Film Reviews by MF

Brilliant pictures, especially of Jupiter and Uranus's satellite Miranda, but too many "talking heads". This could have done with a simple voice-over. There was too much emphasis on the Golden Record which, in my opinion, is a total waste of time. I agree with another viewer who said this could be shorter and have more impact. But it is worthwhile for any fan of astronomy and astrophysics.

I haven't seen a dubbed film since the 1980s when Dutch films were always dubbed rather than subtitled. Although the premise of the film was intriguing for someone interested in the subject, I had to give up after about 5 minutes. Not only was this dubbed, but it was dubbed by Americans! Not particularly authentic for Victorian England. Avoid at all costs, unless they manage to produce a subtitled version. I might be inclined to give it another go then.

The early editions of this series contained some wonderful short films, such as "Cowboy", "Wrestling" and "Protect Me from What I Want" but many of the later editions include little which remain in the consciousness. This edition features two short films which are worth watching, "B" and "Chance", but the rest left me cold, except for perhaps "Sign" which was okay if not a little twee. I didn't even bother watching the rest of the Scottish one about a man trying to hide his (obvious) sexuality from his mother. I've had enough of ridiculous stereotypes. Two or three of them didn't even make sense and had no apparent plot line. Even a short film needs a plot of some kind. I would suggest doing as I do-start watching each film but if it you don't warm to it in the first minute or two, you probably won't end up liking it at all. Short films will continue to be made and they need an avenue in which to be seen, but whoever selects the films for inclusion in this series could pick more wisely.

Sadly, not well-known in England, this brilliant Scottish comedy adapts well to the stage. Just as in the TV programme, the stand-out performance is by Paul Riley as Winston-one of the great comedy characters. If you haven't seen it, I'd encourage you to rent the whole series, six to date, along with two Christmas and two Hogmannay specials. One of the funniest comedies ever made.