CSI Middle Ages???

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 9 May 2008 07:18 (A review of Cadfael)

Im the only one who has rated this classic; so I feel duty bound to bring it to your attention. If you like period dramas or crime dramas, you have to give Cadfael a try.

Derek Jacobi is one of histories greatest actors, and was born to play the overlooked, genius in a period piece.

Cadfael, is based in England in the middle ages, and follows a genius, monk/herbalist Brother Cadfael. Cadfael uncovers the mysteries behind many of the murders that blight the time.

Granted, 'crime fighting monk', is not going to sell itself and seems a little absurd; however it isnt. Give it time and you will find it thoroughly enjoyable..like CSI set in the middle ages.

Let me put it a little more 'sinfully'

The middle ages comprised of;

Plague
Povety
Rampant and unpoliced crime
Murder
and a fundamentalist catholic rule, marred by corruption, sadism and perversion.

When you put it like that, maybe it might be worth a watch? ;)
9/10

3 comments, Reply to this entry

Like a fine wine.

Posted : 4 months ago on 25 April 2008 05:02 (A review of South Park)

Southpark was bad; it was crude, it relied on fart jokes and poos to make its humour; at this point everybody left it an tarred it for life.

After season 3 however, it did a u-turn. Matt and Tray themselves have admitted they felt the need to make a more relevant, intelligent and satirical series.

Now in its 11th series, South Park is one of the funniest, and often most intelligent programmes on television. The average show only take a week to make; so it stays much more relevant and can deliver up to date satire at the drop of a hat.

Everything has evolved so much about the series now; that it is hardly recognisable as the same show in its early seasons. If you wrote SP off back in the day, you have to give it a chance again....you might be pleasently suprised.


0 comments, Reply to this entry

He discovered an alien planet.

Posted : 5 months ago on 31 March 2008 10:26 (A review of The Blue Planet)

In ‘Life of Birds’, to film the mating call of a Lyrebird; a member of Attenborough's team sat, alone in a hot and humid jungle, under a tarpaulin, for 8 hour filming stints, for 2 weeks..All for 5 minutes of footage. Now transfer these difficulties to the filming of 'The Blue Planet', shooting a creature that’s never been filmed before, 4,000 metres below sea level!.

People forget the effort that goes into film documentaries; and Attenborough's undertaking of this series took the most effort yet. The series took five years to make, and filmed in nearly 200 different locations. Much of the footage gathered, depicted behaviours never seen before; further still, a good deal of the animals filmed; hadn't even been discovered. When you considered the amount of painstaking work that went into the series; you can’t help but be impressed.

This series is, in my opinion the pinnacle of its genre. Attenborough filmed never seen before creatures; in the bottom of ocean caverns; deeper than anyone had filmed before. He showed that even the most off the wall and creative act of fiction; could not conjure creatures more unimaginable and wonderful than those who we already share the planet with.




I cannot understand how anyone wouldn’t be impressed by 'Blue Planet', all fact, and as detailed and epic as the Bayeux Tapestry.


3 comments, Reply to this entry

The Colour of Magic Review.

Posted : 5 months ago on 30 March 2008 09:10 (A review of The Colour of Magic)

This TV-film incorporates Pratchett's first two books, 'The Colour of Magic' and 'The Light Fantastic'. Let me start by saying; I thought it was wonderful.

It kept to the books very well and had a shocking array of famous faces; anything with Tim Curry, Jeremy Irons and David Jason has to be great. I've not seen any new material from Tim Curry in a while, and was pleased to see, he hasn’t lost his touch. His trademark smirks and villainous nature; made my day.

After having one of the 8 great spells jump into his mind, failed Wizard Rincewind (Jason) begins a trek across the disc with it's first ever tourist. Meanwhile, the disc is unexplainably hurtling towards a star.

The whole thing felt quaint and British; and I love things that feel like this. Like a tea house, or a chivalrous man. You can tell however that the whole thing was bankrolled by our good friends across the pond; the special effects were great and the costumes and sets were detailed and professional (see image below). In particular the scene where the disc finally meets the star; is visually stunning.



As with many adaptations, the story itself is the hook. The whole thing has a professional feel about it, that English television rarely sees. A plot written by a professional author and acted by some of the most talented and genius actors in the business. The star acts as a constant looming threat of total annihilation; despite this ‘The Colour of Magic’ is light hearted, tongue-in-cheek and feel-good throughout. This ‘mini movie’ breaks many of the conventions of fantasy cinema. If you want a usual fantasy epic, with a roller coaster ride of emotions; this isn’t what you want. Some of you may find the convention break unsettling, others will find it refreshing. I know some people wont like this, I cannot recommend it across the board. In my humble opinion though, its so very good.

I've uploaded some trailers, http://www.listal.com/video/3568101 have a look....you decide.



0 comments, Reply to this entry

Lost in Lost

Posted : 5 months, 2 weeks ago on 16 March 2008 07:19 (A review of Lost)

I really loved this series when it first began, it was clear that the production values were astronomic, and such use of a mixture of parallel, non linear and linear storylines was unprecedented in television.

Lost really raised the bar in terms of what was expected from this medium. At this moment in time the plot is still unclear, and the level of character development is beyond deep. Every new episode raises further questions and the relationships between the characters becomes more and more of a complex nexus.

But aye, there's the rub.

All these questions and very little resolution are making the series a little wearing now. Lost breaks so many conventions, it has become difficult for anyone but a savant to follow. The loss of Charlie in the last series means there are now no longer the moments of comic relief that gave the mind time to stop and process the episode.

I've not given up on Lost yet, and still like it..but am becoming more and more aggravated by it and will soon lose interest if some sort of resolution isn't found.


2 comments, Reply to this entry

CSI: Miami review

Posted : 5 months, 2 weeks ago on 13 March 2008 05:04 (A review of CSI: Miami)

I came on here to let the world know how bad CSI: Miami is...but the two reviews below said everything I wanted to and more. Ham acting, bad casting, outrageous accents, unlikable characters.

I love the original CSI series, and really can't fault it; I however saw a CSI / CSI: Miami cross over the other day. Catherine and the crew follow a murderer to Miami. The Miami crew managed to bring down the entire episode..not even Grissom, the pillar of respectability could hold the episode together.

I was also surprised at how less orange the episode was, for once it didn’t burn my retinas. The original CSI crew must have demanded that; first and foremost, they're going to wipe all the marmalade off of the camera lenses.

This cross over ep. gave a perfect opportunity to compare the original to Miami. Complex, subtle and interesting, CSI out acted and generally out-did the shallow, plastic Miami.


0 comments, Reply to this entry

The weird kid can be 'heart'.

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 8 March 2008 09:14 (A review of Captain Planet and the Planeteers)

Captain planet: A green, Kevin Bacon look alike..out to save the environment, even before Al Gore invented global warming. You couldn't ask for more.

Each member of the Cpt Planet team has a power, 'earth', 'fire', 'wind'. Every episode 'heart' would moan that he didnt have a cool power. Every episode Cpt P would take him to the side and tell him, he was the most important of all. However when we played it at school we always made the kid that always wore a beret be him.

For a while it made us run around the playground shouting at kids who dropped litter..but then my friend hit puberty and it was Baby Sitters Club from then on out.





0 comments, Reply to this entry

No child after 1920, liked Rupert!!

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 8 March 2008 07:46 (A review of Rupert)

Everybody hated Rupert. It was on Thursday after school and bored EVERY kid in the land.

I'd run out of school straight to my nan’s house, ready for the hour and a half of television that children were delegated in those days (before Sky and ADHD). Like dogs, half an hour seems like a life time for a child...and Rupert ruined the precious moments of television we were allowed. All he ever seemed to do was fly a bloody kite.

I don't know anyone alive now (who was a child of the Rupert years) who wouldn't readily see him hung by his yellow scarf....Thundercats, He-Man or even The Shoe People could have taken that precious slot..and made my childhood.


2 comments, Reply to this entry

Art Attack! When men were men.

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 8 March 2008 07:18 (A review of Art Attack)

Art Attack! When kids were kids and an egg box...blew your mind.

Neil Buchanan wasn't effeminate, he didnt mince...you had the feeling that he came back from work at the steel foundry one day and said in his heavy Liverpudlian accent;

'Luv, I'm going down ta London ta inspire a generation with a love of...craft'

I always looked forward to Art Attack, especially the part in each episode where he'd make a big art work on a school field! Not just that though, if he made a footballer, he'd use football equipment..it always had a theme....although it was almost always footballers.

Buchanan's footballer fetishes aside; the show always got me creating and crafting. I made a monster faced bin, some policemen shaped room guards, a planet and a crocodile. Although once I'd made them, I never knew what to do with them.

What I made however, never looked anything like Neil's. What he should have said was, you'll need;

* an egg box
* some newspaper
* some PVA glue
* and a degree in fine art and design.


1 comments, Reply to this entry

Neither love it nor hate it.

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 6 March 2008 09:01 (A review of The Vicar of Dibley)

Vicar of Dibley is a very standard sit-com. It's sometimes funny but mostly it's not..mostly it just uses silly catchphrases and the same repetitive jokes from the same 'wackey' characters. Alice will say something dumb, Jim will say 'no no no' for half an hour....once you've seen one episode, you've seen them all.

This show deserves a 5/10 because it is exactly in the middle, it's not bad enough to avoid, but not good enough to like.

If you've got half an hour spare, spend it watching Father Ted, Catholics are much funnier than C of E.

0 comments, Reply to this entry