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Post by valdemar on Oct 15, 2017 6:59:37 GMT
I love the distasteful coda on 'Paintball's Coming Home' - 'If I'd have known they were coming, I'd have slashed me wrists...' Always makes me laugh, and only beaten by [shamefully, I've forgotten which track it comes from]: 'Mary had a little lamb/The doctors were astounded/Everywhere that Mary went/Gynecologists surrounded,' That's why Half Man Half Biscuit are so great - they have to be very clever to create something very stupid. Very similar to 'Viz'. An outwardly very stupid comic, created by very clever people. They had a mock advert for a 'Cuneiform Dating' agency, which listed several types of very obscure Cuneiform writing within it, which made my nerdy little heart soar as I read it. I always wish, though, that HMHB had actually marketed some Joy Division oven gloves. They'd have made a fortune.
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Post by valdemar on Jan 29, 2017 0:28:54 GMT
Twenty quid, eh? Right. Once I've paid for the repairs to my bike [chain jumped off whilst descending hill; ate spokes, and bent derailleur into scrap, before depositing me on my 'arris at the side of the road - not hurt, but very surprised], that will be my 'February essential purchase'. Cheers.
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Post by valdemar on Jan 26, 2017 21:56:52 GMT
I beg to differ - in several of G.K. Chesterton's stories, Father Brown is seen as no threat, or a figure of fun by other characters. In the same way as Columbo was seen to be a scruffy bumbler; in the same way as The Doctor's second incarnation was witnessed by 'experts' as a figure of fun. In all of these you do so at your own risk [hint: if you do, you lose]. Brown is a small, timid-seeming priest who will find the truth and ruin your day if you are a criminal. Mark Williams has played many comedy characters, usually of a vague or bumbling nature, but his Doctor Who character, Brian Williams, seemed to be a bumbler, but actually was a meticulous thinker who helped solve clues leading to an alien invasion plot. Looking at him, as Father Brown, you wouldn't be worried by him, would you? That's why I like him. To be quite frank, Brown's appearance, in the stories, at the exact time he was needed did seem improbable to me, and a tad annoying, a bit like David Banner in 'The Incredible Hulk', or the little dog in 'The Littlest Hobo'. I can see why the show rooted him in one place, and it's a simple and winning idea, that I like to call 'The Midsomer Effect'. How many awful crimes can happen in a small area? Likewise, how many awful crimes can happen in a small Diocese? Most viewers probably have no idea that the show is based on a series of stories, and probably don't care, either. I like the show, whatever. Now I would like to see a new show based on Edgar Wallace's J.G. Reeder stories. Another character you ignore at your peril.
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Post by valdemar on Jan 25, 2017 18:44:40 GMT
I do enjoy the 'Father Brown' series. When someone mentioned that they were re-making the show, and having Mark Williams from 'The Fast Show'in the titular role, I was slightly dubious, but he's the perfect casting. His bumbling nature, which conceals a mind like a steel trap, is exactly as he is portrayed in the original stories. I am old enough to remember the Kenneth More TV show - If it exists, it would be nice to see a DVD release of it. Another show recently on that featured a horror background, was the very enjoyable 'Jonathan Creek' Christmas special. It featured an old film star [Ken Bones] made up to look extremely Vincent Price like, and showed 'clips' of some tremendously AIP like movies that his character had appeared in, and a very clever, and unpleasant way of killing. Well worth watching.
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Post by valdemar on Dec 9, 2016 8:07:46 GMT
Going back to the subject of 'Timeslip', I must admit that my parents didn't like me watching it, for some reason. Generally, they were rather progressive for the time - I was always allowed to read anything in the house, even if it was completely unsuitable. I could read from about three and a half, and because of my parents' laissez-faire attitude to reading material, by seven I knew perfectly well that neither storks nor gooseberry bushes had anything to do with babies - you can imagine how well this went down in my primary school... Anyway, Timeslip; It was introduced by the ITN science correspondent Peter Fairley, who, sadly forgotten now, was, at the time, part of a triumvirate of people who strove to make science accessible to everyone, without any 'dumbing down'. The two others were the great Patrick Moore, and the authoritative James Burke. I think this introduction [which I have as a sample] made the programme a bit too 'real'. The serious tone of the show, and the tangible sense of unease which clung to it, didn't help either. I managed to watch it again recently, and was surprised at how dark it all was. It actually had a similar feel to it as 'Edge Of Darkness'. That odd 'chilliness' that UK science fiction has. A show for children that has the complex feel of a show written for adults. I think that there is a distinct possibility that most children today would be completely flummoxed by the ideas in it. I was also pleased to see a mention of 'Ace Of Wands' A show I was particularly fond of. Again, an odd idea for a children's show - an occult detective, in fact. Another show, too, that has suffered from negligent archiving, with missing episodes. The show featured a great villain called 'Mr. Stabs', played by Russell Hunter. There was a suggestion that Mr. Stabs might be given his own show, which is an intriguing idea for children's television. Mind you, at the time, there was also the peerless 'Catweazle', which actually featured 'real' spells, and yet again, written as for an adult audience. Geoffrey Bayldon, of course, was perfect in the role.
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Post by valdemar on Aug 11, 2016 23:12:56 GMT
My cover for that would be a big blender jug full of red gloop, with parts of a shoe visible, and, underneath, in big type, the single word: 'GUESS'.
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Post by valdemar on Aug 11, 2016 23:03:13 GMT
I read this too, and was disappointed by the ending - but I don't think that's the point. The atmosphere was fantastic; you could taste the crap in the air, hear the flies on that occasional dead horse, and smell the great unwashed. And it introduced me to the far weirder world of yer actual Necropolis Railway. The late, great Fred Dibnah's saying: "Half a day out with the undertaker", has never seemed so apposite.
I read this and followed it with 'The Winter Queen', by Boris Akunin, which was a far better read, but nowhere near as atmospheric.
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Post by valdemar on Jul 27, 2016 3:11:11 GMT
Clever, exciting, and above all, funny. The misadventures of 'Slippery Jim' DiGriz, recruited against his will into the 'Special Corps' by former master criminal, Inskipp ['The Untouchable'], to fight crime. One of the very few genre books apart from 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy', to make me laugh out loud. I'll have to buy them all again, now.
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Post by valdemar on Jul 27, 2016 2:57:15 GMT
One of the few books that I have read recently that I would classify as 'Unputdownable'. I'd like to see this made into a TV series, possibly by the same team that made 'Penny Dreadful' - it's one of those things that needs a big budget to get right. A stipulation would be similar to that of TV's 'Poirot' - once the source material is used up, that's it.
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Post by valdemar on Jul 27, 2016 2:42:25 GMT
I'm all for actors of any colour, creed or religion in movies - but some things are sacrosanct. I heard the Thunderbirds rumour elsewhere - and, more recently, some studio exec. did it with the recent [and oh, so very awful] Fantastic Four movie. Johnny Storm. In the comicbook, the very blond brother of the very blond Sue Storm. In the two previous [not very good, although the Silver Surfer was great in the second]movies, the Storms are instantly recognisable as the characters in the comics. This time, knowing full well that the Fantastic Four movies previously were not good, but the studio is giving them a new chance to be up there with the likes of the X-Men and Avengers, you'd think that the film maker would stick close to the source material, to give the fans nothing to gripe about. Only... A voice chimes up from the back of the production office: "What if we made Johnny Storm an Afro-American character?" Honestly, that's as stupid as if someone had said:"For the next Avengers movie, why don't we cast Dolph Lundgren as Black Panther..." Michael B Jordan who played Johnny Storm was actually very good in the role, but the movie was made by film makers whose sole experience of the Fantastic Four seemed to be from flicking through some comics one day, and so, all performances were handicapped by a story that was just drivel. Hey, Hollywood, here's a tip: when a voice at the back of the room comes out with a ridiculous idea, IGNORE IT.
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Post by valdemar on Jul 27, 2016 2:09:11 GMT
One tiny point here - for all his talk of letters after his name, isn't it a bit odd that 'daniel 1976' writes the name of the creator of Tarzan with a lower case 'b', and refers to himself with a lower case 'i'. Petty on my part, yes, but I am one of those people who will not eat in any restaurant that displays a menu with spelling and grammatical errors present...
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Post by valdemar on Jul 9, 2016 21:37:56 GMT
I think that Captain Kronos is well overdue for a revival, and I think that I know the right people to do it. There was a project last year called 'Thunderbirds 1965', where a group of very talented people created three completely new Thunderbirds episodes based on three mini-albums issued in the 1960's. The result is indistinguishable from the original show - they created new puppets, scenery, vehicles, and the show's trademark explosions. It's simply wonderful. Because the creators know and love the subject, it has been treated with respect. Check out the trailers on youtube if you don't believe me. These are the guys who I would get to remake something as beloved as Captain Kronos. Or, if money were no object, a joint project between Guillermo Del Toro, and Joss Whedon...
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Post by valdemar on Jul 2, 2016 15:18:34 GMT
Last time I saw that bloke who was Petrocelli, he was driving a white car very fast into some construction equipment. Weirdly, the car he hit the bulldozers with, seemed to change into a cheaper vehicle just as he hit them. On evidence, I'd say that Jewsons have been delivering materials for a house that will never be finished.😉😄
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Post by valdemar on Jul 1, 2016 23:24:04 GMT
I like so much film music that I find it difficult to say which is 'The best' - it's a bit like trying to do 'Desert Island Discs': eight records? No bloody chance! However, there are those themes, once heard, are never forgotten. Ones like:
Assault On Precinct 13, by John Carpenter. Minimal and full of foreboding. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, by John Williams. A strangely scary soundtrack, full of startling orchestral crashes. Alien, by Jerry Goldsmith. It's there - but I bet you never even notice it. Shaft, by Isaac Hayes. None more funky. Hellboy, by Marco Beltrami. Subdued and beautiful. Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, by Riuichi Sakamoto. Sinuous and beautiful - especially the segment 'The Seed And The Sower'. The X-Files Movie, by Mark Snow. Dark and frightening, just as it should be. Snow's TV series score is very dark indeed. Thunderbirds Are Go!, by Barry Gray. Simply stunning music, especially the majestic 'Zero-X theme'. The Wicker Man, by Paul Giovanni and Magnet. Folky, yes, but beautiful - and rendered terrifying when accompanying the movie. Vertigo, by Bernard Herrmann. Odd, angular arrangements make this a rewarding but disquieting listen. Donnie Darko, by Michael Andrews. Exquisitely understated. It actually sounds like it were made for a much older movie. The Shadow, by Jerry Goldsmith. A soundtrack full of excellent and sometimes startling music, with a definite Asian flavour. Get Carter, by Roy Budd. Minimal and great. Oh, that quote? it's actually: "You're a big man, but you're in bad shape - with me, it's a full-time job. Now behave yourself." Quatermass And The Pit, by Tristram Carey. Electronics used properly - to frighten. Edgy orchestration fitting the action perfectly. The Ipcress File, by John Barry. A soundtrack that actually feels grubby - you can smell the sweat and ashtrays when you listen to it. The First Men In The Moon, by Laurie Johnson. Epic, and somehow creepy, but full of wonder. This Is Spinal Tap, by Spinal Tap. I feel no need to say anything here. The Lost Boys, Various artists. Worth it for the utterly creepy 'Cry Little Sister' by Gerard McMann. So 80's it hurts. Dracula AD 1972, by Mike Vickers. Ask anyone what this very hip 'n' trendy music is for, and they'll never guess. I love it, but a horror film theme it is not, sounding more like music from 'The Sweeney' than anything else. Still brilliant, though.
Not a subjective list, or in any order - just some of my favourites.
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Post by valdemar on Jul 1, 2016 21:17:20 GMT
Disc One, Track 13: Main Theme, Track 14: Hijacked, on the sequel disc 'The Cult Files - Re Opened. That's where the 'Joe 90' theme is to be found. There is a whole segment of Disc 1 devoted to the music of Barry Gray created for the shows of Gerry Anderson. Hope this helps.
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