What Are You Currently Watching (on tv/dvd)?

[fish]

.... Most of them are better than the current rubbish!

I'll have to concede that point.

[Ian]

S&D takes me back to being ten years old again. My mum used to tape 'em for me when I was at school and I'd run home to watch 'em!


I was a very strange child.

[fish]

....I was a very strange child.

Well d'uuh!
You're here aren't you?
'nuff said.

I think it's nice to still have old favourites like that, even nicer when they reappear after being absent for so long.

All of my old favourites were apparently so bad that they're never likely to come back.

[Ian]

We demand more information.

[Ian]

X Files: Folie a Deux. Wonderfully bonkers and scary episode with an apparently crazy telemarketing employee convinced his boss is actually a giant insect who's turning his co-workers into zombies. He goes crazy with a gun, but in the ensuing hostage situation, Mulder sees it too... A really scary episode with a gleefully satirical edge (telemarketers-as-mindless-zombies). A classic.

[Ian]

First half of the Doctor Who story The Invasion (it's an 8 parter, so I'm splitting it up over a couple of nights!). Great stuff. Kevin Stoney is wonderfully smarmy and menacing as Tobias Vaughn, a sort of 1960s megalomaniacal Bill Gates. And the animation (on 2 episodes which were missing bar the soundtracks) is wonderful too, really atmospheric. I can't think why they haven't done more. And even cartoon Zoe is hot!

[snaps]

Watched ''Cherry Falls'' last night. It's OK or would be passible if a made for TV film, but not a great one as a feature film. The basic concept is a bit of a softcore wankfest. It never really finds its footing as a black comedy, horror slash, spoof-up, or wristjob. The acting is commendable with a rather starchy cliched script, and shakey low budget scenery. Passes the time though. It's the sorta crapola I'm good at writing

[Ian]

Is that the one with Brittany Murphy and Michael Biehn?

[Ian]

I keep forgetting to mention this - for anyone (fish more than anyone else, probably!) interested, the Swedish "Kurt Wollander" series is being shown on SBS 2 late on Sunday nights. I'll tape it tonight and see what I think of it!

[snaps]

Is that the one with Brittany Murphy and Michael Biehn?

Yes it's one saving grace.

The Swedish Wallander series is good. The spookiest bit is when he suddenly starts talking in perfect English to someone on the phone.

The British series shot in Sweden I guess had a bigger budget, but is still a good version. Shot on state-of-the-art HDTV the color and light quality is indistinguishable from industry-standard film. The first three feature length episodes were broadcast on BBC last December. Haven't they broadcast in Australia yet? They have shot three more films over this summer and are due to broadcast again next month.

Mankell is an interesting phenomenon. over 30 Million of his books sold worldwide. The plotlines and characters are engaging, more demanding than average TV police procedural but not as complex and exhausting as say Colin Dexter and Inspector Morse.

The interest generated by the TV series sadly meant that Waterstones etc cut out their price deals on Mankell as demand rose, although they are now secondhand beginning to filter into the charity shops and market stalls.

[Ian]

Yeah, I've seen Cherry Falls, then. Your assessment is fairly accurate.

The Brit version may I have been on, I don't know to be honest. Probably didn't even know what it was!

[Ian]

ADDENDUM: Apparently the Brit version is on 7 over Xmas. I'll try out the Swedish one first.

Finished Dr Who - The Invasion last night. Cracking stuff. Gotta love Kevin Stoney, such a smarmy b*****d!

And OH Zoe....

[Ian]

Ashes to Ashes series 2 final. Cracking stuff (this show has vastly improved from it's awful first episode). Completely bonkers cliffhanger too!

[fish]

Stumbled on Doctor Who - The Library, on UKTV last night.
Beware of the shadows they can kill.
Creepy stuff, especially when one guy suddenly had a second shadow. x2

Seems to be a continuing story though, so I'll have to watch again next week.

[Ian]

Not a bad one, by modern standards.

The Bill - Out to Lunch (1989). Highly entertaining episode where a quiet lunch for Burnside and company turns into a riot, an attempted murder, and a chase round a hospital with a knife wielding madman on the loose. And with all these tough guys on the hunt, it's finally (the very cute ) little PC Claire Brind who stops him - by wacking a hospital door in his face. Needless to say, Burnside heartily approved.