Rose: A Love Story (2020)

Also known as just 'Rose' this is a great little drama/mystery/thriller/horror about Rose, who lives in an isolated cottage situation with her husband, Sam, in the middle of the woods somewhere far from most civilisation. I was trying to work out where it was, but couldn't really pin it down. There is mention of Keswick (which is "miles away") so I'm guessing up that way somewhere!

Rose has a terrible illness which means that she can't go out into daylight. References are made throughout to skin conditions, sensitivity to light and more but it's not until the last act that we really find out the truth of what's what. There are clues along the way and it's not really hard to guess what is going on, but that shouldn't take anything away from this small-budget cracker of a 90-minute film.

There's a small cast of three really - Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders, Gentleman Jack) as Rose, Matt Stokoe (Jamestown, Bodyguard, who also wrote the story) as Sam and Olive Gray (Halo) as Amber. Rose and Sam live off the land, so he's outside a lot of the time, growing vegetables, trapping animals to eat and attending to their generator. When he's not doing that, he's inside with Rose, caring deeply for her, their love being hugely evident throughout as they value one another, through great warmth and concern. There are strains though, mostly brought about by her concern that her illness is keeping him from living a normal life - which he refuses to accept or act on.

They keep an ear open all the time for anyone infiltrating their corner of the universe and get shiftily paranoid whenever they hear anything rustling outside, day or night. As the story evolves, we find out a bit more about both of them and witness strange events which seem to fit in once the reveals are all done. Young Amber happens along one dark night, having fled her home, and stumbles into one of the animal traps, breaking her leg. She screams with pain, Sam heads out to see what it is, leaving him and Rose to decide what is to be done with her.

Director Jennifer Sheridan (Extraordinary) has created something of a gem here - she's brought out the best from the three key actors, totally convincing, created a spine-chilling atmosphere via camera angles, lighting and shadow and with no time for incidental music. It's all very eerie and claustrophobic set in the dark winter, snow all around them, which is made the most of with lovely cinematography depicting the seasonal ambiance.

I hadn't researched the film at all, so came in blind - and the experience was better for that as I was able to piece things together and watch wide-eyed as I did! The finale provides a gripping climax to the story. It's moving at times, very dark and engaging. Highly recommended. It's been on Shudder and other streaming services, so check it out!

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is the seventh film in long-running franchise which started way back in 1993. Set five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), this is a brand new story arc with new characters. We start 27 years prior, when on a secret island facility, scientists seem to be experimenting with cross-breeding species in an attempt to 'wow' the Theme Park crowds. And we all know how that goes in these films! Of course, there is a breach and something very big manages to escape its containment.

Cut to now. It's New York City where a dying Brontosaurus that has escaped from a zoo is blocking the traffic. Nobody seems to care that it is dying, only that it's in the way. In this jam we see Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), who we find out is working for a pharmaceutical company and is there to meet up with Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) - a no nonsense, for hire, special operations expert. Krebs explains that the  pharma company he works for has worked out that a cure for heart disease is very likely possible if the blood from three very specific giant species are collected. These can only be found in the equatorial regions off South America where the species' decided far too dangerous to be in zoos were left to their own devices - and have thrived.

A little later they are both in a closing-down Dino museum where they meet Dr Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist who has developed the tech for the blood extraction in this mission - but is surprised to find out that he is also going on the expedition. The location then moves to Suriname where all three are all suitably kitted up and are meeting rough-and-ready Captain Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) in a quiet port. Three further members of Bennett's team are there and after a bit of wrangling with the cost of the team's hire, they set off into the equatorial Atlantic Ocean in his sturdy vessel for their destination island - the Ile Saint-Hubert - where all three target species are known to live.

Meanwhile, already out at sea, the Delgado family, father, his two daughters and the eldest's offspring's deadbeat boyfriend are sailing across the ocean in a medium sized sloop. Suddenly they are broadsided by a Mosasaurus (one of the three key species) and their boat capsizes. Clambering on the upturned hull, they send out a 'mayday' on the emergency radio that was recovered. Twenty seven miles to the north, Captain Kincaid hears the distress call and against the strong wishes of Krebs to not divert from the mission, sets a new course to try to help the stricken family.

Like the recent Mission: Impossible film there is a lot of exposition in the first third of this two hour thirteen minute adventure before the real action gets going. Directed by renowned visual effects connoisseur Gareth Edwards, set pieces are very eye-catching on the big screen and all the beasties look suitably realistic in their exotic island locations. The story is easy to follow but is so rehashed from many of the earlier films in the franchise that nothing feels fresh except the cast.

Johansson is well chosen as the kick-ass leader of the expedition and Ali plays a good mercenary with bigger-than-normal dollop of humanity. Friend is solid as your usual two-dimensional unscrupulous company man and they all, on the whole, make the best of a sub-par script. I didn't find many of supporting cast very engaging though, as it looked like dino grub was all that some were put in there for. In fact, I'm still not sure what the purpose of the Delgado family thread was except to maybe to put more bite sized morsels in front of giant jaws.

Perhaps I'm getting too old to be wowed by seeing prehistoric creatures like I was in the first film over thirty years ago, as I definitely felt a bit underwhelmed. I'm sure that this latest offering is still going to make for a decent Box Office as the thrill-ride for this sort of fodder is sill ideal for lots of cinema-goers this Summer season.

Humpday (2009) - A Guest Review by Adrian Brain

An American comedy bromance would normally have me running a mile, but this was on MUBI (which simply doesn’t have bad films) and so I was persuaded to watch it - and I’m quite glad I did. Would a man have sex with his best male friend? Of course not, but that's the premise of the movie and it sells you the idea so well that you forget the daftness of it.

Ben is married to Anna and we meet them trying to conceive their first baby. Ben is climbing up the corporate pole and they share certain life objectives as they slip into a typical American family lifestyle. There is a knock at the door in the middle of the night and in bounds Andy, Ben’s best school and college buddy who has been away for 10 years on an adventure of self-discovery in South America.

Anna soon finds husband Ben is behaving very differently around Andy, but she also finds him somewhat invigorated by the return of his old friend. At a party, in a drunken moment they decide that Andy and Ben should film a porno for an art project, with the tape being destroyed after the screening. The next day, both men reconsider, but in their determination to out-liberal each other, end up cementing the deal. The remainder of the film takes us up to the nominated 'humpday' and the evolution of the relationships between the three characters via lots of subtle observational humour.

What could have been annoyingly dumb is actually handled very smartly, in large part down to the direction and naturalistic performances of the cast. From the credits, it looks like the 3 main cast members were all dialog consultants - and it shows - every conversation feels real. I didn’t recognise any of the cast but they are uniformly relatable. They are completely rounded characters and you’d feel happy to have any of them as your friends.

The film is all about relationships of course and how some evolve with time and others get stuck at a certain fixed point. There is also a contrast drawn between men and women’s attitude to the intersection of friendship and sex.

I found the last scene, the 'will they or won’t they?' hump day, intriguing. I was cringing at the thought that these best mates might possibly destroy their friendship forever, but the wife was cheering them on - shouting “Get on with it! What’s your problem?”. That’s how smart the storytelling is, it exemplifies the observations the film has made.

Not for everyone, but I really enjoyed this. A mature film dealing with adult themes in a non-gratuitous, non-salacious manner which is simply refreshing to see.

28 Years Later (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

With the old team of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunited, this is more of an official sequel to the original 2002, 28 Days Later than the 2007, 28 Weeks Later, (which I've actually never seen). Set '28 Years Later' than events seen in the opening sequence of this film when a young blonde boy narrowly escapes the massacre of his entire family by 'The Infected' and flees with a steel crucifix on a chain as the local priest is consumed.

Now the Virus has been pushed out of continental Europe and the whole of the British mainland is quarantined. Patrolled around the coastline by nearby countries' Navies. However, anyone living there is completely left to fend for themselves.

One particular group of survivors live on Holy Island, separated by a heavily-gated causeway from Northumberland that's only traversable at low tide. Amongst this fairly thriving community is our main protagonist. Twelve year old Spike (Alfie Williams), who lives in a small dwelling with his adventurous father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and mysteriously sick and often bedridden mother, Isla (Jodie Comer).

Today is Spike's rite of passage. He is to be taken across to the mainland with his father to claim his first kill of an 'infected'. Fully kitted up, including bows and arrows, and with Jamie waving away the final protests from the community leader, Jenny (Stella Gonet) to Spike (being a bit younger than the usual age of this rite), the two confidently set off across the causeway in the clear morning sunshine.

Director, Boyle and Writer, Garland, have really upped the ante in this latest version of the Zombie franchise. The gore is very much increased from the 'infected', that have now evolved into wild animals - roaming buck-naked in ever-hungry packs across the countryside. Others have evolved into morbidly-obese creatures that walk on all fours, living on worms and what else they can find in the forest floor. One of these becomes Spike's first kill. And most dangerous of all, the 'Alpha' - intimidating giant males with super strength and toughness that seem to control the packs.

The landscape is also a character here as the dwindled human population has allowed nature to claim back the environment. Deer run in herds of thousands, the grass in fields is tall and the air is clear of pollution. One scene at night was particularly stunning where an entire bright Milky Way is seen on the horizon near to the causeway.

The acting is solid from everyone but a standout performance is that of Alfie Williams - a virtual newcomer who is very engaging as he tentatively navigates this new world with help from his experienced father - but soon, dealing with hair-raising situations himself. Comer is as brilliant as always. Often flipping between pure lucidity and then infantile behaviour, she really is a chameleon! There's a superb eccentric performance by Ralph Fiennes as Dr Ian Kelson surviving by his wits on the mainland (and who Spike confides in to try and help his sick mother, as nobody in the island community seems to know how to). There's a revelation right at the end that gives us a hint to the next film - that the makers have stated will be the second of a trilogy.

Even though this genre of film is not really my thing, I thought it was well done and will look out for the next part - which apparently is already in the can.

F1: The Movie (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

I've been following Formula One, the sport, since I was a young teen and was a BIG fan. I have watched a lot of the more recent films covering the subject. Many of them being biopics of some of my favourite, famous drivers of the era - like Ayrton Senna and James Hunt. I've not followed it as closely recently when most of the coverage went away from terrestrial TV - but I've kept my hand in and still have a fairly good idea what's going on the F1 world.

This film was made in collaboration with the FIA, the governing body of F1 and lots of the current drivers and teams. It brings us bang up to date with the modern world of the top tier of four-wheeled motor racing.

APXGP is a fictitious team, struggling at the very tail-end of pit lane and managed by former F1 driver, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). To bolster the flailing fortunes of the team, he recruits a contemporary of his, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt). A very talented journeyman racing driver whose F1 career was cut short in a terrible crash but after a longish recovery, has kept competing in multiple motorsports. Initially Hayes has trouble getting on with his teammate, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) - who is also a prospect, but finding things difficult in a failing organisation. Ruben is convinced that this partnership is the key to the team getting at least 10th place in one of the remaining races, and a point in the championship table, to avoid being consigned to motor racing oblivion and not competing next year.

This is a pretty stock plot with stock characters. Reminiscent of both Top Gun Maverick (2022) and Days of Thunder (1990). It's the charismatic visage of genuine moviestar, Brad Pitt, that keeps the interest. Everybody else's performances are solid though and I especially liked Kerry Condon as Kate McKenna, the team's Technical Director. A woman holding her own in a still mainly male-dominated world.

The production is definitely top notch as we ride along at unbelievable speeds, right in the middle of the action - on the track and in the pit lane, on some of the most legendary F1 circuits in the World. Hayes' methods to get his team any kind of advantage over the 'big boys' could be viewed as a bit far-fetched but everything looks pretty authentic. Quite a few of the currently-active top drivers are constantly name-checked and appear on the various grids and podiums as themselves. If you're not a fan of motorsport or sports films in general, you may well not like this but I kinda did!

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of June 2025

 ...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!

Tech Addicts 2025

ChatGPT Round the Neck

Sunday 1st June

Gareth and I are back for another run of Tech Addicts Podcasts. This week ChatGPT round your neck, A portable Hi-Fi, the iPhone Fold, Anker earbuds that power your phone, Acer’s dazzling array of new devices, Redmagic making a 9 inch tablet and the MSI Claw portable gaming system.

Projector Room

Episode 187 - Berlin Bone Ballad
Wednesday 4th June

Gareth, Allan and I are here again to bring you more thoughts on film, cinema and TV in our perky pod! This time we coppoload of Francis Ford while The World Will Tremble at The Fountain of Youth. We head for Wallis Island On the Road to Berlin, look for The Final Reckoning in Dept. Q and loads more. So do join us via the usual routes.

Tech Addicts 2025

A Switch and a Swivel

Sunday 8th June

Gareth and I bring you another tempestuous tincture of tech or two in this week's trumpet! The release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Anker's Soundcore Boom 3i and P41i, Photoshop on Android, Edifier Doo Ace, Volvo's seatbelts, Reolink Home Hub, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and what's the all this fuss about the Chromebook Plus anyway, we ask! Plenty more as always so do join us.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 857 - Phablet Soirée

Sunday 8th June

Just Steve and I this week but we delve into all sorts of interesting topics. QWERTY Clicks, Apple WWDC, Fold7 Ultra, Jolla C2, Huawei Pura X, Qi2 and MagSafe, Moto Watch, scintillating Samsung stuff, Calculator Apps and even a Marshall Soundbar! All available in the usual places, so do join us.

The Camera Creations Podcast (at Whatever Works)

Episode 1 - Pilot 1 of 2

Thursday 12th June

Joe Hickey, Chris Clayton, Ian Bundey and I dip our toes into the water of podcasting about all things camera and photography. It's a bit of a getting-to-know-you pod as we chat about what we expect from it, introductions and throw ideas around. It's published on the back of Whatever Works so you'll find it in Podcatchers under that feed (for now)!

Tech Addicts 2025

The Brains on Barbie

Sunday 15th June

Gareth and I are here again with another techy roundup and this week we tackle AI in toys, Google killing Slopes, hope the Chromebook Showcase introduces Kompanio, Navi and Hylia, reflect on a lackluster Q1 performance from foldables and scratch our heads over self-driving taxis in London!

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 858 - Seeing is Believing

Sunday 15th June

This week Steve Nutt is back to chat with Steve and I about all things mobile phone with a leaning toward people who are unsighted. He talks Sony vs Pixel and applies clever AI tools to describe the POTW. I'm all-in on Moto again while I await Jolla and Ubuntu while Steve looks at iOS26 and more keyboarded phones.

Whatever Works

Episode 227 - The Vocal Yokels!
Monday 16th June
Aidan and I are here again with a therapeutic hour of chaos, mayhem and fun as we discover once again Whatever Works for us and you! From Salt of the Earth to Camp Coffee, Roborock to Weed Wands, Tractor Ted to Tefal Toast and oodles more! Do join us in the usual places and shelve reality for a while!

Projector Room

Episode 188 - Flight Risk Fountain
Wednesday 18th June

Gareth, Allan and I are here once more to natter about all things film, cinema and TV for a while. We have a Special Delivery in Mobland, there's Mercy for None Until Dawn, you might prefer Arcadian Andor Modern Love and appreciate a Sharper Tarantino! Loads more as always, so do join us.

Tech Addicts 2025

Homegrown HiFi

Sunday 22nd June

Gareth and I are here with the last Tech Addicts Podcast of June, returning on 3rd August. This week Samsung Unpacked 2025, my mini home Hi-Fi, a Casio Watch Ring, severe data breach, NFC 15 upgrade and much more.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 859 - The DAC Knack

Sunday 22nd June

Jonathan Phillips joins Steve and I for the first time on the pod, so gives us a roundup of his mobile path, then dives deep into all things audio, DAC and sound - amongst a bunch of other stuff. Steve is whacking moles and getting creative with pebbles while I'm heading offgrid with Ubuntu Touch! Loads more as always so do join us.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 860 - The Minimal Titan!

Sunday 29th June

Tim Evans joins Steve and I this week as we deep-dive into all sorts of topics including Tanks'n'tiddlers, e-ink phones, Ubuntu'n'Linux, Sailfish'n'Jolla, Windows Phone - no stone left unturned as there's even a swing with a Wing (LG version)! Steve is on iOS battery saving and iPhones upcoming over the next couple of generations. Loads of great stuff, so do join us.

Whatever Works

Episode 228 - Chicken Wing Fling!
Monday 30th June
Aidan and I are joined by Steve on this show. You know, that nice chap from PSC. Loads of stuff to natter about as always. Batteries, robot vacuums, a £20 laptop, Jackery solar power, gorilla tape, 3m strips, more pond ponderings and we even catch Aidan in the corner squeezing his oranges! Lots of fun as always, so do join us!

The Podcasts

PodHubUK - Phones Show Chat - The Phones Show - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - Tech Addicts - Camera Creations

The MeWe Community Groups (follow the links to join up)
Phones Show Chat & The Phones Show - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - PSC Photos - PSC Videos - PSC Classifieds - Tech Addicts

The Team
Ted Salmon - Steve Litchfield - Aidan Bell - Gareth Myles - Allan Gildea

Modern Love (2019-2021)

I was only drawn to this really because of the cast, not genre, but actually I got pulled in regardless. It's a charming anthology series which explores love in all of its complicated and beautiful forms.

Each episode is a standalone story inspired by the Modern Love column (whatever that is). It starts off with a blinder of an episode starring Cristin Milioti as she tries to navigate life alone in New York, looking for love, getting pregnant and only really connecting with the doorman of the building she lives in - with emotional and moving outcomes. I was hooked!

They're not all up to that standard, but they certainly are very good and, as I say, with a plethora of stars/cameos including Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, Dev Patel, Julia Garner, Olivia Cooke, Sofia Boutella, Shea Whigham, Andrew Scott and even Ed Sheeran what's not to like!

All sorts of little stories from different writers, directors and produces make it up into a delightful little series, beautifully acted by all, designed generally to tug at the heartstrings. And it does. In the final episode it is nicely pulled together with little catch-ups regarding each of the stories that have gone before it - it really is ever so nicely packaged.

I've only seen the first series and according to reviewers the second and final series takes a bit of a dive, so I'm shying away - but with the continued cast line-up it's hard to see how it can be that bad! Coming up are Minnie Driver, Anna Paquin, Miranda Richardson and loads more. What could go wrong!

Anyway, Season 1 is certainly recommended and it's on Amazon Prime Video. The episodes are 30-minute bite-sized too and there's 8 in each season. I guess many will pass it off as 'one for the ladies' but if so, their loss. I must have got in touch with my feminine side!