Lost Christmas

LOST CHRISTMAS ...I gave you my heart, and the very next day...

CBBC Xmas Eve, 5.30PM (But I watched it on iplayer - feckin' LOVE iplayer)

Manchester Actors Eddie Izzard, Larry Mills and Jason Flemyng

Now, I didn't catch this when it was transmitted, but the general view was that in terms or story and creative output, this was no turkey for Christmas.

I caught it up with it on iplayer.  For a program put out on CBBC I thought it was really well done.  Well written and directed by John Hay.  The director of photography, Graham Frake, did a wonderful job in capturing some of Manchester's well worn but still uniquely beautiful architecture, some wonderful angles and depth of field, gorgeous, really setting the mood and tone of the piece.  There is also a terrific first turn from young Larry Mills who did a first rate job holding his own alongside Eddie Izzard, Jason Flemyng and Steven Mackintosh.  Well done young fella. 

A perfect story for Christmas with some lovely moral stuff going on for a young and family audience - and worthy of joining the stable of repeats for each Christmas. 

But I had a problem with it - a BIG problem.  CASTING. 

I'm not saying any of the cast did a bad job, they didn't.  But this was a MANCHESTER Drama. 

Eddie Izzard (Aden, Yemen) Larry Mills (Stewkely) Jason Flemyng (Putney, London) Geofrey Palmer (London) Brett Fancy (Portsmouth) Sorcha Cussack (Dublin) Steven Mackintosh (Cambridge) Connie Hyde (Haslingdon - close) Christine Bottomley (Rochdale - closer)

No one in the principal cast was from Manchester.  Manchester isn't starved of acting talent, and I'm not saying Eddie Izzard should not have been cast - you need names to put bums on seats as it were, but why was there nobody from Manchester cast in the any of the other lead roles?  Was any effort made here?  I know I didn't hear any uniquely Manchester accents goin' on 'ere arr kid...Lost Opportunity. 

Can anyone at the BBC answer why? 

Excellent drama though, I'm not taking that away - and again, well done LARRY MILLS - a young man to look out for and well done the BBC for taking a risk on a new face, great discovery.

Am I wrong? Am I right? Who would you have cast from Manchester? Leave me a comment below...

Joe xxx

Welcome To The Mad House...

THE IRON LADY



It's not 2012 yet and I've just seen a TV Trailer that is already calling the French (PATHE) Farce THE IRON LADY the film of 2012...what...? 

That's right - forget THE HOBBIT, THE AVENGERS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, SKY FALL, J EDGAR, CORIOLANUS, WAR HORSE, PROMETHEUS, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, THE HUNGER GAMES, BRAVE, GANGSTER SQUAD, CLOUD ATLAS, LES MISERABLES, THE GREAT GATSBY, DJANGO UNCHAINED, LINCOLN, COGAN'S TRADE, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, WETTEST COUNTRY, DARK SHADOWS, WORLD WAR Z, NERO FIDDLED, GREAT HOPE SPRINGS, THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN, GAMBIT, ARGO, MOONRISE KINGDOM, ON THE ROAD, COSMOPOLIS, TOTAL RECALL, THE BURIAL, LOVE, THE END, SEVEN DAYS, THE ANGEL'S SHARE and LAY THE FAVOURITE to name - a lot - you guys may as well pack up shop and not bother distributing, the CLEAR winner is already here on the 6th January, 2012.

From the French PATHE and Film4, distributed here by American FOX - Oh yes, I forgot as a nation we don't have much of a distibution network or movie industry thanks to - oh - thanks to The Iron Lady herself among others - she put the final nail in the coffin with the termination of the Eady Levy in 1985. 

The woman who 'defied convention' (French translation  'defied the nation') has her very own shiney biopic.  'Where there is discord, may we bring Harmony Hairspray...' much of the 'Iron' being in that hairstyle.

It looks like a great 'who do you do' for Meryl Streep, it's the first in a franchise I hear to take on Marvel Pictures - a Super Zero franchise paving the way for a team up...next up we've got THE INCREDIBLE SULK (Nick Clegg) THE ARTFUL TAX DODGER (George Osborne) and a remake of LIAR, LIAR (David Cameron) Expect THE (SC)AVENGERS...sometime in the Mayan Calendar...



Let's hope it rusts...

Joe x