carloswilliamhughes Reviews

Sitting in Limbo (2020 TV Movie)

An Eternal Stain on the UK

[8/10 · 6 May 2023]

The excellent drama series of the damage the Windrush Scandal did on people who believed they were legally as well as culturally British was brilliantly portrayed in this drama series based on the true story of Anthony Bryant (played by Patrick Robinson of 'Casualty' fame) and the three years he had to endure about a possible deportation to Jamaica, a country he hadn't been back to since he was eight years old because of an administrative oversight and the ill thought out policies of the government of Theresa May.

You might watch this documentary and think its far fetched, that it would be the actions of a repressive, fascist society and not modern Britain that would detain, try to deport and destroy purposely records of British people born abroad to prove their legality so they could deport them instead, this drama series highlights the many abuses the British government of the day put on these people and in many cases, were very successful in wrongly detaining and deporting innocent rightful, British citizens.

This is an important tome of this time and we should not forget that we have governments that abuse their powers to quench the thirst of populism and that innocent, law abiding citizens are victims of this cruel, short-sightedness. A great drama series, moving and well acted.

Doris (I) (2018)

Bridget Jones has the fame, Doris has the heart.

[7/10 · 2 April 2023]

Middle Aged Anglophile and Jane Austen fan, Doris is looking for love and for her Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet, ideally, an English literature professor at Oxbridge but the reality is she has two teenage kids and is a divorcee and it seems that her best friend from childhood whom she overlooked for most of her life might be the one after all.

The only time I have walked out of a cinema halfway through a film is Bridget Jones Diary so it's not like I am a big fan of this genre but I have to say I enjoyed this on its own merits and this is down to the lead actor who plays Doris as she plays the character with a lot of heart and sympathy - as the film progresses, you want her to come through her trials and tribulations and does she? I think we all know the answer but it is definitely worth a watch anyway.

Backpackers (2022)

I have a better idea for the lead actors...

[1/10 · 27 March 2023]

Netflix Peru should make a film called 'Pitucos of Miraflores' and they then could cast both Cayo and Iglesias in a more realistic tale suited to their profiles as snobby, rich, blonde pitucos living a life of luxury and decadence in South America's only beachside capital.

If you're going to make a film about Cusco and the Andes and not cast Andean actors in any of the main leads then I am going to give your film the low mark you deserve. It's 2023. I don't have the need to watch blonde people to gain my interest in your films, especially when in the city you set it in the vast majority of the population looks nothing like them.

Like I said, set the pair in Miraflores playing snobby, douchey pitucos and I will definitely buy a cinema ticket, buy the DVD and watch it again on Netflix, you're welcome.

Al fondo hay sitio (2009– )

It's Still Going In 2023

[8/10 · 19 March 2023]

The show has transformed a lot from its first airing which was about the working class and indigenous Gonzales family moving into a 'pituco' (upper class) neighbourhood and annoying their 'pituco' neighbours - the Maldinis.

Of course, the programme has now been going for nearly 15 years so the Gonzales's and the Maldini's have sorted a lot of their issues out but what AFHS (as it is known by its abbreviation) is, is a cultural, social and media institution in Peru, shown more or less daily in Peru and with a large following, the future stars of Peruvian television and film usually cut their teeth here and some of them come back and star in the show after they have made it. It has survived ten series until now, here is to another ten more!

The Tenth Man (2016)

An Atmospheric Film

[9/10 · 19 March 2023]

As a reviewer who enjoyed the film what was a cinematic love letter to Brooklyn 'Blue in the Face' which was directed by Wayne Wang and starred Harvey Keitel because for me - the place where the film is set can be the star of the show and I feel this is where we are with 'El Rey Del Once' (The King of Once).

Ariel (the always excellent Alan Sabbagh) has to return from New York to Buenos Aires and is asked by his father to bring some velcro shoes which he was unable to find - this is the first disappointment out of many - this isn't a part of Buenos Aires a lot of tourists get to see - Once, Almargo and Villa Crespo is what is known as the Jewish part of the city and has now passed onto the Chinese and Latin American immigrants from nearby countries but Ariel (Sabbagh) still has plenty of people in his community who rely on him and his father to get things done. Life is complicated for Ariel, finding his feet back home, fighting his feelings for a love interest and reminiscing about the past - sometimes, a really good movie doesn't have to have a clear linear plot and this doesn't really but it is about a part of Buenos Aires that doesn't get that much exposure but in this film, it does a good job of showing us how it is for some of the people who have lived there for generations.

It's not for everyone and if you're one for car chases and people getting shot then give it a miss but if you like subtle character driven films then give it a go.

So Much Love to Give (2020)

Not Bad At All

[7/10 · 19 March 2023]

At the moment, it has a 5.3 rating out of ten and in my opinion it is a bit better than that. Argentina cinematic mainstay, Adrian Suar plays the lead role and a doctor who juggles two wives and lives as he commutes between Buenos Aires and Mar Del Plata to keep the pretence going.

That he is a bigamist shocks colleague and friend played by Alan Sabbagh who makes it known he is not as lucky in love as Fernando (Suar) but it continues to play out to the end when Fernando gets into an accident and it becomes harder and harder to live the lie he has created.

I enjoyed the film, it was well acted and it had a reasonable plot.

I think 7 out of 10 is a reasonable score for what is a decent evenings in worth of entertainment.

Almost Happy (2020– )

A Very Good Argentine Comedy.

[9/10 · 19 March 2023]

Wainrach basically plays himself but changes his name in this really subtle comedy series from Argentina. I might be misremembering but the kids who play his kids might actually be his or they're in the series but it seems to be based on his real life even down to the football team he supports.

It's very funny in a very understated way, the type of comedy and character that a Jack Dee or a Ricky Gervais would play and if Netflix did an English language version of the show starring either of those comedy actors then it would work wonderfully well.

Wainrach pays tribute to his barrio, his Jewish faith and to the great city of Buenos Aires which he obviously loves. Such a good show and one I feel a lot of British audiences could relate to. If you have come across this and want to watch a really decent comedy with depth but you are bothered about subtitles then - just give it a go, you might be pleasantly surpirsed.

Spanglish (2004)

I am now about to hand in my Man Card

[9/10 · 14 March 2023]

The part of the film where Mum (played brilliantly by Tea Leoni) buys clothes a size too small for daughter Bernice (star of the film for me, Sarah Steele) and seeing her face pained at her Mum's daft attempts to get her to lose weight had me bursting into tears! I wasn't expecting that to be honest - it just came from nowhere but the immediate emotion of that scene caught me out and I was sobbing away and then five minutes later and dried my eyes, the scene where Flor tailors Bernices clothes to fit set me off again!

Now, I do like Adam Sandler and his films, this was probably his best one and I was expecting a 'crazy culture clash' film and it started off that way when Paz Vega playing Flor Moreno getting Deborah to roll her 'r's' and I was like 'Oh no...' but it turned out to be a better, more complex and deeper film from there on in.

Top performances all round, It's a pity young Shelbie Bruce's career didn't take off from it but great to see Sarah Steele's career did! Her performance in it had to have me taking out my Man Card and setting it alight in a freshly prepared bonfire.

In Love All Over Again (2023)

Strangely Watchable

[7/10 · 12 March 2023]

I have just got through this Netflix series over the space of two days and I have to say I enjoyed it despite the fact that a lot of it didn't make a whole lot of sense but it is apparently 'based on a true story' so who am I to doubt the veracity of this tale?

It is about the on-off relationship of Julio and Irene over the course of twenty years, it starts off in 2004 with Irene who is new to Madrid as she leaves small town Castellon and her first love behind to get stuck into her film studies degree at university.

Fate takes a hand as she meets Argentinian Julio - as short as he is and a mix of a young Jeremy Kyle and a third rate boyband member - he seems to have a unique power of people wanting to have sex with him and all he has to do is take an item of clothing off and he is having sex with someone or someone wanting to have sex with him. Irene falls under the spell alongside everyone else who crosses his path and as they go home on the train about to have their first kiss, they get caught up in the 2004 Madrid Train Bombing - which they both survive but Irene loses sight in one eye.

The show then is about their complicated relationship, Julio's angst as an actor and as an irresistible heartthrob of a man which seems to about to upend his life as he begins his road to stardom, Irene who is dumped and ignored at will, she shares the story with the annoying gay friend and the fat best friend who seems to be the glue that holds the gang together.

The show goes to and forth between 2004 and 2022. Like I said, it doesn't make that much sense and that Julio can just turn up in a bar, take his shirt off and has sex with strangers ten minutes later starts becoming hard to believe after an episode or two. The co-protoganist - Irene is cute and bright but as daft and as selfish as Julio as she spends her time getting her heart broken, breaking hearts in return and getting messed about.

It's well acted and like I said, kept me watching until the end so I think 7/10 is a fair score but as long as you can put aside some of the unrealistic scenes then you will be able to enjoy it for what it is.

Vientos de agua (2006)

An Amazing Body of Work

[10/10 · 7 March 2023]

This must be the masterpiece in the career of Juan Jose Campanella. A superb historical drama of Spanish emigration to Argentina intertwined with the journey back to the motherland of an Argentine facing the effects of the 2001 economic crash leaving his family and trying to make it work in Spain - which is what a lot of Latin Americans did.

I watched this series on Netflix in Peru, I don't think I would have caught it otherwise if I had been in the UK but I am glad I did and devoured it over three or four days. There are thirteen episodes and each one is lovingly crafted and directed and brilliantly acted and when I read later that the show wasn't a massive success in Spain, it surprised me somewhat - I don't know how that wasn't a massive success but there we have it - the choices people make.

As an emigrant to far away lands myself, I saw a lot of myself in both of the main characters and the journey comes full circle for both of them as it does for me, the viewer, this is a wonderful series, well worth your time in watching it to the end. Brilliant, one of the best things I have ever seen.

Mother's Love (2022)

Good Spanish Comedy

[9/10 · 7 March 2023]

As an unashamed mummy's boy who used to take mum on holiday when she was with us, I enjoyed this film. It isn't as linear as you might expect it to be and it takes us in some unexpected directions, what needs to be mentioned is the first class soundtrack - it fits nicely into the film.

Spanish comedies are hit and miss but it seems Netflix are making a concerted effort into making some quality Spanish language content and it seems they are on the right path if the likes of 'Amor de Madre' are any evidence of it. Set in Spain and Mauritius. As well as the chemistry between the main acts, you also have the beautiful scenery of Mauritius and of course the storyline, it's a winner from me therefore, nine out of ten.

Malcolm (1986)

The Greatest Australian Film Ever Made

[10/10 · 23 February 2021]

Back in the 1980's in the UK, Friday and Saturday evening on BBC2, they would show a late night Aussie (sometimes a Kiwi...) film. This is where I caught 'Malcolm'.

What an amazing film! I am not going to say anything other than watch it and be amazed - it is a 10/10 for sure!

El bonaerense (2002)

Loved This Film!

[10/10 · 23 February 2021]

A criminally inclined locksmith is caught on the job, so he is given two choices, jail or join the police force. His uncle is a high ranking police officer who can get him out of his predicament.

He's a bit too old and not the sharpest tool in the box, but he manages to pass basic training and is sent to a poor barrio in Buenos Aires where he manages to learn 'on the job' it is a story that comes full circle for him as it does for us.

Entertaining and full of grim, black humour. If you like your comedy heavy and dark then you will like this film.

Without Rhyme or Reason (2003)

Good but daft

[9/10 · 23 February 2021]

My cousin bought me this DVD that he found in the bargain bin - he knows I like my Spanish language cinema so I went home and watched it. It is about the lives of young, hip city dwellers in Mexico City - there isn't a linear storyline as such but I still managed to follow it to its conclusion.

The best part of the film is the song by Los Dug's Dugs 'Felicidad' what a tune that is.

I watched this at a time of my life that was about to change for the better and which continues today so it gets a high rating. I don't suppose that is a good reason to give this film a nine-out-of-ten-stars but it is worth a watch - don't expect a linear storyline because there isn't one.

Parchís: The Documentary (2019)

The supergroup the English speaking world has never heard of.

[8/10 · 23 February 2021]

The Parchis (name based on a game similar to Ludo...) were a Spanish child band of the late 70's and early 80's who were absolutely massive in Latin America - Argentina and Mexico especially. Spain produced a number of these child bands, another one was La Pandilla that rocked the Latin music world back in those days and inspired the evolution of Puerto Rican super group 'Menudo'.

It charts the assembling of the group and the touring and mischief, the good times and the bad and the eventual acceptance and peace of what became of them - they made some people lots and lots of money but they saw little of it. Tragedy befell the main heartthrob 'Tino' but the others settled back into a more mundane life - seemingly happy with what they accomplished as children and philosophical of the missing fortunes and other wrong turns that came about during their lives.

A good little documentary and though I knew nothing about them before watching it, it was still an eye opener - well worth a watch if you are into the 'rise and fall of' pop bands.

Amélie (2001)

Probably the GREATEST film in French cinematic history.

[10/10 · 3 January 2021]

Basically - it is Le Balon Rouge - in a longer and more modern format, the filming and the colours bring Paris to life - Amelie could have only been played by Audrey Tautou. I won't write much more but it is about a young, lonely misunderstood twentysomething Parisian girl who tries to bring happiness to others and through this, she finds happiness herself.

I remember feeling very happy about being alive at a time when my life was miserable after seeing it at the cinema (empty - afternoon showing). A great film and one that has made my life better. Ten, ten, ten - it would be a million out of ten if I could give it.

The Outsiders (1976–1977)

This Great Southern Land

[10/10 · 3 January 2021]

Rich kid Pete Jarrett is bored with his comfortable existence and wants to know the meaning of life and on hand to help him is his grandfather Charlie (played by Andrew Keir) along with his Holden Ute which takes them both for adventures all around the Australian outback...

It was a mainstay of British afternoon TV in the seventies and the one thing I loved about it as a kid was the soundtrack and the end credits (loved the programme I must say...) where it started with the moving wheels of the ute and it would pan away as it became smaller and smaller and all you would see in this great, big, hot, dry, immense country and the glaring sun... and I was like - give me some of that!

Never got round to it though - wish they would bring this out on DVD too.

Bailey's Bird (1977– )

Nostalgia! Nostalgia! Nostalgia!

[10/10 · 3 January 2021]

Watched this back in the 1970's in the UK, there were plenty of Australian TV programmes out at the time but this one stands out. Welsh-born Hu Pryce stars as 'Bailey' an ex-RAAF pilot living in Malaysia with his son Nick (Mark Lee) and they get up to all kinds of adventures with their 'bird' a big seaplane.

It blended perfectly the expat experience, two Australians in South East Asia coming to terms more about culture shock and coming to grips about the life and the ways of where they are and I liked it at the time and a real pity I can't seem to find a DVD with all the episodes as I would happily buy it.

40 years later, I made my way to South East Asia and the glorious Penang in Malaysia where the series was filmed and it was such a wonderful moment. 10 out of 10 stars and bring that DVD out (is it Channel 7 of Australia?)

My People, My Country (2019)

I enjoyed it!

[8/10 · 1 January 2021]

I live in China and it brought a lump to my throat at the end of the film. I watched it on CCTV-6 on New Years Day... so, that's as good as day as any to watch it.

I am not Chinese though I live and work here. So I understand the premise of the film and the reasons why it was filmed the way it was - you now have three or sometimes four generations of Chinese families who have different experiences and perspectives of what living in China and being Chinese is all about - even within the same family - grandparents and even the parents have experienced great poverty and hardship which is something the Chinese youth of today haven't experienced to the same the degree.

So, you have to realise that this is a factor when trying to make a film where the whole audience can relate. I enjoyed it a lot and just an observation from an outsider in their country and about who runs them and the way they're run - the vast majority of people like the way they're run and who's running them - which is why this film broke box office records.

It is a love letter to the ordinary people of China because it is they who have made this country great. It is their turn to change the world and I salute them! Great film!

Días de fútbol (2003)

Not bad, not great either!

[6/10 · 26 May 2020]

The film that most certainly inspired the Peruvian film 'Once Machos' - it's allright - they all overact though... but it's inoffensive enough and if you want to watch a movie you might not have come across from Spain and you have a spare hour and a half then give it a go, who knows, you might like it!

Excuses! (2003)

Daft - but enjoyable - little film

[7/10 · 26 May 2020]

It's a bit of a rarity because its a Catalan language film but if you're armed with subtitles (unless you are a Catalan speaker of course!) then you're good to go! It is about the manic, egotistical Cristian who ropes in his reluctant friend Jesus into forming their new business and their relationships with their wives. I thought it was pretty funny myself - I get a bit lost with film comedies from Spain but this is good value I think. A solid 7 out of 10.

The Spanish Apartment (2002)

A Frenchman in Catalonia!

[9/10 · 26 May 2020]

A wonderful film to which Roman Duris stars as Xavier which he plays to aplomb - Xavier doesn't have a lot going for him - he is immature, shallow, selfish, ungrateful - from the way he treats his mum to the way he repays his compatriot by bedding his wife after being offered a place to stay on his arrival in Barcelona - he isn't meant to be likeable and Duris really plays this part to perfection. Xavier has been given a cushy job in the EU via a connection of a father's friend - can he speak Spanish? Apparently not, so he chooses to go to Barcelona to brush up his language skills before he starts on the road to adulthood.

It is about how various European nationalities Erasmus students from different EU countries - co-exist within an apartment in Barcelona, the film is very clever on a lot of levels - my favourite part of the film is when the Belgian character Isabelle (Cecile de France) laments to the tutor about not speaking Spanish in a lecture, he rebukes her that she is in Barcelona and that if she wants the tutor to speak Spanish in a lecture - then she should go to Madrid or South America - there is so much hanging on that little exchange that you can debate until the early hours about Catalan and Spanish identity and that even though Isabelle who is Belgian and is conversant with the language identity battles in her own country, she was clueless about the role of Spanish and Catalan in Barcelona.

It shows Barcelona in its best light - it must be a French School of filmaking where the lighting and colours come to life and makes for a wonderful visual feast - we are going back to 'Le Balon Rouge' here but we see it with Amelie and a lot of French films, this has it also and you breathe in Barcelona - it is a delight and a wonderful film and it made me wish I partook in Erasmus when I had the chance.

Ken Goodwin's Year (1972 TV Movie)

Probably Our Greatest Comedian.

[10/10 · 10 April 2020]

A wonderful documentary about the rise and rise of Ken Goodwin, a Manchester comic who won national acclaim from the Granada TV show 'The Comedians' and it was Goodwin, not the likes of Frank Carson, Bernard Manning, Tom O'Connor etc who got the initial acclaim and the fame when it was first aired in 1971.

Shows you with his family and the streets of Manchester - still suffering from damage from the Second World War - a fitting tribute to - by all accounts - a very nice man and a gentleman and a brilliant comedian.

Midnight Diner (2019)

A Million Untold Stories In The Big City

[8/10 · 3 April 2020]

I liked this film, very gentle and somewhat sooting - like a nice hot bowl of noodles, it is one of those eateries that have a clientele that have gotten to know each other through their late night/early morning business and shenanigans and there is 'chef' (Tony Leung) ready to cook them whatever they want - he has to fight his own demons but still tries to act with kindness - he tells the stories of the people who ate at his diner and who made a lasting impression on him.

I haven't seen the Japanese versions of this film so I have had no expectations - as a stand alone - I liked it, it was a good, enjoyable film.

Iluminados por el fuego (2005)

The finest Guerra Malvinas/Falklands War Film

[8/10 · 2 April 2020]

We don't get many films about this conflict but this is the finest one there is.

It is about the horrors of war and the aftermaths of the survivors - the war didn't end for most of the troops who fought it after the surrender of Port Stanley/Puerto Argentino.