The Movies That Made Me...

The Movies That Made Me… Episode 6: Trial By Jury Luke Sorba wrote and directed his first movie on Super 8 when he was 18 years old. "The Mirror Within" won in the Novice Category at Streatham and Norwood Amateur Film Club's Annual Awards. He only made one more (apart from some YouTube sketches) but he has since watched 6000 movies made by other people and owns 1600 on DVD. He spent more teenage hours at the National Film Theatre and the Electric Cinema than anywhere else, and is currently on first name terms with staff at Peckhamplex. Over two hundred books on cinema fill his shelves and he has a complete collection of Monthly Film Bulletin magazines (incorporated in Sight and Sound since 1990) going back to 1964. As an actor and writer, as well as a teacher of story telling Luke brings professional experience to his observations but it his status as a super-fan that sets him apart. He is rare among enthusiasts in that there is no period nor genre nor country whose movies he is not curious about. From Intolerance to Inception, The St Valentine's Day Massacre to The Belles of St Trinian's, Do the Right Thing to Dr Dolittle, Zombieland to Nomadland, Superfly to Superman, Tod Browning to Todd Haynes, Federico Fellini to The Fast and Furious, Monika Treut to Monica Bellucci, there is a place for everyone in The Movies That Made Me. Luke Sorba and Andrew Paine previously collaborated on the online improvised comedy show "Unmute". Together they make up Picard Productions. Episode 6 features… Lee Apsey is an award-winning writer, director, producer and performer across film, theatre and digital media. His accomplishments range from critically acclaimed feature films and TV pilots to multiple sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Fringe and Leicester Square Theatre atop a multi-million viewership across online projects. As an improviser he has taught and performed in the UK, Europe, Asia and United States for over a decade. He is the co-founder of CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation (“A Spectacular must see” - ☆☆☆☆☆ Bunberry Magazine) as well as currently performing Your Flaws: The Musical and freestyle rap show Slice of Rhyme. Susie Labinjoh is a civil liberties and human rights solicitor. She specialises in: civil actions against the police and other public bodies; related human rights claims; compensation claims for victims of miscarriage of justice and public law challenges related to these areas. In her spare time she enjoys film, theatre and podcasts amongst other things! Trials By Jury... JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (2000) d Gale Edwards Possibly the most famous miscarriage of justice, this time presented as a rock opera. Made washing your hands in public a trope 2000 years before Covid. Contrasts: Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) d Norman Jewison; The Passion of the Christ (2004) d Mel Gibson; The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) d Martin Scorsese MRS DOUBTFIRE (1993) d Chris Columbus Alongside Aladdin. and Good Morning Vietnam a fantastic platform for the comedic talent of Robin Williams. And by no means as sentimental as some of Williams’ subsequent films. Contrasts: Kramer vs Kramer (1979) d Robert Benton; Tootsie (1982) d Sydney Pollack TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) d Robert Mulligan A classic movie (adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic book) which is particularly interesting to revisit with a post-Black Lives Matter perspective. Racism, justice, community – all through the gaze of a child. Contrast: In the Name of the Father (1993) d Jim Sheridan JUST MERCY (2019) d Destin Daniel Cretton Jamie Foxx reminds us how incredibly versatile he is in this searing true story about a black man falsely convicted of a murder that takes place in the Harper Lee’s home town. Contrast: A Few Good Men (1992) Rob Reiner A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946) d Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger A wonderfully rich film that is both truly of its time – just after World War 2 – and yet its playing with form and dealing with...

The Movies That Made Me… Episode 5: Screen Partnerships Luke Sorba wrote and directed his first movie on Super 8 when he was 18 years old. "The Mirror Within" won in the Novice Category at Streatham and Norwood Amateur Film Club's Annual Awards. He only made one more (apart from some YouTube sketches) but he has since watched 6000 movies made by other people and owns 1600 on DVD. He spent more teenage hours at the National Film Theatre and the Electric Cinema than anywhere else, and is currently on first name terms with staff at Peckhamplex. Over two hundred books on cinema fill his shelves and he has a complete collection of Monthly Film Bulletin magazines (incorporated in Sight and Sound since 1990) going back to 1964. As an actor and writer, as well as a teacher of story telling Luke brings professional experience to his observations but it his status as a super-fan that sets him apart. He is rare among enthusiasts in that there is no period nor genre nor country whose movies he is not curious about. From Intolerance to Inception, The St Valentine's Day Massacre to The Belles of St Trinian's, Do the Right Thing to Dr Dolittle, Zombieland to Nomadland, Superfly to Superman, Tod Browning to Todd Haynes, Federico Fellini to The Fast and Furious, Monika Treut to Monica Bellucci, there is a place for everyone in The Movies That Made Me. Luke Sorba and Andrew Paine previously collaborated on the online improvised comedy show "Unmute". Together they make up Picard Productions. Episode 5 features… Lesley Ann Albiston is a comedy playwright, theatre director, actor improviser, teacher and fine artist. Her recent plays Chop Me Up Or Let Me Go and A Slice Of Eel Pie have been performed on the London Fringe to great reviews. Lesley Ann shares her birthday with one of her favourite film directors, Alfred Hitchcock. Twitter: @LesleyAnnAlbist Neil Cole is an actor, playing several roles in Amazon Prime horror anthology series Dark Ditties Presents… and lead roles in forthcoming feature films The Chain and Sentinel. He is a also an award-winning comedian and presenter (MTV, National Geographic, Eurosport) Twitter: @neilcole https://theneilcoleshow.com Howdy Partners... WAY OUT WEST d James Horne (1937) Peak sound era Laurel and Hardy, the template for so many male comedy double acts from Abbott and Costello to Dumb and Dumber. Contrast: Stan and Ollie (2018) FIGHT CLUB d David Fincher (1999) Edward Norton in a study of toxic masculinity from before the term was coined and when Brad Pitt was still a screen actor (and a good one!) rather than just a screen persona. Contrast: A Beautiful Mind (2001) when Russell Crowe was still a screen actor (and a good one!) rather than just a screen persona. SOME LIKE IT HOT d Billy Wilder (1959) The second Billy Wilder movie to be chosen by a guest on The Movies That Made Me… and why not? Starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, this is genuine Hollywood gold (albeit based on an obscure French movie from 1935 called Fanfare of Love). Contrast: Shakespeare in Love (1998) See below… SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE d John Madden (1998) More cross-dressing and disguises (see above) this time with Joseph Fiennes. One of the best ever representations of theatre on film. Plus one of a tiny number of movies in which you don’t wish Gwyneth Paltrow had been replaced by another actress. Contrast: Stage Beauty (2004) THE PRODUCERS d Mel Brooks (1967) Quite simply my favourite comedy ever, with career-defining performances from Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Though originally scheduled to star Peter Sellers and Dustin Hoffman! Contrast: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971) Inter-generational satire from Hal Ashby more famous for box office hits Being There and Shampoo, critically-acclaimed The Last Detail and Best Picture Oscar winner Coming Home. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon star in his most original film. Contrast: The Mother (2003) End Credits Luke Sorba: Host Twitter:...

The Movies That Made Me… Episode 4: Want To Change The World Luke Sorba wrote and directed his first movie on Super 8 when he was 18 years old. "The Mirror Within" won in the Novice Category at Streatham and Norwood Amateur Film Club's Annual Awards. He only made one more (apart from some YouTube sketches) but he has since watched 6000 movies made by other people and owns 1600 on DVD. He spent more teenage hours at the National Film Theatre and the Electric Cinema than anywhere else, and is currently on first name terms with staff at Peckhamplex. Over two hundred books on cinema fill his shelves and he has a complete collection of Monthly Film Bulletin magazines (incorporated in Sight and Sound since 1990) going back to 1964. As an actor and writer, as well as a teacher of story telling Luke brings professional experience to his observations but it his status as a super-fan that sets him apart. He is rare among enthusiasts in that there is no period nor genre nor country whose movies he is not curious about. From Intolerance to Inception, The St Valentine's Day Massacre to The Belles of St Trinian's, Do the Right Thing to Dr Dolittle, Zombieland to Nomadland, Superfly to Superman, Tod Browning to Todd Haynes, Federico Fellini to The Fast and Furious, Monika Treut to Monica Bellucci, there is a place for everyone in The Movies That Made Me. Luke Sorba and Andrew Paine previously collaborated on the online improvised comedy show "Unmute". Together they make up Picard Productions. Episode 4 features… Stella Duffy is a writer and psychotherapist. She is an award-winning writer of seventeen novels, over seventy short stories and fourteen plays. Stella worked in theatre for over thirty-five years as an actor, director, facilitator and improvisor and received the OBE for Services to the Arts in 2016. She is also a yoga teacher and runs yoga-for-writing workshops. Alongside her private psychotherapy practice, Stella works for a low-cost community mental health service. She is in the third year of a doctorate training in Existential Psychotherapy and her research is in the embodied experience of postmenopause. Twitter: @stellduffy Web: https://stelladuffytherapy.co.uk/ Anshu Srivastava spent twenty-five years training and working as an architect, before changing direction and becoming a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Web www.mra.co.uk Web www.srivastavatherapy.co.uk The Movies That Made Them Want To Change The World GREGORY’S GIRL (d Bill Forsyth) 1981 A film that is sweet without being sentimental, hopeful without being naïve, with an object of desire that subtly takes control. A remarkable portrait of an unremarkable teenager. Contrast - The Inbetweeners Movie BOY (d Taika Waititi) 2012 A father and son re-unite, two cultures join across an ocean, and innocence is on the line in 1980’s Aotearoa / New Zealand. Waititi’s blend of humour and pathos, of optimism and discovery is already laid out in his most autobiographical movie. The end credits sequence is outstanding! Contrast - Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol.2 THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (d Gillo Pontecorvo) 1966 So realistic some audiences thought they were watching a documentary. Banned in France for being to honest about its colonial past. Proudly political it is simultaneously gripping as a human drama, thriller and war movie. Contrast – The Wind that Shakes the Barley DESERT HEARTS (d Donna Deitch) 1985 A landmark movie as Queer Cinema meets the mainstream, putting Jane Rule’s 1964 romantic novel on screen – stunning landscapes, honest performances with actors and director putting their careers on the line. It was viciously attacked by the New York Times but is now a deserved cult classic. Contrast – Lianna THE FLORIDA PROJECT (d Sean Baker) 2017 The most sublime final sequence I have witnessed this century. And the movie before that is pretty darn great too! It excels across more than one genre and is one of the best movies centred on a single building, in...

The Movies That Made Me… Episode 3: LOVE Luke Sorba wrote and directed his first movie on Super 8 when he was 18 years old. "The Mirror Within" won in the Novice Category at Streatham and Norwood Amateur Film Club's Annual Awards. He only made one more (apart from some YouTube sketches) but he has since watched 6000 movies made by other people and owns 1600 on DVD. He spent more teenage hours at the National Film Theatre and the Electric Cinema than anywhere else, and is currently on first name terms with staff at Peckhamplex. Over two hundred books on cinema fill his shelves and he has a complete collection of Monthly Film Bulletin magazines (incorporated in Sight and Sound since 1990) going back to 1964. As an actor and writer, as well as a teacher of story telling Luke brings professional experience to his observations but it his status as a super-fan that sets him apart. He is rare among enthusiasts in that there is no period nor genre nor country whose movies he is not curious about. From Intolerance to Inception, The St Valentine's Day Massacre to The Belles of St Trinian's, Do the Right Thing to Dr Dolittle, Zombieland to Nomadland, Superfly to Superman, Tod Browning to Todd Haynes, Federico Fellini to The Fast and Furious, Monika Treut to Monica Bellucci, there is a place for everyone in The Movies That Made Me. Luke Sorba and Andrew Paine previously collaborated on the online improvised comedy show "Unmute". Together they make up Picard Productions. Episode 3 Features... Martha Julier is a film graduate, and a Script Editor working in TV Drama. Despite this, she has somehow retained her love of Film & TV. As a freelance script editor, Martha’s worked on projects for BBC, ITV and FX/Disney+. Dan O’Connor is one of the world's foremost innovators in unscripted theatre. He is a multifaceted actor, improviser, writer, and director performing on television and stage around the world. His training includes the American Conservatory Theater and extensive work with Keith Johnstone (Author of Impro) since 1986. He is a graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Dan is the founder of the critically acclaimed Impro Theatre and is a co-founder of BATS Improv in San Francisco and LA Theatresports. Dan has been teaching internationally for 30 years training writers, actors and directors about narrative storytelling and exploring the future of theatre. In that time he has also worked with corporate clients using improvisation as tool for adaptation and change. He has been guest performer with everyone from Second City to Groundlings. Most recently he has developed the "LIVING STORY BOARD" with Stephen Kearin an ongoing development process for animators, storyboard artists and writers at Disney and Dreamworks Animation. He co-wrote Life UnScripted: Using Improv Principles to Get Unstuck, Boost Confidence, and Transform Your Life published by North Atlantic Books. You can watch Dan’s TED Talk titled “Improvising a Better World” by clicking here. Love Is In The Air... IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946 (Frank Capra) Post-war America in need of healing finds family man and community leader, Jimmy Stewart on the precipice of self-destruction. Can love pull him back? The movie that most defines Capra-esque. Contrast: A Christmas Carol (1951) MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE 1985 (Stephen Frears) Race, Class, Sexuality and Toxic Masculinity all explored with candour and passion decades before “woke” meant anything more than what you did before eating breakfast. Hanif Kureishi’s best screenplay, the launch of Daniel Day-Lewis as a movie star. Against a backdrop of heartless Thatcherite Britain. Contrast: Loving (2016) STRICTLY BALLROOM 1992 (Baz Luhrmann) The movie that gave the BBC the title (well, half) of its most popular TV show of the last twenty years. Outsiders from different worlds come together in the Australian auteur’s first film. The sequence using Cindy Lauper’s True Colours is sublime. Contrast:...

Movies That Made Me… Episode 2: Creative Artists Luke Sorba wrote and directed his first movie on Super 8 when he was 18 years old. "The Mirror Within" won in the Novice Category at Streatham and Norwood Amateur Film Club's Annual Awards. He only made one more (apart from some YouTube sketches) but he has since watched 6000 movies made by other people and owns 1600 on DVD. He spent more teenage hours at the National Film Theatre and the Electric Cinema than anywhere else, and is currently on first name terms with staff at Peckhamplex. Over two hundred books on cinema fill his shelves and he has a complete collection of Monthly Film Bulletin magazines (incorporated in Sight and Sound since 1990) going back to 1964. As an actor and writer, as well as a teacher of story telling Luke brings professional experience to his observations but it his status as a super-fan that sets him apart. He is rare among enthusiasts in that there is no period nor genre nor country whose movies he is not curious about. From Intolerance to Inception, The St Valentine's Day Massacre to The Belles of St Trinian's, Do the Right Thing to Dr Dolittle, Zombieland to Nomadland, Superfly to Superman, Tod Browning to Todd Haynes, Federico Fellini to The Fast and Furious, Monika Treut to Monica Bellucci, there is a place for everyone in The Movies That Made Me. Luke Sorba and Andrew Paine previously collaborated on the online improvised comedy show "Unmute". Together they make up Picard Productions. Episode 2 features… Tai Campbell is a writer, director, comedian, celebrity impressionist and life long film fan. A founding member of the UK's first all Black improv team Do The Right Scene, he has credits include BBC One, BBC Three and Vice. He enjoys pretty much anything that can make him laugh and is a real sucker for a great story Suki Webster most recently starred in “Motorhoming with Merton and Webster” a six part travel show on Channel 5. Suki is a founder member of the critically acclaimed “Paul Merton’s Impro Chums”. She is a regular guest with The Comedy Store Players and appeared in the West End run of One Word Improv co-starring with Eddie Izzard and ‘Whose Line is It Anyway Live’. She also has her own Improv show ‘Suki Webster’s Guest Speaker.’ In 2018/19 Suki wrote and starred in a Radio 4 sitcom ‘My Obsession.’ Film & TV work includes: Comic Act (Gemini Films). The New Adventures of Robin Hood (Warner Brothers, US TV), Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes To Glastonbury (BBC2) and Baby Father (BBC2). Radio: Just A Minute (R4) The Impro Musical (R2). Theatre Work: Court In The Act and Passport to Danger (Watford Palace Theatre & Chichester) A Visit From Miss Prothero, Mon Droit and Making News. (Edinburgh Festival.) Our Creative Artists come from… MY FAVOURITE YEAR 1982 (Richard Benjamin) Set in the 1950’s heyday of live television with a tour de force from Peter O’Toole and based on the memories of Mel Brooks and the shock he got when he met his screen idol, Errol Flynn in real life. Contrast: Last Action Hero (1993) THE JACKSONS – AN AMERICAN DREAM 1992 (Karen Arthur) Five hour epic biopic of one of the most talented and famous musical families in history and a look at the pain offstage as well as the genius on it. Contrast: The Sound of Music (1965) SUNSET BLVD 1950 (Billy Wilder) The most famous street in cinema houses a fallen silent movie star from a bygone era and a hack Hollywood screenwriter feeding off each other to survive in an industry that consumes everyone. Contrast: Singing in The Rain (1952) THE SHINING 1980 (Stanley Kubrick) Wannabe great American novelist Jack Nicholson gets writer’s block holed up off season in creepy Overlook Hotel and his family suffer the consequences. Contrast: The Haunting (1963) A MIGHTY WIND 2003 (Christopher Guest) Affectionate parody of the 60’s US Folk Revival scene in particular and Band Reunions in general. Featuring the late, legendary Fred Willard who once said to Luke “you are very funny” and he...

Movies That Made Me: Episode 1: Heroes Luke Sorba wrote and directed his first movie on Super 8 when he was 18 years old. "The Mirror Within" won in the Novice Category at Streatham and Norwood Amateur Film Club's Annual Awards. He only made one more (apart from some YouTube sketches) but he has since watched 6000 movies made by other people and owns 1600 on DVD. He spent more teenage hours at the National Film Theatre and the Electric Cinema than anywhere else, and is currently on first name terms with staff at Peckhamplex. Over two hundred books on cinema fill his shelves and he has a complete collection of Monthly Film Bulletin magazines (incorporated in Sight and Sound since 1990) going back to 1964. As an actor and writer, as well as a teacher of story telling Luke brings professional experience to his observations but it his status as a super-fan that sets him apart. He is rare among enthusiasts in that there is no period nor genre nor country whose movies he is not curious about. From Intolerance to Inception, The St Valentine's Day Massacre to The Belles of St Trinian's, Do the Right Thing to Dr Dolittle, Zombieland to Nomadland, Superfly to Superman, Tod Browning to Todd Haynes, Federico Fellini to The Fast and Furious, Monika Treut to Monica Bellucci, there is a place for everyone in The Movies That Made Me. Luke Sorba and Andrew Paine previously collaborated on the online improvised comedy show "Unmute". Together they make up Picard Productions. Episode 1 features… Talal Karkouti Talal is a British-Syrian comedian and actor. He is the co-host and producer of The Alexei Sayle Podcast and just won 2nd place in The Musical Comedy Awards 2022. He also co-hosts the music review show DJARBIC with his brother on the Tarboosh Records YouTube channel. Pippa Evans Pippa is an award-winning performer specialising in improvisation and musical comedy. You may have heard her on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue on Radio 4 or seen her creating instant musicals with Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Pippa is the author of Improv Your Life: An Improviser's Guide To Embracing Whatever Life Throws At You and can be found teaching improv workshops online via her website pippaevans.com. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and her cat. Twitter/Insta @iampippaevans Our Heroes ALADDIN 1992 (d. John Musker, Ron Clements) Classic Disney from its 90’s revival era with Robin Williams at his peak, and centred around a street kid from Agrabah negotiating love, magic and the spite and might of the Grand Vizier. APOCALYPTO 2006 (d. Mel Gibson) Having shot Passion of the Christ in ancient Aramaic, Gibson’s next was entirely in Yucatec. One Mayan tribe fights for survival against another while the invading Conquistadors approach to change the land forever. THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939 (d. Victor Fleming) The most famous shoes in movie history propel Judy Garland on an unforgettable adventure that is part fable, part nightmare and fully merits its legendary status. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1994 (d. Frank Darabont) iconic prison movie with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman trying to stay alive on the inside. While secretly planning life on the outside. CASABLANCA 1942 (d. Michael Curtiz) Humphrey Bogart has retired from, while Ingrid Bergman is facing up, the epic struggle to save Europe from fascism. They meet again… in Casablanca. TAKEN 2008 (d. Pierre Morel) Unofficial remake of “An American in Paris”. With killing instead of dancing. (Trivia: Maggie Grace who played 55 yr old Liam Neeson’s teenage daughter was actually 24. Leslie Caron who played 38 yr old Gene Kelly’s love interest was only 19). Links Luke Sorba (Host) : Twitter @LukeSorbaLabour Andrew Paine (Producer & Audio Engineer) : Twitter @ItPainesMe