Tara Fitzgerald

Sirens [VHS]
$9.99
Even Elle Macpherson's estimable talents are not enough to make up for this film's dull, predictable plot and heavy handed attempts at symbolism. The acting and production are competent if uninspired. Also the DVD is letterboxed 4:3 ratio rather than true 16:9. This is not a terrible movie, but ultimately there's only one, well two, good reasons to watch it.

Brassed Off!
$14.99
I've seen this movie twice now on satellite, and haven't tired of it. There's a lot to like. After a heavy dose of Transporter 1 through 25, Fast and Furious, various Star Treks, Star Wars, and gritty spy killing spy flicks, this is a wonderful little dose of reality - gee, I actually can sit through a thoughtful film without car chases, heroes without superpowers, and no one dangling from a helicopter getting shot at by a chain gun. Sounds un-American. That being said, this is a nicely acted, sensibly filmed story with a happy ending sandwiched in an unhappy circumstance. The actors even look like real people, even the lovely Tara Fitzgerald (every town has at least one beauty, right?) It gives the viewer a sense that amidst chaos, something lovely can still be born. The music is great. It makes me wonder why American brass bands can't do what brass bands do best - give you some real toe tapping tunes. The local university has a pretty good band, but what do we hear at half-time? We Will, We Will Rock You. C'mon! Surprise us! Turn our heads! The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is one of the best. They first came to my notice in a Disney film about pit ponys. It was another bittersweet tale about coal mining in the north of Britain when pony's pulled the carts and never saw the light of day, doing their jobs and trudging the tracks back to their subterranean mangers for a bit of sweet hay from a world they'd never see or taste again. Grimethorpe did the track for that one too, and it made me stay to the end of the credits to see who played that great music. A big thumbs up to the Brits for still creating films that make us think and feel without gut-churning special effects, and reminding us that you don't need an electric guitar to make great music, and the world is populated with people like you and I, people who pack trombones and trumpets, not machineguns and grenades.

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill [VHS]
$9.99
This is a charming story of two rival community leaders, the preacher & the bartender, who inspire the townspeople to raise a hill into a mountain. There are lots of chuckles as the Welsh make fun of the English and vice versa. There's a bit of sadness too, as the story takes place during the Great War, and we feel the loss of the men who are away to fight as well as those who have returned home shellshocked.
The movie is fairly clean, although there is innuendo and occasional mild language.

Sirens
$9.99
Even Elle Macpherson's estimable talents are not enough to make up for this film's dull, predictable plot and heavy handed attempts at symbolism. The acting and production are competent if uninspired. Also the DVD is letterboxed 4:3 ratio rather than true 16:9. This is not a terrible movie, but ultimately there's only one, well two, good reasons to watch it.