Mrs. Caldicot’s Cabbage War (2002)

 

Truthfully, I picked this film today because the title piqued my interest. I’m glad I did; Mrs. Caldicot’s Cabbage Waris a fun jaunt, a sort of lighthearted, nursing-home rendition of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

 

Mrs. Caldicot has just become a widow. In her mind, it means she’s out from under her domineering husband’s thumb. She’s been browbeaten for decades, and she’s ready for her life to resume. Unfortunately, her son and daughter-in-law don’t think she’s fit to look after herself and send her to a nursing home that’s more concerned with cost-cutting than resident care. While there, Mrs. Caldicot and her new friends take on the staff in an attempt to regain a little independence and dignity for themselves.

 

PC plays Derek, Mrs. Caldicot’s not-exactly-offspring-of-the-year son. Derek is overstressed and overworked, and he doesn’t have time to bother with his mother, especially not when her house could be used so much more profitably without her in it.

 

Let’s face it: he’s kind of a weasel. No complaints about PC’s performance, but Derek is a fairly one-note villain and, as such, isn’t as interesting as Mrs. Caldicot and some of the other residents.

 

And a little something for the Whovians – Pauline Collins (Queen Victoria from "Tooth and Claw") plays Mrs. Caldicot, and watch for a brief appearances by Annette Badland and Camille Coduri, Jackie Tyler herself.

 

Accent Watch

 

Well… it’s definitely English, but I’m not quite sure if it’s supposed to be RP or London. It keeps kind of shifting back and forth; tsk, tsk, PC…

 

Recommend?

 

In General– Sure. It’s a fun, imaginative film with a lot of spark. In a way, it reminds me of Heroes(the Stoppard-adapted play, not the TV show), and that’s a good thing in my book!

 

PC-wise– Hit or miss. PC has plenty of screen time but not a lot to do. And did I mention weasel?

 

Warnings

 

The beginning is kind of unsettling, when you see how controlling Mrs. Caldicot’s husband was. Other than that, a few sexual references. Pretty tame.

Captives (1994, R)

I didn’t know much about this film, but it caught my eye when I was browsing the PC options on Netflix – it’s hard to go wrong with Tim Roth. Overall, an all right film. Interesting mix of romance and suspense.

In Captives, a young dentist named Rachel starts falling for a patient. A complicated situation anyway, but made significantly more complicated by the fact that she works in a prison. Nearly all his movements are monitored, and anything between them puts her job on the line. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…

PC plays Simon, Rachel’s ex-husband. They’d had a practice together, until he had an affair and they split up (this is presumably why she’s beginning her exciting new job at the start of the movie.)  Oh, and the hair is crazy.

He does a fine job – the dynamic between he and Rachel is tense and awkward – but there’s not much to it. Except for a voicemail, he’s only in one scene.

On a side note, this film features two other actors with Whocred – Annette Badland (Blon Sitheen from series 1) and Colin Salmon (Dr. Moon from the Library two-parter in series 4.) Further proof that no British actor seems to be separated by more than two degrees from any other.

Accent Watch

A slightly shaky RP – some of the R’s and OO’s sounded more than a little Scottish.

Recommend?

In General– Maybe. It’s an interesting setup, and the central performances are compelling, but it gets kind of Lifetime in the second half.

PC-wise– For completists only. Like I said, cheating ex with limited screentime; not much to write home about.

Warnings

Plenty of sex and violence, along with some profanity and pretty tense situations.

The Comic Strip Presents: Series 7, Episode 6 – “Jealousy” (1993)

The Comic Strip Presentsis a show that surfaces periodically on British television. Rather than presenting one unified story, each episode is a separate piece with its own characters, sensibility, and cast – more like a series of short, unrelated films. “Jealousy” is an oddball comedy written by Robbie Coltrane, a.k.a. Hagrid from the Harry Potterfilms

Three guesses as to which vice “Jealousy” focuses on. John, a suburban husband, can’t shake the conviction that his wife is having an affair, and all the self-help tapes in the world won’t give him peace of mind. Try as he might, he just keeps getting sucked in by his paranoia and, yes, jealousy.

PC plays John, a man more than teetering on the brink of insanity. Over the course of the episode, his gambits get more and more unhinged. There are grappling hooks involved, not to mention disguises donned for the purposes of incognito wife-tailing.

It’s pretty amusing. PC brings a screwy intensity to John that’s a lot of fun. John knowshe’s being irrational, but he just can’t stop himself. While it’s not the most complex character out there, it doesn’t fail to entertain.

Also, if you’re wondering what the Twelfth Doctor would look like in a fez, this is your chance!

Accent Watch

Scottish, with more than a hint of the “crazy Scotsman” stereotype.

Recommend?

In General– Maybe, depending on the person. I think “Jealousy” is pretty funny, but its screwball quirkiness wouldn’t be to everyone’s tastes.

PC-wise– Probably not lighting up anyone’s top-ten list, but it's good for a laugh – worth a watch if you’ve seen PC’s choicer stuff and want more. 

Warnings

A little swearing, and some thematic elements and dark comedy.

Accused: Series 1, Episode 3 – “Helen’s Story” (2010)

Accused, it turns out, is a well-made British legal drama, short on courtroom strategies and heavy on humanity. Each episode focuses on an ordinary person accused of a crime, and if “Helen’s Story” is any indication, the story that led them to their current predicament is told through flashbacks.

In “Helen’s Story,” primary-school teacher Helen Ryland’s world is rent in two when her son is killed in a factory accident at work. The account she’s given doesn’t quite add up, and her grief propels her to action. She investigates, she crusades, and in her quest for retribution, right and wrong take on a different meaning.

As the title suggests, Helen’s loss and Helen’s journey are at the center of the story, but her husband Frank Ryland, played by PC, is bereft of a son as well. While Helen’s grief turns to obsession and outrage, Frank is like a living husk. He’s there, he’s present, but it’s clear he’s barely managing to drag himself around from day to day.

PC is just stellar here. Frank is beaten down, absolutely wrung out by his grief. The performance is largely understated, and like I said, Juliet Stevenson’s Helen gets the main focus, but PC still gets a chance to shine. There’s an excellent scene where Helen and Frank both let their emotions rule them, and they really have it out. And in his moments alone, when no one’s watching, Frank can’t maintain even his slight semblance of control. He simply breaks open and falls apart – it’s wrenching to watch.

I have to mention – near the end, there’s a point at which you’ll start thinking, “Okay, what is going on?! I can’t even!” Just wait. You’ll figure out what’s going on. It’s wild, but I love it.

Accent Watch

100% Scottish.

Recommend?

In General– Most definitely. Well written, superbly acted, and cinematically filmed. Plus, the Netflix page says that other episodes feature the likes of Sean Bean, Christopher Eccleston, and Andy Serkis. I certainly plan on watching the rest of the series when I have a little more space on my viewing docket.

PC-wise– Absolutely. I just love PC’s work in this; so good. Also? He sings. Just saying.

Warnings

Strong language in a few places, and some intense scenes. Also, coulrophobes probably don’t want to watch this episode.

Doctor Who: Series 4, Episode 2 – “The Fires of Pompeii” (2008)

Whovian that I am, I’ve of course seen this episode before. The first time around, PC was still a Hey!-It’s-That-Guy (from In the Loop), and he had the good fortune to be part of my favorite episode from series 4. (Yes, I know that this came out first, but I came late to the Whoparty.)

Three guesses as to where and when the Tenth Doctor and Donna end up in “The Fires of Pompeii.” It’s the eve of Volcano Day, and Donna gets her first dose of the age-old time traveler’s problem: thou must not change established time lines. Amid prophecies, creatures of stone, and plenty of Latin, the Doctor and Donna butt heads over saving anyone in the doomed city.

A well-to-do merchant family serves as the human face of Pompeii, headed by PC’s Caecilius. A purveyor of granite, Caecilius is an ordinary man trying to keep the gods happy while balancing the demands of work and family. But all the prayers in the world won’t stop the rumbling from the mountain, and the two chatty, strangely-appareled strangers who’ve dropped in on him seem to know more than they’re telling.

This is a nice role – not especially flashy, but well-rounded in a gentle way. The Davies era of Whois a feast of likeable, easy-to-connect-with supporting characters, and Caecilius fits the bill. Despite his single-episode appearance, I feel like I get him – what he’s about, what’s important to him, and how he cares about his family. He’s not a perfect or important man, just one of many at the mercy of the volcano, but you can’t help but hope he’ll be saved.

I especially love Caecilius’s reactions to the recurring joke that the Doctor and Donna’s comments in actualLatin are rendered into Celtic by the TARDIS translation circuit. It’s one of my favorite bits in the episode, and Caecilius’s slightly awkward “not that there's anything wrong with that!” acknowledgment of it is always good for a laugh.

Accent Watch

RP, not bad. Some of those R’s sounded pretty Scottish, though!

Recommend?

In General– Most definitely! I adore this episode – I’d go back in time just to recommend it again.

PC-wise– Yes. PC covers plenty of ground with this fairly simple character. Decidedly worth seeing.

Warnings

Light swearing maybe, and some dark themes.

Peep Show: Series 2, Episode 4 – “University Challenge” (2004)

Peep Showis a British sitcom that Netflix has dangled before me on numerous occasions, though I’ve never watched it before today – so much TV, so little time, and all that. So, when I saw that PC had appeared on the show, I decided to take this episode for a spin.

The show follows Mark and Jez, two friends and roommates, through the usual life-and-love misadventures that always plague sitcom twenty-somethings. As a hook, the episodes are filmed entirely through the characters’ POV, and the camera shifts with every head movement.

“University Challenge” sees the duo traveling back to their alma mater, where Mark poses as a “mature student” to get in good with the coed/shoe salesgirl who’s caught his eye. Along the way, he tries to capture the university experience he’d always wanted.

PC comes into this as Professor Alistair MacLeish, the ancient history professor that Mark dreamed of impressing back in the day. As far as professor archetypes go, MacLeish is the well-bred intellectual who cherry-picks promising pupils for mentoring and low-key shindigs at his house, where the wine is expensive and brainy conversation is the height of excitement.

It’s a fairly standard role, and PC handles it capably. He’s best when Jez, a loud-mouthed would-be rocker, crashes the soiree and tries to single-handedly dismantle the ivory tower. His pretentious intellectualism clashes nicely with Jez’s alcohol-soaked ranting.

Accent Watch

Scottish all the way. I like that – RP is the typical accent of the well-bred intellectual, and it’s nice to see a Glaswegian getting his scholar on.

Recommend?

In General– Not sure. I think it’s hard to really gauge a show by one out-of-context episode, standards like Seinfeldnotwithstanding. “University Challenge” didn’t leave me clamoring for more Peep Show, but I wouldn’t be against seeing more, given time.

PC-wise– Maybe. Enjoyable enough, though it’s not a heavy hitter. If you’re in need of a quick PC fix, it’s short and sweet.

Warnings

Swearing and drug/sexual references, but not intense. More sitcommy.

The Love Child (1988)

Another early work. The Love Childis the first PC work I’ve seen where he was legitimately the lead. I suppose you could make a good argument for In the Loop, but even if Malcolm was the most prominent character in that film, he’s not exactly the leading type.

But there will be plenty of time to gabble about In the Looplater! Today is about The Love Child. At the center of this film is Dillon, a tightly-wound accounts clerk who’s anxious to distinguish himself from his family tree of hippies, crooks, and deadbeats. However, he quickly finds his responsible, ordered life starting to spin out of his control.

Since I already mentioned that PC plays the lead in this film, you may have figured out that he’s the Dillon in question. Dillon spends the story dealing with change – desperately resisting it, timidly pursuing it, just trying to wrap his head around it. And then, there’s the fact that inanimate objects have started talking to him. He doesn’t know whatto make of that!

On the whole, PC heads the film with quiet aplomb. The Dillon we meet is unassuming but always present, and as he takes baby steps toward new experiences and human connection, it’s easy to cheer him on. Plus, he has a begrudging conversation with a toilet about who was dealt the worse hand in life! There probably aren’t too many actors who’ve had to make a piece of non-sentient porcelain feel like a legitimate screen partner.

Accent Watch

London, a little broad at times.

Recommend?

In General– Maybe, depending on the recommendee. There’s an offbeat madness to this film that I enjoyed. I still don’t entirely know what to make of it, but I can’t say it wasn’t a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half.

PC-wise– Oh, yeah. It’s a nice performance and a rootable character who grows a lot over the course of the film. And really, I don’t how many leading film roles I’m going to come across on Capaldi Fall, so I’d say catch ‘em while you can!

Warnings

There’s a brief sex scene, some drinking, and a scene of recreational drug use. Also some violence – mostly of the punch-and-kick variety.