Tube Tales

A quirky, and very British, collection of nine ten minute short stories all set on the London underground.There is no obvious central theme, and no message. Just a celebration of the diversity of everyday goings on in our subterranean transport system.

You don't have to, and are probably not intended to, like all the stories. There is no "eureka" moment.What you do get is idiosyncratic story telling by a distinguished cast. The dialogue is often sparse, placing great importance on acting, and space, which the film delivers in spades.

In an era of increasingly formulaic and homogeneous film making this dares to be different, and rewards the viewer accordingly.Perversely the fact that the tales are no longer than ten minutes makes the overall running time seem longer, as you mentally "rewind" after each short. And if one is losing your interest? Well you are only a few minutes away from your next one.

Whilst living in London from 1998 - 2000 there were lots of posters on the London Underground (also know as The Tube, I mostly used the Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines - Knightsbridge is actually portrayed in this film, I think) - The Acid House, Miss Saigon, The Blair Witch Project, Star Wars, Sciencetology (!)....and, of course, given the average Londoner's (if they exist) love-hate relationship with The Underground....Tube Tales.

Tube Tales is a series of short, unconnected films set in and around London's Underground; with one exception (My Father The Liar, directed by the late Bob Hoskins), most are average, albeit with one or two flashes of inventiveness. Like the fleeting strangers you'll meet on your journey, you'll see them only once, before they're quickly forgotten.

What's more noteworthy is the roster of late 1990's talent involved - Kelly MacDonald (Trainspotting), Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock...), Frank Harper, Simon Pegg, a nice pairing of veterans Liz Smith and Tom Bell, Denise Van Outen, Dexter Fletcher, Daniella Nardini....plus directorial debutes from Ewen McGregor and Jude Law.

For all this, Tube Tales never really catches fire the way it ought to have done; still, if you want a few undemanding stories from the Underground, and a peek at late 1990s London, then this is the one for you. Now mind the gap....

PS. I see Sky Arts recently released a program of very good short films a few months ago, starring Sheridan Smith amongst others; does Tube Tales have a legacy of shorts after all?

This is a collection of nine short stories centred in and around the London Underground, known by the locals as 'The Tube'. Each story has a different director which makes for quite an interesting feel to the film. It was originally made for TV but I don't think that detracts too much from the quality of the piece.

There are some well known actors involved in the project, both from film and (UK) TV. These include, Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Simon Pegg, Sean Pertwee, Liz Smith, Denise Van Outen, Don Warrington, Rachel Weisz and Ray Winstone. I particularly liked the performances of Denise Van Outen in 'Horny', Don Warrington in 'Steal Away' and Ray Winstone in 'My Father the Liar'. Although all the performances were pretty good.

Over all I found this a bit hit and miss. Some stories were great whereas others just failed to hit the mark. It's still a very watchable piece, but, I suspect, one you'll only watch once. I should warn you that there are a few pretty gross things that go on down there, so I advise not watching during a meal. My two favourite segments were 'Rosebud' and 'Steal Away': Recommended, especially for these two.

My score: 6.2/10

A collection of surreal, artsy short stories that feel more like visual narrative poems. If you view it with an eye for artistic style, it's not bad. Otherwise, the plots fall short in sustaining interest, and it is hard (but not impossible) to develop a liking for any of the characters. As a work of art, 6/10. As a movie, 3/10.

Although some segments were poor and some just average, this is worth watching if only for one segment. 'My father the liar' was brilliantly directed by Bob Hoskins, and as always Ray Winstone (the father) and Frank Harper (the station guard who appears in a number of the segments) played their roles to perfection. The real star however was the young boy who played the son. Although only on screen for not more than 10 minutes it is clear that this kid should be a huge British star in the future.