Have I Got News For You
36x04 (7/11/08 edition)
Russell Brand's Ponderland
2x02 Family
He may've quit the BBC, but he's still on C4! Cos they know what they're doing, see.
The Sandbaggers
1x06 A Feasible Solution
Now that I'm all caught up with Spooks, I can get back into some more realistic spying, '70s style.
Friday, 7 November 2008
Films
Gasman (1997)
[#76a in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Short from the director of Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar.
[#76a in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Short from the director of Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar.
Articles
Morrissey responds to Dr Who rumours by Ben Rawson-Jones
(from Digital Spy)
"As for any talk of me taking over as the next Doctor, well, if or when they do choose someone, they would have to be totally different to David - which I am." Based on his comments about the Christmas special, however, I doubt he will be. (Note that they contain what might be termed spoilers.) Apparently some papers are reporting that Colin Salmon has been cast in the part, but I've not seen that covered anywhere.
New Defiance Poster by Emily Phillips
(from Empire Online)
Ooh, don't they look defiant?
Rickrolling: Rick Astley named Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards by Matthew Moore
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
"lol".
Sam Mendes Talks Preacher by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"This is a typical Variety announcement," says Mendes "'Mendes to direct Preacher' – I wish! Basically they should have written, 'Mendes in development with Preacher'. What I’m doing is, I’ve gotta find a script. I’ve just got to get it written." Read on for more info on why Mendes took on the long-gestating project. Also, try Empire's Who the Hell is Preacher? guide, which is thankfully very light on spoilers.
Spielberg And Smith To Remake Oldboy? by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"Unexpected" is the key word for this one. "We do like it when a project comes out of leftfield – and they don't come much more leftfield than this: Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in talks to direct and star in a remake of Chan-wook Park's belting 2004 revenge thriller, Oldboy... as well as being compelling, bold, and utterly brilliant, Oldboy is the sort of uncompromising, dark thriller that would represent a huge risk for... the most bankable director-star team in the world. Which, if you're wondering, is exactly what Smith and Spielberg represent."
(from Digital Spy)
"As for any talk of me taking over as the next Doctor, well, if or when they do choose someone, they would have to be totally different to David - which I am." Based on his comments about the Christmas special, however, I doubt he will be. (Note that they contain what might be termed spoilers.) Apparently some papers are reporting that Colin Salmon has been cast in the part, but I've not seen that covered anywhere.
New Defiance Poster by Emily Phillips
(from Empire Online)
Ooh, don't they look defiant?
Rickrolling: Rick Astley named Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards by Matthew Moore
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
"lol".
Sam Mendes Talks Preacher by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"This is a typical Variety announcement," says Mendes "'Mendes to direct Preacher' – I wish! Basically they should have written, 'Mendes in development with Preacher'. What I’m doing is, I’ve gotta find a script. I’ve just got to get it written." Read on for more info on why Mendes took on the long-gestating project. Also, try Empire's Who the Hell is Preacher? guide, which is thankfully very light on spoilers.
Spielberg And Smith To Remake Oldboy? by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"Unexpected" is the key word for this one. "We do like it when a project comes out of leftfield – and they don't come much more leftfield than this: Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in talks to direct and star in a remake of Chan-wook Park's belting 2004 revenge thriller, Oldboy... as well as being compelling, bold, and utterly brilliant, Oldboy is the sort of uncompromising, dark thriller that would represent a huge risk for... the most bankable director-star team in the world. Which, if you're wondering, is exactly what Smith and Spielberg represent."
Thursday, 6 November 2008
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats
7x10 (6/11/08 edition)
An appropriate degree of lambasting the General Public for complaining about things they've not even seen/heard.
Little Dorrit
Part 4 (of 14)
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
22x06 (6/11/08 edition)
Obviously taped in the wake of the recent BBC scandal, this Buzzcocks did a typically great job of extracting all the humour out of BBC shows needing to 'behave' now.
7x10 (6/11/08 edition)
An appropriate degree of lambasting the General Public for complaining about things they've not even seen/heard.
Little Dorrit
Part 4 (of 14)
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
22x06 (6/11/08 edition)
Obviously taped in the wake of the recent BBC scandal, this Buzzcocks did a typically great job of extracting all the humour out of BBC shows needing to 'behave' now.
Films
Clockwise (1986)
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)
[#75 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)
[#75 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Articles: James Bond
All James Bond-related articles today...
Children banned from cinemas for Bond film as adults demand peace and quiet by Colin Fernandez
(from Mail Online)
Well done, Vue! Very well done indeed. Shame it costs an extra 50p -- though, I'd pay that for the added peace & quiet! -- but at least they're intending to continue the move for some future releases.
'I wanted to make the Bond movie I always wanted to see...' by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Director Marc Forster has one or two different things to say. For my musing on these endless interviews with the same people, see here.
Just what is the greatest Bond film ever? by Mark Oakley
(from Den of Geek!)
The idea is decent, the criteria intriguing, but the final reasoning weak and most of the conclusions wrong (in my opinion, obviously). It doesn't help that the limited films included make it over a decade out of date! I've been looking at a fair bit of Den of Geek today, and have concluded that it's all round a rather rubbish site.
Michael G. Wilson On Reinventing James Bond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
The producer discusses the up & down nature of the franchise.
Children banned from cinemas for Bond film as adults demand peace and quiet by Colin Fernandez
(from Mail Online)
Well done, Vue! Very well done indeed. Shame it costs an extra 50p -- though, I'd pay that for the added peace & quiet! -- but at least they're intending to continue the move for some future releases.
'I wanted to make the Bond movie I always wanted to see...' by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Director Marc Forster has one or two different things to say. For my musing on these endless interviews with the same people, see here.
Just what is the greatest Bond film ever? by Mark Oakley
(from Den of Geek!)
The idea is decent, the criteria intriguing, but the final reasoning weak and most of the conclusions wrong (in my opinion, obviously). It doesn't help that the limited films included make it over a decade out of date! I've been looking at a fair bit of Den of Geek today, and have concluded that it's all round a rather rubbish site.
Michael G. Wilson On Reinventing James Bond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
The producer discusses the up & down nature of the franchise.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Articles
Interview with Quantum of Solace Star Daniel Craig by Thomas Leupp
(from ReelzChannel)
There have, obviously, been dozens of interviews with Craig and other QoS-related people of late -- and, with the US release still 9 days away, I seriously doubt we've seen the end of them -- but they always tend to contain one or two answers a little different from the rest. It's also interesting to see what fansites like CommanderBond.net make of them. Their headline for this article was Craig: Creativity And Talent Must Fuel Bond Franchise Future. There's nothing inherent in the actual interview that suggests this is Craig's primary point -- it's one answer among many, about halfway through -- but it must be a bit different to what he's commented on elsewhere for them to feel the need to pull it out.
Michael Crichton Dies Aged 66 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"the author of Jurassic Park has died at the age of 66. The enormously popular novelist, who also enjoyed success as a film director, passed away following what his family have called, “a courageous and private battle against cancer”. [Crichton] also created the enormously popular medical drama ER... adapted Robert Wise’s sci-fi thriller, The Andromeda Strain from his own novel, [and directed] Westworld, Coma and The Great Train Robbery... Many of his other novels were also filmed, including Disclosure, Sphere, Congo, and Timeline. In total, his novels sold over 150 million copies worldwide."
Pair of Sequels Planned for Road to Perdition by Scott Weinberg
(from Cinematical)
Road to Perdition is a great film based on a great book, but it's not something you'd necessarily expect sequels to. That said, the involvement of Max Allan Collins, who wrote the original graphic novel and has since penned a sequel, bodes a bit better. This won't form the basis for the sequel films, however, which instead seem to be based on two continuation novels (as in, words no piccies) that Collins wrote.
(from ReelzChannel)
There have, obviously, been dozens of interviews with Craig and other QoS-related people of late -- and, with the US release still 9 days away, I seriously doubt we've seen the end of them -- but they always tend to contain one or two answers a little different from the rest. It's also interesting to see what fansites like CommanderBond.net make of them. Their headline for this article was Craig: Creativity And Talent Must Fuel Bond Franchise Future. There's nothing inherent in the actual interview that suggests this is Craig's primary point -- it's one answer among many, about halfway through -- but it must be a bit different to what he's commented on elsewhere for them to feel the need to pull it out.
Michael Crichton Dies Aged 66 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"the author of Jurassic Park has died at the age of 66. The enormously popular novelist, who also enjoyed success as a film director, passed away following what his family have called, “a courageous and private battle against cancer”. [Crichton] also created the enormously popular medical drama ER... adapted Robert Wise’s sci-fi thriller, The Andromeda Strain from his own novel, [and directed] Westworld, Coma and The Great Train Robbery... Many of his other novels were also filmed, including Disclosure, Sphere, Congo, and Timeline. In total, his novels sold over 150 million copies worldwide."
Pair of Sequels Planned for Road to Perdition by Scott Weinberg
(from Cinematical)
Road to Perdition is a great film based on a great book, but it's not something you'd necessarily expect sequels to. That said, the involvement of Max Allan Collins, who wrote the original graphic novel and has since penned a sequel, bodes a bit better. This won't form the basis for the sequel films, however, which instead seem to be based on two continuation novels (as in, words no piccies) that Collins wrote.
British currency, re-designed
Did you know they've redesigned all the coins in use in the UK? I didn't. I feel I should have. This is the first time British coinage has been redesigned since decimalisation almost 40 years ago!
They're a bit too modern-looking for my taste. I seriously doubt it'll be 40 years before they change again.
They're a bit too modern-looking for my taste. I seriously doubt it'll be 40 years before they change again.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
TV
Stephen Fry in America
Part 4 Mountains and Plains
Marvellous as ever. It's a wonderful mix of intelligence, wit, and boyish glee.
Part 4 Mountains and Plains
Marvellous as ever. It's a wonderful mix of intelligence, wit, and boyish glee.
Fiction
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley
Book Three [the end]
Finally found a chance to finish this. The concluding part is better and more coherent than the others, but still suffers from Miller's over-simplistic over-large art, as well as bunging in a ludicrous number of things from the DC universe that he assumes you'll just know. A comic for comic geeks, then, and as weak as those usually are. Be sure to read The Dark Knight Returns (it's really brilliant), but skip this.
Book Three [the end]
Finally found a chance to finish this. The concluding part is better and more coherent than the others, but still suffers from Miller's over-simplistic over-large art, as well as bunging in a ludicrous number of things from the DC universe that he assumes you'll just know. A comic for comic geeks, then, and as weak as those usually are. Be sure to read The Dark Knight Returns (it's really brilliant), but skip this.
Articles
Outnumbered returns to BBC One
(from the BBC Press Office)
Hurray! Bring on November 15th I say.
Review of Executive Koala DVD by Kevin Gilvear
(from DVD Times)
This sounds wonderfully loopy. I mean, just look at that title, and consider that it's live action! Fabulous.
Tuesday Link-a-Mania by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
A few years ago, the BBC produced a two-part drama called Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, a near-future sci-fi in which a spaceship set out to explore the solar system. It was one of them drama-documentary things, designed to educate about the solar system, but one suspects writer-director Joe Ahearne (of Ultraviolet, Doctor Who, and next week's new BBC One series Apparitions) was more interested in the dramatic potential of the thing. And quite right too -- it's a fab idea (you should check it out on DVD). So I'm exceedingly pleased to learn that the BBC, US's Fox, and companies from Canada and Germany, are teaming up to do a 13-part version. Its plot is described as "eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system", but is unclear if all six years are in those 13 eps or if they hope it'll run for six years. Either way's good by me. It's called Defying Gravity, which is a crap title so hopefully they'll think of something better.
Also on that link: The Dark Knight nearly breaks $1bn; Joss Whedon discusses more projects in the Dr Horrible vein; Heroes gets simple; and something about Planet of the Apes. Who'd've thought one news item could contain so many interesting bits?
(from the BBC Press Office)
Hurray! Bring on November 15th I say.
Review of Executive Koala DVD by Kevin Gilvear
(from DVD Times)
This sounds wonderfully loopy. I mean, just look at that title, and consider that it's live action! Fabulous.
Tuesday Link-a-Mania by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
A few years ago, the BBC produced a two-part drama called Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, a near-future sci-fi in which a spaceship set out to explore the solar system. It was one of them drama-documentary things, designed to educate about the solar system, but one suspects writer-director Joe Ahearne (of Ultraviolet, Doctor Who, and next week's new BBC One series Apparitions) was more interested in the dramatic potential of the thing. And quite right too -- it's a fab idea (you should check it out on DVD). So I'm exceedingly pleased to learn that the BBC, US's Fox, and companies from Canada and Germany, are teaming up to do a 13-part version. Its plot is described as "eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system", but is unclear if all six years are in those 13 eps or if they hope it'll run for six years. Either way's good by me. It's called Defying Gravity, which is a crap title so hopefully they'll think of something better.
Also on that link: The Dark Knight nearly breaks $1bn; Joss Whedon discusses more projects in the Dr Horrible vein; Heroes gets simple; and something about Planet of the Apes. Who'd've thought one news item could contain so many interesting bits?
Monday, 3 November 2008
TV
Argumental
1x02 (3/11/08 edition)
The Graham Norton Show
4x05 (30/10/08 edition, uncut repeat)
The Sarah Jane Adventures
2x06 Secrets of the Stars Part Two
Spooks
7x02 Split Loyalties
1x02 (3/11/08 edition)
The Graham Norton Show
4x05 (30/10/08 edition, uncut repeat)
The Sarah Jane Adventures
2x06 Secrets of the Stars Part Two
Spooks
7x02 Split Loyalties
Music
Roar! (Theme from Cloverfield) by Michael Giacchino
This is a great track, I highly recommend it. You can get it from iTunes -- all 12 minutes and 17 seconds for just 79p -- here.
This is a great track, I highly recommend it. You can get it from iTunes -- all 12 minutes and 17 seconds for just 79p -- here.
Articles
Christopher Nolan on Dark Knight and its box-office billion: 'It's mystifying to me'
and
Christopher Nolan revisits and analyzes his favorite scene in Dark Knight
and
Christopher Nolan says his Batman doesn't play well with others by Geoff Boucher
(from Hero Complex at Los Angeles Times Blogs)
A very exclusive, in-depth, three-part interview with the director of Batman Begins and (more pertinently) The Dark Knight.
Coppola's slow boat on the Nung by Gordon Coates
(from guardian.co.uk)
Quite simply, "Gordon Coates on the five-hour Apocalypse Now". That would be the workprint, long available as a bootleg, that -- depending on who you believe -- is anywhere from 289 to 330 minutes long. (Incidentally, the information that the film is an 18 is out of date -- the Redux was classified at 15 in 2001, and while the original (shorter) cut received an 18 in 2004 (what's that about eh?), all the materials on the recent DVD release -- which includes both cuts of the film -- were collectively rated 15.)
Quantum of Solace Grabs #1 Spot At International Box Office by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"the 007 film earned £15.7 million ($25.3 million) over the weekend" -- beating estimates by over $4 million, and "becoming the biggest three-day opening ever in the UK, surpassing Casino Royale’s equally impressive box office debut by 35%. [From] the UK, France and Sweden, [it] grossed a spectacular $38.6 million... ‘No other international release in 2008 has grossed more [playing in] fewer than 27 territories,’ said Mark Zucker, Sony’s president of international distribution." Super. From a different article: "Six movies can claim bigger UK openings than Quantum of Solace, but all achieved their grosses with the addition of paid previews, typically from the weekend prior and/or days immediately before their official opening."
Quantum of Solace opens around most of the world in the next two weeks, most significantly in the US on November 14th. Look here for a weekly-updated summary of its worldwide box office.
and
Christopher Nolan revisits and analyzes his favorite scene in Dark Knight
and
Christopher Nolan says his Batman doesn't play well with others by Geoff Boucher
(from Hero Complex at Los Angeles Times Blogs)
A very exclusive, in-depth, three-part interview with the director of Batman Begins and (more pertinently) The Dark Knight.
Coppola's slow boat on the Nung by Gordon Coates
(from guardian.co.uk)
Quite simply, "Gordon Coates on the five-hour Apocalypse Now". That would be the workprint, long available as a bootleg, that -- depending on who you believe -- is anywhere from 289 to 330 minutes long. (Incidentally, the information that the film is an 18 is out of date -- the Redux was classified at 15 in 2001, and while the original (shorter) cut received an 18 in 2004 (what's that about eh?), all the materials on the recent DVD release -- which includes both cuts of the film -- were collectively rated 15.)
Quantum of Solace Grabs #1 Spot At International Box Office by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"the 007 film earned £15.7 million ($25.3 million) over the weekend" -- beating estimates by over $4 million, and "becoming the biggest three-day opening ever in the UK, surpassing Casino Royale’s equally impressive box office debut by 35%. [From] the UK, France and Sweden, [it] grossed a spectacular $38.6 million... ‘No other international release in 2008 has grossed more [playing in] fewer than 27 territories,’ said Mark Zucker, Sony’s president of international distribution." Super. From a different article: "Six movies can claim bigger UK openings than Quantum of Solace, but all achieved their grosses with the addition of paid previews, typically from the weekend prior and/or days immediately before their official opening."
Quantum of Solace opens around most of the world in the next two weeks, most significantly in the US on November 14th. Look here for a weekly-updated summary of its worldwide box office.
Sunday, 2 November 2008
TV
The Sarah Jane Adventures
2x05 Secrets of the Stars Part One
Sharpe
7x01 Sharpe's Peril Part 1
Spooks
7x01 New Allegiances
A sneaky bit of PR in the run up to this series means that the opening episode regains Spooks' ability to be genuinely surprising, something that went increasingly awry as the show became increasingly far-fetched.
Top Gear
12x01 (2/11/08 edition)
Absolutely hilarious, as usual.
2x05 Secrets of the Stars Part One
Sharpe
7x01 Sharpe's Peril Part 1
Spooks
7x01 New Allegiances
A sneaky bit of PR in the run up to this series means that the opening episode regains Spooks' ability to be genuinely surprising, something that went increasingly awry as the show became increasingly far-fetched.
Top Gear
12x01 (2/11/08 edition)
Absolutely hilarious, as usual.
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