Reviews

My Review - No Other Land Streaming on Amazon Prime My Rating 10/10

Winning a coveted Academy Award can mean a lot to a movie's marketing power so I hope that the Oscar Award won by the Producers of this brave and enlightening documentary yesterday will encourage more people to see it .

No Other Land was produced by a Palestinian- Israeli collective of four activists in what they describe as an act of resistance on the path to justice during the Israeli- Palestine conflict.

The documentary has won multiple International awards in fact it has won more awards than distributors in the U. S. A. So the producers have so far had to independently find distributors to screen themselves and only managed to find 100 cinema screens willing to show this critically acclaimed documentary.

"No Other Land" follows Basel Adra a young Palestinian activist as he risks arrest and death to document the destruction of Masafer Yatta a small village occupied by Palestinians since 1890 . The village located at the southern edge of the Israeli-occupied West Bank has been settled and farmed for generations by Basel's ancestors.

Basel is joined by his co-director, Israeli journalist and filmmaker, Yuval Abraham and their team as they document the systematic destruction and total disregard for the welfare or future of the small population of the village.

No Other Land premiered at the Berlin film festival last year where it won the Berlinale documentary award. The film was made between 2019 and 2023 and focuses on the steady forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes in Masafer Yatta, a region in the occupied West Bank targeted by Israeli forces.

Some of the incredible footage is hard to watch as children's schools and homes are bulldozed by Israeli forces following the orders of Benjamin Netanyahu who ignore and bully the villages protesting at the destruction of their water and power supplies.

This documentary was finished just before the terrible savage terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on the 7th of October 2023 it took over four years to film and two days after No Other Land was nominated for an Oscar Israeli settlers again invaded Masafer Yatta burning and demolishing homes again .

Co -Director Yuval Abraham in his Oscar acceptance speech said "that Palestinians and Israelis had made this film together because together voices are stronger . We see each other the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people must end ."

We can only hope please take a look at this fine documentary it's not a propaganda exercise it's a small and honest look at man's inhumanity to man.

My Review - Zero Day On Netflix My Rating. 8/10

This is the great veteran of Cinema Robert De Niro's first starring role in a television series and as expected it's an impressive debut.

He stars as former U. S. President George Mullen who is given the daunting task by the current President Evelyn Mitchell played with suitable authority by Angela Bassett to head the task force to locate ,report and bring the perpetrators of a huge cyber crime to justice.

The series explores truth versus fake news from all media perspectives including amateur and professional stake holders plus integrity versus selfish ambitions which lead to corruption.

He must investigate and present his findings to the nation concerning a series of horrific events that bring the country to a standstill resulting in over 3,000 fatalities.

This current trend of apocalyptic stories of terrorist activity involving cyber crime have become very popular lately ,however I find they are becoming even more disturbing in our troubled world today because they are based on reality more than fiction.

Only recently the exploding pagers that were detonated in Lebanon causing death and destruction would have seemed like fiction a few years ago.

This series Zero Days begins with every mobile phone in the country shutting down after calamitous events displaying the horrific message " This Will Happen Again "?

The impressive ensemble cast headed by Robert DeNero bring drama and thrills to the script by creator Eric Newman but like many series there are slow patches however the thrilling conclusion was worth the approximately five hours to view it.

Commissioned in 2023 before the last American election I couldn't help but think that the casting of Angela Bassett as a woman of colour in The White House was an inspired choice of what might have been especially in view of recent events .

I imagine there are many script writers today busily creating similar thrilling scenarios but will there imagination pale into insignificance when reality sets in?

My Review - The Last Showgirl In Cinemas now My Rating 8/10

I enjoyed The Last Showgirl more for the performances than the script which is interesting but a bit clichéd about a woman reaching an age where her career choices have narrowed,especially in the case of Shelley a Las Vegas show dancer played with great style by Pamela Anderson.

I have a lot of respect for Pamela Anderson especially after seeing the recent documentary Love Pamela made before this movie was made when she was rehearsing to play another showgirl Roxie Hart on Broadway in Chicago.

Her character Shelley has just been told that her French style club show Le Razzle Dazzle has become passé and must close after a 30 year run on the strip.

Shelley and her co stars who look on her as a mother figure will soon be unemployed and include several younger women Mary- Anne and Jodie well cast with Brenda Song and Keiran Shipka giving lovely performances.

Shelley is now 57 and as she says later in a great audition scene I'm 57 and still beautiful and to quote , Las Vegas used to treat us like movie stars. The costumes, the sets. We were ambassadors for style and grace.

It's a little reminiscent of the famous Norma Desmond line "I am big, it's the pictures that got small in Shelley's case it's the shows that got ugly .

Shelley's best friend Annette is played played also with great style by a barely recognisable Jamie Lee Curtis who is nominated for a Best Supporting Actor in a Female role .

Jamie described her role of Annette which she accepted as soon as she knew her friend Pamela Anderson was playing Shelley as "what they call a bevertainer in Vegas. A bevertainer is basically a cocktail waitress who also entertains. She dances, she sings and she serves drinks.

I would say she has that look of experience. She looks like she has been there and done that. She's been working in Vegas for 40 years and still loves it. She has been spray tanned so many times over the years that she looks like burnt leather. She wears her years and her experience with pride and has no intention to retire or give up doing what she loves.

The Last Showgirl has a script written by Kate Gersten whose storytelling I've enjoyed in the television series Schmigadoon! And Mozart in the Jungle and directed by Gia Coppola granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola have in my opinion made an interesting story but I think it could have been explored more.

For those of my generation and some younger who know the best comedy show number ever from Gypsy written by Stephen Sondheim titled You Gotta Have a Gimmick performed by a threesome of hilariously costumed veteran burlesque dancers named Tessie Tura, Miss Mazzeppa and Electra perhaps that's all Shelley needed A Gimmick?

My Review- I Came By Streaming on Netflix My Rating 7/10

The title of this movie I Came By refers to the graffiti artist signature that Toby played by George MacKay and his accomplice Jamelle or Jay played by Percelle Ascott leave on the walls of the wealthy victims homes that they plunder.

They unfortunately this time chose the home of retired High Court Judge Hector Blake played Hugh Bonneville .

Hugh plays a villanous role this time which is so very different from his famous role in Downtown Abbey as Robert Crawley 7th Earl of Grantham.

All I'll say further regarding the plot is that their choice of victim this time has dire consequences for Toby, his mother Lizzie played by Kelly Macdonald ,Jay plus a young gay Iranian illegal immigrant Omid played by Yazdan Qafouri.

I Came By written and directed by Babak Anvari is an interesting entertaining movie with a few improbable plot problems.

For me it's another example for the need of a skilled director to bring the authors vision to the screen.

I was disappointed that George MacKay who is a very skilled actor and gets top billing is not utilised more in this movie .

His character graffiti activist Toby Neeley is one of the most interesting characters in this movie however he's only in it for the first 45 minutes .

Or about 20 minutes of on screen time

It's great to see Hugh Bonneville play such a nasty villain he has successfully played so many different characters in his stage , film and television career and he is impressive in this movie.

I read that Stephen King personally recommended this movie via his Twitter account and he's the master of this genre.

My Review-Hard Truths In Cinemas now My Rating 6/10

This movie's title should be Hurt People Hurt People , what starts out as a humorous look at a character who lives her life in constant rage soon develops into a sad saga about the family that still loves her but who are unable to break through Pansy's self induced isolation and anxiety.

I realise Mike Leigh's movies are always raw portrayals of the British middle class struggles that so many people are experiencing today.

However this movie is no where near his earlier triumphs Vera Drake 2095 or Secrets and Lies 1996 .

This story is truly depressing I saw the trailer and knew the performances would be excellent especially Marianne Jean-Baptiste who plays Pansy a woman tormented by anger and depression, hypersensitive to the slightest possible offence and ever ready to fly off the handle.

Pansy has so many phobias she constantly cleans her house while terrorising her adult son Moses and husband Curtley she's even frightened of nature.

She picks fights with strangers and sales clerks and enumerates the world's countless flaws to anyone who will listen.

In total contrast to her cheerful sister Chantal played so well by Michele Austin who, despite their clashing temperaments, might be the only person still capable of sympathising with her.

Pansy doesn't seem to have any more experience of grief than the rest of her family who seem pretty balanced but obviously thinks she's so hard done by .

The movie for me has some touching moments however I only had sympathy for the people who were unlucky enough to come into Pansy's radius cops .

I was hoping for some breakthrough or hope from Mike Leigh but after an abrupt conclusion I came away realising why I was the only person in the cinema today as no one else wanted this movie experience.

My Review - Super/Man The Christopher Reeve Story The 2025 BAFTA award winning documentary.

My Rating. 8/10

Streaming on Amazon Prime

This interesting and inspiring documentary isn't just a tribute to a fine actor's relatively short movie career that was cruelly ended in 1995 as the result of a horse riding accident that severed his spinal cord .

Director and script writer Ian Bonhôte and his team have produced a loving tribute to Christopher Reeve with the input of his family and associates that portrays a man with even greater strength than the comic book hero he portrayed in the immortal Superman movies.

The documentary is told in a non linear format that looks back on his unhappy relationship with his family ,his early acting successes that lead to Christopher Reeve being chosen for the role of Superman the most coveted role in movies since Scarlett O'Hara .

His story is told mostly by his family wife Dana Reeve ,daughter Alexandra and sons Matthew and Will.

Christopher Reeve played many other roles in successful movies before his accident .

They include Somewhere in Time (1980), Deathtrap (1982), The Bostonians(1984), Street Smart (1987), and The Remains of the Day (1993), and in the plays Fifth of July on Broadway and The Aspern Papers in London's West End.

His greatest legacy however came after Christopher Reeve's valiant fight to stay alive after the accident.

Having been an activist for social causes for most of his life, Christopher Reeve began to advocate for disabled people and spinal cord injury research, speaking at several major events, such as the Democratic National Convention. He formed the Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve Foundation that would open centers, lobby for several bills, and advocate for stem cell research.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has raised over $140 million for spinal cord research .

Since 1982 the foundation's mission is to cure spinal cord injuries and improve quality of life for people with paralysis.

This documentary is so uplifting and I was left thinking how unfair life is to grant the despots in the world live long lives contributing only to maintaining their wealth and contributing nothing but misery on humankind while a great humanitarian like Christopher Reeve left us at only 52 years of age .

My Review- Heretic My Rating 7/10

Physiological horror is not my favourite genre but I enjoyed Heretic especially the BAFTA nominated performance of Hugh Grant cast as Mr Reed who appears to be a kind elderly gentleman when he opens his door to welcome 2 young Mormon missionaries Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes .

Chloe East as Sister Paxton and Sophie Thatcher as Sistet Barnes both give very impressive performances.

On a stormy night when the girls chain their bicycles to the gate and enter the cute cottage for shelter it soon becomes apparent to the young women that Mr Reed is not at all that he seemed at first .

Even the enticing aroma of the blueberry pie that he says has been lovingly cooked by his wife who we never see is false .

When Sister Paxton spies a scented candle and discovers they are locked in the house she systematically puts two and two together which eventually begins to add up to a very odd and terrifying conclusion.

Hugh Grant's style is perfect for this role as he melds his comic irony with dramatic intensity as he systemically debunks all traditional religious dogma as fake news eventually giving Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes a challenge to choose which door if any will let them out of his house?

The two young Mormons realise that they've been trapped into playing a deadly game of survival.

Hugh Grant's BAFTA nominated performance for Best Actor in a feature movie I think is well deserved although I would have been amazed if he had won against much stronger competition.

I wasn't scared by this movie it does have horror elements in it but in my opinion it's a good warning and a sad reality unfortunately in today's world never to trust anyone on face value .

Even a sweet old lady who invites her family to dinner to feast on mushroom and lamb wellington could have demonic intentions so be afraid be very afraid .

My Review - The Outrun My Rating 10/10

I can't find a current cinema release or streaming outlet for this amazing movie that for me is without doubt the best movie performance from any actress this year.

I was fortunate enough to be able to see it before today's BAFTAS in which Saorise Ronan was nominated for Best Actress in a feature movie losing to Mikey Madison who also gives a great performance in Anora.

The Outrun is an independent movie with its star Saorise Ronan and her husband Jack Lowden among the list of producers .

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024 and was released in the United Kingdom by Studio Canal in September 2024.

However it hasn't had a general release in North America or Australia as yet which is a tragedy as it is truly an Oscar worthy movie which in my opinion has the best actress performance of the year .

This lyrical poetic movie set mainly in the remote Orkney Islands of Scotland stars Saorise Ronan as Rona an intelligent academic bird watcher and conservationist who after living life in London is quickly heading on a destructive path to alcoholism .

Rona attempts to come to terms with her past and her addiction so return to the isolation of her birthplace a farm on the remote Orkney Islands.

This movie is based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot a writer who grew up on a sheep farm in Orkney, Scotland. Her bestselling memoir, THE OUTRUN won the Wainwright Prize for nature writing and the PEN Ackerley Prize for memoir and has been translated into 16 languages.

The poetic natural beauty of the opening scenes and dialogue begins when Rona tells the legend of a selkie which is a mythical creature that can alternate between seal and human form but risks never returning to the sea and remain miserable on land.

It's not often that non linear storytelling works in movies for me but Rona's story does .

It works because of a quote Rona makes during a period of sobriety when she admits that she can't stay sober and be happy .

This is why flashbacks showing Rona's hopeless state of inebriated dysfunction when she is bashed and beaten ,promising time and again to her partner Daynin that she will never drink again and breaking each promise.

The contrast between her drunken chaotic self and her quiet responsible sober self are startling.

The movie shows the difficulty of getting sober and staying sober plus the power of denial .

If as Rona says she can't find happiness sober how can she justify the misery of her alcoholic self as being happy?

Rona when sober is an intelligent young respected woman with an important vocation helping support both her separated parents.

Her mother Annie played beautifully by Saskia Reeves has found religion and her father Andrew who she is closer to is played by Stephen Dillane .

Andrew is a bi polar drunkard living in a caravan on a farm on the island and Rona helps out delivering lambs and general maintenance.

Rona in an effort to find sobriety takes a position with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in particular the rare corn crake or land rail which inhabits the tiny Orkney island Papa Westray .

Here she begins to join a community and meets a fellow alcoholic who runs a grocery store.

The rest I'll leave for as many people as I can convince to see this beautiful movie when it's either released or streamed .

Beautifully cast , beautifully directed by Nora Fingscheidt beautifully written for the screen by Nora Fingscheidt and Daisy Lewis beautiful cinematography by Yunus Roy Imer.

Most importantly magnificently acted by Saorise Ronan who gives what I think is her finest screen performance.

All elements in this film worked for me I can't recommend it highly enough.

My Review -Pamela,A Love Story Streaming on Netflix My Rating 8/10

This week a movie titled The Last Showgirl is being released starring Pamela Anderson and co starring Jamie Lee Curtis .

It's about a seasoned showgirl facing the end of her career when she is told her lavish Las Vegas style show is being cancelled after 30 years .

This movie is getting some wonderful reviews so I was curious when watching an interview with Pamela Anderson wearing hardly any makeup promoting the movie on The Graham Norton Show Graham mentioned this recent documentary that is directed by Ryan White and produced by Pamela's son Brandon Thomas Lee.

I had seen the 2022 comedy drama series Pam & Tommy starring Lily James as Pamela Anderson and Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee about the totally dysfunctional relationship and marriage of these two notorious celebrities and thought it very entertaining in a strange way like watching an emotional car crash .

While Tommy Lee had approved the series being made Pamela Anderson certainly did not and had nothing to do with the series which caused her great stress in fact she couldn't watch it .

So I was interested to see this 1 hour 52m documentary from Pamela's point of view in her own words .

As she relates the story of her career from her Playboy Cover girl career to her many tempestuous marriages ,including her first marriage to Tommy Lee and the famous sex tape heist I changed my mind entirely about this talented woman.

She admits she had a constant need to be an object of desire and her only love apart from her two sons is Tommy Lee their father who she separated from years ago but still plays a role in their lives

I was impressed by this story of a true survivor and couldn't help comparing Pamela Anderson's story to that of Marilyn Monroe .

I came to the conclusion as we watched the never seen before footage of a woman who had one thing that Marlyn Monroe never had .

Pamela Anderson ,unlike Marilyn is a mother and has had the love and support of the two young men that are her sons and who she obviously has protected and supported from birth.

As this well produced documentary draws to a close and Pamela Anderson faces her greatest artistic career challenge by starring on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago I came away with a new respect and admiration for her and her talent .

I'm so looking forward now to seeing The Last Showgirl hopefully this week at the cinema .

My Review- Queer In Cinemas now My Rating 8:10

The style of this movie reminds of the Rainer Werner Fassbinder 1982 movie Querelle which is about a handsome sailor who is drawn into a vortex of sibling rivalry, murder, and explosive sexuality.

Especially the trippy second half with depictions of the hallucinatory drug use .

The effective arty sets are very stagey but suit the mood of the movie .

The lighting and retro colour palette ald fits the 1950's era there's been a lot of creative input into this movie.

Based on American author William S. Burroughs 1985 novella Queer is partially a sequel to his 1953 novella Junkie .

Queer is about William Lee, an American expat and heroin addict in his late forties portrayed brilliantly by Daniel Craig in a role like you've never seen him play before .

Although I did see him play a gay character Joe Pitt a deeply closeted gay Mormon in the 1993 National Theatre Production of Angels in America .

Set In 1950 Queer tells the story of William Lee an American expatriateliving in Mexico City, passing time by bar hopping and indulging in sexual activities with younger men. One evening, he catches sight of Eugene Allerton, a young American GI and fellow expatriate. Lee grows obsessed with Allerton, pursuing him across various bars, hoping to gain his affection.

They eventually become involved in a passionate but dysfunctional relationship fuelled by Lee's drug dependency that culminates on a trip to South America in search of a plant that is said to have telepathic qualities.

I'll let you enjoy the rest of the trip let's just say I'm so glad I never got to caught up in drugs like LSD or acid .

This was the 2nd time I've seen this film and I enjoyed it so much more this time .

Directed by Luca Guadagnino who also directed Call Me By Your Name 2017 which is so different to Queer this movie will not appeal to the majority of cinema audiences like Call Me By Your Name did .

However when I compare to the sexually explicit and drug addiction in Anora which people rave about in my opinion Queer is a superior movie .

I am surprised that Daniel Craig has been ignored by BAFTA for his performance as it's one of his finest .

He was nominated for a Golden Globe and has won various Critics awards and these wins are well deserved.

Drew Starkey a young actor I'm not familiar with is also very impressive as Eugene Allerton and. Look forward to his future work .

My Review - Nickel Boys My Rating 5/10

For me this movie which somehow is up for Best Picture of 2025 is a failed experiment it's also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for RaMell Ross who is also the Director of Nickel Boys which is based on the 2019 novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.

Apart from a few exceptions I've noticed that it's better if a movie has a separate Director and script writer because the writer has their vision but the Director can reign in excess and gimmickry.

I'm reminded of a few great Directors like Jane Campion, Alfred Hitchcock, William Wyler , George Stevens , Sam Mendes, Christopher Nolan , David Lean ,and George Cukor to name just a few they just Directed the works of great screenwriters and produced exceptional movies.

Nickel Boys features a few clips from the 1958 Oscar Winning movie The Defiant One's starring Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis about 2 escaped convicts chained together and I got the similarities to the scenario of this movie.

The film is inspired by the Dozier School for Boys a now-closed Florida reform school notorious for its abusive treatment of students.

Nickel Boys is set in a brutal Florida reform school The Nickel Academy which treated its coloured inmates far more cruelly than its white inmates.

It's the story of Elwood Curtis, a young African-American boy who is sent to the Nickel Academy after he is falsely accused of a crime during the 1960s.

While there, he meets a boy named Turner, and the two form a close friendship as they try to survive the horrors of the school and its corrupt administrators.

In my opinion movies told in the first person point of view rarely work because the audience can't see the character or form a connection . In Nickel Boys we don't even see the main character Elwood Curtis played well by Ethan Herisse until he grows up just an arm or hand or his world view through his eyes .

Visually at times Nickel Boys looks like an amateur home movie made on a hand held camera. The Shaky cam technique is often employed to give a film sequence an ad hoc, electronic news-gathering, or documentary film feel but I find it irritating.

The two main actors are Ethan Herisse as Elwood and Brandon Wilson as Turner and they both give impressive performances.

As far as Nickel Boys being chosen this year for Oscar consideration as Best Film this movie is just another example for me of one of the most lacklustre Oscar years so far .

I can think of at least 3 movies that are far superior to this one they include Maria, The Critic and Fly Me to the Moon to name a few.

My Review - Sing Sing

My Rating 9 /10

What a pleasure to see a movie that's up for Oscar nominations in 3 categories and after watching it agree that yes it's well deserved.

Sing Sing is nominated for Best Actor Colman Domingo , Best Original Song ,Like A Bird, by Abraham A,expander and Adrian Quesada also Best Adapted Screenplay by Clinton Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, and John Divine G Whitfield .

Greg Kwedar also directed this movie based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts programme in which most of the talented cast were formally incarcerated members of the Sing Sing maximum security theatre troupe situated outside of New York.

Sing Sing is an honest uplifting independent film that tells the true story of John Divine G Whitfield played by Colman Domingo who is so impressive in this emotional and inspiring role.

Divine G is a man imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit finding purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer Clarence Maclin played by himself.

This is an inspiring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of former incarcerated actors all playing themselves.

It's rare to see a prison drama that doesn't just focus on violence and brutality Sing Sing concentrates more on friendships formed under difficult circumstances plus the power of art in assisting rehabilitation and the renewal of self esteem.

It's also very rare or unheard of that everyone involved in the production of a movie received an equal pay rate, with all collectively owning the movie.

In an effort to ensure a liveable wage ,everyone was provided the same wage , and offered ownership stakes in the film.

Location filming took place in 3 locations including the decommissioned Downstate Correctional Centre , The Hudson Sports Complex and Beacon High School in Upstate New York which all doubled for the interior and exterior sets of the real Sing Sing Prison.

Keep an eye out for a cameo appearance from the real life Divine G who appears early in the film as an inmate asking for Divine G's autograph .

I read that towards the beginning of the movie when the cast are auditioning for their various parts in the play that these were the actual audition tapes used to cast the movie.

Special mention must be made about the performance of actor Paul Raci who plays the Director Brent Buell . Paul Raci who was so impressive as Joe in the superb 2019 movie Sound of Metal for which he did receive a Best Supporting actor nomination should be up again for a Best supporting actor nomination this year.

His character Brent Buell the Director provides the conduit that inspires this unlikely band of thespians by gently encouraging their participation to perform in the play expressing their individual personalities and thus become a community.

Another standout performance is given by Clarence Maclin who also plays himself to see him change from a tough bully in the prison yard to transform into his interpretation of Shakespeare's famous character Hamlet Prince of Denmark is inspired and he also is worthy of a supporting actor nomination.

This year two low budget Indy movies are among my top 6 movies of this year A Real Pain in which I said at the time in my review that Keiran Culkin as Benji gives one of the most memorable performances of the year and he looks a certainty to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year .

Sing Sing is also now one of my top 10 movies of 2024/5 and while I'd be surprised if Colman Domingo wins Best Actor I think he fully deserves the great honour of being nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at Oscar time.

My Review - Babygirl In Cinemas now My Rating 7/10

Babygirl like The Substance will polarise opinion some will find the sexual content explicit or embarrassing but after all what is an opinion worth ?

There are only a handful of actresses today who really step outside their range to expose themselves entirely emotionally and physically if they feel the material is warranted they include Cate Blanchett eg Blue Jasmine 2013 and Carol 2015 ,Carey Mulligan eg Shame 2011 and Saltburn 2023 , and Nicole Kidman in BabyGirl and Eyes Wide Shut in 2019 .

An opinion of a movie or anything else for that matter is just an individual's subjective view based on their life experience and taste .

Subjective is a term that refers to someone's personal opinions or feelings regarding a particular subject matter. Subjective views or opinions are not based on truth or fact. They are one person's unique interpretation of an idea and their own thoughts, feelings, and background.

I begin my review of Babygirl with those opening thoughts because in my opinion unlike The Substance which critics seem to be falling over backwards to praise Demi Moore propelling her to predicted Oscar glory is in my opinion a depressing ,embarrassing and tasteless movie.

In contrast I thought Nicole Kidman's portrayal of Romy Mathis a 21st Century woman ,wife mother and CEO of a huge robotic process automation company compelling and interesting for a few reasons.

Primarily the interesting concept of Corporate executive power-play unusually in this instance told from the woman in power's perspective and not the usual male angle. The story also is about the power of the object of Romy's desire a young man who is decades younger than his boss who awakens a sexual desire which leads to a compulsive sexual relationship with consequences for both parties.

It's difficult to say who grooms who in this interesting and titillating scenario it's not as obvious as in Fifty Shades of Grey for instance.

In fact I thought this movie could have been a prequel to Christian Grey's character in that movie?

Romy Mathis is devoted to her family and career yet is dissatisfied with her absence of sexual gratification with husband, Jacob, a theater Director played impressively by Antonio Banderas who is surprised to say the least when Romy suggests they watch pornography while making love.

Romy's fantasy and desire is further triggered by an incident in a street on her way to work involving a young man and a dog , rest assured it's not bestiality.

The young man is Samuel played impressively by Harris Dickinson who also impressed me as Chase Andrews in Where the Crawdads Sing 2022.

In one of those serendipitous coincidences Samuel is later introduced to CEO Romy as a trainee cadet in her company .

Their mutual attraction is obvious from the start however Romy despite her desire at first is cool detached and aloof from Samuel's forward and at times inappropriate comments .However when Samuel chooses Romy as his mentor their meetings designed to assist Samuel's career transform into a mutually consensual exploration of hidden passion and desires that forces Romy literally to her knees .

This is a brave role for Nicole Kidman physically especially her knees which are not her finest asset. I do admire the way her physicality in Babygirl is appropriate to her age not filtered out with a Vaseline lens or use of a younger body double.

It's obvious that Nicole is still a very beautiful woman over 50 who has taken advantage of modern day cosmetic miracles and a rigorous excercise and diet regime but still is unafraid to show a wrinkly neck or her knobbly knees .

It's her performance that impressed me as it was sensitive as well as provocative she captured the character of a woman who has everything that modern society covets except the ability to satisfactorily express her sexuality .

I read that Director and writer of Babygirl Halina Reijn was quoted as saying that some of the film's intimate scenes were so intense that Nicole Kidman had to take a break from filming and that an intimacy co-ordinator was employed on set . That's a new 21st Century movie credit or role he,she they or them must have really earned their salary on this movie .

A special mention also to praise the cinematographer Jasper Wolf the scenes of robotic warehouse marketing and the intimate interior shots are praise worthy.

Nicole told The Independent, "There were times when we were shooting where I was like, 'I don't want to orgasm any more. Don't come near me' This movie is not for everyone the script has flaws and an improbable conclusion but it achieved my criteria for a successful move it was entertaining, very well acted and thought provoking but that's just my opinion.

My Review The Bikeriders Streaming on Foxtel Rating 6/ 10

Based on a photo book by Danny Lyon with a screenplay by Jeff Nichols the subject matter concerns the background history of a gang of Chicago bikers called The Vandals .

The Vandals biker chapter is a fictional version of an actual club called The Outlaws .

My main motivation to see this was the cast headed by Austin Butler who plays Benny Cross a hotheaded bikey and Jodie Comer as Kathy his wife who relays her experiences with Benny and the gang to an interviewer Danny Lyon played by Mike Faust.

What begins as a social outlet and gathering place for the towns outsiders and misfits who call themselves The Vandals soon changes into a dangerous underworld of violence when their leader Johnny played by Tom Hardy is challenged allowing a criminal element from the other chapters to take over forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

I didn't really get the point of this movie and I'm yet to be convinced of Austin Butler's acting range he seems to be channeling a cross between James Dean and Marlon Brando in this role as Benny and while he was impressive in Elvis I think his most original performance to date is the supporting role as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune Part 1 and 2 .

Jodie Comer on the other hand was my highlight in The Bikeriders her role as the slightly naive salt of the earth Kathy is touching and funny .

I barely recognised her until I looked up the cast I've seen her play diverse roles such as Sarah a dedicated English Nurse in Help 2021 the infamous assassin Villanelle in the wonderful series Killing Eve , to a French aristocrat Marguerite de Thibouville in The Last Duel .

I'm always impressed by actors who step out of their comfort zone to play new and challenging roles .

I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed The Bikeriders as a movie but I'm glad I saw it hopefully one day Austin Butler will impress me but his performance in The Bikeriders didn't.

My Review- Playing Nice Streaming on SBS on Demand My Rating - 7.5/10 This interesting and emotionally charged four part one off mini series poses a question no parent would ever hopefully be faced with .

How would you react if you were called to a meeting by the Chief of a Hospital to tell you how sorry they were that the young child you had nurtured from birth was not actually yours ?

Due to a mix up of name tags accidental or otherwise each baby had in fact been handed over to the wrong parents which later was confirmed by DNA testing.

Now two couples face the horrifying dilemma of either keeping the sons they have raised and loved from birth or reclaiming their biological child.

James Norton and Niamh Algar star as a couple Pete Riley and Maddie Wilson the parents of Theo their young son.

The other couple Miles and Lucy Lambert are played by James McCardle and Jessica Brown Findlay are parents to David who has health some issues .

Miles when told that Theo the more active outgoing child is actually his son sets in place a devious set of legal challenges and investigations that threaten Pete and Maddies custody of their son .

Playing Nice is an excellent title for this series because The Lambert's appear to be playing nice in the beginning however as the excellent screenplay by Grace Ofori-Attah based on a global best seller by J. P. Delaney progresses the true colours of Miles Lambert are revealed.

I found this series very well produced , directed and I enjoyed the performances from all the cast ,especially James Norton.

The Brutalist My Rating 6:5/10 In cinemas now

I'm generously rating this overlong but interesting movie in 2 parts as it runs for 3 hours 35 minutes including a 15 minute interval.

Part 1 consists of The Overture , Part 1 The Enigma of Arrival I'd rate Part 1 an 8/10 ************************** Why ? Because I engaged in the story which kept my interest until

Part 2 The Hard Core of Beauty plus Epilogue: The First Architecture Biennale I'd rate Part 2 a 5/10 *************************** Why? Because the whole tone of the story changed for me and by the time it concluded I'd lost interest or empathy with any of the characters .

The second half took on a much darker and I thought unfortunate turn that I thought was unnecessary padding .

Adrian Brody's character Lazlo Toth in The Brutalist reminded me so much of Cate Blanchett's character Lydia Tàr in the 2022 movie Tár .

Both characters are complex fictional and dysfunctional , they are both cold and totally ego driven individuals.

They both experience prejudice in their rise to creative fame .

Lydia Tàr's character experiences homophobia while Laszlo Toth's journey to architectural glory certainly experiences Antisemitism.

The performances in The Brutalist are certainly very impressive especially Adrien Brody who plays László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp who emigrates to America.

This role is very similar to his Oscar winning role in the 2002 Roman Polanski movie The Pianist where he also played a Holocaust survivor.

Can Oscar lightning strike twice ? I doubt it this time but his performance is certainly worth a Best Actor nomination.

It certainly didn't for Cate Blanchett also an Oscar winner who was a favourite in 2023 for Tár but lost to Michelle Yeoh that year .

The story of The Brutalist by screen writers Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold thankfully spares us another depiction of the horror of the Nazi concentration camps .

The Opening after The Overture begins at the conclusion of World war 2 in 1947 when thousands of refugees from war torn Europe sought freedom and a new life in America.

How fortunate those poor souls were that the current administration wasn't in power.

László Tóth arrives and is greeted by his now fully Americanised cousin Atilla played by Alessandro Nivola.

Attila who has even changed his name to Miller and converted to Catholicism upon marrying his wife, with whom he runs a furniture store offers Laszlo a room and employment.

Attila informs Laszlo that he has received a letter from his wife Erzsébet and niece Zsófia have also survived the Holocaust which fills Laszlo with joy of course.

After a commission to build a library by the son of wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren played impressively by Guy Pearce.

After a rocky and angry outburst from the multimillionaire Laszlo's fortunes change dramatically . As admiration for the architect builds the multi millionaire commissions the impressive Hungarian Jewish architect to build a grand project as a tribute to his late mother a community center comprising a library, theater, gymnasium, and a chapel in The Brutalist style .

Brutalism architecture is heavier than Bauhaus more expressive and made primarily from concrete and sometimes brick.

As the project begins construction problems and conflict arise as a result of Laszlo's addiction to heroine but not before his wife Erzsébet also impressively played by Felicity Jones and his niece Zsófia played by Raffey Cassidy arrive to build their family unit anew in America..

That's enough plot line for this epic marathon I really think the producers and only third time director Brady Corbet could have scaled down this movie to a more manageable screenplay.

The Brutalist is promoted as an Epic drama however Epic dramas of the past like the 2023 Oppenheimer and Lawrence of Arabia 1962 have 2 vital elements that The Brutalist doesn't possess a brilliant screenplay and faultless directing.

It doesn't matter how wonderful the performances are if a movie doesn't also have these 2 elements I just don't fully engage.

My Review - We Live in Time My Rating 5/10 In Cinemas now

I was so disappointed in this movie despite the very good performances by the two leads Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh .

As the title suggests we live in time and time is a linear function that moves forward not back and forth as this jigsaw puzzle story by Nick Payne does.

The plot is simple the delivery of the non linear story for me was excruciatingly manipulative and predictable.

An attractive likeable couple Almut played by Florence Pugh and her partner Tobias played by Andrew Garfield meet through unusual circumstances and eventually set up home together.

The many disjointed and out of sequence scenes in this movie for me were like looking ad hoc through snapshots in a photo album .

We see the couple falling in love ,setting up home and starting a family .

Their ideal lives are interrupted and the foundation of their relationship is rocked by a set of totally unexpected circumstances that they must face together .

Director John Crowley uses a non linear timeline that spans a decade and in my opinion fails because the audience is distracted due to the jig saw of emotions portrayed.

It's not the responsibility of a movie audience to mind read what the director considers a clever way in his mind anyway to tell a story ,especially when it's not really that interesting or told previously in a similar scenarios.

Non linear stories do work in some circumstances but they are few and far between.

If they are interesting or mysterious as in Mulholland Drive which I watched recently and was fascinated by director David Lynch 's vision .

I found this quote from master director summed up my view on non linear storytelling perfectly.

"A good majority of movies that come out you pretty much know everything you're going to see in the movie by the first ten or twenty minutes. Now that's not a story. A story is something that constantly unfolds-I'm not talking about a quick left turn, or a quick right turn, or a big surprise- I'm talking about it unfolds .

Now the thing is for both novels and films 75% of the stories you're going to tell will work better on a dramatically engaging basis to be told from a linear way. But there is the 25% out there that can be more resonant by telling it this way. Both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction gain a lot more resonance being told in this wild way."

My Review A Complete Unknown My Rating 9.5 /10 Release date 23rd of January

We attended a preview which included an interesting question and answer interview with Timothée Chalamet the star of this excellent movie plus it's Director James Mangold the screenplay writer of A Complete Unknown .

I was a young teenager during the early to mid 1960's which is the era that this movie takes place so it was a fascinating nostalgic trip back in time when the world like today was going through a great cultural and political change .

The events referenced in the timeline of this movie include the assassination of president John F Kennedy ,the Cuban missile crisis that bought the world close to nuclear war plus the American civil rights movement .

A young 19 year old Bob Dylan arrives in New York and visits his idol Woody Guthrie in hospital where he performs a song for Woody and his friend Pete Seeger played brilliantly in the movie by Edward Norton.

As his fame quickly grows Bob Dylan has a romantic relationship with Sylvie Russo played delightfully by Elle Fanning who is also great in this movie.

He also has a professional and romantic relationship with the famous folk singer of the day Joan Baez played by Monica Barbaro both women in this movie are very impressive.

The five year timespan ends with Bob Dylan's controversial performance at The Newport Folk Festival where he changed his style and used an electric guitar for the first time horrifying his fans and promoters by stepping out of the music box he felt he had been locked in.

Apparently this moment was so significant in Dylan's career that the original title of the movie was going to be "Going Electric "at one time .

I can't say I was a great fan at the time of Bob Dylan,I was more into Motown Mersey pop and show tunes however his great protest songs like "Blowin' in the Wind ", "The Times They Are a-Changin and Like a Rolling Stone formed part of the soundtrack of my young life.

I knew very little about Bob Dylan himself and his early fame until seeing this movie written and directed by James Mangold who also wrote two other of my favourite film scripts Ford v Ferrari and Walk the Line 2005 the story of Johnny Cash also a character in this movie played by Boyd Holbrook.

The previous 2007 movie I'm Not There supposed to be about the life of Bob Dylan had different actors including Heather Ledger and Cate Blanchett portraying Bob Dylan didn't impress me at all in fact I found it almost incomprehensible.

Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan gives an astoundingly great performance worthy of every best actor nomination he's received so far ,it has to be his greatest starring role to date .

What a way to begin what is only the second decade of his amazing movie career.

At only 29 years of age Timothée Chalamet already is the highest grossing top box office star of his generation in four decades .

Timothée Chalamet's films have grossed over $2.5 billion globally.

His recent films, Wonka and Dune: Part One and Part Two, have both grossed over $200 million domestically.

His latest movie A Complete Unknown is certain to continue that trend as it deserves to and I'm sure this is a defining moment of this great young actor's career.

Apart from singing and playing guitar on all of Bob Dylan's songs live in this movie and there is a lot of singing probably over 70% of screen time Timothée Chalamet achieves much more than just an impersonation of Dylan .

He manages somehow to capture the spirit of the man making the audience really believe this is Bob Dylan not because Timothée Chalamet resembles the man he's better looking than Dylan but with little make up a hairstyle to suit plus cleverly achieving Bob Dylan's mumbling style of speaking he becomes so convincing in this role.

I particularly liked the way James Mangold's script and direction doesn't whitewash Bob Dillon's character in those early years from 19 to mid twenties .

He was ambitious and totally driven his music overrode his relationships both business and emotional. I don't know if he had any drug or alcohol problems who didn't back in the 1960's but they certainly didn't appear to affect him career wise in this period.

A Complete Unknown took 5 years to produce because of Covid and other rescheduling delays ,it's obviously been a labour of love for everyone involved in the movie and all I can say is even movie goers who are not into Bob Dillon's music should see this magnificent representation of an important era in our cultural and political life that occurred 60 years ago .

Bob Dylan now aged 83 years old apparently was highly involved in stages of this biopic he didn't approve the script until he did a table read where he performed all his dialogue himself where he praised the script .

He is the first musician to have been awarded The Nobel Prize in Literature for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.

The message or protest songs of today seem to be the wrap category instead of folk and that's ok however I wonder if their message is as effective or if it reaches the audiences that Bob Dylan's songs did I doubt it .

My Review- My Favourite Cake In Cinemas now My Rating 9/10

This charming and at the same time disturbing tragicomedy filmed in Iran and set in Tehran is a co production from Iran,France,Sweden and Germany .

The co directors and writers of this movie Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, wanted to be honest about life for women in Iran including the consumption of alcohol which is forbidden in that country.

It was reported in December 2024 that the directors were awaiting trial while being held in Evin prison and forbidden from making movies, working, and travelling . They were charged with spreading propaganda against the regime, breaking Islamic rules by making a vulgar movie, and spreading prostitution and libertinism.

My favourite cake is a beautifully paced film that begins with a lonely 70 year old Iranian woman Mahin played with incredible sensitivity and fun by Lili Farhadpour .

It begins with Mahin a widow who lives alone going about the daily chores in her apartment ,talking to her daughter who lives a long distance away and arranging a lunch for her group of girlfriends.

The women all now widows or spinsters chat and joke about finding an eligible man to share their lives and Mahin through loneliness decides to venture out of her comfort zone and explore the prospect of perhaps meeting a gentleman friend.

While sitting in a park she chats to a man then proceeds on a walk and is confronted by the morality Police harassing a young woman waiting for her boyfriend and also innocently just walking in the park .

The young woman is grateful when Mahin who remembers a much happier and more liberal time for women in Iran intervenes on the young girls behalf risking arrest herself . Mahin helps prevent the arrest of the young girl who has been accused of not wearing her hijab correctly.

Mahin later goes to the local pensioners coffee shop and overhears some elderly men in conversation and notices a lone taxi driver named Faramaz also played beautifully by Esmaeel Mehrabi.

In an unusual twist especially for any Iranian woman Mahin is the instigator of their first date by inviting Faramaz to her home for supper. What follows is a touching and humorous meeting of two lonely souls who obviously like and are attracted to each other .

That's all I'll say except when Mahin bakes her favourite and beautifully decorated Orange Blossom cake for Faramaz the movie switches into another gear very quickly.

Don't miss this movie its creators and directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha have bought to the screen a bitter sweet confection and taken great risks in doing so .

We don't often see a movie depicting middle class life in a country like Iran and I came away thinking how fortunate we are to live in a democracy where the very word Morality police is to quote my next movie experience is "A Complete Unknown." and long may it stay that way .

My Review - Emilia Pèrez In cinemas now My Rating. 7.5 /10

Emilia Pèrez is certainly one of the most unusual movies of this year or many other years that I've experienced so I'll begin my non spoiler review with the more unusual aspects of this movie .

I can honestly say I enjoyed most of this movie set in Mexico but entirely shot in Paris that features only one Mexican born actor Adriana Paz who plays Epifania a major supporting role.

It's also unusual for the fact that all the award nominations categories so far place the actress with more screen time Zoe Salanda in the Best Supporting category .

Karla Sofía Gascón the transgender actress who plays the title character Emilia Pèrez and Manitas his male self is certainly impressive but has less screen time in the movie 52:21 min than Zoe Saldana 57:50 who is cast as Rita the lawyer who is recruited by Manitas a Mexican drug cartel criminal to arrange his greatest wish a gender reassignment.

Both actors certainly give wonderful performances but as an aside I don't think I'll be the only person to get Jennifer Coolidge vibes from Karla Sofía Gascón at times her resemblance and mannerisms are uncanny that's not meant as a criticism it's just an observation.

The plot centres around four very different and complex women in Mexico each pursuing their own life's journey and aspirations.

They are Mexican drug Cartel leader Manitas a ruthless criminal later to become Emilia Pérez , Rita an over qualified and unappreciated lawyer who is recruited by Manitas to arrange his gender reassignment change from male to female . Rita later becomes Emilia's protector and greatest ally following her bosses gender change and is tasked with relocating and supplying Manitas wife Jessi and children with new identities.

The other two women both have emotional and financial attachment to Manitas and Emilia Pérez ,his wife Jessi played by Selena Gomez and later Emilia's love interest Epifania played by Adriana Paz.

Sound complicated ? No not really each woman has to negotiate a tricky and complex journey due to the consequences of Manitas life changing operation to fulfill his greatest wish to become Emilia Pèrez .

My main criticism of the movie Emilia Pèrez is that it is promoted as a musical drama ? In my opinion the use of contemporary wrap style songs really don't add anything to what is a drama not a musical .

The songs are used like a Greek chorus to move the narrative along but for me were only an unwelcome distraction and not very good.

The fact that Director Jacques Audiard is being nominated for all major movie awards so far and that Jon M. Chu the Director of Wicked a really fabulous musical movie is being rudely snubbed by The Golden Globes and BAFTA awards really annoys me.

I certainly don't think Jacques Audiard has written and directed the best movie of the year but I think Emilia Pérez is one of the best movies on offer in the 2024 movie year.

As mentioned I could have done without the music plus a little more attention to detail an example being that any male in transition and taking female hormones for 2 years as stated in the script would not have a bushy black beard .

I realise the beard was probably used to give Manitas and Karla Sofía Gascón who plays both roles a dramatic more rugged macho appearance but it wasn't convincing for me who has a little knowledge on such things .

Is Emilia Pérez a positive story for the transgender community?

I don't think it tries to be and shouldn't be viewed that way for me the movie is a morality tale about thinking well about the consequences of drastic life changes on others beside yourself plus that we can change ourselves in many ways but if our past is not resolved it can catch up with us no matter who we are ?

My Review - Lockerbie A Search for Truth Streaming on Foxtel My Rating 8/10

The shocking and savage terrorist bombing on December 21st 1988 that bought down Pan Am Flight 103 over a small town named Lockerbie in Scotland affected countless thousands of people including the 270 families and friends of the 259 passengers and crew on board and the 11 residents of Lockerbie that perished.

This 5 part series based on the book by Peter Biddulph and created for television by David Harrower and Jim Swire tells the true story of one of those many families .

Dr Jim Swire played with quiet sensitivity and skill by Master British actor Colin Firth his wife and two children lost their daughter and sister Flora who was a passenger on Flight 103.

It may sound an odd compliment but I'm often reminded of Britains other living acting treasure Dame Judi Dench when I'm watching a Colin Firth movie.

Like Judi Dench he has an incredible acting range and can play an everyday ordinary man, a King ,a secret agent or spy ,a romantic or comedy lead or even sing a vulnerable and touching version of "Our Last Summer ."in Mama Mia .

His character Doctor Jim Swire makes it his life's task to bring the terrorist or terrorists to justice but faces cover ups and the Prime Minister of the time Margaret Thatchers refusal to initiate an independent inquiry into the cause and culpability of the attack .

His obsession to find justice has consequences for his family life Jane Swire his wife is suffering ongoing trauma as Jim's participation in their remaining family suffers due to his preoccupation with finding evidence to bring the suspects to trial in The Netherlands.

Actress Catherine McCormack also gives a superb performance as Jane Swire her character had my sympathy throughout the series as she desperately wants Jim to move on from the past ,especially when the other families affected turn on him for seeking the release of the convicted Libyan man Abdelbaset Al- Megrahi who Jim is now convinced was framed and is innocent.

This terrible event in 1988 14 years be for the attack on The World Trade Centre was pivotal in the escalation of the modern airport security we thankfully experience today .

I also think after seeing the series that this event perhaps help start the fake news era we live in today where Fear can lead to False Evidence Appearing Real and there was plenty of false evidence involved in the Lockerbie tragedy.

The fear of Governments losing valuable oil rights plus the fear of reprisals or retaliation if the truth is revealed caused diplomatic coverups .

The very human story of this family touched by tragedy made this horrible event in our history seem more pertinent and made Lockerbie an interesting and informative one off series for me.

The Diplomat - Series 2 Netflix My Rating 9/10 I've added my review below of Series 1 of this compelling and absorbing series starring the wonderful Keri Russell as Ambassador to Britain Kate Wyler and Rufus Sewell as her husband Hal .

Series 2 for me really surpassed its predecessor with the continued role of Celia Imrie as Margaret Roylan a powerful and influential advisor to the problematical British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge played by Rory Kinnear.

Later in the series we have the fabulous Allison Janney playing Vice President Grace Penn and her entry really heats up the action in the battle of two ambitious women.

A well deserved series 3 is already in production I'm pleased to hear after the startling finale of series 2 .

It's so refreshing to see a political oriented series that features equally powerful roles for women as well as men in today's world political spectrum.

The Diplomat also is a series that cleverly reflects actual political events and the drama behind closed doors we never get to see.

Case in point series 2 features an Australian political hot potato when the French contract for building nuclear submarines was cancelled and given to the USA.

Of course all the actual key game players are fictitious but the context and drama are cleverly portrayed .

My Review - The Diplomat Series 1 on Netflix My Rating. 8/10

The Diplomat is a British Political thriller series which the Brits seem to excel so well at. Most of the cast is British apart from Keri Russell who plays the slightly unkempt Kate Wyler the unorthodox inexperienced but very effective newly appointed U. S. Ambassador to the British Court of St James .

Kate is married to a former Ambassador Hal Wyler played charmingly and raffishly by Rufus Sewell.

Kate prefers her smart working uniform or black trousers jacket and plain easy comb hairstyle resisting attempts to restyle her appearance to suit the smart magazine journalists or her male colleagues perception of professional women.

However wait till later in the series when she stuns everyone in a dramatic fire engine red couture gown at a Government Heads reception to suit her own agenda .

The Wyler's marriage is rocky due to career rivalry and gender rôle expectations and jealousy but it's not on the quite on the rocks they obviously have affection for each other.

They are a very interesting pair as Kate establishes her credibility in her new role as the American Ambassador and it soon becomes apparent that she is short listed for a Vice President role if successful.

Debora Cahn the writer and creator of The Diplomat knows her craft she has written and co produced scripts for The West Wing and Greys Anatomy. She is assisted in this production by a team of writers who have created a fictional but spookily uncanny scenario that resembles so closely the ,Political world we all inhabit today.

This had to be intentional I think as we have an ageing American President William Rayburn played by Michael McKean who is looking for a replacement for his unpopular female Vice President .

We have a Mr Toad like bombastic British Prime Minister who even has a racy red sports car like Mr Toad that he races through the British countryside causing havoc when ever he pops in on vital strategic meetings .

Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge or is it Boris J ? Is played so well by Rory Kinnear and he's intent on letting loose the dogs of war in retaliation to a perceived attack by Iran or is it Russia ? On a British War Ship that kills over 50 British Navy personnel.

Even The Lenkov Group referred to in this story is a reference to the real life Russian mercenary Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Russian War waging in The Ukraine is mentioned also making the fictional scenario even more topical and scary as we watch the Diplomatic incompetence of some of the elected officials thankfully in contrast to those with some common sense and intelligence who have the difficult task of finding safer strategies to guide the World towards more peaceful solutions to the conflicts that arise that don't involve nuclear superpower destruction.

There's some fine performances in The Diplomat apart from Keri Russell as The US Ambassador and Rufus Sewell as her husband Hal including David Gyasias cast as The British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison who impressed me . Also Ali Ahn as Eidra Graham an Intelligence Officer in a relationship with The Ambassador's Personal Assistant Stuart Heyford also played well by Ato Essandoh.

We even get the pleasure of a cameo from the delightful Celia Imrie playing Margaret Roylin a Left of Centre but charming Political gossip columnist who is more aware of the current regime than at first is apparent.

Considering the dramatic cliff hanger finale of episode 8 titled The James Bond Clause I'd be very disappointed if there's not a Series 2 of The Diplomat it hasn't been commissioned yet but the quality of series 1 deserves an encore season in my opinion.

Even if you're not into Political intrigue there's enough human interest in the characters in this story to make if less dry and more entertaining than just your average Political thriller .

My Review - A Different Man My Rating. 7/10 Streaming. Prime

A friend whose opinion I respect describes this movie as The Elephant Man meets Woody Allen and Roman Polanski which may sound strange however I thoroughly agree with his description.

A Different Man the movie which won its star Sebastian Stan a Golden Globe this week is a very strange almost surreal movie that for me has a 1940's 1950's Film noir style set in an undetermined era as there's no reference to any timeline.

Film noir is known for its dark atmosphere,cynical characters and moody atmosphere and this movie certainly meets that criteria.

Sebastian Stan who was also nominated for playing a young ambitious Donald Trump in The Apprentice is a very accomplished character actor .

He plays Edward in A Different Man a grotesquely facially deformed young man suffering the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) .

He faces each day enduring the curious and pitying stares of passing strangers while living in his apartment and trying to live as normal life as possible in seclusion as humanly possible.

He joins a drug trial that if successful promises to grant his greatest wish to restore his face to a normal average appearance.

As the saying goes "be careful what you wish "for as his face gradually loses its hideous deformity new problems arise as he begins a new life and romance with Ingrid Vold an aspiring playwright and former neighbour played very well by Renate Reinsve .

Under his new name Edward Guy is now a wealthy and successful real estate agent . He discovers that Ingrid ,who has no inkling of his former identity is producing Edward, an off Broadway play that she has written based on his life experience when he was suffering from facial deformity.

A mysterious stranger enters the theatre where Edward is rehearsing after a successful audition for the role . The strangers name is Oswald played by Adam Pearson and he suffers from the same hideous facial deformity that Edward did before his amazing medical transformation.

This new character sets off a reaction in Edward that propels the story to a surprise conclusion and that brings me to my greatest criticism of the movie.

The screen writer and Director Aaron Schimberg in my opinion has succeeded up until the final half hour to create an interesting and emotionally plausible story .

However this well produced independent movie fell short for me at the story conclusion and left me wondering if Aaron Schimberg really didn't know how to end his story satisfactorily ? I just wasn't convinced .

I can't be to critically tough on this very good independent movie because I enjoyed it despite the ending and I'm grateful that movies made on a small production budget continue to be made .

My Rating - The Substance Streaming on Amazon Prime My Rating. 0/10

The only reason I watched this grotesque monstrosity and waste of celluloid or cellulite was to see why Demi Moore won the Golden Globe award yesterday for Best Female Actor in a Musical or Comedy Picture instead of Cynthia Erivo's amazing performance as Elphaba in the musical Wicked ?

Demi Moore said yesterday in her acceptance speech that in her long career of over 40 years this was the first time that she has won anything.

I'm still in a state of bewilderment after seeing The Substance starring Demi Moore who is really only in half the movie because she shares her character with Margaret Qualley who plays her better self Sue .

In 1970 Joan Crawford at a similar age to Demi Moore made a horror sci fi movie titled Trog and got crucified by the critics and audiences but Trog as bad as it may be is a masterpiece compared to The Substance and has attained a sort of cult status.

IMBD gives Trog a rating of 4/10 and The Substance 7.4 /10 what am I missing?

The plot of The Substance has been done to death and far better it's basically Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde meets Sweet Bird of Youth and The Elephant Man.

I don't mean to insult Robert Louis Stevenson or Tennessee Williams because the creator and director of this trash Coralie Fargeat in my opinion has created a monstrosity and an insult to women.

If you enjoy lots of blood and gore insane dialogue a naked 64 year old woman writhing around a bathroom floor then transforming into a naked 31 year old woman both giving hysterical performances which to quote a critic who once accused Katharine Hepburn's famous early stage performance as She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B you might enjoy The Substance and, I hated it.

I'm sure this film will be nominated for the grotesque make up and special effects but credit should be given to the butcher shop that suppled the offal used to cover both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

Surely Demi Moore will not be on the same nomination list for Oscar against Cynthia Erovo in May I certainly hope not .

Footnote - Before anyone says I missed the intention of this movie -it's very trendy these days to place a political label or moral statement about the aim of a movie.

In this case saying this movie I read sends out a message about ageing and negative body images for women .

Trog in 1970 could have been billed as a movie sending a message of acceptance and anti animal cruelty.

For me the primary purpose of any movie is to Entertain and be interesting, message movies usually never get seen by the audience their aimed how many Americans saw The Apprentice last year?

The Substance I feel could really disturb some young women it's just my view I always welcome comments on my reviews.