[rating 4]
(Warning: Significant spoilers follow!)
This is the last Big Finish audio story to feature actress Caroline John, who died a few months ago (sadly becoming one of four major Who actors to die in the last two years). John played the character of Liz Shaw in a mere four stories at the start of the Third Doctor’s era. Despite appearing in so few tales, the character remained popular, and has been in several Big Finish audios, as well as other bits of spinoff fiction.
This final story takes the form of a series of letters being sent back and forth between Shaw and her mother (Rowena Cooper). These letters make references to most of the TV stories Shaw appeared in, and the final part seems to take place just before her last TV story, “Inferno”.
In this story, people have been receiving letters saying something to the effect of...
(Warning: Significant spoilers follow!)
This is the last Big Finish audio story to feature actress Caroline John, who died a few months ago (sadly becoming one of four major Who actors to die in the last two years). John played the character of Liz Shaw in a mere four stories at the start of the Third Doctor’s era. Despite appearing in so few tales, the character remained popular, and has been in several Big Finish audios, as well as other bits of spinoff fiction.
This final story takes the form of a series of letters being sent back and forth between Shaw and her mother (Rowena Cooper). These letters make references to most of the TV stories Shaw appeared in, and the final part seems to take place just before her last TV story, “Inferno”.
In this story, people have been receiving letters saying something to the effect of...
- 11/10/2012
- by Chris Swanson
- Obsessed with Film
A harrowing British drama about the aftermath of a fatal hit-and-run crash, "Our Boy" offers a riveting performance by Ray Winstone ("Nil by Mouth") as the grief-stricken father of the young victim. A modest production originally made for TV, it was recently showcased at the Palm Beach International Film Festival.
The film begins with home movie footage in which we see the obviously loving relationship between a young boy and his working-class parents (Winstone and Pauline Quirke). One night, the boy doesn't return home from school. Both parents search frantically -- to no avail. The detectives who come to investigate happen upon some obviously stolen video cameras hidden beneath floorboards and, rather than concentrating on the disappearance, haul the father, Woody, to the station for questioning. When the child's battered body is discovered in a garage, the victim of a hit-and-run, they let Woody go.
Woody then begins a rapid decline as he becomes increasingly deranged and violent over the loss of his son. His wife is equally grief-stricken and becomes despondent at the realization that she is losing her husband as well. Woody eventually alienates friends and family and takes to living in the garage where his son's body was found. When a bizarre turn of events reveals the surprise identity of the actual killer, the film takes an unfortunate turn toward melodrama.
Before that, however, "Our Boy" is a harrowing and detailed account of grief and its aftermath. Winstone delivers a powerful and intense performance that is almost unbearable to watch, and Quirke is equally fine. Tony Grounds' well-textured screenplay sensitively deals with a topic that, in lesser hands, would have proved maudlin. Excellently directed by David Evans, who vividly realizes the characters' gritty milieu, the film is not for the faint of heart (and the thick accents may make it difficult for non-Brits), but it is a powerful drama that deserves wider exposure.
OUR BOY
Wall to Wall Television Ltd.
Credits: Director: David Evans; Screenplay: Tony Grounds; Executive producers: Alex Graham, Tessa Ross; Producer: Joanna Willett: Cinematographer: Oliver Curtis; Editor: Chris Ridsdale; Music: Neill MacColl. Cast: Ray Winstone, Pauline Quirke, Neil Dudgeon, Philip Jacson, Perry Fenwick, Rowena Cooper. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 90 minutes...
The film begins with home movie footage in which we see the obviously loving relationship between a young boy and his working-class parents (Winstone and Pauline Quirke). One night, the boy doesn't return home from school. Both parents search frantically -- to no avail. The detectives who come to investigate happen upon some obviously stolen video cameras hidden beneath floorboards and, rather than concentrating on the disappearance, haul the father, Woody, to the station for questioning. When the child's battered body is discovered in a garage, the victim of a hit-and-run, they let Woody go.
Woody then begins a rapid decline as he becomes increasingly deranged and violent over the loss of his son. His wife is equally grief-stricken and becomes despondent at the realization that she is losing her husband as well. Woody eventually alienates friends and family and takes to living in the garage where his son's body was found. When a bizarre turn of events reveals the surprise identity of the actual killer, the film takes an unfortunate turn toward melodrama.
Before that, however, "Our Boy" is a harrowing and detailed account of grief and its aftermath. Winstone delivers a powerful and intense performance that is almost unbearable to watch, and Quirke is equally fine. Tony Grounds' well-textured screenplay sensitively deals with a topic that, in lesser hands, would have proved maudlin. Excellently directed by David Evans, who vividly realizes the characters' gritty milieu, the film is not for the faint of heart (and the thick accents may make it difficult for non-Brits), but it is a powerful drama that deserves wider exposure.
OUR BOY
Wall to Wall Television Ltd.
Credits: Director: David Evans; Screenplay: Tony Grounds; Executive producers: Alex Graham, Tessa Ross; Producer: Joanna Willett: Cinematographer: Oliver Curtis; Editor: Chris Ridsdale; Music: Neill MacColl. Cast: Ray Winstone, Pauline Quirke, Neil Dudgeon, Philip Jacson, Perry Fenwick, Rowena Cooper. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 90 minutes...
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