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Reviews
Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go (2021)
What on earth we're they thinking?
What is the point of this cartoon? You have the characters and the brand, but seeing as the heart, soul and point of Thomas have been so ripped out, it looks like they are merely used cynically to have an automatic audience. It would've been more appropriate for Mattel to create entirely new characters, given the radical gear shift, and created a new Mighty Express or Chuggington.
Some of us care about Reverend Awdry's legacy and the world he created. It has endured for of all the reasons the creators of this series feels it can so easily jettison. The realism of the trains, their personalities which match their class and usage. Showing how railways actually work and how engines and other machinery work together.
Generations of children understand this and respond to this and even the more creative CGI series of late have these values at their heart. Thomas directly inspires my son's interest with steam railways and I'm sure Thomas boosts visitor tickets to these places. Legions of autistic children and adults who have a special interest in railways are loyal to this show, just look at the fan videos on YouTube.
This show and the characters are not Thomas and Friends. They were never meant to be children and never meant to leap about track to track, or for the stories to be fast paced or even cartoonised. If the creators think that Thomas is no longer relevant then they needed to do the decent thing and shelve or cancel it. This stinks of cynicism and has no respect for the show, it's history or it's creator. My hope is that Thomas will eventually be restored to his former glory. Oh, and John Hasler was an awesome Thomas, what a waste.
Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl (2018)
Entertaining and revealing documentary
I thoroughly disagree with the critic on here, Kate Nash is an artiste. Fact. One very tangible definition of this is you can find the music she has written and recorded in record stores. Just because you don't like her music doesn't make this any less true. Whether he likes it or not she has had a successful music career - how else could you report over one million records sold?
To the film: I admit I had to watch some of this through my fingers as she's taken for a ride by her slick talking American manager and constantly at the crossroads in her life.
Also, she's still packing out decent sized venues with a loyal following and yet not making a profit, instead losing large chunks of her own money. I felt myself saying, cut back your band or do it solo! Stop buying so many clothes and thin down your team! In other words, make cutbacks and create your own cottage industry.
Well, luckily Kate didn't listen to me, and through rolling the dice multiple times, finally lands on her feet with a swanky TV job and her music career re-ordered on her own terms in a 21st Century fashion through a good old fashioned kickstarter campaign. All very well deserved.
Just, please be more careful with the money this time around!
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
The critics have got this one so wrong!
Absolutely brilliant biopic of Queen.
As a fan of Queen and musician, I was so happy and buzzing walking out of the cinema. The film honours the memory of Freddie and the rest of the band, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor and puts the music front and centre.
The music is as fresh as if you've just heard it for the first time. As you would hope, they did a brilliant job in the sound department (I know May and Taylor were heavily involved). It's bold, fresh and punchy and you feel like you've been to a Queen gig. I think this is a major part of why audiences are connecting with the film.
Rami Malek is incredible as Freddie, at times you think it is him. I also loved Joe Mazzello's portrayal of John Deacon, again, he really is him! The actors really do a superb job and fully inhabit these roles - fantastic casting. The film really 'gets' Queen's band dynamics, has a deep understanding them, and also what it is to be a musician.
As a Brit, it also just simply makes you proud!
The critics have completely missed the point of this film. I didn't need a gritty, hard-hitting netflix style drama involving all the gruesome details. This film sets out to celebrate Queen's artistry - and does rather a good job of it too.