southdavid

These occasional "May the Fourth" additions to the "Star Wars" canon have been fun, if perhaps inessential additions to the series. This third run, "Tales of the Underworld", is no exception to that rule, nor the formula that has been settled upon.

A resurrected Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) is keeping a relatively low profile under the reign of the Empire, until she helps a young, force sensitive boy escape bounty hunters and Inquisitors on his was to finding the Jedi Path. Two young Duros residents survive by joining the criminal gang of Lazlo (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez). Separated in a robbery gone wrong, Niro (Eric Lopez/Artt Butler) grows to become a deputy but Colby, renaming himself Cad Bane (AJ LoCascio/Corey Burton) becomes a notorious criminal in his own right.

Apart from a weird element in the first run, the formula is now set. Two stories, three episodes, each filling in some aspect of the Star Wars universe with a story that doesn't, perhaps, need a full series or movie to get too. I've not seen "Rebels" yet, so Asajj Ventress wasn't a character I was particularly familiar with, so starting with her reincarnation was interesting - but the show did enough to clue me in on who she was and why her continued redemption was interesting. Cad Bane has been introduced enough in stuff I have seen that I knew who he was. He gets one of the standard Western tropes, that of friends as youngster who end up on opposite sides of the law and have to decide whether their loyalties are to each other, or their responsibilities. Both stories were good but, like with the rest of this series, nothing is essential for continued appreciation of the Star Wars Universe.

They look good, animated in the same style as "Clone Wars" and "The Bad Batch" that of impressive 3D CGI work. Voice actors return in a lot of cases, particularly the two main characters.

Based on the fact I can only vaguely remember what happened in "Tales of the Empire" I suspect, in a years' time, I'll only vaguely remember these, but they were solid enough.

As widely predicted, last night's Cineworld 'Secret Screaming' film was "Bring Her Back" released in the US over a month ago, but still about a month away from it's official release in the UK. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed the film, but there's certainly much to admire.

Following the death of their father, Step-siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) go to live with foster mother Laura (Sally Hawkins). Laura has previously lost a daughter who, like Piper, was visually impaired. Her son, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) has elective mutism since his sister's death. Whilst Laura is keen to have Piper there, it's apparent from the beginning that Andy isn't as welcome.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Philippou's previous film, the well regarded "Talk To Me" but I was hoping that this mystery screening would be "Bring Her Back" having heard the brothers on Brett Goldstein's podcast recently. Because of that podcast, I was aware that the overriding feeling of the film might be that of sadness, rather than abject terror. This turned out to be pretty accurate and whilst the film has a moment in particular that I've found hard to shake off mentally, mostly it's about grief and guilt.

The film doesn't really try and hide its central idea - it's even there in the title, Laura wants to use Piper to resurrect her daughter with the aid of a demon that is currently in possession of Oliver. The films absolute greatest strength is the performance from Sally Hawkins, nailing, to my ears anyway, an Australian accent whilst delivering a conflicted, broken, heart breaking performance as a devastated mother planning the unthinkable to get her daughter back.

A certain part of the audience I'm sure will come away underwhelmed, indeed a few people left the screening before the first half an hour was over, as it's a particularly slow burn start to the film. If you can deal with the emotions that you're asked to lean into though, it's a film that rewards.

I smiled at lot a sections of this episode of "Black Mirror" in many ways perhaps the most autobiographical episode that Charlie Brooker has written.

Cameron Walker (Peter Capaldi/Lewis Gribben) is arrested for murder, after being caught trying to steal a bottle of wine from a shop. During his interrogation he explains about his time as a PC game reviewer in the 1990's, in which he stole the latest "game" of troubled programmer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter). The programme is Thronglets, and its not so much a game as an artificial intelligence that a player can act benevolently, or maliciously towards.

Knowing that Brooker both wrote for PC Zone and worked in CEX made my smile during this episode. I really enjoyed that trip back to 90's PC gaming, the loading bars in particular, really made me smile. But I thought the episode was good too. It's the first episode in a long time that feels like it could have been made for the first three seasons, set in the UK, entirely British cast and a genuine science fiction extrapolated plot. I also enjoyed that the episode is tied to the "Bandersnatch" episode, it's not a direct sequel but reuses both Poulter and Asim Chaudhry's characters.

I like an open ending, to allow your interpretation - though I understand that some people don't enjoy that and may well be disappointed that "Plaything" doesn't give an explicit interpretation of what happens next. Still it has excellent performances from Capaldi, from James Nelson-Joyce as the DCI interrogating him and Michelle Austin as a psychologist also in the room.

Really strong episode.