12 Strong

Every year around Oscar time we get a big American war film hitting the cinema. In the last few years we've had Hacksaw Ridge, 13 Hrs, Fury, Lone Survivor, American Sniper and now this film, 12 Strong. The story of the first American soldiers to be boots down on enemy sand in the weeks after the September 11th attacks.

12 soldiers known as Task Force Dagger and headed by Captain Mitch Nelson are inserted into Afghanistan 5 weeks after the attack and their objective is to meet up an Afghan warlord, General Dostum and help him and his men to take the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in order to stop the Taliban from digging in and spreading their influence around the land. Sounds like a new take on the 9/11 story? Sounds interesting right? Ya it's really not.

One late scene aside it's just nothing you haven't seen before. Like Lone Survivor and American Sniper it's the same jingoistic, patriotic, America Fuck Yeah!! stuff all over again. It's about purity facing off against evil, an evil distilled down to one man in a painfully obvious scene. Thankfully it's not as po-faced as those others but that's down to it's cast. Well a few of them anyway. The film may as well have been called 3 Strong tbh. The film's leads are played by the immensely likable Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Peña and they are the only ones that get any bit of depth. The other soldiers are as faceless as the Taliban soldiers they use for cannon fodder. Navid Negahban as Dostum is the only non American to get any screen time either. He's not bad and brings a bit of needed gravitas to the film.

There's a lot of war films around. They've always been popular, I for one love em but these days we need something new. Something we haven't seen before or heard before. Cramming a film full of lines like "If we quit now what happened back home is going to happen again and again." "Don't you quit on us!!" never helps. It's dialogue by numbers. Old hat. Cliche all over the shop. You're supposed to care about these men and half hearted stuff like this isn't going to help. There's nothing to hold onto. There's no one to care about. A few years ago audiences would have been more forgiving but sadly America these days has lost it's place in people's hearts. Being a yank isn't a reason to want a character to succeed anymore.

I sound very down on this but there was one saving grace. An action scene near the end of the film that somehow hits the mark. A full on gung-ho ride towards the enemy that despite yourself you'll be caught up in. It's like it's from a different film from an earlier age and that's why it works. It's stupid and ridiculously far fetched, An orgy of blood squibs, oily smoke and explosions that feels like the love child of The Magnificent Seven and Chuck Norris's Delta Force. It's a crowd pleasing moment that works while feeling totally at odds with the rest of the film. The earlier parts of the film are full of gunfights and skirmishes but repetition causes them to blend into one. This stands out because it's fun. And the fact that I've described it as fun opens up a whole other can of worms doesn't it. Eek.

You won't miss anything if you don't go see this. An excellent 10 minute action scene in a 130 min film just isn't good enough. Save your cash. It will be on Netflix soon enough.

11 films on TV this week that are worth a watch

Assault On Precinct 13   Sat   27/1   ITV4 @ 23.00

A group of cops and prisoners find themselves trapped in their remote station by a gang of killers intent on murdering someone inside. This 2005 remake of the 1970's classic isn't as good as the original but makes up for it with a cracking cast and some crunchingly visceral action setpieces. Ethan Hawke, Gabriel Byrne, Mario Bello and Laurence Fishburne all do fine work.

Adam & Paul   Sat   27/1   RTE2 @ 23.55

Two heroin addicted men roam the streets of Dublin, hoping for a bit of good fortune that seems to eternally evade them. Lenny Abrahamson's tragic comedy is a masterpiece of Irish cinema and a superb example of that wonderful ability we have to create a story that will make you weep tears of mirth followed by tears of utter sadness. Mark O'Halloran and the late Tom Murphy play their parts to perfection.  

The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three    Sun   28/1   RTE1 @ 00.10

Four criminals take a subway train hostage in New York City. If their demands aren't met hostages will die. It's up to a transit police lieutenant to sort the mess out. This 1974 film is a perfect little thriller. Well paced, funny, economical, tense, filled with memorable characters and is far superior to the later remake. Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw are brilliant in the lead roles. Well worth staying up for.

Snake Eyes   Sun   28/1   CH4 @ 00.20

During an Atlantic city boxing match a government minister is murdered and a show off cop investigating it discovers all is far from what it seems. Brian De Palma takes a pretty hackneyed story and adds his own directorial flourishes to it and turns this into a very entertaining film. Check out the opening one shot scene, its a magnificent bit of showing off. Nicholas Cage is as always bonkers &Carla Gugino and Gary Sinese are solid back up. 

Harry Brown   Sun   28/1   ITV4 @ 22.30

Harry is an elderly ex-marine who lives on a housing estate that has been ruined by drug dealers. One night he suffers a loss and decides not to look the other way anymore. Michael Caine is absolutely convincing in this well paced and gruelling thriller that might be too much for some. Emily Mortimer, Liam Cunningham and a terrifying looking Sean Harris all give good support.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer   Mon   29/1   The Horror Channel @ 22.50

A young woman finds out her destiny is not to be a cheerleader like she wants but to protect the world from evil things that only come out at night. Nope, this isn't the fantastic TV show but the fun film that inspired it. Highly entertaining stuff that's a lot funnier than you'd expect it to be. Kirsty Swanson is good in the lead role and Rutger Hauer and Paul Reubens make great baddies.

Equilibrium   Tues   30/1   Syfy @ 21.00

In a dystopian future where feelings and self expression are illegal, one person decides to make a fight back. Imagine if 1984 and The Matrix had a baby that grew up watching Bruce Lee films. This is what you'd get. An intelligent, philosophical scifi that's sprinkled with some brutally effective and very original action scenes. Christian Bale leads a fine cast that includes Sean Bean, Emily Watson and Taye Diggs.

A Walk In The Woods   Wed   31/1   Film4 @ 21.00

Two men decide to hike the Appalachian trail. 2000 miles of wilderness. One is an aging writer and the other is a walking heart attack. Comedy ensues. Robert Redford's adaption of Bill Bryson's book of the same name is just a lovely film. If you like your comedy gentle but with a hint of a profanity then this is the film for you. Redford in the lead role is grand but Nick Nolte as his hiking partner Katz steals the show.

Win Win   Thurs   1/2   Ch4 @ 01.55

A solicitor who makes extra money as a wrestling coach finds the sins of his past coming back to haunt him when he comes into contact with a clients grandchild. This Tom McCarthy directed film is a lovely, humane, touching and painfully real film that for some reason is being shown at ridiculous o'clock. It's really worth recording. Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale and Melanie Lynskey are all excellent.

Sorcerer   Fri   2/2   Film4 @ 22.45

The roads and jungles of South America are a dangerous place as a group of men hired to drive a highly unstable and explosive shipment are about to find out. William Friedkin's remake of 1953's Wages Of Fear is a masterpiece that has thankfully been rediscovered lately. A sickeningly tense and gripping thriller that will pin you to your chair. Roy Scheider in the lead role is on fire.

We're The Miller's   Fri   2/2   RTE1 @ Midnight


A pot dealer owing a drug debt has to move a large shipment through the US border and decides the best way to do it is to create a fake family to make himself look respectable. This is good silly fun, a perfect Friday night film to watch with a few beers or maybe even a smoke. Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis are great craic as the leads and make sure you stay put for the bloopers during the end credits.

Elizabeth McGovern. Another unsung hero of film and TV.

Imagine your first film turned out to be not only one of the biggest hits of the year but also beat the likes of Raging Bull to Oscar glory. That's how Elizabeth McGovern started her career. Not a bad way to do things. 38 years later she's still turning up on cinema screens (The Commuter, out now) but mention her name and you'll no doubt get blank looks. She's one of those stalwart actors who does stellar work continuously but never really got her name on the marquee. These days she's best known for her part as the colourful Lady Cora Crowley from Downton Abbey.

She's been a horribly treated object of obsession in a Sergio Leone masterpiece. Done Shakespeare on stage. Been the mother of Kick-Ass. Presided over Helen Mirren's court case. Been Oscar nominated for her portrayal of upper crust New York society. Starred in the first film made for IMAX cinema. Been married to Liam Neeson, Craig Sheffer, Kevin Bacon and Mickey Rourke. Dealt with both the Scarlet Pimpernel and nastiness in Tales From The Crypt. Raised a great mythological Greek hero as her own son and been a Handmaiden in a very dystopian future. She's done it all. All this and she's also the singer in here own band. Check out her career here.

Greatest Hits

Ragtime. A forgotten piece of brilliance. In a massive cast that included James Cagney in his last appearance her role as Evelyn is the one that stands out and got her an Oscar nomination.

Once Upon A Time In America. Poor Deborah. The object of Noodle's obsession and desire. And yet another woman destroyed by him. A small but striking role in a sprawling masterpiece.

The Handmaiden's Tale. Not the brilliant TV show but the film from 1990. Here she plays the rebellious Moira, best friend of Offred. A highlight in a very dark film.

Downton Abbey. Plays Lady Grantham. A yank in a show full of stuffy English toffs. Forward thinking. Modern. And therefore of course looked upon with disdain.

Previous heroes

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Downsizing

In the near future science is clutching at straws in a way to extend the lifespan of the human race. Water, food and space is in short supply and so downsizing is invented. People are shrank down to 5 inches in height so they can make the most of their savings and make food go a hell of a long way further. 

Matt Damon plays Paul Safranek, a man leading a dull and financially strapped existence who decides to take the leap in the hope it will make his life a bit more enjoyable. Things never work out the way you think they will though. Life is pesky that way.

Downsizing is an odd jumble of a film. It takes a seriously high concept idea and turns it into a relatable one. It's clever and inventive and original but it just has too many ideas going on and this turns it into a mess. An interesting opening third turns into a dullish middle third that finally finds its footing just as it goes off the rails totally in the final third. Director Alexander Payne can't be faulted for lacking ideas or imagination though.

It's a film trying to decide what it wants to be that has a story about a man trying to decide what he wants to be, that also manages to be a look at class, the dangers of technology and science, the terrors of climate change and be a satire on Trump's America. Slightly overstuffed. The film feels padded out because of this and is way too long at 135 minutes. 

There's fun to be had though. Tearful one eyebrowed women, eurotrash packed parties hosted by actors we are more used to seeing playing terrifying roles (Christoph Waltz who's sleazily hilarious and Udo Kier who's deadpan as all hell), Matt Damon's stoned party face, the utter absurdity and invasiveness of the downsizing process, one darkly funny description of what can and does go wrong during the process and then the appearance of Ngoc Lan Tran. Played perfectly by Hong Chau, Ngoc mightn't appear until half way through the film but she rapidly becomes the heart of it. She starts off as a pidgin English speaking stereotype but her innate goodness and humanity shines through rapidly and she steals the film out from under Damon effortlessly. 

There's enough ideas in this film for a miniseries at least. Maybe it might have been a better idea actually. It's a grand film, clever and full of fine performances and themes that will make you think but it's messiness to hard to ignore. 

The Commuter

In 2008 a lanky fella from Ballymena went to Paris to get his daughter back. No one was expecting much but against the odds Liam Neeson became an action star. 10 years later he's still up to his old tricks. He's looking a bit more haggard these day but he's still convincing. The films mightn't be but he is. The Commuter is his latest one. It's riddled with silliness, full of plot holes and gets extremely repetitive in places but you know what, it's still pretty entertaining.

Michael MacCauley is an insurance salesman. Each day he travels to work in Manhattan by train from upstate New York. He's been doing it for 10 years and knows the names and faces of nearly every regular passenger. One day a woman sits across from him and offers him a proposition he'll find hard to refuse. Find the person on the train who doesn't belong there. Do what she asks or bad things will happen. What will he do? Hmmmm, it's a tough one.

I've got to say i enjoyed this. I get a kick out of seeing Neeson in action. He just does it so well. He makes the film his. There's a fine supporting cast in this but it's all about him. In a lovely and economical opening 10 minutes we find out everything we need to know about the main character. His wife, his son, his daily job struggles. That daily trip to work that turns into a slog. How the recession of the last decade effected him like so many other. It all works to turn him into a real(ish) character. Later scenes of him prowling the corridors of the train get repetitive fast but seeing him throwing side-eye at every passenger is never less than entertaining. Seeing him getting increasingly frazzled and bloody while the other passengers don't seem to notice are unintentionally funny. Him aside the film has plenty of treats on offer. It contains homages to both Hitchcock and Kubrick films that will make the geekier film fans in the crowd smile, especially one scene late in the film. It's pretty action lite compared to some of his other outings but the few fight scenes in here work and have a solid heft to them. You'll feel each kick and headbutt. One fight shot in an extended take is brilliant fun to watch as Neeson and an adversary take apart a train carriage with only their extremities and an unfortunate Fender Stratocaster guitar. The other big action scene though...oh it's stupid.

The stupidity is laid on thick in this film. A big stunt in the last third of the film nearly derails the film (see what i did there?? Subtle wit) totally. It's something that wouldn't seem out of place in a Michael Bay Transformers movie. It's utterly childish and totally unnecessary. It seems to be there so they can use it in the film trailer. What came before is silly and convoluted but this very nearly ruins the film. But...because it's all built on a solid fountain created by the opening scenes and carried by someone as convincing as Neeson that you'll be able to forgive it. The supporting cast help too. The don't get much to do but they all add to the finishing product. Jonathan Banks and Patrick Wilson especially.

This is director Jaume Collet-Serra's fourth film with Neeson. Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night and now this. On the basis of this one I'll happily watch what comes next. It's not as fun as Taken or Run All Night or as intense as The Grey but this is still an entertaining entry in the pantheon of Neeson's latter day action career. You might have it forgotten the next day but it's still a fun way to spend a couple of hours. 

A perfect pairing of sound and vision. The duelling anthems in Casablanca.

One of the all time great uses of music in a film. If this doesn't move you....well I'm sorry but you are dead inside.

Rick's bar. 1941. Vichy French occupied Casablanca. A room full of expats on the run from the war. Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is a fence sitter, he plays both sides. Laszlo (Paul Heinreid) who is a resistance fighter needs his help but Rick refuses to piss off the nazis. One night in the bar Laszlo hears the German song Die Wacht Am Rhein being sung. He can't take it. He marches through the bar. His wife (Ingrid Bergman) looks on terrified. Laslzo demands the band plays the French national anthem, a song banned in the city. The band leader looks to Rick. They'll do whatever he wants. Rick makes the biggest decision of his life. A classic scene is made.

The looks on Ingrid Bergman's face, first of fear and then pride. Rick's simple nod. The realisation that this simple action is going to be a massive game changer. The palpable anger and disgust on the face of the Nazi bloke to the left of the screen. The look of resignation on Conrad Veidt's nazi officer. He knows what's going to happen next. The raw intensity in Laszlo's singing. Yvonne's heart bursting out of her chest as she sings and every other French person in the bar who is sick of being under the thumb of an oppressive regime absolutely giving it welly. It's a symbolic victory but it's one that will fill your heart.

"Aux armes citoyens, formez vos bataillons. Marchons, marchons!"

"To arms citizens, form your battalions. March, march."

It's like it was written for the film. Play the below video with the sound up high.



Perfect ain't it. Look at the faces of the people in the bar. That's real emotion. A lot of the extras in this film were actual war refugees from France. They weren't acting.

If you haven't seen this film I'm genuinely jealous. If you have, this scene will make you want to watch it again. 

Previous parts

Zodiac
Jackie Brown
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Deliverance
The Omen
Copland
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Once More With Feeling
The Mission
Before Sunset
Carlito's Way
A Knight's Tale
Platoon
Before Sunrise
Rushmore
An American Werewolf In London
Dazed And Confused
Boogie Nights
Raging Bull
Almost Famous
Once Upon A Time In The West
Goodfellas
Last Of The Mohicans

10 Films worth watching on TV this week

Sicario   Sat   20/1   CH4 @ 21.00

The US/Mexico border is a dangerous and morally murky place to work, as FBI agent Kate Macer finds out when she's dropped in at the deep end. Denis Villeneuve's 2015 thriller is a magnificent film, tense, hideous, darkly funny and layered with shades of gray. Emily Blunt is a compelling lead and gets great support from Josh Brolin and Benicio De Toro. Film of the week.

Calvary   Sat   20/1   RTE2 @ 21.15

While hearing confession, a priest is told he will be murdered within a week. He uses that week to investigate in his small town just who is out for his blood. Brendan Gleeson puts in a deadly performance as always as a priest troubled by spiritual manners both external and internal in a blackly comic film that will grip you from it's opening scene. Top notch cast in this including Kelly Reilly, Chris O'Dowd and Domhnall Gleeson.

Topkapi   Sun   21/1   RTE2 @ 13.35

After a security incident at the border, a small time crook is forced into working with a gang of jewel thieves in Istanbul. Hi-jinx of course ensue. You can't beat a good heist comedy and this is one of the greats. An excellent blend of comedy and tension all wrapped around a superb cast including Peter Ustinov, Melina Mercouri, Robert Morley and Maximilian Schell. A perfect sunday afternoon film.

Severance   Sun   21/1   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

Whilst on a team building retreat in the forests of Hungary, the employees of a weapons company start to notice weird goings on. OK, I know the fact that Danny Dyer is in this will put a lot of people off but if you can get over your hatred for him you'll find this to be a highly entertaining comedy/horror/thriller/satire that subverts cliches and tropes cleverly. Andy Nyman and Laura Harris in support add to the fun

The Way, Way Back   Mon   22/1   Film4 @ 18.55

A shy young fella on a holiday he doesn't want to be on finds himself a job at a waterpark and slowly comes out of his shell over the course of a summer. A fantastic little film, that came out of nowhere and became my favourite film of 2013. It's just lovely, a blend of comedy and drama that will make your day. Liam Jones rocks the lead and Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette and Maya Rudolph all offer great back up.

Touch Of Evil   Tues   23/1   TCM @ 12.55

A murder on the US/Mexico border puts an already pressured drug enforcement official under the thumb even more. Charlton Heston leads an intricate and exceedingly well written tale of murder, greed and corruption. This is one of those classic films that genuinely lives up to the hype.When you watch it you'll realise just how many films and performances have been influenced by it. Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles & Marlene Dietrich are all perfect. 

Land Of The Dead   Wed   24/1   Syfy @ 23.10

Pittsburgh has become a walled city during a zombie crisis and it's inhabitants are facing crisis's both internal and external. George A. Romero's follow up to his famous Living Dead trilogy mightn't reach the heady peaks of those masterpieces but it's a highly entertaining and knowing piece of hokum and fulled with lovely crafted gooey treats for the horror fans amongst you. Asia Argento, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper lead a fine cast.

Step Brothers   Thur   25/1   TV3 @ 21.00

Two fully grown but totally immature men find themselves thrown together when their parents marry. Naturally they despise each other. I'm not a Will Ferrell fan by any means but the cast in this is so fun and game that his presence can be ignored. Silliness and gross out cock jokes abound but importantly it has a heart too. John C Reilly, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen are all in mighty comedic form.

Drive   Fri   26/1   BBC2 @ 23.05

Ryan Gosling plays a Hollywood stunt driver who's second job is as a getaway driver for criminals When he tries to take a step back from crime he finds out just how badly needed his skills are. This is a fantastic blend of style and violence that might be a bit too rough for some but if you can stick with it you'll be highly entertained. Contains a fine cast including Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston and Oscar Isaac.

The Blues Brothers   Fri   26/1   ITV4 @ 23.00

Two brothers finds themselves racing against time to put their band back together to raise money for an orphanage. But angry ex's, cops and Illnois Nazi's have other ideas. John Landis's 1980 musical comedy is a masterful blend of zany slapstick, crazy stunts, some cracking tunes and a load of belly laughs. John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd lead a superb cast of real musicians including James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. Brilliant fun.

The Post

Steven Spielberg has given us any magical movie moments over the course of his career. The first appearance of a Tyrannosaurus Rex as it breaks though a fence. Ancient vengeful spirits rising from the Ark of the Covenant. A boy and his extra terrestrial friend tearing across the sky on a BMX. A mountain sized space ship playing a five note tune to a crowd of awed onlookers. In The Post he gives us another as we watch a group of investigative journalists working against time, raking through thousands of pages, shouting at and over each other, and with a small child wandering amongst them selling them lemonade. It's a glorious few minutes getting to see inside the workings of a newspaper, the hive mind working together and fleshing out an article that will change US history. It's a lovely touch in the middle of his new film.

In the early 70's The Washington Post was a struggling newspaper that was big in Washington but only a tiddler nationwide. It was owned by heiress Katharine Graham and edited by Ben Bradlee. They both see a chance to compete with the big papers of the time when confidential government documents about the Vietnam war are leaked but the ramifications of printing these leaks are huge and will have an effect on both their livelihoods and United States law.

I enjoyed this. It's not perfect but it's a cracking way to spend a couple of hours in the cinema. It's a fine lesson about an important part of U.S. history that sometimes gets overlooked because it happened during the Vietnam war and pre-Watergate. And it's a relevant lesson. Very much so considering what's going on in Washington today. It's a film about freedom of expression. How important it is to be about to speak your mind and tell others your opinions. It's a two hour dig at the Trump administration and not a subtle one either. Loaded dialogue like "The President just took a shit on the first amendment" and 'The press was to serve the governed, not the governed" are blatant and blunt and needed. The current Nixon was a man not trusted by the public and Trump is even less so. One only hopes he can see the parallels if and when he watches the film himself.

Tom Hanks as Bradlee (who was played by Jason Robards in All The President's Men) and Meryl Street as Graham will probably get Oscar nominations for this but tbh they don't really deserve them. Not saying they are bad at all but this is bread and butter stuff to them, neither stretches themselves at all apart from one speech from Streep near the end. They work well together though, their characters compliment each other and I'm amazed that this is the first time I've seen them on screen together.

Spielberg is obviously a fan of prestige television going by the magnificent cast he has assembled here. Supporting Hanks and Streep is the cream of US TV. You'll spend the entire film going "Look it's herself from The Leftovers" or "Ha!! Saul Goodman". It's a mighty roster of talent but sadly very few of them get anything of substance to do. The wonderful Carrie Coon and Sarah Paulson and Michael Stuhlberg are utterly wasted. Bob Odenkirk gets a couple of choice scenes and probably does best out of the supporting cast. There are a lot of roles in the film so of course not everyone will get the limelight but here it just feels annoying.

It's a fine film though. It takes a story that had huge potential to be dull and turns it into something as tense and exciting as many a thriller. Political digs aside its also a relevant look at how women are treated in the workplace. When a person as powerful as Katharine Graham gets talked over during meetings you can only imagine how women lower on the rung got treated. It's great to see her character grow and take risks as the movie barrels forward (it moves like a racehorse btw). There's a lovely moment near the end of the film where she leaves a building and walks through a crowd that slowly turns into a sea of women all looking at her proudly that will give ya goosebumps.

It's well worth going to see, this is grown up Spielberg at his most enjoyable.

9 new TV shows to keep an eye on in 2018.

There's a lot of TV around these days. A lot. Between Netfix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and the 17 billion TV channels around its tough to keep up. Actually no its impossible, and made more difficult by the new influx of stuff coming this year. But its a first world complaint really ain't it and sure we might as well start somewhere so here's 9 I think are worth watching out for though. 1 will definitely be available on Netflix and the others..........well........how you watch the others is between you and whatever god you believe in. Cough.

Britannia 

This looks to be the one that will keep those of us suffering from Game Of Thrones withdrawals afloat. The story of the Roman invasion of Britain in the 4th century and the violent sex crazed druids and tribes fighting to keep them out. Bloody sword play and shagging will no doubt abound. Kelly Reilly, David Morrisey and Mackenzie Crook star. Available in full on Sky boxsets from today.

The Chi

The Chi (pronounced Shy) is a story of life in the underprivileged southside of Chicago. The serious flipside to Shameless. I've seen episode 1 of this and it's good stuff. Tough and gritty and doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of being a minority in Trump's America. Jason Mitchell who was so good in Straight Outta Compton leads a superb cast of well drawn characters. 2 episodes of this are out now. Episode 1 is available on YouTube too.

The Assassination Of Gianni Versace

Remember last year's show The People VS OJ Simpson? Remember how brilliant it was? Well this story of the murder of Gianni Versace by Andrew Cunanan is it's follow up and early word on it is excellent. Creator Ryan Murphy is doing his own take on famous American crime cases and because he will be doing a different story each year it's never dragged out or packed with filler. This looks nuts. 1st episode is out now.

Maniac 

It's Superbad 2 : Superbad Harder. OK it's not but the stars of the 2007 film, Emma Stone and Jonah Hill are back together again in this new show about the fantasy worlds of two people struggling with mental health issues. This could be great as long as we are laughing along with the characters and not at them. Plus like...just look at that mullet. No idea when this one is coming out but it's being shown on Netflix.

Howard's End

Look at that above picture. Sumptuous. Matthew McFayden and Hayley Atwell star in this new adaption of the E.M. Forster novel about class status in the early days of the 20th century. Created by Kenneth Lonergan who directed the fantastic You Can Count On Me and Manchester By The Sea. Early reports about this tell us it's a cracking adaption that still has a lot of relevance to modern times.

Happy

A hitman is badly wounded and when he gets brought back from the brink of death, an imaginary friend tags along for the ride. I've seen 3 episodes of this and it is fucking bonkers. Great fun and lead by a brilliant Christopher Meloni. If you only know him as Stabler from Special Victims Unit you are in for a crazy ride. Don't bother with this one if you are easily offended.

Roseanne

Yup. It's coming back and it's pretending that the horrible last series that left us all with a bad memory of this once fantastic show never existed. I've pretty high hopes for this one actually as it was at one stage the funniest show around and it has a great cast who are still regular faces on TV and cinema. Plus it has two Becky's. I'm curious about how this last part is going to work out but it should be fun. Back in March.

Good Girls

Mae Whitman, so good in Parenthood. Rhetta, so good in Parks And Recreation. Christina Hendricks, so good in Mad Men. Put the three of them together and you've got a comedy drama that can't go wrong. It's about 3 women struggling to make ends meet who decide to turn to crime but of course things don't work out the way they planned. This should be fun. Starts next month.

Waco

The story of the standoff between David Koresh and his Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas and the FBI and ATF agencies. This 6 part series is going to be told from the viewpoint of Koresh himself and the agents involved. Taylor Kitsch is the cult leader and Michael Shannon and Andreas Riseborough have large roles too. The latter two actors are two of the best in the business at the moment and make this pretty much unmissable. Starting next week.

The unsung heroes of film & TV part 29. John Amos.

Certain actors give off an aura of power and importance. It's what makes them an automatic go-to choice for characters in positions of power. Other actor's have a great tough guy presence. You'll genuinely believe they could kick your head in without breaking a sweat. And then other actor's are flat out hilarious without even trying. That deadpan humour that very few do well. Then you have actor's capable of all three. A rare thing indeed. John Amos is one of those actors. This fella has had a career and a half. His first screen appearance was the cult classic Vanishing Point and 47 years later he's proved he is well capable of moving with the times by starring in Netflix sitcoms too. 

He's acted in one of the most controversial blaxploitation films of them all. Been fed through the propeller of a Boeing 747 by a 90's action hero. Starred in one of the defining TV shows of all time. He's coached the world's great athlete. He has given spiritual guidance to none other than the A-Time and military guidance to none other than President Jed Bartlett. He's been touched by an angel and had dealings with the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Starred in George A. Romero horror anthologies and taken on Stallone, Danny Trejo and Hank Hill. He's been in westerns, thrillers, action movies, drama's, comedies, sci-fi and too many shows to even begin to name for nearly half a century and I hope he continues to do so. Check out his career here

Greatest Hits

Roots. The older Kunta Kinte. A brilliantly dignified heartbreaker of a performance. The scene where his daughter Kizzy is taken from him will stay with you forever. A true career making role.

Die Hard 2. Major Grant. A soldier with far more to him that meets the eye. Handy with a knife. Doesn't do well on planes. 

Coming To America. Cleo McDowell. Owner and proprietor of McDowells. Not McDonald's. Definitely not McDonalds. Chancer and social climber extraordinaire. Hilarious.

The West Wing. Admiral Percy Fitzwallace. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff in Jed Bartlett's White House. No time for nonsense or lack of military know-how. Doesn't do well with road side bombs.

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