REVIEWS
Reviews
of Showreel 2010
Michael
Savage, Producer, Los Angeles, Ca. (incl Execution,Kill and Talking
To Strangers). 9 June 2011
.
Your work is wonderful and you have great footage
Bob Fraser, Hollywood writer/director/producer. Author of “An Actor Works” website , inter
alia. 12 May 2011
I liked your
site immensely and it’s clear that you’re a very skilled actor. All the clips are spot on. Your clips are fabulous looking - much
better than I generally see on actors’ sites.
Keep up the splendid work …
Deryn Warren, Director, Los
Angeles, Ca. (incl Black Magic Woman and Dead
of Night). 12
April 2011
“I
think your reel is one of the best I have seen. You are an amazing actor.
I love that you played games in the first clip. Each phrase was complete and had perfect
images. I love the way you said
"nearly made a difference" and gave such an interesting accent on
“nearly”. I loved the line "judge
gave him three years," too. You
have gravitas, humor and are so specific.
It is all as I teach in my book, HOW TO MAKE THE AUDIENCE FALL IN LOVE
WITH YOU (DerynWarren.com). You are wonderful.”
She
also said, “I meant every word of it.”
Flash
Bang: Action Movie Reviews
Tomb Raider: Ascension
The
cast was excellent across the board. Hugh Hemmings was great as the
grandfatherly Winston, Peter Wear as the evil mastermind of an uncle, Ava Hunt
as Lara’s
mother and Philip Goldacre as Lord Croft, Lara’s father (soooo
much better than John Voigt).
Special
mention to Jamie Duncombe who played Zax, the guy who convinces Lara that two
guns are better than one. He also did a good job behind the camera, handling
the fight co-ordination.As for Anna Tyrie, she epitomises the character of Lara
Croft, both in the flashbacks to when she’s seventeen, through to the cave-crawling
and action scenes at the end.
Stephen
Reynolds has accomplished a lot with very little. He keeps the dialogue scenes
tight and manages a bit of flair when it comes to the action. I thought the
opening scene on the plane was very accomplished and drew me into watching the
whole movie in one sitting. I look forward to seeing what he manages to achieve
next.
Verdict:
The end of
the credits states that this movie “is an
independent, non-profit, artistic expression created purely for fun.” However on any level, this is a very well made film
and is one that Eidos, the creators of Tomb Raider, should consider adopting as
a proper “Origins” of Lara Croft.
Tomb
Raider: Ascension Fan Film is a Hit! Fan Cinema Today website 22 Sep 2008
Except for Ms. Pac-Man, Lara Croft is
arguably the best-known female video game character ever. As the “star” of
Edios’ Tomb Raider series, sporting a British accent, sleek moves and
outfits that pack more than pistols, Croft walks the precariously thin line
between post-feminist icon and fanboy drool instigator.
As a result, it might seem easy to make a movie based on her, but both the Tomb
Raider feature films were abysmal junk, and most fan efforts to date have
haven’t done her justice either. These factors make the brand-new fan
production, Tomb Raider:
Ascension, all the more surprising—it’s a great flick that simply
leaves other incarnations of Croft and Co. in its dust.
Here’s a fan film that feels like a feature—not necessarily in terms of
budget (though it’s not chintzy), but rather due to the quality of writing,
acting, editing and camerawork. Throughout the movie, time and again, the usual
fan film pitfalls are avoided. For instance—and it’s no small thing—the actors interact;
they’re not merely reciting lines. For that matter, they’re all different
ages,too—something of a rarity in fan movies.
The most striking thing about Ascension, however, is the plot,
because it has one. While there’s good action to be found here, it
never comes at the expense of story; in fact, the first 30 minutes feature lots
of drama, but little in the way of stuff happening. It’s a choice that proves
two things: that writer/director Stephen Reynolds knows a thing or two about pacing,
and that he trusts his actors’ abilities to hold your attention, even during a
long chat in a mansion parlor between Lara (Anna Tyrie) and her trusty butler,
Winston (the surprisingly effective Hugh Hemmings).
And the action? When it finally shows up, Reynolds and crew bring it. Fist
fights, gun play, chases, explosions, the works.
While the actors seem to be enjoying themselves, it would appear that Tomb
Raider fans are enjoying Ascension—more than 11,500 people
watched the movie during the first week it was online, having been posted on
September 11. At nearly an hour in length, the flick isn’t short, but if you’re
looking for something that puts the “film” back in “fan film,” spend some time
with Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: Ascension. You won’t be sorry.
THE REAPPEARANCE OF CHRIST IN THE
EAST END
Sunday Telegraph 7 August 2005
Good enough to give it a
go in the West End…Barry, a corduroy wearing cynic. He smokes roll-ups and complains…The audience…appreciate how very
good Philip Goldacre is. A beautifully
timed play.
What’s On In London 10 August 2005
A band of oddball school
teachers…Middle aged whisky-tippler Barry who used to be a Buddhist but now
worries about his rowdy pupils and failing prostate gland…sparky
performance…witty, incisive.
Church Times 19 August 2005
Peter Hamilton's spirited
- and spiritually engaging – play… wreaking wonderful black humour from the
staff-room clash between the worn-out cynic on one side and the politically
correct idealist on the other. Corduroy-jacketed
Barry swigs rum and rolls his own, lamenting his failed flirtation with
Buddhism and his general physical decline… The conversations they snatch
between lessons are the stuff of quality sitcom, and everyone in the audience
recognises, and warms to, these frighteningly familiar anti-heroes, especially
Philip Goldacre's down-at-heel Barry… a little masterpiece… this is a big,
fascinating script and definitely deserves a term or two in the West End.