The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Cinema review
situation on an east London estate. When Funke disappears, leaving behind an envelope of cash and a brief note of apology, Rocks hides the truth from social services, best friend Sumaya and a loyal crew comprising Agnes, Khadijah, Sabina and Yawa.
Rocks initially juggles responsibilities as bill-payer and carer, interspersed with blissful moments of exuberance with her friends. The cash eventually runs out and Rocks decides to keep her fractured family together by going on the run with Emmanuel. A troubled girl called Roshe woos Rocks away from Sumaya and her posse with the promise of exciting new ways to make money. However, reality eventually bites and when it does, there is no escape from trickles of despair.
Rocks paints a rich and compelling portrait of culturally diverse modern youth, told in dialogue improvised by the cast on location in the capital.
Nothing feels contrived or forced – when the film winds up for an emotional punch, it connects honestly and we feel the impact down to the marrow of our bones.
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC (PG) ***
Dean Parisot
Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving
91 mins
IF This Is Spinal Tap cranked up the volume to 11 on rip-snorting musical comedy, the wistful third album of lackadaisical time-travelling dudes Bill and Ted turns the knob back down to a faint hum. Materialising almost 30 years after the second film, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, director Dean Parisot’s rambunctious romp welcomes back screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon.
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter gleefully embrace the ravages of age in myriad incarnations of the title characters, including a touching scene in a nursing home where grey-haired and dewy-eyed Bill and Ted pass on words of wisdom to their younger selves.
William Sadler reprises his role and a strangled Czech accent as the bass guitarthrashing Grim Reaper while Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine redress the gender imbalance as the heroes’ daughters – most excellent chips off the old blocks, who preach from the same rock bible as their fathers.
An air of sweet nostalgia whistles through each madcap interlude, connected by the introduction of a robot called Dennis, who has been hard-wired without a single decent punchline.
The script is at best amusing but never genuinely hilarious. Reeves and Winter rekindle the easy-going charm from earlier instalments, trotting out catchphrases with goofy grins that suggest they are having a ball, even if that doesn’t translate to bodacious belly laughs.
DAMON SMITH
points off the chart. Whose mad idea was this? Opening just before the fall of Singapore, the first clue something was wrong was the relentlessly jaunty music smeared over everything. Yes, they really were trying to set a good old fashioned British farce against the backdrop of global war.
With David Morrissey hamming it up relentlessly as a rubber baron trying to marry his daughter off to a wealthy fellow Brit, The Singapore Grip creaked like a coffin lid. Bizarre scenes appeared out of nowhere, with no explanation, as when the mysterious Madame Chiang, amour of wealthy Mr Webb (Charles
Dance), vaulted a gymnastic horse. A monkey came out of the bushes and stared, baffled. One knew how it felt. By the end of episode one we still hadn’t learned what the title meant. Henceforth, I name this drama The Singapore (Get A) Grip.
Much excitement among television types over
From Sky Studios, Plan B Entertainment
(Brad Pitt’s firm) and Punchdrunk theatre company, it was a trippy piece with Jude Law as a harassed garden centre owner (really) who found himself marooned on an island off the British coast with a band of weirdos who were big on traditions and God. Gorgeously shot with intriguing turns from Law, plus Paddy Considine and Emily Watson as two of the locals, it would have been impressive if you had never seen The Wicker Man, Don’t Look Now or Midsommar.
Steph McGovern came back for another go at daytime telly after the plug was pulled on her at home in Harrogate efforts during lockdown. This time, in Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4, Monday-Friday) the former BBC Breakfast presenter had been given a huge studio at Leeds Dock, which meant she and her guests could socially distance. It also meant the place looked half empty. Rather like the running order.
McGovern promised “100 minutes of positivity” which turned out to mean a rag bag of everything from how to look after houseplants to an item on the best way to pay off debt. It felt like a lot of padding because it was. The producers had even dug up Angus Deayton, ex-Have I Got News for You host, to do the “One O’Clock News”, a satirical take on the hot topics of the day that was as funny as food poisoning.
The likeable McGovern kept the show on the road, but even her gas seemed at a peep by the end, and it was only day one. Good luck filling all those minutes five days a week.
Also returning was
I have a soft spot Scotland’s answer to Question Time. It’s unshowy, worthy and rather boring at times, but there are worse crimes. If only they would air it earlier than 10.30pm the general pop might pick up. No-one is at their best at that time of night. Not even David Tennant, I’ll wager.