A forum for lively opinion and debate, discussion and indulgence in television and film!
Blog posts are all my own opinion, which sometimes deviate into cultural analysis and reflection!
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After much speculation the BBC has officially confirmed that there will be no full series of Dr Who in 2012. BBC 1 controller Danny Cohen made the announcement, which was then relayed to the public via journalists on twitter, reporting: “There won’t be a full series of Dr Who in 2012, but a special run for the anniversary in 2013.” This means that only some of the fourteen new episodes commissioned for the next series of Dr Who, starring Matt Smith, will be airing in 2012 with the remainder in 2013. Until now it had been unclear as to when these episodes would run, causing people to question what was going on behind the scenes with the much loved programme. The BBC’s Entertainment correspondent, Lizo Mizimba tweeted: “Danny Cohen’s comment that Stephen Moffat needed time for Sherlock hence shorter DW run wasn’t meant to be serious.” But the mid-season break in the current series of Dr Who has not been popular with fans. A BBC spokesman said that the decision to split the series into two parts was taken by head writer Stephen Moffat for “narrative” reasons, not for financial reasons as was first speculated. What do you think, should fans be worried about the future of Dr Who? Will there be another unpopular mid-season split? What can be expected of the special anniversary run in 2013?
JK Rowling has launched an official website and Twitter account called Pottermore.
The website pottermore.com currently shows a simple teaser logo and the words “coming soon” with JK Rowling’s signature below it.
In true potter style Pottermore was unveiled through several clues that fans had to piece together to discover the name of the new website.
The “Secret Street View” challenge placed the clues across ten popular Potter sites, each one given it’s own co-ordinates which pointed to a different letter in Pottermore.
But the mystery hasn’t ended there, what exactly this website is all about is still to be revealed and has had fans in an excitable frenzy over what will appear on it.
A spokesperson from HPANA.com said, upon seeing a sneak preview of the website:
“It is breath taking in scope, detail and sheer beauty.”
Speculation is already mounting about whether this will mean additional books to the Harry Potter saga. However, Rowling has previously made it clear that she is currently working on several new projects and is unsure about whether she would write another Harry Potter book.
A popular belief amongst fans is that this will be a much-welcomed Harry Potter encyclopaedia.
What do you think? Could this be the beginning of more books in the Harry Potter saga? Or is this just going to be an extension of the wizzarding world where fans can enjoy all of Rowlings ideas?
That's right, it's gonna be messy, the first trailer for The Inbetweeners Movie has been released.
The trailer shows nothing but the reactions of the much loved foursome, Jay, Simon, Will, and Neil walking through the nightlife hot-spot of Malia, Greece.
With girls in hot pants, bright lights, alcohol, and some thugs thrown into the mix, Inbetweeners fans will be left to fill in the messy gaps with this first teaser of the film.
Despite being set in Malia, parts of the film have been shot in the Spanish resort of Magaluf, which is also known for its wild nightlife.
The Inbetweeners movie is due to hit cinemas 19th August 2011.
My Thoughts:
There has been speculation as to whether this award winning TV series should be made into a movie at all. Other sitcom turned movies have tended to generate an average reception, the comparisons most obvious being Kevin and Perry go Large and Bean the Movie.
But before these ambitious productions get slated for just being plain rubbish on the big screen, let's remember that the British sitcom and the blockbuster movie are worlds apart in terms of format. The reason a show like The Inbetweeners works is because each week you go back to the same premise, four teenage boys trying to get 'in there' with teenage girls and climb the social ladder. Each episode is 30 minutes long making for a punchy laugh-a-minute narrative, which is perfectly paced for a hilarious awkward comedy climax.
An hour and a half movie (as an approximation) takes away the very foundations upon which a show like The Inbetweeners is built and works. A gag-a-minute goes from a possible 30 on TV to having to achieve 90 in a movie. A tight and slick plot line goes from a satisfying climax 30 minutes in, to making an audience wait over an hour to get that hit.
Before judging this movie, people should throw caution to the wind, and accept that this is The Inbetweeners in movie format, obvious as it sounds. In placing these well loved, successful, characters into a different format to what fans are used to, it is inevitable that some of the boxes that are ticked for the TV show will not be for the film.
The reception of the British sitcom turned movie, in general, has suffered from this infirmity. They are drawn out versions of what we get on our TV screens, you find out more about the characters, you are invited to care more, to go on a journey with them. It seems that, in this instance, movies are to TV what a helicopter ride is to a roller coaster. One's an exciting adventure in which to take everything in, the other is an adrenaline filled quick fix you can keep going back to. Where disappointment in the British sitcom turned movie occurs is the failure to recognise this difference.
By highlighting this distinction I am not presuming that The Inbetweeners Movie will not be a success, I thoroughly hope it blows me away and can achieve a sleek, punchy, plot that will have me regularly rolling in my seat. But if it is that you end up sitting there feeling the impatient wait for the next gag - expect it, it's been stretched three times past its usual billing order and may well fall victim to the same mediocre reception that is symptomatic of the British sitcom movies that have come before it.
What do you think, can The Inbetweeners prove a success on the big screen?
The first trailer for the latest Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn, has been released.
The trailer was shown exclusively at the MTV Movie Awards.
Here, Bella can be seen walking down the isle to a waiting Edward. Jacob is seen angrily getting his top off (what else?) and there is a short clip of Edward destroying the marital bed, a scene famous from the novels.
Twilight stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, were present at the awards when the trailer was unveiled.
My Thoughts:
The wide shot of Bella’s mum walking down her garden in killer heels (a shot I can only presume was used to show off her legs) is completely superfluous. I get that the trailer clearly has a storyboard, which is: “let’s start off with everyone’s reactions to a mysterious envelope (which turns out to be a wedding invite)”.
My problem with this is that it works on paper but that’s about it… to feature Bella’s mum in one of the opening shots when she barely features in any of the movies is just plain confusing for viewers who have just a basic knowledge of the film. Where I also think my problem stems from is that it just looks completely unnatural: “I’m so happy about my daughter’s invite that I’m now going to pretend I have a catwalk in my own back yard whilst continuing to wave the invitation in the most smug and annoying way possible.”
Now, before this looks like a jealous attack on the leggy female, I also take issue with Aro’s receiving of the invitation. Since when do the Cullens play happy families with the Volturi? I know Aro wants Bella changing into a Vampire, but I doubt even a room full of humans to drain the blood out of could insight a reaction quite that happy in Aro.
I am aware that I may be starting to sound like an ignorant purist whose one and only definitive version of twilight is the one that exists in my head. That is not the case. I’m just not prepared to drool over the whole franchise when really some parts of it are poor, books included (particularly the ending of Breaking Dawn).
On the positive side, excellent choice to throw in a clip of Edward breaking the marital bed, hilarious in the book. I have no doubt this will translate as succinctly to film as the comedy did in New Moon and Eclipse, where the scenes could have been written solely for the screen.
I look forward to further trailers that may show a different side to Breaking Dawn, however, I do see my mixture of enjoyment and disappointment as a sign of things to come…
What do you think has the trailer wet your appetite for more Twilight? Will this latest film live up to the book? Or are you just plain fed-up with the mushy tale?
The Suspicions of Mr Whicheris ITVs cosy Sunday night drama for this week. I say cosy because this production was based on an infamous Victorian murder case, notorious for the brutality in which a three year old boy was killed, yet people of a sensitive disposition need not worry, audiences are well and truly guarded from the gruesome details.
Adapted from the best-selling non- fiction book by Kate Summerscale, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher opens in 1860 and follows the murder investigation of Saville Kent from the point of view of detective inspector Jack Whicher, Paddy Considine. It quickly begins to look like an inside job at Road Hill House, but getting evidence to back up his suspicions is what becomes the drive of the narrative. Whicher is eaten up with frustration at the case, which is helped in no way by the local Superintendent Foley, Tom Georgeson, who seems determinedly apt in miss-direction.
Inevitably Mr Whicher’s frustrations transcend to the viewer, as they are never treated to any extra reveal, which so frequently occurs in detective dramas. Instead, being limited to Whicher’s point of view, whose only real confidence is in his knowledge of the criminal mind and its motives, it becomes tragically apparent how much guesswork and simple self-belief was involved in the criminal justice system in the 1800s.
Paddy Considine’s sincere and textured performance was very accomplished; without it the drama could have been left quite dry. And the eventual culprit (or culprits depending which way you want to look at it) pulled off the feigning of their innocence so well that, although it was clear they were guilty, I was left unconvinced of their capabilities of cold-blooded murder. As a result, this dramatization of a real-life case felt more like a soft, inoffensive fiction.
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher does build up tension and mystery well and is an exciting whodunit, with enough ‘suspicions’ still left over at the end, rather than proof, that will keep you guessing about what really happened in the murder at Road Hill House for a long time afterwards.
ITV are set to bring back Titanic as an epic new TV drama.
Written by Jullian Fellows of Downton Abbey fame, the production is being made to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the disastrous sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
Quinn Taylor of ABC Network said: “The tragic tale of the Titanic has retained a powerful hold on people around the world for almost 100 years, and this new miniseries will offer a compelling take on this epic, tragic story."
The drama will feature both fictional and historical characters, from steerage to the upper classes, whose lives will interweave in mystery and romantic plot lines.
Viewers are warned not to expect a happy ending, after all this is the ill-fated story of the Titanic and death is an inevitable conclusion for some characters.
Filming for the four hour long episodes is set to begin in Hungary at the end of April.
What are your thoughts? Do we really need another dramatisation of Titanic? How might this one be any different? Can the romance ever live up to Leo and Kate's?
