The Night Eats the World (2018)

La nuit a dévoré le monde is a 2018 French Zombie film, though everyone's speaking English (not just dubbed) with hardly a French accent in sight! As with most Zombie films, it's all a bit far-fetched but this 90-minute one, directed by Dominique Rocher (Hold Your Breath) is somewhat different in focus, if not theme.

We join the story as our central character turns up a party, in a Parisian apartment in a tall townhouse, in full swing. Apparently he's the ex-boyfriend of the party's host, with a timely visit in order to 'collect his stuff'! He's kind of spoiling the general atmos, so she shuffles him into her workroom inviting him to help himself to his stuff. He's tired, gets bored and falls asleep in a chair.

The next morning he wakes up, still in said chair, and all is quiet. Until he opens the door and is faced with blood caked onto the walls of the rest of the apartment where the party was - and not a soul in sight. He wanders around wondering what on earth has happened to everyone, then when he opens the apartment's front door into the stairwell, all becomes clear - as a couple of zombies are sitting there, leaping into action to try to nosh him up with all speed! Thinking on his feet, he quickly shuts the door and locks himself in the apartment.

The chap in question is Sam, played by Anders Danielsen Lie (The Worst Person in the World, Oslo, August 31st), and we spend most of the rest of the film with him as the tone and focus of this unusual zombie film makes itself clear to us. It's not so much about the zombies (well, it is, or we wouldn't have a film here) but more about isolation as Sam barricades himself in the building - and his descent into a less than lucid state of mind.

Usually, as you might know if you read my stuff, I find zombie films funny - but this is just different. It's actually an attempt to demonstrate what it must be like for someone to spend weeks into months (we're never very clearly given the overall time frame, though he is counting the days off in the window dust initially) with no human contact and having to survive.

Eventually the water and electricity stops flowing so we spend time with Sam as he creatively finds ways to survive, still longing for human contact, getting lonelier and lonelier. He can see the living dead outside as he's got, by this time, the run of the whole building, isolating each apartment methodically, one by one. It also becomes clear that he is a very methodical person, mapping out his resources and foraging for supplies to keep himself alive.

A girl called Sarah turns up out of the blue - played very nicely by Golshifteh Farahani (Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge, Invasion, Paterson) - or does she, we wonder. He shoots her with a shotgun he has found in the building before realising that she's not a zombie - or does he, we wonder. By this stage he's descending further into a state of mind which might suggest that she doesn't really exist - more conjured up by his loneliness as he nurses her back to health, removing shotgun pellets - or does he?!

So yes, very different kind of zombie film it is, touching in places, some gore, guts, shooting and mayhem, but not a huge amount. The living dead look convincing enough but this is much more about the human spirit, isolation and survival. Do humans need other people around them? Can they survive without? Especially when holed-up with no chance of solutions, not knowing whether or not they are actually the only person alive!

Very well worth watching - it's on most of the UK streaming services by the looks of it now, so I recommend that you do. Don't be put off by the genre, it's much more than that.

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Here we have what appears to be a fairly low-budget Brit horror/zombie/thriller set in a barren, post-apocalyptic landscape, eventually leading us into central London. It's directed by Colm McCarthy (Bagman, Peaky Blinders) and it looks like the money has been mostly spent on salaries and sets!

We start off in an army base somewhere rural, where a group of 20 little girls are detained, locked up most of the time, allowed out to get school-type lessons. They are in solitary confinement and when they go to the lessons, restrained in their wheelchairs, they are led at gunpoint. It soon becomes apparent that these are no ordinary little girls - in fact, maybe not girls at all!

We spend most time following one of them, Melanie, played very well and convincingly by Sennia Nanua. She is very polite and tries to engage with the soldiers around her, who are instructed not to do so, and her teacher, who is more forgiving and sympathetic to the girls' plight. She is inquisitive and clearly very bright - seemingly, to some degree, a little different to the 19 around her.

The teacher, Helen, is played very nicely by Gemma Arterton (Summerland, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, My Zoe) and similarly, the lead soldier, Sgt Parks, by Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur, The World's End). Helen tries to be more lenient and understanding, as I say, but when she does, the soldiers are at hand to put her in her place. Also in the army camp is a science lab where Dr Caldwell, played by Glenn Close (What Happened to Monday, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons) is conducting experiments in order to find a vaccination against the zombie-people out there.

Anyway, one day, all hell breaks loose and the zombies, known here as The Hungries, who are constantly trying to get in through the camp's fencing and eat the humans, break through. There is much mayhem, bloodshed, gnashing of flesh and shooting of zombies, generally through their heads! There's a background as to how things have ended up like this which the doctor explains to us, part way in, to do with people's brains being taken over by some fungal infection or other!

The Hungries seem to be able to smell people, so the humans have to blather themselves in some sort of blocking cream to offset the desire! So, following the chaos, a group of our key characters escape in an army truck, including Melanie, the main subject of the doctor's scientific work, so she can carry it on later - into central London so they can get somewhere safe or rescued. You get the idea, by now!

It's actually a really good watch for a low-budget Brit-flick. The CGI scenery is very nicely done, not like a 1970's episode of Dr Who at all, and much thought has gone into building, people, states of decay (following how ever many years it's been), vehicles and so on. There are parts where suspense and eeriness is present, certainly as they have to tip-toe through a mass of The Hungries not making a noise, and it's been very nicely shot with thoughtful lighting to add to the tension. Acting is very good by all and yes, it's a decent-enough yarn to keep one's attention for just under two hours. Available in the UK just now on various streaming services and recommended.

The Watched (2024)

Renamed from The Watchers possibly to avoid confusion with the 2022 Netflix UK series The Watcher - or even perhaps the 2022 film Watcher, this is another film from Ishana Shyamalan (Old), daughter of M Night, which falls under the banner of mystery, fantasy, horror, supernatural thriller - so pick what you like and you'll get the idea that this kind of thing runs in the family! It's based on a novel of the same name by A M Shine.

Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire, The Alienist) plays Mina who we first see working in a pet shop in a town in Ireland by day and dressing up to be someone else in pubs in the evenings, apparently not liking herself much. It doesn't take long for us to discover that she's blanking her twin sister, Lucy, and has been doing so their whole lives following an incident (which will come out later) regarding the death of their mother.

She's asked by the mysteriously unclear shop owner (the first sign of any spook) to deliver a yellow bird in a cage to Belfast. It's a long journey but she's alright with it and sets off the next day. She's following Satnav directions and is led further and further down country lanes and eventually into a dark and threatening-looking forest. This is where the spooks proper start to happen as all her electrics stop working, phone, radio - and the car conks out in the middle of nowhere!

Not knowing what to do, she grabs the bird in the cage and heads off on foot. The spooky forest seems to now come alive, she sees a female figure and runs after her, seeking help. The figure encourages her to run through a doorway - and gives her 5 seconds to decide/do so in order to get her (implied) help. She does, of course! When she gets through the door, she finds herself in a room with a heavy, solid door with many locks, one wall which is a huge (two-way) mirror and some bare furnishings.

Each night, the four of them (and three before she got there) have to 'perform' in front of the glass in order to keep some mysterious creatures outside entertained. We don't see the creatures at this stage, but we do hear them - especially when they happily applaud any performances which the four put on. Ciara, played by Georgina Campbell (Barbarian), for example, likes to dance - and they like that!

The other two characters in the room are an older woman called Madeline, played by Olwen Fouéré (The Survivalist) and a younger chap called Daniel, played by Oliver Finnegan (Video Nasty). When daylight arrives, the creatures disappear and four of them have the run of the forest. But there are certain 'rules' that they must adhere to, as spelled out by Madeline (who has been trapped in this scenario for the longest so is kind of in-charge by default), to avoid a fate worse than death! So the creatures are The Watchers and the four of them are The Watched!

Mina tries, unsuccessfully, to 'escape' the situation a couple of times and even bravely takes steps to do so that the rest of them have not dared, but that's about all I can tell you really regarding the scenario and plot as anything much else would be spoilers. As you will expect, from hereon in things get eerie, dark and intriguing - with interesting twists, one or two of which you might not see coming.

Some of the characters' decisions are a bit wonky, frankly - it's easy to pick fault rather than to just enjoy the solid atmosphere that's been created in this dark and spooky tale. It's pretty well acted by all, though with some dubious Irish accents (Fanning gets away with that as she's an American character living in Ireland), nicely shot, good use of darkness, light, colour and mono with little to complain about really. Nice piece of fantasy which should keep you entertained for and hour and forty minutes.

Available in the UK on a few streaming services to buy/rent at time of writing and if you like this kind of stuff, you won't regret coughin' up for the ride!

Juror #2 (2024)

A film by Clint Eastwood about moral dilemmas, truth, justice, values assigned to people because of their past behaviour and appearance and much more, wrapped up in a courtroom (or rather, mostly, jury's room) drama. When watching, this is what to focus on really rather than thinking about the plot holes and inconsistencies which will just spoil it.

Justin Kemp is played by Nicholas Hoult and the character is called up for jury duty. His wife is about to give birth and he doesn't want to be there, but does the dutiful thing. When he gets into role and starts hearing about the case in question, he quickly realises that the man being accused of murder couldn't have done it - because, he thinks, he did!

Kemp's an ex-alcoholic making good in life, portrayed to us the viewers as someone who used to be bad but now is good, thus further dangling the dilemma in front of his face in the courtroom. If he had done it, it was an accident, but because of his background he fears that the authorities wouldn't believe him and he would be whisked away to prison himself instead. So he deliberates long and hard about doing the 'right' thing weighed up against what he has to personally lose. Keep quiet and let the accused take the rap or do the decent thing and ruin his own life.

The prosecutor is played by Toni Collette by the numbers, J.K. Simmons pops up as another juror with a background and agenda of his own, Kiefer Sutherland jumps in for a couple of scenes as a lawyer Kemp consults and that's about all I know of the cast. They generally play it straight and without thrills and the film does come across at times like a made-for-TV outing I'm afraid. I wasn't convinced that any of them were here for anything much but a payday. There's little tension or suspense, even given the plot and time spent in the jury room, and it takes the film's last two scenes to get any momentum, summarising the above, really.

It's OK - it's just not going to blow anyone's socks off as it trundles along towards the end after 2 hours, seeping out bits of flashback to fill in gaps - and round the characters' stories up about the events surrounding the night in question, 12 months before any of this film is set. It makes its points in the end, verges on being thought-provoking but even that's not good enough to overcome much of the clumsy editing and unhelpful missing data in the plot. Bit of a head-scratcher in the end. It's doing the rounds on one or two streaming services as I write in the UK - but if I were you, unless I had vouchers or points to use, I'd wait 'til it's 'included' somewhere rather than coughin' up your hard-earned.

Conclave (2024)

I'm not usually one to go for religion-centric films, but this has got such rave reviews that it had to be given a go! I'm pleased that I did, as it's actually more of an unfolding thriller, with more simply a backdrop of all the religion stuff.

It's centred around the events following the death of a pope and the now well-known traditional, elongated process of the cardinals picking a new one. Rafe, sorry, Ralph Fiennes (In Bruges, The Invisible Woman, Official Secrets) plays Lawrence, the (now) top bloke in charge of the procedure, ensuring that it goes smoothly and without incident. Some hope!

What comes out in this adaptation of Robert Harris' 2016 novel (so no, it's not a true story!) is a depiction of carefully constructed back-biting, power-struggles, conspiracy, bad behaviour, lies, politics and cheating by egocentric characters, apparently all fighting and manipulating each other to get themselves voted in by the others.

Fiennes' performance is staggeringly convincing, as we'd expect by now, but the other main player in the cast also thrill with what could be described as their career-best performances. Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia, The Lovely Bones) plays Bellini, John Lithgow (Luther, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Cliffhanger, Dexter), Tremblay and Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet, Immortal Beloved, Merlin), still going strong, as Sister Agnes in this Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) delight of a film.

It's all set in the claustrophobic Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, start to finish with cinematography reflecting that, beautifully shot with lovely colours, as the film, at something of a pedestrian pace at times, lingers on individuals, their thoughts, moral struggles and particularly Lawrence's difficult emotional task as he tries to sort it all out - keeping a lid on any scandal potential which pops up and the impact of that on the people involved and the image of the religion.

So yes, he spends most of the film getting alongside the others, investigating claims and counterclaims of wrongdoing, guiding and counselling some, damping down the ambitions and self-centredness of others. Some who think they don't want the job - others who clearly do but not wanting to show that they do, one other, particularly, who clearly desperately wants it in order to return the religion to the old values, rather than the currently depicted more liberal approach.

Issues such as homosexuality, race, gender, equality are on the table with different characters believing that different ways forward are the right ways for the religion to go. It seems to be made as a reflection of the political processes in countries around the world, where so many of these attitudes and beliefs of the best way forward are out there and clear for all to see. At time of writing, we have just had the American swing from a more liberal democratic government to a more traditional and nationalistic republican one - and it's clear to see the parallels.

Yes, the film can appear to be slow at times, but just around every corner there's a twist or turn to surprise the audience with plenty of tension and suspense on display - including a finale which I'm sure you'll see coming, but one element of it you probably won't. I shall say no more!

It's a riveting watch even, for those like me who usually reject all things religious, as there's something for everyone, including a great score - but particularly quite superb acting from a highly respected and experienced cast. A must-see. At time of writing it's available in the UK at cinemas but also pay-to-view on two or three streaming services. If you don't have vouchers, points and other ways of watching I'd hang on until the price drops a bit though.

Survive (2024)

We covered this in Coming Soon on our Projector Room Podcast recently and it's now available to stream on various platforms and seems to have been slated in reviews, left, right and centre! I didn't read any of them until after I'd seen it and on the whole, I think most are pretty harsh for this interestingly different low-budget thriller out of France.

It's about some rich folk, family of four, who can afford their own cruiser and are out on the high seas when suddenly there's a storm which throws them all over the place, knocks them all unconscious through fatigue, and when they wake up in the morning, as depicted in the trailer, there's no water under them. The sea has gone. No ocean!

Eventually they blame this on an event which switched the poles of the earth and all the water became land and land, water - so maybe a bit daft and extreme - but the filmmakers have made the most, then, of the survival adventure of the family members in question. They manage to track down another survivor by radio who is sitting in his submarine, similarly on the newly-formed land, and who has worked out that the reverse will happen at any moment and wash them all away!

So they have to leg it across the seascape (now land) which is a three day hike. There are some twists and turns along the way (though that poster gives at least one of them away!), some nastiness and gore thrown in for good measure and at least one surprise! I thought it was actually pretty well done if you ignore all the unlikely aspects of it (and daft ending) and simply enjoy it as a little survival/adventure yarn. It kept me hooked, but then maybe I'm easily pleased!

It's in French, German and English (don't ask!) but with subtitles where needed. It's only an hour and a half long and I reckon, well worth a look! Don't know the director or anyone in it but it's quite good, if far-fetched, fun!

Army of Thieves (2021)

This is a decently fun heist romp which focuses more on the main five characters than actually what they are doing! The plot is fairly simple, there being three 'supersafes' out there in various establishments holding increasingly large sums of cash, depending on how difficult each is to break into. The film/story is a prequel to the Zack Snyder creation Army of the Dead from the same year.

We start with the tale being told by Sebastian, played by Matthias Schweighöfer (who is also the director), of a sad old man, a locksmith who created four safes which were horribly hard to break into, three of which feature in this film. The fourth one lays at the bottom of the sea with the sad man inside after he ended his own life, having lost the will to live after his wife and son died. A story that we don't hear much more about.

We switch rapidly to observing the dull life of Sebastian going about his daily work as a clerk in a bank, but who has an interesting hobby - yes, cracking safes! He decides to make a YouTube video about the aforementioned locksmith and promptly publishes. As a result of this, he's invited to attend a (what appears to be underground) competition (in the style of Fight Club!) where an organisation is presenting like-minded people with challenges to crown the top safe-breaker.

Attending this event, lurking in the corners, is the super-criminal Gwendoline, looking to recruit someone to join her team of hoods, thus beginning the heist part of the film and Sebastian's introduction to the gang of (now) five. Korina is the computer nerd, Brad is the muscle, Rolph is the driver and Gwendoline the brains - and fairly nifty fighter if needed!

So, the team start planning to hit each of the three safes in their situations, using their collective skills and attributes, then legging it with the loot. We journey with the team, Mission: Impossible style, as they hit one after the other, but more importantly, the story focuses on the interplay between the characters which is arguably more interesting than what they're doing, as I said.

Each of the five has a backstory and attitude, getting them to where they are now, which we sample bit-by-bit, interwoven into the process of the heists. The dialogue between the main players is well-constructed, funny often, simple sometimes, complicated others. There's hidden agendas and sub-plots going on as we learn more about the thread between Gwendoline's and Brad's relationship, now hijacked by Sebastian and Gwendoline falling for each other! Anyway, back to the plot and the smart planning involved in order to throw the irritated Interpol detective off their scent and ensuring that the team stays one step ahead. He's very funny too, adding to the mix of humour, tension, suspense and action as they all go about their business on each side of the story and law. It really is pretty good fun and keep you smiling.

The whole cast, apart from Schweighöfer do a great job, Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Fast & Furious) as Gwendoline, Ruby O Fee (Polar) as Korina, Stuart Martin (Babylon) as Brad, Guz Khan (Zapped) as Rolph and Jonathan Cohen (Amanda) as Delacroix the detective. Excellent characters with super teamwork. Schweighöfer is engaging in the main leading role particularly, too - you can't help but like him, feel sorry for him, be amused by him and ultimately hope that he gets the girl! It's on Netflix if anyone fancies a look. I'm off to watch Army of the Dead now which apparently has more to do with the Zombies in America, loosely referred to in this film but not explored much.

Virus (1980)

This is the film Gareth Myles referred to on our most recent Projector Room Podcast with the late Olivia Hussey playing a small part. A cut-down version is free to view on Plex (with ads), but the original version (which you can snag on DVD still if you look hard) is quite long at just over two and a half hours. As he said, it seems to have been a Japanese collaboration project, directed by Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) and littered with a cast from east and west - it's fun star-spotting!

It's a disaster movie/thriller with some scary messages about nuclear war, weapons, Covid-like implications - but also human's (and all animals) spirit to organise, re-populate and survive - or not! It starts with a bio-weapon called MM-88 which is accidentally exposed to all life on earth, except for just shy of 1000 people involved in the military and research stationed in the Antarctic (of all nations). Turns out that the virus can’t keep going in cold conditions, so the game here is to wait it out (with their remaining two-year rations) before trying to venture out until the virus is dead (along with all other forms of life) in the rest of the world.

Trouble is that nuclear missiles from Russia and America are already pointing at each other and even though there’s nobody left to set them off, one of the events that will start the launches is an earthquake. Guess what? There’s an earthquake coming in the Atlantic, so some of the people in the Arctic have to bravely head for Washington DC in their submarine to shut the systems down before they are fired (and subsequently Russia’s system auto-detects incoming, so then fires theirs back at America).

In amongst all this, back in the Arctic, there are internal wranglings aplenty about the fact that there are only 8 women amongst the survivors with which to repopulate, so you can imagine what happens there with over 800 blokes(!), and friction between people’s cultures and nationalities. Everyone under stress in order to survive and make a brave new world. As long as it doesn’t get nuked first - or even if it does!

The acting from all was very good for the day and we’re treated to some lovely scenery and wildlife shooting (depending on which version you can track down). Again, depending on version there are included harrowing scenes of bodies piled up around the world - as before everyone’s dead the news channels report and shoot footage to broadcast to those still alive. The music adds to the atmosphere often too.

I won’t spoil the ending but there are certainly plenty of questions posed about what humans are doing to the planet and much food for thought about what might become of humanity and other animals during (and/or potentially following) such a disaster - and how whatever or whomever might pull through and survive, or not. Well worth a look if you can find it, particularly the longer, original.

Fresh (2022)

Currently showing on Disney+ this bonkers gore-fest from Mimi Cave is a kinda mashup of Silence of the Lambs, Boxing Helena, The Girl in the Basement and so on. You get the idea!

There's some particularly nasty twists in this one though as to why Mr Nasty is detaining young ladies, so I won't spoil that one as the build-up to the reveal is quite well done!

We follow Noa as she's swept off her feet by Mr Nice Guy (later turning out to be Mr Nasty, with a mission) and lured into a nice (surprise) countryside weekend away. He purposely made it a surprise for reasons that become apparent (at least until her phone signal went away)! You'd like to think that girls would be more sensible, but this one wasn't!

She was played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Twisters, Cold Feet) and very nicely too as her character leapt from desperately seeking love, to realisation of the horror she faced, to attempting to plot an escape. Yes, I guess it's a survival tale, but one with a gruesome twist and turn or three!

It's all very far-fetched of course, but many good grizzly thrillers are, so that's alright! Sebastian Stan (Captain America) plays the fruit-loop fairly convincingly and the rest of the cast keep up well-enough too. It's quite nicely constructed, fairly well shot and produced. Has a lot going for it, for this genre and worth a look for us fans of grizzle!

Dream Home (2010)

Josie Ho is the star of this bonkers Hong Kong film under the bloodthirsty control of director Ho-Cheung Pang. And bloodthirsty it is! Billed as a slasher/horror, it's just that, as a feeble plotline is tacked onto the back of the gore and maiming!

Our central character is itching to get her hands of a certain apartment but can't afford it, so goes out to ruthlessly raise money in any way she can (even letting her dad die when she could have saved him) and generating a drop in demand for said apartment (thus a cheaper price for her) by turning it into a kind of serial-killer/gore location that nobody else would want to buy!

It's all good fun really, but I'm afraid that it wants to take itself seriously instead of embracing just that! Anyway, she goes on a murderous rampage with nothing left to the imagination. Plenty of nudity too and leaping around on the timeline as it tries to give us a flavour of her abused childhood and motivators for getting up the socioeconomic ladder. Sometimes we're given dates as to where we are, other times we have to work it out. I caught it on DailyMotion, but couldn't find it anywhere else. Have fun!

Shuttle (2008)

This 2008 thriller is dark and nasty. I'll try really hard not to introduce spoilers for those who want to watch this 'cold' but will guess that from my tone, as I carry on through, most would be able to guess the issue here and where the story probably heads.

We join a pair of girls as they get off a flight in the USA inbound from Mexico somewhere. They are boisterous and clearly went to Mexico for lots of fun, one of them, for a last fling before settling down and getting married. The airport closes, just as they head through the baggage claim (so I guess it must be a small airport in the USA), and they're on the pavement wondering how to get to where they need to go.

Along comes a mini-bus with METRO written across the top/front, offering them their last chance to get to the city or spend the night outside the airport. Or walk, I guess! A couple of wise-cracking lads muscle their way in on the scene, clearly intending (one of them says so) to 'get laid' with either of the girls. The bloke driving the 'shuttle' (minibus) is not happy taking the two lads along but eventually relents, in order to keep the girls happy. There's another bloke on the bus who is a nervous wreck, wondering what his wife/family will say if he's late and is encouraging the driver to speed up.

This is where the action starts as all is not quite what it seems. The Shuttle journey gets a bit out of hand, meandering into seedy, dodgy-looking urban neighbourhoods, the driver telling them all that the main road is blocked so this is a shortcut. He reassures them that all is fine and to trust him as he's the driver. Whilst they are travelling through this area, a car drives straight at them, making the bus weave about, eventually bursting a tyre on the kerb.

As it's such a rough-looking area, they pool resources in terms of people-power and get the tyre changed as quickly as they can. However, during this process we have the first grizzly, nasty bit of horror as one of the lads is badly injured. They all leap back on the bus and the driver tells them that the hospital is only 2 miles away and that he'll head for it. They never see the hospital and this is where things start to unravel with twists and turns, people and events not being quite what they seem - and also where I need to say no more on the plot/story!

Laying aside the outcomes at the end of the film, it does indeed turn into a nasty, gory (at times) twisty-turny thriller with much abuse and unpleasantness being hurled at (particularly) the two girls. It all ends up being grizzly and chaotic, with not much left to the imagination. Clues along the way as to what's really going on are laid down, so, as I say, you'll probably get the idea at some point anyway.

The driver is played by Tony Curran (Defiance) convincingly but the limelight is stolen really by the two leads - the girls in question, played by Peyton List (The Tomorrow People, Mad Men) and Cameron Goodman (The Dead Undead) who seem to do a decent-enough job as we trail through. There's some tension here and there in the film, some of it's a bit silly, much of it dark - as the whole film is set over one night - so not only dark in tone! The claustrophobic inside of the mini-bus is often put to good use, closing the story in on the characters and audience, script is a little iffy, but yeah, OK, and pulling all these threads together it was almost believable, certainly thrilling - with the 1 hour 45 minutes passing quickly.

Yes, you can pick holes with some of it, as you can with most films, but overall it's worth a watch. Edward Anderson is the director/writer here, but I'd not heard of him and he doesn't seem to have many credits before or after this. It's not a new film, so you might need to be resourceful about how to watch it. The DVD is out there (even in used outlets) and it pops on/off of streaming/terrestrial channels now and again. Worth the hunt.

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of December 2024

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

Phones Show Chat
Episode 830 - Camera, Battery, Charging Speed
Sunday 1st December
Matt Slegg is this week's guest on the show and in his first appearance he tells us all about the phones he's been using, always leaning towards the best camera experience. Loads of other stuff too, as always, with my initial dabble with the Pixel 9 and Steve on Folding and Skinning - as he looks forward to the latest and greatest Xperia.

Whatever Works
Episode 217 - Long Live the Postie!
Monday 2nd December
Aidan and I are back again with an hour of tinctures to amuse, inform and entertain as we discover once again Whatever Works. All sorts of goodies as always including an invisible cyclist, filthy animal, Ninja Fruit Loom, Topazy Vulcain and oodles more! Tune in, why not!

Phones Show Chat
Episode 831 - Death to the Camera Control
Sunday 8th December
Dan Carter is the guest this week so Steve and I get his thoughts on a load of mobile-related items, find out what gear he's using and delve into the past as we consider the Nokia N96, Surface Duo and Orange San Francisco. I'm all Pixel'd up and Steve, Duo'd down! Loads more, as always, so do join us.

Projector Room
Episode 176 - Minnie Magpie
Wednesday 11th December
Gareth, Allan and I are back again with our Christmas Special, delving into all things film, cinema and TV. We Mindfully Murder Something in the Barn, join Rosemary and Terry in Apartment 7A, head for a Showdown in Little Tokyo, see if the Red One is in Minnie Driver's Circle of Friends - and loads more besides. Come and join us!

Whatever Works
Episode 218 - Long Live the Postie!
Sunday 15th December
Aidan rings his, well, Santa bell - as we launch into our last-before-xmas episode! We find out once again Whatever Works - and doesn't - from Noodle bowls to Air Fryers, Weather Stations to Doughnuts, Snug Rugs to replacement clock movements - and a ton more! Available in the usual places, so do join us for an hour. Ho! Ho! Ho! ...and a bag of rain!

Phones Show Chat
Episode 832 - iPhoning it in from Barcelona
Sunday 15th December

Steve and I are joined this week for the first time by friend and supporter of the show Pip Tomlinson. We find out about the devices he uses whilst scooting around Barcelona(!), his thoughts on Android/iOS pros and cons, the state of AI and hopes for the future. I'm still in bed with Sammy, Steve pushing the boundaries with Android 15 on Surface Duo and we go all retro on the Galaxy K Zoom whilst yearning for a modern YotaPhone!

Phones Show Chat
Episode 833 - The Perfect Plus
Sunday 22nd December

Irfan Ali joins Steve and I this week again as we hear his thoughts on all things mobile, what gear he's using and how he's using it. I share my (personal) Top 5 of 2024 and Steve's onto Classic Phones and more on the Surface Duo ROM. Loads more as usual, so do join us. Steve and I wish all our listeners a cracking xmas and thank you for your interest in what we do. We'll be back with a New Year two-header show next weekend. In the meantime, bottoms-up! Hic!

Whatever Works
Episode 219 - The Coffee Sandwich!
Sunday 30th December
Aidan and I are back with you sneaking in one last 2024 edition, in which we natter for an hour about Whatever Works for us and you! Tools and Timers, Seals and Snaps, Custard and Converters, Vests and Vanilla! It's all here and oodles more as we end the year with a bang, crash, wallop! Happy New Year to all!


The Podcasts

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

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