The Writer Muses

Beasts Of No Nation

Colin Parton — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:57:15 +0000

Beasts Of No Nation - Cary Joji Fukunaga

Beasts of No Nation has some major structural flaws, but it is still a fantastic film. We follow Agu, Abraham Attah (Spider-Man: Homecoming & Tasmanian Devil), as he is forced from a contented childhood into the life of a child-soldier.

Once he becomes a soldier, his story is intertwined with that of his Commandant, Idris Elba (The Wire & Luther). These dual storylines are what cause the biggest problem for the film.

Agu is our hero, but there is no crisis for his storyline.

While his fate is tied to the Commandant’s, the crisis faced by their leader is not faced by Agu. Agu has no agency at this part of the film. The downbeat in the film is entirely the Commandant’s.

The setup at the start of the film gives you no idea of what is coming. We get to meet all his family and learn a little about their trials and goals.

While all of the opening scenes feel like separate glimpses of life, we learn that they are all interconnected.

The film captures these kids’ childhoods so well at the start. We get to see this again after the first combat action is over. Agu has just been forced to commit atrocities.

But life resumes, they are kids, and they return to playing. They have to hunt for their food.

This juxtaposition of utter mundanity and brutal atrocity is something else to watch.

There is a terrible section where we begin to suspect, but are not sure, that the Commandant is molesting one of the children. Then Agu is selected.

It is a great choice by the filmmakers not to show this scene. We get to see the impact that it has on Agu, which is heartbreaking.

We are also left guessing, but not really – something happened in there that seriously messed him up, and what else could it be after all that he has seen.

Agu has an internal monologue throughout the film, and it is excellent. We gain insight into what he is thinking as terror surrounds him.

One of the most powerful of these is after they take a town and his comrades are raping a lady, he thinks: God, do you see what we are doing?

A close second is after they have surrendered to the UN, and a councillor is trying to get him to talk. The whole internal speech here is on another level – it is one of the best things ever put to film.

At the end of it, he stares blankly into the lady’s face and thinks: I have been to war, and she doesn’t know what war is.

The speed at which the opening develops is great. Agu’s friendship with one of the other kids is touching.

There are some crazy hallucinations where they get him high as they go into battle. The pathetic downfall of Commandant at the end is a stark contrast to the power he had at the beginning. Overall, it’s a great film.

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The Boys

Colin Parton — Sun, 17 May 2026 11:20:50 +0000

The Boys - Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson

Issues 1-6

The tone of The Boys is like nothing I’ve ever read. The writing is complex and thoughtful; you take your tentative steps into the world of the superheroes with Hughie as he is hired to become part of Butcher’s team.

The absolute depravity and awfulness of all the superheroes we meet make them very unlikable. That is apart from Butcher’s team, The Boys.

The sex, from both sides, but especially the young superheroes they are spying on, is a bit much. But it is titillating if that is what Ennis is going for; then it works.

I actually didn’t realise that Butcher and The Boys were the good guys until close to the end of Issue 6.

The heart-to-heart that he has with Hughie goes right to the core of superheroes, and it hasn’t been addressed anywhere I have seen before.

Who gives the heroes the right to do what they do? They don’t have any training. Just because they have powers doesn’t mean they should be in control. That’s where The Boys come in. They stop the heroes from running over everyone.

I love the team that Butcher is putting together. Every time we see them, I just want to learn more about them.

They are just so cool and mysterious. I actually think we should have so little backstory and, like Highie, seem to come in halfway through the story.

Butcher actually seems like a great bloke and cares about Hughie. But beyond that and the team, there aren’t heaps here to love.

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A Prophet

Colin Parton — Sun, 10 May 2026 10:42:06 +0000

A Prophet - Jacques Audiard

This prison drama follows Malik, Tahar Rahim (Batman Unburied & Bref), after his incarceration. The prison scenes are hauntingly real.

Everything that happens in the jail is just so believable – not that I have any metric to judge the reality of the situation on.

We follow Malik as he tries to learn the ropes. He becomes vital to a powerful group in the prison.

He uses this to his advantage, not becoming one of them but using his position to push for more. He ends up with his fingers in every pie in the jail as a powerful tale of betrayal unfolds.

Malik is forced to kill a man early on, and he follows Malik around throughout the film. Malik is haunted, but the man is also real to him; he talks to him.

The reality of the haunting is so terrifying because of how mundane it is. It really reminded me a lot of the very similar dream Riley has in Midnight Mass of his car crash victim.

Another big draw card for me was how the plot progresses so rapidly. All the ins and outs of what is about to happen are laid out for Malik and for us.

So we know what should happen in the coming scene – or at least what Malik’s goals are. But he might do something completely different, and we get to see why as it happens

This is just great storytelling. I’ve never seen it pulled off so well. It reminds me a lot of Guy Ritchie’s early work, but in those films, you still aren’t in on it in the same way you are here.

The story is really grounded in the reality that they are all in prison, whoever they are. A big win for Malik is getting a CD player and a conjugal visit from a prostitute.

There is a filmic device used to represent either Malik’s poor eyesight or his visions.

The lens telescopes in, and we are left with blurry vision surrounded by darkness. As far as I can remember, this only happens twice during the film.

One of these occurrences is confirmed as a vision as we see it play out, and it is how he gets his nickname.

The other just looks like he has bad eyesight. I found this really confusing, so I’m glad that it was only used twice.

I would recommend this film for anyone who loves being in the know about what is coming next in a film, but is equally happy to have their expectations met unexpectedly.

It’s also worth a watch if you want to see the most real jail life I have seen.

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The Lincoln Lawyer

Colin Parton — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:05:32 +0000

The Lincoln Lawyer - Ted Humphrey & David E. Kelley

Season One

I was immediately hooked on this show. The characters are great, and the lead is likable and interesting.

It is an interesting start to a series with our lead, Mickey Haller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Widows & Murder on the Orient Express), being handed the keys to a law firm after the owner is murdered.

This setup allows for a meta-plot: the big murder trial with Trevor. As well as many smaller cases scattered throughout.

The smaller cases allow us to meet the rest of the cast as well as inform the wider plot. It is a great backdrop for a series to work around.

Having his ex-wives as key characters in the series is great, as through them we see different aspects of his personality that we wouldn’t otherwise see.

The main plot line plays with an interesting concept: you hate the accused, but they have set it up to make it look like he is innocent. There is a further big bad beyond that, the head judge of the courts pulling the strings, which is really scary.

The way all the cases weave and intertwine in the story is what makes this series superb. The characters are fun to watch in action. It’s an easy and fun watch.

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The Fortune Of War

Colin Parton — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 05:13:40 +0000

The Fortune of War - Patrick O'Brian

The opening chapter skips over the rest of the voyage to Australia and all events there. We open with Aubrey receiving his new commission, and we are quickly onboard a well-run mail ship back to England.

This novel also felt a bit like a lull in the series, sort of like we are waiting for something to happen.

Quite outside of all of the characters’ control, a fire starts on the mail ship, and it quickly sinks. This is super sad as Stephen loses all of his collections from Desolation Island and from Australia.

The cause of the fire is hinted at as being from smoking below decks by Stephen’s assistant. The use of a power outside their control is poor writing.

The battle against the constitution takes this inability for the characters to be masters of their own fate to another level altogether. Aubrey can see disaster coming under the captain they are rescued by.

He says nothing because the strategy is based on everything he agrees with, and it isn’t his place to question this captain.

Because of this, they are annihilated, taken prisoner and brought back to Boston. This is where the story takes place. Stephen must use all of his wiles to free Aubrey and also get Diana out of the States.

The master manipulation is superb, but even he is almost killed twice. He confounds the French intelligence services. He plays the US intelligence services that think they are playing him.

In the end, Aubrey has to sail them out to the English blockade in a fishing boat. So everyone is involved in their escape.

We see a side of Stephen we have rarely glimpsed before. Once their lives are under threat, he coldly murders the heads of the French intelligence.

We end on a cliffhanger as the boat they were rescued by is the last in the blockade and is waiting for the Chesapeake to come out and meet her.

Stephen is about to marry Diana so that she can become an English citizen again. This feels sad as Stephen doesn’t love her anymore, but then he sees her spirit again as she starts shooting the rats in the hold, and he is keen again. This is a great bit of writing.

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Super Mario Kart

Colin Parton — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:04:31 +0000

Super Mario Kart - Tadashi Sugiyama Hideki Konno

This is the first instalment of the now household title.

Some things have remained constant since the beginning, and others have come and gone. My first experience with the Mario Kart series was Mario Kart 64.

That game was much more forgiving and playable than this. Without a joystick, racing games are very difficult.

The thing that was new to me that was not part of Mario Kart 64 was the need to collect coins. You lost coins when you ran into things or were hit by other racers.

The little cloud guys that rescued you when you went off the map or into lava also took coins from you. If you didn’t have any coins, any collision, even hitting a wall, would spin you out.

In all the Mario Karts I’ve played, there is certainly a point where the computer players will start to work together to stop you from winning the grand prix. I’ve never seen it deployed as viciously as I have seen it used here.

The 50cc cups were all beatable with some practice. It was more down to your skill and knowledge of the tracks. Towards the end of these cups and definitely by the start of the 100cc cups, the computer players are in concert to stop you winning.

It got to the point of ridiculousness where one of them would purposely ram you off the track into lava, going in with you, just to slow you down.

I found the cups towards the end of the 100cc completely unplayable because of how brutal the computer players would be. After race one, they had chosen their winner, and every other racer had one job: take you out.

I think that this would be more fun with other people playing, as this may balance out the computer’s rage against the human players. Without this, it was unplayable in the later GPs.

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Virtua Tennis

Colin Parton — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:23:39 +0000

Virtua Tennis - Katsumoto Tatsukawa

Virtual Tennis with the stars of the time. I’m surprised that this is actually playable and plays like tennis.

The game is just too hard. You have to play well all the time to win.

Which makes sense, I guess, but tennis games are long, and you need to be able to make errors and be able to come back from them.

The arcade mode was beatable, but the main game mode ‘world tour’ was impossible. While you do have the ability to shorten the game to single sets, this in no way helps with the next problem.

The gameplay’s repetitiveness is unbearable. This might be an issue with the computer.

I imagine that with some variety of shots, head-to-head might be fun. Playing today was pretty funny to see the characters from tennis past in action again.

I would not recommend wasting your time with this one.

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Top Gun

Colin Parton — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:35:37 +0000

Top Gun - Tony Scott

The film follows recruits of the Top Gun program as they earn their wings. The major premise of the film is the idea that instinct is just as important as following the rules.

We follow Maverick, played by Tom Cruise (The Last Samurai & Minority Report), who represents instinct. Top Gun is the top fighter training school in the U.S.

Maverick wasn’t even supposed to be going, but the best pilot in his assignment pulls out, leaving him and his wingman, Goose, to take the spot.

On the other side of the unity-of-opposites is Iceman, Val Kilmer (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang & Heat). His call sign is because he always follows the playbook and is cool and calm about it.

Unsurprisingly, his hot-headed nature is not just for flying. Maverick hits on our female lead without any hesitation.

She is up for the challenge, and the ensuing conversation is hilarious as she shoots him down. It becomes even funnier the next day when we learn that she is the civilian oversight for their training group.

This doesn’t stop Maverick, and he continues to pursue her. They end up having a great relationship.

While Maverick is a Hot-Head and focuses much more on instinct than on the rules, he is a brilliant pilot. Just amazing in the cockpit.

His relationship with his wingman is fantastic as well. Goose and Maverick can talk seriously about their feelings, and there is great mutual respect.

Then the fateful crash happens. We all knew it was coming; it was just a question of when. Iceman and Maverick are on a training mission together.

Iceman is in the lead, covered by Maverick and they both have the enemy plane in their sights. Iceman just can’t get a lock.

There has been a good lead-up to this, and we know Maverick is going to stay with IceMan. Maverick is frustrated because he clearly would get a lock on if Iceman were not in the way.

Iceman does get out of the way to allow Maverick the shot, but as he does, Maverick and Goose’s plan gets caught in the jet stream, and they crash. Goose dies.

He is beaten up about this and is looking at quitting the program, even though he is absolved of any responsibility.

His past saves him here. He has been torn up about his dad, also a fighter pilot who died in combat, but Maverick has never heard any details about his death.

It turns out that his dad gave his life so that heaps of other pilots could get out of a terrible situation.

The government could never say anything because they were not supposed to be where they were. With the doubt about his father and his own role in Goose’s death gone, he returns to graduate, and he is immediately deployed.

Iceman and Maverick are in the same flight crew, and Iceman is in a bad way. Maverick does some of the best flying we have seen and saves the day.

The reason I like this film so much is that it is nothing like it is portrayed to be: Hot-headed fighter pilots being idiots. This film is nuanced and uses its cast superbly. We see what friendship can be with Goose and Maverick.

We see healthy rivalry between Maverick and Iceman, two pilots at the top of their game. After the awful misogynistic beginning of the relationship between Maverick and Charlie, Kelly McGillis (Witness & The Accused), we see a thoughtful and tender side of Maverick.

Maverick’s doubt in himself and his dad is well done as well.

Then there is the flying, there is a lot of flying. And it is spectacular. Scott really captures what it is like to be in a fighter jet.

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The Cove

Colin Parton — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 06:50:04 +0000

The Cove - Louie Psihoyos

This film is more about its making than the event it is documenting. This in itself is very interesting.

The narrative that they construct about the making of the film isn’t great.

There is no huge crisis moment. They try to make this the moment that the request to film on location is denied. We know it is going to be denied, so this is not a big moment at all.

The film crew, led by Louie, is attempting to document the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. We are introduced to the state of play by Richard Barry (Absence of Malice and Flipper).

Where to begin. Every year in Taiji, dolphins are herded into a series of coves to be sold as performing dolphins.

The majority are not chosen. They are herded into a well-protected cove, out of sight of everyone. It is here that they are killed.

The film looks at the background of all of this. Barry was responsible for capturing the dolphins that were used in Flipper. We are presented with information, at length, about how bad captivity is for these social animals.

Barry is so remorseful about helping kick off the industry. He tells us some very harrowing stories.

For example, one of the Flipper dolphins swam into his arms and chose to stop breathing. This was a key moment in Barry’s activism, and he immediately tried to free other dolphins from marine parks.

The sale of dolphins for parks is where the real money is. The rest of the dolphins are killed, and their meat is sold. But dolphin meat is really bad because it has high mercury levels.

Japan knows all of this. It has been through all of this before with another town that used to participate in the trade as well.

There were widespread birth defects. So why would they allow this to happen again?

The movie posits that Japan may actually be very worried about food security.

This is where another part of the film comes in. The International Whaling Commission (IWC).

We get to see some truly farcical scenes as Japan makes its argument for scientific research by killing whales. This doesn’t really hold water for me, as the dolphins are poisonous, and they know.

The IWC does show some crazy stuff that Japan is prepared to do to be able to keep on whaling. Like bribing other governments to vote for it to continue.

The tail end of the film is the most interesting. They have a ‘putting the crew together’ section.

We have maps of the hidden cove and where they plan to station the hidden cameras.

We get to see a dry run to test the underwater equipment. The night vision stuff is excellent and exciting. They don’t let us know if they are successful or not until we see the full footage.

The film is good overall. We get some great background into a hidden industry that we should know is pretty bad now.

The bits that I find hard to understand are why? What does Japan get out of the hunt apart from the performing dolphins being sold?

They did get some interesting vox-pops from Japanese people in other cities about the topic in general, which was interesting but hardly representative. Just sad really.

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The Girl With The White Flag

Colin Parton — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 05:53:34 +0000

The Girl With The White Flag - Tomiko Higa

This book tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa by the U.S. from the perspective of a young girl. This is the first non-fiction book I’ve read in a while.

The book itself was written long after the events took place by the girl in the photograph. She is drawn to tell the tale when the picture becomes famous.

One thing that I found truly amazing about this was that it really did feel like a child’s account of the war.

This is impressive given that it was written by an adult and so long after the events occurred.

There is very little time spent on the overall picture of the war itself. Just broad strokes so we have some idea where she is in relation to the fighting.

This decision to leave the big picture out is perfect. We get to see only what is directly affecting our protagonist.

It also gives the story a very surreal feeling as she wanders around the battlefield.

There is a huge emphasis on animals throughout her ordeal. All of the animals are important to the narrative and also help to explain how she just didn’t go crazy.

At the end of the book, shortly before she surrenders to the Americans, there is a very strange section.

She finds an old couple in a cave. The man has had his arms and legs amputated, and the woman is blind. She spends significant time in the cave with them.

Even now, I don’t know if they were real. They must have been.

Overall, the story was really well told, and you will find it hard to come across another war story from this perspective.

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