TV

The Omid Djalili Show
2x01 Episode 1
Not certain it lived up to claims of being massively funnier than the first series, but it kept me amused. Favourite bit was possibly the Tudors-spoofing Henry VIII credits.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x06 Episode 6
How in God's name did they vote for Duncan?! Poor Haroon.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Force is strong for Jedi police
(from BBC News)
"Eight police officers serving with Scotland's largest force listed their official religion as Jedi in voluntary diversity forms... Strathclyde Police said the officers [plus] two of its civilian staff claimed to follow the faith, which features in the Star Wars movies."
I suppose as they're meant to be the 'Police Service' these days a headline of "May the (Police) Force Be With You" would've been considered politically incorrect.

Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview by Robert Lanham
(from Timothy McSweeney)
"As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers. Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates... 21st-century literary genres"
Mmm, satire. (Long satire.)

TV

Argumental
2x04 (20/4/09 edition)
Blues was robbed.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
1x01 The Big Bonanza
Perfect Sunday night viewing -- gentle, funny, but mercifully not dull (as some examples of "perfect Sunday night viewing" are). Shame I didn't get round to this sooner; on the other hand, it means I'll watch the last two episodes in HD thanks to BBC HD being added to iPlayer. (Sadly only the last two are available there though.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x05 Episode 5
My God, get rid of Duncan! Please!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Music

War Child: Heroes
War Child is an admirable enterprise (producing compilation albums of original music by well-known artists for charity) and their much-publicised latest effort, Heroes, sounds right up my street -- I love covers and this is billed as "The Ultimate Covers Album". It's certainly a fantastic concept: renowned artists choose their favourite track and a modern act they'd like to cover it.

Sadly, its execution is lacking. There are some combinations that come out as the concept would imply -- Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die covered by Duffy, Blondie's Call Me covered by Franz Ferdinand, Stevie Wonder's Superstition covered by Estelle -- and all the "original legends", as the booklet bills them, are suitably well-known. But their song choices often aren't, and neither are some of "today's biggest acts" -- again, the booklet's words -- who are covering them. So we have the likes of Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and the Kooks rubbing shoulders with Peaches, the Hold Steady and the Like -- acts that just provoke a collective, "who?"

Maybe some of the covered songs are more recognisable when heard than from their titles, and I suppose no one said they had to be famous songs chosen... but, to me, the very idea of an "Ultimate Covers Album" with such a setup implies songs and artists you know.

On the other hand, most of it does sound good -- I mean, you can't complain at that. The recognisable songs are largely among the best bits, though Duffy's Live and Let Die is risibly dull, choosing to abandon the original's defining hard-soft juxtaposition in favour of just the soft. Fortunately it's a rare misstep on this otherwise entertaining CD.

Articles

A message from our Guest Editor-In-Chief... by Steven Spielberg
(from Empire: 20 at Empire)
Steven Spielberg introduces Empire's 20th anniversary issue, which he's guest edited. It's a lovely piece and the magazine sounds great too. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Ashes drama draws in 7m audience
(from BBC News)
Last night's season premiere of Ashes to Ashes managed to get exactly the same viewing figures as season one's opener. What're the chances, eh?

Fox Source Responds to Claim of Wolverine Lie by Kyle Buchanan
(from Movie|Line)
"Remember when Tom Rothman swore up and down that the final version of the film would be ten minutes longer? Apparently that was a lie. The bootleg apparently ran 107 minutes with credits. The official running time listed in the AMC and Arclight websites lists the film as running… drum roll… 107 minutes."
Of course, Fox had the common sense to suggest that "cuts had been made to the leaked workprint before the additional footage was added, which resulted in a similar running time". Obviously.
And so, the saga continues...

Spanish Life On Mars

Some people are very down on the idea of the brilliant British series Life On Mars being remade. Personally, I think it's ripe for remakes -- while it's unlikely they can top the original in terms of overall quality, the thematic idea of comparing '00s policing to '70s policing will differ in every country and so warrants differing explorations.

This Spanish version is especially intriguing, as it aims to contrast modern-day Spain with a post-Franco 1978. Courtesy of Jack Yan on Vox, here's a trailer and a few photos (even more content at this link). Obviously it's in Spanish so relatively undecipherable if you don't speak the language, but it doesn't look too bad. Fingers crossed that BBC Four will show it (subtitled, of course) at some point.

It's been retitled La chica de ayer in Spain, incidentally, the title of a 2002 song which translates as The Girl From Yesterday. You can also see some behind-the-scenes videos here. Again in Spanish, I'm afraid.

first image of Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

As he'll be seen in Ridley Scott's forthcoming variably-titled Robin Hood-based film (though they may've settled on plain Robin Hood now).

Based on the script changes implied in the Wikipedia article, I feel quite sorry for the guys who wrote the original Nottingham screenplay -- it was widely praised and provoked a bit of a bidding war, as I recall. Scott's thrown it all out, it would seem, and I bet he's not handed it back to them to actually get it made. Sounded far more interesting than just another straightforward version of the story.

But I digress. Here's the new photo. Though, it looks like it could quite conceivably have been taken 9 years ago...

"My name is Robin Hood, son of Locksley, Early of Huntingdon, loyal servant to the true King Richard. Father to my band of merry men, lover of Maid Marian. And I will have my vengeance."

Again.

TV

Ashes to Ashes
2x01 Episode One
Hurrah for the return of Ashes, the underrated Life On Mars sequel. Always a joy to have Gene Hunt on our screens and lots of intriguing mysteries to mull over for the next 8 weeks -- and, hopefully, an intended third (and final) season beyond that.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
5x06 (16/4/09 edition, uncut repeat)
Robot Graham = Best. Thing. Ever. Gillian Anderson's accent = tad odd, it must be said, but surprisingly British-sounding.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Primeval
3x04 Episode 4
Oft-predictable tosh, again, but rather spectacular tosh this week with a Great Big Dinosaur and chases around an airport and a helicopter and Nigel Marven getting eaten -- it's exactly what Primeval should be like.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

Ashes To Ashes returns! by Nick Setchfield
(from SFX)
"SFX is celebrating the return of Ashes To Ashes to BBC One with a week of thug-slapping, Quattro-spinning exclusives." Hurrah! Today, it's a very good interview with co-creator Matthew Graham that covers all sorts of topics related to the series.

BBC iPlayer goes HD, adds higher quality streams, releases iPlayer Desktop out of Labs by Anthony Rose
(from BBC Internet Blog)
Yes, yes, yes yes yes! Seriously considering giving up watching programmes that are also shown on BBC HD on my TV (which is small and non-HD) and just watching them on my Mac via iPlayer Desktop (which is HD!) Lots more info in the article, naturally, including that they've improved the SD stream to bring it closer to TV quality. Yummy.

Simon Pegg talks Trek by Nick Setchfield
(from SFX)
The second part of SFX's interview with the Geekdom God (I mentioned the first half here). Worth a look just for the amusingly subtle dig at Heroes if nothing else.

new review at 100 Films

State of Play (2009)

the real focus of this screen-to-bigger-screen translation is the complex six-hour story of the original series, condensed from 340 minutes to just 127. This three-fold reduction has been well handled, and perhaps their most noteworthy achievement is crafting a film that feels entirely like its own entity without sacrificing anything significant from the primary conspiracy plot.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Damages
2x09 You Got Your Prom Date Pregnant
Are the FBI investigating Patty, or not? Why is the apparently-primary UNR plot so often sidelined? Will William Hurt's name forever be in the credits even though he doesn't appear to be in it any more? These are the burning questions.

Louis Theroux: A Place for Paedophiles
I never used to bother with Louis Theroux's programmes, but after finding his San Quentin prison doc very interesting (way back in January 2008, as it turns out -- you can read my thoughts on it at my old blog) this semi-sequel (as it were) looked like an equally intriguing prospect.
And it was -- a difficult issue handled intelligently and thoughtfully, devoid of any inappropriate humour. There are many questions raised -- not just about paedophiles and how we should treat them, but about the legality and morality of the institution that was his subject -- but no easy answers handed down.
This is quality documentary making and we should be thankful that there's someone prepared to make such work and that we have a network prepared to fund and broadcast it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wire
1x12 Cleaning Up
If you'd told me this was the final episode I wouldn't've been surprised, which means I'm rather intrigued to see what cards they have left to play. Should be an interesting final episode...

Films

State of Play (2009)
[#20 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Not that I'm boasting (maybe a little), but I got to see this at a preview screening ahead of its UK release this Wednesday. The real question is, is it as good as the TV series? The answer: of course it bloody isn't. But, fortunately, it's a very good film nonetheless.
My full review is up at 100 Films now.

Articles

Matthew McConaughey’s Next 10 Movie Posters by Daniel O'Brien
(from Cracked.com)
These spoof posters may be a long way from the standard of other similar Photoshop-based gags you see around the web, but, crucially, most of them are funny. Can't always guarantee that.

new review at 100 Films

The Birds (1963)

The titular demented avians attack, and attack again, a near relentless series of assaults and set pieces that allow Hitchcock to show off his apparently endless array of shooting and editing tricks. And it’s all achieved without a single note of music — yet some sections are almost unbearably tense, built entirely with camera angles and masterful editing.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Another weak TV day...

I've Never Seen Star Wars
1x05 Hugh Dennis
In which Dennis tries a paltry three things. One of them was eating roadkill though, so that almost makes up for it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

AVPR - Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
And that's it for my trawl through all eight Alien and Predator films! Reviews soon.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer 4a
Among the list of reasons the MPAA have classified this a PG (a surprisingly low decision given the last few films and some of the events in this book) is the comment "mild sensuality". The MPAA must be the only ratings organisation outside of the Middle East who consider this something parents might want to guard their children against.
As for the trailer itself, it looks incredibly action-packed seeing as I remember this book as being particularly wordy and staid, moving things into place for the finale. That's a good thing in my opinion. It also closes with the possibly the best rendition of the films' main theme yet, suitably epic and dramatic. Still, Half-Blood Prince remains the weakest of the Potter titles. It might sound quite good, but it only refers to a relatively minor plot element (as far as I remember anyway) -- there's certainly no mention of it in the trailer!

Music

Milestones by Ben & Alfie
Ben and Alfie Weedon are a pair of Westcountry teens who produce classical folk-tinged music, to some acclaim in certain musical circles (so I'm told). 2008's Milestones features new material alongside pieces collected from previous albums.
As well as the music, there's some joy to be had from the track titles: while some are wholly expected for the genre (Quarrender's Reel, From the Duck Pond), others show a nice degree of wit or create an interesting disjunct -- Track 8 (track two on the CD), Thing-A-Me Jig, and Ultrasound, for example. The CD's brief liner notes for each track also help focus the listener's attention on the boys' intention, which is especially nice for a classical novice like myself.
You can buy/preview their music from CD Baby, iTunes, or their MySpace page.

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #407
Unsurprisingly focused on Planet of the Dead... as is next issue... Hopefully they'll give it up then, otherwise they'll be going on about one special all the way to November.

Being so close to one special naturally means there's little news on the future, with only some minor casting for the excellent-sounding Waters of Mars and some reheated quotes about the end of Tennant's tenure to tide us over new-series-wise. In past-terms, Big Finish's forthcoming 'Lost Stories'/'Season 23' strand sound promising, and the hint at possibly doing something similar with Season 27 is very tantalising for a McCoy fan like myself. A preview of the just-released novel Prisoner of the Daleks also makes it sound brilliant -- I may have to begin buying the books again, and perhaps even read them.

Commentary on this issue can't avoid the already infamous Christopher H Bidmead interview. Except I haven't read it yet. But one particular pull-quote is probably rather telling: "This is a good interview. You're asking all the right questions, and I'm offering some brilliant answers!" Oh my.

Finally, for the first time in 11 years DWM is conducting a Best Story Ever poll of its readership, nicely timed for the 200th story. (It is it is it is, whatever else you want to argue.) The deadline isn't 'til June so Lord knows when the results will be published (to coincide with story #201, maybe? Or Tennant's departure?) With 40 adventures now in consideration that weren't last time, it'll be interesting to see if Tennant and/or Eccleston storm the Top 50, or if there'll be enough classic series fans to help combat the over-enthusiastic new-series-only newcomers.

Articles

100 Movies To See Before You Die by The Yahoo! Movies Editorial Staff
(from Yahoo! Movies)
These lists come along all the time, often featuring most of the same films. I'm an absolute sucker for them nonetheless, and on this one I've seen exactly 50 of the 100 listed. Many good choices, of course, but some oddities that could really do with a note of explanation.

David Heyman talks Dumbledore's funeral, Hogwarts battle & more by Emma Riddle
(from SnitchSeeker.com)
Harry Potter producer Heyman discusses some of the cuts and changes to the adaptations of both Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows, including how they've made a rod for their own backs with some of the stuff they cut in earlier films. If you're at all interested in Potter than this is worth a read.

Poem of the Week: Anchor Baby

by Tim Burton

Apologies for being 24 hours late. Maybe I should just move this to Saturdays...

Anyway, this piece is my favourite tale from Burton's volume The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. A little more about it following the poem itself:

There was a beautiful girl
who came from the sea.
And there was just one place
that she wanted to be.

With a man named Walker
who played in a band.
She would leave the ocean
and come onto the land.

He was the one that she wanted the most.
And she tried everything
to capture this ghost.

But throughout all their lives
they never connected.
She wandered the earth
alone and rejected

She tried looking happy
she tried looking tragic,
she tried astral projecting,
sex, and black magic.

Nothing could join them,
except maybe one thing,
just maybe...
something to anchor their spirits...
They had a baby.

But to give birth to a baby
they needed a crane.
the umbilical cord
was in the form of a chain.

I t was ugly and gloomy,
and as hard as a kettle.
It had no pink skin,
just heavy gray metal.

The baby that was meant
to bring them together,
just shrouded them both
in a cloud of foul weather.

So Walker took off
to play with the band.
And from that day on,
he stayed mainly on land.

And she was alone
with her gray baby anchor,
who got so oppressive
that eventually sank her.

As she went to the bottom,
not fulfilling her wish,
it was her, and her baby...
and a few scattered fish.

Better known as a film director (you've heard of him, right), Burton started out in animation, crafting a lot of his own characters and stories. In 1996 he published The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, a volume of poetic stories with his own illustrations. Whether they were all written around that time or some date back to his earlier pre-directing career, I don't know. The style of the pieces is typical of what you might expect from Burton -- fairytale-like, but also very dark and macabre. "Twisted", some would surely say.

For my thoughts on the whole book you can look back to when I read it about a month ago (it feels considerably longer, I must say). You can also read the full text online here, complete with illustrations, though I don't know if this is legal. The book itself is published by Faber & Faber, and their page for it is here.