Making Waves

Although the whole radio community stretching to outer space thing could be seen as quite unbelievable (who knows, maybe this goes on!), the characters in making waves were frustrated, yet ultimately honest guys striving to get their break - something that many of us can sympathise with. The slightly off wall backdrop certainly put this film in a separate category to the usual Brit-flick romance films.

I thought that the film flowed in a dream-like manner - by that I mean, once the story started it absorbed you to the very end, and definitely created a feel-good factor. I suppose that there are those who wouldn't like this story - namely pessimists, but for everyone else it's definitely worth it.

This film had a lot of cute moments and elements but as a whole didn't quite work for me. The gimmick of ham radio bringing two people together who have been exaggerating their lives to each other is interesting, but I didn't feel it was used to its potential.

The story, such as it was, felt like a bunch of sequences which should have been compressed into scenes. It didn't build strongly from scene to scene and got sidetracked with some of the atmospheric characters.

The ham radio characters were an interesting mix of people who should have been brought into the story more or been mostly eliminated. I liked all of the ham radio characters but they had little to nothing to do with the actual story.

The shot selection was a little strange at times as well. Some very good, fun moving camera shots followed by really poorly staged static shots made for a jarring effect. The director should never do anything which yanks the audience out of the world he has created, but in this film it happens far too often.

Everything felt like it was one step away from being ready to go. The script needed one more pass (maybe one rewrite and then a polish). Many of the scenes had shots that needed one more take. It needed one more cut with the editor.

But at the same time, being an independent filmmaker myself, I have a ton of respect that this filmmaker was able to get this to a watchable state.

How refreshing it is to see a great little film about real everyday people facing the dilemmas we are all familiar with, the insecurities, the search for acceptance and the ultimate pursuit of contentment, companionship and love. A great deal sweeter, more satisfying and touching than watching aristocratic baffoons stuck in the, oh so tricky existence of the west London elite! Equally touching is the story behind the film it would seem, I see that the director lost his battle with cancer just a year after shooting was finished never getting to witness his first films release, a real tragedy. He has left behind a debut to relish. Robert Hardy turns in a great performance as always with all the warmth and charm you would expect. Craig Henderson and Susie Benton make a delightful duo, while Tom Bacon, better known for harder, darker roles, makes a hilariously calamitous sidekick. All in all a great ensemble of talent. I highly recommend this little triumph against the odds, an independent British film achieving the release it richly deserves, I guess the industry in the UK isn't dead yet!

I have to admit to being a little sceptical when I first saw this movie - it seemed just a touch unbelievable. But what I found was a film that actually raises an issue that faces many young people today, namely how to meet new people and, possibly, find love in a big city and a lonely old world. Reaching out to new people can be a daunting thing, particularly following the end of a relationship, and how many of us can be said to have tried desperate measures to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right? Is speed-dating or a blind date so different from the ham radio used in this film? So although we may smirk at a seemingly oddball subject matter, this film is in fact a very pertinent and modern look at the search for love and all that that may entail.

It's clearly a masterpiece and anyone who thinks otherwise should see me after the film... sublime comedy deep characterisation; walk-on part for the actual Archbish of C (at that time); real Lambeth Palace Grounds (where Archbish lives); That nice bloke who does the older Vet part; good tramp; pathos; possibly bathos also; something for the space geeks; something for the ham radio geeks; the lead actor looks at bit like the guy in 4 wedding; the Rooskie is excellent. Raises an eyebrow towards the more stereotypically stupid antics of feminists while balancing that off against the sometimes blokish awkwardness of, well, blokes (that's 'guys' for any yank readers) around girls. All in all, the word 'honesty' comes to mind, which is a rare event around my neck of the woods.