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Post by legios on Dec 21, 2015 22:56:21 GMT
Caught the Blue Peter episode - it had the Purves, it was a requirement - and part of the thing on Children's television. That was a great watch - fair took me back in places that did.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Dec 21, 2015 23:16:18 GMT
The Blue Peter was great, albeit one that had been repeated before and quite recently. Classic presenting line up.
The Play school..... oh dear. No Windows, No toys and most importantly NO BRIAN CANT! Really did need to be Brian, or failing that Derek Griffiths/Johnny Ball. The only reason I'd hear of Lionel Morton is that his name features in the nativity play spliff story.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 22, 2015 8:47:05 GMT
Some promising stuff airing for the first time over Christmas, or more accurately beginning on Boxing Day - 'Dickensian' begins at 7pm, and then for detective fans, a new three-part adaptation of 'And Then There Were None' begins at 9.
Martin
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Post by legios on Dec 22, 2015 16:42:32 GMT
It is two days before Christmas, and I am therefore watching Labyrinth... And joining in with the Goblin Dialogue, as is the tradition.
(Also, as is traditional, I have noticed something that I either missed before or had forgotten in the opening stages of the film. It is amazing how much information you can put into one "roundabout pan" at the top of the scene).
Also, the goblins are never not hilarious.
Karl
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 24, 2015 19:53:00 GMT
This Christmas I am mostly box-set bingeing on 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles', which is damn good. It explores all the angles of the Terminator concept that blockbuster movies have no space for.
And move over, Robert Patrick, Shirley killer-robot-in-The-World-is-Not-Enough-music-video Manson is a Scottish T-1000! A Scottish T-1000 CEO in a boardroom who attacks men from the liquid metal disguise form of a urinal! Come on!!
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Dec 25, 2015 0:22:40 GMT
It's a surprisingly decent show, not something I held out high hopes for initially!
Andy
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 25, 2015 7:43:27 GMT
It's a surprisingly decent show, not something I held out high hopes for initially! Andy It erases the Terminator 3 timeline, which cannot be a bad thing. I can also see now where Terminator: Genisys got a lot of its ideas. Terminator... the only franchise where Martin considers it acceptable - even helpful - to keep erasing the timeline. Martin |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 26, 2015 18:15:59 GMT
Finished Terminator SCC. Cracking good story-writing. It kept confounding my expectations. And even though it's a by-product of the series getting cancelled (perhaps because it didn't patronise and hand-hold the viewer enough to maintain the ratings?), I actually love the way it ends with lots of stuff only partially explained. Great sci-fi telly.
Martin
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Post by legios on Dec 28, 2015 22:01:31 GMT
It's a surprisingly decent show, not something I held out high hopes for initially! Andy It erases the Terminator 3 timeline, which cannot be a bad thing. I can also see now where Terminator: Genisys got a lot of its ideas. Terminator... the only franchise where Martin considers it acceptable - even helpful - to keep erasing the timeline. Martin Just as well really, considering the number of different "the futures" that are implied across the course of the two seasons. Glad you enjoyed it - I thought it was one of the cleverer ways the terminator mythos has been used. (And discovering Shirley Manson is some sort of T-1000 or derivative actually explained quite a lot...) Karl |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 2, 2016 18:59:16 GMT
Ah Mission Impossible. Still a decent film. The levels of technology are amusing at times. I do miss old style laptop technology.
MI2 not seen since cinema. Was not impressed then. Time to reassess.
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Post by legios on Jan 4, 2016 20:50:38 GMT
Well, I did finish And Then There Were None...
I don't know why I do this to myself - every adaptation that gets done of this story, under whichever title, I always end up watching and I always conclude the same thing. All the characters are genuinely horrible people who I can't summon up the enthusiasm to hope survive, which makes the entire proceeding somewhat less than academic really. It was a very good production though, with a cracking cast doing a great job, so I was able to rather enjoy it on that level at least.
I've also been watching Dickensian. There is something genuinely bizarre about watching what is basically Charles Dickens Fan-fiction on television. To be honest it feels like it is getting by on the sillyness of its central conceit, and a good cast who seem to be making a decent fist of the material. The ending of the most recent moments was one of those double-take inducing moments of "things you never expect to hear said". (And becomes even funnier when your head insists on a quick replay to see what it looks like with Muppets).
Still need to catch up with Sherlock, but my sister says it is one that needs the wits about you, so probably best left until Wednesday's exam I think.
Karl
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Post by blueshift on Jan 4, 2016 21:03:28 GMT
I don't know why I do this to myself - every adaptation that gets done of this story, under whichever title, I always end up watching and I always conclude the same thing. All the characters are genuinely horrible people who I can't summon up the enthusiasm to hope survive, which makes the entire proceeding somewhat less than academic really. Are you sure Karl? I'm pretty sure that every other film/tv adaption was based on the stageplay, where it turns out that the last two (the woman and the man) were actually innocent of the crimes they were accused of, and the woman pretends to kill the man to trick the judge and then they defeat him |
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Post by browny87 on Jan 4, 2016 21:09:44 GMT
yeah id leave it till you can focus its an odd one! good but odd
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Post by legios on Jan 4, 2016 21:11:14 GMT
You could be right about that - I'm just remembering what I tend to conclude about the characters for some reason. But then, I generally don't end up particularly strongly disposed to Christie's characters in general (I am not a fan of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot either) it has to me said so it may just be that it is the wrong source author for me.
It is far from impossible for me to have gone into it having misremember the ending of previous adaptations - I've not actually seen one for a good many years so my memory may be playing tricks on me (I'm no longer a young man, and age does terrible things to the head-blancmange. :-) )
Karl
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 4, 2016 21:43:47 GMT
Are you sure Karl? I'm pretty sure that every other film/tv adaption was based on the stageplay, where it turns out that the last two (the woman and the man) were actually innocent of the crimes they were accused of, and the woman pretends to kill the man to trick the judge and then they defeat him The original ending to the novel had everyone die. When Agatha Christie adapted it for stage she gave it the more upbeat alternative Disneyfied ending that you describe. However, the original ending is now back in favour. I saw it on the stage in Cardiff last year where it was performed by the Agatha Christie Theatre Company, and everyone died, just the same as in last week's TV mini-series. Martin |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 18, 2016 7:10:40 GMT
So far this year I have been watching:
BBC1 - Dickensian / War and Peace
ITV1 - Beowulf - Return to the Shieldlands
E4/C4 - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD season 3
Nothing so far to blow me away, and nothing terrible either. The six-part W&P is well done but too condensed, turning a historical masterpiece of literature into just another period drama. Beowulf is very good considering its timeslot, but no Game of Thrones. Two episodes in, season 3 of SHIELD seems to be better than season 2, having lost much of its annoying angst - but it's still early days.
Martin
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 26, 2016 17:01:39 GMT
Back onto Fraiser in our house. Must be out tenth run through. It's just... immortal comedy. Magnificent. Nyles is my hero.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 26, 2016 17:16:07 GMT
I do love Frasier.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 26, 2016 18:27:27 GMT
Couldn't stand it. The show stopping every few minutes so a 'hilarious' caption could very slowly appear on screen got right on my tits. It remains a mystery how that got past it's first season. Only Smallville rivals it for inexplicable longevity.
*foams at mouth*
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 27, 2016 18:17:01 GMT
Couldn't stand it. The show stopping every few minutes so a 'hilarious' caption could very slowly appear on screen got right on my tits. It remains a mystery how that got past it's first season. Only Smallville rivals it for inexplicable longevity. *foams at mouth* -Ralph Doctor! I- I- I'm shocked. Shocked! And.... I think I need to think about things.... Where my loyalty should lay.... |
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Post by Bogatan on Jan 27, 2016 19:40:44 GMT
Love Fraiser, but havent watched it since first airing in the UK and then I've missed a lot. I picked up the complete box set last year which I need to sit down and watch soon.
Though I may look for the complete Cheers set first. I caught the first few seasons on ITV 2 or somewhere a few years ago, I'd forgotten how good it was too.
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Post by Bogatan on Jan 27, 2016 19:41:38 GMT
I'm still unhappy that the idea of a Niles and Daphne spin of was dropped because of the cost involved in a spin off of a spin off.
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Post by blueshift on Jan 27, 2016 19:42:08 GMT
I remember enjoying Fraiser apart from the Manchester character with the strange accent.
Never really saw Cheers.
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Post by Bogatan on Jan 27, 2016 19:49:19 GMT
As Ive been ill all month and had lots of time on my hands and no desire to move I have blasted through season 1 of Steven Universe. First few episodes made me want to punch the screen, I cant stand kids in kid shows that never listen to anyone, screw up badly and dont learn their lesson from it or recieve any kind of punishment. Such things have irrated me beyond reason all my life. Anyway it stopped doing that after a while and was much better for it.
Then I came across seasons 1 2 3 and 5 of Babylon 5 at a charity shop so Im working through that now.
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Post by blueshift on Jan 27, 2016 19:52:14 GMT
As Ive been ill all month and had lots of time on my hands and no desire to move I have blasted through season 1 of Steven Universe. First few episodes made me want to punch the screen, I cant stand kids in kid shows that never listen to anyone, screw up badly and dont learn their lesson from it or recieve any kind of punishment. Such things have irrated me beyond reason all my life. Anyway it stopped doing that after a while and was much better for it. Yeah I disliked the early stuff too but it gets so amazing especially when it hits the end of season 1. Then I came across seasons 1 2 3 and 5 of Babylon 5 at a charity shop so Im working through that now. WHAT NO DONT SKIP SEASON FOUR, JESUS |
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Post by Bogatan on Jan 27, 2016 20:01:33 GMT
I nearly didnt buy them because 4 was missing, but figured I can at least finally rewatch the first 3 years and keep an eye out for cheap season 4.
Daphne (the manchester character was the marmite character of the show at least early on, but it wouldnt have worked without her.
Cheers is amazing and surprisingly covred quite a few subjects you wouldnt expect for a show in 1982 and unlike some shows of that period managed to do them while remaining funny. Also the best theme tune ever. Ever!
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Post by legios on Jan 28, 2016 19:16:42 GMT
So far this year I have been watching: BBC1 - Dickensian / War and Peace E4/C4 - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD season 3 Martin I have been watching Dickensian, partly because of the absurdity of it. Treating Dicken's characters as if they lived in a shared universe is silly enough - but the fact that it appears to be a shared universe not much bigger than a pocket square just makes it sillier. But the cast are doing a decent job, and it is diverting after a long day having my leetle grey cells put through the ringer. (And yes, the fact that the quite charming Tuppence Middleton is in it is an additional reason to watch... ) Not seen War and Peace, mostly due to lack of time and energy for it to be honest. Ii wanted to give it a go, but Term Two is sufficiently hectic without adding a literary novel adaptation on top of it. Have been trying to keep up with Gotham since it started again on 5. I'm lagging a week or so behind, but it'll wind up being my "Early evening Saturday" show again I think. I'm pleased to see that they have stuck to their melodrama guns this season and aren't even trying for realism now. It does become them. (Poor Jim Gordon, his life is rapidly becoming a proper tragedy. I can imagine him looking like the grizzled, lined, Gordon of the 70s/80s comics in but a few years at this rate). Never thought I'd say on thing though - I hope Barbara Keane stays around for a while. She is so gloriously entertaining. Karl |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 31, 2016 16:35:39 GMT
I'm afraid I didn't enjoy Gotham season 1 enough to bother to start watching season 2.
Martin
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Post by legios on Jan 31, 2016 16:47:40 GMT
I don't see any reason to fear that fact...
Whilst I rather enjoy it, I can fully see why it wouldn't appeal to everyone!
On a "oh well, never mind" note meself, I watched the opener of "Killjoys" on Skiffy this week. I figured "you never know, maybe they might come up with a diamond in the rough". Space Bounty Hunters who just want to do the job, get paid, and not sprain too much in the process isn't a terrible premise (heck, I know several people who ran "Traveller" rpg campaigns that are basically that premise). Unfortunately it feels like far too much of it is on the "will that do?" basis.
I think productionwise they were going for a "Firefly-esque" cultural melting pot vibe. What they got looked more like "everything we could rent cheap from the prop-store". The action sequences were...lacklustre to be generous. (Hint: If you are going to have a character whose hook is that they seem to be some kind of Space Ninja you should probably check to see if the actress, or your director, is in a position to do a fight scene that it isn't going to look like you are editing around someone's limitations in cinematic Martial Arts...).
Oh well, another Skiffy spaceship set show to file under "perfectly reasonable idea, shame about the execution"
Karl
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Post by Bogatan on Jan 31, 2016 17:39:47 GMT
Gotham series 2 is so far much more enjoyable than the first. Theres probably a few reasons for this, but I cant help thinking the lack of Jada Pinkett Smiths Fish Mooney or whatever shes called is a major factor.
Also despite Penguin being quite good, his story arch last year wasnt that much fun (as it heavily involved Mooney that shouldnt be a shock) so far the new bad guys story is a bit more interesting.
Killjoys - not bad, pilot wasnt terrible, but the blatant exposition bogged it down a lot. It did make me wonder if a Firefly spin off would be possible now that Whedons got some spare time. it might stop all the mixed quality copy cats.
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