Category Archives: Oi, watch it!

Lewis: Generation of Vipers

generation of vipers

Previous: The Soul of Genius.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

— Scarborough Fair | Simon & Garfunkel

Is that a dislike for the two resident poets on the meadow I sense there, Sergeant? Be that as it may, and disregarding the probability of me inhaling rosemary any time soon while putting Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme on repeat, let’s talk about how this series of Lewis has already upped the ante, again. Production values have always been high, but this series is something else, because cinematography and set designs tie in with what I feel is producers, writers, directors, and, most importantly, actors raising their game once again, beyond the excellence we’ve already come to love them for.

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Lewis: The Soul of Genius

Previous: The Gift of Promise.

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.

— Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Impossible Quest

The premiere episode of Series 6 has so many red herrings dangling around it’s basically set in a pond, and at first watching it felt a bit as if, perhaps, one or two might have been better left out, but on second thoughts, no, it’s fine the way it is. It all comes together nicely in the end, which is as heartbreaking as it is inevitable. Hathaway was right—there was no motive, no reason for Alex Falconer to kill Michelle Marber’s son. He did have a hand in all the other murders, but Stevie’s mother will have to live with the realisation that her son wasn’t who she’d convinced herself he was.

While the first victim, Murray Hawes, was obsessed with Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark, the resident Miss Marple and Falconer himself are on impossible quests of their own. Michelle is desperate to piece together the last moments of her son’s life, trying to find another explanation than the obvious one. Unable to bear that her son might have been a drug addict and died entirely by accident, wasting all that genius and potential, wasting himself away, she seeks someone to blame, a reason that she can accept, though not understand. Alex Falconer is searching for a cure for his wife’s cancer, using the Doctrine of Signatures—an impossible quest if there ever was one, and lives are destroyed by it, and relationships torn apart. Continue reading →

‘Luther’ to Wrap Up on TV after Series 3; Neil Cross is planning the leap to the big screen

Luther_creator_preparing_big_screen_version_of_the_Idris_Elba_drama

Series 3 is possibly going to air later this year or in early 2013—watch this space for reviews!

‘Doctor Who’ Series 7: PSA.

Doctor_Who__everything_you_need_to_know_about_Jenna_Louise_Coleman

OK, so the BBC are spoiling us today, with the following news announcements:

  • Jenna-Louise Coleman is the Doctor’s new companion! She will make her Who debut in the 2012 Christmas Special.

Well—that sounds bloody amazing! Continue reading →

Stage Performance of “8″

The full video of 8, the stage adaptation of the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial contesting Prop 8, written by Dustin Lance Black (Milk), provided by AFER. ETA: the original video provided by AFER was only available for about a week, but this is a new, permanent one. Watch!

Featuring Chris Colfer, George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, Matt Bomer, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, and so many other great actors and actresses.

Sherlock: The Series Two Soundtrack

Previous: Series One.

(Look over here for more booklet-y goodness. The artwork is, again, amazing!)

Oh, my God. Who knew having your heart ripped out of your chest and trampled into the dust could be so beautiful? This soundtrack, even more than Series One, goes to show what musical genius is operating behind this, and how valuable the music, composed by David Arnold and Michael Price, has become to understanding these characters–to comprehend who they are, and what they’re going through. Continue reading →

‘Elementary’–the new Sherlock Holmes on CBS: Gender Trouble.

Huh?

To be quite honest with you, I’m still giggling.  According to the Internet buzz this afternoon, Johnny Lee Miller—who took turns with Benedict Cumberbatch last year, both starring in the National Theatre production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—is going to appear alongside Lucy Liu in CBS’ version of 21st-century Holmes. Now, guess who’s playing who. Continue reading →

Sherlock: The Series One Soundtrack

(Look here for more booklet-y goodness. The artwork is amazing! The skull hiding just behind the disk, especially.)

Oh my Lord, how long we’ve waited.

These are bringing out the big guns, and it’s wonderful to hear all the pieces in their entirety after only hearing parts of their brilliance during the series. Bits and pieces here and there, we never quite got the whole picture, and now here it is, and it’s gorgeous. Continue reading →

Karen Gillan and Matt Smith win Best Actress and Best Actor at the NTAs 2012!

I feel sorry for Merlin, and Colin Morgan and Bradley James, and it’s a little sad that Downton Abbey beat both Merlin and Doctor Who in the Drama category—then again, I love Downton, so, only a little.

And I loved that, when Lara Pulver presented an award, they showed a clip from A Scandal in Belgravia—thank goodness our favourite sleuth will be up and running for, hopefully, several awards next year—and that they chose the one with all the nakedness. I’m glad that the BBC stuck with the un-edited version for the re-runs, and that they didn’t let the critics get them down over pre-watershed nudity. Sherlock is adult drama, deal with it.

“I Was So Alone, and I Owe You So Much”—Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall.

sher5

Previous episode: The Hounds of Baskerville.

This is amazing television. This is an emotional rollercoaster like I’ve never been on one. I cried, then I giggled, then I cursed, and then I cried again. A lot. This is writing (I may have been disappointed with Steve Thompson’s Blind Banker last series, but this… this is perfection, and I bow to his script), directing, and acting genius on a silver platter, and if this series of Sherlock does not win just about every award there is to win, then I don’t know what’s wrong with the world.

This is the Final Problem.

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