WE’VE BEEN WATCHING – SEPTEMBER
INSATIABLE
(Netflix)
Before Insatiable had even been released, petitions were circulating to have it cancelled as a result of the premise. Fat girl is bullied, fat girl loses weight, newly skinny girl gets revenge on bullies by participating in beauty pageants. It could have focused on its potential for satire, or acknowledged the need to comment on societal issues. But honestly, the only message that seems to be present is: “if you’re skinny then people won’t hate you anymore”. Between this and Thirteen Reasons Why, it seems like Netflix has got an alien with a Teenagers For Dummies guide doing their Young Adult programming. ** MT
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK S6
(Netflix)
The latest season of Orange Is The New Black has successfully done what each of its predecessors have done: compact a worldly scope of relevant social issues into the high walls of a prison setting. Season 5 set us up for a move away from Litchfield Penitentiary as a result of the prison riots led by some of our favourite characters, leaving us with recurring characters to be mixed up with plenty of new and nastier ones in maximum security. It seemed for a while that this season finale would be the last, but it appears like we have more to look forward to. ****MT
HIDDEN
BBC (available on BBC iPlayer)
Scandi-noir comes to north Wales in this brilliant detective thriller. When a teenage girl’s body is dragged from a lake near Snowdonia, DI Cadi John and DS Owen Vaughan investigate. What starts off as a simple mystery quickly escalates into a tale of deceit, abuse and murder. Sian Reese-Williams delivers a commanding performance as Cadi John, portraying a character who’s seemingly a consummate professional yet has a vulnerability buried deep within her which is revealed throughout the course of the series. Rhodri Meilir gives a captivating performance as the strange loner Dylan Harris, whilst Gillian Elisa is unnerving as his domineering, battleaxe mother. With stunning scenery and compelling characters, Hidden is a must-watch. ***** GE
EXTINCTION
(Netflix)
Though Extinction aims to be in the realm of ‘smart’ sci-fi of its golden era in the 70s, this is more like a lukewarm burp that has been building up equally as long. There are some interesting ideas, and the first half-an-hour or so makes for quite a strong action thriller, this ultimately finds itself losing traction and energy very quickly. Despite a solid Michael Pena in the lead, there’s no depth to the grand philosophical issues the film wants to talk about. They feel like they’ve been bolted on. ** FT
MOHSEN MAKHMALBAF: THE POETIC TRILOGY
Arrow Video (Blu-Ray/DVD)
One of the giants of Iranian cinema is now receiving the deluxe treatment from Arrow, putting together his hard-to-find Poetic Trilogy – on stunning Blu-Ray. Gabbeh (1996) is a fairy-tale with a frankly extra-ordinary use of colour, The Silence (1998) the story of a blind boy living in poverty obsessed with music, and The Gardener (2013) a documentary, shot with a low budget, on the Baha’i faith. What marks these films as a whole is their uniquely lyrical and wandering nature. Plot is rarely important here – rather, there are musings on the state of the human condition through the use of sight, sound, and the human voice respectively. Astounding, and worth seeking out for anybody who just wants… more from cinema. ***** FT
