|
|
Post by fenris on Jul 26, 2008 15:40:40 GMT
I especially liked the (admittedly obvious) Countdown USA sketch, complete with a leggy Carol Vorderman stand-in wearing a skimpy bikini. Someone's already placed Countdown USA on youTube; youtube.com/watch?v=JtpmFc557Oc |
|
|
|
Post by orokiah on Jul 27, 2008 16:24:31 GMT
Watched the first episode of the new comedy series The Kevin Bishop Show on Channel 4 last night (25/07/08). It was hilarious in parts. I thought it was a good first episode overall: a bit hit and miss, but with that kind of breakneck pace it didn't matter. Even the bits that didn't work for me (the overly-invested detective for instance) were well crafted and acted. And there were plenty of highlights: I loved the perfume trailers ('Publicity' by Sienna Miller and 'Recession' by Gordon Brown - brilliant), Criminal Mastermind, Dangerously High School Musical - and the daringly near-the-knuckle, but funny enough to get away with it, Sophie's Choice: The Musical. The running gag about Jonathan Ross and 'Wicky Gervais' was pretty good too. I especially liked the (admittedly obvious) Countdown USA sketch, complete with a leggy Carol Vorderman stand-in wearing a skimpy bikini. They were right on the money with that one. Now Carol Vorderman has quit, what price the real Countdown going that way too?.. Got to hike those ratings up somehow.  |
|
|
|
Post by Beattie~Babe on Jul 27, 2008 21:08:55 GMT
Ive just watched Spiral .... Synopsis ..... A reclusive telemarketer has only one semblance of a friend: His telecommuter boss. But the telemarketer's social circle seems to improve greatly when a whimsical co-worker enters his life. Only, as he begins to sketch his new friend's portrait, disturbing "voices" from the phone man's past threaten to lead him into a network of destruction. Written, directed + starred in by relatively unknown screenwriter / director / actor Joel David Moore outside of the US, who appears as telemarketer Mason , Zachary Levi as Mason's boss & only friend Berkley + Amber Tamblyn as Mason's latest muse. I personally liked it ... The story is not completely original (shy neurotic guy meets quirky girl ... girl becomes nurotic guy's latest muse and artistic model ... neurotic guy becomes obsessed with quirky girl .... quirky girl finds out about neurotic guy's past .... but is it all in his head). But its beautifully shot, mainly at night with a lot of rain. It went down pretty well on the independent circuit in the US, but was never released here in the UK ... Official Site |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Jul 28, 2008 18:02:05 GMT
I loved the perfume trailers ('Publicity' by Sienna Miller and 'Recession' by Gordon Brown) and the daringly near-the-knuckle, but funny enough to get away with it, Sophie's Choice: The Musical. Yeah, the Sienna Miller advert made me snigger: I have a new celebrity boyfriend.... I've split up from my celebrity boyfriend.... I have a new movie out.... And I agree that the incredibly bad taste, Producers-inspired, interactive Sophie's Choice musical was another highlight. Especially the go-for-broke ending, with Bishop as a Nazi officer leading the daughter away into the wings, unholstering his luger and disengaging the safety catch as he does so... There's currently a thread about the Countdown controversy on the SFX forum, and people there have also commented on the Countdown USA sketch and how it probably reflects the direction the real show will inevitably go, as UK channels fight over constantly shrinking audiences. |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Aug 3, 2008 16:58:43 GMT
Has anyone else seen the CBBC series Young Dracula? Since the first season is currently being repeated on Wednesdays on BBC1, I thought I'd give it a look. Most of the performances from the cast are at the level you'd expect in a kids' TV show, especially from some of the child actors. But the series benefits greatly from teenage actress Clare Thomas, who plays Ingrid. As written, Dracula's daughter could easily have been a two-dimensional, whining bitch, but Thomas turns her into the most well-rounded character in the show. I'm still watching and enjoying Young Dracula. Having concluded their repeat screening of the first season a few weeks ago, BBC1 immediately started showing the second season. There's an instantly noticeable leap in production values (which were fairly impressive to begin with), with more elaborate costumes, special effects, and some new sets - Van Helsing's secret underground bunker being the best example of the latter. The second season is also considerably darker in tone - surprisingly so, for a children's show. One recent storyline, spread over three episodes, had Vlad's hopes of not turning evil (when he becomes a full-blown vampire) receiving a considerable boost when his non-blood-drinking uncle Ivan and shy, nervous cousin Boris come to visit. But those hopes are promptly dashed when various circumstances cause his relatives to revert to type, transforming into vicious, bloodthirsty monsters. I can imagine some small children finding those scenes quite upsetting. Incidentally, I've just discovered that Clare Thomas (who continues to steal the show as Ingrid) and Jemima Rooper played sisters in the 2000 made-for-TV movie of The Railway Children. The world of genre television is a small one. |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Aug 19, 2008 19:52:07 GMT
Watched the first couple of episodes of Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach last week, and I wasn't disappointed. MW is the better show, with Ben Miller giving a great performance as egotistical producer Jonathan Pope. You get far more out of it watching them together, but just as MW could work on its own, EB is a fair enough stab at soap in its own right. EB in particular seems to be getting a mixed reaction but I'm really enjoying both shows so far. has been cancelled, but Moving Wallpaper will be returning. And - in a case of art imitating life - the second series of Moving Wallpaper will reportedly have Jonathan Pope reacting to the axing of Echo Beach by trying to get another series greenlit. This new project stars The Legend That Is Alan Dale as an airline passenger who has to fight off zombies mid-flight (!!)  Kelly Brook will be co-starring. Here's a link to more info; news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7568616.stm |
|
|
|
Post by orokiah on Aug 21, 2008 16:25:41 GMT
The second series of Moving Wallpaper will reportedly have Jonathan Pope reacting to the axing of Echo Beach by trying to get another series greenlit. This new project stars The Legend That Is Alan Dale as an airline passenger who has to fight off zombies mid-flight (!!) Great casting, great news. It might have been forced by the cancellation of Echo Beach, but the creation of a new show within a show is a smart move for Moving Wallpaper. They've made a virtue out of necessity: I like the fact the new tie-in not only switches genre (giving it potential for longevity; instead of being tied to a soap they could conceivably do something new every series, with fresh faces signing on to whatever Jonathan Pope wangles his way into producing - string of failures notwithstanding!) but is only a one-off. I enjoyed the Echo Beach and Moving Wallpaper combo, but the concept was better than the reality - the run was far too long and I'd got bored of both before the end. They were better appreciated on DVD than as aired. Any way we get more Ben Miller as Jonathan Pope is fine by me, really. And I did get a kick out of the fact that ITV announced Renaissance with a quote from him: ;D On a related note, zombies seem to be this year's big thing: Charlie Brooker's E4 zombie thriller to be set inside the Big Brother house |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Sept 23, 2008 18:59:28 GMT
A new sitcom started on ITV2 last week, called No Heroics. It's set in a world identical to ours, except that superheroes are commonplace. The series centres on four friends, who get together in an exclusive superheroes-only pub called 'The Fortress' (where costumes and using superpowers are both banned) at the end of a hard day's crimefighting, to chat, moan, bitch and gossip.
The four main characters are: whiny pyrokinetic The Hotness, cynical second-generation superheroine Electro-Clash (who can talk to machines), surly gay pre-cognitive Timebomb, and the super-strong but lovelorn She-Force.
The show's central premise seems to be that superpowered crimefighters will have hang-ups and screwed-up personal lives, the same as anybody else (the first time we see She-Force, she's being dumped by her boyfriend via mobile, while in the midst of battling the supervillain Doomball).
I missed the first episode of No Heroics when it was broadcast last Thursday, but I caught the repeat on Sunday. While it's not groundbreaking or exceptionally funny, I still found it pleasingly quirky. I particularly liked the simple audio effect when Electro-Clash communicates with machinery. I'll be sticking with this.
|
|
|
|
Post by WarrenWitchesRule on Sept 23, 2008 19:20:44 GMT
Did the same as you Fenris, I caught the re-run. Will be interesting to see if they can make the most of the set-up as it's a brilliant idea for a show, whether it will pan out or not only time will tell (or maybe time bomb could tell us!)
Also has anyone seen True Blood?
|
|
|
|
Post by DreamDangerously on Sept 25, 2008 18:22:25 GMT
Yep I've been watching True Blood, although I have to catch up with the third episode. Nice concept and so far entertaining enough. I'll post more about it later, school destroyed my brain today. Can I suggest that we use spoiler font to discuss shows like True Blood, Supernatural, Heroes etc which have current seasons in the US but not in the UK yet and clearly mark speculations and future episode spoilers so that those of us who are spoilerphobes don't stumble on anything untoward. (Yes I know I'm a little obessesive about the spoilers, it's just a pet hate of mine and I have a long memory...someone once ruined The Usual Suspects for me and I've never recovered!)  |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Oct 1, 2008 19:20:52 GMT
I saw Being Human and thought it was excellent: dark, funny and intelligent. The friendship between Mitchell and George felt very real and the adorable Annie rounded off the ensemble perfectly. Not sure how well the grimy flatshare part of the drama married with the vampire plot, but that seemed more of a set up for a future series. There were definite seeds of potential storylines being sown in the dastardly plans of Adrian Lester and his vampire cult (which felt very Ultraviolet) and the mystery of how Annie died. I'd like to think Julia might return too. It's got great potential and I hope it goes to a full series...if the fact BBC3 have already recommissioned Phoo Action doesn't scupper it. Then again, if the pilot is any hint at how good a series might be, it deserves more than a future of languishing in digital obscurity. I think it's a show that would work very well in the BBC2 Wednesday night Heroes/ Torchwood slot. magazine have announced that their next issue (available on 22/10/08) will include an interview with Matthew Bouch, producer of the upcoming full series of Being Human. They've placed a sneak preview on their website, and a couple of things that they allude to fill me with dread. Here's a link; www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=being_human_s_internet_boostIt's the mention of 'some major changes for the series, describing the first episode as a reboot rather than a continuation, with some big casting news' that causes me concern. It sounds like there's going to be new actors, new characters, and some or all of the storylines established in the pilot being dropped. We wanted to see Being Human - The Series, but what we'll get might essentially be a new show with a similar premise. I hope I'm proved wrong, though to be honest I had doubts that Andrea Riseborough (my favourite actor in the pilot) would return, considering how high her star has risen this year. |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Oct 9, 2008 21:27:06 GMT
The Riches on Virgin 1. Eddie Izzard's accent took a bit of getting used to but it's awesome stuff. It had me hooked from the first episode but the show really hit its stride in this week's (the third): Wayne blagging his way through his first day as a lawyer and his use of a rock as a motivational tool was brilliantly played and written, as was Dahlia's cunning (and surprisingly moving) plan to get her kids into the school of her choice. It's funny but very very dark at the same time: there's a lot of tension in the way they're living a lie and might get found out at any second, as well as the undercurrent of menace in the ever more unhinged Dale's attempts to track them down. Unfortunately The Riches has been cancelled after two seasons. Here's a link for more info; www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a132099/fx-drops-izzards-the-riches.html |
|
|
|
Post by orokiah on Oct 10, 2008 17:05:12 GMT
Unfortunately The Riches has been cancelled after two seasons. Yeah, I read about that - Todd Stashwick (Dale) broke the news on his blog. It's a crying shame. The second series hasn't been quite up to par (not helped by the fact it ended so abruptly due to the writers' strike) but the first was a classic. Another good show gone too soon. |
|
|
|
Post by fenris on Oct 23, 2008 18:15:47 GMT
I've been raving about No Heroics to everyone I know, only to be met with blank looks. Within my social circle, nobody but me seems to know that the show exists. Looking back, I suppose it did limp out quietly with no publicity.
After a slightly slow start, it's established itself as a very funny series. The best British sitcom since BBC Three's Pulling, in my humble opinion. I've quickly checked on-line and sadly can't find any indication of a DVD release.
|
|
|
|
Post by WarrenWitchesRule on Oct 24, 2008 22:01:49 GMT
I've been watching it and am impressed so far but I don't think it'll make it to a second season as I'm guessing it doesn't has the viewing figures.
|
|
