A Sexplanation

Alex Liu is a science and health reporter, he’s 36 years old and grew up during the 90s in an average Asian-American family, receiving a good American education. But, having suffered with repressed sexual feelings since childhood, he wants to free himself from the inherent shame of the politics and religion impeding him, to get further in touch with his queer sexuality. 

A Sexplanation screened at 32 film festivals on 4 continents, 8 countries, and 18 states, winning 9 festival awards.

Liu’s major hang up seems to be the lack of information and education he received as a child, that never satisfied his rampaging hormones. He sets out on a fact finding mission beginning with his parents. Unsurprisingly, all this conversation reveals is an even larger generational gap, with his parents receiving less information than him and his grandmother even less so. In contrast his friends are all confident speakers on the subject and, as presumably fellow sexual health workers, why wouldn’t they be? So if Alex wants more answers he’s going to have to look further afield. 

Written and directed by Alex Liu, who as a sexual health educator has his own award-winning YouTube channel on sex and drug education, and as a molecular science graduate, he combines thorough research with an ordinary gay guy looking for answers approach to the subject. He finds lots of credible participants that try to give a rounded view on sex and sexuality and, whilst it’s an opportunity for Alex to find answers, it also seems an opportunity for him to push the boundaries on what he probably knows he should or shouldn’t say in public. 

Driven by his oppressed emotional guilt, that almost made him commit suicide, caused mostly by his growing pains around his sexuality and coping with a society coming at him from all angles, he seeks out the sex therapists, scientists, porn sites and priests who all try to put Alex’s deviant mind at rest (although there is a long secondary glance at his fantasy references).

Contributors include Dr. William Yarber, a leading author on the subject of sexuality and a member of the famous Kinsey Institute, named after Alfred Kinsey, who did the 1st extensive research on sex in America during the 40s and 50s. The political viewpoint comes from a respectable state senator chatting about his happy marriage choice, who Alex genuinely says he could recommend some porn to, that would make the relationship even happier (this was prior to the UK’s recent Houses of Parliament tractor porn scandal!).

Overall, it makes for a fun educational ride, albeit one with a strong gay bias, which would unfortunately put off most heterosexual audiences. But mixed up with the adult LGBTQ tendencies, delivered with Alex’s high energy, sexually liberated attitude, there are a broad range of important educational sex topics covered – ones that will still remain taboo for most and a conversation best avoided.

A Sexplanation is a festival award winning documentary available on Digital Download in the UK from 6th June on iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube and Amazon.

Film: A Sexplanation

Director: Alex Liu

Genre: Documentary, Sex Education 

Stars: Alex Liu

Run time: 1hr 21min

Rated: TBC

Rating: 3/5

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May Worksheet

Gazza – The Definitive Story

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Tosh

This is the definitive portrait of John Toshack. Welsh, Liverpool and Swansea legend, and one of football’s most inspirational figures. TOSH will have its UK Premiere on 13th May at Swansea Stadium, in UK Cinemas from 17th May and then available on Digital Download, DVD & Blu-ray from 6th June. More information here.

A documentary film directed by lifelong Swansea City fan Pete Jones who has put together a heartwarming tribute to John Toshack a footballer who playing for Liverpool FC won domestic and European honours, played for his country and would go on to manage Real Madrid and Wales but who will be most remembered, by Pete, for becoming Swansea City’s player-manager and taking them from the 4th Division to the 1st Division (the Premiership equivalent back then).

Pete has put together a nostalgic look back at Toshack’s playing and managerial career that captures this charismatic football figure’s imposing yet gentle personality and whose love and enthusiasm for the game made footballing dreams come true. Making his debut at his local club Cardiff City, Toshack was signed by Liverpool for a then club record and under the management of the great Bill Shankly he would win all the major honours. Unfortunately, injury would cut short his top level playing career but he was given an unexpected opportunity to become player-manager of lowly Fourth Division Swansea City (who had come close to dropping out of the football league) and he would take them on a triumphant journey, gaining 3 promotions, to play in the top division.

Whilst Toshack is the central star of the documentary it’s the stories of the supporting cast that make this an interesting football documentary to watch. Reflecting on a bygone era, a core of the old local Swansea players give their entertaining anecdotes about Tosh’s arrival from Liverpool as he began to install the vision and methods of what he’d learnt under Shankly.

But he had an up hill struggle on his hands. Describing the Vetch, Swansea’s ground, one reporter comments, “the pitch was bumpy and bear and the support likewise” – you don’t get sports reports like that anymore, not without an inquiry anyway. Showing experience beyond his years, he had to change a lot of things at the club bringing in new ideas like putting in washing machines so the players didn’t have to wash their own kit and driving the team to away games the day before a match (in a mini bus that looked like a Guinness World Record attempt).

Other influential characters included Harry Griffths, the Swansea manager at the time, a Swansea man through and through, who had to step aside when Tosh arrived, Dolly who did the catering but sounded more like the general manager and the chairman Malcolm Struel who would match Toshack for his vision and ambition to elevate the club.

Whilst it is only football, what a difference he made for the town and the community. The stadium gates more than doubled in Toshack’s first game with over 15,000 turning out and who else could call upon his old playing pals from Liverpool, Ian Callaghan and Tommy Smith, to help the team win a successive promotion. His success in getting Swansea to the First Division had Liverpool manager Bill Shankly describing him as the “manager of the century”.

Produced by Daniel J. Harris, its gentle low key narrative slowly builds as the expectation and belief grows around the team and the club. The emotions are enhanced by a low key sound design that ramps up with the roaring crowd after each thumping result. The media coverage is sadly as bear as a lower league’s pitch, but this doesn’t detract from the storytelling and laconic banter, in fact it adds to this magical moment in time for a club and a city galvanised by a man on a mission to the top.

Tosh is a wonderful reminder of the olden days of professional football and every player’s, manager’s and supporter’s dream to rise to the top of the tiered football league.

Film: Tosh

Director: Pete Jones

Genre: Documentary, Sports 

Stars: John Toshack, Alan Curtis, Leighton James

Run time: 1hr 15min

Rated: TBC

Rating: 3/5

Wake Up Punk

Joe Corré, son of punk visionaries Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, burns an estimated £5M worth of punk memorabilia protesting the commodification of punk. WAKE UP PUNK takes this incendiary act of ‘cultural terrorism’ and the questions it raised to explore the lifespan and true worth of punk – the 20th century’s most volatile movement. Available On Demand from 9th May 2022.

The initial interviews take place around a table with Joe Corré and his brother Ben Westwood talking with their very famous fashion designer mother Vivienne Westwood, the once upon a time punk pioneer. Who better than Vivienne to give her opinion about the punk generation? Married to Malcolm McLaren, together they famously opened the shop ‘Sex’ on London’s Kings Road in the 70s, that became a hangout for punks and was where one of the most notorious of all punk bands, the Sex Pistols, assembled under McLaren’s management.

As they go through some original punk memorabilia, Vivienne reminisces about the early days of punk and the punk look – the clothes, the hairstyles, the music and the attitude – but also how punk has been appropriated over the years by corporations, cashing in on its name, even though punk’s anti-establishment beginnings were in complete opposition to corporate values with their rather rebellious outlook on life.

Joe makes the point his famous punk parents weren’t considered the great iconic British figures they are today but were actually vilified by the establishment. This ironic change in circumstances isn’t lost on Joe who, as literally the son of punk, feels an unerring duty to keep flying the flag for punk.

These memories of punk history are enjoyable to hear first-hand from the people that were there but the gentle, defiant, nostalgic tone changes when Joe reveals he’s going to burn his priceless collection of irreplaceable punk memorabilia, estimated to be worth £5 million, in a rallying punk message against the establishment and the associated problems causing climate change. This of course brings to the debate a fervent questioning of the rights and wrongs of this destructive cultural terrorism from those around and not least by Joe himself, who has more reason than most to be upset by his own actions brought about by what he sees as the end of the true punk spirit.

A dramatic visual touch to the documentary is added to good effect with a theatrical re-enactment from a group of children playing the role of Dickensian street urchins (a nod to his father’s description of himself as a Fagin like father figure to the punk generation) who deliver their angry message about the economic inequality in society between the wealthy 1% and the poor.

Whatever your views on punk and Joe’s endeavour to make an artistic punk statement, it is a timely documentary, even though the burning of the punk memorabilia took place back in 2016. This release coincides with Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year and this special anniversary is coincidently shared with the Sex Pistols’ famous song “God Save the Queen” released in 1977 for Her then Silver Jubilee. Maybe this will help with the sale of more punk merchandise – if it hasn’t all been burnt – or could go towards helping save the planet?

www.republicfilmdistribution.co.uk/wakeuppunk 

Film: Wake Up Punk

Director: Nigel Askew

Genre: Documentary 

Stars: Vivienne Westwood, Ben Westwood, Joe Corré, Eddie Tudor-Pole

Run time: 1hr 25min

Rated: TBC

Rating: 3/5

Gazza – The Definitive True Story

GAZZA is an unflinching portrait of the ultimate tragic hero, whose love for the riches and limelight of fame proved to be his downfall. An unmissable documentary for any football fan, featuring interviews from friends, family, and former teammates and coaches including Alan Shearer, Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Ian Wright and Terry Venables.

This ‘definitive true story’, traces Gazza’s past giving a flavour of his meteoric rise to footballing stardom from his humble roots in Newcastle making his 1st team debut at 17 years old, to breaking British football transfer history signing for Tottenham and then becoming the world’s richest player signing for Lazio. It follows all the well known major landmarks and turning points during his football career like Italia ’90, Spurs’ F.A. Cup victory, the Euro ’96 campaign and his final exclusion from the ’98 World Cup squad. What’s different about this documentary is that it zooms in on his off field distractions, looking at his moneymaking celebrity ambitions and the subsequent media frenzy he both courted and was a victim of that would have a major bearing on his career, alongside his battles with alcoholism, eating disorders and mental health.

A documentary made by acclaimed sports doc makers director Sampson Collins, an established sports journalist and maker of cricket corruption doc ‘Death of a Gentleman’, alongside producer Vaughan Swell who produced and directed ‘Pistorius’ about the self titled Paralympian and convicted murderer. This documentary uses only archive footage assembling together Gazza’s story using the clips and interviews from a range of football professionals, sports pundits and family that are uncannily prophetic but most notably here is the childhood tragedy that no doubt had a major impact on his mental health and also there is a mini serialisation of the tabloid media at that time. In particular, it was the Sun and the Mirror, who, through some surprising personnel, would forge a revelatory partnership with Gazza and his then wife Sheryl Gascoigne that became devastatingly toxic. As Gazza’s life unravels in the glare of the media spotlight he is centre stage during the celebrity lad culture of the 90s, something he epitomised with his outlandish style of play, drinking antics and practical jokes, but would ultimately lead to his self combustion.

There is no doubting Gazza’s place in football history, a unique player who finally broke the mould of English playmakers to shine on the world’s biggest footballing stage. Greater than all the hyperbole, sadly both on and off the field, this documentary pieces together the post match analysis with surgical precision (of which there is some uncomfortable viewing) in this ultimate case study on the pitfalls of becoming a world class football player living in the public eye.

Available on the BBC iPlayer and digital download from 2nd May and available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray from 9th May.

Film: Gazza

Director: Sam Collins

Genre: Documentary, Sport 

Stars: Gazza

Run time: 1hr 19min

Rated: 15

Rating: 4/5

The Bezonians

From the creator of Smoking Guns, Original Gangster and Red Rage comes Savvas D. Michael’s latest instalment of UK gangster films, a tale about a man called Plato who runs a Greek-Cypriot North London social club, the Bezonians, and when an evening’s poker game gets out of hand he finds himself dangerously caught up with a femme fatale, Lola. Available from Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download from 2nd May.

The film adopts the narrative speaker format successfully established in gangster films like ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Lock Stock’ and is confidently delivered here by Andreas Karras, who plays Plato, but this story has Savvas’ own signature style in provocative storytelling, which this time specialises in some overtly racist, misogynistic and ableist dialogue and action.

Like in Savvas’ previous films, it has a lot of the right ingredients to make a successful gangster genre film. Set in North London at a shady Greek-Cypriot hang out we are introduced to the edgy characters who frequent the seedy looking drinking den like Taz (Jason Duff) the young wild-eyed Irishman with a mohawk hairstyle and Mike Hagler (Chris Tummings) the alleged Jamaican yardie drug dealer.

There is a strong Greek influence from the music to mythological stories. Some of the characters are named after famous ancient Greeks and there are also some unapologetic Greek educational lessons from Plato to his children, which are done with a North London twist. Plato’s wife is played by Marina Sirtis from Star Trek fame, who also continues the children’s Greek education by telling them the story of Orpheus and Eurydice but in a much less macho manner thankfully.

Savvas redresses the balance of some of the openly sexist and misogynistic views by empowering a female boss, Lola (Lois Brabin-Platt), in a leading role, albeit one where she sells counterfeit handbags and runs her own personal sadomasochistic business with her delightfully common sounding North London girl diction. She has a brief flirtation with Achilles the club’s most revered regular, the alpha gangster, played by Savvas himself, who is psychopathically ice cool in all situations but turns into a love sick puppy in Lola’s presence.

Achilles is idolised by Anthony (Jamie Crew) another social club regular who suffers with mental health issues and has a speech impediment that is difficult to watch in its humorous attempts of portrayal. The film’s major coup is getting ex-professional footballer turned Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones to play Willard Greb, the most heinous of gangland mercenaries, something he does with great ease with such lines as, “I’ll see you Saturday”, which he delivers in his instantly recognisable and uncompromising cadence but who looks slightly less comfortable sending himself up as Lola’s doting hitman boyfriend.

There are plenty of bits to enjoy in this London Greek gangster epic by Savvas D. Michael if you don’t mind being offended with his typically un-P.C. style. There are lots of different characters, lots of violence, some comedy skits, a standout wardrobe, stylised set design and music score but somehow the whole does not quite equal the sum of all its parts.

Film: The Bezonians

Director: Savvas D. Michael

Genre: Crime, Thriller 

Stars: Vinnie Jones, Marina Sirtis, Lois Brabin-Platt, Savvas D. Michael, Andreas Karras

Run time: 1hr 39min

Rated: 18

Rating: 3/5

The Loneliest Whale – The Search for 52

In 1992 a top secret program by the US navy discovered an unusual sound at a frequency of 52 hertz. A marine biologist William Watkins said the sound was coming from a solitary whale, but this frequency was unlike any other. The mysterious whale has been dubbed the Loneliest Whale and has never been found, until now.

After an article in the New York Times about “52”, people began talking about the whale on the internet creating a global phenomenon. People connected all around the world over the whale’s lonely plight and director Joshua Zeman, captivated by the story, made it his personal mission to find the whale. 

He begins by speaking with retired US Navy Chief, Joseph George, to find out what he knows about “52”, the frequency discovered by the US navy’s sound surveillance system S.O.S.U.S., developed to keep ahead of the Russians. The system found the unusual sound frequency but unfortunately the only revealing thing about the interview was seeing the chief slightly squirm in his seat when asked about what the US navy actually thought the strange sound frequency was that they had been tracking around the west coast of Californian.

The frequency is unique not least amongst whales – Blue Whales resonate at a sound of 100 hz, Fin Whales at 20 hz. This was clearly a mystery and so the marine biologist Bill Watkins was brought in to investigate but sadly after he passed away more than a decade ago the case was left unresolved.

With access to the navy S.O.N.U.S data classified Josh turns to Bob Dziak a scientist using the S.O.N.U.S technology to study underwater volcanoes but again gets little encouragement in his quest, except for getting to see an audio speaker reverberate at the mysterious 52 hz. Undeterred Josh continues with his search and finally gets a good lead from the California Institute of Oceanography who have discovered a series of recorded sites of “52” off the West Coast of California in Santa Barbara over the past couple of years.

Josh needs no further invitation and heads up a team of experts to go on a 1 week expedition to find “52”. Professor John Hildebrand from the California Institute of Oceanography is put in charge of the acoustic tracking and marine biologist John Calabokidis is leading the whale boat team as they head out to sea with their cargo of borrowed Navy sonar equipment (that looks very similar to your old TV antenna) and other hi-tech tracking devices.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

During the ship’s expedition the story introduces some other interesting subplots like a quick history of whaling from the romantic stories of Ahab and his search for Moby Dick to the atrocities of whaling on an industrial scale. Oddly enough the documentary credits the first recordings of whale sounds on sale in record shops as the catalyst that began to change the public’s opinion towards whales, leading to their protection – along with activist groups like Greenpeace. But even odder is the guy brought on the expedition to play his clarinet and ‘jam’ with the sounds of the whales underwater.

This epic journey to find a whale is intriguing but slightly mystifying in itself. As a homage to a lonely whale it seems an extravagant wild goose chase that despite all the science seems quite unscientific. All the experts have given up looking but Josh thinks the journey is still worth making regardless of its success or failure because the world needs to have mysteries and endeavour. Add to this the overarching message about the world’s loneliest whale, one that most people can relate to in their lives of feeling lost, feeling alone and feeling unheard, which conveniently makes the search for this whale an allegory about life – even though we don’t know if this whale is dead, alive or even exists.

Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio through a kickstarter campaign you expect a documentary with a degree of planetary significance and even though the investigative search doesn’t quite hit the dramatic peaks you’re being shown, there is a warm intelligent picture immersed here and whilst director Josh Zeman doesn’t quite have the same on screen charisma as his more famous exec producer counterpart he does have an uncanny acoustic resemblance. 

Available on digital download and DVD from 11th April here.

Film: The Loneliest Whale

Director: Joshua Zeman, Joseph George & David Rosenberg

Genre: Documentary

Stars: Joshua Zeman, John Hildebrand, John Calambokidis

Run time: 1hr 36min

Rated: PG

Rating: 3/5

March Worksheet

Ona Carbonell – Starting Over

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Shoot the Messenger (2006)

Shoot the Messenger, is a 2006 BBC Films production directed by Ngozi Onwurah (Welcome II the Terrordome), a story about a newly appointed black school teacher attempting to readdress the racial imbalance in schools, in a landmark film in the history of Black British film. Available on Blu-ray for the first time released by the BFI.

Joe Pascale (David Oyelowo, Selma) is a teacher in an urban South London secondary school, he is the only black teacher teaching in a largely black populated school. He’s given up a good job as an I.T. consultant to follow his calling in life, which is to help educate black children marginalised in the education system. He’s strict and doesn’t take any nonsense from the students and even uses after school detentions as a means to get the students to study more.

Everything seems to be going to plan until an innocuous incident with a student Germal (Charles Mnene), who is holding a grudge against him, accuses the teacher of hitting him. Joe turns down the opportunity to defend his case in the local press, thinking nothing of it but the allegations start mounting resulting in him being suspended and losing his job.

The downward spiral continues affecting his mental health drastically and heightening his anger and paranoia but he eventually finds support in the guise of a good Samaritan Mabel (Jay Byrd) who helps him find God and he meets his girlfriend Heather (Nikki Amuka-Bird), a clerk at the job centre, who helps him find some kind of salvation as he battles with his own twisted thoughts. 

Written by Sharon Foster, it’s a very raw and emotive look at the racial concerns within schools and black identity in society. David Oyelowo’s teacher Joe is looking to improve the system from the inside by demanding more from his students but instead finds himself a victim of the very system he wants to change after the nefarious accusations of the student and being labelled a white man’s crony by a baying crowd .

You can’t help but be drawn towards Joe’s character with his strong opinionated moral compass before realising that it is also flawed in its methods, which only adds to a nebulous argument. It raises other interesting themes from the opportunities or lack of them for children in school to the impact on later life and careers. It also briefly brings into the spotlight the influence of the media in the pursuit of justice with an insincere radio broadcaster and an overly zealous guest walking all over a silenced and bemused Joe, who is unable to defend himself in an argument which has gone to another level within the community. He faces a medieval like mob waiting outside the court for him who need no further convincing of his guilt, which makes an already confusing argument worse knowing his relative innocence in this instance.

Joe is seen speaking to camera like in a documentary giving his inner thoughts on the situations unravelling, which brings both an element of heartfelt empathy but also bewilderment as it draws you into his mixed-up racial anguish. The acting is particularly theatrical from David Oyelowo who sounds more Shakespearian than South London but this is in keeping with the exaggerated theatrics throughout, including some humorous stereotyping at Christmas time and an example of why you shouldn’t bring up slavery at a drinks party. These all help to maintain a rye entertaining tone despite the seriousness of its subject matter.

The director Ngozi Onwurah has contributed a lot to the conversation on race and identity and doesn’t shy away from controversy. Deeply provocative it raises a lot of arguments that will be upsetting and divisive. It caused plenty of controversy at the time of its release not least for its release through the BBC because of its largely white audience and will no doubt continue to spark further debate for its audiences. As for poor Joe, he’s probably heard one too many voices on the matter.

Film: Shoot the Messenger

Director: Ngozi Onwurah

Genre: Drama 

Stars: David Oyelowo, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Charles Mnene, Jay Byrd

Run time: 1hr 30min

Rated: 15

Rating: 3/5