Small Prophets

And now for something completely different....Instructed by his father(played by Michael Palin), Michael Sleep, a hardware store worker, starts to grow Homunculi in his garden shed in an effort to find his lost girlfriend. It's not very often that something this original comes around and when it does it should be embraced. Small Prophets was written, created and directed by Mackenzie Crook one of the most recognized figures in British comedy and he nails this.  A tremendous cast, extraordinary writing and a gentle, dry sense of humor make Small Prophets must see television. You will not be disappointed.

 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

 Based on The Hedge Knight, a novella by George RR Martin, AKOTSK takes us back to Westeros 100 years before the action in Game of Thrones. Sir Duncan, squire for a recently deceased hedge knight, takes off on the road. As a "brand new" knight he finds himself a squire in Egg and together they enter a jousting tournament. Fantastic in every way possible. Easily up to the quality level of Game of Thrones and checks all the boxes. I was a fan of Martin long before the TV series brought this wonderful piece of writing to the masses, so I was already familiar with the source material and HBO absolutely has NAILED this. I know it's early in the year, but I am certain that this will hold up as one of the finest shows of the year. A Must See.

Marty Supreme

 

Nominated for 9 Oscars, Marty Supreme, is a story about a shoe salesman in NYC in the early 50's, who is sure he is destined for greatness in a sport that nobody in America cares about, table tennis, and will do most anything to achieve it. Crackerjack and perhaps even Oscar worthy performance by Chalamet, but I am not quite certain the film is equal to it. This is going to hit a lot of people in different ways, some will love it and some will hate it. The cinematography and 1950's set design are great, but the choice to use a 1980's soundtrack was decidedly out of place and the script meanders a bit too much in the middle making this go on for far too long. Still i think this is a film worth seeing, but this wont be winning picture.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast

 3 childhood friends reunite in Donegal Ireland for the funeral of their schoolmate and in the process start to uncover the mystery surrounding an event from high school that binds them all together. Really well done by the writer/creator of Derry Girls, Lisa McGee. HTGTHFB has that same bone dry humor and quick witted writing as DG, but this gets a wee bit darker when the plot kicks in. I loved Derry Girls so it comes as no surprise how much I enjoyed this. It's nothing groundbreaking, but still done with style and humor. Heavy Irish accents abound, so be prepared to turn on subtitles.

Hamnet

 

 Winner of the Golden Globe for best picture, Hamnet is the story of Will Shakespeare's early life. He meets his wife, falls in love and then has three children. His son Hamnet ends up dying of the plague and he and his wife each have their own ways of coping with the grief. A very slow burn here, so it wont be for all tastes, but if you are patient, you will be rewarded with a extremely powerful film. Top-notch acting, direction and script makes this a wonderful experience and the payoff at the end is something that will go down in movie lore and it just may change the way you see or read Shakespeare's Hamlet next time. It's been nominated for 8 Oscars and at this point its just a matter of how many will it take home. A brilliantly made film Highly Recommended.

All Creatures Great and Small

 

Reboot of the classic series. In 1937 Yorkshire, James comes to work at a veterinarians office in the English countryside and has to deal with the people and their animals. Beautifully filmed and acted this is the definition of wholesome television, it maybe a bit corny at times but its heart is always in the right place. If you like shows like Call the Midwife and know what to expect from British television there is no way possible this show will disappoint. Aimed at an Older crowd but it's still outstanding television from PBS Masterpiece theatre.

Riot Women

A group of middle-aged women in Bradford, England form a punk rock band to complete in a local talent contest. In the process, friendships are formed and bonds are made. The plot sounds cliche I know, but this is anything but typical. Each of these women has their own story and each thread is compelling. This was incredibly entertaining, its not just one of those bad musicians turn into good musicians and win the contest stories, the brits are too sophisticated to descend into such cliches, instead we are treated to a really first rate drama about the invisibility of middle aged women in society. It's only 6 episodes and ends on a cliffhanger, so there will be more. Fantastic stuff.