Absolutely awful

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Review
Some reviews from old Movie Guide books. Reviews are dropped from later editions for minor films.

Leonard Maltin 1993:
James Bondish derring-do involving a woman superspy who crosses swords with a suave playboy head of an international crime ring. (S*H*E stands for security hazards expert.) Script by Bond veteran Richard Maibaum. Average.

Steven Scheuer 1990:
Slick production values, exotic location shooting, and the beautiful Cornelia Sharpe as a sexy female James Bond-type are the draws here. S*H*E (Securities Hazards Expert) is hot on the trail of international blackmailers who plan to jeopardize the world's oil supply if their demands aren't met. 2/4

Martin and Porter 2003:
This average made-for-TV spy-action thriller has one twist .. a female James Bond. Beautiful Cornelia Sharpe is S.H.E. (Security Hazards Expert). She pursues Robert Lansing, the US syndicate boss, throughout Europe. Omar Sharif makes an appearance as a wine baron. 3/5

Richard Maibaum, James Bond writer, wrote a big-time screenplay but the result was weak.
The entire film is available at Youtube at the moment but beware the shape is all wrong.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

When Fox TV was young a few people got a chance to see this superhero one-hour series. A variation on the suit that makes you invincible. It was typically well produced, with some weaknesses.
In the 1980s media violence was increasing and people were expecting 1990s violence. But the tide turned, and here the producers purposely toned it down. But to the point of eliminating it and killing it. The M.A.N.T.I.S. would not don his suit til the last five minutes, then just walk onto the crime scene and take control. No hitting or fighting or throwing or smashing for Pete's sake. So a waste of time and it did not last the season.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A creepy little tale about a man who steps inside a telephone box and then finds he cannot get out. The 35 minutes short begins like a comedy but things gradually get darker and more foreboding; the man’s eventual fate is more shocking than you’d dare imagine.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

In 1959, Britain’s biggest film company, The Rank Organisation, launched a bold experiment. Rank replaced its cinema newsreels with a series called Look at Life. These films observed all aspects of life in 60’s Britain. Rank sent its camera crews all over the country to record Britons at work and play. They recorded Britain’s passions and fashions. Our ancient traditions and modern anxieties. Their cameras also ventured further afield, to record Britons holidaying abroad and the men and women serving in the colonies and the Commonwealth. Shot on high-quality colour film, Look at Life was never broadcast on TV. The series offer unique insights into the passions, preoccupations and values of a pivotal era. The social and cultural shifts which took place in the 1960’s had a profound effect on British society. Traditional sources of authority were challenged as people questioned the established order. Demographic changes increased the diversity of towns and cities across Britain. Communities were forced to adapt to a newly modernised physical environment. It was an age that reshaped the character of British urban spaces, and fundamentally changed British lives.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Terrible from start to finish. The acting is awful, the screenplays plain abysmal and the filming is below par.
The only good thing being the theme tune.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Season 1 tells over 8 episodes the story of a young english boy that goes missing whilst the family holiday in France.
I personally thought that it mirrored many of the issues I had read regarding the real life case of Madeline McCann - english parents dealing with a foreign police force that works differently, the language difficulties, police officers with their own personal agendas and the dealings with journalists to name just a few.
It is a compelling slow burning drama that kept me engaged and wanting to see the next episode.
A great British drama that is worth a watch.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A teacher is shown a time portal that takes him back to 1960.
He aims to investigate the period running up to the assassination of JFK and to stop them before the killing takes place.
In the three year period leading from his arrival in 1960 he gets sidetracked by life in the early 60s and the fact that past does not want to be changed.
The mini series was based on the Stephen King book but written and developed for TV by Barbara Carpenter.
I have read the book and enjoyed it and it is a joy to see a Stephen King title filmed well. The story is perfect for a mini-series and the story line has a plenty of interest ranging from historical fact, a bit of a love story and plenty of drama, suspense and action.
Makes you think, other than saving JFK, what you might do if you were able to head back to the 1960s - maybe wait until 1963 and buy a handful of those black and gold Parlaphone records by that new band The Beatles to bring to the future.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Shown on UK Channel 4 the show has lots of adult themed content (swearing, nudity, etc.). The core subject (gay life in Manchester) can also be off putting to some however I found this series very enjoyable, at times very funny, as well as addressing some very serious issues.

The drama follows Henry Best, a gay middle aged insurance salesman addressing his own issues regarding his relationships and sexuality. Following a split with a long term partner he moves in with small group of much younger men who seem to live the lifestyle he thinks he so desperately wants.

The series consisted of eight episodes all written by Russell T Davies.

A lttle bit of trivia; the title was inspired by a scientific study into the male erection which divided the erection into a hardness scale consisting of tofu, peeled banana, banana, and cucumber.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Two females run a private investigation company in Niagara Falls (Canajun side). Another valiant attempt to self-produce Canadian content, from Alliance which created some fantastic work in general. Cynthia Dale (of Street Legal) is the ex-cop PI, while Sandra Nelson is the lawyer half. The show is classed as a comedy-drama because, well ... how can females be serious in this kind of stuff.
The Niagara Falls setting raised some hopes, however, umm, they never showed the Falls during the episodes or used the scenic environment. It was just studio work in Toronto. Uhhhh. It had none of the romance or vista or excitement you might hope for. Focused on the SEAMY side of life in this town, which ordinary people don't think about. Prostitution, underworld, sex slavery ... Just failed to capture the concept it should have. Actually hurt people's vision of this grand tourist attraction and wonder of the world. Could just as well have been Taking Hamilton.
It was okay, that's all. Lasted 13 episodes, and not renewed.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Intelligent, dialogue-driven show. Lauren Graham is underused and should be a megastar. :happy:

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Oh yes, anti-Communism. You know what's coming next. How many will there be on this site who will express disdain for it and for "McCarthyism" and such?
To the rest of you: patriotic Americans succeeded in convincing the ABC network to run something to counter the constant pro-communist propaganda in the media. This was one mini-series, quite extended. The ratings were okay, but not spectacular, maybe because it was drawn out. So of course fodder for political commentators.
But to make a long story short, soon after, the Disney Company bought ABC, and made sure nothing like that would ever be shown on TV ever again. That's how it works.

The story showed how Russians came in and stormed Congress and massacred it. Kristofferson is the hero, who is first seen in prison, and when released gets involved in resistance. No there was not a victorious ending ... but for some that is a happy ending. Now you can be happy about Obama and things like the assassination of Chief Justice Scalia.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Fans of Connie or Greg Evigan appreciated seeing this. A typically slick detective series with a humorous element because the Connie and Greg characters dislike each other. It just wasn't interesting enuf and was cancelled. Connie showed a lot of legs in this one with a miniskirt.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I gave the dates of production. They would have been shown on TV past 1951. The venture collapsed and the films were sold at a steal to one TV station around Ohio. But they had managed to create a historic library of the great performers of the day. They are now managed by Historic Films in New York.
Not to be confused with Soundies, which were made for theaters. These Snaders have been packaged in various forms. There was a video volume devoted entirely to Nat King Cole.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

There is absolutely no other show on TV like Doctor Who. For one thing, despite the show having been a presence since 1963 (it ran 26 seasons until 1989, then took an extended hiatus - it was never cancelled - until 2005, with a 1996 TV movie in-between and copious reruns, novels, comics, etc to fill the gap) it's never gotten stale. That of course is due to the show's main "gimmick" that The Doctor can regenerate, allowing a new actor to take over the part every few years. This, combined with his co-star "companions" also changing periodically, lets the show continually reinvent itself.

Originally conceived as a show for kids, Doctor Who quickly began building a large adult following. Since 2005 the series has managed to (usually) successfully maintain a family-friendly feel. While so many other contemporary shows (especially in the sci-fi genre) seem to think viewers want to see sex scenes and heavy violence in every episode, Doctor Who is a breath of fresh air. At the same time it keeps piling on the role models, strong characters (particularly female characters), spectacle, humor - and it isn't afraid to make the viewers cry, either.

Other shows rely on shock value, or pushing the envelope in ways that generate headlines. Doctor Who, meanwhile, quietly goes about its business delivering some of the best drama - never mind sci-fi - in live action TV.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

It's been a while now since Pacman left...

... And I have to say I don't miss him much now, as it was getting to the point where he was all but nodding off in the chair; Either he was dreaming of being tucked up in bed with his Ovaltine, or had finally reached a transcendent state of news journalist Nirvana where the news was now beneath him, and to be regarded with contempt and frequent expressions of boredom.

Mind you, that could be confused with contempt for the show itself, as contrasted with Wark's antics (Her dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller at the end of one show made something die inside me), and her obvious pushing of a feminist "agenda" (blimey, I sound like a right wing nut job now.... aaarrrrggh), I'm all for feminism, and many other isms, where and when an ism is required, and doesn't threaten the peace, security, and well being of people, but I'm also for Journalism - remember that word? -

Journalism has suffered greatly since the advent of 24 hour "news", which has been one of the single most destructive innovations of the last twenty years, and this was one of those little Oases of integrity, but gradually succumbed to the influence of 24 hysteria - sorry... "news".
Picking up many of the bad habits of the 24 hour TV screen saver channels (be honest, when their's nothing on TV, you find yourself landing on one of these channels to act as a glowing fire place on your TV... or frequently switch over "in case" anything has "happened"), such as giving us a massive build up to some event, like a speech, then "We're going to leave that there" - for no apparent purpose except to piss you off once you're well into said speech (rather they suffer from institutional attention deficit disorder themselves), pressing interviewees on questons before they've even opened their mouths to answer the last question that was asked.... sometimes even overtly favouring one of the guests and virtually cold shouldering the other (It's my prerogative as a viewer to agree or disagree with a guest's views or not... even to dislike them if I should so choose... but you are a "journalist", who ought to be impartial and professional ((careful.... your polititcs are showing!)).

Frequently we see Matlis strutting around, or "jogging" a story (?)... (Of course, it hasn't become all about the presenter now has it?!!)

Evan Davis though... who did look a little light-weight in the beginning, seems to have gotten to grips with it, and has a snappy, sharp - yet easy style of presenting which is a lot better, and even occasionally, some journalism breaks out in the studio.

But the endless string of "economists" "analysts" "Political editors/commentators/gossip columnists/politics-as-sport-as-entertatinment mongers giving their useless opinions (If they know so much, why haven't they fixed things themselves?) grates on the nerves now, as Jack Nicholson's character in As good As It Gets remarks (albeit out context here- but equally applicable):

"I'm drowning here... and You're describing the water!"

Which probably sums up best what journalism has come to in this day and age, where once, to read a newspaper, or watch a show like this was the mark of someone wanting to be informed, and enlightened, now it's just a pageant, the sign of delusion.

It's said that those who can't do...teach.

But when it comes to economics, politics, world affairs and the like:

Those who can't do.... become "Journalists".

(It's no wonder I don't vote anymore, and more generally don't believe in our system of democracy either.... this lot would make a cynic of anyone.)

GGGGrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A primetime soap I suppose, but more a mystery. One storyline would last a few weeks. Set in a sunny California town with extensive sets constructed. Such an impressive and attractive cast, what a disappointment it was to many people when it had to be cancelled.
I thought the complex mystery plots were on the contrived side however.
Megan was married for a time then.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Plundered and edited a bit from the independent.

They havn't got around to 45cat collectors.

( Collectaholics, BBC2, review: It's time for these obsessives to say goodbye to all tat

Will Dean @willydean Thursday 13 March 2014 )
Review at the Independent

"We're a nation of collectors" reckons Antiques Roadshow's Mark Hill (a man who describes himself with his own mouth as "antiques expert – and lifelong collector – Mark Hill", which must be a mouthful in the pub or at meetings of other antique experts). His case for the prosecution came in Collectaholics (BBC2) where Hill and Mel Giedroyc find a motley crew who – you've got it – are addicted to collecting.

There was a bloke with 7,000 unique beer cans (lad!); another who was burying himself and his wife in old railway signs; and a young man who just liked things from the 1930s and Forties. Note the preponderance of XY chromosomes, armchair psychologists. Airline steward Ben, the retro man, is quite sweet. His home is uncluttered and full of cheap nods to his favourite period. He just wanted Antiques Expert Mark Hill and Mel to rid him of a few bits so he can afford to plumb in a proper period oven. So they sold a few knick-knacks at Spitalfields market and made £430. Fine.

More dramatic was ex-railway worker Stuart whose collection of railwayana is so vast that he doesn't have room to display it. Despite having a life-sized station platform in his garden. And a buffet bar. And a petrol station. And a collection of stuff from shops upstairs. He has too many things, essentially.

Most of those things are those lovely retro transport signs that John Lewis flog for about £90 to people who used to live in Finsbury Park but now commute from Leighton Buzzard, to remind them of being edgy.

There were countless cool individual items of beautiful train art by artists like Harry Riley and Tom Eckersley (Mel and Tom's sections on the history of these things make Collectaholics worth tuning into). Even if he sold just his petrol station tat, Stuart would be good for £50-70,000, which he gleefully suggested he could use to spend on more railway bits, or to extend his storage space. OR TO TAKE HIS WIFE ON HOLIDAY??

But Stuart seemed positively sane compared to Nick, the beer can man from Somerset. I'm assured by Psychology Today that this kind of collecting doesn't qualify as hoarding unless it's impeding your life.

Alas, Nick's collection of beer tinnies is so vast that it led he and wife, Deborah, to move from a house they loved so that Nick can have a larger – humidity controlled! – room for his cans. And they're not even good beer cans. Sure, Nick has some fascinating specimens. There's a Felinfoel Brewery Pale Ale can from post-prohibition. Which is obviously worth caring for. Though it should be, having cost £1,200. But Nick also collects bog-standard Heineken, Stella, Special Brew and – ! – Somerfield Simple Value Bitter cans. As Antiques Expert Mark Hill said: "Who would have thought to save this?" Sure, it's an interesting history of modern branding. But one that belongs in a beer or design museum. Not upstairs in suburbia.

Nick's tinny myopia was best exemplified by a line too good for even an arch mockumentary. When asked at the end if the £10-15,000 valuation he'd been given was enough to make him flog the lot and finally let his poor wife downsize, he stepped from toe to toe and mumbled: "Well, I was collecting cans before I married Deborah, so, to a certain extent, the cans came first."

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

From Teresa Brewer Center:
Teresa Brewer and Mel Torme cohosted the show, and were seen in different resort settings on the twice-weekly live telecasts which aired each Tuesday and Thursday during the summer of 1953. The scenic backgrounds ranged from Manhattan, Atlantic City and Niagara Falls in the USA, to Scotland, Rio de Janeiro, Havana and the Casbah overseas.
Teresa wrote:
"When Mel Torme and I had a TV series in the 1950s, we usually sang one song together per show, which was nice."

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I have re discovered Watching and must say that this so under rated, and i believe thatits one of the best comedies around. Emma Wray is excellent at playing Brenda, and Paul Bown is brilliant at playing the mis-matched love interest, complimented by a great cast ans wonderful writing, this is a must see for a smile, laugh and to see some great acting. i would love to see a remake/ documentry update, to see what became of Malcolm, Brenda, Pam, David and the others!.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Stand up comedy routines edited together to produce a show designed for a 30-minute TV slot (incl. adverts). Each show went straight into the routines (there was no presenter).
The series ran from 1971 to 1974, was revived in 1979 to 1980 for two series, and for another two series in 1984 to 1985. A final one series revival was attempted in 1992.

Comedians featured:

Russ Abbot, Lennie Bennett, Stan Boardman, Jim Bowen, Jimmy Bright, Duggie Brown, Mike Burton, Dave Butler, Brian Carroll, Frank Carson, Mike Coyne, Jimmy Cricket, Colin Crompton,
Pauline Daniels, Charlie Daze, Vince Earl, Steve Faye, Eddie Flanagan, Stu Francis, Ken Goodwin, Jackie Hamilton, Jerry Harris, George King, Bobby Knutt, Bernard Manning, Mike McCabe, Paul Melba, Mick Miller, Hal Nolan, Tom O'Connor, Tom Pepper, Bryn Phillips, Mike Reid, George Roper, Harry Scott, Sammy Thomas, Johnny Wager, Roy Walker, Charlie Williams, Lee Wilson, Lenny Windsor

2 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A superb thriller series written by Cannell and other writers, one of Cannell's high points. But it only lasted two seasons, 23 episodes. Cannell's series often left fervent fans hanging with short runs, The Hat Squad being another. This one had quite a violent intense edge.
Ray worked undercover helping people get out of trouble.

2 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Each show was split into sections, the first being the main show. The next section was a magazine show parody titled "Lucky Channel" and featured the anime character Akira Kogami and her assistant anchor man Minoru Shiraishi (the real actor portryed in anime form). Each episode ended with a song. Initially, the songs were done as Karaoke by the cast of the main show. The anime background showed a door, with only the voices being heard, suposedly from behind it. From episode 13, the ending song was done by Minoru Shiraishi as a live action filming rather than anime. He would sing all the remaining endings apart from episode16, which was sung by Hiromi Konno.

2 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Brothers Edward and Alphonse try to resurrect their dead mother using alchemy, but use of a taboo magic has a price. Edward's loses a leg, but his brother takes the brunt of the price, losing his entire body, existing as a disembodied soul. To save his brother, Edward attaches the soul to a suit of armour, an act which costs him an arm. A friend fits new “automail” limbs to Edward, who then vows to find the Philosopher's Stone as a means to undo the damage they have done to their bodies. He and Alphonse set out on their quest, which takes them into several conflicts.


Fullmetal Alchemist was first released as an anime in 2003. The first version was a huge hit and gained a large fan following, so you might be forgiven for wondering why anyone would put all that at risk by redoing the entire series less than a decade later. Brotherhood can best be thought of as a fan-service anime. It addresses the criticisms of fans who were not happy that the original series deviated away from the manga on which it was based. To be fair, that had to happen as the first anime was made while the manga was still being produced, forcing the anime producers to come up with their own plots and conclusions. Brotherhood was made when the manga was drawing to a close, and so was able to keep its plot line throughout.

The new version faithfully follows the manga story and retells it in animated form. The artwork is near faithful to the manga too, capturing the both the look and feel of Hiromu Arakawa's illustrations. If anything, it's almost too faithful, playing out some scenes for an unnecessarily long time. While a manga may need to dwell on every nuance of a scene to convey its meaning, doing so in an anime can make it seem self indulgent, and a viewer who has never seen the original may be left wondering what all the fuss was about. Be warned, the early episodes in this series are quite poorly done. It's almost “ anime light” in feel, as if they didn't have much budget for those episodes. In fact the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime went into more plot detail than this version, which is odd as the budget for Brotherhood was a lot higher than the original had to work with. You'll need to stick with it before the story finds its pace, which it does with gusto. Once its up to speed, the series bowls along.

The animation quality is much higher than the first anime with character movements more fluid, which is understandable given the higher budget. The show has a warmer feel, the light seems to have an orange palette to it. Unfortunately, since the 2003 offering, Japan has succumbed to the Murray Gold school of background music. While the original Alchemist had the atmosphere of a quiet brotherly quest, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood throws a music sting into every space it can find. Perhaps soundtrack albums make so much revenue they're aiming for maximum profit.

Overall, Brotherhood is the better anime of the two versions. However, its predecessor is more accessible to someone new to the Fullmetal franchise. That said, I would recommend this version if you can only spare the time to watch one. Just be aware that the opening episodes feel like a chore to watch.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A most excellent programme. On obtaining the Network DVD a few years back I was up in to the early hours watching them. Unusual also for a series to go into colour during its production run.

Other regular cast members I was unable to fit include JENNIFER WILSON- Det. Sgt Webb and KEITH WASHINGTON as Det. Con. Morresey.

They made a second series in 1970, all in colour. Far inferior to the first with a lousy theme which replaced the catchy Norman Kay original.

It's by great good fortune that all episodes survive from their original VT transmission tapes. The Network DVD of Series One especially is highly recommended.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I always found this the funniest of the all the Croft/Perry sitcoms, including Dad's Army.

✔︎ Helpful Review?

The earlier episodes were shown on Australian Televsion ABC in the late 1970's and early 80's And never seen again


✔︎ Helpful Review?

Here in Australia, this(the Australian version) has come to represent the nadir of TV journalism! All that's trashy and tabloid-style, as if it came directly out of Murdoch's gutter-press! I used to watch it years ago(1977 when it first started on Station TCN-Sydney, and through Station NBN-Newcastle) but it quickly degenerated and now sits in the gutter with the rest of the scum.

✔︎ Helpful Review?

With his 1975 remake of breads hit of If there should be a warning please switch off your sub woofer (XBass) before playing this track haha

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Mrs Brown is to comedy what John Cena is to wrestling. In other words, loved or hated in equal measures with very few taking a central position.

Personally, I love this show. It doesn't pretend to be anything more than family and friends getting together to put on a show and have a laugh. Some don't like the style of humour; that's fine, just understand it says more about you than it does the show. I never got why people liked The Office, but a lot of other folks did. Horses for courses as they say.

To enjoy this show to the full, you have to stop trying to analyse it and get beyond seeing it as just a "bloke in a dress". There are a lot of little jokes included which are tributes to comedians of the past. Occasionally you spot them, but it doesn't matter if you don't. Now cue the haters.

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?