An emotionally exhausting, sometimes uneven, yet nonetheless thought provoking drama, that explores the divergent paths of siblings Sohail (Riz Ahmed, last seen in powerful docu-drama 'The Road to Guantanamo') and Nasima Walid (Manjinder Virk, in her second 'Channel 4' production after 'Karim's Story: The Bradford Riots') 'Britz', written & directed by neo-realist veteran Peter Kominsky ('The Weapons Inspector') is an epic film of two halves, coming in at 120 minutes each. Part 1 focuses on Sohail: an ambitious, articulate, second generation British Muslim from Bradford. A Law undergraduate in London, Sohail decides to embark upon a career with MI5 after coming home for the holidays; Ahmed does well to convey Sohail's disillusion at being back up North, after all, the "backwards" rural customs of his Midlands community seem like a world away from his time at university. And he makes a number of valid points about the Pakistani proletariat's inability to secure their civil rights after so many years of service to Britain; citing how "...more whites than Muslims marched against the Iraq war" and how "More English people are standing in-front of Israeli bulldozers in Palestine..." And yet Sohail, in spite of his obvious intelligence, makes a number of schoolboy errors; naively believing he can fight terrorism from within an organisation that experts warn is currently used by external criminal elements (i.e. an Anglo-American-Israeli 'Triangle Of Terror' or fifth column lacertilian kakistocracy) to implement & organise self inflicted 'Hegelian Paradigm' based attacks via agent provocateurs within the police state apparatus (claims publically verified by numerous MI6 agents, both active-anonymous, retired and disavowed). His inability to fully comprehend the fascistic nature of new anti-terror legislation or his reluctance to equate racism with government policy. 'Britz' opens with an intensely grim, but gripping scene in a mortuary, where Sohail identifies a mutilated corpse, this scene and three others act as bridges between the sibling's stories, and though some may argue that Kominsky's script imagines an implausibly polarized world where Muslims are either sell-out spies or suicide bombers, it's 'Britz' supporting characters, young women in particular, who act as our guides through a moral maze of points and counter points. One of the standout performances comes from Zahra Ahmadi, playing Nasima's best friend Sabia, Ahmadi is a real revelation; targeted by the police (though the 'brother-wanted-for-questioning' angle was a little trite) we share her pain / frustration and watch in anger as a strong, vibrant young anti-war activist is physically & psychologically broken down by the craven tyranny of control orders, electronic tagging and prison. Its a relatively small role, but one which should resonate deeply with those who value the universal testaments of human decency & the rule of law our judiciary once upheld. Now I'm reliably informed that Zahra is a regular on 'EastEnders', but soaps just aren't my thing; Ahmadi needs to quit Albert Square immediately, and casting directors should take note of this powerful new talent that's arrived on our scene. Sohail's story is actually quite awkward in places, and often feels rushed in spite of the movie length running time, though Riz Ahmed puts in another excellent performance; his displays of indignation, grief and disappointment with his superiors in the spy game are measured & subtle, thus making his character instantly believable despite the often contrived scenarios he finds himself in. A particularly powerful scene in which story, directing and acting come together is where an MI6 spook profiles an archetypical terrorist; the juxtaposition of his speech with the camera on Sohail is brilliant in its simplicity and effect. Nasima's story is the better of the two; a young medical student whose encounter with deep rooted government corruption, religious persecution
& the evils of the police state, leads her to abandon peaceful protest & sybaritic pleasures for the harsh environs of a paramilitary training ground in Pakistan. Manjinder Virik deserves a lot of credit for the convincing manner in which she brings Nasima's changing attitudes, values and beliefs to life. Injustices building up to a point where she shares a level of frustration better suited to the Palestinian in Gaza (a reference used disparagingly in Sohail's story) which, in many ways, unifies her struggle in the purest sense of internationalism & solidarity. Kominsky also makes a courageous directorial decision to remind us of the unspeakable crimes being perpetrated by those who are, whether we care to admit it or not, acting in our name: The news footage of an adolescent Iraqi girl crippled & blinded by U.S. and British bombs, though an item we've seen before, never loses its power to disturb, upset & enrage. The director suggests that the sheer magnitude, avaricious terrorism and horror of our government's ongoing crimes against humanity, is so often lost amidst the din of political hubris and bipartisan debate, that one needs to refocus on the main issues to re-establish rational context. Nasima is challenged with us; for when the radical Islamist proves the futility of genteel protest, we're reminded of events through history that back up his claim. After all, as 'The Internationalist Review' rightly pointed out in its 'October Revolution' commemorative issue; the only protestors who ever successfully pulled their nation out of an unjust, unpopular war (i.e. 'World War I') were V.I. Lenin, Leon Trotsky and 90,000 heavily armed Bolshevik guerrillas. As with Sohail's story, there are a few plot points that don't work as well as Kominsky might've hoped: e.g. the sultry, Leila Khalid-esque matriarch of the militant training centre is far too enigmatic and glamorous whilst Nasima's boyfriend is a bit of a plank, practically reduced to maguffin status by the end. Virik is at her best in the training camp sequence itself, bonding with another girl from up North, slowly discovering that many recruits are the brothers, sisters & friends of those disappeared, imprisoned or murdered by the U.S. and its international acolytes. Critics may blast 'Britz' deftly matter-of fact approach to the bomb making scene (Nasima and colleague constructing it whilst listening to 'Snow Patrol') as terrorist propaganda, the stylistic antithesis of a similar scene in Gillo Pontecorvo's masterpiece 'The Battle Of Algiers' (1965). But that would be missing the point, for this sequence, (much more than the ever-so-slightly ludicrous oath scene in the training camp) though easily misinterpreted, represents a kind of lyterian catharsis: signifying the end of Nasima's life as she had lived it (i.e. assassinating naivety and burying her belief in the system) and the beginning of a new, albiet extreme, epoch or metaphysical transition (i.e. physical death as spiritual reawakening: classic themes found in everything from Foxe's 'Protestant Book Of Martyrs' to Homer's 'The Iliad').
'Britz' ultimately identifies indifference, societal ignorance and collective moral weakness as the biggest culprits of all. It doesn't glorify terror or suicide bombing, but tackles the subject from a humanist perspective with an emphasis on reason, rationality and empathy with those who suffer under the yoke of occidental imperialism; be they in Iraq, Palestine or at home. For as the pre-Socratic masters once said: order is only ever established through the implementation of justice, and any nation that succumbs to the whims, hypocrisy, inequity and greed of its current regime will always be a hated & unstable entity. And though its' impossible not to draw comparisons with 'The Battle Of Algiers', 'Paradise Now', 'V: For Vendetta', 'Bloody Sunday', 'Syrianna' or 'The Wind That Shakes The Barely', 'Britz' suffers due to its reluctance to question 'official explanations': government approved conspiracy theories erroneously repeated as facts. Stories that have, since the London terror attacks on '7/7', been systematically dismantled by numerous independent journalists, political authors and documentarians; it's a programme that runs with the perceived MO instead of challenging false conceptions that may have been placed into the public domain through corporate media repetition, slanted or lazy journalism. Hence this reactionary approach, by its very nature, limits any serious exploration of the issue, and leaves us wanting more. 'Britz', in spite of this flaw, is to the so-called 'War On Terror' what 'Threads' (1984) was to the nuclear debate: an engaging and well acted drama, an important, unflinchingly controversial film made to encourage debate, the kind of programming that reminds you why 'Channel 4' was created in the first place.
And though its' not the whole truth by any stretch, you'll have to watch Alex Jones's groundbreaking documentaries '9/11: The Road To Tyranny' (2004), 'Endgame' (2006) and 'Terror-Storm' (2007) for that, this is still a fine production which, if nothing else, retains its power to wake the masses from their slumber with Nasima's sobering final message and a stark warning from George Churchill Coleman, Former Head of Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Unit, that we ignore at our own peril: "I have a horrible feeling that we are sinking into a police state".
Enjoyable film with good performances from the two leads and the son. Freeman plays against type as an assassin who still manages to make his character sympathetic. Exciting and entertaining with one very early shock moment which I won't decribe further in case I spoil it. Definitely worth watching.
I took my two children (ages 5 & 7) to see this in January and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It was funny and a little sad and child friendly rude but perfect for kids of all ages (big and small). Alvin and his friends are all very cute and cuddly and they could talk (in the real world) and Jason Lee, the lead actor, is a pretty bad music writer who ends up with the Chipmunks in his house and they end up writing a song together. Great for a family night in and thoroughly recommended.
it has got to be the best album ever made buy it now if you want to listen to the best band in the world !!!!!
AMAZING tour, AMAZING DVD, AMAZING band.
Even a non-Take That fan would enjoy this.
The best concert I've ever seen!
Now I've said this is rubbish. That is the DVD presentation, not the film. The film ranks as OK, but this release is a 1.85 letterbox from a really poor quality print. Wait until Universal do a remastered 2.35 anamorphic version. If you can get hold of the German version, go for that. It is in English with optional German subtitles.
This is one of the best films I have ever seen, it really is amazing and will stay will you through your whole life. You have to buy this if you haven't already got it.
In the time honoured tradition of 'Once Upon A Time In America', 'JFK', 'Blade Runner' & 'Dances With Wolves' comes David 'Kangaroo Jack' McNally's long awaited 'Coyote Ugly: Director's Cut', because 90 minutes of plotless, beer drenched drivel is never enough. 'Coyote Ugly', in case you don't remember (and shame on you if you don't) was one of producer Jerry Bruckheimer's rare attempts to bankroll a film without explosions, and since in Bruckheimerland, the only viable alternatives to gunfire & missiles are tits & ass, 'Coyote Ugly' offers both in abundance. Like 'Flashdance' meets 'Cocktail', the movie follows the trials and tribulations of wannabe small-town (well, New Jersey) singer/songwriter Violet Sanford (gorgeous Piper Perabo) who, like many other girls before her, tries to make it in New York. But life ain't what it used to be in the city that never sleeps, and our plucky young heroine soon finds herself stuck in the browning, oxidized core of the Big Apple. Now back in the good old days, prostitution might've been an answer, but ever since Rudy Giuliani incinerated New York's poor and ensured the only criminals running NYC were suited plutocrats, that's no longer an option. So Violet finds the next best thing; a pub where, get this; the barmaids are all hot, scantily clad dancing girls (known, somewhat dubiously, as Coyotes) who, for no apparent reason, feel the need to do risqué dance routines in between serving drinks to leery men in raincoats and jobbing actors who didn't get that 'Coke' commercial, oh, and before some outmoded women's lib group accuses Bruckheimer of being an absolute swine for putting his lurid fantasies on film, lets not forget that the premise is based on a real bar. Only in America. The funny thing is; that once you remove the overbearing element of sleaze, 'Coyote Ugly' is actually quite a sweet, if boring, love story between Violet and buff bozo / part-time chef Kevin O'Donnell (Adam Garcia gleefully pissing his career away) whilst familiar faces Tyra Banks, Bridget Monahan and Maria Bello do what's required, and the whole thing stomps along at a just about bearable pace. Best remembered for Leanne Rhyme's hit song 'Can't Fight The Moonlight', 'Coyote Ugly', described as the feeling you get after a one night stand, is an apt sobriquet for how an audience expecting something other than inane, nonsensical fluff will feel, come the end credits. McNally's new cut, for what it's worth, features more flesh, deleted scenes and a reasonably entertaining cast commentary.
Fortunately, Piper Perabo made it out of this boozy debacle relatively unscathed, and though things might not have worked out exactly the way she'd hoped, I still rate her as one of the best young actresses in Hollywood today; a versatile and charismatic talent whose films are usually worth a look. Time will tell if she gets her day in the sun, or whether she'll always be the barmaid, and never the bride.
What a fantastic insight, heard first hand from the pioneers of the apollo program.Ron Howard manages to capture their memories inter cut with nasa footage quite brilliantly. I would recommend this to anyone with any interest in the space program.
Once in a while, a film comes along that restores your faith in movies. In a time when Hollywood budgets are often substantial enough to feed a small country for a year, this softly spoken small-budget soon-to-be-cult-classic starring The Frames' Glen Hansard and young Czech singer songwriter Marketa Irglova documents a story that has been told a thousand times before- that of two lost souls who find themselves falling in love. What sets John Carney's Once apart from any other love story is its practically perfect soundtrack, sang y the lead characters, its authentic portrayal of Dublin and the growing relationship between the two lead characters who frustratingly struggle with their feelings in the face of complications with past and current partners. Although both inexperienced actors, Hansard and Irglova produce such convincing emotion and genuinely touching moments that it almost feels like you are watching a documentary of a couple's private and most treasured memories. Irglova produces a simple, yet, at times, agonisingly and intensely complicated character, while Hansard's down-on-his-luck yet lovable and real Guy wins you over from the first scene. The real-life couples' natural and understated performances contribute to the film"s quiet beauty and thankfully it doesn"t just become a film with a sole aim of boosting the two singers' careers. The movie is not perfect- the relationship between Girl and her mother appears contrived at times- however the film is so full of poignant and beautiful moments that more than make for this. Such heartwarming moments include Hansard's musical description of the demise of his last relationship and the image of Irglova's character in gentle pursuit of Guy through the streets of Dublin- and all with a vaccuum cleaner in tow.
One of the best films to come out of Ireland in a long time, this is a must-see.
A brilliant debut season for the hit show of 2007. Heroes follows a group of people who find they have extraordinary abilities and whether they choose to use them for good or for evil. The show is well written and planned, the sets, music, acting, special effects and attention to detail are superb. If you haven't seen Heroes yet, I thoroughly recommend giving it a go, just make sure you start from the beginning (otherwise you won't know what's going on) and allow about four episodes before you make up your mind. It is slow paced at the start, as there are a variety of characters that need to be established, but it does pick up and soon becomes addictive.
Everything, Everyone, Everywhere Ends. This is just as true for the Fisher family as it is for the remarkable Six Feet Under.
An amazingly well written drama with real heart that can have you crying one minute and laughing the next.
There isn't many programmes that have the ability to provoke so many emotional responses in a single episode, and SFU does it with such grace and poignancy, that you really start to feel a connection with these characters.
That is why the final season is such a masterpiece and exhausting to watch. The final episode is so upsetting that if you've watched the whole series, like me, you'll feel bereaved. This series stayed with me for months and I haven't found another series yet to match the brilliance of Six Feet Under!!!.....i'll keep looking!!
Wow!!
what a cornucopia of Gala Evenings the BBC have for us here.
Over 5 hours of classic music and entertainment/comedy.
Guaranteed to make you laugh and take part.
With songs from many a great musical and great writers such as Gilbert & Sullivan, Noel Gay & Dear Ivor Novello to name just a few, you will be able to reminise in culture and style as the Ladies entertain us like no other.
Thank you to the BBC for realising that the memory of Hinge & Bracket can and will live on.
I run the official Hinge & Bracket Website and have campaigned for years since Patrick fyffe died to get these classic series and specials released on DVD, and i was pleased when the BBC got in touch to tell me that thanks to the petitions they were planning to release them for the first time to buy.
These shows showed us the Dear Ladies in their day to day lives and put us in the picture with how they lived. It gave us an insight into what we had heard via the radio shows, but with a more realistic look on life.
Always finding something exciting to do in each episode from Sales at Ahlers and filling up with Free fuel and winning the pools these shows will guarantee a great laugh.
Fabulous undated entertainment that can never be replaced.
You watch these shows and become entranced with the Dear Ladies as Ladies and not as Female Impersonators.
Sit back with a glass of Emva Cream and chuckle at their frolics in dad to day life in Stackton Tressel...
Surprisingly enjoyable, low key drama wrongly promoted as an Elmore Leonard-esque crime caper, '.45' is more of a richly detailed love letter to the films of John Cassavetes (and that scene from 'True Romance' where Patricia Arquette takes up the axe) than an original picture in its own right. Screenwriter Gary Lennon makes his directorial debut with some style, and though '.45' may seem hopelessly dated in the post 'Pulp Fiction', post 'Boondock Saints', post 'Jackie Brown' post everything vaguely even resembling anything in this movie, era, its still an entertaining little movie that's worth a punt. Milla Jovovich is Kat; an attractive, sassy twentysomething trapped in an abusive relationship with well endowed madman / gun seller Big Al (Angus McFadden, best known for his role as Robert the Bruce in 'Braveheart'). Kat is the object of everyone's desire; from her criminal boyfriend, his henchman Reilly (Stephen Dorff in decent film shocker!), social worker Liz (Aisha Tyler), Hispanic hoodlum Jose (Vincent LaResca) to local lesbian Vic (Sarah Strange), and ultimately the target upon which the bullets of unrequited lust & jealously explode with devastating effect. '.45' is essentially a comic book, cliché driven empowerment picture with Milla as an awkward, and often outrageous, cross between Maureen Murphy and Jennifer Hills from Zarchi's cult favourite 'Day Of The Woman' (1978). Some of the misogynist violence was reminiscent of Robin Wright Penn's struggle against abusive partners in Nick Cassavettes underrated gem 'She's So Lovely"'(1997), for there's a particularly claustrophobic and commendably uncomfortable scene where Milla is brutalised for what seems like forever: this is pure Cassavettes and indicative of Lennon's ability to illicit empathy from an audience. Overall, '.45' isn't a film you're ever likely to reload, nonetheless, it's a well paced, reasonably well acted nod to independent domestic drama and contemporary film noir. Give it a shot.
I saw this film in the cinema with my boyfriend and we both thought it was brilliant! This is definitely a film for all ages. My boyfriend, a film fanatic, is very fussy about films, and usually likes films that arent animation, but have great special effects such as Matrix or Ghost Rider, but unusually, he said this one was great. Thats good enough for me and should be good enough for anyone. The film, based in Paris, had me in fits the whole way through Definitely worth buying, and thanks to find-dvd i can buy it cheaper than most with only my student wages! lol
Goodness me, how well I remember this series. Rather like "The Forsyte Saga", it became an ingrained part of the family week, with all chairs drawn up to the television in good time for the next gripping instalment. Poignantly showing life through WW2, mostly at home in England, it aired weekly on Britain's Granada Television from 1970 to 1972, reaching an estimated audience of 25 million viewers.
This enthralling series was created and edited by John Finch (who also wrote the majority of the scripts). Producers were Richard Doubleday and
Michael Cox. The 52 one-hour episodes of "A Family at War" centred upon the lives of the Ashton family of Liverpool from 1938 through the end of the Second World War.
Splendidly written and acted, "A Family at War"
stands today as one of the finest dramatic achievements in the history of television. This link will take you to a website devoted to the series:
http://www3.baylor.edu/~Richard_Veit/A_Family_at_War/afamilyatwar_introduction.html
One of Miyazaki's finest pieces of animation! A heart-warming story about a pig (once human) who is a brilliant pilot who is challenged by his enemy.
If you've seen Spirited Away and Laputa: Castle in the Sky, you'll love this one too. I saw the American dubbed version first, much as I tend to think they don't give the real authenticity of Miyazaki's work, there were one or two bits (translated differently) which made this film rank as highly as all his other works. The ending is not particularly predictable, or at least I didn't think it was going to end the way it did.
Definitely worth watching.
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a great series but when series 6 was broadcasted in 1978 Micheal Bates died and this series is the last great series. But the most annoying fact is that the DVD has been delayed a lot for he last 18 months
At last season ten comes to the UK on DVD.
Season ten comes along with many changes to the award winning series which started in 1994. New faces join the ever growing cast such as the excellent Parminder Nagra (Bend It Like Beckham) who plays new medical student Neela. Linda Cardellini (Legally Blonde) joins as new nurse Sam Taggart.
Notable episoded such as 'Freefall' which sees the hospital faces with an internal crisis when a helecopter falls from the roof into the ambulance bay, shows how the cast deal with humour and tradegy in the same episode expertly.
Season ten never fails to hit the mark with 22 episodes of excellent quality. If you like the show then season ten is one of the best seasons despite the ever changing cast it still keeps the feel of the original seasons.
With season 14 airing in america lets hope it lasts for many years to come.
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy