A bit of directorial zest, a serviceable lead and some Dirty Dozen energy are the only weapons in the arsenal of this otherwise plotless movie
Here’s yet another low-budget, straight-to-streaming British second world war flick: just as much of a men-on-a-mission throwback as last month’s War Blade, but a few notches more competent thanks to a more compact setup, occasional bursts of galvanic film-making from director Bill Thomas, and a grimier tone that is more Dirty Dozen than Saving Private Ryan.
It’s backs-to-the-wall time; Sergeant Mason (James Oliver Wheatley) and his not-especially-crack commando squad bungle a raid on a Nazi convoy and find themselves running across Normandy from an ever-growing pack of Wehrmacht. Retreating to a shabby farmhouse, they dig in for the imminent siege, despite the reluctance of Belgian owner Julien (Allan Relph), who doesn’t fancy being labelled as a partisan. Julien is also hiding a secret there,...
Here’s yet another low-budget, straight-to-streaming British second world war flick: just as much of a men-on-a-mission throwback as last month’s War Blade, but a few notches more competent thanks to a more compact setup, occasional bursts of galvanic film-making from director Bill Thomas, and a grimier tone that is more Dirty Dozen than Saving Private Ryan.
It’s backs-to-the-wall time; Sergeant Mason (James Oliver Wheatley) and his not-especially-crack commando squad bungle a raid on a Nazi convoy and find themselves running across Normandy from an ever-growing pack of Wehrmacht. Retreating to a shabby farmhouse, they dig in for the imminent siege, despite the reluctance of Belgian owner Julien (Allan Relph), who doesn’t fancy being labelled as a partisan. Julien is also hiding a secret there,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
This year’s first-round Primetime Emmy nominations ballot includes a total of 51 Best Limited Series hopefuls. This is down from 2022’s unusually high total of 61, yet still much higher than 2021’s 37, 2020’s 41, and 2019’s 35.
All 20,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 26 to cast their 2023 Emmy Awards nominations ballots for programs. Unlike the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally. After six years of not having to limit their choices in any categories, members’ selections can now not be greater than the number of eventual nominations for a given award, which, in this case, will be five.
Unlike comedy and drama series, which simply appear on the ballot by name, the limited series submissions include plot descriptions and cast lists. Which of the shows listed below do you think will land in the final lineup on...
All 20,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 26 to cast their 2023 Emmy Awards nominations ballots for programs. Unlike the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally. After six years of not having to limit their choices in any categories, members’ selections can now not be greater than the number of eventual nominations for a given award, which, in this case, will be five.
Unlike comedy and drama series, which simply appear on the ballot by name, the limited series submissions include plot descriptions and cast lists. Which of the shows listed below do you think will land in the final lineup on...
- 6/17/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Low-budget take on the evergreen tale already feels overshadowed by the grand French retelling due next door
This British stab at the deathless Dumas novel refuses to heed its own running gag: always run in the face of overwhelming odds. In this case it’s the imminent arrival of a star-bejewelled, two-part French adaptation with Vincent Cassel, Eva Green, Romain Duris and Vicky Krieps. Instead, it puts up a valiant stand – led by pretty plush production and costume design for what is presumably a low-budget affair. But finally it waves its colours in surrender, let down by patchy acting and unimaginative direction.
It at least boasts one first: a black D’Artagnan (Malachi Pullar-Latchman). Whatever your stance on “racelifting”, in this instance it works pretty well: emphasising the would-be musketeer’s outsider but upwardly mobile status as he arrives in Paris, and lines up back-to-back duels with Athos (Ben Freeman...
This British stab at the deathless Dumas novel refuses to heed its own running gag: always run in the face of overwhelming odds. In this case it’s the imminent arrival of a star-bejewelled, two-part French adaptation with Vincent Cassel, Eva Green, Romain Duris and Vicky Krieps. Instead, it puts up a valiant stand – led by pretty plush production and costume design for what is presumably a low-budget affair. But finally it waves its colours in surrender, let down by patchy acting and unimaginative direction.
It at least boasts one first: a black D’Artagnan (Malachi Pullar-Latchman). Whatever your stance on “racelifting”, in this instance it works pretty well: emphasising the would-be musketeer’s outsider but upwardly mobile status as he arrives in Paris, and lines up back-to-back duels with Athos (Ben Freeman...
- 3/8/2023
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Ben Freeman, Brian Blessed, James Oliver Wheatley, Martyn Ford, Gareth David-Lloyd, Kristian Nairn, Charlie Hiett, Phill Martin, Marie Everett, James Groom, Jamie Kenna, James G. Nunn | Written and Directed by Nicholas Winter
After Maid Marian is kidnapped by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood must get a band of men together in order to save her. Many are reluctant, given that they are massively outnumbered by the Sheriff’s forces – but those that do join Robin will stop at nothing to defeat the bloodthirsty tyrant. Together, they hatch an audacious plan to penetrate the depths of the Sheriff’s castle and reclaim Robin’s true love.
The first thing that springs to mind, literally, when Robin Hood: The Rebellion starts is do we really need that much on-screen exposition for a film about Robin Hood? After all, we seem to get a new story of this English folklore legend...
After Maid Marian is kidnapped by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood must get a band of men together in order to save her. Many are reluctant, given that they are massively outnumbered by the Sheriff’s forces – but those that do join Robin will stop at nothing to defeat the bloodthirsty tyrant. Together, they hatch an audacious plan to penetrate the depths of the Sheriff’s castle and reclaim Robin’s true love.
The first thing that springs to mind, literally, when Robin Hood: The Rebellion starts is do we really need that much on-screen exposition for a film about Robin Hood? After all, we seem to get a new story of this English folklore legend...
- 11/13/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
To celebrate the home entertainment release of Robin Hood: The Rebellion, available on DVD and Digital HD 5th November, we have a copy of the DVD up for grabs, courtesy of Signature Entertainment! Thrilling swordplay, brutal action and gripping intrigue make this fresh take on Robin Hood a must-watch for fans of Game of Thrones and Vikings, as well as those with a taste for action classics like Die Hard and The Raid.
Ben Freeman (a favourite of Emmerdale fans) makes a terrific Robin Hood – a reckless, brave hero going up against insurmountable odds. James Oliver Wheatley, soon be seen in the smash hit TV series Vikings, is a standout as the villainous and eminently hissable Sheriff of Nottingham, while screen legend and star of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Brian Blessed steals the show in the role of Friar Tuck.
Newcomer Marie Everett is a Maid Marian like you’ve never seen,...
Ben Freeman (a favourite of Emmerdale fans) makes a terrific Robin Hood – a reckless, brave hero going up against insurmountable odds. James Oliver Wheatley, soon be seen in the smash hit TV series Vikings, is a standout as the villainous and eminently hissable Sheriff of Nottingham, while screen legend and star of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Brian Blessed steals the show in the role of Friar Tuck.
Newcomer Marie Everett is a Maid Marian like you’ve never seen,...
- 11/2/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
"You got a scoop?" Samuel Goldwyn has debuted a trailer for an indie drama titled Burn Country, which premiered at Tribeca earlier this year. The film is a fictional feature version of a real-life story of a "fixer" journalist from Afghanistan who decides to move to a town on the coast in Northern California. However, once he begins working at a newspaper there he gets drawn into the strange "backwoods of this small town", stumbling into local corruption and other dangers. Iranian actor Dominic Rains stars as Osman, and the cast includes Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Thomas Jay Ryan, Tim Kniffin, and James Oliver Wheatley. This looks damn good, like it offers a unique perspective not often seen on film. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Ian Olds' Burn Country, originally from EW.com: After being exiled from Afghanistan, a former war journalist (Dominic Rains) who...
- 10/25/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Stars: Kal Penn, Vincent Regan, Geoff Bell, John Thomson, Sam Robertson, Holly Weston, Richard Ashton, Rebecca Reaney, Matt Healy, James Oliver Wheatley, Richard Crehan, Anthony Cozens, Melissa Wells, Marc Parry, Rachel Rae | Written by Anis Shlewet | Directed by Kit Ryan
Dementamania follows a well groomed and obsessive senior software analyst Edward Arkham (Sam Robertson) who’s constantly caught between reality and his imagination, where he takes out all the anger and frustration on people like his backstabbing manager or his annoying co-workers. One morning, he meets Nicholas Lemarchand (Vincent Regan), who tells Edward that he’s a mediator, but as the hallucinations get worse for him through the day, Edward starts seeing him Nicholas more and more in unexpected places, and when security footage suggests the mediator doesn’t even exist, Edward starts to get more and more suspicious of the strange man whilst falling further and further into his twisted imagination.
Dementamania follows a well groomed and obsessive senior software analyst Edward Arkham (Sam Robertson) who’s constantly caught between reality and his imagination, where he takes out all the anger and frustration on people like his backstabbing manager or his annoying co-workers. One morning, he meets Nicholas Lemarchand (Vincent Regan), who tells Edward that he’s a mediator, but as the hallucinations get worse for him through the day, Edward starts seeing him Nicholas more and more in unexpected places, and when security footage suggests the mediator doesn’t even exist, Edward starts to get more and more suspicious of the strange man whilst falling further and further into his twisted imagination.
- 10/13/2014
- by Nicky Johnson
- Nerdly
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