Last television show you watched

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Top Gear: Africa Adventure part 1

oddly enjoyable, funny and so forth episode. Clarkson and his ever reliable toolbox, obligatory John Barry uses (Out of Africa, & Zulu naturally), those bananas and Ugandan rozzers.
Seems Top Gear's cameramen really can't handle wildlife. Clarkson is always cursed on these challenges with idiot cars.

And Agriyob...does dye his hair.

THE BIBLE :1*:
This is a 5-part miniseries on The History Channel, but I'm 1/4th through the first episode and I don't know how much longer I can hold. I *want* to like this series, but I have to be honest: it's bad. The source material is epic, with plenty of great stories to tell. There's so much to choose from, yet this show is trying to cover it all too quickly. It doesn't stay focused on any one story, and therefore isn't particularly good at anything. The performances are awful, the direction atrocious, the production values cheap.

The New York Times had some, what I feel, are fair criticisms of the show:

http://tv.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/arts/television/the-bible-mini-series-on-history-channel.html?_r=0

The feelings behind the series may be sincere — Ms. Downey has said that she and her husband “felt called to do this” — but the approach here actually shows a lack of faith in the power of the biblical stories. (As evidenced by the politically correct retelling of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah)

The real Bible is a layered, often lyrical epic in which personal journeys are intertwined with collective ones, and human failings bump up against human strivings.

Mr. Burnett and Ms. Downey, their actors (Ms. Downey herself is one) and especially their adapters don’t have nearly the skill to translate such a thing to the small screen in a way that does justice to its complexity. The best they can do is a black-and-white simplification in which villains often come across as laughable caricatures because the creators are so eager to make sure that everyone realizes that they’re villains.

This doesn’t serve the source material — so rich in interconnections across time — very well, and it doesn’t make for very involving television. Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and the other great biblical figures aren’t really developed in a way that illuminates them or makes them linger in our minds; they are simply called forth to perform a set piece or two. It’s like a trip through a Christian theme park. “Next stop on the tour, ladies and gentlemen: the Noah’s ark tableau, followed by the Daniel in the lion’s den diorama.”

Hilly wrote:

We are now entering Jezza

Top Gear: Africa Adventure part 1

oddly enjoyable, funny and so forth episode. Clarkson and his ever reliable toolbox, obligatory John Barry uses (Out of Africa, & Zulu naturally), those bananas and Ugandan rozzers.
Seems Top Gear's cameramen really can't handle wildlife. Clarkson is always cursed on these challenges with idiot cars.

And Agriyob...does dye his hair.

Yes, t'was a proper hoot. Followed by the Beeb 4 docu on boxing movies and then over to Beeb 3 for the penultimate episode of Being Human, a good night in front of the box all told :) .

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Hilly wrote:

We are now entering Jezza

Top Gear: Africa Adventure part 1

oddly enjoyable, funny and so forth episode. Clarkson and his ever reliable toolbox, obligatory John Barry uses (Out of Africa, & Zulu naturally), those bananas and Ugandan rozzers.
Seems Top Gear's cameramen really can't handle wildlife. Clarkson is always cursed on these challenges with idiot cars.

And Agriyob...does dye his hair.

Yes, t'was a proper hoot. Followed by the Beeb 4 docu on boxing movies and then over to Beeb 3 for the penultimate episode of Being Human, a good night in front of the box all told :) .

Annoyingly I get distracted sometimes by the technical stuff. Camerawork for example. You get, say, a front angle of Clarkson's car falling to bits seen from one side but the same incident recorded from behind (in Hamster's car) doesn't show a camera in front...

Days off tend to let me worry about trivialities.

Still, the Ugandan army put some of our chaps in this country to shame.

Being Human

I'm so pissed off this is the final series. Only one more episode to go as well. I actually prefer Hal and Tom to George and Mitchell. Well, George and Mitchell had a bit of a bromance thing going on, and Mitchell was incredibly good looking but he was a whinging sod and was just asking to be staked anyway. Whereas Tom and Hal are bloody funny together.

It's not fair. I want more.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

THE BIBLE :1*:
This is a 5-part miniseries on The History Channel, but I'm 1/4th through the first episode and I don't know how much longer I can hold. I *want* to like this series, but I have to be honest: it's bad. The source material is epic, with plenty of great stories to tell. There's so much to choose from, yet this show is trying to cover it all too quickly. It doesn't stay focused on any one story, and therefore isn't particularly good at anything. The performances are awful, the direction atrocious, the production values cheap.

The New York Times had some, what I feel, are fair criticisms of the show:

http://tv.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/arts/television/the-bible-mini-series-on-history-channel.html?_r=0

The feelings behind the series may be sincere — Ms. Downey has said that she and her husband “felt called to do this” — but the approach here actually shows a lack of faith in the power of the biblical stories. (As evidenced by the politically correct retelling of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah)

The real Bible is a layered, often lyrical epic in which personal journeys are intertwined with collective ones, and human failings bump up against human strivings.

Mr. Burnett and Ms. Downey, their actors (Ms. Downey herself is one) and especially their adapters don’t have nearly the skill to translate such a thing to the small screen in a way that does justice to its complexity. The best they can do is a black-and-white simplification in which villains often come across as laughable caricatures because the creators are so eager to make sure that everyone realizes that they’re villains.

This doesn’t serve the source material — so rich in interconnections across time — very well, and it doesn’t make for very involving television. Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and the other great biblical figures aren’t really developed in a way that illuminates them or makes them linger in our minds; they are simply called forth to perform a set piece or two. It’s like a trip through a Christian theme park. “Next stop on the tour, ladies and gentlemen: the Noah’s ark tableau, followed by the Daniel in the lion’s den diorama.”

What on earth was the politically correct retelling of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? :shock:

Vesper wrote:

What on earth was the politically correct retelling of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? :shock:

I realize that the show was on The History Channel and was aiming for a TV-14 rating, so they couldn't get too explicit....but this show didn't even try to retell the biblical narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this television version, it's not really made clear why the men of Sodom wanted Lot to hand over the 3 travelers that were in his home; we just go from one story to the next, and suddenly we're up to the part about Sodom and Gomorrah about to be destroyed but with precious little back story. The account in Genesis is fairly clear as to why the men of Sodom wanted these three male travelers (in actuality angels): sex.

I love the politically correct casting of these travelers as well: a white guy, an Asian, and a black guy.

The accents in this series are a bit dodgy. And Isaac looked a little too white to me (couldn't they have found any ethnic actors to play these Jewish and Arabic roles?).

Vesper wrote:

What on earth was the politically correct retelling of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? :shock:

They were closed down for producing too much carbon pollution.

First of 8 episodes of Broadchurch, ITV's new drama about a seemingly idyllic (but in classic fashion, it looks like quite a few of the characters have something to hide) seaside community devastated by the murder of a 11 year old local boy. It's off to a promising start ... mind you, should've known that anything being 'toplined' by David Tennant and Olivia Colman would have potential.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

First of 8 episodes of Broadchurch, ITV's new drama about a seemingly idyllic (but in classic fashion, it looks like quite a few of the characters have something to hide) seaside community devastated by the murder of a 11 year old local boy. It's off to a promising start ... mind you, should've known that anything being 'toplined' by David Tennant and Olivia Colman would have potential.

misread the start as "first 8 episodes" and thought, blimey you did well.

Was going to check it out but as you say with Olivia Colman it has potential. I single her out for it seems since catching her on Peep Show her star has been an escalating one.

She's terrific, equally adept at comedy and drama. And it hardly needs saying, but there are far more strings to Tennant's bow than the Doctor.

A glorious end to Top Gear, dare I say. If that is the source of the Nile...well. And Hamster's disembarkation of his U Arse proof if proof were needed, the Empire is no more.

Laughed like a drain when Clarkson's 'hill-start' log bounced up and smashed his back window .

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Laughed like a drain when Clarkson's 'hill-start' log bounced up and smashed his back window .

that was excellent. One thing that had me laugh was Hammond proffering the crisps and them being whisked from his hand straight off.

Wasn't too bad a finale. Hopefully it'll be back later in the year. God knows how they'll top Africa, maybe a trip to Mars.

(judging by Jezza's latest foot in mouth moment, that might not be a bad idea)

THE AMERICANS (Season 1, Episode 6)
:5*:

Really starting to buy into the premise of the show now. I love it when a book or a movie reveals a plot twist that changes everything you thought you just saw, yet the twist makes sense and you never feel cheated. That's the case with this episode. I was totally fooled by what happened to Phillip and Elizabeth.

The fight sequence between Elizabeth and the men in her room was realistic. I believed that Keri Russell could beat the crap out of those guys. And she put the beat down on Margo Martindale.

This show may be one of the most complex I've ever watched. How many shows or movies can you say you've watched where the villains are also the hero(?)?. I mean, I don't root for them to be successful because they ARE KGB agents trying to bring down the USA, but on the other hand, I do like these characters; all the characters. That's the dichotomy of this show; you hate yourself for sympathizing with Phillip and Elizabeth because they are stone-cold, brutal KGB agents and assassins.

Foyle's War

I'm a fan of the series, of Kitchen and even Honeysuckle Weeks but somehow this was lacking. I guess it's the postwar setting. Admittedly I thought it's finest hour came in the first, 1940 based, series when there felt the tension of a country alone against the Nazi war machine. I'll press on but maybe Foyle should be retired or maybe ITV shouldn't have been prats in the first place cancelling the show when the war was at its height.

Watching the pilot of Miami Vice, not really getting into this. Makes me want to watch Scarface.

At the time, thought Johnson's 'look' was just about as cool as it gets. But no real desire to revisit the show.

It being originally pitched as 'MTV Cops' tells you all you need to know, really.

Vice was said to change quite suddenly as it went on. The typical cop show look replaced by flashy clothes, the Testarossa (that famous scene with the Phil Collins song) and it got a tad odd in the last season.

About the same time Don Johnson was wanted as Starbuck in BSG.

The latest in Talking Pictures which is an excuse for (usually BBC) interviews with actors. In this case, Orson Welles. It featured his sketchbook series which I watched a couple of years ago on BBC4. That was when really I became an admirer. He drew one in with nothing more than a face to camera and the odd, well, sketch.

During the programme was shown his 1960 Monitor interview. Fascinating to watch. Aware of such intellect and yet respect for his interviewer. Personally, one of the greatest men to ever have lived.

x

Erica Ambler wrote:

Problem was he started at the top and it was a long way down.

Indeed. Quite extroadinary really. Adds to him in a way.

x

From Citizen Kane to booze commercials ... a career in reverse.