseudo European art-house cinema loving producer's son and actor in waiting Karan Mirchandani (Gonzo) is a director. Only Ruma (Aditi Vasudev) was a professional actress at the time the movie was shot, but a very young one who had only just started in the industry (she had acted in Do Dooni Chaar and Talaash). And this really works, because they all bring a freshness and naturalness to their roles.
The movie itself is a 'slice of life' piece about the fringes of the film industry, the hopes of the new aspirational middle class (who can now dream of being more than just doctors and engineers), young love, and above all, friendship. What shines through the most are the dialogues, which are crisp, sharp, natural and very very funny. Apparently a lot of them were improvised during the shooting process, which gives them a very unrehearsed feeling. There is the odd sequence where the editing could have been a wee bit tighter, but it doesn't take away from the charm of the movie.
I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes the next big cult film in India, which people will be talking about 20 years from now, like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and Andaaz Apna Apna.
Bottom line - watch it.
Robin Hood (2006)
Anachronistic yes, but oh so good!
OK, so I know a lot of people have a lot of not very flattering things to say about this TV series, but come on!! It's a family TV series based on a legend (and how accurate are those in any event!). So instead of trying to find historic accuracy in this, just willingly suspend your disbelief and enjoy this show for what it is - a completely anachronistic, hammy, camp, funny, jolly romp! The show doesn't try to take itself seriously, and neither should you. The makers, costume designers, everyone admits that the show is anachronistic and slightly mad and they make gentle fun of that aspect in the DVD extras and the commentaries.
I myself wasn't quite taken with it when they first started showing it on TV, but I then got the DVDs (mostly because I am a Richard Armitage fan and also because I thought I'd give it another go) and I must admit that I LOVED it!!! And not just because of Mr. Armitage smirking and sneering in black leather and guyliner (though he does looks so very hot doing it!). Guy of Gisborne is, I have to say, the most compelling character, and I think that is also a testament to Armitage's talents as an actor since he manages to portray him as a decidedly flawed individual but one who has a well of loneliness and despair somewhere deep inside and the capacity to be good, even though he can't quite reach it. You do get the feeling, and indeed, it is hinted at in Series 1, that he could almost have been like Robin Hood had circumstances been different and this is reinforced towards the end of Series 3 where Robin and Guy's past history is explored. At times you actually wanted Marian to end up with Guy rather than Robin (imagine what the purists would have said to that!). Had this show been aimed at a slightly older audience, I believe the writers would have explored the subtle sexual tension between Guy and Marian more. It will not be obvious to children, but grown ups will pick up on it.
But I liked Robin and all his mad men with their deliciously funny interactions with each other (especially Much and Alan, though I couldn't quite feel for Little John and Kate), I liked Marian, I liked her father, and I liked, nay, loved the Sheriff. Keith Allan gives a wonderful funny campy performance complete with black silk pajamas, painted toe nails and the best lines in the show. A special mention has to go to Toby Stephens for his brilliant over the top 3-episode turn as Prince John in Series 3. At times I was laughing out loud!
Jonas Armstrong and Lucy Griffiths were the right ages to play Robin and Marian. Whilst Armstrong may not fit everyone's idea of a conventionally handsome, swash-buckling hero (if anyone fits that description in the show, it is probably Guy of Gisborne!), I liked his interpretation of Robin as a young flirtatious cheeky attention loving natural leader of men who does sometimes get tired of doing the right thing all the time and has a dark side as well - quite refreshing after all those portrayals of Robin as a uni-dimensional goodie two shoes. Griffiths as Marian is strong and fiesty and really comes into her own in the second series. I particularly liked the fact that she doesn't welcome Robin back with open arms when he finally returns after 5 years (given that he had left her and his obligations back home to go fight in a pointless war).
And I have to say, I loved that the series was so light-hearted and anachronistic and over the top. In fact, I felt a little let down when they went for the more serious feel and historically accurate costumes in series 3 (no doubt to try and appease the critics).
There is plenty of good old fashioned fighting, but no real violence and no images of blood and gore, even when people get run through or shot with an arrow. Of course, this is because it is a family programme, but with 'realistic violence' becoming the norm now, I too found this to be refreshing, and could enjoy all the great high-adventure fight scenes without wincing.
Some people have objected to the subtle political messages, but I never found that to be overbearing or to ring false. One could easily sympathise with Robin turning his back on violence and needless killing after the horrors he witnessed in the holy land and the futility of it all. And I smiled at 'Brother' Tuck's non-violent resistance a la Mahatma Gandhi in series 3. Every generation has its own interpretation of Robin Hood, and I feel that the one for our times could not have been made without hinting at the political sub-text (the shows creators admit that this was actually deliberate).
I only wish they had made a 4th series exploring the slightly uneasy, love-hate, buddy relationship which was developing between Guy and Robin with its wonderfully dry wit which we glimpsed towards the end of series 3. Robin and Guy had more chemistry together than with any of the women, and I could have seen a whole series with that!