Making Waves (I) (2004) User Reviews

Not quite there

[engnorway · 5/10 · 11 October 2004]

This film had a lot of cute moments and elements but as a whole didn't quite work for me. The gimmick of ham radio bringing two people together who have been exaggerating their lives to each other is interesting, but I didn't feel it was used to its potential.

The story, such as it was, felt like a bunch of sequences which should have been compressed into scenes. It didn't build strongly from scene to scene and got sidetracked with some of the atmospheric characters.

The ham radio characters were an interesting mix of people who should have been brought into the story more or been mostly eliminated. I liked all of the ham radio characters but they had little to nothing to do with the actual story.

The shot selection was a little strange at times as well. Some very good, fun moving camera shots followed by really poorly staged static shots made for a jarring effect. The director should never do anything which yanks the audience out of the world he has created, but in this film it happens far too often.

Everything felt like it was one step away from being ready to go. The script needed one more pass (maybe one rewrite and then a polish). Many of the scenes had shots that needed one more take. It needed one more cut with the editor.

But at the same time, being an independent filmmaker myself, I have a ton of respect that this filmmaker was able to get this to a watchable state.

Enjoyable

[cw_hobson · 25 December 2004]

Although the whole radio community stretching to outer space thing could be seen as quite unbelievable (who knows, maybe this goes on!), the characters in making waves were frustrated, yet ultimately honest guys striving to get their break - something that many of us can sympathise with. The slightly off wall backdrop certainly put this film in a separate category to the usual Brit-flick romance films.

I thought that the film flowed in a dream-like manner - by that I mean, once the story started it absorbed you to the very end, and definitely created a feel-good factor. I suppose that there are those who wouldn't like this story - namely pessimists, but for everyone else it's definitely worth it.

Cute, but NOT typical Ham Radio

[Ham-in-MD · 4/10 · 10 June 2012]

This movie might have been acceptable had the plot concerned people meeting and talking in a bar, on an internet forum or chat room, etc., but the movie's depiction of this happening via ham (amateur) radio was flawed in many respects.

Most importantly, the foul language in the film is virtually NEVER heard on the ham bands. In fact it is expressly prohibited by law and any ham who used these words on the air would soon find him/herself heavily fined. If the language persisted, the ham's license would likely be revoked.

Secondly, the idea of a non-ham just picking up a microphone and beginning to chat is ludicrous. Again, this is expressly forbidden by law. Furthermore, this "bootlegging", as it's called in the ham community, is very frowned upon and hams as well as the authorities will go out of their way to identify and stop such rogue operation. For that matter, an unlicensed and untrained person would almost certainly find it impossible to operate complex ham radio equipment.

There are other more minor problems.... Ham calls (their call signs or call letters) are given at least every 10 minutes. And hams don't establish contact by calling out names (or nicknames) as is common in Citizens Band operation. Hams call each other using their officially granted call signs -- again, it's the law. After contact is established, user nicknames will be used, but they don't replace the ham calls.

The above may seem picky, but hams study hard to get their licenses, and it's just offensive to see the ham service portrayed as it is in this film. So to any hams who might have thought of seeing or buying this film, you might want to pass it by. And to all non-hams, know that what this film shows is largely bunk.

The biggest shame of all is that they COULD have so easily got everything right without hurting the plot or the appeal of the movie. In fact, had they just dropped the totally unneeded four letter words, the movie would have been more accurate as well as more entertaining to a wider audience. As for the ham radio part, all they had to do was to ask just one ACTUAL ham for a tiny amount of advice! Very sad.

It's clearly a masterpiece and anyone who thinks otherwise should see me after the film

[drgrjfowler · 9/10 · 29 April 2008]

It's clearly a masterpiece and anyone who thinks otherwise should see me after the film... sublime comedy deep characterisation; walk-on part for the actual Archbish of C (at that time); real Lambeth Palace Grounds (where Archbish lives); That nice bloke who does the older Vet part; good tramp; pathos; possibly bathos also; something for the space geeks; something for the ham radio geeks; the lead actor looks at bit like the guy in 4 wedding; the Rooskie is excellent. Raises an eyebrow towards the more stereotypically stupid antics of feminists while balancing that off against the sometimes blokish awkwardness of, well, blokes (that's 'guys' for any yank readers) around girls. All in all, the word 'honesty' comes to mind, which is a rare event around my neck of the woods.

Real lives in the real world

[fiona_mair · 31 December 2004]

I have to admit to being a little sceptical when I first saw this movie - it seemed just a touch unbelievable. But what I found was a film that actually raises an issue that faces many young people today, namely how to meet new people and, possibly, find love in a big city and a lonely old world. Reaching out to new people can be a daunting thing, particularly following the end of a relationship, and how many of us can be said to have tried desperate measures to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right? Is speed-dating or a blind date so different from the ham radio used in this film? So although we may smirk at a seemingly oddball subject matter, this film is in fact a very pertinent and modern look at the search for love and all that that may entail.

Naive, but Ultimately Sweet & Satisfying

[david-1557 · 8/10 · 24 May 2005]

Engaging performances by a bunch of up and comers elevate this above and beyond what one expects of it. Kind of a cross between a Richard Curtis comedy and an indie adventure, the story takes place in the wilds of London's Blackheath, and represents it fairly. Although it does serves to show an idealised English community - careening dangerously in the direction of twee at times - it does serve to show that there are difficulties in reaching one to one communications these days. It challenges, though in a view askew, the challenges / solutions provided by mediums like the Internet. Though certainly not as gruesomely as Cronenberg's CRASH :) Saw this at Cannes 2005, and the audience seemed as into it as was I. Ultimately, sweet, and involving, and that Susan Benton. What a treat! More please...

Real Homegrown Refreshment

[marysnowden-1 · 8/10 · 4 November 2007]

How refreshing it is to see a great little film about real everyday people facing the dilemmas we are all familiar with, the insecurities, the search for acceptance and the ultimate pursuit of contentment, companionship and love. A great deal sweeter, more satisfying and touching than watching aristocratic baffoons stuck in the, oh so tricky existence of the west London elite! Equally touching is the story behind the film it would seem, I see that the director lost his battle with cancer just a year after shooting was finished never getting to witness his first films release, a real tragedy. He has left behind a debut to relish. Robert Hardy turns in a great performance as always with all the warmth and charm you would expect. Craig Henderson and Susie Benton make a delightful duo, while Tom Bacon, better known for harder, darker roles, makes a hilariously calamitous sidekick. All in all a great ensemble of talent. I highly recommend this little triumph against the odds, an independent British film achieving the release it richly deserves, I guess the industry in the UK isn't dead yet!