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Post by lemming13 on Dec 4, 2010 12:53:26 GMT
Just finished watching both series of The Feathered Serpent on Network's dvd set with my kids. And we have all enjoyed them immensely. Wobbly sets, dodgy costumes, and really cheap fx notwithstanding, this is a prime example of what British tv used to excel at - scripting. Acting too, in most cases; most of the cast really get into their roles, but of course Patrick Troughton stands out as the fanatic priest Nazca. What really got my kids was the fact that although it was a children's show, the storyline does not flinch from horrors; murder, torture (and of a juvenile, too), poisoning, human sacrifice. Hard to imagine even a horror-based kids' show now daring to have a woman murder her own child, or a villain threaten to flay the living hide of his enemy and wear it as a cloak, even if historically accurate.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 4, 2010 21:57:44 GMT
Just finished watching both series of The Feathered Serpent on Network's dvd set with my kids. And we have all enjoyed them immensely. Wobbly sets, dodgy costumes, and really cheap fx notwithstanding, this is a prime example of what British tv used to excel at - scripting. Acting too, in most cases; most of the cast really get into their roles, but of course Patrick Troughton stands out as the fanatic priest Nazca. What really got my kids was the fact that although it was a children's show, the storyline does not flinch from horrors; murder, torture (and of a juvenile, too), poisoning, human sacrifice. Hard to imagine even a horror-based kids' show now daring to have a woman murder her own child, or a villain threaten to flay the living hide of his enemy and wear it as a cloak, even if historically accurate. This has become part of my recent musings that we are emasculating our society. On the one hand torture and murder are very bad things - but as kids we used to revel in reading about them. I have a feeling that most people in Horror wouldn't contemplate killing anyone else and can clearly see its all part of a large fantasy - catharsis, therapy, amusement, appreciation of craft, magic and all sorts of other things but not actually something you really want to happen. But there are so many things in modern society that seem calculated to diminish the verve and strength of what I would loosely term the male spirit. signs that say sit to piss (despite the fact that sitting bad for the prostrate) No standing at football grounds (safety) parental guidance on films (protection of minors) No smoking anywhere (health) speed bumps (safety) speed cameras (safety) Fantasy which used to be about heroic males being taken over by furry kittens and talking dragons - (general whimsy) Signs in general ( I just hate them) the right to free speech being gradually curtailed (safety) kids not allowed to climb trees, walk up the street, wear a balaclava or play with conkers (protection of minors) All in all this is a loose and almost indefensible theory of mine which would be shot down by any academic and probably any child who can read and write. But anyone over forty remembers a freer almost Dickensian time when life seemed a little more full of punch and vigour, when danger existed, men were men and peashooters had hard peas in them. As it applies to horror on the one hand we can view this as adults and select our material accordingly but there is a sense that we would be seen as some sort of predator if we applied this to younger folks. All in all too much social restriction comes to a bad end as suppression leads to violent expression.
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Post by andydecker on Dec 5, 2010 14:16:50 GMT
But there are so many things in modern society that seem calculated to diminish the verve and strength of what I would loosely term the male spirit. parental guidance on films (protection of minors) Fantasy which used to be about heroic males being taken over by furry kittens and talking dragons - (general whimsy) Signs in general ( I just hate them) the right to free speech being gradually curtailed (safety) kids not allowed to climb trees, walk up the street, wear a balaclava or play with conkers (protection of minors) All in all this is a loose and almost indefensible theory of mine which would be shot down by any academic and probably any child who can read and write. But anyone over forty remembers a freer almost Dickensian time when life seemed a little more full of punch and vigour, when danger existed, men were men and peashooters had hard peas in them. Not to mention radiospots where any advertisment for the public lottery is followed with the well-meant disclaimer that gambling can lead to addiction. There is much truth in what you wrote, Craig, the obsessive need for - seemingly - safety has become ridiculous. But I fear this is largely a problem of western society. On the one hand technology can make the blind see again, on the other ecology is collapsing and the economy is just one step before the final catastrophe. This sort of activismn is the same than making the Internet "safe". Which had taken forms which would made McCarthy and Wertheim proud. One truly wonders. Just take TV. In the US you can´t show a nipple on public tv - seems to me as an outsider that in the UK things get a little more relaxed in this after seeing some tits in Midsomer Murders of all places -, but headshots and mouldering corpses are just fine. Stuff like The Walking Dead or True Blood or Spartacus has a level of graphic violence which made many so-called video-nastys tame by comparison. Even non-pay-tv shows like CSI or Criminal Minds revel in showing the gruesome which would have never gottten through the Hammer era censors. Somehow this doesn´t make any sense any longer.
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Post by dem bones on Dec 5, 2010 18:11:03 GMT
Just take TV. In the US you can´t show a nipple on public tv - seems to me as an outsider that in the UK things get a little more relaxed in this after seeing some tits in Midsomer Murders of all places -, but headshots and mouldering corpses are just fine. When it's really on its game Midsomer Murders is a one-stop shop for sadistic murder, lecherous old timers, psychotic priest's, hostile 'worst pub landlord' candidates, juicy corpses (both fresh and mouldering) and kinky sex among the Da*ly Mail set. Catch the right episode and you'll even get some bonus Witchcraft & Black Magic thrown in gratis. i feel i have a duty to watch it! "What do you make of The Maid In Splendour, Scott?" asks Barnaby of his Detective Superintendent, Dan, a city boy, in the episode i watched this afternoon. "Typical little country pub, full of nutters and yokels, sir." Pretty harsh, but he has a point. The landlord is perving after a barmaid young enough to be his granddaughter and the decrepit regulars, each of whom seems to own a shotgun if not a licence, would not be so out of place in Straw Dogs. No bare flesh this time, i'm afraid, though the object of the old timer's lust did flash her bra cups so it wasn't a total disappointment. The weirdest thing is, for months ITV have been running repeats of MM on weekday afternoons, hours before the watershed, and not a hint of the moral panic we've become so accustomed to.
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Post by andydecker on Dec 6, 2010 10:31:16 GMT
When it's really on its game Midsomer Murders is a one-stop shop for sadistic murder, lecherous old timers, psychotic priest's, hostile 'worst pub landlord' candidates, juicy corpses (both fresh and mouldering) and kinky sex among the Da*ly Mail set. Coincidently I watched the last ep of season 11 Dvd yesterday, Talking to the Dead. Not only had it adultery by the vicars wife, but an honest death by Iron Maiden. Even better than the death by a wicker man which also was great Even if I have to say that season 11 from 2008 was a bit hit and miss for me, but this last ep was marvelous as was the first one Shot at Dawn which concerned a family feud dating back to WWI. It was surprisingly on screen violent, begining with an execution at dawn and death by remote-controlled Maxim machine gun. When this series is on, it really is on.
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Post by dem bones on Dec 6, 2010 13:42:37 GMT
perhaps the most Hammer moment occurs in (i think!) early episode Who Killed Cock Robin? when a reclusive woman is crept up upon by a slasher while she's watching Taste The Blood Of Dracula on TV. Have they shown series 13 in Germany yet, andy? watch out for Sword Of Guillaume, another that is a horror story by any other name. Mark Gattiss guests as yet another tormented vicar with a skeleton in his wardrobe and highlights include a gruesome decapitation aboard the ghost train at Brighton Pier's Horror Hotel. And as to what becomes of curvaceous, flirtatious, vivacious boutique owner Jenny Russell ...
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Post by Dr Terror on Dec 6, 2010 13:54:05 GMT
Lewis is another detective series that's had a few genre tinged episodes. Of particular interest is the gothic Falling Darkness. www.imdb.com/title/tt1577964/
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Post by dem bones on Dec 6, 2010 18:25:40 GMT
Supernova, a suspenseful Silent Witness two parter, included several reference to, i kid you not, Richard Laymon's Funland. Jesus, but it was grim viewing! from vault mk 1 ..."The drama centered around a group of teen killers who communicate their activities via a chat room. One user signs in as "Great Big Billy Goat Gruff" which is also the name of the tramp-bothering gang from Funland. When one of the suspects is questioned over the murder of one of her companions, she gloatingly shrugs it off saying the victim deserved it for being an "evil troll". This, obviously, has come to mean something else these days, but in Funland (1989) a troll is a tramp, wino, beggar or homeless person who red-shorted Tanya and her chums are sworn to drive from the Boleta Bay resort." Meanwhile, back with the crazed green welly brigade, as luck would have it, today's Midsomer Murders was part 1 of the steamy classic Country Matters. The residents of Elverton-cum-Latterly are divided over proposals to build a branch of Goodfare Supermarket in Jubbs Field. During a public meeting over the proposals, posh schoolgirl Dora Southerly and 12 year old Otis, the local pub owner's son, sneak into a nearby barn for a vodka and fags binge. In the pitch dark, Dora feels a cold hand on her knee. Otis flicks on his lighter to reveal a bloody corpse! It is Frank Hopkirk, a local environmental consultant working on behalf of Goodfare and he's been stabbed repeatedly with a kitchen knife. A post mortem reveals that, shortly before his death, Frank had been the recipient of "not so mild chastisement to the buttocks" (Barnaby's disgusted expression on learning this tidbit of evidence is priceless: murder he can understand but this is downright outrageous!). Who could have done such a thing? There are no shortage of suspects. As Barnaby and Jones are soon to discover, Elverton-cum-Latterly is a hotbed of sex and scandal! There's Dora's mother, attractive widow Rose Southerly who runs "cookery classes" from home. The late Mr. Hopkirk was one of her students - funny how all of them are men of a certain age! - and it's her knife the detectives retrieve from the body. "Call me Rev Suze", the incredibly irritating trendy vicar who sets off her dog-collar with a 'Jogging For Jesus' t-shirt and has alienated some of her flock by openly supporting Goodfare's case. Reputedly having it off with someone she shouldn't (i forget who). Role-play enthusiasts Celia and Jeremy Patchett. Celia, a frustrated swooning Gothic heroine, has a thing about getting her dress caught in a man-trap so that her hunky husband can 'rescue' her and give her a seeing to. By Elverton-cum-Latterly standards, this is very mediocre stuff. Perhaps they should get some tips from ... ... Ginny Lamington. Gorgeous Ginny runs the local riding school and her working clothes also come in handy when it comes to her clandestine career. She's the overworked village dominatrix. All this before the five o'clock news.
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Post by andydecker on Dec 7, 2010 10:33:47 GMT
Have they shown series 13 in Germany yet, andy? watch out for Sword Of Guillaume, another that is a horror story by any other name. Mark Gattiss guests Unfortunatly they begin with series 11 in a few weeks, and that only 3 episodes of it. And not in order. I don´t know the reasoning of this, it´s really idiotic. Maybe it is supposed to be a best of. Doesn´t matter though, as I began to buy the UK DvD sets. Which by the way are a poor deal, no captions. Looking forward to 13 when it is released and discounted. Gatiss slowly becomes my hero. Writer and actor. And a busy one too. I still have his first Dr.Who novel, one of the early Virgins. And of course the adventures of Mr. Box. Who would have thought that this guy becomes such an important tv writer. And it only took him 20 years
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Post by dem bones on Dec 7, 2010 14:33:43 GMT
Who needs The House That Dripped Blood when you've got Midsomer Murders! Sadly, the 13th series will be the last to feature John Nettles as he's retiring. He'll be replaced by his cousin, John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), who was introduced and featured heavily in the aforementioned The Sword of Guillaume. The producers seem intent on sending Tom Barnaby out on a high. The absolutely barking Blood On The Saddle episode from September this year brought the Wild West to Midsomer in the form of a "Cowboy fair" and climaxed with a shoot-out (in full period costume) most likely intended as some warped tribute to Sergio Leone. The deaths are grisly as ever but this one has more comedy touches than we're used to and Nettles gives every impression that he's having the time of his life.
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Post by lemming13 on Dec 11, 2010 12:51:53 GMT
I can see I've been missing something good here - this stuff's going on my rental list at Lovefilm!
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Post by dem bones on Dec 12, 2010 10:24:45 GMT
I can see I've been missing something good here - this stuff's going on my rental list at Lovefilm! today (Sunday) itv are repeating The Straw Woman at 4.15 and this is as good an episode to start with as any. Pagan rites, spontaneously combusting clergymen, the severed head of a pig mounted on the altar, yet more of Joyce Barnaby's terrifying cooking; it's probably just me but, like the best of the episodes, there's a 'seventies tv made to contemporary production standards feel about it.
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Post by andydecker on Dec 12, 2010 11:55:08 GMT
today (Sunday) itv are repeating The Straw Woman at 4.15 and this is as good an episode to start with as any. Pagan rites, spontaneously combusting clergymen, the severed head of a pig mounted on the altar, yet more of Joyce Barnaby's terrifying cooking; it's probably just me but, like the best of the episodes, there's a 'seventies tv made to contemporary production standards feel about it. That was a good one. The pig stuff was nicely gruesome. Just working through series 12. Some great ones and some duds, as always. Some of the writers are consistently good. I especially like Michael Aitkens and Andrew Payne. (Who, as I just saw on imdb, are old, old pros." Still.
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julieh
Crab On The Rampage
One-woman butt-kicking army
Posts: 70
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Post by julieh on Jan 3, 2011 19:51:10 GMT
(a comment on the emasculation of society, if I may regress a wee bit)
Here in America, it's self-preservation. They have to warn everyone about everything, because anyone who isn't warned, and can prove that they're dumb enough to not know better, can (and WILL) sue for damages.
So curling irons say "do not insert into any bodily orifice", because they simply cannot assume that everyone out there has a teaspoonful of brains.
Used to be this thing called "shame" and another thing called "common sense" but both are completely out of fashion this decade...
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jan 3, 2011 22:02:36 GMT
(a comment on the emasculation of society, if I may regress a wee bit) Here in America, it's self-preservation. They have to warn everyone about everything, because anyone who isn't warned, and can prove that they're dumb enough to not know better, can (and WILL) sue for damages. So curling irons say "do not insert into any bodily orifice", because they simply cannot assume that everyone out there has a teaspoonful of brains. Used to be this thing called "shame" and another thing called "common sense" but both are completely out of fashion this decade... I've only experienced a bit of the South in America which was a lovely mix of gentility and barbarism. The strangest incident for me was when a bloke got caught smoking on the bus to New Orleans. It was about two in the morning and the driver basically dumped him on the side of the road. The question that ran through my head as he was being ejected was - 'does he have a gun?' and the next question was 'does the driver?'. The guilty smoker went quietly though - out into the silence of the deserted plains....
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