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Markie_P
Reviews
Lost Boys & Fairies (2024)
Emotional Rollercoaster
As someone who, as part of a gay couple, went through the process of adopting children, I watched this with interest. I expected some emotional scenes, but this really pushed some buttons for me. The acting throughout is exceptional, as is, by and large, the balance between humour and drama. The chap who plays Gabriel, Sion Daniel Young, has an excellent singing voice, and his performances throughout the series are really profound. In particular, I've never heard, "A Little Respect" by Erasure, performed in this way, with such an odd time signature. It adds a whole new depth to the song.
My criticism is that this drama, in order to tell the story satisfactorily, requires three mini-series, not just three episodes. Each of these episodes could be developed further. Without spoiling, the end of episode 2 is SUCH a curveball! Just when you think you've cried enough, you're in buckets again, and episode three has its work cut out going through the issues created by a few brief moments in episode two, so that it can resolve satisfactorily. I suppose that if I were marking it as an essay, I'd say the last episode especially was rushed, because there was just too much going on in episode two. But thankfully, it does resolve beautifully. As other reviewers have said, "Pass The Tissues!" Absolutely beautiful.
En del av dig (2024)
Intense Family Drama
This film contains major contributions from Felicia Maxime and Edvin Ryding - two stars of the hugely popular Young Royals Netflix Drama. I'm going to talk about the elephant in the room and the reason why I deducted at least 2 stars from my rating. In Young Royals, the actors themselves performed the English overdubs, at least that's what Ryding said in an interview. I don't know the reason for this, maybe it's union rules or something, but for A Part Of You the overdubbing was recorded in Los Angeles with a completely new set of actors. I'm an auditory and visual learner, and find my enjoyment of TV/Movies enhanced by having subtitles switched on, and when the OST is not English, the dubbed version also. So I watched APOY and the dubbing in places was painfully obvious. There were scenes where the lips moving and the voices did not mesh. And when the body movements of the actors on the screen don't match the voices out of my headphones you only get half a performance. It's a real shame - Young Royals proved that both Felicia and Edvin have got it in them to give stellar performances in English and Swedish.
But hey, what we do get from the actors on screen is great, really emotionally powerful stuff. It didn't make me cry, the way Young Royals did - God, that had me HOWLING. Plotwise, this reminds me of yet another Swedish drama, Tore, also on Netflix. I don't want to give a lot of the plot away, but Netflix really need to work on how they label their film genres. It seems that any film involving teenagers is a "coming-of-age" drama. So, without spoilers, this film centres on the death of a close family member, and how the surviving family and friends get to grips with it. It's not a coming of age , maybe a more appropriate label might just be "grief".
So I deducted 2 stars because in English it would benefit from a performance from the original cast. The third star is a cautionary deduction. Parents, I would not want my 15 year old kid watching this unsupervised. Although in some of the content categories you could say mild to none, eg there's very little sex/nudity, the level of teen alcohol/substance abuse is frightening. I feel it could either encourage kids to want to go to these kinds of parties, or scare them half silly. I think I'd fall into the latter group. The film is about a family member's death, from the point of view of the younger sister. I think a 15 year old watching this would need adult support and its very subject matter could be quite upsetting for them. Once again, the 15 certificate is Netflix wanting to bag the viewers who watched these actors in Young Royals - really an 18 certificate is more suitable.
9/11: Inside Air Force One (2019)
Engaging documentary about 9/11
In direct contrast to most American documentaries which are overly dramatic and repetitive, this is actually a satisfying watch. It's a warts and all exposé of how 9/11 evolved, from those who were aboard the presidential aircraft. And believe me, there were some pretty scary revelations about how unprepared the US government and military were in the face of an attack. Bless him, George Dubya Bush puts in an appearance and he doesn't mince words... Very interesting. The only thing that marks it down is that whoever was tasked with subtitles made a very poor job of them. Spelling mistakes and errors all over the place. I am not hard of hearing, but I find I can concentrate better if I'm hearing and seeing the information. Subtitlers often think they can get away with doing a shoddy job, so I believe it's worth pointing it out from time to time! But yeah, it's a good doco, bearing repeated viewing.
Carry on Again Doctor (1969)
British Postcard Humour Of Yesteryear
I'd have been 6 months old when this came out! It doesn't need me to explain the plot, plenty of reviews have done that. Besides you don't really need a plot to understand the humour. Watch one Carry On and you've seen them all. Babs gets her buns out, Kenneth says, Maaaatron to Hattie Jacques and flares his nostrils a lot, Charles drags up. There are jokes taking the mickey out of gay men (not exactly homophobic but rather tired, even by 1969 standards). I'm not sure how well the sex change serum joke would go down nowadays. I'm one of the LGBT community and although I deplore homophobia and transphobia- and fat shaming too - I take Carry On films with a generous pinch of salt. I'm not averse to making the odd smutty joke, and in 2024, no one's exactly forcing me to watch it! There are more diverse, inclusive comedies nowadays, of course, but Carry Ons are pretty harmless. A couple of trivial points:
Sid James is top of the bill, but in Carry On Again Doctor, it's roughly half an hour before you even glimpse him. The rest of the main cast have far more work to do than he does.
Sid had a reputation for taking back-handers from companies, esp whiskey and fag brands. In COAD, there's a cupboard full of whiskey. Doubtless a placement engineered by James as a bit of advertising. To me, not fond of whiskey and 5 decades on, I don't recognise the brand, but I'm sure plenty of folks back then would've. There are also Rothman and Embassy No5 cigarettes if I'm not mistaken.
Anyway, there are worse Carry Ons and there are better. Any of the Black and Whites beat this one.
The Naked Civil Servant (1975)
Important LGBTQ Historical movie
This has been a.favourite go-to LGBTQ movie of mine for many years now. I watched it again yesterday. Quentin Crisp had a very pessimistic approach to gay life and life in general, although he managed to couch this in humour, much of it self-deprecating. It's not surprising, since he dared to be different in a society that wasn't quite ready for him. Even in the LGBT hostile 1980s we would not have been labelled an invert or pervert or whatever if we used hair-dye! The movie adequately depicts how gay/gender-fluid people were up against it from all sides of society. It must've been a very lonely existence for him, even in the "more tolerant" 70s and beyond. He just learned to make a living out of those who would chuck him a peanut to dress up and say something queer. John Hurt's portrayal of him is OK, a little overdone perhaps. It seems that even offering a one night stand a cup of tea required an Olivier-esque dose of overacting. So in all, it's important for everyone, gay, straight, trans, whatever, to understand this period from the point of view of an LGBTQ person. This movie scrapes the surface of that experience in an entertaining way. Watch out for Phil Daniels aged 16, and Anna Wing, later Lou Beale of Eastenders.
Executive Decision (1996)
Quite good for a typical American disaster movie.
I felt like an aviation disaster movie the other night. I picked Executive Decision which I hadn't seen before. It was a relatively easy plot to follow, although certain things, ie the London terror attack, happened and then weren't referred to later. The heroes were typical wise-cracking Americans. Even the guy lying on a stretcher with a life-changing spinal injury, doped up with morphine, managed a few well-timed wisecracks. AND he managed to instruct a guy in the art of bomb diffusing! David Suchet put in the best acting performance, I think, followed closely by Halle Berry. As usual in such films, never mind a terrorist hold-up on a Boeing 747, multiple deaths via heavy machine gun fire, half the plane ripped to pieces, the pilots getting shot and a near beginner having to land the plane, the only thing that mattered was that the All-American wise-crackin' hero got his girl. So yeah, the tone was just slightly inappropriate, but it kept me in suspense and watching till the end.
Young Royals (2021)
TV has needed a series like this for decades.
I grew up gay in 80s Britain. As a teenager gays were mostly ignored on the TV. When we were mentioned it was either as an object of derision (Are You Being Served) or as something to be ashamed of/get beaten up for. The country was being governed by the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher. She introduced Clause 28 which basically meant that teachers were not allowed to "promote" homosexuality as a normal lifestyle. So when sick child predators like Sidney Cooke killed tiny boys, the TV reporters used the word homosexual instead of the P word to describe him. The homophobia was hitting young people from all sides, and it meant timid teenagers like me hiding who I was, hoping people wouldn't notice, pretending to be straight.
Thankfully things have changed an awful lot. Young Royals is what I wish I'd been able to watch as a kid/a young adult. No clichéd plots about the only gay child facing a life of loneliness and adversity. AiDS was/is terrible, but back in the day it became a literary genre and a Made For TV Movie cliché, so thankfully YR avoids that trap. Neither are we portrayed as promiscuous sex maniacs who hang round toilets and saunas. This is just a love story about normal teenagers growing up and falling in love - inasmuch as a Crown Prince going to a Toff School could be described as "normal". The relationship between Wille and Simon is the main focus, but the fact that they're gay isn't. There's some homophobic language used but it's called out for what it is. There is tension, as the school kids navigate peer pressure, friendships and responsibilities. And here, I must add a mental health warning. The Swedes really know how to write a grim plot. Anyone who's seen Tore will attest to that. There are 2 series devoted entirely to kids going around backstabbing one another, blackmailing each other, and it all gets very dark indeed. The plot twists and turns, and you can sometimes forget who knows what about someone else. I found bits of it really triggering and for a teen show, I'd imagine that some would find this difficult to cope with. The tension did make the more romantic moments feel really special and when you weep you really let rip. The BBFC have classified this show as a 15, but I'd suggest kids watching it with a supportive adult who is willing to talk about the issues and behaviours. I'm on S3 now, but I have to ration myself, the tension and emotional roller-coaster-ishness of it all means my nerves won't stand binge-watching!
Non-Swedes might not know that Omar Rudberg, who plays Simon, is a Swedish pop star. Look him up on Apple Music, and search for a YT video of a song called Fanfar that has English subtitles. If you've just blubbered after S2 E6 of YR, Fanfar will finish you off. He has a beautiful voice. Edvin Ryding (Wille) is in a film called Avgrunden (Eng The Abyss) on Netflix too.
So to sum up, a much needed gay TV drama that avoids many gay film clichés, that I wished was on mainstream TV decades ago. Heartstopper it isn't, though, it's much heavier, so be prepared.
Oh, and Edvin Ryding is an absolute dreamboat.
Baisers cachés (2016)
Hidden Kisses
I enjoyed this movie, although it was a bit clichéd. I have to say that I came out in 1990, after having grown up in Margaret Thatcher's homophobic Britain. At the time I got no homophobia from straight people. I just got internalised homophobia from other gay people. So I don't buy into the stereotypical no one else's is gay except me and one other guy who's in Narnia rubbish. It might have been true in 1976, but not in 2016 when this film was made. I heard a lot of Windows XP sounds, so I guess they maybe set the film in the early noughties. Even at that time attitudes towards homosexuality were nowhere near as barbaric as this film portrays. I would have liked to have seen more straight allies within the school setting, the bullies punished, although full marks to Nathan for standing up to them. Id like to know what kind of flack that head teacher got for allowing his school to be 99%homophobic. And yeah, I was angry at Louis, and his father in turn. Full marks to his mum for growing a spine! So yeah, it's a bit oversimplified and unrealistic, especially for a civilised country in the 21st century but you'll enjoy the movie and be engaged with the characters. I.
Tore (2023)
Full marks! But bring tissues!
The Swedes certainly know how to write gritty dramas! First Young Royals, now this. Tore is a 27 year old gay male who lives at home with his dad. The series begins with the dad urging the boy to move out of the house and seek new adventures in life. However, Tore is outside his work when he sees his father, who is standing outside having a conversation on his mobile phone, get knocked over by a bin lorry. The series then explores Tore's reaction to grief, including anger and denial. He slides down a slippery slope. Thankfully the episodes are only about half an hour long, because I binged them in a day and thus spent 3 hours sobbing in buckets. I am at a loss how someone so young can write something so profound. It shows not only empathy for a young man in grief, but is extremely sensitive towards the elderly. A warning - it contains drug use, which I don't endorse, although I can see why in this case it's relevant. I also don't really get why it's labelled as a comedy drama. Brilliant though it is, heartwarming though it is, it isn't what I'd describe as funny.
Avgrunden (2023)
That's my FAMILY down there!
Reasonable disaster movie. Engaging enough. Netflix are using teen heart-throb Edvin Ryding to advertise this, since fans of Young Royals will probably want to see another movie with him in. Edvin plays Simon in this film, but the reality is that although his character is key to the plot in this drama, Simon is missing throughout most of the movie. You only get to see him in the last 20 minutes or so of the film, and his acting isn't that great in it. At least his dubbed English voice isn't that great at fake crying! Edvin's non-appearance notwithstanding, it's a good film and I quite enjoyed it.
Teens Who Kill (2017)
Dreary and Repetitive
A narrator who sounds like she's AI generated. Hugely repetitive narration. The last 20 mins or so of each episode are made up of experts talking themselves in circles about whether said killer can be rehabilitated or not. It's all very lazy journalism, no attempt being made to gain new insight into the actual circumstances of the crime - eg who was accompanying Sharon Carr when she killed her first victim. It's like the TV equivalent of a gossip magazine, just incredibly cheap and tacky. It won't give 24 Hours In Police Custody a run for its money, put it that way. But it could be worse. At least we're not subjected to Emma Kenny and Keri Nixon.