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Post by DreamDangerously on Mar 8, 2008 13:19:53 GMT
I think it doesn't help that Alex Drake is intensely unlikeable...in my eyes anyway. She's not really a character that elicits much sympathy and I find Keely Hawes quite hammy. I have to admit, I only keep watching for Phillip Glenister and because i have a monster crush on Montserrat Lombard!  |
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Post by fenris on Mar 13, 2008 20:03:01 GMT
I have a monster crush on Montserrat Lombard! I can relate. Montserrat first came to my attention three years ago, when she guest-starred in the 'Witches' episode of Murder in Suburbia. At about the same time, she also appeared in a memorable advert for the Mint credit card, playing a girl whose large-nosed boyfriend sneezes and blows her parents across a restaurant. In addition to Love Soup, she also had a recurring role in Hyperdrive, appearing in both seasons clad in skintight red latex as an alien arch-villainess. And last year she starred in BBC2's truly quirky sitcom Roman's Empire, which unfortunately nobody apart from me seemed to watch. I knew I'd become a fan of Montserrat when I realised I could spell her name without having to look it up first. If Hex had gone on to a third season, I think she would have been a perfect addition to the cast. |
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Post by orokiah on Mar 20, 2008 16:38:04 GMT
Saw last week's episode of Ashes to Ashes, and I thought it was a marked improvement (over the earlier episodes anyway; still not seen a couple of the more recent). Although it probably had a lot to do with Anna Wilson-Jones and Phil Davis being in the guest cast, and both being excellent. That said, Gene's crisis about being over the hill was both very well played and believable, and it was the first time I've felt any trace of the much-vaunted, so-called sizzling chemistry between him and Alex. And the shot of the glass breaking in slow motion to reveal Gene behind, with 'Vienna' by Ultravox blasting out over it, was strangely stylish and somehow very, very cool. This late in the run, though, it's still not enough to get me hooked. I think it doesn't help that Alex Drake is intensely unlikeable...in my eyes anyway. She's not really a character that elicits much sympathy and I find Keely Hawes quite hammy. You're definitely not alone there. I thought the further I got into the series the more I'd warm to her, but it hasn't happened so far. Keeley Hawes is more convincing in those annoying adverts for the Boots Protect and Perfect range. Gene Hunt is as fabulous to watch as ever but when it comes to Alex I'm still firmly on Team Clown.  |
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Post by fenris on Jul 26, 2008 17:30:42 GMT
In case you haven't already read it elsewhere, here's some news regarding the forthcoming US version of Life on Mars: the pilot was leaked on-line a short while ago, and the resulting feedback from bloggers and professional critics was so negative that major changes have resulted. The show's setting has been altered from LA to New York, it will apparently be established from the beginning that Sam Tyler is not merely in a coma (unlike the resolution of the original series) but instead trapped in some larger mystery, and Colm Meaney has left the show. Instead, Gene Hunt will now be played by Harvey Keitel (!!). Heres a link to more information regarding Keitel's casting; www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a115112/harvey-keitel-to-play-us-gene-hunt.html |
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Post by fenris on Mar 10, 2009 19:45:52 GMT
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Post by orokiah on Mar 10, 2009 23:44:19 GMT
The U.S. version of Life on Mars has reportedly been cancelled after only seventeen episodes. At least they got enough notice to bring it to a proper conclusion. Hopefully the series will still screen in the UK at some point - I'd like to see how it turned out. Has anyone seen the US version? |
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Post by fenris on Mar 11, 2009 19:31:33 GMT
Not seen the U.S. version, but to be honest I never could see how the central premise of the original Life on Mars was going to lend itself to the long-drawn-out structure of American episodic television. I actually thought the British version was over-stretched at two series - I regard it as a decent ten episode show that was unfortunately spread out over two years and sixteen episodes (with Ashes to Ashes being a desperate attempt to squeeze the last few breathes from the show's corpse). How anyone thought the same idea would work within the demands of U.S. network television (22 episodes a year, with a five year run usually being the network's minimum expectation) is beyond me.
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Post by fenris on Apr 29, 2009 18:53:13 GMT
At least they got enough notice to bring it to a proper conclusion. Hopefully the series will still screen in the UK at some point - I'd like to see how it turned out. The final episode of the U.S. version of Life on Mars has been screened in America, and the show's ending was... very different to how the original UK series concluded. MAJOR SPOILER font: The last scene of the show reveals that Sam Tyler is actually in the year 2035, on a manned spaceflight to the planet Mars (hence the show's title). His 1970s detective adventures were taking place in his mind while he was in suspended animation, his police colleagues are really his spaceship crew, and 'Gene Hunt' (Harvey Keitel) is Tyler’s father... called Major Tom (get it?). |
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Post by orokiah on Apr 30, 2009 15:52:38 GMT
The final episode of the U.S. version of Life on Mars has been screened in America, and the show's ending was... very different to how the original UK series concluded. I thought that was an April Fools' joke when I first read about it. I still want to see it, though. It sounds like it has to be seen to be believed anyway... Is anyone else watching Ashes to Ashes series two? Much as I like Philip Glenister and the ever-fabulous Gene Hunt, I think it's still only something I'll be dipping in and out of. Alex seems slightly more likeable this year, the tone is a bit darker and the mysterious Dr Death is definitely an intriguing new development...but somehow it still doesn't really grab me. |
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Post by orokiah on Aug 14, 2009 15:32:32 GMT
At last a chance to see that much-discussed ending - FX have bought the rights to show the US version of Life on Mars in the UK. It starts at 10pm on 9th October. Full story |
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