Tag Archives: Michael Gambon

Judy. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Renee Zellwegar, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Gemma-Leah Deveraux, Michael Gambon, Bella Ramsey, Andy Nyman, Gaia Weiss, Philippe Spall, Fenella Woolgar, Royce Pierreson, Phil Dunster, Darci Shaw, Diana Alexandra Pocol, John Dagleish, Natasha Powell, Lucy Russell, Tom Durant Pritchard, Tim Ahern.

Somewhere over the rainbow remains a memory of a star, an icon whose greatest screen role defined the age, of childhood and the abuse of power reigned over them by studios and their owners, whose character in the Wizard of Oz became a by word for the acceptance of others, and to whom a voice was given that few have been able to touch since.

Judy. Film Review. full post

(497 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

King Of Thieves. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Charlie Cox, Tom Courtenay, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Francesca Annis, Paul Whitehouse, Kellie Shirley, Martha Howe-Douglas, Ann Akin, Adam Leese, Claire Lichie.

There is no honour amongst thieves, however, there is always truth, infallibility and greed and it always makes for a great story to be retold, examined and pursued; regardless of whether it is steeped in fiction, or the absurdity of truth, the heist film is one of intricate plans and betrayal, and it is one in which King of Thieves is a good quality diamond in which to fall in love with.

King Of Thieves. Film Review. full post

(572 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

Little Women (2017). Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Emily Watson, Maya Hawke, Willa Fitzgerald, Kathryn Newton, Annes Elwy, Jonah Hauer-King, Julian Morris, Dylan Baker, Michael Gambon, Adrian Scarborough, Angela Lansbury, Eleanor Methven, Mark Stanley, Kathleen Warner Yates, Amelia Crowley, Ann Skelly, India Mullen, Amy Wren, Max Curnin, Erin Galway-Kendrick, Leah Temple-Lang, John Colleary, Nick Dunning, Nelly Henrion, Felix Mckenzie-Barrow, Mei Bignall, Patrick Flannery, Fode Simbo, Richard Pepple, Aleah Lennon, Will O’Connell.

Little Women (2017). Television Review. full post

(494 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

Paddington 2. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Noah Taylor, Peter Capaldi, Brendon Gleeson, Joanna Lumley, Eileen Atkins, Ben Miller, Tom Conti, Meera Syal, Samuel Joslin, Madeline Harris, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Farnaby, Jessica Hynes, Richard Ayoade, Tom Davies, Cal McCrystal.

It is through the eyes of the innocent that we perhaps see beauty and good in the world, that we don’t just tolerate the storms and the fire that surround us but that we embrace it, we seek out the violence not to get a thrill from the fight but to hopefully offer a solution, a kind word spoken can make the difference in a day and in a person’s life.

Paddington 2. Film Review. full post

(451 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Elton John, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alstrom, Calvin Demba, Thomas Turgoose, Tobi Bakare, Keith Allen, Tom Benedict Knight, Michael Gambon, Sophie Cookson, Lene Endre, Pedro Pascal, Poppy Delevingne, Bruce Greenwood, Emily Watson, Samantha Womack.

 

A long line of sequels is always possible when a film comes along with the possibility of an open ended cast and is good enough to carry the weight of excitement, action and sometimes outlandish plot; if it is respectable enough for the makers of James Bond, then it more than good enough for those responsible for The Kingsman.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Film Review. full post

(454 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Dad’s Army, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 5/10

Cast: Toby Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtney, Mark Gatiss, Blake Harrison, Daniel Mays, Sarah Lancashire, Emily Atack, Ian Lavender, Bill Paterson, Frank Williams, Alison Steadman, Annette Crosby, Holli Dempsey, Martin Savage, Felicity Montague, Oliver Tobias, Julia Foster.

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be but sometimes by revisiting the past you are in danger of completely undermining all the excellent work that once went on before; the package and the idea may look appealing but the beyond the sentimental, the finished article is a pale and perhaps at times, irritating shadow.

Dad’s Army, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

(392 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Paddington, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Nicole Kidman, Michael Gambon, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Imelda Staunton, Matt Lucas, Madeline Harris, Samuel Joslin, Matt King, Tim Downie, Geoffrey Palmer, Jim Broadbent, Michael Bond, Alice Lowe, Simon Farnaby, Dominic Coleman, Will Smith, Javier Martez.

In even the most unassuming of people, there is the potential for greatness and joy. The tales of Paddington Bear are amongst the most loved in children’s literature television, and yet the stories are so well imagined and presented, that like all the best characters from British Literature they appeal right across the age spectrum and the latest incarnation for the cinema is just as enjoyable and just as much fun as an audience member could ever hope for.

Paddington, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

(595 words, estimated 2:23 mins reading time)

Lucan, Television Review. I.T.V.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * *

Cast: Rory Kinnear, Christopher Ecclestone, Paul Freeman, Michael Gambon, Catherine McCormack, Leanne Best, Gemma Jones, Alistair Petrie,  Lasco Atkins, Ann Bell, Tim Bentinck, Alexander Bracq, Helen Bradbury, James Bradshaw, Alan Cox, Benjamin Dilloway, Rupert Evans, Julian Firth, Michael Gould, Claudia Harrison, Leo Hart, Erick Hayden, Robert Horwell, Kevin Hudson, Jane Lapotaire, Olivia Llewllyn, Ruth McCabe.

The passage of time has never seemed to erase any interest or mawkish fascination in the case of Lord Lucan and his alleged crime of murder, in fact like Jack the Ripper nearly 90 years before him or Dr. Crippen, the more years pass, the stronger the interest seems to get, human nature becomes overwhelming in the search for the truth; even when that truth will certainly never be found.

Lucan, Television Review. I.T.V. full post

(499 words, estimated 2:0 mins reading time)

Restless (Part Two), Television Review. B.B.C. Television.

Michelle Dockery as Ruth Gilmartin. Picture courtesy of B.B.C.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Hayley Atwell, Rufus Sewell, Michelle Dockery, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon, Thekla Reuten, Adrian Scarborough, Bertie Carvel, Anthony Calf.

The second segment of William Boyd’s fantastic spy tale, Restless, continued the excellent and riveting start that would have had viewers gripped in part one. With the net beginning to close in Eva Delectorskaya and her daughter Ruth, the pair began to set up Eva’s old boss and lover in a great case of double bluff.

Restless (Part Two), Television Review. B.B.C. Television. full post

(362 words, 1 image, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

Restless (Part One), B.B.C. Television. Television Review.

Hayley Atwell as Eva Delectorskaya. Picture from the B.B.C.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Hayley Atwell, Rufus Sewell, Michelle Dockery, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon, Thekla Reuten, Adrian Scarborough, Bertie Carvel, Anthony Calf.

In recent years there have been some excellent modern stories which add more light onto the roles of women during World War Two, especially in the world of espionage, one of the greats is Paul Verhoeven’s Dutch masterpiece, Black Book. The B.B.C. has now aired its equivalent in the outstanding first part of Restless starring Hayley Atwell, Michelle Dockery and Charlotte Rampling.

Restless (Part One), B.B.C. Television. Television Review. full post

(401 words, 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)