tiger-nation

This is a terrible film. It's incredibly predictable and features every rom-com cliche imaginable and they are all delivered horrendously by a very ropey cast and direction. It also has a soundtrack you'd have to pay sugar tax on.

It's written like an ad for the NZ tourist board. Who knows, maybe it was. The landscape shots are certainly the only good thing about the entire film.

I expected the cheesy rom-com aspect, although not to this degree but the worst part is actually how hideously it's shot. The screen size moves slightly throughout the film and the background of most shots feels blurry. It's headache inducing to watch at times. The sound mixing is poor too.

A bad script produced awfully and presented badly is not a recipe for success.

I'd been looking forward to "Cradle to Grave" since I heard it was in production. I haven't ready Danny Baker's book "Going to Sea in a Sieve" but I had heard several media interviews where Baker told some of his tales and they sounded fantastic (two of the best feature in episode 1).

The show didn't disappoint. It's fantastic looking recreating seventies London. The theme song and the score are outstanding too. Each episode has been funny, well paced, established characters quickly and told great tales.

The casting is also a triumph. Lucy Speed is tremendous as Danny's Mum, Laurie Kynaston makes an excellent Danny and Peter Kay is outstanding as Danny's Dad "Spud". I'm not a big fan of Kay himself but he is a really good character actor as proved many times and once you've got used to his cockney accent - he's brilliant in this. Without spoiling, some scenes are poignant and Kay particularly shines there.

I'm not sure this has longevity as a series but as six, maybe twelve episodes, it will really make a mark as a comedy of very high standard.

This is a film that is skewed towards young people. The language, the soundtrack and the attitude are all young. If you believe that "age is just a number" then don't let that put you off. It's an enjoyable ride from start to finish.

The film is split into 4 sections that tell the story of Shannon, Cassandra, Kerrys and Jo bringing the viewer to the point the film starts. Each of the 4 sections intertwine, yet each tells a different tale that when pieced together forms the story. It's a brave approach and it works well.

The film is well written and well acted. It's well shot too, the video and the score as as high energy as the plot. It contains plenty of faces from British TV programmes and while it's all a bit of a fantasy world, some of the characters and situations will be identifiable.

The ending is a little tame for what came before it. Also, the cinema warning of "Strong language, violence, sex and drugs" is a bit OTT. The violence was sparse and quick. The drugs almost none existent.

Well done, Noel Clarke. This is another promising building block in your career.