Number 145 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2011 sports drama Warrior.
Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) and his estranged older brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) used to be MMA fighters. But when their strained personal lives become too much to bear, they find themselves returning to MMA.
I think the biggest problem for me with this film is that I have no interest in MMA. Like Rocky or Rush, I just have no interest in the subject matter. This meant that much of the emotional gravitas of the film was lost on me. And, as you would expect, MMA itself features heavily, which I found uninteresting to watch. This isn't to say that the fights weren't well choregraphed, but I didn't find them engaging at all.
The acting and performances were very good, but I just didn't enjoy the film. Out of the two leads, I much preferred Brendan. I felt his character was written for better. It was more personable and Edgerton played the character well. Tom Hardy also played Tommy well, but his character was more opaque. I didn't relate to him as much as I did with Brendan.
So, while a lot of people may enjoy this film and consider it one of the best 1000 in the world, it just wasn't for me.
Monday, 4 March 2019
Friday, 22 February 2019
Hunted Episode 5 Review
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
I have always said that Matt Mason's overconfidence would be his downfall and I was proven correct in this episode. After an audacious plan to lure the Hunters to Devon, send them on a wild goose chase, in an attempt to deflate the tyres on their car, goes wrong, Matt scurries back to safety. when the Hunters don't take the bait for the trap, Matt is driven to a safehouse. What Matt doesn't know is that the Hunters are lying in wait. He arrives and after 21 days on the run, he is caught.
Next up we have this year's underdog Loren Hannon. Essex girl Loren began poorly by leaving behind her itinerary for the Hunters to find. But she has only gone from strength to strength. She has spent most of her life caring for her agoraphobic mother. Thus she has lived a very sheltered existence.
Last episode, after feeling particularly homesick, she tries to meet her sisters in Derby, but they don't show up. Distressed, but not beaten, Loren plans to go home to see her mum.
She goes to a local pub and asks for help there. The barman, Leon, says his mum Patricia will put her up for the night. Patricia does this and more. She says her friend Hugo can drive Loren to Essex. But the Hunters implement a social media campaign that results in Loren being ratted out by a member of the public. Further CCTV reveal her location in the pub. The Hunters interrogate one of the workers and he give sup Leon. The Hunters interrogate Patricia and despite initially rebuffing them, her story collapses once they search her phone.
They become suspicious of her absent call history and upon a little digging, they find out about Hugo. They send teams to where Hugo is picking up Loren. But while Loren is en route, she becomes paranoid, worrying that the Hunters have identified Hugo. She wisely ditches the plan, leaving the ground Hunters with lots of egg on their face. But Loren is still determined to get to Essex. She borrows a phone to call her best friend's boyfriend Kieran. He picks up her up and drives her home.
But the Hunters have tracked the call and identify Kieran's vehicle. They follow Kieran's van and just as Loren reaches home, the Hunters catch her. After 23 days, Loren has been caught.
Finally, we have friends Ismail and Nathaniel. We discover that growing up Ish was bullied, shy and very introverted. Nathaniel was the opposite, but remains intensely loyal to his friend. But the Hunters suspect Ish as being the weak link.
After a few nights of wild-camping off-grid in Huddersfield, Ish is dreadfully homesick and wants to see his sister Hafsza. Nate knows this is a massive risk, but is prepared to help his friend. He devises a plan which involves the boy splitting. Nate enlists his friend Drew to pose as Ish. The two go to their university city of Nottingham and livestream in the city centre. They hope to lure the hunters to Nottingham, allowing Ish to see Hafsza in Derby. The two will reunite in Dudley.
But the Hunters are close to catching Loren and they don't fall for the lure. This allows Ish to see Hafsza and make it to the rendezvous. Meanwhile, the Hunters have figured out the trap and send teams to intercept. While Nate is heading to the RDZ, he becomes paranoid and decides not to go. Instead, he is dropped off 14 miles away in Birmingham. This leaves Ish paranoid and isolated, as he wanders how he'll cope without his friend.
With 45 hours to go, we have our four finalists: brothers Harry and Frank Savage and the now divided friends, Nate and Ish.
They are told to access a pre-recorded message that will notify them of their extraction point. If they can make it there without being caught, they will win. The catch? Listening to the message reveals their exact location to the Hunters. To quote Harry Savage, "shit just got real."
Top tips for going on the run
1. Don't be overconfident. This was Matt Mason's downfall.
2. If you know the Hunters are following you then don't go home.
3. Always trust your instincts. This helped Loren temporarily escape the Hunters.
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
I have always said that Matt Mason's overconfidence would be his downfall and I was proven correct in this episode. After an audacious plan to lure the Hunters to Devon, send them on a wild goose chase, in an attempt to deflate the tyres on their car, goes wrong, Matt scurries back to safety. when the Hunters don't take the bait for the trap, Matt is driven to a safehouse. What Matt doesn't know is that the Hunters are lying in wait. He arrives and after 21 days on the run, he is caught.
Next up we have this year's underdog Loren Hannon. Essex girl Loren began poorly by leaving behind her itinerary for the Hunters to find. But she has only gone from strength to strength. She has spent most of her life caring for her agoraphobic mother. Thus she has lived a very sheltered existence.
Last episode, after feeling particularly homesick, she tries to meet her sisters in Derby, but they don't show up. Distressed, but not beaten, Loren plans to go home to see her mum.
She goes to a local pub and asks for help there. The barman, Leon, says his mum Patricia will put her up for the night. Patricia does this and more. She says her friend Hugo can drive Loren to Essex. But the Hunters implement a social media campaign that results in Loren being ratted out by a member of the public. Further CCTV reveal her location in the pub. The Hunters interrogate one of the workers and he give sup Leon. The Hunters interrogate Patricia and despite initially rebuffing them, her story collapses once they search her phone.
They become suspicious of her absent call history and upon a little digging, they find out about Hugo. They send teams to where Hugo is picking up Loren. But while Loren is en route, she becomes paranoid, worrying that the Hunters have identified Hugo. She wisely ditches the plan, leaving the ground Hunters with lots of egg on their face. But Loren is still determined to get to Essex. She borrows a phone to call her best friend's boyfriend Kieran. He picks up her up and drives her home.
But the Hunters have tracked the call and identify Kieran's vehicle. They follow Kieran's van and just as Loren reaches home, the Hunters catch her. After 23 days, Loren has been caught.
Finally, we have friends Ismail and Nathaniel. We discover that growing up Ish was bullied, shy and very introverted. Nathaniel was the opposite, but remains intensely loyal to his friend. But the Hunters suspect Ish as being the weak link.
After a few nights of wild-camping off-grid in Huddersfield, Ish is dreadfully homesick and wants to see his sister Hafsza. Nate knows this is a massive risk, but is prepared to help his friend. He devises a plan which involves the boy splitting. Nate enlists his friend Drew to pose as Ish. The two go to their university city of Nottingham and livestream in the city centre. They hope to lure the hunters to Nottingham, allowing Ish to see Hafsza in Derby. The two will reunite in Dudley.
But the Hunters are close to catching Loren and they don't fall for the lure. This allows Ish to see Hafsza and make it to the rendezvous. Meanwhile, the Hunters have figured out the trap and send teams to intercept. While Nate is heading to the RDZ, he becomes paranoid and decides not to go. Instead, he is dropped off 14 miles away in Birmingham. This leaves Ish paranoid and isolated, as he wanders how he'll cope without his friend.
With 45 hours to go, we have our four finalists: brothers Harry and Frank Savage and the now divided friends, Nate and Ish.
They are told to access a pre-recorded message that will notify them of their extraction point. If they can make it there without being caught, they will win. The catch? Listening to the message reveals their exact location to the Hunters. To quote Harry Savage, "shit just got real."
Top tips for going on the run
1. Don't be overconfident. This was Matt Mason's downfall.
2. If you know the Hunters are following you then don't go home.
3. Always trust your instincts. This helped Loren temporarily escape the Hunters.
Les Diabolique Review
Number 144 on the top 1000 greatest films of all time is the 1955 French psychological thriller Les Diaboloqie.
Michel Delasalle is the cruel, abusive and all-around mean-hearted headteacher of a second-rate Parisian boarding school. His wife Christina (Vera Clouzat) and his mistress Nicole (Simone Sigouret) plot to kill him. Having done so, his body seemingly disappears and a number of strange events start occurring.
This was reportedly the inspiration behind Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and it is easy to see why, as it has all the hallmarks of a Hitchcock film. It also watched as a classic noir movie.
Of the two women, Nicole was the brains behind the operation and Sigouret did well to portray the ruthless pragmatism behind the character. On the other hand, Nicole is quiet and fragile, with a heart condition. Lastly, Paul Mourise portrayed an appropriate unsympathetic Michel Dellaselle. He was a truly unlikeable character and his death did little to pull at my heartstrings.
Something else that was interesting was the complete lack of background music. Apart from the credits, there was no music at all. While this might lead to boring silences in other films, here it worked well to build up the tension.
But I don't have much to say about this film. I enjoyed it with its moral duplicitous characters, tension building and effective use of silence. The film concludes by asking the audience not to spoil the shock twist ending. I ask you to do the same in the comments below.
Michel Delasalle is the cruel, abusive and all-around mean-hearted headteacher of a second-rate Parisian boarding school. His wife Christina (Vera Clouzat) and his mistress Nicole (Simone Sigouret) plot to kill him. Having done so, his body seemingly disappears and a number of strange events start occurring.
This was reportedly the inspiration behind Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and it is easy to see why, as it has all the hallmarks of a Hitchcock film. It also watched as a classic noir movie.
Of the two women, Nicole was the brains behind the operation and Sigouret did well to portray the ruthless pragmatism behind the character. On the other hand, Nicole is quiet and fragile, with a heart condition. Lastly, Paul Mourise portrayed an appropriate unsympathetic Michel Dellaselle. He was a truly unlikeable character and his death did little to pull at my heartstrings.
Something else that was interesting was the complete lack of background music. Apart from the credits, there was no music at all. While this might lead to boring silences in other films, here it worked well to build up the tension.
But I don't have much to say about this film. I enjoyed it with its moral duplicitous characters, tension building and effective use of silence. The film concludes by asking the audience not to spoil the shock twist ending. I ask you to do the same in the comments below.
Sunday, 3 February 2019
Hunted Season 4 Episode 4 Review
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
In what is becoming a Hunted tradition, this episode picks up where the last one left off. The Hunters have tracked Nathaniel and Ismail to Huddersfield where they are being sheltered in a rental property.
The Hunters send in a ground team and box off the boys. Just when it looks like the two friends will be caught, they're tipped off and escape. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Next we move onto brothers Harry and Frank Savage. They have hiked their way back to Frank's home county of Sussex and are looking for a way to go home. They've been on the run for 16 days and the Hunters rightly suspect they are tired and miserable. They think the brothers will make contact with their older sister Lizzie. After their mother passed away, Lizzie became the mum of the family.
The boys make contact with a friend called Matt who owns a pub. Matt shelters and feeds the two. Afterwards, Matt goes to Lizzie's house to broker a meet. However, the Hunters get there first. While Lizzie is out, they bug her house with spy cameras. They spot Matt on the cameras while Lizzie is still out. Through facial recognition and social media, the Hunters discover Matt's connection to Harry and Frank.
Lizzie calls Matt and arranges to meet the boys at a burger van they have frequented in the past. The Hunters track the call and send teams to intercept. As Matt drives the boys to the rendezvous, they start becoming paranoid. They see the Hunters everywhere, but they make it to the rendezvous. Just as it looks like Lizzie isn't showing, she appears and gives the boys money. With the Hunters closing in, Harry and Frank just escape in time. Their whereabouts are unknown.
Next we have Loren Hannon who I feel is this year's underdog. In the first episode, she left behind her itinerary which the Hunters found. She received a lot of slack for this online, but she is still fighting on. Nick Cummings and Alex Ayling were underdogs too and they went on to win. Anyway, this episode picks up on Loren in the Scottish Highlands. She sends a taunting postcard to the Hunters before hitchhiking her way south to the Lake District.
Here we learn more about her past. She has spent much of her life as her mum's caregiver and thus has lived a very sheltered existence. She is not prepared for hiking through the Lake District at all, but she makes a good fist of it.
Anyway, the Hunters suspect the postcard is a decoy and they don't fall for it. Instead, they use social media to advertise wanted posters for Loren. Meanwhile, the homesick Loren devises a plan to see her family. She uses a stranger's phone to call her best friend's boyfriend to broker a meeting between her and her sisters in Derby. From there, she hitch-hikes down to the Sandbach service station in Cheshire.
Then she begins asking literally anybody and everybody if they can drive her to Derby. After a lot of failing, she eventually succeeds. But then one of the people she's asked rats her out to the Hunters. The Hunters pull CCTV from the service station and spot Loren making a show of herself out front. But in the meantime she has made it to Derby.
She arrives at the rendezvous to find her sisters aren't there. Distraught and alone, Loren decides to leave. We see the pressure get to her as she breaks down. Loren is isolated and upset, but she remains on the run. Her whereabouts are unknown.
Finally, we have Royal Marine Commando, Matt Mason. Throughout the series, we have seen his cockiness come through. The Hunters think this will be his downfall. And maybe they're right, as Matt reveals his next audacious plan to taunt the Hunters.
Having long left Gloucester, he is now in Devon and plans to lure the Hunters to a beach called Saunton Sands. While they're looking for him, he will deflate the tyres on their card.
But the Hunters know he's going to try something clever and they stay alert. Also they have access to his internet search history and have figured out what route he is taking. They know he is in Devon. They believe he'll make use of his extensive Royal Marine Commando network.
They discover a marine called John Peel living in the area and suspect Matt will make contact with him. They then spot Matt on the local CCTV. Their suspicions prove true, as Matt asks for John's help. John's daughter phones up Matt's wife, Lyndsay, and asks her to come to Saunton Sands.
Knowing the Hunters won't be far behind, Matt lies in wait. But things go wrong when Lyndsay shows up, but the Hunters don't. Matt quickly realises they haven't taken the bait and aborts the plan. John drives him back to his house, but what neither of them know is that the Hunters know where John lives and are sending ground teams to intercept. Will Matt's overconfidence prove his fatal downfall? We'll have to wait until next week to find out.
Top tips for going on the run.
I would say don't make contact with your family - this could have been fatal for the Savages or Loren, but the rules state you need to make contact. While you might not do this in real life, this is a television programme and needs to be dramatic and entertaining for audiences.
1. Don't become overconfident. I feel like this will be Matt's downfall.
2. Be careful in trying to outsmart the Hunters. They're ready for traps.
3. Keep an eye out for CCTV. This gave away Loren's location.
Don't tell me your plan in the comments below. The Hunters are watching.
Episode 2
Episode 3
In what is becoming a Hunted tradition, this episode picks up where the last one left off. The Hunters have tracked Nathaniel and Ismail to Huddersfield where they are being sheltered in a rental property.
The Hunters send in a ground team and box off the boys. Just when it looks like the two friends will be caught, they're tipped off and escape. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Next we move onto brothers Harry and Frank Savage. They have hiked their way back to Frank's home county of Sussex and are looking for a way to go home. They've been on the run for 16 days and the Hunters rightly suspect they are tired and miserable. They think the brothers will make contact with their older sister Lizzie. After their mother passed away, Lizzie became the mum of the family.
The boys make contact with a friend called Matt who owns a pub. Matt shelters and feeds the two. Afterwards, Matt goes to Lizzie's house to broker a meet. However, the Hunters get there first. While Lizzie is out, they bug her house with spy cameras. They spot Matt on the cameras while Lizzie is still out. Through facial recognition and social media, the Hunters discover Matt's connection to Harry and Frank.
Lizzie calls Matt and arranges to meet the boys at a burger van they have frequented in the past. The Hunters track the call and send teams to intercept. As Matt drives the boys to the rendezvous, they start becoming paranoid. They see the Hunters everywhere, but they make it to the rendezvous. Just as it looks like Lizzie isn't showing, she appears and gives the boys money. With the Hunters closing in, Harry and Frank just escape in time. Their whereabouts are unknown.
Next we have Loren Hannon who I feel is this year's underdog. In the first episode, she left behind her itinerary which the Hunters found. She received a lot of slack for this online, but she is still fighting on. Nick Cummings and Alex Ayling were underdogs too and they went on to win. Anyway, this episode picks up on Loren in the Scottish Highlands. She sends a taunting postcard to the Hunters before hitchhiking her way south to the Lake District.
Here we learn more about her past. She has spent much of her life as her mum's caregiver and thus has lived a very sheltered existence. She is not prepared for hiking through the Lake District at all, but she makes a good fist of it.
Anyway, the Hunters suspect the postcard is a decoy and they don't fall for it. Instead, they use social media to advertise wanted posters for Loren. Meanwhile, the homesick Loren devises a plan to see her family. She uses a stranger's phone to call her best friend's boyfriend to broker a meeting between her and her sisters in Derby. From there, she hitch-hikes down to the Sandbach service station in Cheshire.
Then she begins asking literally anybody and everybody if they can drive her to Derby. After a lot of failing, she eventually succeeds. But then one of the people she's asked rats her out to the Hunters. The Hunters pull CCTV from the service station and spot Loren making a show of herself out front. But in the meantime she has made it to Derby.
She arrives at the rendezvous to find her sisters aren't there. Distraught and alone, Loren decides to leave. We see the pressure get to her as she breaks down. Loren is isolated and upset, but she remains on the run. Her whereabouts are unknown.
Finally, we have Royal Marine Commando, Matt Mason. Throughout the series, we have seen his cockiness come through. The Hunters think this will be his downfall. And maybe they're right, as Matt reveals his next audacious plan to taunt the Hunters.
Having long left Gloucester, he is now in Devon and plans to lure the Hunters to a beach called Saunton Sands. While they're looking for him, he will deflate the tyres on their card.
But the Hunters know he's going to try something clever and they stay alert. Also they have access to his internet search history and have figured out what route he is taking. They know he is in Devon. They believe he'll make use of his extensive Royal Marine Commando network.
They discover a marine called John Peel living in the area and suspect Matt will make contact with him. They then spot Matt on the local CCTV. Their suspicions prove true, as Matt asks for John's help. John's daughter phones up Matt's wife, Lyndsay, and asks her to come to Saunton Sands.
Knowing the Hunters won't be far behind, Matt lies in wait. But things go wrong when Lyndsay shows up, but the Hunters don't. Matt quickly realises they haven't taken the bait and aborts the plan. John drives him back to his house, but what neither of them know is that the Hunters know where John lives and are sending ground teams to intercept. Will Matt's overconfidence prove his fatal downfall? We'll have to wait until next week to find out.
Top tips for going on the run.
I would say don't make contact with your family - this could have been fatal for the Savages or Loren, but the rules state you need to make contact. While you might not do this in real life, this is a television programme and needs to be dramatic and entertaining for audiences.
1. Don't become overconfident. I feel like this will be Matt's downfall.
2. Be careful in trying to outsmart the Hunters. They're ready for traps.
3. Keep an eye out for CCTV. This gave away Loren's location.
Don't tell me your plan in the comments below. The Hunters are watching.
Saturday, 2 February 2019
The Best Years of our Lives review
Number 143 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Best Years of our Lives. It was the winner of the 1946 Best Picture Oscar.
Platoon Sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric Marsh), Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) and Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish (Harrold Russell) are three WW2 veterans who make fast friends upon their return to America. However, all three of them have trouble readjusting to their old lives.
The Best Days of our Lives won seven Oscars and it's easy to understand why. Its subject matter is as relevant now as it was then. Some soldiers returning from war find they don't have any support network. They struggle to integrate back into their old lives. Some become homeless. Others take their own lives.
Thankfully things never become that dark here, but all three characters struggle to reintegrate. Before the war, Al Stephenson was a middle-manager in a bank and a family man. But when he arrives home, his life has moved on without him. His children have a grown-up and he has lost his relationship to him. In his work, he does his best to help other veterans even when that's not in the bank's best interests. To help deal with his alienation, he begins drinking. And on more than one occasion, he drinks too much and greatly embarrasses himself and his family. Unfortunately, he is just one example of the many veterans who turn to drink when they cannot cope with reality.
Next we have Fred Derry who is the most mentally disturbed of the three. Although it isn't said explicitly, it is implied that he has PTSD. He talks in his sleep, thinking he is still in battle. Before the war, he was a soda jerk in a drug store. He also married a woman called Marie, a month before he shipped out. But upon his return, he struggles in finding a new job. He is forced to return to his role as a low-paid soda jerk. Marie makes it clear she isn't happy with this and constantly berates him. The marriage turns into a loveless one and Marie leaves Fred for another veteran. Again, this is all too familiar for veterans who have been changed by war.
Lastly, we have Homer Parrish. While in the navy, his boat caught fire and sunk. While Homer survived, he lost both his arms below the elbow. And so, he has prosthetic hooks instead. The actor Harold Russell actually lost his hands in the army while teaching demolition work. And Parrish's story is the saddest of the three. Because of his disability, he finds that everyone is treating him differently, when all he wants is to be treated the same. Yet children are scared of him and Home is afraid his old girlfriend and family will reject him. Although they are understanding, he finds he is more comfortable with his old friends. It is only when Fred Derry tells him not to let his girlfriend go is Homer able to fully accept himself for who he is.
I did enjoy this film. It holds as much relevance as it did and through history, as it did in WW2. Veterans coming home from Korea experienced this, so did veterans in Vietnam and in the Gulf War and even in the recent war in Afghanistan. And all three characters were very likeable especially the sweet Homer Parrish, so it was nice to see him succeed. This isn't always the case for veterans, so it was nice to see these three characters live happily ever after.
Platoon Sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric Marsh), Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) and Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish (Harrold Russell) are three WW2 veterans who make fast friends upon their return to America. However, all three of them have trouble readjusting to their old lives.
The Best Days of our Lives won seven Oscars and it's easy to understand why. Its subject matter is as relevant now as it was then. Some soldiers returning from war find they don't have any support network. They struggle to integrate back into their old lives. Some become homeless. Others take their own lives.
Thankfully things never become that dark here, but all three characters struggle to reintegrate. Before the war, Al Stephenson was a middle-manager in a bank and a family man. But when he arrives home, his life has moved on without him. His children have a grown-up and he has lost his relationship to him. In his work, he does his best to help other veterans even when that's not in the bank's best interests. To help deal with his alienation, he begins drinking. And on more than one occasion, he drinks too much and greatly embarrasses himself and his family. Unfortunately, he is just one example of the many veterans who turn to drink when they cannot cope with reality.
Next we have Fred Derry who is the most mentally disturbed of the three. Although it isn't said explicitly, it is implied that he has PTSD. He talks in his sleep, thinking he is still in battle. Before the war, he was a soda jerk in a drug store. He also married a woman called Marie, a month before he shipped out. But upon his return, he struggles in finding a new job. He is forced to return to his role as a low-paid soda jerk. Marie makes it clear she isn't happy with this and constantly berates him. The marriage turns into a loveless one and Marie leaves Fred for another veteran. Again, this is all too familiar for veterans who have been changed by war.
Lastly, we have Homer Parrish. While in the navy, his boat caught fire and sunk. While Homer survived, he lost both his arms below the elbow. And so, he has prosthetic hooks instead. The actor Harold Russell actually lost his hands in the army while teaching demolition work. And Parrish's story is the saddest of the three. Because of his disability, he finds that everyone is treating him differently, when all he wants is to be treated the same. Yet children are scared of him and Home is afraid his old girlfriend and family will reject him. Although they are understanding, he finds he is more comfortable with his old friends. It is only when Fred Derry tells him not to let his girlfriend go is Homer able to fully accept himself for who he is.
I did enjoy this film. It holds as much relevance as it did and through history, as it did in WW2. Veterans coming home from Korea experienced this, so did veterans in Vietnam and in the Gulf War and even in the recent war in Afghanistan. And all three characters were very likeable especially the sweet Homer Parrish, so it was nice to see him succeed. This isn't always the case for veterans, so it was nice to see these three characters live happily ever after.
Monday, 28 January 2019
Hunted Season 4 Episode 3 Review
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3 picks up where episode 4 leaves off. Having tracked down nurses Emma and Jess, the Hunters send teams to catch them. After a short pursuit, they do just that. After ten days on the run, Emma and Jess have been caught,
This was a pity, as I liked the two. I like how they were able to make up after their fight. But just like Paul and Nick, they became overconfident. And for that, they paid the ultimate price.
From here we move onto Essex brothers Harry and Frank Savage. This episode explored their relationship very closely. The brothers have recently lost their parents - Harry being the younger brother, has been hit the hardest. And Frank served as his rock. We also learn that despite being brothers and best friends, they are complete polar opposites. Harry is very flamboyant and outgoing with a great love of social media. Frank doesn't even have a social media account.
The last we saw of the boys, they were South-East of Chester. But they have since hiked into rural Derbyshire, camping at night. This comes second nature to Frank who is a campsite owner, but for Harry, it isn't so easy. A longing for creature comforts sees the boys taking refuge at a shooting range in Doveridge.
Here we see Harry's more sensitive side emerge, as he breaks down in tears. The ever-reliable Frank is there to support him. Sensing his brother's low morale, Frank devises a plan to return home to Essex. To help them, they enlist the owner of the shooting range, Jo Gilligan. They film a taunting video of themselves at the range, complete with cheesy one-liner and post it on Facebook. The Hunters see it, but by that time Jo has driven them to safety. The Hunters interrogate Jo who despite letting a few things slip doesn't give up Harry and Frank. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.
From here, we move onto Matt Mason. As a Royal Marine Commando, the smart money is on him to win, but only time will tell. To help catch him, the Hunters dig into his life where they find he is a husband and has a baby boy. They suspect his family are his weakness.
And they're right. Having finished hiking through Wales, he has reached Montmountshire in Gloucester. There he makes contact with his sister and his brother-in-law. However, the Hunters have access to his internet search history and have determined his plan of action and already know about Gloucester. They send ground teams to investigate.
Meanwhile, Matt is sheltering in a barn owned by his brother-in-law. As it is father's day, he is determined to see his wife and son. And his brother-in-law brokers the meet for him. They arrange to meet at a local monument. But the Hunters suspect he is planning to meet his wife and send up a remote-controlled drone. While waiting at the monument, Matt hears the drone and wisely walks into a nearby forest. The drone cannot spot him and is forced to return when it loses battery. Although, in previous series, the drones have been armed with thermal imaging cameras. I'm not sure why this wasn't used here.
But Matt is still able to reunite him with his family before once again going on the run. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Finally, we have friends Ismail and Nathaniel. The Hunters identify they are recent university graduates and have thus accrued a good amount of debt. The Hunters exploit that by freezing their bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the boys are wild camping in the Peak District. But miserable weather conditions forces them to see shelter at a local pub. Here it would be all too easy to criticise the boys for giving up too soon, for not roughing it even more. But I'm writing this on my laptop in my warm bedroom, rather than freezing my arse off in the Peak District. I'm every single inch the city boy as are Nate and Ismail, and I will probably struggle rough camping too.
Anyway, the boys treat themselves to a slap-up meal, but find their bank cards are declined when they try to pay. They use the rest of the cash to pay, but the declining card reveals their location to the Hunters. The boys are given a lift by the pub landlord to another pub called Ye Olde Mustard Pot. But the Hunters spot them on CCTV getting the light and also in the second pub.
Their next plan is to seek help in their university City of Huddersfield. They contact a source who arranges for them to take a taxi into the city. But the Hunters are one step ahead of them. They spot the friends on CCTV and knowing their connection to Huddersfield, they send teams to intercept.
Nathaniel and Ismail shelter in a gym called Top Bodies Express where their contact works. The gym's owner John Froud is more than happy to help them. But when the Hunters dig into their social media, they discover they are frequent patrons of Top Bodies Express, and target John Froud.
Froud hides the boys in one of his rental properties. The Hunters interview him. While he initially fights them off, his bluster and his story falls away, when the Hunters snoop around his phone. They find he's deleted his calls and he has also left his GPS on. Using his GPS history,t hey locate the rental property where they suspect he is hiding the boys. Teams are sent to intercept, but whether they succeed or not, is a question that will have to wait until next week.
Top tips for going on the run
1. Don't become overconfident. It happened last week and it happened this week too. Don't let your guard down. Emma and Jess were caught in their pyjamas.
2. Don't leave your GPS on. And be smarter in deleting your call history.
3. If you're going to hide in the Peak District, get actual hiking boots. Not converses like Ismail and Nathaniel.
While my little blog is probably at the bottom of search engine rankings, don't tell me your plan for going on the run. The Hunters are watching.
Episode 2
Episode 3 picks up where episode 4 leaves off. Having tracked down nurses Emma and Jess, the Hunters send teams to catch them. After a short pursuit, they do just that. After ten days on the run, Emma and Jess have been caught,
This was a pity, as I liked the two. I like how they were able to make up after their fight. But just like Paul and Nick, they became overconfident. And for that, they paid the ultimate price.
From here we move onto Essex brothers Harry and Frank Savage. This episode explored their relationship very closely. The brothers have recently lost their parents - Harry being the younger brother, has been hit the hardest. And Frank served as his rock. We also learn that despite being brothers and best friends, they are complete polar opposites. Harry is very flamboyant and outgoing with a great love of social media. Frank doesn't even have a social media account.
The last we saw of the boys, they were South-East of Chester. But they have since hiked into rural Derbyshire, camping at night. This comes second nature to Frank who is a campsite owner, but for Harry, it isn't so easy. A longing for creature comforts sees the boys taking refuge at a shooting range in Doveridge.
Here we see Harry's more sensitive side emerge, as he breaks down in tears. The ever-reliable Frank is there to support him. Sensing his brother's low morale, Frank devises a plan to return home to Essex. To help them, they enlist the owner of the shooting range, Jo Gilligan. They film a taunting video of themselves at the range, complete with cheesy one-liner and post it on Facebook. The Hunters see it, but by that time Jo has driven them to safety. The Hunters interrogate Jo who despite letting a few things slip doesn't give up Harry and Frank. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.
From here, we move onto Matt Mason. As a Royal Marine Commando, the smart money is on him to win, but only time will tell. To help catch him, the Hunters dig into his life where they find he is a husband and has a baby boy. They suspect his family are his weakness.
And they're right. Having finished hiking through Wales, he has reached Montmountshire in Gloucester. There he makes contact with his sister and his brother-in-law. However, the Hunters have access to his internet search history and have determined his plan of action and already know about Gloucester. They send ground teams to investigate.
Meanwhile, Matt is sheltering in a barn owned by his brother-in-law. As it is father's day, he is determined to see his wife and son. And his brother-in-law brokers the meet for him. They arrange to meet at a local monument. But the Hunters suspect he is planning to meet his wife and send up a remote-controlled drone. While waiting at the monument, Matt hears the drone and wisely walks into a nearby forest. The drone cannot spot him and is forced to return when it loses battery. Although, in previous series, the drones have been armed with thermal imaging cameras. I'm not sure why this wasn't used here.
But Matt is still able to reunite him with his family before once again going on the run. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Finally, we have friends Ismail and Nathaniel. The Hunters identify they are recent university graduates and have thus accrued a good amount of debt. The Hunters exploit that by freezing their bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the boys are wild camping in the Peak District. But miserable weather conditions forces them to see shelter at a local pub. Here it would be all too easy to criticise the boys for giving up too soon, for not roughing it even more. But I'm writing this on my laptop in my warm bedroom, rather than freezing my arse off in the Peak District. I'm every single inch the city boy as are Nate and Ismail, and I will probably struggle rough camping too.
Anyway, the boys treat themselves to a slap-up meal, but find their bank cards are declined when they try to pay. They use the rest of the cash to pay, but the declining card reveals their location to the Hunters. The boys are given a lift by the pub landlord to another pub called Ye Olde Mustard Pot. But the Hunters spot them on CCTV getting the light and also in the second pub.
Their next plan is to seek help in their university City of Huddersfield. They contact a source who arranges for them to take a taxi into the city. But the Hunters are one step ahead of them. They spot the friends on CCTV and knowing their connection to Huddersfield, they send teams to intercept.
Nathaniel and Ismail shelter in a gym called Top Bodies Express where their contact works. The gym's owner John Froud is more than happy to help them. But when the Hunters dig into their social media, they discover they are frequent patrons of Top Bodies Express, and target John Froud.
Froud hides the boys in one of his rental properties. The Hunters interview him. While he initially fights them off, his bluster and his story falls away, when the Hunters snoop around his phone. They find he's deleted his calls and he has also left his GPS on. Using his GPS history,t hey locate the rental property where they suspect he is hiding the boys. Teams are sent to intercept, but whether they succeed or not, is a question that will have to wait until next week.
Top tips for going on the run
1. Don't become overconfident. It happened last week and it happened this week too. Don't let your guard down. Emma and Jess were caught in their pyjamas.
2. Don't leave your GPS on. And be smarter in deleting your call history.
3. If you're going to hide in the Peak District, get actual hiking boots. Not converses like Ismail and Nathaniel.
While my little blog is probably at the bottom of search engine rankings, don't tell me your plan for going on the run. The Hunters are watching.
Tuesday, 22 January 2019
The Secret in their Eyes Review
Number 142 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Argentinean crime drama the Secret in their Eyes.
Set in Buenos Aires in both 1974 and 1999, the Secret in their Eyes follows two narratives. The first narrative is told via flashback form and follows federal agent Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin) attempting to catch the man who has raped and killed Liliana Coloto. Aiding him is Coloto's husband Ricardo Morales, (Pablo Ragos) his assistant with a drinking problem, Pablo Sanchoval, and head judge Irene Menedez Hastings (Soledad Villamil) which Benjamin has always had feelings for.
In 1999, we see the retired Esposito struggling to write his first book. Looking for inspiration, he revisits the old case, as well as his feelings for Hastings.
Set in Buenos Aires in both 1974 and 1999, the Secret in their Eyes follows two narratives. The first narrative is told via flashback form and follows federal agent Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin) attempting to catch the man who has raped and killed Liliana Coloto. Aiding him is Coloto's husband Ricardo Morales, (Pablo Ragos) his assistant with a drinking problem, Pablo Sanchoval, and head judge Irene Menedez Hastings (Soledad Villamil) which Benjamin has always had feelings for.
In 1999, we see the retired Esposito struggling to write his first book. Looking for inspiration, he revisits the old case, as well as his feelings for Hastings.
If there is one way to describe this film, it is as a damning indictment of the corrupt Argentinean justice system. This is manifested within the character of Romano – a rival prosecutor of Benjamin Esposito.
Romano quickly tries to pin Liliana’s rape and murder on two innocent immigrant workers of which he beats until they confess. Even after Esposito discovers the true killer, Isidoro Gomez, and imprisons him for life, he is freed after a year.
And this is once again because of Romano who has freed Gomez to exploit his murderous tendencies. Gomez is used as an enforcer to combat the left-wing guerrillas who are attacking Maria Peron’s far-right government. Romano senses that Esposito will expose him and sends hit-men to kill him, but they kill Sanchovar instead.
Sanchovar was a tragic character throughout, his weakness for drink destroyed his marriage and his life, but he died a hero. When the hit-men ask him if he is Esposito, he lies by saying he is. This act of protection costs him his life. In many ways, Sanchovar is the opposite of Romano. While they both have flaws, Sanchovar is driven by his innate compassion, while Romano is motivated by his desire for power. Gomez remains a free man.
But this railing against the corrupted government prevails at the end of the film. In the present-day 1999 narrative, Esposito is struggling to think of a suitable end to his book. He tracks down Ricardo Morales who is living in a rural area of Beunos Aires. Esposito questions Morales over how he has managed to continue living 25 years after the rape and murder of his wife – just how he was able to continue, especially after previously obsessing over the case.
Morales says that he kidnapped and shot Gomez, but it is revealed that he has actually been keeping him prisoner in his home for 25 years. And Morales did this, because he lost his faith in the justice system. Gomez was supposed to be imprisoned for life. Instead, he was released after a year, so Morales took the law into his own hands.
If there is anywhere where the film missteps, I think it is in the romantic subplot between Esposito and Menedez. I do understand what they were going for here, but I think it needed a bit more exploration. It would have been nice to have seen more time focussed on this storyline.
But overall, this was a very enjoyable film with a stylised cinematography, strong performances and an interesting social commentary.
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