What the students should watch this week to tie in with our drama activities!
THIS WEEK'S TOP 10 MIX UP THEATRE T.V. PICKS
How do you rate this week's picks?
1. FILM: Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) / Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Available to buy / rent - Sky Store / Sunday 12th May, ITV, 3:25pm
4 - Skadoosh! Jack Black's Po returns to find and train a new Dragon Warrior while a sorceress plans to summon all of his past enemies for revenge. With Awkwafina, Seth Rogen and Actor of the Week, Dustin Hoffman.
Jan (Age 12) - ★★★★
"This film was mediocre. I liked the story of Po, now that he is choosing the next dragon warrior. Po's journey from a noodle shop to dragon warrior still entertains me. I think that Zhen was awesome and the whole family of criminals were pretty cool. I didn't really like the Chameleon though.
The main problem with this film is that it is so predictable; 'Po goes to fight the worst villain he has faced so far, then he loses the fight, then he wins the fight'. That is pretty much what happens in Kung Fu Panda movies.
The storyline and the way Po has to move on from being dragon warrior is what highlights this film for me.
Overall, an okay film, with some good and bad qualities."
3 - Animated comedy adventurel featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Actor of the Week, Dustin Hoffman and, Seth Rogen. Dragon Warrior Po is forced to face his destiny when he discovers his long-lost father and comes up against a villain from the Spirit Realm, who is collecting the chi energy of all the kung fu masters.
Also on Netflix - Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (TV)
ACTOR OF THE WEEK - Dustin Hoffman
2. FILM: Out of Africa (1985)
Friday 17th May, Sky Cinema Drama
Oscar-winning biographical drama starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Karen Blixen leaves her native Denmark in 1913 to marry a Swedish baron and run a coffee farm in Kenya. Travelling to Nairobi, she briefly encounters adventurer Denys Finch Hatton and begins a romance that's inextricably bound up with the beauty of Africa, its land and its people.
3. FILM: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Tuesday 14th May, BBC2, 11:15pm
Gothic drama starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Former movie star sisters "Baby Jane" and Blanche Hudson live alone in a decaying Hollywood mansion. Blanche, now confined to a wheelchair, is at the mercy of the increasingly demented and sadistic Jane.
4. FILM: Bohemian Rhapsody (2008)
Streaming - Disney+
Biographical music drama starring Rami Malek. London, 1970: living with his parents, Farrokh Bulsara dreams of becoming a rock star. So when local group Smile loses its lead singer, he convinces guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor to give him a shot. With the addition of bassist John Deacon and Bulsara changing his name to Freddie Mercury, the band Queen is born - but the path to world domination is a bumpy one.
5. The Remains of the Day: The Read with Steve Pemberton
Sunday 12th May, BBC4, 9:00pm
BAFTA-winning actor Steve Pemberton narrates Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, The Remains of the Day. The story is told through the lens of stoic head butler Stevens, who reflects on his time in service at a great English house in the years leading up to Second World Wa
6. FILM: Quartet (2012)
Thursday 16th May, BBC4, 9:00pm
Comedy drama based on Ronald Harwood's play, directed by Star of the Week, Dustin Hoffman and starring Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay and Billy Connolly. At the Beecham House retirement home for opera singers, the occasion of Verdi's birthday is always marked by a special fundraising concert. But this year the arrival of one particular grande dame throws preparations into chaos as egos clash and old resentments surface.
Available to rent/buy - Sky Cinema / Streaming - Netflix
Part Two
In the second part of the sci-fi drama based on the book by Frank Herbert, Paul and Chani galvanise the Fremen to strike down murderous conspirators against the Atreides dynasty. Starring Timothee Chalamet Zendaya and Actor of the Week, Rebecca Ferguson.
Stewart - ★★★★★
"A stunning sci-fi that continues on the world building, fantastic visuals, effects, costumes, production design etc and the cast are all fantastic - totally rooting for Zendaya and Austin Butler is a wicked new villain. Loved it! Though it is pretty long!"
Part One
Epic sci-fi drama starring Timothée Chalamet, Actor of the Week, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and Zendaya. In the year 10,191, Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica, accompany Paul's father the Duke after he is made steward of the resource-rich desert planet Arrakis. Paul begins to feel that his destiny is tied with that of the planet, but powerful enemies of House Atreides are plotting the family's destruction.
Stewart - ★★★★★
'This film looks stunning, a visually engrossing sci-fi film with special effects, production design, costumes and just the entire scale of the movie totally awesome. Definitely one of these films that's appeal works better in a cinema. Yes it's a little confusing at times but just sit back and get soaked up in this world building masterpiece.'
8. FILM: Casino Royale (2006)
Saturday 11th May, ITV, 8:00pm
Spy adventure starring Daniel Craig in his first appearance as 007. James Bond is awarded his licence to kill and sets off in pursuit of Le Chiffre, a corrupt banker who finances terrorism. Realising that the desperate Le Chiffre needs to win big on the gaming tables of Montenegro to pay off a dangerous client, Bond formulates a plan to ruin him in a high-stakes poker game..
9. Jan's Marvel Journey! - FILMS: Thor: Ragnarok / Black Panther / Avengers: Infinity War / Avengers: Endgame
Streaming Disney+
Thor: Ragnarok
Jan (Age 12): ★★★★1/2
"Hulk is back in the MCU! I loved this film. The story was excellent and the cast did great.
I think seeing that other side of Odin before his passing was a brilliant touch to the film. The power of Hela was scary, she broke Mjolnir. This made me depressed, I think that a Thor with no Mjolnir is like a sandwich without cheese, it just doesn't work.
The film was a tad overdramatic in scenes, but this wasn't bad enough to ruin the film (or my review).
I can't wait to watch Black Panther next!"
Black Panther
Jan (Age 12): ★★★★1/2
"Brilliant film! I really enjoyed watching it. T'challa and T'chaka were played perfectly. Most characters were great, but Klaue was weird. Killmonger was amazing, his personality was weird but it became clear in the end who he exactly was. Agent Ross was okay, Nakia was mid, Shuri was pretty good, and M'baku was kinda confusing, but he still was great.
I loved how wakanda was a hidden metropolis, how they hid themselves, and how reluctant they were to share all of their vibranium.
Overall, it was an amazing film, with few strange characters, and a brilliant superhero at the center of it all. Next I'm watching Avengers: infinity war."
Infinity War
Jan (Age 11): ★★★★★
"Amazing movie! I loved every second of it! My favourite characters in this film were Peter Parker ( Spider-Man), Tony Stark( Iron Man), Vision, Steve Rogers( Captain America), and Peter Quill( Star Lord). The last few scenes, in my opinion, were the best, as they were action-packed and full of drama. Thanos is a scary figure in this film, but Thor is incredibly powerful - he got closer to killing Thanos than any other Avenger or Gaurdian. The film was great all-round. There wasn't a moment i didn't enjoy watching. I am watching Ant man and the Wasp next, I hope it is going to be an awesome film!"
Endgame
Mylo (Age 13) - ★★★★★
"This film was very entertaining and was full of brilliant action filled scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was intrigued by the plot that thickened with every minute that passed by. The film was filled with many sad moments but and had an end that left you wanting more but overall, I thought that this film was great."
10. FILM: Green Book (2018)
Streaming - Netflix
Road-movie drama starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. New York, 1962. Nightclub bouncer "Tony Lip", in need of temporary employment, gets himself hired as a driver for concert pianist Don Shirley. It transpires that Shirley, a black man, requires not only transport but protection during his upcoming tour of the segregated Deep South. Though the intellectual Shirley and the slovenly, bigoted Tony initially clash, a firm friendship develops.
Also...
Lucia (Age 10): ★★★★★
"In my review of the film, Lilo and Stitch, I would rate it 5 stars. This is because the storyline is heartwarming and makes the viewer feel positive. Lilo is an 8 year old girl who visits an adoption centre hoping to adopt a dog. Lilo doesn’t end up adopting a dog however, she ends up with an extraordinary alien, who she names Stitch. Lilo picked Stitch because he ran to her to give her a hug when he first saw her. Stitch has a beautiful heart but causes mayhem and chaos on earth. An example of this is when he built a brilliant mini city with Lilo’s toys in her bedroom and then destroyed it straight away. Lilo and Stitch is a great family film and is very entertaining for every age, from adults to very young children. My favourite character is Stitch because he is very funny and cute. For instance, when Lilo bought him an ice-cream he rubbed it on his head, not knowing what to do with the ice-cream. It is a great film!"
Make sure you've booked in for This Week's Mix Up Theatre DRAMA CLASSES
