UK Film Council - the legacy

These are just some of the good films that would never have been made had it not been for the participation of the UK Film Council, so disgracefully axed by the Government this week:

The Parole Officer (2001)

Bright Young Things (2003)

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Touching the Void (2003)

Ladies in Lavender (2004)

Creep (2004)

My Summer of Love (2004)

Enduring Love (2004)

Bride and Prejudice (2004)

The Magic Roundabout (2005)

The Proposition (2005)

Shooting Dogs (2005)

Festival (2005)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Venus (2006)

Deep Water (2006)

This is England (2006)

The History Boys (2006)

Miss Potter (2006)

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Becoming Jane (2007)

Sunshine (2007)

And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)

Brick Lane (2007)

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (2008)

Creation (2009)

Nowhere Boy (2009)


with thanks to the Internet Movie Database

Angel's Advocate - Jonathan Ross

So it came to pass, for better and not for worse, that Jonathan Ross ceased his lucrative BBC chat show. His Radio 2 slot (a station from which he has gained most notoriety) also finishes this morning. I've mentioned before in this blog about his crassness, paid at such outrageously lucrative sums, but on the other hand such talent shouldn't be suffocated altogether.

Reading an article in the Radio Times heralding the event, two TV critics argued the case for his impact on British television, and although I sided more with the anti than the pro view, I still couldn't share the opinion that his humour was juvenile and way below his actual age, when this is undoubtedly Jonathan's secret, and the reason he has been able to tap into the youff culture so much.

I could count the number of times Ross has made me laugh on the fingers of one hand, but he's a comedy survivor, a Court Jester for the 21st century. And let's face it, court jesters were never that funny, and always had their work cut out trying to entertain their hardened audience.

Colder Than Here

Colchester Theatre Group. 90m.

A dying mother tries to organise her funeral with her dysfunctional family.
On the surface a rather morbid 90 minutes, but done in a very commendably understated manner, where the naturalism slightly goes too far and undermines intonation among the younger actors, but there are plenty of laughs to be had, and the inevitable grimness is omnipresent but never overbearing. I've rarely seen a piece of theatre that captures a genuine household atmosphere so successfully.

d: Lorraine Dunt
s: Helen Bridge, Chloe Spencer-Campbell, Rhiannon Arnold, Gary Huggins