Tip Toe - I had been putting this off because I knew it was going to be a hard watch. The performances are all great and the message is heartfelt and one that needs to be heard although I suspect the people who need to hear it won’t be watching or listening. David Morrisey plays Clive, the bigoted neighbour who Leo (Alan Cumming) is convinced has a good heart. Leo is an optimistic out and proud neighbour who chooses not to compromise with bigotry, which usually works until it doesn't. In this time of increasing bigotry and aggression towards people who are different in any way, this was both scary and depressing, particularly the approach taken by people who choose to hide by aping the people who would abuse them. David Morrissey does a great job of repressed anger and I found him terrifying on many occasions. Similarly Alan Cumming as Leo is fantastic as the in-your-face loud and sure of himself man, deliberately building himself up and trying to stay optimistic despite the tough life he has had. The episodes don't hide where this will end, giving us a few minutes insight each time before heading back to explain a little bit more about how things fell apart. I usually find the time jumping thing a bit annoying, but I can see why it was written that way, ensuring a sense of impending doom, even in the lightest and most hopeful moments. This is medicine that I recommend we all take. (
Streaming, C4)
Hacks - another occasion where I am late to the party but I am enjoying this and binging the five series has taken me most of September with just a tiny bit left to go. An old school comedian (Jean Smart) has been doing the same material for 30 years but her cosy Las Vegas residency comes to an end, just as a young comedy writer (Hannah Einbinder) finds herself in desperate need of work after being cancelled for an off colour joke. This is centred around the tetchy ebbs and flows of the relationship between the two women but the side characters are good too, with their own motivations and story arcs which are a bit more coarsely drawn but still worthwhile. I love Jimmy LuSaq (Paul W Downs) who is that mythical creature, an ethical agent, and his adventures as he tries to both support his clients and keep a moral backbone are fantastic. The show tackles themes of ageism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, corporate greed, cancel culture, and even the threat of AI, but all through character which is really satisfying to see. And it is always funny too, never feeling strained to make a point. The dialogue is great in this and I just love the character development as the two women develop an understanding which turns into a kind of love. And whether intentional or not, there is a great story arc that carries us through all the series, which means it doesn't lose any energy through the 5 long seasons, and that's really unusual in a tv show like this. Highly recommended.
(Streaming, NowTV)
Slow Horses - back for another series, and I didn't wait but got straight on with each episode as they arrived. It's still entertaining, the characters are still fab, but is it just me, has it become a cliche of itself? I hope not, and that there will be a fab turnaround which shows that the apparent lack of proper intrigue, just a fairly basic action chase plot, has more going on. We shall see. The cinematography is pretty eyecatching this series as always, and the colour grading is interesting with a dark blue cast over everything that is even more pronounced than usual. At one point I checked my tv settings, but it is clearly intentional and so I'm fascinated to see what that is telling us. I enjoyed a line from episode 3 directed to River 'you used to be prettier', and it is true that everyone is starting to look older and tireder - that's not necessarily a bad thing but I hope that they can rise above the sense that we have seen it all before and surprise us.
(Streaming, Apple TV)
Ted Lasso - we are coming to the end of the series, and it has sort of won me back with its new additional cast and focus on women's football and the misogyny that surrounds it. But, we have been with these characters so long, it feels like putting on a cosy jumper. That's not bad, and in many ways that is what this show is all about, but a little bit more edge wouldn't go amiss. Comparing it with that other warm hug of a long running show,
Schitt's Creek, it could do with giving itself a bit more of a kick if it is going to make it through.
(Streaming, AppleTV)
April X - I saw this in an under-full independent cinema, which is strange given that some of the other limited screenings had sold out, and for once the UK had the edge on the US, where it is only released in early October. This is an independent sci-fi film which tries to tackle big ideas on a tiny budget ($2m). It is only partially successful, and I think that is partly due to the budget, which meant that there was a lot more exposition than action. The basic plot is that Baxter (Connor Storrie) and April (Lily Krug) are twins living in a grimy, Blade-Runnerish near future. Baxter is sleeping on his sister's couch as he has clearly fallen on bad times, and gets involved in some dodgy deals trafficking organs, getting on the wrong side of some bad guys just as April goes missing. We then follow Baxter's story over a five year period as he tries to find his sister, getting embroiled in all sorts of dodgy dealings but uncovering illegal cloning along the way. There are strong themes of grief, identity, memory, and the exploitation and commoditisation of humans, particularly women. Unfortunately, the film is a bit of a mess narratively, with the first half pretty difficult to navigate before it turns into something of a low budget action thriller. It's a shame because there is a lot that is great about this, just needed maybe a bit more money and focus. The bright spot (and it is a really strong bright spot) was the performance of Connor Storrie, filmed before he was famous, but as the director has mentioned, the film was reshaped to rely almost entirely on Storrie's character. He is on screen for almost the whole movie and everything happens through his eyes as his mental state deteriorates while he struggles to deal with what has happened to his sister. That character and performance carries the whole film and makes sure it is watchable. I came out a bit frustrated though, as it had loads of potential that it just couldn't deliver. It will be appearing on streaming at some point and it is definitely worth a watch.
(Film, currently on limited release)
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