Wedge
Public area => The Pub => Off-topic => Topic started by: Arantor on November 13th, 2011, 02:45 PM
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It should have left at the end of series 7 or so... but apparently the producers had other ideas.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/13/red_dwarf_series_ten/
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The Dave special had its moments...
Kochanski-free season? Great news. Apart from that and actual dates, Dave had already announced their plans for a new season.
Now if they could get Grant back on board ahah...
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Woot!.
I liked Konchanski! :(
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Hey, welcome back ;)
She sucked in series 7, was bearable (and occasionally funny) in series 8, and was actually pretty good in her only scene in the Dave special. (Probably because she only had one scene, really...)
That still doesn't make her a full member of the crew for me... Her chemistry with Lister was non-existent (because she was so much asexual when it came to him, or anyone else for that matter) and it was a sad mistake -- heck, the original Kochanski was better in that respect.
Anyway -- I'm personally waiting for that new series. I think I'll enjoy it, because I'll be mainly happy to see the characters in action again, and I have very low expectations for it because after all this time, we know Doug Naylor isn't a great sitcom writer and bothers too much about the storyline and not enough about character interaction and situation gags. Plus, the special wasn't that funny either. But it was probably due to not being shot in front of an audience -- even adding subtle canned laughter isn't going to cut it in this situation.
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I think the main problem with Kochanski as envisioned by Chloe Annett, is... Chloe Annett. I remember seeing her in another sci-fi-esque series, Crime Traveller, and there was little chemistry there too.
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That wouldn't surprise me a bit.
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Did you ever see Crime Traveller, btw? Though it was one of the BBC's mini-series deals that never went anywhere (mostly, IMO, because of Chloe friggin' Annett), the premise was interesting and even now I still think it was brilliantly written.
It centres on Chloe who is this scientist for the police and her detective friend, and she's built a mostly-working time machine in her basement. So they go back and investigate crimes, and very often in the investigation 'in the present', there's some 'guy' seen in the area that the police 'want to talk to', and of course it's one or both of them in the past.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_Traveller has more information, and as much as I love Jonathan Creek (which ultimately replaced it), I wish it had been renewed for more.
(Yes, I know the article cites tension in the Beeb at the time, but I'm not entirely convinced. I still think Annett is half the reason herself.)
Also I would note that she had some minor parts in Jeeves and Wooster episodes; it wasn't until I looked it up a long time later that I realised, because she actually *acts* in those and has some chemistry, but I wonder how much of that is rubbing off from Hugh Laurie.
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Never heard of anything in your post... :-/
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That's a shame because it was quite cool in execution, even if there wasn't as much on screen chemistry as there could have been.
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Wouldn't mind if you shared names of good uk shows. I'm always in for that. Eh, I never watched Blackadder until this year after all. And it's a well known show.
Plus it would change my mind... RIP Floppy, beloved dog, 1994-2011. :sob:
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:(
Good UK shows depends on your preferences.
QI is always worth watching for comedy, with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies as regulars, and a whole host of random people as guests for silliness and Alan Davies losing each week. Also, if you like the later series of Blackadder, they were partly written by Richard Curtis, who is also responsible for a couple of rather watchable rom-coms (Love Actually in particular), but also for The Vicar of Dibley. If you don't have an aversion to Dawn French, it is watchable enough.
Other comedy to watch out for is Porridge, or if you're of a more 1970s vogue, Open All Hours.
If drama is more your thing, I'd suggest Spooks (start from the start, though), Hustle's quite good too, plus you might like New Tricks, not so sure about that though.
If murder/mystery is your thing, I'd suggest Jonathan Creek, or the ITV adaptations of Sherlock Holmes (starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes), Poirot (with David Suchet as Poirot), and/or Miss Marple (Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, not the later ones) - they're a bit older to find though.
If you're more into the CSI method of murder mystery rather than the detective using their brains, either Bones or Waking The Dead would be good watching.
That's about all I can think of for now at least.
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Did you ever see Crime Traveller, btw? Though it was one of the BBC's mini-series deals that never went anywhere (mostly, IMO, because of Chloe friggin' Annett), the premise was interesting and even now I still think it was brilliantly written.
QI is always worth watching for comedy, with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies as regulars, and a whole host of random people as guests for silliness and Alan Davies losing each week.
If drama is more your thing, I'd suggest Spooks (start from the start, though),
I also thoroughly enjoyed the drama series Monarch of the Glen in my early teens. Not sure if either of you has seen that one? haha
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Ah, I haven't rewatched in a while and it's entirely possible that I'd look more harshly on it now - but certainly at the time I really didn't notice such things.
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Well... We had it coming. He'd been very feeble in the last 3 weeks. Barely able to walk. He required constant care and stopped eating and drinking altogether a few days ago. It's a fine age for a dog. But it doesn't stop it from being heartbreaking. I miss my dirty old dog :( It's a very sad, sad atmosphere in my place today. So I don't wanna talk about it too much... And I'll be geeking away as much as I possibly can.
Good UK shows depends on your preferences.
As you already know, to me the best 'serious' British show is The Prisoner. And it doesn't look cheap. Well, except for the episode 'The General' with its supercomputer, but the episode has more important issues anyway.
I watched 'Mad Dogs', a recent show with my dear Life on Mars cast, and was a bit disappointed. It wasn't bad per se, but I just didn't find it too exciting.
Did you ever see that TV movie with Christopher Eccleston as a guy who thinks he's Jesus? I have this under the hand but I'm unsure whether it's any good.
The only on-the-air shows I'm watching currently are, whatever the country of origin: South Park (still in great shape), Being Erica (MY chick show. I own it. I wanna have its children now.), Misfits (the new guy is pretty fun), Once upon a time (mostly for the missus...), The Big Bang Theory (current season is an improvement), Merlin (season 3 sucked, season 4 rocks, don't ask), The Walking Dead (season 1 rocked, season 2 sucks but I still have hope), and Mawaru Penguindrum (I'm only starting but it's pretty good). That's about all... I'm waiting for Glee to be over before I start watching it. At least the mid-season break.
I just wanna find more things to watch on a weekly basis (current shows), and possibly on a daily basis (past shows.)QI is always worth watching for comedy, with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies as regulars, and a whole host of random people as guests for silliness and Alan Davies losing each week.
Also, if you like the later series of Blackadder, they were partly written by Richard Curtis, who is also responsible for a couple of rather watchable rom-coms (Love Actually in particular), but also for The Vicar of Dibley.
If you don't have an aversion to Dawn French, it is watchable enough.
Plus, there are no subs available, which is pretty much a deal-breaker to me.
Heck, I've been waiting for some time to watch 'I, Claudius', and subtitles just came out for it... Unfortunately, the last two episodes are still missing subs so I'm waiting for someone to do them first... The only show I watch without subs is South Park, and that's only because I'm too eager to see the new episodes and I just can't wait for subs. :POther comedy to watch out for is Porridge, or if you're of a more 1970s vogue, Open All Hours.
Just not geared towards a particular decade (except for the current one.)
Open All Hours has subtitles available, and Porridge doesn't.Ronnie Barker runs a small convenience store, with a vicious till, David Jason as the slightly hopeless assistant. Great in its day, maybe not so much now.
Note I'm not suggesting Only Fools and Horses.
While it was great in its very original incarnation (David Jason as the rogue-ish dodgy dealing Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter, and Nicholas Lyndhurst as his dopey younger brother Rodney, it very quickly grew ever more ridiculous after both Del and Rodney end up meeting people and getting married.
I know Jason is a revered actor but I only saw him in the Discworld movies and, 'meh'. He was okay in Hogfather but I couldn't understand the point of him playing Rincewind later. Not only didn't he look the part at all, he was probably too old for it, and it just wasn't funny. Then again it's also a problem with the book...Though if you watch the very last group of specials, you will understand why Amy Pond is a policewoman and Rory Williams is a Roman centurion. Yes, it is essentially a throw-back to that scene where Rodney and Cassandra are trying to sort out their marriage and try... dressing up for each other.
If drama is more your thing, I'd suggest Spooks (start from the start, though),
Never heard about Hustle and New Tricks until now -- I'll look into it, I like that kind of pitch. New Tricks, why not, later.
Oh wait, I just checked on Wikipedia -- both shows were shown in France. New Tricks I never heard of even with its French title, while Hustle I *did* hear of, but it was shown on a commercial channel so I just avoided it. Plus the French title sucked ("The VIP con-men" or something). Heck, I thought it was a French show...If murder/mystery is your thing,
I'd suggest Jonathan Creek
I like the pitch, too, I'll remember to give it a try next time I see it on TV.Unlike most shows, the focus is on how the murder was done, as opposed to the usual formulas of who did it, or we know who did it, how does the detective figure it out.
the ITV adaptations of Sherlock Holmes (starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes), Poirot (with David Suchet as Poirot),
They're all available on DVD here. I'm only missing the TV movies for Holmes on DVD -- pretty much out of stock and there aren't suitable subtitles online either. Bah.and/or Miss Marple (Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, not the later ones) - they're a bit older to find though.
If you're more into the CSI method of murder mystery rather than the detective using their brains,
either Bones or Waking The Dead would be good watching.
That's about all I can think of for now at least.
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It's a very sad, sad atmosphere in my place today. So I don't wanna talk about it too much... And I'll be geeking away as much as I possibly can.
As for 'regular' shows, I don't have anything in mind right now but I'm not a sucker for cheap-looking 'serious' fictions.
(And yes, I did try to watch Doctor Who's Pyramids of Mars.. And stopped when I saw the ridiculous monsters. Oh my. Too bad I love all of these Doctors, because I have a serious problem with the rest of the show.)
As you already know, to me the best 'serious' British show is The Prisoner. And it doesn't look cheap. Well, except for the episode 'The General' with its supercomputer, but the episode has more important issues anyway.
Did you ever see that TV movie with Christopher Eccleston as a guy who thinks he's Jesus? I have this under the hand but I'm unsure whether it's any good.
I just wanna find more things to watch on a weekly basis (current shows), and possibly on a daily basis (past shows.)
'Losing'? It's a game? (QI is French for IQ so I'd naturally think that... )
I only have the first series on DVD, but even on that series, we have Bill Bailey, Hugh Laurie, Phill Jupitus, Sean Lock, John Sessions, Jo Brand, Clive Anderson, Jimmy Carr... you get the picture.
Also, that reminds me. When it's on, you might enjoy (or thoroughly despise) Mock The Week. It's pretty polarising and I find it hilarious.Only heard of it by name.
I have no idea who these people are, though... As a reminder, I'm just one of those annoying Froggies, and we don't have the BBC in here
Lyndhurst... Goodnight Sweetheart is probably his best known work, but he was definitely an 80s actor and looks rather out of place these days.I know Jason is a revered actor but I only saw him in the Discworld movies and, 'meh'. He was okay in Hogfather but I couldn't understand the point of him playing Rincewind later. Not only didn't he look the part at all, he was probably too old for it, and it just wasn't funny. Then again it's also a problem with the book...
For me, Jason fits both parts - just not together, but he fits in better in Hogfather - leaving the question of who you'd cast as Rincewind. It's never clear from the book how old Rincewind is really supposed to be, especially as he's always depicted as oldish on the covers.Let me save you most of the build-up and insanity, suffice to say that Rodney is a slightly ineffectual male who does roar like a lion when called (but invariably is the lamb being led to slaughter), Cassandra is his wife who is the big shot, a lawyer I believe, but she's the one who calls the shots, and an in attempt to revitalise their marriage, they suggest dressing up as each other's fantasies, writing the names down on pieces of paper and leaving them for each other. (You can already see the parallels; Rory is a lot like Rodney and Cassandra is a lot like Amy, just not as fiery)
He cites someone off The Bill (being a sucker for someone in a police uniform; it wouldn't be the first time he had been attracted to a policewoman, only the previous time it actually *was* a policewoman, complete with handcuffs), while she mentions Gladiator.
So you get the pivotal scene of them walking into the living room to confront each other, and disappear off to the bedroom. Due to other circumstances, they get interrupted by a phone call... and they emerge from the bedroom - just like Amy and Rory do in the Christmas Carol...I always thought I should give Spooks a try
Never heard about Hustle and New Tricks until now -- I'll look into it, I like that kind of pitch. New Tricks, why not, later.
Not really, but I do appreciate a good Poirot or Holmes of course And Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes. And David E. Kelley's shows. That's about all... Never watched CSI etc.
CSI is one of those shows you will either like or not. It's OK, but it's not exactly brain-stretching fare.
You get genius moments like this:
GUI interface using visual basic to track the killers IP address CSI(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU#ws)
Yes, this was in CSI: NY, it's not a hoax or a mash-up, that did actually happen. The plots aren't bad, the execution a bit OTT at times, http://lolwtfcomics.blogspot.com/2011/10/csi-comic-enhance-on-license-plate-zoom.html pretty much sums up how CSI feels sometimes (and Jesus H Christ on a crutch, David Caruso, will you PLEASE STOP TAKING YOUR DAMN GLASSES ON AND OFF EVERY DAMN SENTENCE!)
If I do watch it, it's mostly for the character interaction, not for the crime solving, and I make a point of avoiding CSI: Miami for the above insanity. (CSI: NY is OK, Vegas is good)...And yet another show I saw on my TV programme, without being aware it's British
I like the pitch, too, I'll remember to give it a try next time I see it on TV.
It's slimmed down to a level where the guest characters don't even matter anymore. It's all about the tricks themselves, most of the time. Apart from the annoying story clichés and character-design, it's a really good thing to read (or watch on TV) if you like these.
I never delved into Marple because (1) I'm not sure about the whole concept, (2) I'm not sure about who the definitive Marple is, either.
But Joan Hickson is pretty much *the* character Christie wrote about.Really, as I said above, I've never even watched a single second of any CSI show, eheh. Couldn't tell you whether I like it or not!
My girl is a big fan of Bones. I'm not. I just watch bits of it occasionally because I miss my Angel.
Thank you very much for the suggestions
Funnily enough, I just thought of something; I mentioned Mock the Week, and then I realised that an earlier show created by the same people still holds my interest when it's on: Whose Line Is It Anyway? While it's largely an American show *now* it was originally a British show, though having American guests on it.
Also, you might find either Spitting Image or Drop the Dead Donkey good watching, but in both cases, they're related to what was going on in the country and the world at the time, being quite politically satirical; DtDD at least starts the re-runs (and, AFAIK, the DVD releases) with a brief note as to what was happening at the time so that you're not completely without context. But it's pretty niche humour these days because it's so intrinsically tied to what went on at the time.
Also, in reference to Grimlock, he's one of the Transformers, and like all of the Dinobots, he's pretty bad-ass. For example, in the movie (the proper one :P), they're up against Unicron, which is a giant planet-eating monster Transformer. The Dinobots, despite being miniature in comparison, do not care that they're tiny in comparison.
This video, around the 5 minute mark:
G1 Movie: Part 10: "You Underestimate Me, Galvatron"(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S3P1vYBuA8#)
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Also, I just had a thought. Harry Potter, for all the cash Hollywood threw at it and all the adoption by the US fans, it's still essentially a British production, the books reek of Britishness, and Rowling was very keen that the films should retain that too - most of the real acting talent is British or at the very least heavily British-influenced.
:edit: Fixed typo.