Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Sunday, 19 June 2011
The Shadow Line (BBC 1)
Spoiler alert - This review reveals the outcome of the BBC series
The overall reaction to Hugo Blick's tale of cops and robbers is one of big disappointment.
The series promised much: a stellar cast, high production values and a seemingly good plot: the investigation of a murder that became a race between police and criminals to find the culprit. However the plot soon morphed into an extremely convoluted and unbelievable mess, and the dialogue was leaden to such an extent that the viewer was tempted to ditch it many times along the way. But for some reason resisted, thinking somehow the whole thing would repay the the effort. It did not. Some of the criminals seemed to mimic each another: Glisksman (Anthony Sher) and Gatehouse (Stephen Rea) spoke in an identical uber-sardonic tone - if you closed your eyes, you couldn't tell which was talking - in fact the tone was not far off that employed by young baddies Rafe Spall and Freddie Fox, or indeed the two stereotypical bent heads of police, for that matter.
This viewer wished he had baled out earlier - like at the beginning- when he watched the final episode with the lead, played heroically by Chiwetel Ejiofor looking decidedly baffled. It would be pointless to try and summarise in any more than a thumb print the ludicrously turgid plot here. There were no good guys: and the cops, or a clique within the cops did it after an unlikely sting operation went awry, and the cop gang used the surplus funds from privateering drug deals to top up the coppers' 'pension fund' - of all things.
The penultimate scene showing the Chief of Police in full uniformed regalia saluting the widow of the (almost) good cop in a post natal ward and his newly-born infant in a cot, has to be the most unwittingly funny scene ever shown (but it was preceded by many others). "We always look after our own". Yeah, right.
The overall reaction to Hugo Blick's tale of cops and robbers is one of big disappointment.
The series promised much: a stellar cast, high production values and a seemingly good plot: the investigation of a murder that became a race between police and criminals to find the culprit. However the plot soon morphed into an extremely convoluted and unbelievable mess, and the dialogue was leaden to such an extent that the viewer was tempted to ditch it many times along the way. But for some reason resisted, thinking somehow the whole thing would repay the the effort. It did not. Some of the criminals seemed to mimic each another: Glisksman (Anthony Sher) and Gatehouse (Stephen Rea) spoke in an identical uber-sardonic tone - if you closed your eyes, you couldn't tell which was talking - in fact the tone was not far off that employed by young baddies Rafe Spall and Freddie Fox, or indeed the two stereotypical bent heads of police, for that matter.
This viewer wished he had baled out earlier - like at the beginning- when he watched the final episode with the lead, played heroically by Chiwetel Ejiofor looking decidedly baffled. It would be pointless to try and summarise in any more than a thumb print the ludicrously turgid plot here. There were no good guys: and the cops, or a clique within the cops did it after an unlikely sting operation went awry, and the cop gang used the surplus funds from privateering drug deals to top up the coppers' 'pension fund' - of all things.
The penultimate scene showing the Chief of Police in full uniformed regalia saluting the widow of the (almost) good cop in a post natal ward and his newly-born infant in a cot, has to be the most unwittingly funny scene ever shown (but it was preceded by many others). "We always look after our own". Yeah, right.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Let the Great World Spin
Delighted Let the Great World Spin won The Dublin IMPAC prize 2011. Beautifully written and poetic throughout. I was slightly sorry the lead character departed in the first section. What a great character!
Sunday, 20 March 2011
The Social Network
The Social Network left me stone cold. There is no character development here - just a plodding old-fashioned story of two dimensional characters flapping about. If this sleep inducing piece reflects the lives of the individuals involved, then they are bloody dull, and it really is immaterial how much money Facebook is said to be worth.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
'Mistaken' by Neil Jordan
This book has absolutely blown me away. I know most of the references and where exactly Neil is coming from. It's a thrill to have been at school with someone who has become a major artist and to witness that development from afar.
Monday, 20 December 2010
Geoffrey Palmer in the News
Hey, I've just realised, the Jubilee Line at the end of my garden spoils my view of Shoot-up-Hill, a Roman road, no less. I shall immediately write to the actor/campaigner Geoffrey Palmer to mount a protest and have the blasted tracks removed. He can bring some some of his nice middle class friends and their kids too. Kilburn Station is such a dashed eyesore!
Friday, 8 October 2010
Brian's Novel
Stewie on Brian's novel; Bloody Murdochs gang at Fox have removed the excerpt. I should have known better than to have anything to do with his sh*t.
Boycott everything that he owns.
Boycott everything that he owns.
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