Nought Quite What I Expected

At the start of March the BBC aired the first episode of their adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s critically acclaimed novel Noughts and Crosses.

Whenever anybody asks me what my favourite book is, I answer Noughts and Crosses  without hesitation. I am extremely invested in entire series and world of the novel and have reread each book numerous time and enjoyed each reread. So when the news that the BBC were producing an adaptation of my fav book I was thrilled beyond words, seeing as I had missed out on watching the theatre production.

Soon my thrill turned to apprehension; were they going to ruin my favourite book of all time like so many  adaptations have done before? There’s always that thought of how far from the source material will the writers and directors stray, will I even recognise what I’m watching, are they going to take away key characters and add new ones? The list goes on. I delayed watching the series for about a week as a battled with the thought of being sorely disappointed, but a friend of mine urged me to watch it saying it was enjoyable, so I did.

I took me until half way through the second episode to stop making direct comparisons between the book and the BBC drama, and although there were some changes I personally didn’t like it was indeed highly enjoyable overall.

If I’m completely honest there wasn’t a huge amount of things that I completely disliked however some of the changes made definitely irked me. Straight out the gate the  I was quite disappointed with the set up of Callum and Sephy’s relationship . The growth of their relationship in the book really highlights how social prejudices and racism is often a learnt behaviour, the innocence of their friendship and their blossoming love only made everything around them more prominent and raw and consequently made the ending more tragic. Though the performance from Masali Baduza and Jack Rowan soon had me overlooking that particular detail.

There were two characters that I wasn’t particularly blown away by, the first was the added character of Lekan as Sephy’s boyfriend. I really didn’t see the point of their relationship in the grand scheme of things. Jonathan Ajayi did a brilliant job of making me dislike him until the bitter end with his blatantly racist behaviour towards Callum and all Noughts, however I feel like there was very little need for him to be Sephy’s boyfriend, it cheapened his role to that of a scorned lover, instead of a blatant racist, maniac.

The second character who I was not a big fan of was Jude McGregor. Now I believe that the Jude McGregor that Blackman wrote was an antagonist of many layers, however the Jude that Josh Dylan presented was a diluted, two dimensional version, who sort of stumbled his way through the series without the same purpose his book version had. A real shame.

With that being said I absolutely loved the transformation of London into this beautiful hub of Africanness. It really is the Africa they don’t want you to see and it was so refreshing for it just to be displayed in all it’s glory as the social norm.

From the celebration of black beauty on the billboards in the city, to numerous fashion statements made by Sephy and other characters, to the versatility of the natural hairstyles worn by each character, to the having a black female Prime Minister who was surrounded by her peers in terms of race; Noughts + Crosses was a brimming with the kind of representation that is needed more often on mainstream television.

Of course the celebration of blackness is immediately and deliberately juxtaposed by the treatment of the Noughts and of course drives home underlying issues of racism in society. Some could say the racism shown to the noughts was done with a certain level of eloquence however I would argue that is it no more eloquent than what is experienced in contemporary society (which is obviously the point).

From the micro-aggressions of Crosses pronouncing Nought’s names wrong, to having the Noughts that join Mercy Point don the same hairstyles as their Cross counterparts (and look ridiculous as they did it) it really drives home how Noughts are forced to adopt another culture in order to assimilate into the society. I’ve seen many comments on social media with people commenting about how Meggie McGregor’s hair was always in tight curls, somewhat mimicking the afro hairstyle. A direct reflection of how many black women straighten their hair in order for them to appear presentable in a professional work place.

The scene with the plaster was such a penny drop moment for me when I read the book and it’s such a shame that there wasn’t more of an emphasis on in the TV series however I was glad that it was kept it as many people would have been disappointed if it has been omitted completely.

Overall Noughts + Crosses is definitely a piece of drama that needed to produced by big organisation such as the BBC. It explores so many themes and injustices that are experience by many in the 21st century. It is quite telling that a book written in 2001 (almost two decades ago) is still so relevant today. Noughts + Crosses is by no means the solution to racism and prejudice however it continues the narrative and allows for further discussions and ultimately change.

The ending definitely leaves the door wide open for second series and a continuation of the book series. I was thrilled that Callum remained alive and thee pair stayed together as it emphasises the love story as the focal theme of the entire series. It is fairly common that films and tv programmes that explore social injustices often end on happy ending, when so often the worlds their are attempted to emulate have no such happy ending, take Get Out as a prime example. I’ve been told to take into consideration that the ending allows for a second series, however there are four more books in the series so material for a second series has already been written but we will see what happens if and when a second series will be announced. I definitely hope there is and hopefully it is an enjoyable as the first.

P.S. Stormy should not act, it’s not for him. Stick to rapping Big Mike.

Bringing it Back

Helloooooooo!

It’s been well over a year since I posted anything, I don’t know why I stopped but one day I just did. I’ve been saying since the start of the 2020 that I wanted to start up my blog again but I always chickened out or found some excuse . But with the world in it’s current state I have no more excuses so here I am.

I don’t have any solid plans about what I want to review about just yet but content will be back!!

Watch this space.

And The Winner (Hopefully) Is…

MTV recently released their MTV Movie and TV Awards nominations lists now it’s no surprise that the Black Panther clan are coming for those golden popcorns with an outstanding seven nominations. Though should it really be any other way? No.

Avengers: Infinity War also picked up three nominations despite only being for about a fortnight.

If you haven’t seen the official nominations list check it out here.

Now let’s jump straight into my predictions for some of the categories.

Best Movie:

Black Panther

Avengers: Infinity War

Girls Trip

IT

Wonder Woman

Black Panther was my first choice without hesitating but then I read the rest of the list and realised it made no difference! #WakandaForever!! Though if by some sick joke Black Panther was robbed of this win, then Girl Trip better swoop in the for win! Both films broke box office records and it’s time that black people started winning awards for playing more than slaves, and both films break the stereotypical portrayals of black men and women and so either film is worthy in my eyes.

Best Show:

13 Reasons Why

Game of Thrones

Grown-Ish

Rivderdale

Stranger Things

Now I have to hold my hands up and confess that I haven’t sat down and watched many of these shows in length. Stranger Things is the only show on this category that I have actually watched more than a snippet of. I have however read many good things about each and every one of these nominations. So it’s going to be tight call based on the critical and fan reception of each show. Truth be told I will be cheering on the cast and crew of Grown-Ish.

Best Performance in a Movie

Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther

Timothee Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name

Ansel Elgort – Baby Driver

Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird

No hesitation with this one. Mr Boseman for the win. Chadwick Boseman’s performance in Black Panther was just so enjoyable, his on screen chemistry with his cast was everything. He’s an incredible actor and he truly does deserve recognition in the form of a golden popcorn statue. And to save time Chadwick gets my vote for Best Hero as well.

Best Performance in a Show

Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things

Darren Criss – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Katherine Langford – 13 Reasons Why

Issa Rae – Insecure

Maisie Williams – Game of Throne

I’m not surprised at this list at all, for me it was a given that Millie Bobby Brown, Issa Rae and Maisie Williams were nominated. They are three extremely talented actors and we can only expect bigger and better things from them in the future. My non-bias vote would be for any three of the women I just stated above as I think they all deserve to win. My bias vote would be for Issa Rae (DUUUH) #BlackGirlMagic! Take it home Queen!!!!

Best Comedic Performance 

Jack Black – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip

Dan Levy – Schitt’s Creek

Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live

Amy Schumer – I Feel Pretty

#SheReady to collect this award. Tiffany Haddish had me in stitches from start to end in Girls Trip. There is no denying that Tiffany Haddish is one funny lady, both on and off screen. That popcorn has a her name all over it. If Tiffany Haddish wasn’t in this category then Jack Black would have no competition in my eyes, he was effortless funny in Jumanji;  but Tiffany Haddish is in the category soooo…maybe next time.

Best Villain

Josh Brolin – Thanos – Avengers: Infinity War

Adam Driver – Kylo Ren – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Michael B. Jordan – Killmonger – Black Panther

Aubrey Plaza – Lenny Busker – Legion

Bill Skarsgard – Pennywise – It

I have to say that this year Marvel really did well when it came to creating villains with a bit more dimension to them. They weren’t just evil for the sake of being evil, both Killmonger and Thanos’s arguments for their actions had some logic behind them and I liked that about them. They were villains with a bit more humanity than we are used to seeing. With that being said my vote goes to Killmonger (shock right?). Michael B. Jordan is just too sexy not to get the award and it helps that he did a pretty amazing job with the whole acting thing.

Scene Stealer

Tiffany Haddish – Dina – Girl Trip

Dacre Montgomery – Billy Hargrove – Stranger Things

Madelaine Retsch – Cheryl Blossom – Riverdale

Taika Waititi – Korg – Thor: Ragnarok 

Letitia Wright – Shuri – Black Panther

MTV have really made this hard for me! Tiffany Haddish really was the scene stealer in Girls Trip with her perfectly timed comedy. However Letitia Wright stole the show in Black Panther in a such a graceful way, there was something she brought to each scene that was just perfect. Both of these Queens deserve this award but I’m leaning towards Letitia, gotta stay loyal to the Brits!!

Only time will tell if my predictions come to pass. I can’t wait to see Tiffany Haddish kill it as the host on Monday 18th June 8pm ET/PT or June 19th  2:00am BST!!!!

Top 5 Christmas Films

When I was younger, I looked forward to Christmas every year, and not just because of all the food and presents (though that helped). In my humble opinion all the best films came on TV during the festive season, but maybe that’s because I only had access to like 5 channels and so I wasn’t exactly spoilt for choice. Either way I looked forward to Christmas films every year, and I still do.

So here are the top 5 christmas films I enjoyed as a child.

 

#5 The Snowman, 1982

(Just a quick disclaimer this film is way over a decade older than me, emphasis on the way.)

Although some may not appreciate approximately 27 minutes of near wordlessness, I think this is a Christmas classic that really embodies that spirit of the festive season, all through action and music. Simplicity at it’s finest. Whether you enjoyed this film or not, you cannot deny what a beautiful song “Walk in the Air” is; and we have all tried to sing it as beautifully as Peter Auty (and Aled Jones), and failed miserable. Listening to “Walking in the Air” in my young adulthood takes me right back to the living room of my Grandma’s house so many years ago; and that is why this film just had to be on my list.

#4 Elf, 2003

Will Ferrell is a king of comedy and he does not fail to deliver in this family favourite. There is no way you can watch this film and not fall in love with Buddy the elf, who is literally the human manifestation of Christmas spirit. Elf has every Christmas character you could possibly wish for. You have Santa, elves, a cool snowman, a Scrooge type character, they are all there! This is exactly how Christmas family films should be made and it was a no brainer that Elf just had to make it on to my list.

And a fun fact: I owned this film on VHS and watched it proudly way into the 2010s.

#3 Home Alone, 1990

Now I know that there are some people who would not hesitate to name this film the top Christmas film of all time, and are condemning me for awarding Kevin and his clan a bronze medal but let me justify myself. While I fully agree that if this film doesn’t come on at some point during Christmas Day (it has to be Christmas Day) then was it really Christmas? However as a child I focused more on the mischief and havoc being caused more than anything else and so for me there are other films that have a more a festive, jolly feel.

And just in case you wondering Home Alone will be shown on 25th December 2017, at 5:50pm on Channel. You’re welcome 😉

#2 The Grinch, 2000

Another solid Christmas classic if I do say so myself. A story so good that they are making a computer animated version starring Benedict Cumberbatch himself as the Grinch, he’s no Jim Carey but we’ll give him a chance. Jim Carey is the reason I love this film and the older I get the more I release how much I can relate to the Grinch, we all grow up thinking we’re Cindy Lou Who and then puberty hits and our inner Grinch starts to rear it’s head. This films embodies everything that Christmas should about, spending time with the ones you love, making the exchange of gifts secondary; and that’s how my Christmases were I have more vivid memories of people than I do of presents.

 Just some solid evidence to prove that we can all relate to the Grinch, lol.

 

#1 The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993

Although originally released as a Halloween film, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a double whammy! Perfect for both Halloween and Christmas, two of the best holidays on planet Earth (subject to opinion). Not only can the tale of Jack Skellington and his quest for Christmas be enjoyed in full force twice a year, it has a masterful soundtrack to boot. If you can honestly say that you don’t enjoy “This is Halloween,” “What’s This” or “Oogie Boogie’s Song” then, for shame. Danny Elfman is a musical genius who never fails to delivery.

This is a film that just keeps on giving not only do I get lost in the magic of the film, I’ve spent a fair share of my time watching behind the scenes footage of the stop motion work, and I am in awe every time. The hard work just adds to the magic for me and there was no question in my mind that The Nightmare Before Christmas was going to be my number one.

That concludes my top 5 Christmas films, if you couldn’t tell I am most definitely a child of 90s/ early noughties (the best time to a kid).

I hope that some of these films stirred up some good memories of Christmas and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and create some new ones.

Looks Don’t Matter, I Swear

Over the course of 2017 there has been a much welcomed changed in discourse in regards to representation and identity. With the rise of strong female characters being portrayed in the mainstream media it’s a no brainer that people are starting to realise that what the youngsters watch does have an impact on them, in one way or another. So can someone tell me WHY there seems to be a proliferation (ok so two so far) of television shows where the sole purpose is to compare the aesthetics of people for money?!

First, Comedy Central revived E4’s Your Face or Mine? where the two people are made to compare a selection of people over 4 rounds, deciding who they believe to be the more attractive of the pair. If their choice aligns with that of the audience they win money. Basically if you agree with mainstream ideas of beauty you line your pocket with pound sterlings. Nice.

Now E4 will be airing a new show called My Hotter Half where couples compete against each other to win the approval the masses. And if that wasn’t bad enough there seems to be a make over element involved. So if people didn’t think you looked pretty before, let’s change your appearance and hopefully change their mind. Sounds like the plot of a very popular musical set in the 50s…

Of course there are comical elements to each program which sort of hints that it’s all for fun and should be taken with a pinch of salt, but even so, people are still judging others and being judged and if you happen to not meet the required standard of beauty, that is going to have some sort of effect on you, even if you’re a tough as rhino’s toenail. Hopefully there won’t be many more beauty based shows in the near future.

The Handmaid’s Tale

Can we just take a minute to give a round of applause the production team and cast of The Handmaid’s Tale, they really did the book justice and made up immensely for the car crash that was the 1990 film of the same name.

As a huge fan of Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale I was highly skeptical of this adaptation, after being hugely let down by the film and other adaptions of dystopian literature, my expectations weren’t set very high, oh how I was proved wrong.

I will put my hands up (and this awful) I wasn’t particularly familiar with the majority of the cast, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley and Max Minghella were the only three I didn’t have to extensively Wikipedia; but for me that allowed me to get lost in their characters and it made the series 10 times better for me.

The attention to detail is something I have to praise, if you are anything like me you find yourself picking up on details that were missed or altered from the book; of course with any type of adaptation there have to be cuts and alterations it goes without saying. The series really captured the essence of the novel, so much so that any alterations made seemed to fit in seamlessly and created thought provoking moments in relation to elements of the source text.

This is series very much about women, the oppression of women, the identity of women; as individuals as well as a collective, and you cannot escape or deny this fact, we are constantly provided with the internal thoughts of June, as well as flashbacks that aid us to understand her character and her life prior to becoming a handmaid. We even get a much needed glance into the past life of Serena Joy and the Commander.

What I really appreciated from this series is the inclusion of women of colour into the narrative of feminism, while Rita seems to fall into the typical subservient role of “the help,” we see several handmaids of colour, Moira being one of them. While neither of their colours seem to play any role of importance in this version of the Gilead society, their inclusion as actors of colour helps shift the notion that feminism is predominantly for white women. In the same way Bledel’s character Emily injections homosexuality in to the narrative of feminism.

With series one now over and series two having been confirmed, the future of the success of The Handmaid’s Tale is up in the air. Having concluded series one where the book ended means that the creators at Hulu have complete creative control and could take this power tale in which ever direction they choose. I’m hoping that Atwood works closely with the writers in order to create a plausible story that carries on the legacy created in 1985.

 

#13thDoctor

The thirteenth Doctor has been revealed and oh what a reveal it was. But then again was it really a shocker?

I mean yes Jodie Whittaker is making history by playing the first female Doctor and that is exciting stuff I won’t deny that. Though the moment her face was revealed as the next Doctor I wasn’t filled with any emotions of grandeur, it was all sort of anti-climatic moment for me. I’m not saying I’m not excited to see what Whittaker has to offer to this iconic role, I’m not greatly familiar with her work but what I have seen of her has been pretty good, I just have mixed feelings about the BBC’s decision.

This is most definitely the year of the female when it comes to the media and entertainment, with Wonder Woman (2017) and The Last Jedi (2017) both being lead by strong female characters, it would seem like a no brainer for the BBC to join the bandwagon. And that is where I think I have a problem, it seems to me the the bosses at the BBC took the seemingly easier root and capitalised on the Girl Power rhetoric that is taking Hollywood by storm; and so a female Doctor was almost predictable.

It’s not like we are unfamiliar with Time Lords changing gender, we saw it when the Master regenerated into Missy and again with The General in ‘Hell Bent,’ and for me those instances had more of a shock factor than this time around.

If the BBC really wanted to tackle the issue of minority representation, they should have chosen an actor of colour. While Doctor Who is not void of characters of colour they often take the form of secondary or tertiary elements in the plot. Both Martha Jones and Bill Potts played the role of the companion, while they were both central to many storylines their role as the companion automatically put them second to the Doctor. Even a male actor of colour would have helped open the floor to the discussion of race as men of an ethnic minority are rarely portrayed in a positive, non stereotypical role. Though we do seem to be moving in the right direction and so hopefully in the near future elements such as race, gender, sexuality, religion and so forth will be so far integrated into society that popular representations of them will no longer be considered as milestones.

All we can do is speculate on what the future holds for Doctor Who until December 25th 2017 when we say goodbye to Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat and hello to Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall and series 11.

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Oh My (Time) Lord!!!

*Warning Spoiler Alert*

Saturday evening saw the conclusion of Doctor Who series 10 and what a conclusion it was!

With one final episode as show runner Steven Moffat seems to pulling all the stops to cement himself in Doctor Who history. Since taking over from Russell T Davis in 2009 Moffat has created and overseen many exciting characters and story arcs such as the introduction of the Ponds and the River Song’s story arc.

While this series wasn’t the strongest in terms of story telling and grand story arcs that revealed unanswered the answers to the questions we asked way back during series 5, it was very good on character development from episode to episode and ‘The Doctor Falls’ served as the perfect “stage” to showcase each characters growth.

Bill Potts has most definitely earned her place as a worthy companion even though her time on the TARDIS seems to have been cut short. Her loyalty and friendship with the Doctor has blossomed and strengthened throughout the series and we see how solid it is during the finale. She echoes traits from past companions like Amy Pond, The Girl Who Waited; and Oswin Oswald (Clara) with her ability to see and know herself so strongly. However she portrays all these traits so uniquely that it’s not until some reflection that you connect the dots, and this most definitely a testament to Pearl Mackie’s acting skills. Her “death” was a bit of cop out but it most definitely allows for the chance for Mackie to return to the series and that is something that I and a lot of Dr Who fans would love to see.

The Missy/Master show down was most definitely a highlight for me, I was ecstatic when John Simm reprised his role as the Master and paired with Michelle Gomez it was never going to disappoint. The on screen chemistry between the two actors was so electric I’m surprised we didn’t all experience a power outage, there was a perfect amount of flirtation coupled with the realisation that they are the same person for it to pass off as extreme narcissism. Both actors played the character so differently but both managed to capture that madness that makes the Master/Missy the Time Lord/Lady he/she is. The two way backstabbing betrayal was a perfect demise for the character, it just a shame that this may will mean the end of Gomez’s run as one of the Doctor’s most complicated foes.

There is no way I can write the review without fangirling all over Capaldi’s ode to the past Doctors. Having literally balled my eyes out at the departure of both David Tennant and Matt Smith, the ode to both incarnations had me in my feels.

I’m SUPER excited for the Christmas episode, I’m sure Moffat is going to pull so many tricks out of his sleeve with this episode and leave the show with a bang. The reintroduction of the Doctor’s first incarnation, played by David Bradley, is already a big indicator of things to come. While I will be sad to see Peter Capaldi leave, I’m also excited to see who will replace him and continue the time travelling adventures.

Dr Who – Smile

Another week, another episode of the time travelling Time Lord and his companion. Smile continues the tone from the previous episode, where by the audience are being slowly integrated (back) into the world of the Doctor.

This episode was very fitting for the society that we live in, it was almost a cautionary tale about how we treat and see technology, and I really like that. It was set on another planet but it didn’t seem too farfetched. That might have been down to the minimalist cast and set design for the majority of the episode, we weren’t focused on the grandness of the planet of the people that inhabited it; it was more about the Doctor, Bill and the robots. Less really is more.

Pearl Mackie continues to shine in her role as Bill, her and the Doctor have an undeniable chemistry and bond, and the lack of romantic possibility between the two of them just makes their interaction between the two of them so more refreshing. It’s such a shame this will be the last season for Capaldi, I could watch these two for ages.

Bill was created and portrayed in a way that makes us feel as though any one of us could be flying around the universe in the TARDIS, but Mackie brings something to the character that makes her special and I cannot wait to see her grow.

Dr Who – The Pilot

Doctor Who and his TARDIS whizzed their way back onto our Saturday night screens and introduced us to new companion Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie.

Series 10 sees Dr Who come back a with much more light-hearted tone, after the past series saw the show take a darker and more sombre tone when the relationship between Clara and the Time Lord ran it’s course.

The introduction of a new companion can almost been seen as invitation for Doctor Who newbies to join the adventure as the Doctor, the TARDIS and the whole time travelling universe is almost re-introuced to us, though of course Dr Who veterans aren’t forgotten with pictures of the Doctor’s wife River Song and granddaughter Susan making an appearance in the episode. Bill provides a freshness for the audience while also being someone who has a familiarity about her. This may be down to her working class background, use of Netflix and knowledge of things sci-fi. It seems as though Bill most definitely has the likability factor.

We cannot talk about Bill without mentioning her sexuality as it is something that is made obvious from the word Go. While Bill is not the first Dr Who companion to dabble in same sex relations, with Captain Jack Harkness being known to flirt with anything with a pulse, Bill is the first to directly come out as being gay. This immediately puts a stop to any type of romantic relationship between the Doctor and Bill and will hopefully allow for a friendship similar to Donna and the Tenth Doctor.

The Pilot brings mystery, humour, danger and Daleks, not bad for the first episode. As well has providing something new and engaging this episode has nuggets of previous storylines, like the need for a host/pilot which was seen before in The Lodger; and the sentient oil in human form (Heather) had a likeness to the Flood on The Water On Mars.

All in all this episode is successful in introducing us to Bill, re-introducing us to the Doctor, and planting questions in our mind, like what is this vault that the Doctor and Nardole are investigating? I have high hopes for this series and cannot wait to see what adventures Bill and the Doctor get up to.