British society Archives - Jeremy C. Processing

Director – Cal McMau – 2025 – UK – Cert. 18 – 90m

*****

A prisoner’s chances of achieving parole are threatened by the arrival of a ruthless and manipulative new cellmate – out in UK cinemas on Friday, February 20th

Taylor (David Jonsson from The Long Walk, Francis Lawrence , 2025; Alien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez, 2024; Rye Lane, Raine Allen-Miller, 2023), a young inmate in prison, is due for parole provided he behaves as required. However, his new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Francis Lawrence, 2023; Benediction, Terence Davies, 2021; Robin Hood, Ridley Scott, 2010) has other ideas, including making money by dealing all manner of illicit goods from the outside.

This opens with a row between inmates, one of whom is determined to mete out punishment to whoever it was took his mobile phone. Very quickly, the situation descends into his suspected thief being assaulted with a television set that happens to be nearby. As another prisoner says to the one who carries out the assault, part in awe, part in jest, and part in newly-found respect, “Fucking TV, mate.”

Welcome to the world of Wasteman, the term used to designate central character Taylor who has been written off by British society.… Read the rest

Exhibition on Screen:
My National Gallery

Director – Phil Grabsky, Ali Ray – 2024 – UK – Cert. U – 98m

*****

Employees, punters and celebrities choose their favourite painting in London’s National Gallery – out in UK cinemas from Tuesday, June 4th

There have been documentary films about the UK’s National Gallery before, notably the wonderful, three-hour-long National Gallery (Frederick Wiseman, 2014), so, in a way, it’s a brave subject for the Exhibition on Screen people to take on. And yet, as a British production company making movies about art in art galleries, it was inevitable that they would tackle the subject sooner or later. Their version commences with a likeable enough establishing montage of what one might call ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘footfall’ – shots of various National Gallery employees at work opening the door, looking after various aspects of the art housed in the gallery and even putting out tasty-looking croissants in the cafeteria.

There are satisfying little touches throughout. A shot of The Feast Day of Saint Roch, Canaletto, with out of focus people passing in front of it, makes it feel like you’re really there in the scene depicted.

Alan Allison, security officer and gallery assistant (pictured on the front of the trailer, below) wears black clothing with a striking, patterned blue tie.… Read the rest