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patrickharlech
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Murder in Provence (2022)
So Wonderfully Laid Back
This is wonderfull mix almost a ratatouille ! Take a good helping Lewis a soupçon of Brokenwood mix in a good helping of Midsomer and dash of Agatha Raisin .
I am not overly happy that there are very few French words or Phrases used .... Bonjour , ça va ,À bientôt etc . For the best example of this see Maigret the Rupert Davies one and since when do French "police" have Police on there shirts !
This is why only a nine but I think , the writers have done this to dumb it down a little for the English viewers who might not follow what is going on . I think it just reflects on the poor state of our teaching system sadly.
The two main characters are engaging and the ancillery ones each stand out in their own right. Not everyone can be supermodel ! The script is actually very sharp and for those who say it is wooden clearly they watched 1/2 hour of the first one if that . I do hope they make more after Lewis finished this has been the closet thing to fill that void. It is refreshing not to have sex scene or foul language every 2 minutes . Just sit back watch and enjoy not only the stories but alos the wonderful Provence scenery .
Holy Matrimony (1943)
Arnold Bennet yet another triumph
I must firstly correct another reviewer, who stated Arnold Bennet wrote about the Five Towns in London the Five Towns are in Stoke on Trent Staffordshire. Arnold Bennet was born in Hanley , Stoke on Trent. His writing usually reflected that area so why this story was set in London I do not know. Monty Wolley is as usual brilliant, did he ever play anyone other than himself ? Gracie Fields gives a good performance too , the rest of the cast are as solid as you get and can be seen in many of the greaest films ever made or if not greatsest some of the best known. The satire is most prevelent in the form of the paintings produced by the assumed now dead Priam Farll who took his valets' identity after his valet died. Farll hates fame and wants to escape the glare of publicity. This he does untill his new wife sells some of his "new paintings" he has started to do , of course it ends up in court. Some of the best lines happen in this section and the sparring between George Zucco and Alan Mowbray along with Monty Wolley is a delight.
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Who but Gregory could do that cough
I am so saddened to see some of the reviews for this film, many of which say what a poor script it has or how it is not connected from first half of the film too the second half ... REALLY ! I think they were watching a different film possibly "Master and Commander" which keeps cropping up as a comparison. If any of these people had bothered to look at the opening titles ...clearly they did not... They would have seen it was adapted for the screen by C S Forester himself, so I would think he would know what he was doing with his own character and story lines !!! Remember he had to try and convey the character and plots from 11 stories into one film with a limited running time and also to a budget possibly.I cannot see why people compare films from an earlier era with more contemporary ones, you simply cannot, how would the original "Superman" compare to the latest outing. In fact as they are 2 totally different films told by 2 different writers you cannot and that is without latest technology for filming.
As to accents that has been criticized most seem to forget in those days firstly pronunciation comes first not slurred mumbled dialogue we get today, some one even criticized the English accents - excuse we while I roll on the floor laughing -most of the cast were English !!!! Only Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo - American and Robert Beatty - Canadian - were not English as far as I know.
The Trollenberg Terror (1958)
Simply Become a 50s' Child and Watch with Awe
I was only about 14/15 when I first saw this on British TV and was totally amazed at such a science fiction/ Horror Story being shown as it was no cuts. I was scarred by the monsters but the fact that in one scene you actually see a headless corpse, which would be unheard of in those days, was quite a shock/surprise. Of course I thought it was great - typical teenager!
As per my title for this post you have to put yourselves back into the period it was made, which I think you have to do for all "Old Films" . Most people who criticise these films are comparing them to new ones which is totally unfair, it is like comparing Georges Méliès "Flight to the Moon" 1902 with "First Men in the Moon"
1964.
So I say to anyone don't compare just enjoy .
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
And which Universe is this??
I have read many of the reviews and most are spot on, so really no need for me to state the obvious as it is the Michael Burnham Show!
What I cannot get my head around is this, if this is 10 years YES 10 YEARS before Kirk/Spock/Bones et al why do we have sophisticated Star ships that are better than anything in Voyager TNG and DS9 !!!!!!!!! . Excuse me but did everything suddenly go backwards in technology ?. Ok we had the explanation of the difference in Enterprise and Star Trek Original series ,which was a fun episode in that series also how the Klingons became how they looked in Star Trek Original series but this is beyond now if we are a different Universe why not say so from the start ? As for the poor Klingons they must now have a real identity crisis !
I think someone on this show was a fan of A E van Vogt and his story The Voyage of the Space Beagle, where 1 man on the ship, because of his cross knowledge of all sciences etc is the one who save them and as stated in the book as the most dangerous man in the universe.
If so why not do that story and not add it to the Star Trek series which this clearly is not. If you stand back blank out Star Fleet and the Klingons you might have a passable series with some better actors added for good measure.
A Christmas Carol (2019)
Poor old Dickens must be spinning in his grave
In fact don't think I will even bother saying much apart from ... Why do todays writers think they can change classic stories for their own ends? and as for the BBC well clueless comes to mind who runs it brain dead idiots who just want to take the general publics money .. Rant over !!
Charles Dickens please come back and haunt these people and maybe next year like Scrooge they will realise that people want nice wholesome fare at Christmas !
She (1965)
Ursula Andress is "SHE"
I saw this back in the 60s' and as a teenager who would not want to watch Ursula Andress and after her famous entrance in Dr No, it was clear to see she was one of the worlds most beautiful women. Hammer were very lucky James Bond films were not the huge franchise that they are today, so to get her too appear must have been fairly easy - not in todays market she would be too high a cost for them.
The film is actually well done, all be not the same as the book but for Hammer it is done with resect.Yes Jon Richardson is not a great actor by any means but in the end as with the story he is just a figure head Peter Cushing is as always excellent and Bernard Cribbins adds the comic element but he has a bit more backbone than some of his other roles and Christopher Lee oozes malice as he always can.
I have given this film a TEN really just for the fact that Ursula Andress is in it and if she is not a TEN then no one is !
If you want an escapist film with 'Action" "Adventure" "Romance" and even a little "Horror" then look no further. I say Horror because of two events in the film Firstly the death of Ustain not a usual happening in films of the day that one of the main characters special a female lead being killed , secondly the ending which again for the day was quite a shock , we are so used to seeing far more gory images nowadays but in the 60s' that was rather nasty.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)
Excellent film
Maybe sentimental and with a Hollywood twist but just take in the actual story of a marvellous women and an amazing trek.
Also in reply to one reviewer who got it sadly wrong about the song.
The origins of this song are obscure. The earliest extant record is a version noted in Anne Gilchrist's Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (1937), learnt from her Welsh nurse in the 1870s under the title "Jack Jintle" with the lyrics:[1]
My name is Jack Jintle, the eldest but one,
And I can play nick-nack upon my own thumb.
With my nick-nack and click-clack and sing a fine song,
And all the fine ladies come dancing along.
My name is Jack Jintle, the eldest but two,
And I can play nick-nack upon my own shoe.
With my nick-nack and click-clack and sing a fine song,
And all the fine ladies come dancing along.
My name is Jack Jintle, the eldest but three,
And I can play nick-nack upon my own knee.
With my nick-nack and click-clack and sing a fine song,
And all the fine ladies come dancing along.
Apparitions (2008)
excellent BBC TV for a change
As some one else commented this could be a one trick pony but what a trick .You do not have to be religious or an atheist to enjoy it . This is not in the Linda Blair category of exorcism but subtle with a very dark underlying humour e.g when Father Jacob is listening to a radio ,which is switched off but still broadcasting,after being possessed the sister asks why is he listening to "Satan FM".
It might stretch it to far for another series but would still be one to watch.The plot twists still have you wondering at the end about at least one of the characters which for any series is good.
I think as a producer Martin Shaw would not let the plot lines get out of hand .so lets hope for another series or at least several longer one offs.