The 400 Blows film review by UK film critic Alasdair MacRae. Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy directed by François Truffaut. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The 400 Blows Film Review average rating is 5 out of 5 Critic: Alasdair MacRae | Posted on: Jan 18, 2022 Directed by: François Truffaut Written by: François Truffaut & Marcel Moussy Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy François Truffaut’s 1959 debut feature opens with the Eiffel Tower playing hide and seek behind apartment blocks. As the title credits roll, again and again, France’s most iconic landmark is obscured from view. All of a sudden, the three-hundred-metre tall gateway is upon us. We look up through the lattice of the structure. Then it is behind us, and all we can do is stare back at it as we drift away. The grandest visual metaphor to open an intimate and personal coming of age story. After being caught defacing a nude calendar in class, fourteen-year-old Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud), gets trapped in a cycle of punishment that leads to him playing truant, sleeping rough, stealing a typewriter, and worse. An alter ego of Truffaut in this semi-autobiographical tale, Antoine appears to be no different than any other of his classmates. They too are children of disinterested and distracted parents. They all taunt teachers who grow frustrated with their own lack of control. Yet he always seems to be singled out, and he begins to feel the weight of these inconsistencies. He decides to fight against these conditions and seek his independence from the adults that do not respect nor care for him. In his audition tape, Léaud describes himself as ‘mischievous’. As Antoine, he appears to be playing an alternate version of himself as much as he is an alternate of Truffaut. His performance captures the contrast between youthful innocence and necessary self-reliance. He carries himself like an adult, and his matter of fact temperament lends itself to that impression, but his face betrays the truth. He makes Antoine truly feel like the victim of misfortune. The romantic excess of the score highlights that Antoine’s outlook is not cynical despite his circumstance. He enjoys studying Balzac and visiting the cinema. In one especially nauseating sequence, he tries out a fairground ride that replicates the experience of being trapped inside a washing machine. These joyous moments, like the orchestral swells, underpin the tragedy of Antoine’s hope for a better life that always seems just out of reach. Truffaut’s glissando filmmaking articulates Antoine’s journey through adolescence. The use of pans, tracking shots and fades convey the energy of change. However, camera movement is also used to emulate his lack of control. At times it represents the forces of the world that appear to push and pull him at their behest. In one particularly resonant scene, he is arrested and taken away in the back of a police van. We see from his point of view; the world obscured by bars. He is trapped on a phantom ride, being dragged through his own life. Over sixty years have passed since its original release and this centrepiece of the nouvelle vague remains a feat of visual storytelling. Truffaut’s film revels in the art of contrasts. He gives glimpses of joy to lend character to sorrow, uses camera movement to reflect both freedom and constraint, and ultimately, he represents those whose existence carries little weight in the world. No matter how much time has passed, it is impossible not to feel overwhelmed by the freeze-frame finale of this semi-autobiographical masterwork. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Alasdair MacRae Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Ovary-Acting film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Synnøve Karlsen, Sofia Oxenham directed by Ida Melum. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Ovary-Acting Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Jan 22, 2026 Directed by: Ida Melum Written by: Laura Jayne Tunbridge Starring: Synnøve Karlsen, Sofia Oxenham A thirty-something woman feels the pressure from everyone around her at her sister’s baby shower to have children of her own, so much so that her ovaries start talking to her to try and convince her. Eva (Karlsen) is thirty-four. She’s fast approaching that life destroying cliff-dive of an age where women are told that their bodies suddenly change for the worse, and that fertility becomes a major issue until the long slow feminine death of menopause. All sorts of things are supposed to go wrong with having babies after a woman hits thirty-five, and Eva is fast running out of time, as she is constantly reminded by everyone around her who ‘cares for her’ and ‘has her best interests at heart’. Granny is the most insistent member of the group to try and push Eva into motherhood, but everybody else is at it, too, with friends and family putting on their rose-tinted spectacles and throwing out platitudes that regale the simple positive pleasures of raising a baby. Eva is having none of it though, and tries to impress upon everyone that she still has time, and that she can make up her own mind about these things whenever she feels like it. This is not entirely true though and Eva’s fuzzy guts start trying to tell her otherwise as she bats away the onslaught of indoctrinated motherhood. After a swift trip to the toilet (in the mother and baby changing area), Eva unexpectedly looks into the mirror to find herself pregnant with worry. This miraculous conception lasts a matter of moments before Eva is lying on the floor giving birth to her reproductive system. Her ovaries (and technically uterus, too) burst forth and land on the baby change mat, introducing herself as Ovy (Oxenham), the talking, floating version of Eva’s inner voice. Together, Eva and Ovy navigate the choices laid out in front of them as they discuss and argue over the idea of bringing a baby into the world. Told in a cutesy animation style, with cloth puppets and their animated mouths and eyebrows, Ovary-Acting tackles some big issues with a gentle but firm direction and narrative. The characters are perfectly represented for the tale they are trying to tell, as nothing seems overly serious or terrifying in the fact that part of Eva’s insides have suddenly emerged from her body and started talking to her. The animation also allows for some surreal narrative moments which could not have been achieved through live action, or which could have appeared gross-out or just plain weird in a CGI context. Around half-way through the twelve-minute runtime, Eva and Ovy break into a big song and dance number, which is very reminiscent and akin to those cemented in nearly every episode of the Netflix comedy, Big Mouth . This tongue-in-cheek attitude towards female reproduction is a soothing balm for those who may feel the pressure of the ticking biological clock along with Eva, and for everyone else it’s light-hearted and entertaining without seeming too flippant. Writer, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, obviously has to hit some pretty standard markers in the dialogue, of which some phrases and snippets can sound fairly tired and well-worn, with most comediennes, chat show hosts, and members of Loose Women having covered this ground many times before. However, she manages to blend this in with some fairly personal feeling dialogue and a light, modern touch, to keep things fresh, relevant and funny. Ovary-Acting is a unique take on an age-old dilemma, which really comes into its own in terms of its style and storytelling. There is a lot to admire and enjoy about Eva’s journey into finding herself, and the fuzzy animation, led by Ida Melum’s direction, really adds to the feeling the viewer gets when watching her wrestle with her own emotions and self-justifications. There’s even a nice little fuzzy ballsack hanging about who just wants to say Hello. Ovary-Acting is a beautiful piece of storytelling which achieves the perfect balance in how it gets its message across, finding a way to not take itself too seriously while making points which everybody should consider, especially when they should keep their mouth shut and their noses out of somebody else’s business. BAFTA® 2026 Longlisted Animated Short. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, Animation, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Forget About It film review by UK film critic Swati Verma . Starring Lewis Wallace, Jake Harris, Thomas Barnes directed by Christopher Hammond . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Forget About It Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Swati Verma | Posted on: Jun 17, 2025 Directed by: Christopher Hammond Written by: Thomas Barnes Starring: Lewis Wallace, Jake Harris, Thomas Barnes Director Christopher Hammond, along with writer Thomas Barnes blends the gangster theme and comedy genre to convey many lessons in the screenplay thereby increasing the degree of audience engagement with the content. Lewis Wallace, Jack Harris, and Thomas Barnes understand Hammond’s vision and add intricate details in their performance to build realism and relatability transcending the written material onto the screen. The plot of Forget About It revolves around how films influence the way we live our lives, For Jake and Steve it takes on a whole new meaning. One evening whilst watching a mobster classic Steve takes on the persona of an Italian mobster, causing Jake to slowly unravel, leading to the demise of this odd couple. Forget About It opens with a voice-over of a movie playing on the television followed by a long shot of a couple sitting on the couch having a casual conversation to establish the subject matter picking up the pace as the narrative goes ahead. The set design, black, white, and dark blue colour pallet, lighting, camera angles, music, sound, dialogues, costume, hair, makeup, and props are kept natural complementing the storyline to provide depth. In terms of performance, Lewis Wallace plays Steve a software engineer from Essex who turns into a gangster under the influence of a movie he watched last. Wallace effortlessly switches between Steve as well as the Italian mob. The actor adopts different body language, Voice modulation, style of dialogue delivery, facial expression, and eyes for each of them. Jake Harris plays Jake who is a more delicate at-heart, caregiver and wants to get Steve out of the bandit act. Jake is an emotional anchor in the relationship. Jake effectively balances the emotions and logic always thinking of the betterment of his partner. Harris with his acting skills also steps back to support Wallace and let him shine in certain scenes elevating the story creating an emotional connection with the viewers. Thomas Barnes plays the role of Norbert Not Niro who is Steve’s partner in crime when he becomes an Italian mobster. Barnes takes on dual responsibility for Forget About It as a writer along with acting. Barnes’s writing assisted with the comic element of both Steve and Jake so that the audience does not lose interest in the film and stays gripped to the content all through the running time of fifteen minutes. Forget About It warns us that extreme exposure to anything can prove detrimental to the mental as well as physical health of people. The short film reiterates that watching something on television or in the cinema should have lessons that positively impact one’s life rather than having the opposite effect. Forget About It subtly touches upon the unpredictable nature of life and therefore the need to value the important relationships that one starts taking for granted in the long run. As an ardent viewer, I would like to appreciate the makers for providing facts just before rolling in the credits so that the audience can completely understand the topic interpret it as per their perception. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Swati Verma Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Romancing Sydney film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Anmol Mishra, Susanne Richter, Gabrielle Chan directed by Anmol Mishra. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Romancing Sydney Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Dec 17, 2025 Directed by: Anmol Mishra Written by: Anmol Mishra Starring: Anmol Mishra, Susanne Richter, Gabrielle Chan Romancing Sydney is a unique drama/romcom structured around 6 intricate dance routines. Following 3 different relationships and set amidst an iconic background, it is a swing-and-a-miss of a film that tries something really interesting but falls down due to poor dialogue and a confusing set of stories. The film is set around 3 separate relationships in Sydney. Sachin (Anmol Mishra) and Elisa (Susanne Richter) who are drawn together by a shared event, Lilli (Gabrielle Chan) and George (Peter Hayes) who are coworkers with a secret, and Zac (Brendon Wong) and Alex (Connor Dowling) who share a passion for dance. Their stories are told through traditional narrative, before passion and emotion are symbolically explored through powerful dance sequences. It is in these dance sequences where Romancing Sydney excels. Director Anmol Mishra shoots these with intricacy and purpose. The motions of the dancers are dynamic and spring to life from the screen, brilliantly matching plot and character developments. The cast are talented dancers, and it is clear that the movie’s primary purpose is to demonstrate and take advantage of their gifts as such. In this regard, it is a rousing success. Whilst much of the rest of the film feels designed as a vehicle to get to these triumphant moments, the drama around them falls flat. None of the cast are particularly strong actors, with stunted, wooden delivery of lines befalling each of the three different story threads – but particularly that of Lilli and George. It becomes a significant distraction given their extended length, and damages viewer immersion and investment in the blossoming romances that play out much more passionately in the dance sequences. And whilst the stories themselves are largely believable and unique, there’s little in the way of an unexplored ‘hook’ that will really entice audiences. As well as the strength of the choreography, the cinematography is vibrant, alive and crisp – a result of considered design and technical consideration from Mishra. The city of Sydney is woven into the narrative, with backdrops used to particular effect in one dance sequence where iconic buildings are projected over the dancer’s bodies. It’s moving (if a little on the nose) and helps in implanting a sense of place and time into the story. It feels a little lazy to say that Romancing Sydney is for dance fans, but in truth one needs to have a true appreciation for the art to really enjoy this film. Were the entirety of the feature like the non-dance sequences, the limp storylines and sub-par acting would put off anyone. But the artistry and choreography of the dances are a triumph, and worth checking out if this sounds appealing. Otherwise this is one romance where the chemistry just is not there. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Void film review by UK film critic Swati Verma. Starring Betty Anyika directed by Stanley Roubaix. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Void Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Swati Verma | Posted on: Feb 16, 2023 Directed by: Stanley Roubaix Written by: Stanley Roubaix Starring: Betty Anyika The title of the short film-Void has a connotation of a completely empty space and the writer-director Stanley Roubaix depicts the same beautifully in the life of the female protagonist (Betty Anyika). Roubaix manages to increase the degree of audience engagement with the content of the film even in a short running time. The plot of the movie revolves around a homeless woman who breaks into the house of a recently deceased man looking for food and shelter but after lighting a Candelabra a series of disturbing events is set into motion. In the opening sequence of the film the cinematographer Oliver Ibbotson utilizes the tracking shot as the camera pans into the haunted house establishing the topic of the dramatic piece. A voice-over is also included with a series of mid-shots, close-up shots, and extreme close-up shots to introduce the central character to the narrative. The set design, dim lighting, background sound, white, black, grey, and brownish colour pallet, dialogues, location, costume, hair, makeup, and props add eerie feels and also realism to the storyline. Stanley Roubaix attempts to create a contrast by using colourful warm clothes to depict the hope and positivity the heroine carries despite being surrounded by unforeseen situations all through. He also works towards ensuring smooth editing as well as continuity factor so that the viewers don’t lose interest and also the emotional connection with the creative piece. The makers have incorporated a special surprise for the audience in the post-credit scene to make sure that the concept of Void stays with them to maintain a sense of suspense, mystery, and thrill even after watching the movie. In terms of performance, Betty Anyika plays the role of the poor homeless lady who breaks into the house of a man who has recently died to survive extreme weather conditions. Anyika portrays the physical and emotional trauma she has gone through yet the challenges continue as she reaches the man’s place. The actress showcases the hesitant yet desperate, apprehensive behaviour and fear in her body language, facial expression, eyes, and voice modulation assists in elevating the subject matter as well as making it more relatable and emotionally appealing for the viewers. Void talks about the need to never let go of a ray of hope and positivity to fight with all the struggles one has to face daily. The short film reiterates that one should not trespass on a stranger’s personal space in a normal situation but survival becomes of utmost importance for every human. The horror movie teaches us that it is significant to have basic knowledge of fundamental skills required to combat any emergencies. The cinematic piece restates what people feel with regard to their property and how far they are willing to go to any extent to protect the same. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Swati Verma Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Read the film podcast transcript from the episode titled UK Film Club 011 - Napoleon - Wonka - Ferrari - One Life - Saltburn on UK Film Club part of the UK Film Review Podcast. < Back UK Film Club 011 - Napoleon - Wonka - Ferrari - One Life - Saltburn Listen to This Episode UK Film Club 00:00.00 ukfilmreview I wasn't sure if we were going to make it I thought you know it's it's a new year and I yeah I've not spoken to you since you know beginning December I thought anything could have happened to you since anything you could have been stolen. You could have been. Yeah. 00:02.68 Brian Penn Oh. And know who know and anything's possible isn't it I ah like to think I'm in demand in one way or another but you know we live in Hyton ah, um, no awesome. 00:18.63 ukfilmreview And that's why people would steal you Yeah I think yeah, you've got one of those personalities you've got that beautiful brain people are going to want to steal. You aren't yeah yeah I'm full of compliments. 00:26.92 Brian Penn Oh thank you for that. Thank you for that Chris ah, that's a lovely way to start? The show isn't it really and I like that that can carry on I've got no problems with that. So um, we're we're nearly a year old aren't we as well. We're. We're approaching our first year film club aren't we we. 00:45.31 ukfilmreview Yeah I mean this is our eleventh in the kind of series episodes. Ah but it's about a thirteenth. But yeah, so we we're coming up on on on the annual um, very exciting I didn't think we'd get this far because you know I have a yeah. 00:55.50 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. But I see a stick totness problem you you mean you just kind of let things go you get bored with them is that it. 01:02.66 ukfilmreview Ah, stick to it in this problem I think sometimes I think well that's a good idea. yeah yeah I mean do you know I I played guitar and the only reason I've still played I I started when I was 13 was because. 01:14.31 Brian Penn And. 01:18.93 ukfilmreview My mom and dad bought me this guitar from Cash Converters going way back and we were on the way home and my my mom had a big big music fans and they said oh that's another thing that I'll end up under the bed you know because it was I'd done basketball I'd done cricket I'd done footboard and everything but I was like you know I'm going to show you and here we are you know. 01:21.23 Brian Penn All right. 01:33.98 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 01:38.73 ukfilmreview Thirty Twenty years later I'm still playing just just just a show of. 01:39.43 Brian Penn Yeah, well yeah, and I just approve a point that it wasn't totally wasted. Well, that's that's the main thing I'm sure they're thrilled as well. 01:49.72 ukfilmreview Oh yeah, well I mean that yeah, that's that's up for debate but we'll we'll see rather um, but we are back. This is your first time with UKFilm club you are of course very welcome. We are the kind of show that just loves. 01:51.96 Brian Penn Yeah, but yeah. 01:59.43 Brian Penn So. 02:05.46 Brian Penn Me Know inna. 02:06.57 ukfilmreview Movies and if if that isn't your bag if you don't like films I mean you can hang around but it might get boring. Um, but that's true I mean Brian's beautiful brain 02:15.51 Brian Penn But wait you you might change your mind. You never know give it 5 minutes yeah um yeah absolutely 02:21.97 ukfilmreview That's a nice little phrase might convince you that you you want to go and start loving film because he's got some absolute caucus to review on this episode. Um, but yeah, what we do is you review a bunch of films that are at the cinema Brian largely takes care of that then we do a film that has been on streaming that's fairly new. Then we' do some indie films first these are films that have been sent to us to review and then we review our nostalgiastalgia pick which is a film from the past that we just like to travel back and and enjoy cue the harp music I don't have any heart music but cue it anyway. Cue it anyway. 02:49.18 Brian Penn So I I night I I work on that for next time. Yeah, yeah, let's get some help fire even better even bestler. Even best son? yeah. 02:59.87 ukfilmreview Yeah, um, well know I'm gonna do it properly I'm gonna buy an actual harp I'm gonna learn the harp I'm gonna sit here here. Have it behind me. Um, yeah, and also in this episode you will be treated to a little snippet of an interview that I did with the filmmakers of a short film. We reviewed last year the 1 note man. 03:08.22 Brian Penn Yeah, ah. 03:11.36 Brian Penn So. 03:16.72 Brian Penn And and it sounds simple. 03:19.64 ukfilmreview That's coming up later. Um, but first let's go franc a shall we should we head frace um, real signal. Ah Ridley Scotts Napoleon take it away Brian. 03:25.72 Brian Penn Oh like glad that's a little signal. You give me there. Ask the where to start? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, so yeah, Napoleon directsed by Ridley Scott starring Whaquien Phoenix Vanessa Kirby and Rupert Everett now Chris were you a fan of history at school. Yeah I know yeah I loved history as well. The thing is if you're a history buff. You might be a wee bit disappointed with this film Soaling Bonaparte military commander emperor of France a major historical figure I think we can agree on that. 03:46.11 ukfilmreview I was later in life. Why mean I got to sort of 6 form. Yeah. 04:05.10 Brian Penn Fair to say it concentrates more on his relationship with Josephine debonets. There is coverage given to major battles and campaigns the siege of tulon a still itz borodino and of course Wal Selu but not it doesn't focus that much on military campaigns. They widen the appeal by concentrating on Napoleon and Josephine ah, but some might question the accuracy in historical terms. Yes, there is some license taken here, but it is trying to summarize the last thirty years of his life. Overall really Scott has done a pretty damn good job here. The battle scenes are excellent. The pacing 1 thing about really scotty knows has a pace of film properly and that's so important when you're summarizing multiple events I think it's great, fun to watch visually, it's stunning and you get to see more about the human side of Napoleon yes, he was. He was cold and he was arrogant but you see him as he was and not so much as to the um, the power games that he played you know so this one came out in November it's still running ah but it will be streaming but quite soon I start so. As we always say don't we get out and see it if you can on the big screen because nothing beats a film on the big screen but no great, fun, thoroughly recommended but see it why you can yeah close. Yeah yeah. 05:28.90 ukfilmreview Because he's just known for these big films right? I mean you look at his filmography and Ridley Scott is just he's it's got be a top tier top 5 director for a lot of people I ah so many fantastic movies and it's. 05:38.46 Brian Penn Well yeah I mean they they? Yeah yeah. 05:46.54 ukfilmreview It's incredible when you see people still creating films on on such a scale. This is a 2 hour 40 biopic you know hitting the cinemas is it. 05:54.83 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 05:59.62 ukfilmreview When it comes to biopics. There is definitely a a leniency when it comes to the running time because you kind of go jit out. Yeah, we we understand you got a lot to fit in through yeah up to 3 hours is kind of okay, um, is that you said the pay scenes great. You know there's no do you feel? Maybe it needs to be longer. 06:05.88 Brian Penn So yeah, of course. Yeah. 06:15.76 Brian Penn And no I don't think it does I think it's about right? You know you you could you could split Napoleon's life into 3 or four films you could make 2 or 3 sequels from from Napoleon so and let's not forget. There was one film dedicated to to just walcelu. And that's just one part of his life. So I think the the film the the running length was about right? this time I think it was and you didn't feel. There was undue attention given to 1 ministry campaign more than and another. So I think the the pace and the balance and the rhythm of the story. Really good but you had that there was a stronger focus on these relationships or more more precisely his relationship with with Josephine and as I say that's broaden its appeal. It's going to make that film more attractive to a wider audience which is what filmmaking is all about so you don't want it to be. 1 just for for history buffs who just want to see ah a sequence of battles and confrontations as much fun as that is you want to see some light and some shade so you've got ah you've got ah elements of the battlefield and the bedroom you know it's a nice balance between the 2. 07:27.12 ukfilmreview I Love it that should be on the poster balance between the battlefield and the bedroom you yeah not without the part you should do this? Yeah professionally What about. 07:29.81 Brian Penn I Ah know on I yeah and I it's a good line though I should have been a copywriter shouldn't I Really I yeah know I know and know and know one day who knows walking. 07:42.75 ukfilmreview What about Phoenix um, waing phoenix what's his performance like. 07:46.87 Brian Penn very good very convincing Rod Steiger is probably the the reference point for anyone playing playing Napoleon and a few actors have played him over the years but he seems to have captured the mannerisms how you imagined him to be you know i've. When I was at school I studied the diploma learning wars you studied the the carrots to the person as much as you do the campaigns and the politics of it all, but it it seems real It seems to come across as real and believable. Not too much of a caricature I think it's very easy. To go into caricature with someone like Napoleon you know the little culporal. It's so it's very easy to send the character up. Um, but I don't think he does that I think he plays it right? There's that degree of coldness and cool calculation about Napoleon that you always imagined. He would be so when you read about. And historical figure you try and marry it up as as to how you would look on the screen Waqui Phoenix has done has done pretty good there I think I think it's a good reading of of Napole stuff. 08:54.30 ukfilmreview There you go as Brian said still in cinemas but probably not for that long. Um, but one I will be catching on streaming for sure for sure. Um, well from 1 interesting character to another. We're going to. Paul King's version of 1 car starring Timothy Shalama um what about this I mean well just straight off about I am a massive fan of the Gene Wilder version um yeah big big fan of that wasn't that bothered with the timber and. 09:12.44 Brian Penn Oh one? Yeah yes, oh. But the oh right? and simy 1 Yeah yeah, sure found? Yeah, no, no. 09:30.94 ukfilmreview One I thought that was kind of a bit me so I am very intrigued to hear where this sits ah good. 09:35.40 Brian Penn Yeah, this is good this this really impressed me as you say director by Paul King who also directed paddington so you feel that he's coming from the right perspective and has's got the right backgrounds to make a film like this and. 09:46.28 ukfilmreview Ah. 09:49.49 ukfilmreview Nice caliber. Yeah. 09:52.38 Brian Penn Yeah, exactly. That's the word I was looking for Thank you Chris ah, starring Timothy Chammala callolaine live Coleman Patterson Joseph and some very nice cameos that you need to look out for so this is the role do classic rebooted and refreshed Willy Wonka's dreams of becoming a chocolate seaer. But comes up against Mrs Scrubbettt who offers him a bed for the night however he signs a contract that condemns him into a life of drudgery and death in a dark and grimy laundry tos with noodle and abagus crunch with the help of his new friends. He develops a recipe that quickly alerts a local cartel of chocolateeers. Carteler by sagworth is determined to stop him and enlist the help of the local constabulary. He's also dogged by a troubleblesome Umallupa concerning some stolen cocoa beans with new songs written by Neil Hannnaon from the divine comedy and brilliant special effects. This is a must see film. I absolutely love this It seems to take you know I would say I would say it's much more ging wild than it is Johnny Depp if I'm put it that way it leans more towards the 71 film more than the 2005 film I really like the new songs. Ah I've been written for for the film. You still got um. 10:56.29 ukfilmreview Ah, ah, good. 11:07.36 Brian Penn Pure imagination in there which is like the the call sign for Woy Wonka but fantastic are absolutely aored it but special effects aren't overpowering for a change. They seem to enhance the film. Although they there is a reliance on special effects because of what the story is about Hugh Grant as ah. The um lum part technically absolutely brilliant I mean how on earth do they reduce him to someone who's one twelve inches tall and it's it's amazing. It's a joy to watch it really is and you know you would you would say it's difficult to to. Improve on the originals. It's not a sequel. It's a remake isn't it and where remakes are concerned this does more than the job is's really good. so so good this came out a week before Christmas and it's still running a lovely film and it just invokes your childhood because. Don't know about you when I was a kid growing up books by old dol were always somewhere air lyinging around that I'd be reading. It's like a ri passage. It's the the sort of stories you read James and the giant peach great stories but fantastic true to the story true to the original intention of the story as well. 12:14.50 ukfilmreview E. 12:23.13 ukfilmreview I think there's also this kind of question a lot of times about remakes and reboots and things like that where a story like this. That's so iconic it deserves remaking even though the Gene Wilder one is fabulous. Um, and. 12:23.57 Brian Penn Brilliant. Dr. 12:32.35 Brian Penn I. 12:40.96 ukfilmreview The Timberton one has its place I think it's a bit too dark for me. But yeah rolldar was kind of dark um that to you for an audience to grow up and not have their version of it I think is kind of a shame and also yeah it being a Pg it's it's saying that you know what? yeah we are aiming at this generation of. 12:44.32 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 12:51.58 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 12:58.72 Brian Penn Yeah, oh Wow yeah. 13:00.92 ukfilmreview Ah, families and children My my oldest is currently reading the Ro doll version. Um, and I think it's it's got that timelessness to it that it's this is absolutely fine to remake because it's funny as having a conversation with my wife about the um. 13:16.92 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 13:16.99 ukfilmreview Whole point of reboots and why we why we do it is because because you've got like an inbuilt fan base. You know, normally that's why they do it's because they know it's not it's not risky they know someone's going to turn up and watch it. But with Wonka it's that's not the case you know it's not like the fans of the Gene Wilder one are going to suddenly flock to see this one. It's more like oh okay, actually. 13:32.97 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 13:36.33 ukfilmreview You're going to release it to a new set of eyes. Albeit yeah obviously some people will go see it who've seen all of them. But I think it's absolutely it's cherishable isn't it this kind of film is is that sort of you. You're going to want to put that on your list of films to see for the year and fabulous. 13:50.41 Brian Penn Yeah, absolutely there This sense of sort of is purity and simplicity that that's what childhood is and it just takes you back. It does take you back. But of course kids growing up now as you say they will own this film you and I would probably own the the jing von wilder version more. 14:06.42 ukfilmreview There. 14:08.99 Brian Penn Because we we identify with without version more closely. Songs are slightly different as you know I'm always very keen on on what when they add new songs to the soundtrack. What they do with the existing songs and you know I've got no complaints and I think Neil had getting Neil Hannnaon from the duan comedy to write songs. For the soundtrack was also inspired because he has that kind of degree of whimsy about him with the divine comedy that his type of song would fit very well for the film so you know it's it's it's fine with me I eight six order boxes can't go wrong. Really. 14:46.15 ukfilmreview Ticks all the boxes put that on the poster. Although it's bit late now. It's already up well for our next film we're zooming across ah is you out. Ah Michael man's ferrari. 14:47.29 Brian Penn Yeah there's another one. There's another one? yeah. Oh I see what you did there? Yeah yeah, yes, so well look when you got Michael Mann at the helm you you kind of know what to expect? Don't you because this is the man who gave us heat. E directed the Miami vice Tv series. So you know what you're going to get right and he doesn't disappoint. It stars Adam Driver Panumoppi Cruise Shane Woodock Woodley this is the story of enzo ferrari founder of the legendary motor racing team. It's 1957 and captures him at a pivotal moment in his life. Although they have an advanced formula 1 car in development. The company are struggling and they desperately seek investment. The team will compete in the mileilia a famous endurance race that can make or break them if that's not enough. He's a strange wife Laura owns half the company. And is standing in the way of a deal beinger ma his mistress leaner is also pressing enzo so formally recognize their son piera so there's a lot going on. He's a busy lad isn't he all, right's it's a cracking good good yarness. Absolutely brilliant lot this its typical cool Michael Mur film was to say um. 15:59.89 ukfilmreview Ah. 16:07.95 Brian Penn Pace is really good again I think he he appreciates um the approach that Ridy Scott has to films pacing's excellent. Gets it just about right? It's not too slow. Let's see fast. You know the action sequences are ah brilliant as well. You can almost fill the rubber burning. It just feels so real. Um, it's it's bright and it's glamorous as you'd expect from ferrari that name ferrari conjures up glamour luxury wealth doesn't it. It just has that kind of shine bounce it and that's what Michael Manz brought to the screen right. Very very good film again. very very good yeah, yeah, yeah and 16:46.60 ukfilmreview Ah, and as ah as a genre right? So like racing and race cars that it's it's interesting. How many good films there are in that it's kind of like boxing you sort of thing. Why is why is it that this particular. Sport seem. Yeah, we don't get loads of amazing badminton films do I mean it's not not yet, not yet anyway, yeah, get Michael man on that. But I think obviously because of the nature of it. You know it's kind of like a blood sport in some ways. Yeah in terms of the amount of like danger and risk and things going on and also like you said about the. 17:04.68 Brian Penn No strange I Ah it's funny I was just say give it sign give it like yeah. 17:12.67 Brian Penn Yeah, absolutely yeah yeah. 17:19.90 ukfilmreview Ah, the lifestyles and the all the stuff going on behind the cars I think that's the the the key here. Um and is this kind of up there with those great racing films Would you say. 17:32.47 Brian Penn I would say it is I mean if you if you look at a film like grand Prie um, going back to the sixty s now but it but it has that same intensity it works I mean let's compare it to a more. 17:41.58 ukfilmreview And. 17:46.41 Brian Penn More recent most racing film rush about James Sunon yeah yeah I mean it compares very well. But in some ways I prefer Ferrari because of because it's ah because of the period that it's concerned with the 1950 s 17:47.33 ukfilmreview I Loved Rush I was hoping you're going to say rush. Yeah. 18:03.98 Brian Penn Is a very sort of romantic evocative era I think the 50 s and the sixty s have something about them and so it just kind of edges it because the the design in the 50 s to sixty s was more. It was stylish. It was all about style back then as you say lifestyle. Still the case now in motor racing. It is that kind of activity isn that that it does attract glamour it attracts the Maverick doesn't it because of the nature of what they do and it's also true. You know it's also essentially a true story and it keeps broadly to to what happened you know. Inject a bit a bit of life into here and there but you know it's good stuff again came out on boxing day. Let's just remind listeners came out in boxing day and it will also be streaming very shortly so this film as much if not more than Napoleon you should see on a big screen because. Because of the action sequences because of the racing sequence sequences because there's something naturally very dramatic about motor racing you know and from a director's point of view. It's pretty easy to film isn't it. You know it's it's not it's it's not difficult to make you look good. Let's put it that way particularly with the sort of engines you're looking at. As well from the. 19:20.46 ukfilmreview I remember watching rush because I saw it ah previousview skiing screening at the dolby the Dolby studios and you can imagine the sound system at the Dolby studios. My. 19:24.10 Brian Penn I All right? Okay, yeah I'll be. 19:32.38 ukfilmreview I Remember feeling that film more than I remember watching it I remember just coming away kind of still vibrating like from the movie and it sounds like this is that kind of experience that you want to feel that. 19:36.58 Brian Penn It? Yeah, But yeah, you dont but yeah, it is that That's a good way of describing it you you do feel it reverberating you know and it it stays it stays with you but that's that's what a director is trying to do you know if a director can. You and I talking about a film in those terms they could say job done. That's what they're trying to do. They're trying to make they're trying to put you in the driving suit they're trying to put you next to the driver I'm like that's what they're trying to do and they do it. Well, they've done it Well here really have. 20:10.84 ukfilmreview Good Ferrari Check it out. Let's know what you think as well on the old socials at Uk Film review pretty much wherever you you go? Um, we are going to. 20:13.70 Brian Penn And. Yeah, yeah. 20:23.32 ukfilmreview James has is a new film 1 life starring Anthony Hopkins 20:26.29 Brian Penn Yes, 1 life stars Anthony Hopkins Johnny Flynn Helena Bonham Carter ramala garai the film of a month for me and there's a yeah, there's a pretty wide choice here that I'll be I'll be honest with you because they're all great. 20:38.10 ukfilmreview Oh. 20:45.80 Brian Penn But the the four films that we've locked out and John release here are all excellent and they're all worth goinging out to the cinema to watch. Yeah, but it could be yeah I guess so it's the right time because they're catching the golden globes aren't they in the oscars nominations have just been out. 20:50.25 ukfilmreview Is it is it because it's award season. Do you think is that typically what happens in this bit. 21:03.28 Brian Penn It's kind of they've timed it right in that way haven't I know let's let's put it that way. But yeah for me the film of the month and as to say it I mean set again stiff competition the films we've just been talking about. You know that's a pretty bold statement isn't it I guess this is the story of Nicholas Winton our very own Oscar Schindler 21:17.51 ukfilmreview Definitely. 21:22.86 Brian Penn Organize the rescue of mainly jewish children from the czech republic just as war was breaking out stories told in flashback Johnny Flynn plays Winston as a young man while stantoni hopkins plays him in lay years. It's it's shocking and it's inspiring. Amazing man who had real humility in spite of these achievements. He still felt he should have done more It's a fabulous film. You know you just you know when you watch a film. You get totally immersed in it. It's that kind of film. You really get lost. You know the tagline for some for. Movies today. get lost in a great film. you do exactly that here you get lost in a great film what I think is quite clever. What James Hors has done with the the storyline the narrative he split it into 2 sections past and present but present of courses in the late 80 s past is in 9038 or 9039. But even though those 2 stories quite easily stand alone. They're kind of they're they're interlins obviously but there's standalone stories within one narrative if that makes sense but it works really well. And it's it's disturbing. It's harrowing what is quite clever about it is that we know it's that you know I was going to say it's a holocaust film but it's not really about the holocaust. It's something that preceded the holocaust and tried to combat the effects of nazi ideology Nazi doctrine. 22:53.20 Brian Penn So It's kind of came before but all those things that you think of about films being thought provoking inspiring heartwarming. You know it's the best of human nature coming out here and also the worst when you look at the way refugees were being treated just before. The invasion of the Czech Republic happens so you see the best and the worst of human nature and so to me. Yeah. 23:17.64 ukfilmreview It's fascinating that stories are still coming out as well like you know terms of you. We talked earlier about Napoleon and you could make so many films about that one man and that yeah that Waterloo had just like one film and there's probably more films that could be done that we're still getting. 23:22.52 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, oh yeah. 23:34.38 ukfilmreview So much out of World War two and a conflict That's not that old but we're still getting so much and I think there's this um sense that it's still so rooted in who we are and and and where we find ourselves in the world right now. 23:38.27 Brian Penn So yeah, and. 23:49.30 Brian Penn No okay. 23:54.60 ukfilmreview I think it's still so applicable as well and I think it's great that they're championing these these stories. Yeah for you to make it film of the month. It must have been pretty good. You know up against Napoleon you think. 24:00.12 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, I Yeah I know. But yeah, yeah, yeah, ah it's It's an amazing film. But I mean what you just mentioned there about you know. 24:07.59 ukfilmreview It's it must be very good I think it's It's great to shine a light on something like this because it feels like it needs to be seen. 24:19.00 Brian Penn Sources ah of filmmaking source material. You would have thought of one sign that world war two would have been exhausted as ah, a genre a topic but there's always a new story to tell there are stories out there that haven't been told there are stories that have been told and been forgotten or not made into a film. So. There's so much out there. We can still make and you know as sadly world war ii begins to slip from living memory which it inevitably will as the years years roll by and that's the saddest thing isn't it that it will slip from living memory but it makes it even more important to shine a light on. Stories that we might not be familiar with and that there is some aspects of the second world war that we still haven't examined or explored There's always something new there you know and this you know this precipitates precipitate war because it was just before. The germans in invaded the czech republic and invaded Poland so it's just as war was breaking out so that's before the war started. You could say just as it was starting so there is so much there to look at. It's a rich source material war. Sadly. Wars will always be with us but it it gives filmmakers a rich source of material I think we would have to admit that won't we yeah. 25:37.46 ukfilmreview Absolutely and that's um, this Brian's pick of the month and it's the final film that we're reviewing in the cinema section. It's called one life. So if you're listening to this as of when it's released or nearby then it may still be in cinemas I so please go see it. But if not. 25:43.84 Brian Penn And. 25:54.64 Brian Penn And yes. 25:55.40 ukfilmreview Then maybe you're listening in the future. Um, and check it out wherever you can I'm sure it's going to be on one of the big streaming platforms. We are now going to our streaming pick actually for the month so this is where I review a film that has been on a um streaming platform. And available to people this month is on an Amazon prime movie called Salt Burn um written and directed by Emerald Fennel who we reviewed her from promising young woman didn't we remember that a while back we did a Carey Mulligan special 26:19.00 Brian Penn So. 26:27.80 Brian Penn Yes, but yeah Carry Mulligan. Yeah yeah, she does. Yeah. 26:32.74 ukfilmreview Who actually makes a little appearance in this. Um, and yeah, it was interesting when I saw this popping up on social media was a lot of talk about it. It's still kind of doing the rounds a lot of people. Um, there's a lot of memes and there's a lot of ah chatter. Um, so. 26:41.91 Brian Penn I Yeah the wrong? yeah. 26:50.73 ukfilmreview The story is your character playback Barry Keegan um his names Oliver goes to Oxford University but he's quite um, isolated he comes from a fairly modest background and. 27:03.90 Brian Penn Million. 27:06.48 ukfilmreview The people that he seems to surround yeah find himself amongst are knocked from modest backgrounds and essentially struggles to fit in um ascent then he befriends ah through an act of kindness. Um a well off character called felix played by Jacob Bloody 27:09.42 Brian Penn Be. 27:26.50 ukfilmreview And from there their friendship kind of grows and blossoms and Oliver finds himself ingratiated into the world of felix um, and the title of the film saltburn refers to this huge manner that felix lives at and um, are. 27:41.91 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 27:45.94 ukfilmreview Protagonist all of it comes to stay and all manner of things kind of go on from there. It's a very hard film to describe without giving those of really cool stuff away. So I'm gonna leave it there. Um, the detail will also say is that Richard e grant is in this film and any film of Richard d grant is always always always worth your time I'm sorry just that is a rule. 27:51.82 Brian Penn Yeah I know I know this is it? Yeah yeah. 28:02.22 Brian Penn That Yeah, that's the rule you know I know it's what it is I Yeah yeah and I I likes it and like say I. 28:05.72 ukfilmreview And I did I don't make up the rules that is a rule um and also like so he plays felix his dad and then rosmond pike plays his mom and just the 2 of them I could just watch them forever. Um, what do you think a assault burn Brian it's good wasn't it. Yeah. 28:22.40 Brian Penn Yeah, it was good I preferred this to promising your moon now we we know Emerald Fennel is only a second film. She co-write and directed killing eve. That's that's the Cb series. But so she doesn't have much of a repertoire to sort of compare films together. But I would have to so that be the first thing I say is that. Ah, think it's better than promising a woman as good as that was I prefer this more. It's more dynamic you know and it's it's unexpected Chris you know, just when you think you got the film sussed out and you know where it's going it kind of smacks you in the face this film and you think oh right? Okay, and. 28:46.50 ukfilmreview Yeah, yeah. 29:01.72 Brian Penn It's it's not what you expect? That's all, but if the first half of the film films like a fairly typical ah story of wealth privilege envy to fish out of water. You know, um Ollie the the working class kit from Liverpool is me. Goes down to Oxford and he's befriended by the the college pin-up boy felix who happens to be stinking filthy rich or from a stinking filthy rich family who just happened to um, have a castle knocking around so on that basis she think ah can I know where this is going but it. 29:28.80 ukfilmreview Okay, okay. 29:40.32 Brian Penn Ah, like films that genuinely surprise you and I was surprised by this because it it didn't it didn't go the way I thought it was going to go so and I like that I like to be surprised by a film and Emeril fennel you know here I can see she's got real ability. You know the way she can capture a mood. And atmosphere. You know that sense of discomfort that ollli feels being in the company of people that live in a different world literally and how he gradually becomes accustomed to that world surely so I I thought it was really really good I like the. Great cast rosalmond cly and richardly grant. They they so look and sound like a married couple. Don't they you know do that kind of rap all they've got straight away Kerry Malligans Cameo was really good and the 2 leading as Jacoblaudie and baryan oh very good. 30:24.00 ukfilmreview Here. 30:38.86 Brian Penn Utterly convincing. Um, yeah, it's a very good film I'm surprised that it went straight to Netflix as well. A prime a beck you pardon? yeah. 30:44.87 ukfilmreview Prime was Ams and prime. Yeah no I know but you're right it it did it felt kind of cinema worthy. But I think it you probably already touched on this in terms of its emeril film's second film and whilst promising a woman was. 30:51.98 Brian Penn Yeah. 31:03.45 ukfilmreview Very kind of critically acclaimed that I don't know about the the figures of that but she is still fairly untested. You know in terms of box office returns. So and and because of the way that the movie business is going I don't think it's that uncommon now for films to end up straight on um, a platform like. 31:03.46 Brian Penn And. And yeah, yeah. 31:21.26 ukfilmreview Prime because I think they probably go in and say look you make us a film here's a bunch of money and great. You're going to go do it and 100% agree with you I think this is a stronger film than promising a woman which I love I thought it was a great film I think with that movie it was it was very um, ah was the words kind of. 31:22.80 Brian Penn So yeah. 31:31.60 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 31:40.76 Brian Penn So yeah, yeah, measures measured. Yeah, no yeah. 31:41.71 ukfilmreview Frenetic. There was so much energy in that film that it it felt with this with Salt Burn it feels a lot more controlled. It seems to be from a filmmaker. Yeah, it's more measured that she knows what she's doing here. Not that she didn't know what she's doing but she it feels more so here more controlled more kind of like she's really got us by the. The hook of our the napper vi na weather. She's she's got us really here under her thumb and we know that we are on this journey whether we like it or not and we're going to get to the end of this whereas I think with promising a woman. It was a bit more instant. There was a bit more kind of like you could sit back from that film. Um. 32:13.74 Brian Penn Yeah, and. 32:18.94 ukfilmreview I Think it's a film that does rely heavily on the cast as well. Great cast. But there's a lot of like eccentric characters and interesting people that really keeps the buzz going um because it's got that kind of gothic storyline behind it that. 32:21.89 Brian Penn And. So yeah, so. 32:33.44 Brian Penn So. 32:36.70 ukfilmreview Could get lost if you didn't have the sort of light and fun side of it as well. Yeah, if it was sort if it was going more into that it it doesn't jump so deep into the dark stuff and the heavy stuff until it needs to that you you, It's an enjoyable film for the majority of it. Um, then there's bits that are kind of. 32:45.94 Brian Penn And. 32:51.33 Brian Penn And yeah, yeah, yeah, more alarming. Yeah yeah, ah I think we yeah I I I think we done really? Well, we're not giving anything away I think we've given them a pretty good overview. 32:56.42 ukfilmreview More distressing shall we say um yeah, trying not to give anything away because I think definitely don't want to you don't want to know what happens until you see it? Yeah and we definitely recommend seeing it. 33:09.26 ukfilmreview I Think so. 33:10.94 Brian Penn With Emerald Fernwell I think what helps with this particular film I think she's relasing a world that she she was part of that she understands because she went to Oxford or she went to the one of the oxridge universities and I think she understands. Ah, ah these characters very well. Because you know look you sit down and write any any particular characters that it's going to be based on someone you know or someone you're familiar with and I think what makes this film stronger is that she is writing about not. Characters that she's actually met that people that are of a similar background and I think that makes the film stronger because they always say rice about what you know and I think there's an element here of that and that's what makes the film stronger because Emerald fenel is writing about things that she understands. So. 33:55.39 ukfilmreview Yeah. 34:06.56 Brian Penn And that helps helps a lot and. 34:07.98 ukfilmreview Yeah I think you're right I felt that too when I was watching I was like this first off it felt like someone who enjoys literature like it felt like someone who knows literature and then someone that yeah who had experienced this life. 34:16.65 Brian Penn Yeah I. And. 34:24.49 ukfilmreview Some degree and wanted to make a kind of comment about it and there's a a lovely sort of deliciousness to it all because both sides of the coin are being sort of presented for you and not in any kind of way for us to sort of pass judgment and when things start to happen. You kind of go. Oh. 34:35.65 Brian Penn And. 34:43.69 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, yes yeah. 34:44.33 ukfilmreview Wow I didn't expect that So it's not like say it's not going in the direction. You think it's going, but it certainly has that founding of something that you feel familiar with um, but yeah I really enjoyed it I thought it was great. Um, it's kind of compulsive viewing that you're watching it. You kind of oh just ah I've definitely going to finish this I need to watch the rest of this I need to know what's going to happen. 35:00.22 Brian Penn And I know yeah I know I know is is that kind of film it. It draws you in which is what a film is supposed to do. It's to make you curious. You know the I always say the first half an hour of a film is vital because that hooks you in draws you in. 35:03.70 ukfilmreview Um. 35:17.00 Brian Penn Introduce you to the main characters. You think oh that's interesting I've got I've got to stick with this and that's what filmmaking is about really is making you curious. 35:28.70 ukfilmreview Go so Salt Burn um check out on Amazon prime let us know what you thought that's our streaming pick for the month and now we're going to head to our indie film. So these are films that filmmakers have sent to us to have reviewed. And we're going to start with a feature length I'm gonna play a little clip. Hopefully it's gonna work Brian let me know if you don't hear this um little clip from the fez belcher show. 35:48.90 Brian Penn Arguments. 36:17.19 Brian Penn I. 36:57.40 ukfilmreview So written and directed by Lindsley Farley did you want to give the synopsis on this one Brian. 37:04.70 Brian Penn Yeah, sure so we have the story of how a pank rocker became a legend first beler shares a home with a verent triloquist and parttime detective a lawyer's daughter and a marshall heart arts expert. He's first then only hit album was blizzard of pain. He's now looking to relaunch his recording career. He has 200 new songs and this film follows these exploits to get an album made play live and secure proper representation but it doesn't run smooth does it. Let's let's say that much great fun. Absolutely. Great for brilliant fun that clip. We just heard I think was one of the funniest moments in the film because for fez, it's about recognition isn't it. It's about people remembering who he was and what he did and there he's come up against someone who he thought was his biggest fan. He was trying to deny. You ever was a fo I don't remember man. Yeah um was a long time ago. There's your girlfriend I well you know I love that a lot that kind of that refuses to admit, he was a fan because obviously um, first knows it's him but he he's left it behind now. He doesn't want to remember what's. What's passed by and he's like and straight after that I a real fan. An actual fan turns up and he ignores them because he's still more concerned about his other guy who won't remember I just like that kind of screwba whack and slightly wacky, almost desperate need to be to be recognized by someone you write yourself. But. 38:36.57 Brian Penn Just kind of overlooks the real phones that are just behind him. Um I like that I I think it I think it was really really good. Um, likable characters I was really impressed by the casting as Well. I mean what I but often fill with with indie films is that. They will often get somebody off the street to play a role. Not I think I would say there's anything wrong with that. So I Love the sponsoronity of it but all the actors are really solid. They're really convincing in the role like until they've done it before and I think that's a big help for me.. The only downside. Was the the running length of the film now I know often go on it about the ah running length of a film but excuse me a moment. 39:24.51 ukfilmreview Ah, just ah, fill in while Brian Coughs his guts up because it's very important that he can do that in peace. 39:29.95 Brian Penn Oh sorry about that. Oh you know you know when ah a cough just sprays and you try and swallow it and it anyway do you want to leave a gap there. 39:36.66 ukfilmreview Now now I think yeah, we're talking about screwable comedy and it's rough and ready I think I think the listeners need to hear you cough. 39:42.39 Brian Penn Yeah I guess I'm glad I'm glad of that sorry listeners. Um, yeah I think look I was talking about the running like running length of the film now I often mention it I know and I hate to be tisome about this. But I think it's essential to the viewing experience. This film was just run up just over 2 hours I think that's a bit long for a film like this I think it would have filled 90 minutes perfectly but that extra half an hour you know the longer a film goes on the more we should expect from the film which it should give us a bit more but I don't think that extra half an hour really took it for any further personally but otherwise really good. Really enjoyed it. Okay. 40:28.50 ukfilmreview Yeah I think you're right? Um, in terms of the cast still sort of knew the assignment I like that I really enjoyed the the use of locations. Um, there was there was a lot of locations and I always find that really ambitious within the filmmakers to sort of say do you know? what? like we're gonna. 40:35.11 Brian Penn So. 40:44.38 ukfilmreview Going to go out and about and shoot all these different scenes. All these different places and I really felt like I got to see New York like that was great I was kind of just enjoying to see all these different random places um off the beaten track kind of thing. Um I think the the premise of the film. 40:45.83 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah I did I Yeah yeah. 41:01.86 ukfilmreview Worked really well I was very happy with like the the Fez belcher rock and roll star. Yeah, who's kind of struggling in life I was really on board but that I don't want to give it away but something happens later in the film that absolutely derails the whole thing for me and and I'm not going to you know what? I mean I'm not I'm not and. 41:14.42 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah I know you mean I know you mean? Yeah yeah. 41:20.73 ukfilmreview That also ties into the running length because it didn't need to happen. But I think that was a complete misstep because I was I was watching the rest of it just going. Okay like all right fine I was I was pretty invested but now I'm not so much. Um, that plus there weren't It wasn't the best. 41:28.18 Brian Penn I'm you know there? yeah. 41:40.23 ukfilmreview Quality film in terms of like the sound and stuff that was some issues with the sound quality that I think when you are making a film you have to think about the the resources and what you've got to put on a film. That's not going to you really really stretch you so thin that it starts to become kind of a problem that you had they. 41:40.87 Brian Penn So yeah, we yeah. 41:48.24 Brian Penn You know. 41:59.37 ukfilmreview Gone for more of a yeah like you say a a one thirty kind of film could that budget have been you saved and put towards something else I don't know it just there's a few things there that um I think are lessons for the next film. You know is's like let you know what we' got make sure we make the film that is. 42:01.63 Brian Penn So. 42:17.59 ukfilmreview Gonna work. It's going to look great sound great because it's all very important but the story up to a certain point was very good. It's very interesting I Love the way all these characters just seem to be conning each other. They're all kind of like going. Oh you owe me money? No, you owe me money? Yeah, yeah, it's like. 42:26.86 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, and I yeah I know yeah. 42:33.26 ukfilmreview All this little and I say is that screwable comedy feel of like yeah you're just thrown into these oddba characters and and you're making your way through and I've a great affinity for any character that's like a musician I really do that I felt some of his pain that you know I they go to a gig and he gets like $10 and he's like. 42:44.55 Brian Penn Yeah, and yeah, but but yeah, that scene when they were trying to find their way back. They said oh the trains aren't running. We should have checked this and. 42:52.34 ukfilmreview It cost me $15 to get here. It was just like yeah that kind of feel loved it. 43:01.33 ukfilmreview Here? Yeah, it's a bit more kind of authentic I Think there's a lot of that's yeah authenticity to it? Um, but I do think slightly ambitious to make such a long film. It needed a much harsher edit. 43:02.80 Brian Penn It's not very rock and roll was it really when you've missed the last train on. Um, yeah, yeah, it's real it. Yeah. 43:19.94 ukfilmreview And I do think that they should have addressed some of the filmmaking qualities and where possible, especially a film that you're talking about a musician and that you're not recording the sound of the dialogue very well. Um, but yeah I. 43:22.94 Brian Penn And. 43:30.13 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 43:36.46 ukfilmreview I Feel like I'm being negative on it but I did enjoy it I really did enjoy it I Just there was a bit disappointed when something happens and I was like oh if that's sort of spoiled if we I think that's why I then started to pick up on the other things because I was like oh oh I'm not so into the storyline now that I'm sort of nitpicking if you see what I mean. 43:38.16 Brian Penn And and I Yeah yeah. It Yep No I Know exactly what you mean it. It tends to highlight other other other areas of the film that you might not have thought about and so that's just the the way you you look at something isn't it. It kind of yeah opens up something up and you think oh no, that has yeah ah it it did kind of. Bring it down a bit but a great idea though. A great idea that works up to a point. Yeah. 44:17.29 ukfilmreview A great performance by ah, Gregory Ada who plays the the lead character I thought he was great. Um, say a shout out to the to the filmmakers there if you haven't already go and read Jason's review um he reviewed it back in Jan Earlier Jan and yeah, um, he's got some great things to say about it as well. And on that review, you'll see the trailer and there's a trailer for it. So I definitely recommend checking out because that's something that you can then sort of see if it is to your taste and is to something that you want to seek out. Um, so that was the fez belcher show moving now to a short film. 44:36.59 Brian Penn Click. No. 44:43.34 Brian Penn So. 44:55.22 ukfilmreview Called room twenty directed and written by Anthony react. Um, we have a clip this isn't a dialogue film. Ah, but the clip we've received gives you a nice sense of the film because it's the score it was from the trailer. Originally I think it's worth playing just to give you that. 45:00.10 Brian Penn Oh no, oh right. 45:12.82 ukfilmreview That sense and that vibe so here we go is a clip from room 20 45:50.78 ukfilmreview So room 20 and Brian you actually reviewed this on the website I believe so I think it's best if you give us the synopsis on this one go for it. 45:57.56 Brian Penn So I did yes yes I did yeah of course and it's it's a very lean 9 minutes 50 seconds but plas a fair amount of detail and with minimal dialogue as we've just mentioned so the hero of the piece is a man with no name but with design a stubble a poncch on a fedora hat. Gives off a distinctlin eastward vibe in spaghetti western though which got me hooked straight away I love that image that look he had so he begins a journey of self-discovery and steps through the door to room twenty we are treated to a visually arresting narrative that feels like the most vivid of dreams. 46:26.68 ukfilmreview Here. 46:40.65 Brian Penn The filmer opens with a lonely walk through a bleak landscape we shall be familiar to many people im sure we've all had a dream like that in the past with the emphasis on time our hero searches and finds room 20 but what is behind the door. The result is. Sometimes confusing but ultimately a fulfilling experience. Our hero is on a journey and he's constantly checking his watch. We have lots of great imagery that focuses on time and there's 1 particular thing that I think was brilliantly captured where a clock face just melts. It's beautiful. The way it's done. And room 20 throws all kinds of possibilities at the viewer who must draw their own conclusions really from this the style of animation is unashamedly nostalgy and doesn't seem to rely on cgi too much which is a pleasant change I really enjoyed it and a big shout out to not only sue the director and writer. But also to the animation director Aaron Mark Brown because this is my kind of animation. It's it's beautiful and it's it's real when it breathes more and it's not so clinical as we so often get with animation these things. But. very very good very impressed by it. 47:53.40 ukfilmreview Yeah I loved in your review you mentioned about that kind of what audiences are used to now with animation like it becoming so clean like it's so high powered that it sort of becomes yeah clinical it does remove that emotional. 47:58.27 Brian Penn Yeah stuff. 48:08.57 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 48:12.41 ukfilmreview Connection I think which older animations still have that heart. They still have that feeling behind it. Not to say that modern animation isn't amazing and brilliant. It is it really is but there is such a place for this kind of nostalgic animation where it's. 48:15.94 Brian Penn I No I not. 48:27.60 ukfilmreview Pulling on stuff in a different way and it's presenting you the visuals in a way as well. That's a bit more. It's making your mind work a bit more because I think there's this tendency with animators to try and go for super realism so that it feels as real as possible whereas animation is. 48:32.23 Brian Penn So. 48:39.59 Brian Penn Yeah. 48:44.69 ukfilmreview Its own art form that it's okay for it to be different. It's okay for it to not look exactly like the thing it's portraying in real life that with this? yeah, you really got that sense of you on this like Odyssey this journey because it was. 48:48.61 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 48:58.14 Brian Penn And. 48:58.49 ukfilmreview Doing that to your mind. It was giving these visuals in a way like this a bit where he's like feeding sort of giving water this like animal and it just felt ethereal. It felt like oh am I watching right now you you it created this calmness inside you and I thought it was very impressive. 49:03.91 Brian Penn And yeah, and and know I Yeah yeah. 49:18.45 ukfilmreview Visually very impressive and also I thought the story I was also once you start to consider it. It was quite powerful words Oh um, you contemplate all different aspects of life and different things. Yeah that you're you're kind of going to come across and yeah, really impressive. 49:22.67 Brian Penn So Yeah, and I know yeah I know yeah I I surprisingly deep and and it's it's beautiful I mean what you just mentioned there about. Ah animation some animation being so good. It looks like the real thing doesn't that defeat the objects of animation. The idea of animation is is interpretational isn't it is to have a representation of a man a woman a child an animal.? Whatever but it's through that. 49:44.98 ukfilmreview Yeah, yeah. 49:57.69 Brian Penn Creative Person's lens. It's the way they see something or someone so that to me is proper animation. That's real animation and you know yeah top marks. It's really good. It's very well done and as to say it's my my kind of animation. Like to imagine someone poring over every frame. That's what I think I think about that when films being made in general but particularly so with animation because the creat the the creators the directors and the the writers are having to really use their imagination and they're having to try that much harder as a result. And that's what I really like about this. But. 50:37.87 ukfilmreview Do you think this is the kind of film that you know we did the when we did the festival that it would have been you know a contender is that a sort of film that would have stood out to you that you would have picked out. 50:42.26 Brian Penn Yeah. 50:48.93 Brian Penn Yeah I think I would have picked it out I think it would stand out for the reasons we've just discussed because it's old fashioned you know and you know whilst we know modern technology in film. It can enhance and transform a story. But it can also detract from this story as Well. If you go back to something a bit more fundamental and a bit more basic that stands out. So if that had been in the ah been in the festival I would have picked that out easily. It would have stood out for me and it doesn't get. 51:21.39 ukfilmreview Yeah, yeah. 51:24.18 Brian Penn Get overly carried away with with dialogue either. There's not a lot of dialogues much dialogue to speak. Obviously really. 51:29.63 ukfilmreview Yeah, and it kind of that sense makes it more. Um, Universal doesn't it I think it's like appeal with a film like this. They can really reach a lot of audiences and I could see yeah platforms picking this up because it's it's got that universality to it. Um, so. 51:32.83 Brian Penn Yeah. 51:39.00 Brian Penn Fuck. Yeah. 51:46.75 ukfilmreview Yeah, if you wanted to know more about room 20 they do have a few socials so on Facebook it's official room 20 or one word and on Instagram official underscore room twenty and also ah we mentioned the fezbeler show a feature like film. 52:03.38 Brian Penn So. 52:06.38 ukfilmreview They have a Facebook page so at the felt the fz becher show. Sorry all 1 word. Um, if you can't find it or or want to know more dode get in touch with us. Um, if you haven't already googled I would ask if you could just Google it first? Yeah, ah before you get in touch and if that's okay. 52:18.22 Brian Penn Yeah, yes, yeah. 52:24.28 ukfilmreview So yeah, those are the 2 reviews we're doing um, so thank you very much to the filmmakers who send us their films. It's always an honor to to check them out and to hopefully shine a bit of a light on them. Um, one film. We shined a light on last year was the 1 note man and um. 52:29.76 Brian Penn Yeah. 52:43.69 ukfilmreview They have been long listed I think is the phrase. Um for an oscar for best short film as well as short listed I believe is also the phrase for a bafta. Um, so very privileged to have seen this last year and wishing the guys all the best. Um. 52:44.99 Brian Penn All right? Oh fantastic. Oh yeah, yeah. 53:02.28 ukfilmreview I was able to catch up with the writer-director George Sugas um I had to ask him his name which you'll hear in the interview if you watch it. Um and also Michael Stevenson who's the producer on the movie. Um. Brian's not going to hear the interview right now. By the way I'm just going to slot it in later but he'll go away and watch. You won't youry and you'll go and watch it. Um, but yeah, very impressed by this film. Both of us were and really wishing the guys the best of luck with the award season. But yes. 53:16.92 Brian Penn Between course word. Yeah, absolutely. 53:26.86 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 53:34.26 ukfilmreview Here's a a clip from the interview. The full interview is available on our Youtube channel um, but this is a portion of that interview and I will stop that in later. Um, so. 53:48.13 Brian Penn That it should do this one does? yeah. 53:53.80 ukfilmreview Wonderful to hear from the one night Man Writer director and producer there so moving on Lastly to our nostalgia pick. Um so I picked this because of its relevance. 54:02.16 Brian Penn Yeah. 54:11.48 ukfilmreview With our upcoming release of June part 2 Um, which ah stars are are Wonka doesn't it. It's got our wonka in it to maury. Yeah, so I'm I'm trying to tie it all together. Um, so well, it only just came to me if I'm honest. 54:13.26 Brian Penn And. Oh yeah, Timo Shamma Yeah, the new one. Nice Yeah, yeah, yeah, well well done I don't I thought that ah okay, sorry enough. 54:30.44 ukfilmreview Um, so June part 2 is out um in February I believe it keeps moving I think because there's been brighter strikes and all this stuff. Um, but I watched the original sorry the the first part last year and I really enjoyed it which maybe then think let me go back and watch the 80 s version. 54:34.45 Brian Penn And I yeah. 54:47.90 Brian Penn And. 54:50.30 ukfilmreview Um, from filmmaker David Lynch I was going to say yeah legendary but I have a troubled history with lynch if I'm honest, um, he's yeah, he's not one of my favorite directors and I say that with a heavy heart because i. 54:58.80 Brian Penn And I yeah I do too Actually yeah. 55:08.80 ukfilmreview I know a lot of people absolutely adore his films and I have seen some good ones. Don't get me wrong I think he's a great. He's a very very interesting filmmaker. Um, but as this proves June 194 I don't think he's yeah impervious to ah a mishi a misfire. 55:14.25 Brian Penn Yeah. 55:26.93 ukfilmreview Um, but I think it was worth going back to a filmer this. It gave us a reason to go and check it out. Ah so it was again on Amazon prime I believe um at the time when we watched it anyway 1984 June and starring a very young Carl Mcclacken which was great to see him there I do love a bit of mcclacken. 55:31.70 Brian Penn So yeah, okay. 55:40.12 Brian Penn He was was yeah yeah. 55:46.77 ukfilmreview Um, had you seen this before Brian. 55:48.83 Brian Penn I I have seen it once. But I think that was it I I didn't go out and see it when it was out because it came out in 84 it's not the film I would have gone out and seen at the cinema but I probably would have got it out on video. Do you remember those things video just yeah yeah I should. 56:04.00 ukfilmreview I loved videos. They were great but I say ah giant side note but my dad used to have a vhs of Dracula and it was in a coffin. The actual tape was kept in a coffin case. 56:10.23 Brian Penn I was a I I there and I and I and I was the as lost something as times rolled rolled on you know, but times change I Guess don't they really? but so yeah I can. 56:16.53 ukfilmreview That's what I miss about movies. They were so much fun. You know. 56:23.42 ukfilmreview Here. 56:30.10 Brian Penn I'm fairly certain I would have seen it on on vcr on video video Ohio as it used to be be there. But I've not seen it since so this is a bit like watching it for the first time but like you I saw um the deniss philu version with Timy Timothy Chammerla and which I really liked. But. 56:45.25 ukfilmreview Yeah I thought it was great I Really joy part one? yeah. 56:48.49 Brian Penn Yeah, but I think the the yeah the 1984 version was not good, not good at school. Yeah, it wasn't good. It wasn't good I mean the I mean. 56:55.63 ukfilmreview No I'm glad you said that. 57:05.21 Brian Penn The Frank Herbert Nort Novel is what it is. He said that June is the type of story that that's great and contained within in a novel because you use your imagination when you're reading a book on film you you kind of look it loses something you know, um, and. Have a fantastic cast as well. You know apart from car mclacklan you had Jose Farra Shan Phils Francesca Anis Jurginproch now Virginia Madison Patrick Stewart Freddy Jones then Stockquil Sean Young and st was in it as well. You know. 57:40.42 ukfilmreview Oh yeah. 57:43.84 Brian Penn You you've got all these big players white as you think why did why did they get involved with this project I only hope they were well paid Chris that's all I can say well I only hope they didn't take a a cut of a box office receipts that would have been even worse. 57:55.91 ukfilmreview Ah. 58:03.29 Brian Penn Because it lost 10000000 didn't it at the ah at the box office. But I mean you think about the story though. The storyline itself right? So what can we say about June the storyline itself set many years in the future human beings are now living on new planets aren't they. 58:03.93 ukfilmreview I. 58:20.42 Brian Penn And all-powerful emperor rules over several noble noble houses each one occupies a different planet and all are vying for their share of power in the universe. The poor treatise played by carmalacklan rises to lead the desert army in a battle for control of a valuable spice. Which apparently is the key to the universe and one of the reasons I think this version of the film suffered is because of its proximity to star wars in a c four star wars were in the middle of ah a golden run when they really when the first couple of films that already come out. And many scenes were similar when I was watching I thought there reminds be a bit of star wars but it wasn't as good nowhere near as good and there is apparently a thriving online discussion about what's the best tune the David Lynch version 59:02.51 ukfilmreview I Thought that yeah. 59:18.13 Brian Penn Or the Dennis film film ner version. But I'd take Dennis Philners any day because it's a more serious take on the story. It feels a bit more like game of thrones because that's what it's about it's about power. It's a power play David Lynch's version seemed. Silly and self-indulgent to me, you know you know it's just. 59:37.69 ukfilmreview Yeah, you've nailed it there silly and self-indulgen felt very very with the scenes that they they just felt weird at times for for the sake of it and. The characters just started to become kind of Pantominne. It was like what's going on like yeah whereas I think with the the newer version. It seems albeit more serious. It's got just so much more tonally Correct. It's more tonally correct that you kind of feel in it and this I mean obviously. 59:51.81 Brian Penn And yeah. 01:00:04.90 Brian Penn And. 01:00:10.74 ukfilmreview Watching it way in the future. You know forty years on that it's probably unfair to compare some aspects by. Do think if yeah if we compared this to the same situation as wonka that the gene wilder version. Still absolutely smacks right now. It's still great. You can watch that film and it's still brilliant. 01:00:11.88 Brian Penn And. 01:00:19.70 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, yeah. 01:00:28.34 ukfilmreview And the newer version sounds just as good, but it's just for a different audience whereas with this I'm so glad they've remade it because if this was the only experience anyone had of June I'd be thinking well that's terrible but actually to have remade. It is great and yeah, they put it in 2 parts. They've made it a real blockbuster movie but that's got a great. 01:00:36.28 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:00:47.59 ukfilmreview Tone. Great atmosphere to it. Yeah, this didn't have that um I don't if anything because I was wondering is this kind of good viewing for people that are interested in the new film I was like I avoid this I wouldn't watch this if you if if if your first time. 01:00:57.29 Brian Penn Yeah I agree. Yeah I think you're right? Yeah, don't don't bother watching David Lynch's version I thought I don't think there's any point you know I know we can't always do I thought I know we can't always talk about. 01:01:06.30 ukfilmreview Watch because you might be tempted right? You might be think oh well I'll watch the older version. No just just watch the new one I think this it it hasn't aged well but I still don't think it would have been that impressive at the time and it sounds like it wasn't so yeah, it's it's not star wars and it's not even June for me. Um. 01:01:17.30 Brian Penn Um, the money that a film makes it you know a film that makes loads of money and could be absolute nonsense but the remate ah, the new version of June one made 300000000 at the box office David Lynch's team lost $10000000 to me that says it all. 01:01:25.43 ukfilmreview Say I I don't get on very well with David Lynch films um I like the elephant man I thought blue velvet was good I had to watch it a few times before I thought it was good. Um, there was oh what's started of the one my hole and drive I think was also really good by absolutely loathed. 01:01:35.60 Brian Penn That sums it all up. You know? Um, so um, it's to me, it's it's an odyssey. It's a curiosity and it'd only be for for fans of David Lynch and 01:01:44.16 ukfilmreview A razor head I could not stand that film and this is also going into that list june is going is that list of film I won't watch of his like I'm not goingnna watch this again. Ah what about you bridey though you gonna watch this again. Oh of lost Brian. Ah 1 ah 2. 01:02:07.45 ukfilmreview Let me choose 1 or 2 I've lost Brian. 01:02:22.66 ukfilmreview Hit there right? hello 00:00.00 ukfilmreview They are there. We haven't had one of these for a while I thought we were impervious to it now but evidently not we can't trust, it's because I was bad mouthing David Lynch I think what happened oh. 00:00.39 Brian Penn Yeah I'm here. Oh it's good so well wasn't it. It. 00:10.12 Brian Penn I yeah know yeah, obviously it's programmed by David Lynch Fann obviously 00:17.20 ukfilmreview Ah, bet you the the people that run this platform that we record on I bet you've you've got some gremlins and they've got yeah people in the in the is he's slagging off erasor head again quick game. Um, so I was I was just say Brian before we got rudely cut off by this. 00:21.98 Brian Penn And yeah I reckon. Yeah yeah, yeah I know and no no I wouldn't really. 00:34.86 ukfilmreview Technology that we use um, is this one. You'd watch again. 00:40.00 Brian Penn I stick I stick with the with the remake the remade version I think the David Lynch version is David Lynch fans it's curiosity and it's it's not It's just not good. It doesn't it hasn't worn very well the effects that were available. And the early eighty s of a primitive by comparison to what you have now and that's something else that makes it suffer some size basic cgi basic special effects can be part of its charm but it just doesn't work now I mean you've only got a look at the amount of money. The new film made it made 300000000 and the box office david lynch's version lost 10000000 that sells you all you need to know. 01:24.94 ukfilmreview Yeah, and I wouldn't always you know, go by that. But in this case I think it is is. It's a fair thing to have said. Um so June part two I was actually due out in in March I believe now march first I'm 2024 depend on when you're listening to this. 01:35.84 Brian Penn 01:41.89 ukfilmreview Um, so yeah, very excited for that and hopefully we've saved some people a trip down a disastrous lane. 01:43.10 Brian Penn Yeah I yeah and and I actually I did read that June part two should have come out in the a s but they canned it because the first june film was so poorly received. 02:01.60 ukfilmreview There you go. We finally got there. 02:03.80 Brian Penn So it's ah but it but it's but it's ah it's a fair point Chris you can't you can't necessarily assume because the film makes a lot of money. It's any good. But I think it's a good comparison here between these two films and the way you approach a film that David Lynch on this occasion just in my opinion it. And in yours by the sound of it. You just got it wrong. So. 02:22.89 ukfilmreview Absolutely yeah and it's not often I should think it ever really happens when we revisit a film for nostalgia pick that it's one. We don't like but with this it was tied into a release I thought it was a good idea to sort of do that but also part of the nostalgia thing is also to. 02:28.79 Brian Penn Yeah. 02:40.30 ukfilmreview Question that and revisit a film I'd hadn't seen it anyway. So for me, this was a travel back to a new film and it's good to just have a reason to go back and see an older film. It's forty years old so it's worth our time to just see and lynch as a filmmaker I'm always. 02:40.10 Brian Penn Yeah. 02:56.18 ukfilmreview Absolutely nervous when I watch one of his films whether I'm going to love it or hate it and it just definitely falls into the latter. 03:01.53 Brian Penn And um, well so just that of interest Chris what would what would you say is your favorite David Lynch film then yeah I would add that as well. Actually. 03:07.54 ukfilmreview I Think the Elephant man I Love the Elephant man I's it's just such a brilliantly filmed piece of art is so great. Such a great story. Great performance pitch on her really left it. Um. 03:16.69 Brian Penn The. 03:24.30 ukfilmreview Yeah I think blue velvet I really liked but I had to watch it a couple of times. The first time I watched it I was like oh this is awful. But then I so watched it a few more times understood more of the symbolism and things that were going on got more out of it. But I tell you the one I absolutely hated was a raiseor head I thought a razor head could absolutely. 03:29.62 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, it Oh not, no no, no absolutely not no. 03:41.55 ukfilmreview Do one I would never watch that ever I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy that film. 03:47.20 Brian Penn I Don't think I've ever finished that film off properly Please to be honest, yeah know when you start from with all on and I go They always start again. Yeah, ah. 03:51.30 ukfilmreview Yeah I wish I could have done that I was in a screening at the bfi I'd gone to do like a David Lynch thing and I was watching it and I was just I was dying to leave but you know when you're surrounded by like um cinema you know fans and. 04:07.16 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, you Oh yeah, course Use Q and that went out one. Yeah yeah. 04:07.80 ukfilmreview These are real hardcore lynchons and I was like if I get up now they are gonna lynch me Yeah, see what I did the I think it's just I think it was I did I way I thought I'll get that in. But I yeah that for me is it's one of those things where you know when someone sort of says oh you have to like it. Yeah, you have you must like it. No, no, no I don't I Really don't art is very subjective and this is Awful. Um. 04:27.87 Brian Penn I and know it's no more of course ah another um, pretty fairly decent Dave Lynch film Moholand drawing. 04:37.67 ukfilmreview Yeah I was gonna say I think that is up there with the with the good ones I have not I've never seen Twin Peaks the show I think that apparently that's very good I always solve. 04:41.20 Brian Penn Yeah, so. 04:46.51 Brian Penn So yeah, it's that if yeah, the tv shot I kind of saw on and off but I know it's exact screaming the about twin peaks the film is that it's it's a slow burner isn't it. You have to you can't just see it once and get it straight away. But then again, some would say that's the appeal of David Lynch um 05:05.17 ukfilmreview I like that he challenges people I do like that and I think you know filmmakers should be yeah um, they're artists at the heart of it there. That's what they are and the storytellers I think with something like June that it's not his story. It's just his film that with the way that he's decided to bring that to the screen just does not work. 05:10.44 Brian Penn And oh so. And. 05:22.69 ukfilmreview And so why certainly not in any longt standinging way that it is proof Iss proof that artists can be wrong when and gets there that everything they do isn't absolutely perfect. So this is I would I would point this out to anyone that says you oh you got a level lynch films because you don't really don't. 05:23.15 Brian Penn No. 05:30.56 Brian Penn Yeah, so. 05:37.12 Brian Penn Now you happen Now you haven't yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, and I. 05:42.94 ukfilmreview Ah, quite a depressing note to finish the podcast on but I think it's important and we have gone through some amazing films in this episode. Hopefully our listeners have made it to the end and you've got some things that you want to watch if you've seen any of the films that we reviewed do let's know what you thought of them. 06:02.25 ukfilmreview And we will be back next month with another episode. We'll be in oscar territory I believe um so probably would have happened I think maybe by time we've recorded oh okay, maybe not. 06:07.16 Brian Penn Well yeah, yeah, um, so actually come to think of it I think it's March isn't it so be the watch. Yeah. 06:18.12 ukfilmreview So maybe we can do some some preamble about the ah the Oscars that'll be nice. Yeah, sounds good. But um, yeah, thank you for being with us if you've listened all the way if you've dropped out halfway I wouldn't be able to talk to you right now. So your loss your loss. Ah. 06:22.13 Brian Penn Yeah, talk about the year the nominees. No. 06:33.00 Brian Penn Ah, yeah, absolutely yeah pleasure. No problem. Thank you very much. 06:37.80 ukfilmreview Thank you Brian as always for being with me and for going to the cinema so much and watching all these films. Um, yeah, you are that that beautiful brain of yours is yeah full of amazing new films. Um, but yeah, thank you all for listening. 06:52.31 Brian Penn Bye for now. Previous Next

The Long Night film review by UK film critic Brandon Thomas. Starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Noland Gerard Funk, Jeff Fahey directed by Rich Ragsdale. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Long Night Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Brandon Thomas | Posted on: Feb 3, 2022 Directed by: Rich Ragsdale Written by: Robert Sheppe, Mark Young Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, Noland Gerard Funk, Jeff Fahey Writer/director Rich Ragsdale clearly has a fondness for horror. His feature, The Long Night, is chock full of the genre’s greatest hits: a couple alone in a farmhouse, robed assailants, ample gore and moody music. What The Long Night may lack in originality, it more than makes up for in execution. Grace (Scout Taylor-Compton of Rob Zombie’s Halloween & Halloween 2 ) and her boyfriend, Jack (Nolan Gerard Funk of The Flight Attendant ), travel to the deep south to try and unravel the mystery of Grace’s parents. Grace never knew them and a man she’s made contact with claims to have answers. Once Grace and Jack arrive at the isolated farmhouse, they find themselves under siege by a sadistic cult and its maniacal leader (Deborah Unger of The Game and Cronenberg’s Crash ). A story like the one in The Long Night could’ve gone tongue-in-cheek and still delivered something mildly entertaining. However, Ragsdale has something a little more classy on his mind, and the result is a film much more methodical and patient. There’s no real rush to overdue the slow reveal around the film’s core mystery. Ragsdale and co-writer Mark Young twist every little bit of tension out of Grace and Jack’s experience throughout the night. The film’s visual approach is just as patient and measured. Ragsdale keeps his camera locked down – rarely going handheld, even during the film’s more chaotic scenes. The stillness of the cinematography only adds to the unease. The haunting score by Sherri Chung is a standout in an already aesthetically pleasing film. Chung delivers a gothic score that is modern yet wouldn’t feel entirely out of place in a classic Hammer film. Next to the fan-fiction level scripts, Rob Zombie’s Halloween movies also get routinely beat up in the acting department. One of the few actors to make it out of those films relatively unscathed was Scout Taylor-Compton. Now well over a decade removed from Zombie’s Halloween 2 , Taylor-Compton gives a grounded portrayal as Grace. This isn’t a character with a ton of nuance, but Taylor-Compton instills her with a sense of relatability. She’s “Every Girl U.S.A.” without the overall blandness. Character actor royalty Jeff Fahey shows up for a criminally short part halfway through the film. Fahey’s genre bona fides are strong with Grindhouse , Machete , TV’s Lost and the underrated Psycho III . Fahey’s role doesn’t add much to the film other than a fun bit of “Hey, it’s that guy!” from the audience, but any Fahey is good Fahey in my book. The Long Nigh t isn’t likely to end up on any “Best Of” lists at the end of the year. It is, however, a fun way to spend a Friday night. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Brandon Thomas Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Read the film podcast transcript from the episode titled Mufasa - Better Man - A Complete Unknown - UK Film Club Episode 23 on UK Film Club part of the UK Film Review Podcast. < Back Mufasa - Better Man - A Complete Unknown - UK Film Club Episode 23 Listen to This Episode UK Film Club 00:00:00.69 Chris Olson i never I never read the instructions. 00:00:03.40 Brian Penn oh no I don't either yeah yeah yeah yeah I know you see I'm the same really because if you read the instructions then it's one hasn't it you know it's defeated you right because you know I think it I think it is a main thing as well you know I'm really on it yeah 00:00:05.13 Chris Olson If you get a new bit of tech, you kind of go, I'm just gonna wing it and I'll learn as I go. And i I know it's the wrong way to be, but I got a new mic and now I'm paying for it. 00:00:20.30 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:00:26.16 Chris Olson Oh, 100%. And um I've got children and we we we had Christmas not that long ago, although it does feel like a long time ago now. 00:00:33.74 Brian Penn ah know yeah 00:00:34.09 Chris Olson um And yeah, if they get like a ah toy or something like that, I immediately assume I can put it together immediately. I just think, yeah, I've got this. Just give me the box and I'll have a look at the picture and oh we I'll stick this together. 00:00:43.18 Brian Penn e 00:00:46.83 Chris Olson And I would say 10 times out of 10, I do have to go back and get the instructions because something's gone wrong. 00:00:46.83 Brian Penn and i 00:00:52.59 Brian Penn So it's like when you've got a flat pack, isn't it? And you put it up and then you've got three screws, a couple of brackets left over and you say, Oh God, no. 00:00:54.85 Chris Olson Mm-hmm. 00:01:01.11 Brian Penn And it's cause I haven't read the instructions. Same thing every time. 00:01:05.04 Chris Olson but Also, they're throwing you off slightly there because sometimes, and I know this to be true, they've put extras in just in case you need them. 00:01:10.80 Brian Penn Yeah. Spares. 00:01:12.19 Chris Olson And you look at it and you second-guess yourself, but actually, Brian, you did a great job. 00:01:16.02 Brian Penn I know. 00:01:16.11 Chris Olson All right, I'm here to tell you, you did a great job. 00:01:17.33 Brian Penn Oh, thank you. Thank you. That they they're wicked. They're awful. Those people, aren't they? You put extras in like that. 00:01:22.03 Chris Olson They are, yeah. 00:01:23.12 Brian Penn Make you think you've done something wrong. 00:01:24.80 Chris Olson Yeah, essentially the worst. 00:01:25.83 Brian Penn I know. 00:01:26.40 Chris Olson Essentially, they are the worst people. 00:01:27.50 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:01:27.77 Chris Olson um 00:01:28.25 Brian Penn It's evil. See, it's, it's, it's cruel and sadistic. 00:01:31.90 Chris Olson Exactly. Speaking of cruel and sadistic, we're back for another year of podcasting. 00:01:35.93 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:01:36.37 Chris Olson um Yes, it's our first episode of 2025 and we've had a nice little break and have refreshed. We're ready to take on the year, but so much has happened that we've already given up hope. 00:01:50.70 Chris Olson um Yeah, no, we we we we're absolutely brilliant, aren we aren't we, Brian? 00:01:54.74 Brian Penn Yeah, course we are. 00:01:54.87 Chris Olson We're ready to go. 00:01:55.88 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:01:56.06 Chris Olson um If this is your first time to Film Club, the way this works is Brian and myself review all manner of films. That's films at cinema, documentaries, on streaming platforms, ah small, short indie films, and we also take a look at a yeah a classic film from a bygone era. 00:02:14.46 Chris Olson And this month is potentially, I think it is the furthest back we've gone in history. 00:02:19.32 Brian Penn Yeah, it is, isn't it? Yeah, and actually, yeah, it is. 00:02:20.56 Chris Olson um Yeah, going really far back for this one and it and it is slightly topical. 00:02:24.16 Brian Penn Hmm. Yep. 00:02:26.75 Chris Olson I won't spoil it, but yeah, you can read the description if you are desperate to know what film we're going to review at the end of the show. 00:02:30.95 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:02:32.62 Chris Olson But beginning with the cinema releases, we have a bumper crop, not least because not only has Brian very kindly gone to the cinema to watch and review some of these movies, 00:02:40.18 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:02:43.26 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:02:44.11 Chris Olson film critic Chris Buick has also chipped in a couple um that I have asked him to review. 00:02:47.64 Brian Penn Oh, wow. Yeah. 00:02:50.09 Chris Olson Bless him. He he he gets all mad. 00:02:50.83 Brian Penn Fantastic. 00:02:51.89 Chris Olson Not only do do I boss Brian around, I also boss Chris around. 00:02:54.74 Brian Penn ah 00:02:55.44 Chris Olson And he's um he's reviewed a couple for me, but um we'll slot those in seamlessly ah in the episode. 00:03:00.89 Brian Penn Cool. 00:03:00.93 Chris Olson But kicking things off is a film that I am tempted to take the family to. So I am very intrigued to hear Brian's review of Mufasa, The Lion King. 00:03:08.07 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:03:12.16 Brian Penn Okay, then, directed by a Barry Jenkins, starring Aaron Pierre Kelvin Harrison Jr. Seth Rogen, Mads Mikkelsen, Sandy Newton, and many, many more. So this is the prequel. Simba is now established as the Lion King. He and Nala have a daughter, Kiara, but are expecting another cub. They leave for the Oasis so Nala can give birth, and leave Kiara in the care of Timon and Pumbaa. They are under strict instructions not to tell Kiara stories, but Rafiki, the wise old mandrill, arrives to take charge. He tells Kiara the greatest story of all. 00:03:48.52 Brian Penn how her grandfather Mifasa became the Lion King. Now, I really enjoyed this, really did. 00:03:53.85 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:03:55.12 Brian Penn It's a very neat backstory told with a lot of heart. You learn more about Mifasa and why Scar became something embittered. So it's a very, very smart, well-drawn backstory. 00:04:06.07 Brian Penn and um The one downside for me are the songs. They're so corny and cliche. Typical Walt Disney, you know, in one ear and out the other. 00:04:16.75 Brian Penn They do nothing for the film, in my opinion. And if anything, it drains the story's dramatic impacts, drains the energy from the film slightly. And I would honestly say it would have been better without the songs. 00:04:28.32 Brian Penn But otherwise, a very, very good film. PG-rated, I find that slightly surprising. It looks to be a use for me, one for all the family, but you know I get confused with classifications like you, Chris. 00:04:41.38 Brian Penn So there you go. 00:04:42.25 Chris Olson well yeah that interestingly because that's one of the big factors that i really really care about now when i've got you know i've got a seven year old and a three year old and when i see pg i am very aware okay there's definitely like that is potentially not appropriate for my kids because i even my seven year old she's i'd say she's a young seven like she she gets very easily scared and when we saw the trailer 00:04:43.05 Brian Penn Take that with a pinch of salt, but you know, 00:04:50.11 Brian Penn Hmm. Hmm. 00:05:00.35 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:05:04.73 Brian Penn Right. Yeah. 00:05:06.48 Chris Olson We saw the trailer for this when we saw Moana 2 and they saw it and they were, Daddy, can we watch that? 00:05:08.84 Brian Penn All right. Okay. 00:05:11.87 Chris Olson I was like, do you know what? I'm going to wait to see what Brian says because, you know, and and if you're saying, yeah, maybe it is a bit more for you. 00:05:15.83 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:05:18.55 Chris Olson But I think but sometimes it's surprising what things scare a child because you obviously, you know, us being film critics, we very much remove ourselves from that stuff. 00:05:23.27 Brian Penn Yeah, it is. Yeah. 00:05:29.01 Brian Penn we We've become hardened to it, haven't we really? 00:05:30.06 Chris Olson Oh, yeah, 100 percent. 00:05:31.52 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:05:31.95 Chris Olson Very hard to scare us. um 00:05:33.96 Brian Penn I think ah think if you've got children that um aren't particularly, I was gonna say grown up, but kids are kids, aren't they? So they're not grown up, but you know, if you've got children, I think it's a difficult one to charge, but I didn't see anything particularly harmful in that or might scare a very young child. 00:05:53.44 Brian Penn ah certainly not not a seven year old three year old. 00:05:56.69 Chris Olson Yeah, I think that the PG part of it is very important. 00:05:57.30 Brian Penn I'm not so sure it's a difficult one. 00:06:00.28 Chris Olson I didn't really realize that when I was yeah and a non-child bearer. 00:06:04.89 Brian Penn Yeah. her 00:06:06.01 Chris Olson You think, oh, PG is just like a certain level, but I think it really is important that yeah that parent will know their children and they'll know what they get. 00:06:12.04 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:06:13.20 Chris Olson My children, honestly, they get scared like sing, you know, they'll watch sing and there'll be a character that's like a, that's like a baddie, you know, someone just being mean could be enough to set them off. 00:06:16.96 Brian Penn Oh, right. Okay. ah Yeah. ah Yeah, mate. 00:06:22.33 Chris Olson So yeah, something like this, where it's very visceral, I think could actually be scary for them. 00:06:23.66 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:06:26.68 Brian Penn I mean, it's there. There are some elements of confrontation in the film, which you would expect anyway. 00:06:30.53 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:06:33.51 Brian Penn um But I don't think it's quite that severe. But it's a difficult one to call. And maybe they are on the side of caution, really with. 00:06:41.97 Chris Olson yeah 00:06:42.24 Brian Penn ah 00:06:42.40 Chris Olson I think they don't want to get in trouble, especially as well with their platform as well. They've obviously this will end up on streaming and they don't want to be traumatized in other kids who watched it by accident, you know. 00:06:47.85 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:06:51.96 Chris Olson um Yeah. 00:06:52.21 Brian Penn Yeah, so I do get that. um It's had some one one or two bumpy reviews, but all films do, I think most films do, but I found it really entertaining, very enjoyable, and my launch, a good one for the family to go and see. 00:07:06.55 Chris Olson There you go. 00:07:06.90 Brian Penn So really good. 00:07:07.23 Chris Olson You heard it here first. 00:07:08.75 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:07:09.79 Chris Olson And this is one you'll also probably hear first because Chris Bjork is going to chip in with a review of street trash. 00:07:17.00 Brian Penn Oh, fantastic. 00:07:21.15 Chris Olson And that was Chris's review. um Just peek behind the curtain on this, guys. 00:07:25.66 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:07:25.87 Chris Olson Brian isn't hearing these reviews. I'm going to put them in afterwards. So he's going to have to just... 00:07:28.94 Brian Penn I know. 00:07:30.11 Chris Olson What do you think of Chris's review, Brian? 00:07:31.14 Brian Penn I know. 00:07:31.39 Chris Olson Do you think...? 00:07:31.90 Brian Penn I know. I know. I've got some views about it now. 00:07:33.06 Chris Olson Oh, it was great, wasn't it? 00:07:33.64 Brian Penn Oh yeah. But yeah, I know. But you see the thing is though, I'll be in the same position as listeners when I listen in. 00:07:41.56 Chris Olson Exactly. And I know you're a big fan of the show. 00:07:42.42 Brian Penn Cause I, of course I am. Yeah, absolutely. 00:07:45.72 Chris Olson um 00:07:45.92 Brian Penn No question. 00:07:47.26 Chris Olson But yeah, we are going to ask Brian to do another review now because Chris has had his time. 00:07:47.80 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:07:51.23 Chris Olson He will be chipping in another one. 00:07:51.82 Brian Penn Cool. 00:07:52.47 Chris Olson But before we get to that, i'm this is another one I'm very intrigued about because it's been all over the place in terms of its um dynamic and the setup. a Better man. 00:08:04.20 Brian Penn Oh, well, okay, then. So, directed by Michael Gracie, starring Jono Davis, Steve Pemberton, as the stubborn and Robbie himself. um Robbie is played on screen by computer generated chimpanzee. It charts his life and career from his early days would take that the acrimonious split. He's wildly successful for a solo album, a slow descent into addiction, his relationships with girlfriend Nicole Appleton, his father Pete, 00:08:32.23 Brian Penn and songwriting partner Guy Chambers, but also marks his gradual recovery to sobriety. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Before I go on, I am a huge Robbie Williams fan. 00:08:41.02 Chris Olson Ooh. 00:08:46.21 Chris Olson Are you? 00:08:47.03 Brian Penn I am, yeah, a love ah yeah um but I know. 00:08:47.88 Chris Olson So you're to blame. Okay, right, come on then. 00:08:53.30 Brian Penn I do race him as a performer, as an artist, and a songwriter. But to use the CGI chimp, was a huge mistake. um When Robbie was asked about this, he said that, oh, like chimps, I feel less evolved. People are kinder to animals than humans. That is psychobabble, in my opinion. That's a poor reason, a poor excuse to turn a film into a gimmick, which is what this is. I don't know why he ever agreed to it. It only undermines the film's credibility. um The narrative is skewed 00:09:32.34 Brian Penn and very one-sided, take that feature very briefly, but deserve more credit for their part in in his career. Whether he likes it or not, there would be no Robbie Williams without take that. right um It's interesting that it's been nominated for an Oscar, Best Visual Effects, and I find that very telling. It's the film's only real strength. It's just the wrong time to make a biopic about Robbie, and entirely the wrong approach. 00:09:59.23 Brian Penn um so I miss for me, unfortunately. 00:10:03.14 Chris Olson Oh, interesting. Yeah, no, I was intrigued to see what you're going to make of this one. 00:10:04.30 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:10:06.82 Chris Olson And it hasn't appealed, I'll be honest. so And I've seen the trailers and the clips and things. 00:10:10.12 Brian Penn yeah 00:10:12.05 Chris Olson I'm not a Broly Williams fan. And I thought, you know what? I will be giving this a miss unless Brian comes back and says it's like the greatest biopic he's ever watched. 00:10:19.48 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:10:20.03 Chris Olson I'm giving this one a miss. 00:10:20.24 Brian Penn Yeah. Well, there you go. And I'm a fan of Broadway winning Spain. I'm saying, no, don't, don't do it. 00:10:25.29 Chris Olson Oh, I tell you what I did need to tell you, Brian. 00:10:27.52 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:10:27.79 Chris Olson Last year on the show, you reviewed a film called The Boys in the Boat. Do you remember? 00:10:33.07 Brian Penn yeah oh yeah yeah sure of course yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah oh thanks thanks for that view i was wondering for a second yeah i thought he was yeah i know but you enjoyed it yeah 00:10:34.10 Chris Olson And you it was a Clooney film he directed, right? And you gave... Yeah, you gave it, um you said it was filmed a month. You've been to cinema. I, on that recommendation alone, forced my wife to watch it with me. 00:10:47.66 Chris Olson And we both loved it. Brilliant recommendation. Really good. ah but You were worried there, weren't you? you thought i was good You thought I was going to reel you out in front of everyone. But yeah, no, it was a very good film. 00:10:59.18 Chris Olson Very good. It's on Amazon, if anyone wants to watch that movie and go back and listen to Brian's review of it. 00:11:03.56 Brian Penn there Very underrated, very underrated film. 00:11:04.66 Chris Olson Very good. Yeah, it's such an under the radar kind of movie. 00:11:08.74 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 00:11:09.49 Chris Olson um I don't wanna, I'm not gonna do any spoilers, but there was, there was a bit, you'll know what I say if I do this right. say There's a character near at the end, quite a prominent character, shall we say, in history that is attending the games. 00:11:16.11 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:11:20.59 Brian Penn Right. 00:11:22.27 Chris Olson Do you know the character that I mean? 00:11:22.52 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:11:24.80 Chris Olson That was, ah it was a bit of a, I don't know, there was a lot of focus on him, but it was sort of like, oh, where's this suddenly come from? 00:11:30.78 Brian Penn and and and I I That's a bit of a kill ball though, isn't it? 00:11:31.02 Chris Olson yeah But, 00:11:33.06 Brian Penn Yeah, I know. 00:11:33.34 Chris Olson but But generally, that it was really good. I really enjoyed that. um We are um heading back to Chris for another review. 00:11:37.87 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:11:41.59 Chris Olson This one is of the damned. So here's Chris. 00:11:49.55 Chris Olson And again, Brian hasn't heard that review. So Brian, what did you think of that? 00:11:52.19 Brian Penn Fantastic. 00:11:52.95 Chris Olson Was it a good review? Do you like what Chris said? Fantastic, wasn't he? 00:11:55.61 Brian Penn I mean, he should be on air. He should be on air with a shoot and he really, he should be 00:11:57.47 Chris Olson Yeah. I can't believe he was swearing so much. 00:12:00.60 Brian Penn on i 00:12:00.69 Chris Olson How dare he? 00:12:02.14 Brian Penn Mind you, it makes it stand out though, doesn't it? 00:12:04.47 Chris Olson That's what I say. um I should just say um both. ah So Street Trash was a cinema release. It was in cinemas on the 10th of Jan, um if you're listening to this sort of in real time. 00:12:15.60 Chris Olson And it's also going to be on digital and Blu-ray 17th of Feb. And The Damned was also available in cinemas from the 10th of January. I don't know how well both of them did. um Brian didn't go see them. 00:12:24.96 Brian Penn right 00:12:26.90 Chris Olson So I can't imagine they did that well. 00:12:27.00 Brian Penn not you know 00:12:29.81 Chris Olson um But yeah, thank you, Chris, for both of those reviews that you did in the show. and Brian will move onto his last cinema release cover and again with a biopic but one I am a fan of the artist this time Bob Dylan um a complete unknown 00:12:41.53 Brian Penn Ah, yeah. Ah, right. Yeah. So directed by James Mangold starring Timothy Chamelee, Edward Norton, Ellie Fanning, and Monica Barbaro. So we begin in the early sixties, aspiring singer-songwriter Bob Dylan travels to New York and meets his hero Woody Guthrie, who lies stricken in a hospital. He also meets folk singer Pete Seeger and plays them both a song. 00:13:09.89 Brian Penn Seager is impressed and introduces into the New York folk community. Dylan become ah sorry dylan begins to date Sylvie Russo, but he's also distracted by Joan Baez, another up and coming folk singer. He's later signed by CBS and recalls his first album. Dylan is looked upon as the savior of of folk music. However, his fans are horrified when he plans to go electric. I absolutely love this. 00:13:37.19 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:13:37.44 Brian Penn like you i'm ah I'm a huge Bob Dylan fan. I mean, really, who who couldn't be a Bob Dylan fan? um This is how you make a biopic really. I mean, if you take into account what we just discussed about the Robbie Williams biopic, this is how you do it. They concentrated on a five-year period and they've made it sequential. It's signposted with major political events like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the JFK assassination, the March on Washington. Absolutely brilliant. Now there's nothing wrong with flashbacks. 00:14:07.60 Brian Penn It's a technique used in most films, but with a biopic, it should always be chronological. That's how an autobiography reads, so why should a film be any different? It doesn't try to cram Dylan's life into two and a half hours. It's sensible, highly intelligent filmmaking. Eight Oscar nominations, best picture, best director, best actor, best supporting actress, and six BAFTA nominations. So well deserved. I'm calling it now, Chris, one of the films of the year. 00:14:37.45 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:14:37.47 Brian Penn And it's like in January. Brilliant. Absolutely. 00:14:40.70 Chris Olson Wow. 00:14:40.88 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:14:41.47 Chris Olson So what will happen now, listeners, is that's the film that I'll then watch for next year's pod when you listen back. 00:14:46.63 Brian Penn yeah like can on like can on yourly Yeah. 00:14:47.63 Chris Olson Like I've just done with the boys in the boat. You know, OK. 00:14:50.49 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:14:50.90 Chris Olson Oh, i by the way, Brian, I've just watched it. 00:14:52.44 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:14:53.37 Chris Olson ah But no, I will I'll be seeking this one out because I'm a big music fan as well as a big film fan. 00:14:55.84 Brian Penn yeah yeah 00:14:57.49 Chris Olson So it ticks both boxes. And I agree with you. I think there is an element of I think when they focus on a time that's more condensed, not trying to do the whole sort of killing the people of everything that they've done, and also not trying to get to... 00:15:10.29 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:15:13.67 Chris Olson caught up in the gimmicks like with the Robbie Williams there's a big gimmick going on there. 00:15:15.97 Brian Penn Yeah. Oh, cool says yeah. 00:15:17.36 Chris Olson um i'm I'm actually okay with sometimes with they're doing flashbacks because obviously they sometimes want to show the artists like at the end of their life and they kind of are looking back on when they were popular or whatever but yeah I think with Bob Dylan there's just too much like he's so influential he's got so much you know in his back catalogue that to focus on this period just makes complete sense and the absolute caliber of the filmmakers and the 00:15:24.98 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:15:34.06 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:15:41.38 Chris Olson cast here it's just enough to make anyone go yeah this is going to be a corker over and gurgle i love that that is brilliant 00:15:42.19 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's gonna, I mean, for any film fan, it's going to make you roll over in Google. I mean, it's so good. You know, even if you're not particularly a Yeah. I know. Well, I'm glad you do. I thought I should try that one out. We'll see if that works. But you know, it's it's that type of film, even if you're not particularly a particular Bob Dylan fan, particularly still a great story. and Right. But I mean, you've got the songs. I mean, what can you say about the songs? 00:16:12.55 Brian Penn They are landmarks in popular music. There's got to be at least one Bob Dylan song that you like. 00:16:19.04 Chris Olson Yeah, especially a lot of people don't realise that songs they like were Bob Dylan songs, if you know what I mean? 00:16:19.20 Brian Penn you know 00:16:22.93 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:16:23.66 Chris Olson They'll know a version of it, a cover of it, and they'll go, oh, it's Bob Dylan. 00:16:23.93 Brian Penn well well Well, I mean, look at Adele ah to make you feel my love. 00:16:30.02 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:16:30.30 Brian Penn That's a pub much later in his career, but that's a Bob Dylan song. And you wouldn't have had that down as a Bob Dylan song, not really. 00:16:35.88 Chris Olson Yeah, there's just so many here. 00:16:36.70 Brian Penn um and I mean, what they could also do, though, is that um like could take another phase ah of Dylan's life and say going into the 70s and make another film about that you know and I'd sooner it be that way rather than just try and crowbar everything in to a limited time span whilst I accept that flashbacks are an important technique in film ah but i I just prefer it better with biopics when they do it like this you know and I expect it to fare very well at the Oscars it already you could say it already has because the nominations is gone 00:17:08.36 Chris Olson Yeah I think it's got that type of movie about it that they'll like and it's also one of those ones where it's kind of inoffensive if you see what I mean that people kind of go oh yeah that's fine like for that to do well um but I also oh you know these these days the award seasons and things they do get 00:17:13.95 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:17:27.83 Chris Olson though they do throw some different ones up there and sort of you have some random films winning but there's also a strength that James Mann got when he's done some incredible movies so I think yeah I could see this doing very very well but we'll see 00:17:33.43 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:17:37.67 Brian Penn yeah 00:17:42.67 Brian Penn yeah Yeah, I know, but it's not really much more i can I can say about it. I mean, you can run out of superlaces, but it is a fantastic film, you know, and go see it. 00:17:56.70 Chris Olson There you go. That's it. You've been told. 00:17:58.02 Brian Penn Go watch it. 00:17:58.44 Chris Olson Brian's told you. Go see it. 00:17:59.18 Brian Penn Go see it. 00:18:00.17 Chris Olson um Except me. I will watch it next year, which is what I normally do. um But yeah, those are all the movies that are out at the cinema that we're covering. 00:18:04.11 Brian Penn Yeah, well, yeah. 00:18:08.16 Chris Olson um And yeah, ah thank you, Brian, obviously, for going to watch those. And thank you to Chris to for reviewing the ones I sent across. um We're moving now to what's called our streaming pic. 00:18:19.29 Chris Olson And this is where we watch and review a movie from a streaming platform, quite typically Netflix, I'll be honest, um most most months it's Netflix. And this month is no exception. 00:18:31.43 Chris Olson We are reviewing a documentary though, ah called Don't Die, The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. And this was an interesting pick from ah for a few reasons. 00:18:37.86 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:18:44.94 Chris Olson Brian, he watched this one, yeah. 00:18:46.64 Brian Penn Yeah, I did. 00:18:47.25 Chris Olson Caught this one, fabulous. 00:18:47.28 Brian Penn Yep. Yep. 00:18:50.56 Chris Olson It's about this, well, I call him an influencer now, but yeah, he's a he was a a rich guy who decided to focus all his resources and energies on becoming um but reversing the aging process. 00:19:03.32 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:19:06.27 Chris Olson um and yeah I'll try and remember the guy's name, Brian Johnson. 00:19:11.73 Brian Penn Brian Johnson. 00:19:13.05 Chris Olson Brian Johnson um yeah he he' been yeah very yeah openly talks with the cameras, but also has there's loads of clips of him online where he goes to very extreme lengths to um prevent himself from aging and trying to reverse the clock. 00:19:14.00 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:19:29.33 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:19:30.12 Chris Olson doing things, yeah such simple things to begin with, you so diet, exercise, all the sort of things that maybe most people did, but then concoctions of pills and transfusions and all kind of manner of things yeah um to the point where 00:19:43.83 Brian Penn Gene therapy. Gene therapy as well. 00:19:50.39 Chris Olson Yeah, it's clearly doing something, whether or not, what harm it's doing and good it's doing is up to your sort of interpretation of everything. 00:19:56.39 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:19:59.11 Chris Olson But I think it's ah it's a powerful story about our age and where we're living. And also, it had this kind of sci-fi feel to it. yeah It did feel like you could even very quickly make this into a you ah fictional movie. 00:20:07.97 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:20:13.72 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:20:13.78 Chris Olson um What did you feel about this one, bro? 00:20:16.05 Brian Penn It's interesting. There's something quite engrossing about this really. I mean, it's true. What you say, this is typical Netflix fodder, isn't it? Really? It's the type of thing they will put on, but it's very watchable. 00:20:23.63 Chris Olson Hmm. 00:20:27.40 Brian Penn Um, I mean, he's walking experiment, isn't he? Uh, he's devised the program to reduce his age and live longer, but taking a hundred pills a day, um, regular blood transfusions, gene therapies, we just said, I think you get a real insight into the mind of Brian Johnson. 00:20:44.01 Brian Penn This obsession. What else could you really call it? I mean, I know he's making money from this. Let's not forget. He's a tech millionaire, isn't he? Or billionaire. He's a very wealthy man anyway. ah But he's still making money out of this. um But all of this seems to be a product of his earlier life. He had difficult relationships with his parents, his son, former partners, et cetera. He seems to be a very troubled soul. But what strikes me is that something important is being lost here. 00:21:11.89 Brian Penn amidst all the inferencing and the sound blacks and the YouTube videos and what have you, because he could be doing something quite unique and quite valuable for medical science that's getting buried. um I don't know whether you remember or not, but one doctor was being interviewed for this documentary and he sent him a ah message. He sent Brian Johnson a message ah saying what he was doing was really interesting, but it shouldn't just be him on this program. It shouldn't involve a thousand people. 00:21:40.95 Brian Penn on a proper clinical trial, then you have data that would mean something because you have comparisons. Now I'm paraphrasing that, but that's what he was getting at. 00:21:49.32 Chris Olson Yeah, no, I remember that bit and it was it was quite important because it was the idea that actually everything he's doing is actually getting wasted because it's not the scientific community will not accept it. 00:21:50.53 Brian Penn Yeah. but Yeah. 00:21:58.95 Chris Olson It's not a true evaluation of what happens, but he yeah Brian Johnson himself. 00:21:59.04 Brian Penn yeah 00:22:04.77 Chris Olson So he's kind of like pushing himself to the pure limits like he's doing stuff that she ah admits is unsafe. 00:22:07.90 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:22:12.04 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:22:12.74 Chris Olson to see what happens, to see if it works, to see if there's any kind of worth to that. But it's yeah it's like it's it's interesting that there's this underlying feeling that everything he's doing is almost pointless because it is just a one-person experiment. 00:22:27.50 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:22:28.18 Chris Olson And he is, yeah as we all know, everyone's unique. 00:22:28.69 Brian Penn yeah 00:22:30.80 Chris Olson There is, obviously, there's the element of his son. His son is kind of following him, doing similar things. 00:22:34.65 Brian Penn yeah 00:22:36.00 Chris Olson He's starting to take it on. And that relationship, to be honest, That for me was more of the heart of the film because the whole structure of the documentary is set up around the fact that his son, who has chosen to come live with his father even though they were estranged for a bit, is also now about to go move into his uni lodgings and he's going to leave. 00:22:44.59 Brian Penn Yeah. Hmm. 00:22:53.42 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:22:57.37 Chris Olson And it's this idea of like what's that impact going to be on Brian, who clearly is enjoying this relationship with his son. They're working out together, they're eating meals together, they're doing all this stuff together. 00:23:10.83 Chris Olson um And it's like, you know, I think, like you said, the the story talks about the issues that Brian's had in his past, the family issues he's had, the trouble he had to with religion, I think it was, was it Mormonism? 00:23:24.65 Brian Penn lins Yeah, moment. 00:23:25.10 Chris Olson Yeah. um And Yeah, you can see that yeah he even himself admits that his relationships is really important for development for the process of staying healthy, staying yeah young. 00:23:39.20 Chris Olson um And yet, he's so obsessed with giving his mind over to the algorithm and yeah releasing himself from all this stuff and just living in a way that's just going to keep his body young. 00:23:41.06 Brian Penn There. 00:23:51.11 Chris Olson But it's actually his relationship with his son, which seems to bring the most fulfillment in the documentary anyway. 00:23:51.30 Brian Penn yeah yeah it's very true actually it does come through yeah but yeah but funny thing is though to me it's just my opinion he doesn't look that healthy he's got a good physique he's honed and ripped and all the rest of it but he looks a bit pale to me a bit do you not think 00:23:56.11 Chris Olson And I found that I found that really powerful, just watching him as a character and saying, well, actually, this is all just a byproduct of what's going on. um Yeah, that was interesting. 00:24:19.11 Chris Olson like well I suppose if you think about one of the worst things to do if you don't want to age is like sun right you don't want to go out in the sun because it's terrible for your skin terrible for everything really they do say that going out on Sunday is not good for you and so I think that's probably why he does look a bit pale or it could be that he's not really human you know there is that chance as well um um but you know I think 00:24:27.00 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:24:38.54 Brian Penn Well, yeah, it could be, I suppose. yeah You never know, do you? And this age of like AI, who knows? 00:24:46.21 Chris Olson like all good documentaries this isn't just a promotion of what he's doing there is there is definitely a double side to it and anyone watching it will know yeah you know you don't feel like you're being fed a line or anything like that um they do give plenty of time to his critics they give plenty of time for the the other side of the the argument um but 00:25:04.33 Brian Penn Yeah, I do. It's very balanced. Yeah. Yeah. 00:25:10.13 Chris Olson i I honestly didn't think that he was scamming people because you know when you watch some documentaries and they they can easily find out they can oh be well about all this stuff that you're doing that's underhand. 00:25:20.60 Chris Olson Like I know he's selling stuff like he has like affiliate links to oil or whatever on his i'm he cooking oil on his like homepage or whatever but I honestly just think that's just a natural thing that he would do. 00:25:27.42 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:25:32.38 Chris Olson um 00:25:32.41 Brian Penn yeah 00:25:33.71 Chris Olson I thought it was a very contemporary documentary that I think a lot of people are going to be interested in, especially with the rise of social media, how it is impacting people's knowledge around ah health and medicine, science, all these things, because it only takes one video to go viral and suddenly everyone thinks that's gospel. 00:25:39.38 Brian Penn and 00:25:45.60 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:25:53.17 Chris Olson They think that's true, right? 00:25:53.41 Brian Penn yeah 00:25:54.91 Chris Olson um Whereas actually, If yeah it's like you see these things online, someone say, oh yeah, do these four ah workouts and you'll have ripped abs like me. 00:26:01.04 Brian Penn Hello. Yeah. 00:26:03.93 Chris Olson It's like, no, no, no, you already had ripped abs. Like that's not, you let's question what you're saying here. 00:26:06.70 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:26:08.68 Chris Olson um And I think that's a really, he's an interesting character to be around in this time that we're in. 00:26:11.58 Brian Penn yeah we is Yeah. 00:26:14.71 Brian Penn I think, I think you're right. I think diet and health and fitness is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Isn't it? We want to stay healthy. We want to stay fit. We want to stay, we want to age well, don't we? 00:26:26.72 Chris Olson Hmm. 00:26:26.89 Brian Penn Um, but when it comes to reversing the aging process, which is ultimately what he's trying to do, that's something slightly different. That's where science takes over. Now, I don't think he's trying to scam anyone. You know, people have a choice, don't they? But it's a question of whether people buy into his worldview and his perception of what's good for you. Now, that's not a scam in itself. You either believe in it or you don't. But you see it, I think what you need to bear in mind with anything like this is that it's a bit also about genetics. You know, it's about individual metabolisms. So we don't always respond 00:27:06.68 Brian Penn treatments in the same way and that's what you've always got to bear in mind with this but it will no doubt no doubt go down very well and and it will be of interest to many many people. 00:27:09.22 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:27:17.18 Chris Olson It struck me as like that one of those older, you said it was like perfect fodder for Netflix, but it struck me as one of those ones that's like, ah do you remember the channel five documentaries? 00:27:21.72 Brian Penn yeah 00:27:25.26 Chris Olson That used to be the the platform for the kind of wacky ah doc. 00:27:28.80 Brian Penn oh yeah yeah yeah 00:27:29.89 Chris Olson It was like you channel five, you know, 00:27:30.50 Brian Penn yeah yeah 00:27:32.55 Chris Olson why why is my brain hurting or something like that you know it'd be like uh that it felt a bit like that but it's got good production values lots of modern uh footage and clips and things being used but i think as with all good documentaries you've got the balance but you've also got the heart there there's a heart there behind this character because if you just took it on the surface as to what this guy is preaching and what he's talking about 00:27:34.41 Brian Penn and and yeah Yeah. Yeah. 00:27:58.71 Chris Olson Yeah, it would feel very flat and clinical. 00:28:01.29 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:28:01.90 Chris Olson But actually, when you get those moments about his family, his yeah history and what's going on, it really does have a lot of depth. And yeah I was very compelled. 00:28:09.87 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:28:11.06 Chris Olson I can't say I was bored watching this. 00:28:12.17 Brian Penn Yeah. And you do feel concerned for him in in some ways, you think, well, this, this is what it what he's chosen to do. This is the journey that he's he's making. And that it does involve an element of danger and risk. 00:28:24.28 Brian Penn But you also, you do feel concerned for him in some ways, you, you want it to to work work out all right. But the very most important thing about about the whole documentary, though, was that Um, there were contrary views being, being posed that, um, there were, uh, talking heads being interviewed who put the country view, who was skeptical, who were interested, but s skeptical. 00:28:50.47 Brian Penn And then probably you've got that in there, right? You know, you take that side of it out. It just becomes an advert, doesn't it? For what he's doing, but this isn't, this is a ah proper documentary. 00:28:58.56 Chris Olson yeah 00:29:01.92 Chris Olson Yeah, yeah, definitely. ah i yeah I think that's important to make that that point. 00:29:03.68 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:29:06.35 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:29:06.47 Chris Olson ah It's called Don't Die, The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, and it is on Netflix. So yeah have a watch, send us your reviews, let us know what you thought. 00:29:13.69 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:29:13.90 Chris Olson so It's always good to hear some opinions. Moving on now to a couple of indie films that we were sent. These are from filmmakers who have asked us to review their film and and one is very nice of those it's very kind they want to hear what we say. 00:29:24.41 Brian Penn That's nice. Isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. 00:29:30.02 Chris Olson um One of these has been a long time coming because I know there were some issues with something to do with the song rights or something but we eventually got to watch it and I'm so glad we did because it's available on Prime Video at the moment called Because We Are Too Many and we will get into the review shortly but first I'm going to play a clip and a quick warning it does have ah some wearing. 00:29:49.16 Brian Penn wow really what the heck 00:30:47.57 Chris Olson So absolutely incredible movie written and directed by Eve Lynn Walsh, who also stars in the film. 00:30:51.85 Brian Penn Mm hmm. 00:30:56.75 Chris Olson And the sort of quick synopsis is it's about a single mum ah living in Glasgow with her autistic son. And they're attempting to navigate the difficulty of life, really. 00:31:09.83 Chris Olson Morgan and Ronan, we, as you hear in that clip, that's actually Morgan's mum talking to her because a lot of the film is actually set in flashback in in the past and we are privy to see what happened in her childhood with her parents in a very sort of challenging upbringing and what that then means for her now in her modern life. What do you think of Because We Are Too Many, Brian? 00:31:41.19 Brian Penn Well very dark but also very very good. Very impressed with this. I really like the approach to the film itself because it's It's kind of part documentary, isn't it? 00:31:52.53 Brian Penn It feels like a fly in the world, isn't it? It feels like almost reality TV and the way it was meant to be made, that they just turn a camera on a series of events and they film it. 00:32:04.47 Brian Penn And that's what it feels like. I found it very reminiscent of the director Ken Loach, who specialized in gritty real life dramas. 00:32:10.76 Chris Olson yeah yeah yeah Yeah, I thought that too, yeah. 00:32:15.08 Brian Penn You compare it to something like I, like Daniel Blake or Raining Stones, 00:32:19.05 Chris Olson Brian, it's like you're literally taking my bullet points. Stop it. 00:32:21.37 Brian Penn o Sorry about that. But, you know, and I'm not suggesting that it's as good as Ken Loach, but it's, it's, you know, it's in that ballpark. 00:32:32.09 Chris Olson Can we say lochian? 00:32:32.10 Brian Penn You know, it's... 00:32:33.17 Chris Olson Is that a thing? 00:32:33.83 Brian Penn Loachian. 00:32:34.52 Chris Olson load yeah because there's Because obviously lynchian, R-I-P, David Lynch by the way, ah is a thing, but lochian should also be a thing. 00:32:34.53 Brian Penn That's good. I like that. We'll we'll go with that. 00:32:38.92 Brian Penn Yeah. Loachian. Yeah. Yeah. So it's very much in that and that ballpark. And that's what makes it so good. Right. It's very real and very authentic. 00:32:50.96 Brian Penn But there's one part I didn't get about in this film. The kid in the tunnel, was he a refugee? 00:32:55.22 Chris Olson Mm. 00:32:57.44 Brian Penn I wasn't really sure because I had flashbacks to Africa, didn't they? Or what seemed like Africa that gave you a backstory of where he came from. um And um I think it kind of partly derailed the story, but then he quickly got back on track again. 00:33:15.01 Brian Penn But I wasn't entirely sure why that was there. 00:33:18.22 Chris Olson Well, funny enough, the film's title comes from that scene. We see a flashback of him with his mum, I think, or something like that. There's a speech that goes on and that that's the title comes from that. 00:33:26.90 Brian Penn All right. Yeah. 00:33:30.69 Chris Olson But, yeah, I took it as this yeah characters like the character that she connected with because everything around her just was so chaotic and everyone had their sort of... 00:33:43.41 Chris Olson fallibility. No one was perfect at all. 00:33:45.31 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:33:46.79 Chris Olson And also how fragile this person was you in this tunnel. And then the kids start to sort of pick on him and then it escalates from there. 00:33:52.56 Brian Penn ah Yeah. 00:33:56.58 Chris Olson um And one of the themes that kind of came up for me was this idea that no one seems to be able to rely on anyone. no in In a world where there are so many people, whether we are so so surrounded by other humans, no one's able to really rely on anyone, um not in any meaningful way, not in this world anyway. 00:34:09.60 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:34:16.77 Chris Olson um and even like the teachers at school are a bit useless you know they're not picking up on the signs of the kids being in trouble or or they're like giving Morgan detention when actually it wasn't anything to do with her there was a boy like picking on her and it was there's it's a and the to just say i think this is right um that the filmmaker uh even Walsh um the autistic child in the film is her child it's her kid who's got autism and 00:34:26.26 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:34:34.33 Brian Penn yeah 00:34:42.67 Brian Penn It's okay. Yeah. Yeah. 00:34:48.52 Chris Olson the that relationship isn't you know it's not being presented as oh everything isn't everything perfect okay yeah you know everything's fine so no no it's not fine um everything is not fine by the way it's not a documentary this is obviously fictional um but it's set um during the pandemic and i don't think that's you know a 00:35:03.54 Brian Penn Yeah. Hmm. 00:35:10.80 Chris Olson coincidence, it's done because that was a time, right, where we were suddenly alone, we were suddenly isolated, people's lifelines were cut off. 00:35:14.32 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:35:19.44 Chris Olson And a lot of those lifelines come in the form of community in the form of a network, people that are going to help you. 00:35:23.82 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:35:25.86 Chris Olson And I myself know as a parent, I had a child during the pandemic. ah Well, not me, my wife did it, actually. I say I say i had a child, yeah. 00:35:31.65 Brian Penn Yeah. fardo thank you so cla Thank you for clarifying that. 00:35:34.71 Chris Olson and birds and the bees, that's my next podcast. 00:35:36.58 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:35:37.02 Chris Olson um Yeah, no, that that time was very difficult for people having children because as the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child and it does because 00:35:40.07 Brian Penn Yeah. um 00:35:48.66 Chris Olson there's so many important things that are needed. and You mentioned I Daniel Blake and that was immediately came across to me in the job center scene where there's a woman coming and she's walked like three miles or something and she's just come to be told to come back and they're acting like she's being aggressive and it's this idea that even though there's so many of us so much within this community when times get tough 00:35:56.14 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:36:01.71 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. um and Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:36:12.74 Brian Penn yeah 00:36:13.67 Chris Olson Sometimes we rally for each other, but other times we don't. 00:36:15.62 Brian Penn yeah 00:36:16.51 Chris Olson And actually, I think that's what that child under the tunnel represented is how easy it is for people's worst behaviors to come out to someone that did not ask for any of that, did not ask for any of any of the ah yeah horrible behavior that came towards them. 00:36:19.97 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:36:24.69 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:36:28.03 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:36:32.79 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:36:33.34 Chris Olson And yeah, that that was something that kind of, because I was the same, I thought, this is an interesting character of thrown in here. 00:36:33.70 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:36:39.59 Brian Penn yeah But. 00:36:40.11 Chris Olson Um, but I also think if you look at it in a, in a way that maybe it was a sort of parallel story that was, yeah, I don't know. 00:36:43.55 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:36:49.17 Brian Penn Yeah. No, but now yeah you describe it like that, Chris. I'm seeing it in a slightly different light now. 00:36:55.18 Chris Olson Wow. 00:36:55.30 Brian Penn Yeah. That kind of makes sense, doesn't it? But the, the girl that plays Morgan as a child, wasn't she good? 00:37:00.88 Chris Olson And, and try to, oh yeah, very good. 00:37:04.56 Brian Penn I think it's ay king Ailey Keene. 00:37:05.04 Chris Olson Very good. 00:37:05.85 Brian Penn Ailey Keene, I think her name is. Um, she was fantastic. You know, that, you know, she, someone's very young who can portray, uh, so many moods, you know, confronted with what she, what she has a around her. 00:37:22.13 Brian Penn ah that kind of degree of coldness and disinterest that her mother and the other people close to her were showing her and getting nothing anywhere else from school. 00:37:33.97 Brian Penn um You know, it's heartbreaking. And I think she's more the star of the film than Eve Lander-Walshits. 00:37:43.03 Chris Olson Yeah, you don't get a lot with the modern storyline, do you? it It does spend a lot more time in the past, but I think that was yeah purposeful. 00:37:47.53 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:37:51.85 Chris Olson I think that was a reason for that. 00:37:52.27 Brian Penn Yeah, but but it's a wonderful film and it deserves much credit and I'm glad it's got that platform on on Amazon Prime. 00:38:01.67 Chris Olson Yeah, because and I honestly was watching, thinking Ken Loach definitely came to mind. I was like, oh yeah. 00:38:06.12 Brian Penn yeah 00:38:06.78 Chris Olson Another film, ah in terms of the calibre, in terms of that, like if you're going to watch this and you want to know what's the vibe, what am I going to expect, was um Wild Rose. 00:38:06.87 Brian Penn yeah 00:38:15.75 Chris Olson Did you ever watch Wild Rose with Jesse Buckley? 00:38:17.72 Brian Penn a yeah lot and 00:38:20.35 Chris Olson she's like she gets out of prison and then she but she wants to be a country singer but she's like very uncouth and it's really gritty i'm not saying the story i'm necessarily saying but just the vibe of it that it was this like realistic portrayal of yeah life in the uk and it does have that same kind of um tone there's that sort it's kind of like a melancholy to it it is like you're watching it thinking 00:38:30.94 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:38:45.75 Chris Olson OK, life is hard, but you can't help but watch this movie and come away and go, I'm so glad I watched that. 00:38:48.10 Brian Penn Yeah. so Yeah. Yeah. 00:38:54.14 Brian Penn yeah 00:38:54.18 Chris Olson Yes, it was difficult, but it was so rewarding. 00:38:55.75 Brian Penn and Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's it's one of those times when you you see life staring back at you on screen, don't you? 00:39:02.39 Chris Olson Absolutely, yeah. 00:39:02.67 Brian Penn And and you know you have to watch it. And you do come out of it ah feeling a lot wiser. It so it teaches you more. ah thought I always feel we're learning more and more about life as every day. 00:39:16.50 Brian Penn And you see a film like that, and it sees she just some strikes a chord. It teaches you something about life. And films like that need to be made. Films like that need to be seen. 00:39:26.62 Chris Olson I definitely want to give a shout out to the music as well. so Whenever I make make notes on films that we we're doing for the podcast, the music does often pop up for me, and I made three notes on the music for this one, so it definitely ah caught me. 00:39:29.36 Brian Penn Yeah. Yep. 00:39:38.86 Chris Olson um But yeah, absolute shout out to Andre Barras. 00:39:42.96 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:39:44.78 Chris Olson The original music that they did was brilliant, um but the sound design in general was really good. There's this like classical kind of going on, there's oboe or something or cello or something, and it is really 00:39:50.06 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:39:55.76 Chris Olson really good at creating that gravitas to what we're watching and underlying everything with this kind of, like I said, melancholy for me, worked perfectly. 00:39:58.67 Brian Penn yeah but yeah Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Soundtracks very subtle, isn't it? But that's why it's good. know Doesn't intrude too much, but it kind of sets the mood, which is what a soundtrack should do. So yeah, very good. 00:40:15.17 Chris Olson Very good. ah Because We Are Too Many is available on Amazon Prime. and When I watched it, it was included within the Prime subscription. 00:40:24.20 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:40:24.21 Chris Olson So please, please, please go and watch it. I actually, you know, often people ask me like, how how do you rate a film if it's five stars? 00:40:26.65 Brian Penn yeah 00:40:32.31 Chris Olson Like, why do you give it five stars? I would give this five stars and the reason is that I would go out of my way to encourage people to watch this and that's why I'm saying it's not just like if someone asked me you know did you like a movie like the Netflix one we just reviewed oh yes good yeah you might want to check it out with this I'll go out of my way to say hey do you know I watch this really good film the other day let me tell you about it and then you look on their faces at oh god Chris is off on one again here we go 00:40:38.65 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:40:54.19 Chris Olson Um, but more often than not, hopefully they they take it in and maybe go have a check out and i'm telling you now check out because we are too many because it's on prime and you want no reason not to watch it so Thoroughly recommended. 00:40:57.44 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:40:59.99 Brian Penn Hmm. I already recommended. 00:41:06.92 Chris Olson Um, go for it. We're gonna review another movie now again when we were sent this documentary, um, and This one is called rhino man, and I have a clip 00:41:19.37 Brian Penn well 00:42:32.89 Chris Olson So yeah, a documentary called Rhino Man. 00:42:34.12 Brian Penn hmm yeah yeah yeah 00:42:35.49 Chris Olson um And just before we we get into this movie, we reviewed a film, I think it was on the last month's podcast, called The Last Ranger, which had a very similar ah theme. 00:42:46.47 Chris Olson It was wasn't a documentary, it was a fictional piece, but all about Rhino poaching. um Short film, really good. We we really like that movie. It's also been not nominated for Best Short Film, by the way, at the Oscars. 00:42:58.10 Chris Olson and So, yeah, fingers crossed it wins. But yeah, a Rhino Man, looking at the same issue, same topic, but in a very different way, and documentary style and also 00:43:05.81 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:43:12.64 Chris Olson not so much about the problem don't get me wrong they absolutely do explore the problem and the crime around it but with this film it's far more about the process of recruiting people to help it's all about this idea about you what does it take to become a ranger that's going to be able to you know 00:43:17.92 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:43:33.34 Chris Olson join the war. It honestly is a war. 00:43:34.63 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:43:35.42 Chris Olson um And they describe it as such. 00:43:35.47 Brian Penn It's a wall. Yeah, absolutely. 00:43:37.22 Chris Olson They say, you know, this is a war and because people are dying. Lots of people, way more than need to, it's insane, um over the the the hunting of rhinos simply to take their horns for this this trade. 00:43:51.81 Chris Olson And set in South Africa, um I say they do talk about the scale of the problem and how terrifying it is. um But the film focuses on these candidates that are gonna become hopefully the Rangers. 00:44:03.68 Chris Olson So they have like 40 odd ca candidates and they're only gonna pick 16 over the course of a five day training process. And it is absolutely grueling. 00:44:13.70 Chris Olson It kind of reminded me a bit of like Full Metal Jacket. 00:44:14.25 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:44:16.42 Chris Olson I was like, oh my gosh. 00:44:17.03 Brian Penn Yeah, and I know. 00:44:17.90 Chris Olson And they even say at the beginning, they prefaced it with saying that, you know, 00:44:18.22 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:44:20.94 Chris Olson these tests are meant to yeah be strong and you you might find it difficult to watch, but it's because of the nature of what the type of person they need at the end of it. um And their difficulty isn't so much choosing five out of the 41. 00:44:37.60 Chris Olson It's more like, or 16, sorry. It's more, will 16 even be left by the end of this training? 00:44:43.05 Brian Penn and I know. 00:44:43.66 Chris Olson Because so many drop out because it's so hard and they are so demanding. um What did you think of Rhino Man, bro? 00:44:51.65 Brian Penn I thought it was fascinating and engrossing. It's heartbreaking how these magnificent animals are being hunted into extinction. And you can only admire the rangers that risk their lives on a daily basis to protect the rhino. What I found particularly interesting was the, um, the senior trainer, Reuben the cock. 00:45:11.51 Brian Penn who has a great backstory himself. That's what pins much of this film down is that he gradually tells you his story and his experiences and the relationships he's formed, the friendships he's formed with other Rangers. 00:45:25.98 Brian Penn And it follows him out as he puts 44 recruits through their places. And that graphic 44 appears on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, doesn't it? 00:45:36.30 Brian Penn Every source. 00:45:36.62 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:45:37.78 Brian Penn And you think, right, how quickly is this going to dwindle down? because they are looking for a particular type of person aren't they to do this job. I mean, it's physically very dangerous. 00:45:48.42 Brian Penn There are people who would not hesitate to kill if it meant getting getting what they wanted. 00:45:48.88 Chris Olson Hmm. 00:45:55.30 Brian Penn And that in itself makes it doubly hard to find ranges that are mentally and physically tough enough to do this job and have the the ah sense and the logic and the coolness to remain calm in the outback. 00:46:14.55 Brian Penn You know, I think it's Kruger National Park, I think, isn't it? 00:46:18.29 Chris Olson yeah and it it gets into the the nitty-gritty of these ah rangers lives like what they've had to endure ah so obviously we're looking at the candidates but we're also finding out more about the rangers who are already working and things like you know they have their families attacked or 00:46:18.52 Brian Penn We're set to work at, but it's a fascinating story. It really, it really draws you in. 00:46:33.10 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:46:39.95 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:46:44.95 Chris Olson the crime syndicates will spread misinformation about the Rangers. 00:46:48.42 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:46:49.10 Chris Olson Oh, they're working for us. They work for us. 00:46:50.55 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:46:50.94 Chris Olson And so that these Rangers are then being targeted. And yeah, some of the stuff that happens when it won't spoil it, but is absolutely horrific. 00:46:57.30 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:46:58.30 Chris Olson And I found that so compelling because it was, again, with 00:46:58.80 Brian Penn Shocking. Yeah. 00:47:04.11 Chris Olson a lot of say films or documentaries that are going to talk about such an and yeah important issue they are going to focus on the problem and they're going to focus on the you know what's happening and you know make people want to 00:47:09.63 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:47:17.14 Chris Olson want to get involved with this it focuses on the people that are actually already involved the people that are already doing stuff and it's proactively being quite aggressive about you know this is what we're doing you know this is what this is a stance that we've had to adopt but and it's sort of trying to fight and a few of the rangers talk about how the reason why they do it is because they want to be able to say that you know when this war was happening they did something you know and It was genuinely, like i say it's it's like a war film. 00:47:44.74 Chris Olson On the one hand, it's like a war film. 00:47:44.74 Brian Penn Why not? 00:47:46.34 Chris Olson You've got a documentary aspect, but it's also a bit like a sport movie because you've got this whole like candidates and who's going to be left at the end. 00:47:49.64 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:47:52.64 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:47:52.70 Chris Olson There's a bit where they're doing a trial and they're in teams trying to carry someone on a stretcher. 00:47:57.97 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:47:58.54 Chris Olson And that was fascinating because I thought, okay, it was one team's doing really well, one team's not doing so well. 00:48:02.88 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:48:02.91 Chris Olson So it it had these different genre sort of elements going on. But overall, I found it a really refreshing approach to discussing this issue to be more about actually 00:48:12.19 Brian Penn yeah 00:48:15.39 Chris Olson could you be doing something you know these people are trying to do something i mean you see so many of these candidates some drop out because they're sort of they're clearly just it wasn't for them there's other people that just they really wanted to but just physically couldn't do it they just that and they can they say so a few of them say well i'll you know i know what to expect next year when i try and apply again and i thought that was really powerful that these people just sort of thought actually i'm going to come back and the 00:48:19.29 Brian Penn Hm. Hm. Hm. Hello. Yeah. 00:48:40.36 Chris Olson the drills and all that stuff is not just about yeah are you physically able to walk around for this long in the heat and do stuff it was about what type of character do they have will they be broken by you know criminals that are going to offer them money to you 00:48:48.12 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:48:50.61 Brian Penn I know. 00:48:55.64 Chris Olson get them on their side and yeah i've not seen it explored that way in such detail with such great access to what was going on some of the stuff is really startling when you actually see this sort of the stuff with the rhinos and yeah i found that very hard to watch um if you're if you're an animal lover it's it's going to be difficult but it's worthwhile definitely 00:49:01.54 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. and I know. Oh, yeah, it's it's got a bit. Yeah, it will be a soft watch for anyone because I mean, 00:49:20.81 Brian Penn There was a lot I didn't know. you know I like films that teach me that tell me something I didn't know. And I never realized the sort of risks they were being exposed to. you know you know you And you think of them as gamekeepers, but it's a bit more than that. you know They've got to be trained almost with military precision. right It's about obedience and discipline. It's about being physically and mentally strong enough ah bit to be a ranger. And that is not easy. 00:49:49.78 Brian Penn You see, other other films and other documentaries are focused on you know the practical impacts on rhinos. We know that part of it. But we don't know how they try and combat it. We never knew the detail until now. And this sheds light on it um on how they combat the problem and how they train rangers, which is something I don't think we've seen before. So it makes it even better. 00:50:18.08 Chris Olson Really, really good. ah Really powerful. 00:50:19.17 Brian Penn yeah 00:50:20.24 Chris Olson and I think people that are interested in wildlife and conservation will already be yeah fairly well versed in these sort of movies. 00:50:30.52 Brian Penn Hmm Yeah, hmm Hmm Yeah Hello 00:50:31.24 Chris Olson as There are a lot of them. I said we reviewed The Last Ranger on the last podcast and I know there's been others. um but the scale of it in this, with something like The Last Ranger, it was very focused on a sort of specific story within obviously the narrative at all. 00:50:47.23 Chris Olson With this, it is looking at a much bigger picture and you come away yeah far more kind of, oh gosh, like in terms of what's going on, because it is a documentary as well. um But both yeah both very powerful movies um and strongly recommend 00:51:00.46 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:51:02.78 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:51:02.78 Chris Olson watching it if you can. It's on Amazon Prime, but I don't think it's included. You might need to pay for it. um But I do think it's worth that money. 00:51:11.33 Brian Penn Yeah, I'd say so. 00:51:11.35 Chris Olson I'm saying.99 on my screen, so go for it. 00:51:14.89 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:51:16.11 Chris Olson i'm You can also check out our reviews of both of indie films we reviewed. um So Jason loved Rhino Man and gave it five stars. um We also loved ah because we are too many so yeah if you're not quite ready to watch it maybe go read the reviews and sometimes I'll have the trailer on the um on the review so check it out and yeah let us know if you do watch it let us know what you think and you can find those films on social media as well they've got their own Facebook and Instagram pages if you need directing let us know 00:51:30.81 Brian Penn Hmm. Yeah. 00:51:44.45 Chris Olson ah We tend to tag them in the posts on social media, so you can often find them that way um But yeah, that was rhino man, and that was the last ah Short and indie film we're gonna review in this ah episode we're moving on now to our final film of the show which is our nostalgia pic and 00:52:02.99 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:52:04.58 Chris Olson ah very cleverly in all my wisdom chose a film that was topical because of the recent release of Nosferatu which sadly I've not got around to watching I'm guessing you haven't either um but it is causing ripples amongst the film-loving community and I know we've been sent a few reviews of the one out now um so we thought we'd journey right the way back to 1922 and watch 00:52:07.66 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:52:13.18 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:52:16.10 Brian Penn No, not me. No, not me. 00:52:22.43 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:52:30.62 Brian Penn Yeah. i a hundred and Three years ago, you know. 00:52:33.32 Chris Olson yeah yeah And like I said, that is the furthest we've gone back for the nostalgia slot. I don't think we'll go much further back than that, but we might. 00:52:39.04 Brian Penn No. 00:52:40.45 Chris Olson And and yeah, um this is a silent film. So it's before the old speakeas jumped in. 00:52:49.97 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:52:51.08 Chris Olson But it felt like it'd been remastered. I'm not sure what you thought about that. 00:52:54.85 Brian Penn it No. ah The first thing I thought about the film was that it's the condition it was in. It it looks like it's been restored. 00:53:02.56 Chris Olson And that the music as well felt like that's that's new, it doesn't feel like that. 00:53:02.98 Brian Penn and yeah ah no Yeah. 00:53:06.10 Chris Olson yeah um But yeah, ah black and white, you've got music playing over the top, you've got the title cards coming up with the scripts and things like that. 00:53:06.61 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:53:14.26 Chris Olson So yeah, if you ever watched a silent movie, you you know what you're in for. um And also Nosferatu's likelihood is you know the gist of this story already. 00:53:25.50 Brian Penn um 00:53:25.83 Chris Olson I'm not going to be spoiling anything for you, and but it deals with Dracula and all that stuff. 00:53:28.94 Brian Penn Yeah. Oh, yeah. 00:53:32.80 Chris Olson um Have you seen this before, Brian? 00:53:35.47 Brian Penn No, I haven't actually. um I had to do a bit of background reading on this because I kind of knew of it, but apparently Bram Stoker's widow sought the filmmakers to call and they destroyed, or they thought they destroyed all the copies, ah but a few survived, which is why why we're seeing it now. 00:53:56.80 Chris Olson I know it's on Amazon Prime. 00:53:57.33 Brian Penn So, yeah, I know. 00:53:59.18 Chris Olson They are, really. 00:54:00.38 Brian Penn Strange how it comes full circle, wasn't it? 00:54:01.77 Chris Olson Yeah, now anyone can watch it. 00:54:03.81 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:54:03.89 Chris Olson ah But yeah, no, i hadd seen I've seen plenty of iterations of um this story done, but I hadn't watched this one before. 00:54:11.53 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:54:13.74 Chris Olson And I'm always wowed when I watch these, sort i mean obviously I so film buffs and yeah things that we care about. You're watching this with the eye of someone, okay, well that's how they filmed that. 00:54:23.75 Chris Olson And that's how they did that. 00:54:24.17 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:54:24.79 Chris Olson And it is absolutely incredible. It's an incredible movie that they've made. 00:54:26.99 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:54:28.83 Chris Olson um I think the quality of the film was surprising for something that was made over a hundred years ago. 00:54:28.89 Brian Penn yeah 00:54:38.01 Chris Olson But like I said, maybe it has been restored, but even so, it is brilliant. And it shows you why, you know, cinema is visual storytelling. 00:54:41.86 Brian Penn is it Yeah. 00:54:44.81 Chris Olson It's got so much potency. It's so powerful to you. This story coming across um in this way, we haven't moved on that far. 00:54:55.77 Chris Olson Don't get me wrong. Movies are different now and movies are different. But that legacy, that foundation of a film like this, it's so crucial to why we get to enjoy the movies that we, 00:55:07.43 Chris Olson that we do. um And I think it is worth revisiting these movies. 00:55:08.66 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:55:11.16 Chris Olson Don't get me wrong, it's not, I find when we watch some of these movies, the the old films, you are watching it with a modern view. 00:55:19.06 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:55:19.15 Chris Olson You kind of go, okay, well, you know, that's not holding my attention as much as I'd like. But I found this very interesting throughout just kind of from a filmmaking point of view, interested to see how they put this together. 00:55:31.64 Chris Olson um'm But yeah, obviously it's it's the story of Hutta, Hutta I think is the main character, Hutta Hutta, who are goes off to assist someone looking for an account from Transylvania to get a house. 00:55:38.11 Brian Penn so sir but sir yeah but so 00:55:48.34 Chris Olson um And when he turns up and meets him, it's slightly bemused when he turns up, he thinks he's got mosquito bites on his neck. 00:55:55.03 Brian Penn yeah 00:55:56.92 Chris Olson and You see where we're going with this and and what happens. 00:55:57.38 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:56:00.69 Chris Olson um 00:56:01.12 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:56:02.10 Chris Olson but Yeah, it's one of those movies that if i when I was at uni I had this list of 50 films I have to watch and you kind of feel like there's certain movies that you need to watch. 00:56:12.58 Chris Olson I tell you one that's on there that's in a similar era to this I've not seen that I need to see is Metropolis. 00:56:14.81 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:56:17.38 Chris Olson Have you seen Metropolis, Brian? 00:56:18.67 Brian Penn Yeah, I have. I've seen it. um it's It packs a punch. It's surprising. 00:56:23.94 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:56:24.39 Brian Penn um You know, I think it shows you how effective silent movies can still be. 90 years, say, after they stop making them and they they still have an impact ah because the emphasis is slightly different, isn't it? 00:56:40.56 Chris Olson And I think the ability of something like a platform like Amazon Prime to present these in this way, because in yeah if you when I was starting out as a film critic, the way you'd watch all these movies used to be that like place like the BFI or something would be putting them on. 00:56:55.52 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:56:56.77 Chris Olson They'd do, okay, yeah, you can go and yo rock up and watch like an old film and they're doing, obviously, 00:56:58.71 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:57:03.36 Chris Olson loads of stuff around it and you can learn loads of things and it's great. But having the ability to just try it and put it on a platform like Prime or Netflix or whatever, where you can just see what it's like. 00:57:18.00 Chris Olson If you're not enjoying it, you don't even have to watch the whole thing. I did on this occasion. 00:57:20.50 Brian Penn yeah 00:57:22.54 Chris Olson But I think that's really the strength of a lot of these platforms, that you're able to give something a chance that maybe you wouldn't necessarily have done if you didn't have the chance. 00:57:25.38 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:57:29.65 Brian Penn Yeah. Well, yeah, I think that's absolutely right. These platforms are so important there. ah Because they give you that element of convenience. I mean, there's nothing like seeing a film at the at the cinema. We've said that many times in the past. But what you have is is an alternative when you can see it online. And you can pause it, you can stop it, you can go back to it, or you can see it in one hit. And but you get to see aspects of the film you might have missed if you were seeing it in the cinema because you can just go back and look at it again. um And one thing that strikes me about this film though is that um it's locked upon as a perfect example of oh the horror genre. That's where it all started. And you think, but it's silent. can it Can a silent film still be scary? Can it still grip you? 00:58:24.90 Brian Penn And I think it can, because it's you know it hits you more, it plays on you um the imagination more deeply as a result. 00:58:35.18 Chris Olson Yeah, it's a different viewing experience. It's different yeah being asked to be in that mode you to get you to imagine maybe their voices or imagine what there what that 00:58:46.85 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:58:50.32 Chris Olson yeah vibe is because obviously with modern storytelling and visual storytelling, they're trying to put you as much as possible in the thick of it. You know, we've got things like 3D or we've got animation that looks incredibly lifelike. 00:59:03.59 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:59:03.67 Chris Olson um But this, yeah, it does put you in a totally different atmosphere and I think it's something that to yeah immerse yourself into if you can and enjoy it. um Interesting, we had a couple of reviews of the new release of Nosferatu that I just wanted to pick out because I am very aware that lots and lots of lovely listeners and and people that find the website send us some great reviews and I don't always get much chance to read them out but this we have a chance to just shout out a couple of Nosferatu so Grant Stitchbury sent in a review thank you Grant gave it four stars the Robert Eggers version 00:59:41.61 Chris Olson um she says is a masterclass in atmospheric horror capturing the eerie unsettling tone of the 1922 classic while giving it a modern twist that resonates with today's audience. um yeah It goes on to yeah talk about from the opening frames Nosferatu casts a spell of uneasiness and horror that persists throughout the entire running time. The film's meticulous use of light and shadow combined with an almost monochromic So monochromatic colour palette harkens back to the German roots of the original film. 01:00:13.57 Chris Olson And that is definitely something that I picked up and you were talking about there about that scariness and yeah the use. 01:00:15.86 Brian Penn Hmm. Yeah. 01:00:18.27 Chris Olson I think that is enduring, right? The use of shadow, the use of light in visual storytelling is crucial to its effectiveness. 01:00:23.87 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. 01:00:26.22 Chris Olson And it sounds like Eggers hasn't left that out in the new version. 01:00:28.77 Brian Penn Yeah. Well, it seems to me you're reading out that review, they could almost be talking about the original couldn't they really, in many ways. 01:00:36.91 Chris Olson Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 01:00:38.04 Brian Penn and So it shows that they've paid due respect to the original, and that The original we still valid is still the template that you have to work with. So um it'll be interesting for me personally to see oh what they've done with it this time, but it all sounds highly promising to me. 01:00:55.49 Chris Olson So to give a bit of counterbalance, because we're all about balance here, um we had a review from Freddie Smith, who also saw Nosferatu. 01:00:58.96 Brian Penn no 01:01:03.34 Chris Olson Gave it two out of five, um so not as much. 01:01:06.33 Brian Penn Harsh. 01:01:07.80 Chris Olson ah and Well, I've not seen it, so ah could be I could be on Freddie's side, I could be on Grant's side, I don't know at this point. 01:01:13.19 Brian Penn Yeah, that's right. 01:01:14.82 Chris Olson so 01:01:15.67 Brian Penn We don't know if we've seen it, do we? 01:01:16.19 Chris Olson um And Freddie through, I've read it both writers sent in plenty long reviews. 01:01:17.35 Brian Penn so 01:01:22.42 Chris Olson I tend to just pick out a few little bits and Freddie does pick up some good stuff like the lighting and performances and things. um But yeah, just talking about, let me find the section where it's a film so focused on its visual own visual style that everything else feels left behind. 01:01:40.72 Chris Olson And the style itself is not that impressive. um It's not all bad or disappointing ah to be clear. um ah Certain aspects are captivating. Lily Rose's debt provides a solid horror performance, one that falters rarely and ties the film well together, if at times inconsistent and frustratingly exaggerated. um Nicholas Holt, once again, is able to prove himself as somebody who really does deserve more leading roles. 01:02:09.73 Chris Olson um 01:02:10.59 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:02:10.84 Chris Olson so he is picking out obviously some of the good stuff ah but the bottom line is the film just wasn't enjoyable aspects really do work but way more frequently than not i would find myself asking why does this exist it's it sits they're not going to put that on the poster freddie uh or they might you know if they finally got a sense of humor um it attempts too much and too little all at once all being hurried along at a wildly inconsistent pace 01:02:13.49 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:02:25.33 Brian Penn Oh well. Nah, probably not, nah. Yeah. 01:02:37.57 Chris Olson not quite matching a snail's but perhaps a slug's. There is an intrigue around the alleged director's cut but whether it warrants existence is a question yet to be answered unless it completely revamps the film and makes it run smoother whilst also adding well-needed layers of depth. 01:02:54.71 Chris Olson So there, contrasting reviews there and that's what you have to understand about film reviews guys, you're not all going to agree 01:02:56.87 Brian Penn Yeah, but yeah. But it's interesting that we mentioned the directors can't because sometimes that can can either put a film in an insanely new light or it or it could bury it for good. good 01:03:11.84 Chris Olson Also, I find sometimes with the idea of a director's cut is, if it's especially if it was done on purpose, that there's this sense of, okay, but why? 01:03:20.07 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:03:23.00 Chris Olson like Why was that not given? And I get it sometimes, like you can know when you need these DC Marvel comic ones or whatever, where they kind of go, well, actually, yeah there were so many people involved that it did just get absolutely brutalized. 01:03:36.42 Chris Olson But when it's more of a kind of, uh independent or like a standalone movie where it was just like the director was brought in like surely that was their cut like why was this going on um but yeah i but yeah yeah i know it happens i know a lot of stuff happens in that in that field but for me i i'm never that enticed to kind of go oh i must go watch a different version of this film if i didn't enjoy it i'm kind of like that you know i didn't enjoy it like i'm good i'm not gonna go back to this 01:03:47.60 Brian Penn and I know, yeah. 01:03:53.70 Brian Penn yeah 01:03:58.74 Brian Penn Yeah. Well, usually, I suppose the director's cut is one for fans of that film. all that director isn't it because there are lots of extras in that i mean yeah yeah but but usually i mean like they've ended up on the classroom floor for a reason um so it depends it editing everything in a film isn't it 01:04:09.31 Chris Olson Is it like um Blade Runner has got one, isn't it? Like that's like what our directors cut that's like meant to be really good. um But yeah. 01:04:29.38 Chris Olson ah Yeah, absolutely. Funnily enough, actually, one of the top sort ones that comes up for doica is The Lord of the Rings, which I'm watching at the moment. I'm rewatching it. um It got re-released in cinemas, didn't it? 01:04:40.31 Chris Olson um yeah they The theatrical versions. 01:04:40.86 Brian Penn for Yeah, had a short run. Yeah. 01:04:43.96 Chris Olson um because the sorry no Sorry, the extended versions. 01:04:47.29 Brian Penn yeah 01:04:47.41 Chris Olson Extended versions are much, much longer. And yeah, that's interesting because often yeah running times are a marketing point. 01:04:57.46 Chris Olson yeah If they go, oh, God, you've you've you want to release a four and a half hour film, it's never going to sell. No one's going to go watch it. 01:05:03.54 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:04.27 Chris Olson ah But often that does justice more to the story. But yeah, that's an interesting one. um Yeah. Well, if you're listening to this and you've made it to this far into the podcast, send us your ah favorite director's cuts. 01:05:16.85 Brian Penn Yeah! 01:05:17.38 Chris Olson What's the movies you've been watching? that kind of I'm so glad I watched the director's cut of that one. 01:05:18.93 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah. Oh, I think we got ourselves a new category, haven't we? 01:05:21.84 Chris Olson um Yeah, I'd love to love to hear it. 01:05:25.77 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:26.29 Chris Olson um But that has brought us very neatly to the end of the show. and There's no director's cut on this episode. 01:05:30.74 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:05:31.12 Chris Olson It would just be whatever I decide. um I don't have any overlords. I am the overlord on this one. 01:05:36.19 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:36.65 Chris Olson um so But if there are any mistakes, Brian put them in. Okay. 01:05:40.84 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:41.44 Chris Olson Brian got in somehow like a little gremlin. 01:05:42.97 Brian Penn I know, I know, I have my ways and means. 01:05:45.50 Chris Olson He does. um He's wily. And thank you so much for listening. um So this is UK Film Club, part of the UK Film of Review Podcast. There are other shows on the channel, so do go and listen to those and keep subscribed so that you get our next episode. We release on the last Thursday of every month, generally. That tends to be the way it goes. And yeah, we'll be back in February with another episode. I i don't know if it's before or after the Oscars. 01:06:14.27 Chris Olson um 01:06:15.11 Brian Penn Might be just before actually, I'm not sure. 01:06:16.32 Chris Olson Oscar dates 2025. Listen to me. 01:06:18.25 Brian Penn Is it early March? Is it early March? 01:06:19.88 Chris Olson 3rd of March. Yeah. So just before, um, so maybe in that episode, we might just ask Brian to give us his, uh, what he thinks. 01:06:21.31 Brian Penn Yeah, just before. 01:06:27.59 Chris Olson So they're going to win the big categories. Um, yeah, that'd be good. 01:06:29.44 Brian Penn Yeah, pleasure. 01:06:32.09 Chris Olson And yeah, thank you to the um independent filmmakers who sent us their movies for reviews. 01:06:32.33 Brian Penn yeah 01:06:36.85 Chris Olson If you have a movie that you'd like us to review, you can do that on our website. So you go to UKfilmreview.co.uk fromwview dot code at u k and click Get Reviewed. There's plenty of things you can choose to decide how you want us to review you, but one of them is the podcast. 01:06:49.87 Chris Olson And yeah, if you've also had your film already reviewed on our website, you can have it reviewed on the podcast separately. It's absolutely fine. um If we were very mean to you and gave you like one or two stars, you may not want me and Brian to review it. 01:07:02.23 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:07:04.68 Chris Olson Or maybe you do. Maybe you want a new fresh set of eyes. 01:07:05.99 Brian Penn Yeah. the Yeah. Fresh perspective, you know. 01:07:07.76 Chris Olson That's fine. We always come very yeah politely towards movies. We are respectable to them and make sure that they get treated fairly. 01:07:16.13 Brian Penn Of course. 01:07:18.18 Chris Olson But we will also not hold back if we feel that you are presenting us with something subpar. um 01:07:25.11 Brian Penn Yeah. I would like that. Sapa. 01:07:27.60 Chris Olson Subpar. 01:07:27.81 Brian Penn Sapa. That's another good phrase. We'll keep that. 01:07:29.91 Chris Olson We'll keep that in. What was the one you said earlier, something about being on your back and gurgling or something? 01:07:31.24 Brian Penn Yeah. We'll keep going. 01:07:34.30 Brian Penn Oh no, something's so good. It makes you, it makes you fall on your back and gurgle. 01:07:38.64 Chris Olson Yeah, that I think was the, that's the phrase of the year. um So yeah, I'm gonna go fall on my back and gurgle, but probably with beer. 01:07:42.62 Brian Penn Oh, good stuff. Right. 01:07:47.71 Chris Olson um Enjoy, the dry January didn't last long with me. 01:07:47.98 Brian Penn yeah 01:07:50.71 Chris Olson Enjoy um your your month. 01:07:50.72 Brian Penn ah 01:07:53.20 Chris Olson We'll see you again in February. Thank you, Brian, as always. um Thank you to the UK Film Review Writers and thank you to you, the listener. 01:07:56.03 Brian Penn Measure. 01:08:00.56 Chris Olson That's your show. Goodbye. 01:08:02.61 Brian Penn Bye for now. Previous Next

Masters of the Universe film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba directed by Travis Knight. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Masters of the Universe Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jun 4, 2026 Directed by: Travis Knight Written by: Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba Mattel, the company behind Greta Gerwig’s brilliant blockbuster Barbie , follows that unprecedented success by backing another woman centered feature driven by an Oscar worthy screenplay and helmed by a genius female filmmaker. JK. They’re just making another toy movie. Mattel welcomes you to Pride month with the return of their second pinkest toy. Bulging hero He Man (Nicholas Galitzine), saucy villain Skeletor (Jared Leto), and scrappy helpers including Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang) and Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), unite for a semi-campy Masters of the Universe origin story. Director Travis Knight, who somehow carved one worthwhile film out of the Transformers franchise (Bumblebee ), is tapped to try to Gerwig-up this afternoon 80s staple. The filmmaker’s been nominated three times for Oscars, all for producing truly exceptional animated films. He works here with a team of writers (Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee), collaborators all on other great animated features. It’s not Gerwig and Baumbach, but it’s an impressive pedigree for Masters of the Universe . The cast off the top impresses. Galitzine, so spot-on in both Bottoms and 100 Nights of Hero , charms as the bumbling prince returned from Earth to save Eternia from the clutches of the cackling, weirdly muscular Skeletor. Idris Elba elevates scene after scene as Duncan/Man at Arms, the tough talking softie who mentored young Adam and has become a bit of a lush in his absence. Leto’s adequate. But Knight articulates his henchmen (Trap Jaw, Beast Man, Goat Man) well with a good practical/CGI mix. The tone is the thing. Masters of the Universe is both playful and self-serious. This doesn’t always work cinematically, but there’s tenderness for the franchise baked into the film. And certain things require a bit of ribbing. Fisto? Seriously? The good natured humor is not enough to entirely salvage the movie. Indeed, it makes you realize anew how remarkable Barbie was for its lack of cynicism and endless insight. But we may never again see a film quite like Barbie , especially if men keep deciding who makes movies. As Orko might have helped us see at the end of an episode, Masters of the Universe is no masterpiece, but sometimes it’s OK to have fun. And the movie is OK. Stay tuned for three post-credits scenes. Number one will thrill fans, while two and three tease future installments. Bye for now! Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Screen and Story Film Festival is an open global festival giving filmmakers a platform to showcase their stories to diverse audiences across the world. Our first edition opened as a result of the pandemic in 2020 with our first virtual edition featuring 21 shorts from 10 countries. This year we are expanding our film programme to screenings of shorts, features and documentaries. The 2021 festival edition will bring its inaugural screenwriting competition to celebrate the power of storytelling combined with a full range of industry-leading events. All screenings, events and talks will be held virtually. Our 2021 edition sees a global open call for submissions that encourages all filmmakers to submit their work. With no submission or ticket fees, the festival focuses on one common mission: to enhance and empower worldwide filmmaking, providing a platform to all regardless of location, race, sexuality, gender identity, faith, disability or socio-economic background, with no exceptions. The Screen and Story Film Festival is run by likeminded volunteers from different sectors of the professional film community all working towards one common mission. We exist to enhance and empower global filmmakers and writers around the world, giving a platform to all in-discriminative of location, race, sexuality, gender, religion, disability or socio-economic background, with no exceptions. Our Values are to: - To find, develop and promote undiscovered international filmmaking talent, encouraging them to showcase their films and let their voices be heard in an engaging and inspiring atmosphere where creativity and powerful storytelling abounds. - To level the playing field for filmmakers, always providing equal opportunities to all through a broad open call free from theme at least once a year. - To create an all-encompassing support network of filmmakers for the filmmakers. Fostering connection for collaboration, encouragement and advice. - To give independent film a diverse and worldwide audience and reach a wide range of communities with films they may not generally have access to. - To be nomadic and take the festival to interesting and unexplored territories. - To be accessible to everyone, everywhere, regardless of location. Screen and Story Film Festival The Screen and Story Film Festival is an open global festival giving filmmakers a platform to showcase their stories to diverse audiences across the world. Our first edition opened as a result of the pandemic in 2020 with our first virtual edition featuring 21 shorts from 10 countries. This year we are expanding our film programme to screenings of shorts, features and documentaries. The 2021 festival edition will bring its inaugural screenwriting competition to celebrate the power of storytelling combined with a full range of industry-leading events. All screenings, events and talks will be held virtually. Our 2021 edition sees a global open call for submissions that encourages all filmmakers to submit their work. With no submission or ticket fees, the festival focuses on one common mission: to enhance and empower worldwide filmmaking, providing a platform to all regardless of location, race, sexuality, gender identity, faith, disability or socio-economic background, with no exceptions. The Screen and Story Film Festival is run by likeminded volunteers from different sectors of the professional film community all working towards one common mission. We exist to enhance and empower global filmmakers and writers around the world, giving a platform to all in-discriminative of location, race, sexuality, gender, religion, disability or socio-economic background, with no exceptions. Our Values are to: - To find, develop and promote undiscovered international filmmaking talent, encouraging them to showcase their films and let their voices be heard in an engaging and inspiring atmosphere where creativity and powerful storytelling abounds. - To level the playing field for filmmakers, always providing equal opportunities to all through a broad open call free from theme at least once a year. - To create an all-encompassing support network of filmmakers for the filmmakers. Fostering connection for collaboration, encouragement and advice. - To give independent film a diverse and worldwide audience and reach a wide range of communities with films they may not generally have access to. - To be nomadic and take the festival to interesting and unexplored territories. - To be accessible to everyone, everywhere, regardless of location. SEE MORE FILM FESTIVALS

Simo film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Basel El Rayes, Seif El Reyes, Aladeen Tawfeek directed by Aziz Zoromba. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Simo Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Oct 4, 2023 Directed by: Aziz Zoromba Written by: Aziz Zoromba Starring: Basel El Rayes, Seif El Reyes, Aladeen Tawfeek Whilst brothers fighting over videogames will always be unavoidable, racism and islamophobia should not be. Simo explores the relationship and rivalry between two siblings, who experience a shocking and traumatic incident when one goes behind the other’s back. Simo (Basel El Rayes) and Emad (Seif El Rayes) are a pair of Egyptian brothers living in Canada with their father (Aladeen Tawfeek). The pair are no strangers to squabbles – finding regular points of contention over who gets control of music and video games – and living in the same cramped bedroom isn’t helping either of them. One day Simo decides to sneakily takeover Emad’s streaming channel on a shooting game – and quickly amasses a considerable following. But when he is racially profiled and a false report is filed, the family’s lives are turned upside down. At the centre of Simo is a brotherly bond that is largely strained. Simo and Emad (portrayed by real siblings Basel and Seif El Rayes) are a pair who struggle to find common ground, despite their father’s pleadings. Both are guilty of perpetuating their feud – and the film does an admirable job of restraining against the desire to villainize one or the other. Crucially, Emad feels more eager to hide his identity as Arab, doing what he can to fit in – even with people he does not know. Simo meanwhile feels a calling to embrace his identity, playing Egyptian music and making no effort to conceal his language or accent when he plays games online. This dynamic is key to their rift, and whilst the film is pro-embracing one’s identity, it makes Emad’s choices sympathetic given the discrimination the family face. The brothers have an obvious and effortless chemistry dripped in teen angst and sibling frustration. The family ties are an obvious assist to this, but each actor brings enough to their role to make Emad and Simo dynamic, self-sustaining presences. Aladeen Tawfeek is a quiet but powerful presence as the boy’s long-suffering and anxiety-ridden father. A learned experience of racism lingers in his advice to the boys – and his disciplinarian manner goes some way to explaining why the brothers struggle to emote to one another. The character construction pays off impressively in the film’s third act, as the film’s defining event - brought on by Simo but most terribly impacting on Emad – threatens to tear the troubled family apart. The plot is a little threadbare at points, and Simo’s video game misadventure that brings about chaos seems a little farfetched for someone with only 200 followers. Whilst the division between the brothers is the ultimate driver of the story, its conclusion feels a little unsatisfying and unfinished. The final scene of the film in which Simo breaks into rap is an unusual and not entirely successful choice, though the symbolic undertext of the lead finally receiving encouragement to embrace his heritage does fit thematically. Simo therefore is an important and satisfying short drama that engages on an emotional basis with its family-led plot whilst highlighting the impact discrimination can have on young lives. Fine direction and acting add to what is a fine effort from Aziz Zoromba. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, Indie Feature Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

We Are The Night film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Catena, Eurinome, Stella directed by Alessandro Amaducci. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS We Are The Night Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Nov 19, 2021 Directed by: Alessandro Amaducci Written by: Fed Conti Starring: Catena, Eurinome, Stella A combination of beautiful animation and wonderful music create a rather unique music video. Composer Conti and director Amaducci collaborate and the combination of their creativities resulted in a five-minute long video that is filled with captivating visuals and a rich and enjoyable score. Visually, this video consists of a montage of images that offer a surreal viewing experience. Many of the images contain women, the vast majority of which are naked and for it should be mentioned that the nudity is rather graphic. Women appears to be the main subject here as are constantly present throughout the video, either lying down, standing, dancing or floating in the sky. Although many women are seen, the ones that stand out the most are the ones who are dancing and it gives the impression that they are dancing to the music that is heard. Some of the women remain still, while others move. Women are seen in all sorts of environments, including mountains, beaches, the countryside, near buildings and there is architecture that resembles Ancient Greece. The animation looks beautiful and every moment looks like a painting coming to life. The sequences that utilise computer animation look great and there are brief moments that include live action. Concentrating on the music now, the track, it consists of a mixture of psychedelic, electronic and nu jazz and listening to it is relaxing and mesmerising. Viewing the film while hearing this song is quite an experience, in a way it brings the audience into a world that feels like a dream. Due to the nudity, this video will probably not appeal to everyone, however the creativity that was put into it is admirable and the outcome is an experience that takes the viewers on a journey that will most likely leave a memorable impression. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film, Animation < All Reviews Next Film Review >