I could never get into House, but am impressed by Laurie's performance: an incredible transformation. What I really like is his early British comedy: Black Adder, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and Jeeves and Wooster.
He has written a novel called The Gun Seller, and I gather its a spy thriller, involving arms dealers(!) which should certainly qualify him for the role of Dickie Roper. Has anybody read The Gun Seller? recommend it?
I read it years ago, it's good spy fun, yes. It's not a comedy at all, but a good action thriller. Well worth a read.
I’m watching Gerry Anderson’s little seen series The Secret Service (1969). It’s an odd mixture of puppetry and real life action but very enjoyable. Well worth a look, it’s on BritBox along with virtually everything else the Anderson’s produced.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I've just watched the third episode of this series about a female private investigatior in Victorian London. Scarlet's private detective father dies suddenly and she continues the profession part out of interest and part out of economic neccessety. Kate Philips is entertaining, charming, self-confident and smart in the role of Scarlet. Scarlet finds a few allies, including a Scotland Yard detective called The Duke. I suspect many would have gone down the route of dedicating one episode to the heroine being treated badly because of her gender, but after brilliantly solving one case in the first or second episode everyone respects her. Thankfully that's not the case here. We are often reminded of how unusual and controversial a female private detective was, and a bobby can start laughing when Scarlet presents herself as such. I like the plots, the premise and the cast. An entertaining and unusual crime series!
I watched all three episodes of 'The Pembrokshire Murders' last night with Luke Evans and Keith Allen.
I thought it was excellent. A true story that kept it simple. Not full of over dramatic scenes but a proper telling of police investigating a cold case.
Recently watched & enjoyed Lupin on Netflix and re-watched The Night Manager following on from reading ChrisNo1's review above. Whole-heartedly agree that Hugh Laurie really is superb in it & Tom Holland plays the 'weasel' side-kick to him very well too.
Recently watched & enjoyed Lupin on Netflix and re-watched The Night Manager following on from reading ChrisNo1's review above. Whole-heartedly agree that Hugh Laurie really is superb in it & Tom Holland plays the 'weasel' side-kick to him very well too.
I love Tom Holland. He's a terrific actor who seems to be able to do everything. His comic timing is great.
I think he'd fit in very well a a bureaucratic type at MI6 ala Saunders from TLD.
One of my favourite things ever was him in the film 'In The Loop' .... 'Difficult, difficult -lemon- difficult.' )
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,750Chief of Staff
Over the last couple of days I’ve watched both series of Back with David Mitchell & Robert Webb...genuinely funny with many laugh out loud moments...definitely recommended -{
I've been watching Channel 5's The Drowning over the last few nights.
It's about a woman who perpetually wears the same tartan dressing gown who thinks she's seen her missing or drowned kid (the body was never found) some 10 years later, all grown up. What is she to do about it?
It seems a new genre we've seen of late - utter tosh of the first order, but oddly watchable. It's almost like you're not meant to believe any of it, but nothing to stop you going along with it. It's almost a reflection of today's cavalier attitude to the truth. If it feels good that's the main thing.
Been working through the earlier Prime Suspect series - still highly watchable & makes for good evening viewing. Also confirms that I still have a 'thing' for Dame Helen Mirren.
Took Lady Rose's recommendation of The Pembrokeshire Murders. Enjoyed it & thought the main actors did a great job - Keith Allen in particular. Not quite in class of the recent Dennis Nilsen mini-series with David Tennant, but well worth investing a bit of free time for.
Been working through the earlier Prime Suspect series - still highly watchable & makes for good evening viewing. Also confirms that I still have a 'thing' for Dame Helen Mirren.
Took Lady Rose's recommendation of The Pembrokeshire Murders. Enjoyed it & thought the main actors did a great job - Keith Allen in particular. Not quite in class of the recent Dennis Nilsen mini-series with David Tennant, but well worth investing a bit of free time for.
'Des' was brilliant. If that doesn't win every award going it will have been robbed.
The Pembrokshire Murders isn't that league but I did find it watchable.
Superbowl LIV.
I am crossing fingers it's gonna be great.
I hear there will be some hate for Norway in a one of the commercials. In that particularely "sport" the US are the underdogs and will (unfortunately) remain so for at least decade.
Superbowl LIV.
I am crossing fingers it's gonna be great.
Actually it's Super Bowl LV (55)--but in the logo they have the trophy between the L and V, so I think a lot of people are making this mistake. Not that it matters. Anymore the only purpose of Roman numerals is to make the Super Bowl look like a major cultural event.
Superbowl LIV.
I am crossing fingers it's gonna be great.
Actually it's Super Bowl LV (55)--but in the logo they have the trophy between the L and V, so I think a lot of people are making this mistake. Not that it matters. Anymore the only purpose of Roman numerals is to make the Super Bowl look like a major cultural event.
My bad. It would be a lot easier if they just called it Superbowl 2021.
reading about the recently departed Cloris Leachman, I found this: the Nutt House
an obscure Mel Brooks teevee series from 1989, about the operators of a once fashionable big city hotel staring Harvey Korman, Leachman, and Mark Blankfield (from Fridays) as the elevator operator. A bit like Fawlty Towers meets the Addams Family with continuous sight gags. Leachman plays two roles in the pilot, both hideous.
Funny how she played these revolting characters in her Mel Brooks movies: she was actually a babe when she was younger, can't remember how she looked in Mary Tyler Moore but she seduced a schoolboy in the Last Picture Show round that time!
anyway, watch the first ten or so minutes of Kiss Me Deadly to see her film debut from 1955. The future Nurse Diesel is introduced as a refugee from a lunatic asylum, hitchhiking at night dressed only in a house coat!
Superbowl LIV.
I am crossing fingers it's gonna be great.
I hear there will be some hate for Norway in a one of the commercials. In that particularely "sport" the US are the underdogs and will (unfortunately) remain so for at least decade.
That's the one ). (actually there are more short ones leading up to it)
(he's obviously not in Sweden at the end - no place in Sweden looks like that)
0.45% of new cars sold in the US are electric while the number here is about 50% - so please beat us!
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,750Chief of Staff
Just watched the documentary King Rocker by Michael Cumming & Stewart Lee.
It’s about Robert Lloyd and his musical life with the bands The Prefects & The Nightingales…two bands of which I’d barely heard of from Birmingham…it’s an enjoyable tale told with real love about the the bands and the man himself...definitely worth a watch even if you don’t know the bands or Robert.
I'm sure many of you watched Zen with Rufus Sewell when it aired around 10 years ago.
It's set in Italy but it's one of those British productions where it's all Brits in the cast though they're playing Italians. This kind of works, though it's interesting and amusing to see what regional accents area given to various characters, a bit like that comedy film Death of Stalin. That said, the hot tottie that Zen has his eye on is Caterina Murino, of Casino Royale fame, and she's very good but of course, sounds exotic because if she had a Manchester accent it might be too much. Some of the villains also have slightly foreign accents. It's a bit odd, as if it has politics behind it, but it works.
Lots of Bond touches in this, I think we see the monastery mountain from FYEO but I can't be sure. It's very well done - Zen is a cop who is not corrupt so he doesn't progress up the career ladder, and is a bit diffident around the women. Looks great in a suit.
I'm sure many of you watched Zen with Rufus Sewell when it aired around 10 years ago.
It's set in Italy but it's one of those British productions where it's all Brits in the cast though they're playing Italians. This kind of works, though it's interesting and amusing to see what regional accents area given to various characters, a bit like that comedy film Death of Stalin. That said, the hot tottie that Zen has his eye on is Caterina Murino, of Casino Royale fame, and she's very good but of course, sounds exotic because if she had a Manchester accent it might be too much. Some of the villains also have slightly foreign accents. It's a bit odd, as if it has politics behind it, but it works.
Lots of Bond touches in this, I think we see the monastery mountain from FYEO but I can't be sure. It's very well done - Zen is a cop who is not corrupt so he doesn't progress up the career ladder, and is a bit diffident around the women. Looks great in a suit.
I watched it tonight. Very good show. I enjoyed the Italian locations, the fancy Rome restaurants, the Lazio countryside - the village is Calcata, Nap, it's quite famous locally - and the host of accents - some from Italy, a lot from London. Peter Guinness was rather good as the vengeful Italian with a vendetta on his mind who clearly sounds as if he's escaped from Brixton nick. Rufus Sewel was very good in the lead role, but also sounded as if he'd escaped from Buckinghamshire.
I liked the secondary plot of corruption and politics, and the undercurrent of traditional values which pervades the characters - especially the misogynistic men - Aurielo Zen excluded.
Caterina Munro (she of Solange in Casino Royale) is probably the most attractive piece of scenery. (ahem; see above) She has a brilliant scene with Sewel when, having shared an after working hours drink and discussed 'office affairs', she askes him point blank: "Are we going to have an affair?" "Yes," comes the reply. "Okay," she says and twirls effortlessly into a taxi. Very Italian chic. If only life was always as easy as that.
Looking forward to next week. Apparently the BBC only commission three stories before allowing the series to bite the dust. Pity as there are a dozen novels.
Yeah, there's been a 'Bring back Zen' campaign in the Sunday Times Culture 'You Say' letters page though they also bang on about wrong Routemasters in Call the Midwife so not to be taken that seriously.
Some of it reminded me of Return of the Saint in that it's all exotic but bound to cost a bit - the reason ROTS got canned, according to its star Ian Ogilvy.
Watched the 1st episode of the Silence Of The Lambs tv series follow up - Clarice ... quite enjoyed it & looks like it has potential to be an interesting series ahead. A few brief movie flash back moments included, however no mention of a certain Mr Lecter (I believe due to a rights issue). Will certainly be sticking with it for the foreseeable!
THE SERPENT
Not sure if this is good or bad yet. Certainly intriguing.
Second episode: Still not sure...
Third episode.
They seem to be presenting a different character's version of events in each episode. This is very tiring as I have to watch every incident twice (or three times at one point, I think) without any explanation. There is an awful lot of detail not being presented to the audience. I do hope they clear it all up at the end. It all looks good and has sterling acting, quite authentic too - apparently the BBC has received complaints about the glamorisation of smoking. It's also a bit slow.
Made it to the end last night.
I'm still undecided.
First, this is a serial murder case I have never heard of before. Nor had my parents and they were much older than me in the 1970s.
Second, the non-linear storytelling was constantly confusing - places, times, people, changing constantly, back and forth, too difficult to follow - this is usually an editing strategy to cover up a dull narrative - I think so !
Third, everyone's raving about Jenna Coleman, and I suppose if your idea of good acting is smouldering looks while smoking and wearing funky seventies outfits, she was good, when it really counted - towards the end of the story, when she needed to show doubt and then some fortitude - well, fairly average I'd say - it's easy to look good doing nothing and for a lot of it her character did nothing
Fourth, a lot of haranguing by diplomats to one an other, the police, witnesses, etc, very hard going
Fifth, and probably most alarming, this is a true story, Charles Sobhraj is still alive and paying for his crimes in a Katmandhu gaol.
Sixth, odd performance from Tahar Rahim as the serial killer, very very ordered, at times frightening, at others you wonder quite why anyone was taken in by him as he's so creepy.
Seventh, looked good, nicely photographed, nice eye for period detail, some scenes filmed at the actual locations of the crimes
Eighth, rather long
Ninth, occasionally got interesting and raised the tension, episodes 5 & 6 probably the best in that regard
Tenth, I hope foreign embassy and consular staff are not as incompetent as the ones from the 1970s, they are after all supposed to look after their nationals, not just their national interests
Watched second episode of Zen - though we're talking two-hour episodes here, almost movies really.
I enjoyed it, preferred the journey to the destination. It lacked the surprise factor this time round, and seemed a bit contrived. First time round it was 'This officer is known to be not corrupt, so we need him on the case for the PR to get a 'result' and for it to be convincing'. Not sure that applied this time round.
Zen is almost getting a bit pat himself too, the way it all seems to work out.
I'm watching the Canadian documentary series "Enslaved" about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It bringes to light some aspects about this terrible trade, including diving to interesting wrecks. Samuel L. Jackson contributes to most episodes, but we see historians and archeologists more often. Absolutely worth watching.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,750Chief of Staff
I'm watching the Canadian documentary series "Enslaved" about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It bringes to light some aspects about this terrible trade, including diving to interesting wrecks. Samuel L. Jackson contributes to most episodes, but we see historians and archeologists more often. Absolutely worth watching.
I watched this 4-part series when it was shown on BBC television...it showed remarkable insight into the slave trade and really brought home just what an horrific practice this was...I actually felt a little dirty and ashamed after watching it.
A couple of series that I have been watching on Disney+
WandaVision. This, apparently, is an offshoot of the Marvel Universe movies. Spider-Man aside, I have no interest in these movies (though my 10 year old son loves them), but fortunately it can be seen without reference to the movies. Wanda and Vision are seemingly a normal husband and wife in a pastiche of 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s sitcoms but everything is not as i seems. Brilliantly done, I see references from The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, The Prisoner, Life On Mars etc. Catch it if you can.
Big Sky. This revolves around a series of abductions from truck stops. Once again, very well made and the ending of Episode One is really unexpected.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I have been watching The Mallorca Files, with Ellen Rhys, which I recorded from a couple of weeks back.
Perfect early morning telly. Simple plots, amusing characters, several caricatures, very pleasant scenery. They used to make TV shows like this all the time. Why did stories and people have to get so intense and the photography so dark? I recognise the shows faults, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It seems Covid may well have halted production at the very moment people have come to quite enjoy it.
Zen is almost getting a bit pat himself too, the way it all seems to work out.
Yes. Not as good as episode one.
The corrupt internal politics things is already boring me and Zen is a bit too, well, Zen-like. The office romance isn't as sparky as in episode one. I did enjoy Aurellio's interview with Arianna [one of my favourite names] as she slips in and out of various cocktail dresses, not just because the actress looked good in her lingerie, but because the scene had that delightful tang of unsolicited possibilities. In a way, I rather like Aurellio Zen; all these women seem to throw themselves at him and he isn't capable of figuring out why - even his cheating ex-wife is a looker. The man must have a sub-level ego.
Beautiful scenery (women included).
Comments
I read it years ago, it's good spy fun, yes. It's not a comedy at all, but a good action thriller. Well worth a read.
I've just watched the third episode of this series about a female private investigatior in Victorian London. Scarlet's private detective father dies suddenly and she continues the profession part out of interest and part out of economic neccessety. Kate Philips is entertaining, charming, self-confident and smart in the role of Scarlet. Scarlet finds a few allies, including a Scotland Yard detective called The Duke. I suspect many would have gone down the route of dedicating one episode to the heroine being treated badly because of her gender, but after brilliantly solving one case in the first or second episode everyone respects her. Thankfully that's not the case here. We are often reminded of how unusual and controversial a female private detective was, and a bobby can start laughing when Scarlet presents herself as such. I like the plots, the premise and the cast. An entertaining and unusual crime series!
I thought it was excellent. A true story that kept it simple. Not full of over dramatic scenes but a proper telling of police investigating a cold case.
Keith Allen always plays an excellent scum bag.
I love Tom Holland. He's a terrific actor who seems to be able to do everything. His comic timing is great.
I think he'd fit in very well a a bureaucratic type at MI6 ala Saunders from TLD.
One of my favourite things ever was him in the film 'In The Loop' .... 'Difficult, difficult -lemon- difficult.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh8atGyzVt0
It's about a woman who perpetually wears the same tartan dressing gown who thinks she's seen her missing or drowned kid (the body was never found) some 10 years later, all grown up. What is she to do about it?
It seems a new genre we've seen of late - utter tosh of the first order, but oddly watchable. It's almost like you're not meant to believe any of it, but nothing to stop you going along with it. It's almost a reflection of today's cavalier attitude to the truth. If it feels good that's the main thing.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Took Lady Rose's recommendation of The Pembrokeshire Murders. Enjoyed it & thought the main actors did a great job - Keith Allen in particular. Not quite in class of the recent Dennis Nilsen mini-series with David Tennant, but well worth investing a bit of free time for.
'Des' was brilliant. If that doesn't win every award going it will have been robbed.
The Pembrokshire Murders isn't that league but I did find it watchable.
I am crossing fingers it's gonna be great.
I hear there will be some hate for Norway in a one of the commercials. In that particularely "sport" the US are the underdogs and will (unfortunately) remain so for at least decade.
Actually it's Super Bowl LV (55)--but in the logo they have the trophy between the L and V, so I think a lot of people are making this mistake. Not that it matters. Anymore the only purpose of Roman numerals is to make the Super Bowl look like a major cultural event.
My bad. It would be a lot easier if they just called it Superbowl 2021.
the Nutt House
an obscure Mel Brooks teevee series from 1989, about the operators of a once fashionable big city hotel staring Harvey Korman, Leachman, and Mark Blankfield (from Fridays) as the elevator operator. A bit like Fawlty Towers meets the Addams Family with continuous sight gags. Leachman plays two roles in the pilot, both hideous.
Funny how she played these revolting characters in her Mel Brooks movies: she was actually a babe when she was younger, can't remember how she looked in Mary Tyler Moore but she seduced a schoolboy in the Last Picture Show round that time!
anyway, watch the first ten or so minutes of Kiss Me Deadly to see her film debut from 1955. The future Nurse Diesel is introduced as a refugee from a lunatic asylum, hitchhiking at night dressed only in a house coat!
Is this the ad you speak of? A nice laugh
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yCy-a_E2I3s
(he's obviously not in Sweden at the end - no place in Sweden looks like that)
0.45% of new cars sold in the US are electric while the number here is about 50% - so please beat us!
It’s about Robert Lloyd and his musical life with the bands The Prefects & The Nightingales…two bands of which I’d barely heard of from Birmingham…it’s an enjoyable tale told with real love about the the bands and the man himself...definitely worth a watch even if you don’t know the bands or Robert.
It's set in Italy but it's one of those British productions where it's all Brits in the cast though they're playing Italians. This kind of works, though it's interesting and amusing to see what regional accents area given to various characters, a bit like that comedy film Death of Stalin. That said, the hot tottie that Zen has his eye on is Caterina Murino, of Casino Royale fame, and she's very good but of course, sounds exotic because if she had a Manchester accent it might be too much. Some of the villains also have slightly foreign accents. It's a bit odd, as if it has politics behind it, but it works.
Lots of Bond touches in this, I think we see the monastery mountain from FYEO but I can't be sure. It's very well done - Zen is a cop who is not corrupt so he doesn't progress up the career ladder, and is a bit diffident around the women. Looks great in a suit.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I watched it tonight. Very good show. I enjoyed the Italian locations, the fancy Rome restaurants, the Lazio countryside - the village is Calcata, Nap, it's quite famous locally - and the host of accents - some from Italy, a lot from London. Peter Guinness was rather good as the vengeful Italian with a vendetta on his mind who clearly sounds as if he's escaped from Brixton nick. Rufus Sewel was very good in the lead role, but also sounded as if he'd escaped from Buckinghamshire.
I liked the secondary plot of corruption and politics, and the undercurrent of traditional values which pervades the characters - especially the misogynistic men - Aurielo Zen excluded.
Caterina Munro (she of Solange in Casino Royale) is probably the most attractive piece of scenery. (ahem; see above) She has a brilliant scene with Sewel when, having shared an after working hours drink and discussed 'office affairs', she askes him point blank: "Are we going to have an affair?" "Yes," comes the reply. "Okay," she says and twirls effortlessly into a taxi. Very Italian chic. If only life was always as easy as that.
Looking forward to next week. Apparently the BBC only commission three stories before allowing the series to bite the dust. Pity as there are a dozen novels.
Some of it reminded me of Return of the Saint in that it's all exotic but bound to cost a bit - the reason ROTS got canned, according to its star Ian Ogilvy.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Made it to the end last night.
I'm still undecided.
First, this is a serial murder case I have never heard of before. Nor had my parents and they were much older than me in the 1970s.
Second, the non-linear storytelling was constantly confusing - places, times, people, changing constantly, back and forth, too difficult to follow - this is usually an editing strategy to cover up a dull narrative - I think so !
Third, everyone's raving about Jenna Coleman, and I suppose if your idea of good acting is smouldering looks while smoking and wearing funky seventies outfits, she was good, when it really counted - towards the end of the story, when she needed to show doubt and then some fortitude - well, fairly average I'd say - it's easy to look good doing nothing and for a lot of it her character did nothing
Fourth, a lot of haranguing by diplomats to one an other, the police, witnesses, etc, very hard going
Fifth, and probably most alarming, this is a true story, Charles Sobhraj is still alive and paying for his crimes in a Katmandhu gaol.
Sixth, odd performance from Tahar Rahim as the serial killer, very very ordered, at times frightening, at others you wonder quite why anyone was taken in by him as he's so creepy.
Seventh, looked good, nicely photographed, nice eye for period detail, some scenes filmed at the actual locations of the crimes
Eighth, rather long
Ninth, occasionally got interesting and raised the tension, episodes 5 & 6 probably the best in that regard
Tenth, I hope foreign embassy and consular staff are not as incompetent as the ones from the 1970s, they are after all supposed to look after their nationals, not just their national interests
I enjoyed it, preferred the journey to the destination. It lacked the surprise factor this time round, and seemed a bit contrived. First time round it was 'This officer is known to be not corrupt, so we need him on the case for the PR to get a 'result' and for it to be convincing'. Not sure that applied this time round.
Zen is almost getting a bit pat himself too, the way it all seems to work out.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I watched this 4-part series when it was shown on BBC television...it showed remarkable insight into the slave trade and really brought home just what an horrific practice this was...I actually felt a little dirty and ashamed after watching it.
WandaVision. This, apparently, is an offshoot of the Marvel Universe movies. Spider-Man aside, I have no interest in these movies (though my 10 year old son loves them), but fortunately it can be seen without reference to the movies. Wanda and Vision are seemingly a normal husband and wife in a pastiche of 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s sitcoms but everything is not as i seems. Brilliantly done, I see references from The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, The Prisoner, Life On Mars etc. Catch it if you can.
Big Sky. This revolves around a series of abductions from truck stops. Once again, very well made and the ending of Episode One is really unexpected.
Perfect early morning telly. Simple plots, amusing characters, several caricatures, very pleasant scenery. They used to make TV shows like this all the time. Why did stories and people have to get so intense and the photography so dark? I recognise the shows faults, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It seems Covid may well have halted production at the very moment people have come to quite enjoy it.
Yes. Not as good as episode one.
The corrupt internal politics things is already boring me and Zen is a bit too, well, Zen-like. The office romance isn't as sparky as in episode one. I did enjoy Aurellio's interview with Arianna [one of my favourite names] as she slips in and out of various cocktail dresses, not just because the actress looked good in her lingerie, but because the scene had that delightful tang of unsolicited possibilities. In a way, I rather like Aurellio Zen; all these women seem to throw themselves at him and he isn't capable of figuring out why - even his cheating ex-wife is a looker. The man must have a sub-level ego.
Beautiful scenery (women included).