There is little doubt that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost intended Paul to be an enjoyable romp through the collective memory of all the classic Science Fiction feature films of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and, if nothing else, it succeeds in being a heartfelt love letter to the extra-terrestrial. However, as an original comedy from the pedigree of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz it does feel a little underwhelming.

That’s not to say that it isn’t enjoyable or that it doesn’t play to its strengths; it does, although there is such a sense of prevailing familiarity about the whole proceedings that it fails to totally grip you or draw you in. Still, you’re more than happy to take the proverbial ride over again because the leads are so amiable and the swift-moving plot never attempts to be taxing.

Illustrator Graeme Willy (Pegg) along with his childhood friend and collaborator ‘the writer’ Clive Gollings (Frost) have decided to round off their visit to San Diego’s Comic-Con convention by taking a road trip navigating America’s most famous UFO hot spots, including Area 51, The Black Mailbox and Roswell.  Whilst driving their RV through the night, a car pulls out, swerves off the road and explodes right in front of them.  The duo stop to help and are confronted by ‘Paul’ (Seth Rogen), an extremely laid-back and uncouth alien who convinces them that he’s been held prisoner on Earth for the last 60 years and needs their assistance to get home.

In hot pursuit is Special Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman), aided by two inept FBI tenderfoots (Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio) who track them down at the ‘Pearly Gates RV’ park, where they learn that the trio have absconded with the proprietor’s daughter Ruth (Kristen Wiig), a devout, one-eyed, Creationist Christian who believes that the Earth is 4000 years old and could only have been created by intelligent design.  It transpires that during Paul’s captivity he has been aiding the government in a wide variety of scientific endeavours; he’s even influenced popular culture, and in an amusing telephone cameo, Steven Spielberg enthusiastically receives research material to develop E.T. from him.

It appears that Paul has imparted all his otherworldly secrets and that the government were planning to dispose of him before he escaped. What they don’t know is that he has a series of special abilities, including thought transference and the power of healing.  In a key scene, he restores Ruth’s bad eye and then telepathically shares all of his experiences with her, thus bringing about the sudden shattering of her faith and an amusing transformation as she learns to curse and do all the naughty things her zealous father had hitherto forbidden; this evolutional debate is as meaty as Paul gets and given the otherwise broad nature of the humor it feels somewhat at odds with the tone of the picture.

The last reel directly parodies E.T. as Paul arranges to meet the Mothership that’s taking him home near the landmark Devil’s Tower featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind; it also unmasks the guest villain of the piece, the ‘Big Guy’ (Sigourney Weaver) who Special Agent Lorenzo Zoil (groan) reports to.  Paul mockingly remarks as he boards the spacecraft that everyone has learned something from the experience, “Be yourself, speak from the heart, some shit like that?” and the lads nonchalantly admit that they do feel “a bit different”, but the coda which plays out over the closing credits is far more telling. It shows Willy and Gollings being heralded by their hero, the Sci-Fi novelist Adam Shadowchild (Jeffrey Tambor) as the creators of the award-winning book “Paul” based upon their exploits, and it would seem that this desire for a popular and commercial success is what the movie Paul is ultimately all about.

Regrettably, Paul is the victim of its own budgetary requirements. In order to create the extremely convincing computer-generated titular character, the film caves in to the necessary surfeit of titty, pot and fart gags at the cost of genuine wit, real suspense and authentic mystery.  Having said that, I can’t blame Pegg and Frost for wanting a big box office hit to cement their Hollywood careers and, despite the script’s shortcomings, their onscreen chemistry is undeniable.

The Universal Pictures Blu-ray release is presented in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a full 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 transfer.  Not only is there an incredible amount of detail in Paul’s eyes and elongated fingertips but the high definition brings great depth to the wide American landscapes that set the backdrop.  The DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack is as crisp and dynamic as you’d expect from a modern Sci-Fi movie, the sound really travels most notably when Paul displays his special ability of thought transference.  There is also a mass of extra material which we’ve come to expect from previous Big Talk Productions, the best of which is Between the Lightning Strikes: The Making of ‘Paul’ which contains extensive interviews with the principal cast and creative team.

Paul isn’t a bad film, but given Pegg and Frost’s track record, it could have been a truly great one. I don’t mean to detract from the solid work of either director Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland) or diminish David Arnold’s (current James Bond composer) original score. Nevertheless one just can’t help imagining how much better it could have been with the team’s regular director Edgar Wright behind the camera and a lovingly tongue-in-cheek John Williams theme tune!

Ella Whitehead returns as Francine Witt in the darker, twistier second instalment of the series.

Fans of wine-soaked mysteries, feminist intrigue, and Francine Witt’s unforgettable wit have reason to celebrate: the audiobook edition of BOTTLED UP: A Francine Witt Mystery is officially out on Audible and Apple Books.

Narrator Ella Whitehead, whose performance in FULL BODIED brought Francine’s voice to life with charm, vulnerability, and razor-sharp comedic timing, steps back into the role with even greater nuance. This time, Francine’s world expands far beyond the vineyards of France – and so do the dangers.

A Mystery Uncorked Across Continents

What begins as a commissioned biography spirals into a labyrinth of lost rituals, Masonic secrets, and the lingering legacy of Empress Joséphine Bonaparte. When Francine and her new assistant, Rosalind Downing, stumble upon a sealed bottle marked with an ancient glyph, they are drawn into a mystery that stretches from Paris to Morocco and deep into the shadows of nineteenth-century esoterica.

As Egyptology and memory rituals collide with modern obsession, the stakes rise – and Francine discovers that some spirits should never be disturbed.

Why the Audiobook Shines

Ella Whitehead’s narration captures every shift in mood:

•  The crackle of danger behind each revelation,
•  The dry humour of Francine’s internal monologue,
•  The warmth and complexity of her growing bond with Rosalind,
•  The escalating dread as the ritualistic killings close in.

Her performance sharpens the novel’s feminist energy and gives voice to Francine’s resilience as she navigates secrets that powerful men tried to bury for centuries.

A Perfect Pour for Fans of Smart, Atmospheric Mysteries

If you loved Fran’s first adventure, BOTTLED UP takes everything one step deeper: more historical intrigue, more emotional stakes, more red herrings, and a richer exploration of the series’ signature theme – women reclaiming the narratives written about them.

Whether you’re listening on your commute or curled up with a glass of wine, this audiobook will pull you straight into Francine’s world and refuse to let you go.

Now available on:

• Audible : Visit Audible to grab your copy. If you’re new to Audible, Prime members can enjoy two free audiobooks during their trial. Plus, you’ll have access to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
• Apple Books : Download from the app on your iPhone, iPad, or desktop. Take Francine’s adventures with you wherever you go!

So, my fellow mystery enthusiasts, pour yourself a glass, settle in, and let Ella Whitehead take you straight into the heart of the mystery with BOTTLED UP – available to listen today.

When I heard that teenage heartthrob Zac Efron was going to star in Richard Linklater’s film based on the novel by Robert Kaplow about a fledgling actor who gets his lucky break playing Lucius in Orson Welles’ legendary Mercury Theatre Broadway debut production of Julius Caesar in 1937, I was a little uneasy yet undeterred due to my enduring fascination with Welles it was always going to be compulsory viewing.

Having sat through at least two of the High School Musical movies my expectations were set suitably low, however much to my surprise Efron acquits himself rather well here as his easy looks and effortless charm are a perfect fit for the role of Richard Samuels, an indefatigable stage-struck romantic who forms a rapport with the celebrated iconoclast Orson Welles played with startling verisimilitude by newcomer Christian McKay.

The film is set just after Orson and producer John Houseman (Eddie Marsan) had their admirable run in with the government over the censorship of the musical The Cradle Will Rock due to writer Marc Blitzstein’s affiliation to the Communist Party.  This was a Federal Theatre Production; the project was one of FDR’s New Deal initiatives aimed at giving jobless men practical work during the Great Depression, however Blitzstein’s play had a pro-unionist message that did not sit well with the presiding administration and the theatre was locked and all the props seized provoking Welles and Houseman to hire an alternative venue out of their own pockets to stage an impromptu performance requiring some of the cast to deliver their lines from seats in the audience; the cause célèbre was documented in Tim Robbins’ 1999 movie of the same name.

After the incident both Welles and Houseman resigned from the Federal Theatre and formed the Mercury Players starting a repertory company including Joseph Cotton (James Tupper) and Norman Lloyd (Leo Bill) many of whom would feature in most, if not all, of Welles future productions on stage, radio and screen.  Their debut show was to be a modern dress version of Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar drawing a comparison to contemporary Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini; adapting the key scene featuring Cinna the Poet and having him brutally murdered not by an angry mob but a secret police force.

One of the film’s great strengths lies in showing a working theatre from both sides of the curtain.  It also shines a light on Welles’ eccentric working methods, particularly the way in which he handled his fellow actors, seducing or inciting their very best performances out of them.  It also depicts his dedicated dashing from one radio show to another, lending his vocal talents at the drop of a hat either as The Shadow or another random character part, to fund his own productions; apparently he hired an ambulance to beat the New York traffic as there was no law saying you had to be ill to travel in one!

Whilst it’s fair to say that due to Welles’ massive persona Christian McKay steals every scene he is in, Zac Efron and Claire Danes still have ample screen time to explore their mutual attraction in a series of well played “meet-cute” wisecracking scenes reminiscent of the screwball farces of the period.  Director Linklater does remarkably well with a relatively low-budget and no-frills approach, the obvious area in which there has been no scrimping is in the script’s marvellous attention to historical detail, taking its time and never underestimating the attention span of the audience.

Given Zac Efron’s bankability there must have been a huge temptation to make creative compromises in order to reach a wider market, luckily the producers elected to make the movie in the Isle of Man, a tax haven, allowing them far greater artistic control but unfortunately limiting the distribution options and consequently the film has been seen by few people which is a great shame.

The initial home video releases in the UK were strictly limited to one supermarket chain and it has yet to emerge in high definition, although fortunately the German Blu-ray release has a full 1080p VC-1 picture resolution and an optional DTS-HD 5.1 English audio soundtrack, without forced subtitles.  I can imagine how hard it is, given the subject matter, to get a movie like Me and Orson Welles made at all, so praise is due to Richard Linklater and I hope in time the film finds the audience it truly deserves.