TV

The Omid Djalili Show
2x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
A variable quality episode to end a variable quality series. To be honest, I think Djalili is much funnier as a stand-up than a sketch performer, though his musicals are great.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wire
2x10 Storm Warnings
Sometimes I worry that The Wire is slipping into clichés and losing sight of its original "it's all real" outlook. Most of them would pass by just fine in any other drama, but they seem a little out of place here. On the bright side, at least the plot continues to move forward, though having wasted so many of the early episodes on next-to-nothing this season has generally struggled to reach the highs of the first.
This second season finished on BBC Two tonight, though due to a recording muck up I'll be a few days behind. I presume that, as before, there'll be a few weeks before season three comes along.

Articles

Boyle Returns To Mumbai To Reassure Child Stars
(from Studio Briefing)
The controversy over how Slumdog Millionaire treated its poor Indian children cast members rears its head again. To be blunt, I'm beginning to wonder if some of these child stars' parents are just trying to get a free ride. I mean, "It's no big deal for them, this kind of money... They should help us." My understanding is, they already have, and clearly he just wants more.

TV

The Wire
2x09 Stray Rounds
In which Baltimore detective Jimmy McNulty -- played by English actor Dominic West -- has to try an English accent, and is appallingly bad at it. Most amusing.

new review at 100 Films

Flash Gordon (1980)

Flash often seems to be dismissed as an unintentionally campy load of nonsense, perhaps with some ironic appeal. What this assessment misses is how knowing it is. Yes, it’s ridiculously camp, the dialogue is cheesy, the performances equally so, and it’s brighter and more colourful than any under-5s TV show ever produced. But it knows it is... The sheer volume of things there are to love in this film makes them hard to list without watching it and pointing them out as they appear...

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, plus three shorts. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

The Graham Norton Show
5x11 (21/5/09 edition, uncut repeat)
Featuring Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno, which has to be seen to be believed but is utterly hilarious.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
37x05 (22/5/09 edition; uncut repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wire
2x08 Duck and Cover
Playing catch up (episode ten is on BBC Two as this is posted). Now thankful the Beeb are taking breaks between seasons!

Articles

Two pieces of exciting Doctor Who news today...

The Doctor Joins The Sarah Jane Adventures by Cameron K McEwan
(from Den of Geek!)
"David Tennant will be starring in a two-part story due to be screened in the Autumn. Also joining the Tenth Doctor is the robotic mutt, K9... "it's more than just a cameo from the Tenth Doctor! He's a proper part of the story... the wedding of Sarah Jane will be a day for everyone to remember!""
Intriguing! I just hope it's called something like The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith to tie in with the similarly-titled stories from seasons one and two.

Doctor Who: Animated Series On The Way by Cameron K McEwan
(from Den of Geek!)
"Debuting in "Autumn," a new animated Doctor Who story, entitled Dreamland, will be hitting the small screen through the BBC's red button service and Children's BBC. There will be seven episodes comprising of approximately six minutes." Follow the link for more.

There's also the promise of "Special Project 3" from Russell T Davies -- but what will it be? Who can say...

TV

Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken: Star Wars [special]
Everyone knows that Family Guy did a great big George Lucas-approved Star Wars spoof (right)? What slightly fewer people know (due to it being on some obscure channel) is that Robot Chicken also did one. And they did it first. I think. Anyway, this is that.
Which was funnier? It's been so long since I saw Family Guy's (before this blog began) that I honestly wouldn't like to say, but they're notably different -- Family Guy retells A New Hope, while this contains sketches about the whole series.

Films

Glory (1989)
[#28 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Yet more on Tarantino's latest today...

Early Buzz: Inglourious Basterds by Peter Sciretta
(from /film)
More review summaries? Yes, but this is a nicely concise and varied example. Stand-out comment: "well worth watching and admirably ambitious and single-minded... Inglourious Basterds will split viewers." You only need to read the article to see how much it already has.

Tarantino Heading Back into the Editing Room with Basterds by Alex Billington
(from FirstShowing.net)
"Before its premiere, the running time was one of the most talked about aspects of the film. It was listed at 2 hours 40 minutes, but it actually only played roughly 2 hours 28 minutes. Most people are instantly assuming that some of the negative criticism stems from its length and are saying that Tarantino needs to trim it down. On the contrary, though, it felt like it was missing a few key scenes...
Universal wants Tarantino to return "to the editing room post-Cannes to make some trims edits that might include adding a scene, says Tarantino." He also reminds us that the current run time is "well under his contractual final cut length of 2 hours 48 minutes.""

DVD Extras

Transporter 3 extras
- The Making of Transporter 3
- Storyboard Comparison
- Special FX
- Set/Production Design
- Car Stunts

With a combined running time of 27 minutes, there's not a great deal here. On the other hand, some of it's so lightweight that becomes a blessing. The Making Of featurette takes up most of the time at 16 minutes, but it's very weak, often just showing some behind-the-scenes footage with no explanation.

The four featurettes all feature commentary from director Olivier Megaton and are much better. Though they run for just two to three minutes each, they manage a passable amount of detail about their chosen topics. The storyboards one is especially interesting because, in spite of the title, it shows two unfilmed sequences (and no storyboard-to-screen comparisons).

Films

Flash Gordon (1980)
[#27a in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Despite having seen this before -- only once, I think, and a long time ago when I was very young -- and having a huge review backlog I've still taken the time to write a piece on this. I have my reasons. Anyway, I'll post it in a few days, quite cynically leaving time for my Alien and Predator reviews to garner hits from DVD Times' front page.

Fiction

The Recently Deflowered Girl by Hyacinthe Phypps
Pages 6 - 47

This is a bit random: a comedy book from 1965, actually written/illustrated by Mel Juffe (if he's real) and Edward Gorey (though it's so obscure it's not even on his Wikipedia bibliography) offering advice on what to say in certain potentially embarrassing post-deflowerment situations.

Someone's scanned a significant chunk (though apparently not all) of it and put it online here. Some of it's very funny, other bits just wish they were. Look to this blog post for a little more info.

new reviews at 100 Films

A pair of new reviews have been posted over at 100 Films today...

Alien: The Director's Cut (1979/2003)

Alien feels unchanged. It’s been said many times before but, first and foremost, it’s a horror movie — it just happens to be one set in space with plenty of sci-fi trappings… Whatever effect Scott’s trims may have had, they haven’t made it any less effective in this regard

Predator (1987)

it’s an entertaining war flick that turns into a sci-fi/action/horror skirmish thingy — but it doesn’t have the same finesse that imbues Alien and its sequel.

Read the full reviews at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, plus three shorts. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

Films

Transporter 3 (2008)
[#27 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Review of Terminator Salvation by Devin Faraci
(from Empire)
A positive perspective on the widely panned new Terminator entry. Sounds pretty good to me.

Poem of the Week: Casey at the Bat

by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

As promised last week, here's another selection from The Nation's Favourite Comic Verse. It's about baseball -- or, to us Brits, 'glorified rounders' -- though a lack of knowledge on that front is no barrier to enjoyment, as the basic theme of this could easily apply to most sports (and for much of it could be about most sports).

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play.
So when Cooney died at second, and Burrows did the same,
A pallor wreathed the features of the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, 'If only Casey could but get a whack at that --
We'd put up even money now with Casey at the bat.'
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a fake;
So upon that stricken multitude a deathlike silence sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled in the mountaintops, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the hillside and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped --
'That ain't my style,' said Casey -- 'Strike one,' the Umpire said.
From the benches black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signalled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the Umpire said, "Strike two."
'Fraud!' cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered, 'Fraud!'
But one scornful look from Casey and the multitude was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Casey has struck out.

This was first published in a newspaper in 1888, a year which looks kinda nice written down. It's clearly Thayer's most famous poem and has its own Wikipedia page here with more info than you could ever need.

There's also a version of the poem at Wikisource which has many notable differences to the one I've published here, which is taken directly from The Nation's Favourite Comic Verse. It's not just a case of formatting or punctuation -- some lines are almost entirely different. Wikisource says their version is the original from the paper; I don't know where this (revised, presumably) version originates.

TV

I didn't watch Question Time -- unlike most of twitter, it would seem -- but I did watch these:

The Graham Norton Show
5x10 (14/5/09 edition, uncut repeat)
Very surprised how much I liked Lily Allen on this. Amused that she could say the controversial lyrics from her song but wasn't allowed to sing them -- presumably the bit where she spelt it out was cut from the first broadcast (which has an earlier timeslot).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
1x09 Flame Red
Although the actual plot was a little light, it was thematically significant. Nice to see Jane's steely side too. I'm really enjoying this show -- very glad it's actually been a hit in America and isn't faced with cancellation, as so many of the best shows often are.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

The Omid Djalili Show
2x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

At the risk of getting dreadfully behind, for various personal reasons The Wire will now return next week.

Articles

C’est Magnifique - The Red Shoes Wows Cannes by John Hodson
(from From the Cheap Seats)
"The Red Shoes has been meticulously restored and [received] a special screening at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival... 'I had never seen The Red Shoes on the big screen, leave alone like this. The restoration is stupendous... The colours absolutely leap from the screen.'"
The restored Red Shoes hits UK DVD and Blu-ray on June 29th.

Details on next-gen iPhone leaked? by Mark Langshaw
(from Digital Spy)
"Consistent with past rumours, the system will allegedly include a digital compass and video recorder. A built-in FM transmitter and an OLED screen to improve battery life will also be incorporated, while the RAM and processing power are double that of the current iPhone. The system’s digital camera will be significantly more powerful than its predecessor's, and users will also be able to send photographs and video material via text message."
True or not, there's definitely a software update coming for existing iPhones this summer, and some of that could be incorporated there too.

Film review: Inglourious Basterds by Emma Jones
(from BBC News)
BBC News' balanced opinion on Tarantino's new film (see yesterday and further down for more).

The new 1982 by primus
(from The Ark)
An interesting theory (that 1982 is remembered as a classic year for genre cinema, but has there been one as good since?) and intriguingly argued, though I'm not convinced he's found a genuinely viable alternative.

The Next Dimension: Does 3D Really Work? by Dan Jolin
(from the Empire Blog)
Some valuable 3D skepticism.

We've Seen Inglourious Basterds! by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire)
And finally, a glowing report/review of That Tarantino Film.

TV

Damages
2x13 Trust Me [season finale]
And so Damages' highly variable second season toddles to its conclusion. It's a twisty windy episode of twists and counter-twists, which rather relies on the audience just going along with it as much as genuinely understanding it. Hidden within all that are some bits that make sense and some that really don't. By the end, I wasn't sure if it was brilliantly done and amazingly written, or a total mess and dreadfully written.
Either way, season two's plot was fully wrapped up, and everything left hanging from season one was finished off too. Fresh start for season three? That's what I'm hoping for...

The Wire
2x07 Backwash
Well I never thought I'd see The Wire sink to a clichéd and predictable subplot! (I speak of the Tennis Ball Bug bits.) Much of it's still great, of course, and the plot's finally moving forward. Still not a patch on season one though.

Poetry

Hoping It Might Be So: Poems 1974-2000 by Kit Wright
Bump-Starting the Hearse (1984) (pages 120-151)
That's the end of that 'chapter' (each chapter in this volume is a book in its own right, collected here). Now I must read some other poets, because I have an essay to write that should ideally refer to lots of them.