Pressure (2026) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a dramatisation, with some historical tweaks, about the most important decision taken that ultimately became the turning point of WWII.

James Stagg (Andrew Scott), is a highly esteemed Met Office expert, recommended by Churchill himself, to become the Head of the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force Meteorological Committee. Leaving his heavily pregnant wife after a simple breakfast in their leafy suburban house, he is driven directly to SHAEF which is housed in what looks like a requisitioned stately home.

Arriving in his RAF Group Captain uniform, he's shown directly to the nerve centre of the forecasting team where amongst the 20 or so forecasters are dozens of historical weather charts for the same early June days throughout the previous forty years fill the walls. A cheery atmosphere is led by American meteorologist, USAAF Colonel Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina), who is holding court with jovial anecdotes of all the times he had forecast weather correctly for other WWII campaigns and Hollywood movie shoots in places that Stagg immediately realises are nowhere as volatile and dynamic as the North Atlantic.

Stagg then immediately mobilises the team to get on their phones and collate the latest meteorological data from as many relevant international weather stations as possible to obtain the best accurate up to date forecast. It's just four days before the proposed D-Day date and the first crucial weather report is due. Later, when it's time to present that crucial report to Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser), at the combined Chiefs of Staff meeting, Stagg pulls rank over Krick and because of their absolute disagreement on how to best forecast for the Normandy Landings, denies his request to attend the meeting too.

Stagg's initial report is that there is a good chance that major storms are on the way to the English Channel and the proposed day of invasion is totally out of the question. It doesn't help that the current weather is fine and clear. Obviously the joint chiefs of staff that include a very belligerent and condescending Field Marshal Montgomery (Damian Lewis) are all furious as they state that all the initial preparations are complete and all their various forces are ready to go.

Because of Krick's prior amicable and successful forecasting relationship with Eisenhower, Stagg initially feels isolated that his approach is not being listened to and when bad news comes on the phone about the bombing of a maternity hospital his wife was admitted to, right in the middle of an Eisenhower rant regarding the inconvenient report, he does not let on regarding his personal worry and defiantly stands his ground. Lieutenant Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon), the General's personal assistant is the only one who is empathic to the impossible stress James must be under and so becomes Stagg's ally.

This is a brilliantly told drama with, at it's core, a commanding and Oscar-worthy performance from Scott. All the supporting actors do very well too and Lewis is especially menacing as the overbearing Field Marshall.

The expansive detail of the Supreme Headquarters is a brilliantly recreated intense environment that gives the viewer a real insight into how the Allied War Machine must have been organised and what incredible responsibility certain individuals had. Also well-inserted archive footage of Allied troop organisations on the English South coast spliced in with newly shot scenes really did enhance the understanding of just what an incredible offensive preparation it all must have been. Of course, we all know the eventual outcome of Operation Overlord but seeing this important piece of history that led up to that decision of when to go, really puts in clear perspective the ultimate command Nature has on us mere mortals.

Coherence (2013)

This is a very confusing film! An extremely low-budget sci-fi outing for sure. Apparently, director James Ward Byrkit shot it over five nights in his own living room on a budget of around $50,000. Not only that, but the actors were not given any kind of standard script. Instead, Byrkit gave each of them a set of individual character index cards every day, outlining their character's backstory, personal motivators and secret goals (hidden from the others) for that night's scenes - without telling them what the other actors were going to do! So they had no idea what twists were coming, resulting in genuine surprises and shocks! Fascinating! It's a complex plot relating to a quantum mechanics thought experiment involving the now-famous Schrödinger's Cat, turning it into a claustrophobic, paranoid thriller.

We begin with eight friends gathering for a dinner party at a house in Northern California: Em, her boyfriend Kevin, host couple Mike and Lee, along with Hugh, Beth, Amir and Laurie (Kevin’s ex-girlfriend, whose presence creates immediate tension). They're all quite annoying twenty-somethings, clearly middle-class privileged - you know the type: little fingers raised while drinking wine, dinner parties, expensive clothes and cars. The last people I'd want to hang out with!

Anyway, on this particular night, Miller's Comet is passing extremely close to Earth and strange things begin to happen almost immediately. Em’s mobile phone screen shatters for no reason and mobile reception dies. Hugh mentions that his brother - a physicist - warned him that odd things might happen during the comet’s flyby, citing a historical incident in Finland in 1923 where a comet caused a village to become completely disoriented, leading one woman to call the police claiming the man in her house was not her husband.

Suddenly, a power outage plunges the entire neighbourhood into darkness. Looking outside, the group notices the entire street is blacked out except for one single house a couple of blocks away. Hugh and Amir walk over to the other house to ask if they can use a landline. When they return, Hugh has a bleeding cut on his forehead and is carrying a box. Inside the box, they find a table-tennis bat and photographs of all eight dinner guests - including one of Hugh that appears to have been taken that very night while they were inside!

It soon becomes clear what is happening. At least, if you're a physicist! The pitch-black area in the middle of the street acts as a decoherence boundary (a split zone), apparently. The comet’s passage has collapsed quantum superposition into a real-world reality overlay (obviously)! Instead of one timeline, there are now infinite parallel realities co-existing side by side. Every time a character leaves their house and walks through the dark zone to the street, they don't necessarily return to their original house. They inadvertently cross into an alternate timeline version of the house. So, that's as much of the setup as I'll reveal - any more will start to give away the unfolding events and surprises. Be ready for quirky stuff, paranoia, panic, blackmail and violence!

It's a tidy little thriller which probably spends too much time on the getting-to-know-you stage in the first act as characters yack about their background and life experiences, much of which really isn't needed for the thrills and spills later. Still, no worries - it's short and tight enough at an hour and a half, and apart from that, the pacing is about right. Probably multiple watches would help most people (who are not physicists) to get their heads round it all as the reveals come along!

It's pretty well-acted by the cast, especially Emily Baldoni (Five Feet Apart) in the lead as Em, but also Maury Sterling (Kevin), Nicholas Brendon (Mike), Lorene Scafaria (Lee), Elizabeth Gracen (Beth), Hugo Armstrong (Hugh), Alex Manugian (Amir) and Lauren Maher (Laurie). The handheld camerawork throughout was pretty annoying, but I guess there was a budget constraint here - and maybe also the director wanting the point of view to be, mostly, in amongst the characters to try and get us to feel the tautness. A lot of the film is in the dark after the power is cut and candles come out, which helped the budget too with regards to lighting, I guess, but also certainly adding atmosphere.

Anyway, it's a nifty little thriller, now available to watch all over the place on streaming, so why not test yourself to see if you can keep up, need a second viewing, watch an explainer video on YouTube - or head for night school for a physics degree!

The Death of Robin Hood (2026) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a new cinema release from Director Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One). "NOT ANOTHER ONE" I hear you cry..! Yes, apparently there are still stories to be told regarding the infamous bandit of Sherwood Forest. The latest non Englishman cast in the lead role is Hugh Jackman. With a Yorkshire lilt this time, that's definitely an improvement from his countryman's effort in 2010. Of whom performed it with multiple accents that seemed to cover the entire British Isles.

In the autumn of his life and set in the Winter of northern England 1247, we first see the grey bearded Robin by a camp fire at night. His heavy layered clothes filthy with the mud of the landscape. Approached by a desperate young woman begging for food, he throws her a meaty morsel in the whistling wind. Later when he seems asleep, she creeps up on him from behind with the intention to rob or worse but she's met with a lightning dagger to the side of the throat. "I smelled you coming" he murmurs, as he twists the knife and ends her life.

The next morning in the falling snow we see him burying the diminutive body under a pile of rocks. The view from directly above pans away and we see multiple graves on the hillside. This is not the Merry Man of whom we've been told many good stories. He is a ruthless murderer and every death shows on his drawn, grizzly face.

Later that day, a tall, blood-stained man looms menacingly out of the mist. He recognises the silhouette as his old comrade Little John (Bill Skarsgård). "I need your help." He then goes on to spin a tale of a redheaded wife and daughter that he's been forced to leave behind on a small holding not far away, by her angry kinsman. "They are my life." Robin agrees to help and clutching his trusty bow and arrows, they both prepare for a surprise raid under the cover of the coming night.

If you've seen The Northman (2022), starring Bills Brother, Alexander Skarsgård, then that experience should tell you enough about the graphic mud, blood and violence at the beginning of this film. But I don't think that I could have sat comfortably through a full two hours and twenty minutes of that, as it would be a relentless. Even though the fighting is all in context, thankfully the pace changes about a third of the way through when John has to take his badly wounded and delirious comrade to an island of refuge. He says that the Priory of St Clement is run by a prioress who has magical healing powers. Robin is left on the front step of the ancient looking stone facade as John and his young daughter immediately leave to row back to the mainland.

When he wakes the next morning in a quiet room and comfortable bed, his wounds bandaged and a wooden splint on his broken leg, Robin sees properly the kind and young face of the prioress that took him in for the first time. The clean, headscarved and smiling visage belongs to Jodie Comer. She asks his name. He deliberately lies: "Randolph". "Bridget." She replies. A short montage of rehab begins as with a strong wooden crutch we see the bearded man slowly regaining his strength. One day she says "go as far as you please". He slowly hobbles out of the quiet room to explore the castle like priory. The breeze is gentle and the bright sun is warm on his face. It must be Spring now. There are other nuns and children playing in the garden behind the Priory. In his mind he feels it's time for some reflection regarding the choices he has made in his later life.

There is a heavily bandaged leper on the island too played by Murray Bartlett but you only see his eyes. He initially warns Randolph not to harm anyone there, under threat of death, but eventually things become amicable. There is definitely good on-screen chemistry between Jackman and Comer. Both chameleons in the many various roles they've inhabited thus far, they, and the whole cast play totally credible characters in this harsh, mid thirteenth century England backdrop. A special mention for the young actor Faith Delaney who plays John's daughter, Little Margaret, who's return to the island later galvanises Robin's determination to make those positive changes in his remaining life.

The cinematography throughout is excellent and the rugged island location looks especially stunning on the big screen. Without giving away any spoilers the clue is in the title, so nothing really to hide here, but the story is compelling and I'm glad that the master archer aspect still plays an important part. All in all, I felt that this was quite a bit better than the last few Robin Hood centric feature film offerings we've had to endure.

The Dog Stars (2026) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is the latest Science Fiction cinema release from veteran director, Ridley Scott, who's output seems to be speeding up in his later years. It's 2035 and the World is a few years on the other side of a devastating flu pandemic that has wiped out most of humanity. The remaining survivors have mostly left the big cities and are now scattered thinly throughout the rural areas and wilderness.

Hig (Jacob Elordi), is a mechanic and together with his trusty German Shepherd Jasper, flies regular supply runs to Denver in an old repaired Cessna light aircraft. Based at an abandoned small airfield in Erie, Colorado, which he shares with Bangley (Josh Brolin). He travels more than is necessary as the city was his home with his now deceased wife and infant. They are still constantly on his mind and these visits to his old family house is his only solace in this otherwise unrecognisable empty world.

Bangley is extremely comfortable with this arrangement, as together with a good supply of food and drink, they are well armed against gangs of violent roaming scavengers that periodically come through their location. However, Hig is constantly scanning the radio waves, in hope of finding something better. Maybe a bigger community, like the group of self sufficient Mennonites that live in a lush valley a few miles away that he often drops in on on his way back from Denver. It might feel more like living again rather than just surviving. One day he decides he has to go and loads up enough supplies, takes Jasper and flies off.

This really looks like Ridley Scott has watched a few episodes of 'The Last of Us' and/or 'The Walking Dead' and thought "I'm going to do a feature film in that genre". As a result, this feels just like an extended but much less interesting episode of one of those shows. There are fairly ok performances by everyone that includes Guy Pearce and Margaret Qualley as a father and daughter Hig lands near when his plane has some minor issues. But just like lots of Mr Scott's recent offerings, the script is quite poor so heavily relies on the visuals. Which here are various panoramas of the Rocky Mountains and shot mostly from the air, look breathtaking on the big screen. But otherwise this, just under two hour story is a very mediocre effort.

1,000th Blog Post! The Salmon of Salmagundi!

When I first started writing here (and porting my posts over from Google+ when it closed its doors in 2018), I didn’t set out with a grand plan to get to any particular number - I just ploughed on through when the urge took me and I felt as though I had something to say! There was no calendar, no strategy and certainly no counter running!

I just wanted a space to put thoughts down, tinker with things that interested me and share whatever happened to be occupying my time. Today, this post happens to be number 1,000. If you didn't know, a salmagundi, by definition, is a miscellany - a dish composed of many disparate ingredients mixed together. Looking back across the archive, the blog has certainly lived up to its name. Its name and mine! The Salmon of Salmagundi! I don't have an exact record of when I posted my first post in Google+ but it's now well over 10 years - and possibly 15 - ported across here in the summer of 2018.

If you were to lay out every entry side-by-side, it would look less like a single publication and more like the top of a well-used workbench! A large chunk of those thousand posts has been dedicated to hardware - mobile phones, foldables, e-ink tablets, custom ROMs, obscure gadgets and the endless pursuit of the setup that actually works! We’ve seen the smartphone market evolve from quirky, experimental form factors into polished slabs of glass, only to bend and fold themselves into new shapes all over again. I’ve always found as much enjoyment in taking software apart or tweaking a niche budget device as I have in unboxing a flagship. For every review of a polished mainstream phone, there’s been an entry dedicated to coaxing a few more years of life out of a classic piece of kit, swapping operating systems or testing whether a paper-like screen really lives up to the hype.

Then there is the music. If tech represents the modern, restless itch to see what’s coming next, the music posts have always been about slowing down. Dropping the stylus onto a vinyl record forces a different kind of attention. Over the years, I’ve used these pages to talk through album pressings, soundscapes, audio gear and the sheer tactile satisfaction of physical media. Whether dissecting the production details on a classic album or detailing a pre-amp tweak, those posts have always felt like taking a break from the noise of the digital world to just sit back and listen. My real enjoyment has come from the resurgence of vinyl LPs though and I've had great fun over the years re-collecting what was lost from back in the day - and sharing that nostalgia here.

And, of course, the films and television. My reviews here have never been about chasing whatever blockbuster is currently dominating the multiplex. Instead, Salmagundi has been a place for digging into the side alleys of cinema - indie thrillers, oddball horror, European cinema, lost sci-fi gems and the occasional film that left me wondering what on earth the director was thinking! Writing about film is always a nice counterweight to tech hardware. A phone is measured in gigabytes, battery cycles and refresh rates; a film is measured by whether it kept you gripped for ninety minutes or made you want to drop a brief, honest summary onto the blog the moment the credits rolled. I also, now and again, add a guest review from one of our community pals, who have penned a review of their own and want somewhere online to post it.

Between the major categories lie the posts that don't fit anywhere else - the odd tools, the desk arrangements, the podcast companion notes for Whatever Works and the small observations on day-to-day projects. Those are often the most fun to write. They capture the immediate moment: fixing a piece of audio kit, setting up a new workflow or simply sharing a thought that didn't belong in a formal show recording. And speaking of podcasts, I always publish a list each month here in my blog of what the team and I have been recording and getting out there into podcast land. More spicy ingredients for that Salmagundi!

Reaching 1,000 posts isn't a finish line; it’s just a nice milestone on the road. The core appeal of running a blog like this hasn't changed since post No. 1. It remains a personal, independent corner of the web - free from algorithms dictating what ought to be written and driven entirely by genuine curiosity. To anyone who has dropped by to read a single review, leave a comment, agree or disagree with a film take, or follow along through the podcasts: thank you for your interest and support. Here’s to the next batch of tech, vinyl, films and whatever else happens to land on the desk next week!

Most of what I write here ends up in our MeWe Social Groups as well, so do check those out via the links here on my blog - and feel free to tune into any of our audio podcasts that takes your fancy. We always have a lot of fun, whatever the topic, and you'll be welcome along.

The Well (2023)

Directed by Federico Zampaglione and starring Lauren LaVera (Terrifier 2), The Well is an unabashedly retro throwback to classic Italian splatter-horror and Giallo-influenced creature features! I remember that we covered Deep Red (1975) on The Projector Room podcast some time back, one of Dario Argento's efforts of the ilk – but there's loads more. Check out my podcast co-host Gareth's reviews over on his website.

So, the story starts with Lisa Gray (Lauren LaVera), a talented young American art restorer, heading for the remote, quaint Italian village of Sambuci. Whilst on the bus, she hooks up with three hitchhikers/tourists who are heading for the eerie, misty woods nearby, tents ready for camping. They part company and agree to meet up in a few days, though Lisa warns them that she has her work cut out, so no promises.

Lisa then bumps into a local Italian chap who flirts with her, offers to carry her bags to her destination and tells her that he runs a pub in the town. They agree to meet up for a drink when she has time away from her task. Lisa has been commissioned by the wealthy Duchess Emma Malvisi (Claudia Gerini) to restore a heavily damaged medieval painting that was recently charred in a fire at the family’s grand, decaying manor. Her controlling dad was the greater expert, but couldn't come, so he sent her instead.

Lisa notices that the villagers are deeply paranoid, cold and secretive. She gets to the grand and sprawling manor house, moves in, and begins work on the painting after meeting Emma. The painting turns out to depict a terrifying, monstrous demon surrounded by fire and suffering. As Lisa meticulously cleans away layers of grime and soot, the restoration process unleashes a strange, dark influence over her, plaguing her with vivid nightmares and hallucinations. Emma's daughter, Giulia, behaves strangely and Emma tells her that she has a 'personality disorder'. Incidentally, the actress playing this part is Linda Zampaglione, the director's real-life daughter.

We switch back to the camping group and, as soon as they get set up, they are one-by-one abducted by a strange, as-yet unknown to us, man. We see his hands in one shot, so we know he's human! They are taken to the damp, stone dungeons deep beneath the house and thrown into an eerie stone well - a clear nod to the iconic 'pit' setup in The Silence of the Lambs, I reckon! Down in the dark, the prisoners discover they aren't alone. Lurking at the bottom of the well is a grotesquely deformed, flesh-bound ancient creature (whose scarred, skinless, swollen facial features carry an uncanny resemblance to Mason Verger from Hannibal, by the way)! There's also a gatekeeper figure, almost as grotesque, wonderfully imagined - a huge man who reminded me of The Incredible Hulk (only not green), ensuring that the prisoners do what they are told!

It turns out that the Duchess and her servants are keeping the creature alive by feeding it human flesh and blood. In exchange, the creature bestows supernatural health, longevity and power on the Duchess's family lineage. As Lisa gets closer to finishing the restoration, having previously ignored Giulia's warnings, she unravels the horrifying truth that the painting isn't just a depiction of a myth, but a binding ritual and cursed historical record of the monster trapped below!

What goes on in the dungeon by the gatekeeper and creature leaves nothing to the imagination! Brutal, practical special effects fly. The captives are systematically tortured, butchered and fed to the creature in excruciating detail - featuring disembowelment, severed limbs and raw flesh-tearing - all executed with tactile, rubber-and-blood practical gore rather than digital CGI. Apparently, director Zampaglione deliberately hired Italian FX artists to ensure every throat-slitting, gut-spill and monster transformation was handled with physical props, prosthetics and fake blood!

So, Lisa attempts to save the remaining survivors, leading to a bloody showdown in the catacombs against the Duchess, her sadistic helpers and the ravenous beast itself! The question is whether or not she can do it, but also what chaos will ensue on the way, whether or not under threat of death she can finish restoring the painting by midnight (to ensure that the curse survives for a new and fresh 500 years) and of course, who and what survives and doesn't!

It really is a good fun horror, which, as usual, I chuckle my way through while others hide behind the sofa! I do find it all very funny rather than scary, but that's just me. No imagination, they tell me! The acting is alright, not brilliant; the script is not the best; and it often feels a bit like a low-budget outing - but they've certainly spent money on the gore and physical effects. As well as that dungeon set! That's really nicely imagined and created! You'll find it kicking about on loads of streaming services now - and it's almost all in English by the way, with just a few Italian lines, supported by subtitles.

Don't Let Your GDoc Get Too Old!

I was trying to put a photo into one of our Recording Notes GDoc that is used for one of our podcasts today and it wouldn't play ball. Just shoved a placeholder in. I took it to Gemini and (eventually) it came out that the GDoc was probably first made about 10 years ago. Which was the problem. In case anyone is interested in the technicalities, here they are...

"Google Docs tracks every single edit, deletion and typing change in its Version History. When a document is reused, wiped and overwritten repeatedly over years - especially one created around 2016 - the document's hidden version history database becomes enormous. Eventually, the document metadata becomes so bloated that Google Docs struggles to allocate temporary memory for uploading and processing new media assets, causing new images to instantly crash into that warning triangle placeholder. Starting fresh with a clean document will solve this completely and make the document load much faster for both of you."

Finding Altamira (2016)

I'm back on the Golshifteh Farahani trail again and stumbled into this one, which I'd not heard of before. It's available very broadly across streaming platforms now and well worth a watch. It's a true story about science vs religion in the post-Darwin decades as the power of (particularly Catholic) organised religion did all it could to quash science and men of science looking to further truth, understanding, evidence and facts about the Earth, rather than ancient dreamt-up myths. Note that the film in some regions was dubbed just "Altamira" (without the "finding".)

The story starts in 1879 with our small family of dad, mum and daughter. Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, played by Antonio Banderas (The Other Man, Frida), is a Spanish nobleman and passionate amateur archaeologist who lives a tranquil life in Cantabria, Spain, with his deeply devout wife, Conchita, Golshifteh Farahani (VTC, Hood Witch, The Night Eats the World, Paterson, Alpha, About Elly), and their inquisitive young daughter, María (portrayed by Allegra Allen).

While exploring a local cave system on their land, María ventures deeper into a low-ceilinged side chamber while her father digs for stone tools. Looking up, she notices paintings of galloping bison and other animals on the rock ceiling. Marcelino realises that these paintings must have been crafted by prehistoric humans tens of thousands of years ago - long before modern civilisation was thought to exist. Excited by the find, Marcelino publishes his work, expecting the scientific and religious communities to celebrate the milestone, but instead, the discovery triggers intense pushback from both sides.

Monseigneur (Rupert Everett), an uncompromising religious leader, sees the claim that "prehistoric savages" were capable of high art and lived tens of thousands of years ago as a direct assault on his Catholic belief system. He fears the fallout if taken seriously, adding momentum to the rise of science and Darwin's theory of evolution. In order to attempt to quash the discoveries, he manipulates Conchita’s religious devotion, pressuring her to save her husband's 'soul' and steer María away from Marcelino's "heretical" scientific pursuits. Expected scientific allies prove equally dogmatic. Leading French prehistorian Édouard Cartailhac and Spanish academics publicly condemn Marcelino as an impostor. They argue that Palaeolithic humans lacked the intellectual capacity for true art, dismissing the paintings as a modern hoax forged by an artist friend of Marcelino.

The public humiliation destroys Marcelino’s reputation. His relationship with Conchita is threatened under the strain of her guilt and Monseigneur’s interference. Heartbroken and disgraced, Marcelino locks the cave gates and falls into a deep depression, while María feels responsible for the rift between her parents. Conchita eventually realises that her husband's love for truth does not make him evil, nor does it threaten her belief system. Seeing the toll the scandal has taken on their family, she confronts her own religious rigidity, rejects Monseigneur’s manipulation and reunites with Marcelino in quiet solidarity.

The main three players do a terrific job, especially the little girl playing María - and of course Golshifteh can do no wrong! She doesn't have as much screen time as the equally terrific Banderas, but when she's facing the camera, whatever her role, she seems to me to be totally convincing - a great actress of our time indeed. Rupert Everett plays the monstrous religious man, and he plays it brilliantly scarily, barking out his beliefs! He's a big actor and his character towers over whoever he's judging and tearing a strip off, which he does regularly, especially Conchita!

The sets are very nicely done and the tone of the era is replicated nicely inside their house of privilege, the countryside, the city and the cave in question. The costumes are sumptuous, and director Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan) ensures that lighting, shadow and colours are interestingly portrayed - along with some dreamy scenes of bison that María 'sees'.

So it's a drama based on the facts of the case, though it never meanders into documentary territory. We find out in the latter stages of the film what happens to the people involved and even, finally, jump twenty years ahead in order to witness the long-term fallout regarding the discoveries, and later on, other similar ones. We can read all about the background on Wikipedia of course but if you want to know here, then here's an appraisal.

Years later, similar prehistoric cave paintings are uncovered in France (such as Lascaux and Font-de-Gaulle). Édouard Cartailhac is forced to admit his error and publishes a famous retraction titled "Mea Culpa d'un Électrobiologiste" ("A Skeptic's Mea Culpa"), formally apologising to an adult María and restoring Marcelino’s place in history. It's a tragic tale which forms part of the notable chapters in the history of archaeology. The artwork dates back to the Magdalenian and Solutrean periods (between 14,000 and 36,000 years ago). The artists used natural bumps and contours in the limestone ceiling to give their painted bison, horses and deer three-dimensional volume and movement.

In the late 19th century, the scientific community believed early humans were primitive, ape-like "savages" incapable of abstract thought, let alone masterwork painting using charcoal and red ochre pigments. The preservation was so remarkable that experts believed no paint could survive 15,000 years inside a humid cave without flaking away. It wasn't until 1902, 14 years after Marcelino’s death, that Cartailhac and the French Prehistoric Congress officially acknowledged Altamira's authenticity.

Because the moisture and carbon dioxide from millions of visitors began causing mould and damaging the delicate pigments, the original cave was permanently closed to the public in 2002. Today, visitors to Santillana del Mar can visit the Neocave, a meticulous, millimetre-perfect replica museum built nearby that reproduces the cave paintings exactly as María and her father saw them in 1879.

Victoria (2015) - Shot in One Take

This is a German crime thriller directed by Sebastian Schipper and starring Laia Costa and Frederick Lau. Famous for being shot in a single, continuous 138-minute real-time take across 22 locations in Berlin, the story shifts from a gentle romantic connection into a high-stakes heist.

The Technicalities

Unlike films like Birdman (2014) or 1917 (2019), which used hidden digital edits to create the illusion of a single frame, Victoria was filmed in one genuine, unbroken 138-minute shot with no hidden cuts or digital stitching. Cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen carried a handheld Canon C300 camera, covering around 4 miles on foot, in vehicles and on rooftops.

Director Sebastian Schipper and Eike Frederik Schultz wrote a 'barebones' 12-page script with virtually no written dialogue, only character motivations, plot beats and location transitions. Every line spoken across the 2 hours and 18 minutes was entirely improvised by Laia Costa, Frederick Lau and the cast in real time.

The production budget allowed for three full takes on three separate nights between 4.30am and 7am. During the first take, apparently everyone was too cautious and stiff! Schipper described it as boring! Second attempt and the cast 'overcorrected', becoming far too aggressive and chaotic, the director reported, and the narrative completely fell apart mid-way through. Before the third attempt, Schipper told the team that if the final attempt didn't work, the project would have to be re-edited into a standard multi-cut film. This seemed to do the trick as the third take delivered the ideal balance of natural tension and tight pacing.

Sound recordist Matthias Lempert hid in the back of vehicles, under blankets and behind pillars while monitoring over 15 wireless microphones and hidden ambient mics. Lighting cues were handled by technicians stationed inside buildings or running just out of the frame ahead of the camera operator to switch on street lights or interior lamps. When the characters got into cars, Grøvlen climbed into the back seat or passenger side without stopping the recording. Assistant directors directed real-world traffic two blocks ahead using walkie-talkies to ensure clear roads for the driving sequences. Over 150 extras had to be stationed across the Berlin neighbourhood, cued precisely as Grøvlen walked past!

Grøvlen operated the heavy camera rig entirely handheld without a Steadicam rig to allow maximum mobility (such as climbing up narrow fire escapes and entering tight vehicles). By the end of the 138-minute run, he was reportedly near physical exhaustion, but the raw, organic camera movement matches the escalating panic of the characters on screen. Schipper was so grateful for Grøvlen's massive contribution that he granted him co-top billing alongside the director on the film's title card.

The Film (with Spoilers - important to know, given the above, but watch it first if you prefer)!

Victoria, a young Spanish expat living in Berlin, leaves an underground dance club during the night. Lonely and unable to speak much German, she meets a charming local guy named Sonne (Frederick Lau) and his three friends, Blinker, Boxer and Fuss. They introduce themselves as "real Berliners" and invite her to hang out with them. Despite warning signs such as stealing beer and breaking into a building's rooftop, Victoria accompanies them, drawn to Sonne. When the group splits up, Sonne walks Victoria to the café where she works. Inside, she plays a virtuosic rendition of Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz on the café piano. She reveals that she trained her entire life to become a professional concert pianist, but was recently dropped by her conservatoire - leaving her directionless and isolated in Berlin. (Incidentally, apparently, prior to shooting, a music student named Yi-Ting Chen recorded the piano performance which was then piped into the café through a hidden music box/speaker placed behind the piano.)

Their romantic moment is interrupted when the rest of the group arrives in panic. Boxer (Franz Rogowski) owes protection money to a dangerous gangster named Andi, who protected him while he was in prison. Andi demands that Boxer and his crew rob a bank that very morning to clear the debt. However, Fuss is heavily intoxicated and passed out in the back of a stolen car. Lacking a fourth person to serve as the getaway driver, Sonne asks Victoria to step in. Thrilled by the danger and her growing connection to Sonne, she agrees. They meet Andi, who arms them with guns and drugs. Victoria drives the crew to the targeted bank, where they execute a chaotic robbery and escape with around €50,000.

Adrenaline-fueled by their success, the group returns to the club to celebrate and dance in high spirits. However, their celebration turns to terror when they realise they left the stolen car parked near the bank with the unconscious Fuss inside. Returning to the scene, they discover police cars surrounding the area and Fuss missing. The police spot the group, leading to a frantic foot chase through a quiet residential neighbourhood. Boxed into an apartment complex courtyard, a violent shootout ensues. Boxer stays behind to shoot at the police, sacrificing himself so the others can escape. Shortly after, Blinker is shot and fatally wounded.

Only Victoria and Sonne escape. In a panic, Victoria sneaks into a apartment building, briefly uses a stranger's baby as a disguise to walk past patrolling police and gets them both clear of the crime scene. They make it to a nearby luxury hotel, where Victoria books a room using stolen cash. Once inside the room, Victoria discovers that Sonne was shot in the stomach during the crossfire and has been hiding a severe wound. As she desperately tries to call an ambulance, Sonne dies on the hotel bed, telling her to keep the money for herself. Devastated and crying, Victoria collects herself, takes the bag full of cash and walks out of the hotel into the breaking Berlin daylight alone as the real-time continuous camera shot finally ends.

Verdict

Every detail - from the technical breakdown of the 138-minute continuous take to the 12-page skeleton script and three-take shoot - highlights the immense planning, flexibility and resource management required to pull this off. Watching the film brings a real appreciation for the frantic energy created by the improvisation, handheld camera work and real-time progression from pre-dawn darkness to morning daylight. The team does a brilliant job telling such a complex story in an ambitious way, with the director bringing out the absolute best in the cast - particularly Laia Costa in the lead. It is well worth watching to appreciate the technical achievement, but it stands on its own as an engaging, dark, moving and at times harrowing tale. You can catch it on various streaming services in the UK.

About Elly (2009)

This Iranian film was originally entitled Darbareye Elly and was directed by Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar in 2012 for his 2011 film A Separation (the first time an Iranian filmmaker had done so). He has gone on to win various other awards since. But leaping back to this film, it's a psychological mystery-drama that says much about social ethics, deceit, Iranian culture and personal responsibility.

Only one guess needed to work out why I was here really - I'm a big fan of Golshifteh Farahani (VTC, Hood Witch, The Night Eats the World, Paterson, Alpha) - links to my reviews! She plays Sepideh, the (social) leader of a group of middle-class university folk and their young families from Tehran. She's organised a three-day getaway for the crowd to a small, but fairly isolated resort on the Caspian Sea coast, which is about 60 miles to the north of the capital. The journey has taken them about three or four hours. Sepideh has secretly invited Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), her daughter’s quiet playschool teacher, with the goal of setting her up with Ahmad (Shahab Hosseini), a friend of the group visiting from Germany, who is recovering from a painful divorce.

When they get there, the villa they usually book and use is only available for one night due to a booking error, so after much negotiation, the local people find them a fairly run-down bungalow right on the beach next to the fairly wild and often active sea. They grasp the task of making the most of it, despite the foul-up and the work they have to put in to make this bungalow in any way habitable. But they do - and cheerfully treat that itself as an adventure. They end up playing games, dancing and teasing each other - seizing the day (as Robin Williams might have said)!

However, Elly appears somewhat reserved and repeatedly mentions that she needs to return home after one night because of her sick mother - but Sepideh hides her luggage and does everything she can to prevent her from leaving. She's not going to have her matchmaking activities taken away lightly!

The next morning, while everyone's playing games and enjoying the break, Elly keeps an eye on the children playing near the water. Moments later, a couple of children run to the men playing volleyball, shouting and screaming that the young boy is in trouble in the water. Everyone drops everything and races into the sea in order to find and save the boy, which they eventually do, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. However, when the panic subsides, the group realises Elly is missing. They fear that she could have drowned trying to save the boy, but hope that she's rejected Sepideh's pleadings, left her bag behind and headed back off to her mother in Tehran.

There's no mobile phone signal where they are, but they can get one by driving a little way down the road and/or using a landline in the house of the people who had organised the rental. They can't get through to good information from Tehran as to whether or not Elly is back there. As hours pass without a body or any sign of her, the initial panic turns into internal paranoia and blame. The friends begin to question who Elly actually was/is - they realise none of them, even Sepideh, even knows her full name.

This is the meat of the film and story - as we spend time amongst the characters as layers of deceit unravel, and information is kept back from each other - especially what Sepideh knows about Elly's situation at home and why she's trying to set her up with Ahmad. Social panic breaks out between them as they try to decide what to do. In the meantime, the local makeshift sea-rescue team head out in a very small boat, but have to give up the search quickly because of the weather and conditions putting them at risk.

As snippets of information and backstory creep out, the men in the group become furious with Sepideh and the brassy plan she's trying to hatch, especially when it becomes clear by now that she hardly knows Elly at all. It turns out that Elly is, in fact, engaged to a man - but has secretly told Sepideh that she doesn't want him - but can't shake him off. Now, apparently in Iranian culture, hostessing a married/engaged woman on a weekend trip to meet another man carries severe moral and legal implications. So yes, to protect their own reputations and avoid scandal, should it turn out that Elly is dead, the group starts turning on Elly, accusing her of being dishonourable or manipulative.

The group pressures Sepideh to lie to save Elly's memory (should she turn out to be dead) and spare everyone the shame. So it all gets very socially (and legally/morally) complicated because nobody (at least at first) is willing (or able) to come out and tell the truth of what's happened to various people who are now becoming interested in the situation. I'll say no more than that in terms of plot and what unfolds, because, yes, the main thrust and focus of the film is very much about the group processes and navigating the best outcome for everyone - bearing in mind that they still don't know if Elly is dead or back with her mother (whom, incidentally, she didn't tell about this trip - for the cultural and practical reasons above).

There is much handheld camerawork throughout the film as shooting often darts around the rooms as the characters interact with each other trying to find a solution and the truth. For once, it does feel like it's probably the right way to use a handheld camera, but it does eventually get a bit much (for me at least)! The location is great though and claustrophobia reigns as the anxiety and unpredictability of the situation rolls out - and for much of the film, we're in the dark as to the real facts as much as most of the group members. So it's got a bit of a 'whodunit' feel to it - and certainly mystery.

The whole cast are great in their performances, including the children, but the star of the show clearly is Golshifteh and she commands every scene that she's in, totally convincingly. Which is most of them! Incidentally, About Elly was one of her final Iranian films before she moved to France due to political tensions with Iranian authorities over her career choices outside Iran.

The director deliberately omitted a traditional musical score, relying instead on the sounds of crashing waves and ocean winds to build atmosphere and tension, certainly throughout the second half of the film - and it works well. It's a super film, but sadly not available on any streaming service just now. I was able to pick up the DVD in a second-hand online shop in the UK and I'm sure it will be shown on some TV channels on rotation. Recommended.