Reviews

Original, and if anything, shows humour can cross all boundaries.

Don't believe all you read, the original series (pilot short plus seven others), paved the way for a nominated animation comedy that spans their delivery into nearly fifty countries.

The capers of Adi, Enk and the 'boss', Xan take them all round the world, sometimes with a load of specialist equipment, sometimes with almost nothing.

My favourite is the Monsters of Mayhem, if just for the noises of the electrical supply and eventual failure of the stunt.

Visit the site dedicated to the brothers trio, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.adrenalini.com/ Yazhaa !

UK chat (tat ?) shows named after the host appear every ten years, and 'That' Anthony Cotton takes the first podium of this century. The benchmark was initially set in the 70's with David Frost, followed by Michael Parkinson, but since the early 90's there has been a quality vacuum, despite the requirement for a prime time slot on TV for it.

In order to secure contracts, the production companies behind the few pretenders to the crown have dressed up their feeble efforts under the guise of a level-entry package, on a par with the expectations of the audience. Jonathon Ross can be considered as the first of the new wave, with the mission statement of 'start at the bottom, and nobody can claim disappointment'.

I was unfortunate to have seen two outings of the show (there was a claim that a second series had been commissioned by some media outlets - the sick bar-stewards), the slope of the ten year cycle is one that of near vertical and downward. With 'That Anthony Cotton Show' the name alone is proof that any expectation conflict has been thoroughly researched during the commissioning process, should anyone have the crazed notion that something decent is on the telly.

In order not to be completely damning of the show, difficult I know, I will confirm the history of guest research was directly proportional to the delivery of the shows host - though picking out top billing material has to date eluded me. I have a feeling the ex-soap characters that went on may have been cornered when exiting the studio canteen and bunged a couple of quid, those with a faintly recognisable name in the world of entertainment hoodwinked using a ransom on family members, and those actually famous on the circuit duped by some other blackmail ploy is the likely scenario for going on with Mr Cotton.

On the set, the stage audience look as though they have been carefully placed in their seats following a Russian theatre style gas attack. Once the credits roll, a collective electric shock is passed through the benches under the audience, who then are forced to endure an opening four bars of some song, a couple of rejected Christmas cracker jokes and a bit of banter with Mr Cottons best mate, who had set up a market stall (hiding the Transit van doors from the rest of the studio, by deft use of a large CD exchanger, loud shirt and headphones). Any opposition to the words on the highly visible prompt cards are met with a Bond villain style exit through the floor and inflatable replacement added during the commercials.

I believe the guest quota was three per show PER DAY, having to fill almost 40 minutes of nothing between them, in order to be set free without a bit of leg breaking. Never in the world of TV has one longed so much for an advertisement break.

One wonders if scraping the barrel is as far as the creators can go in this direction, or if they have started digging under it to find some new no-talent person of their time, for a launch around 2015. Before then this site will have to introduce a 0/10 award, as having to give this show a 1 is misleading, never mind libellous.

Well, the day has come when I take down Major Clanger from the bookshelf and give him a good dusting down.

And the battery inside him for the past six years still gives him enough energy to speak.

I was under two years old when Pogles Wood came onto the TV, a small screen affair in black and white that my father had most likely built from components borrowed from his time in the Navy.

The whole ensemble, Mr and Mrs Pogle, Pippin, Tog and Plant (which they fed before he would tell a story - the highlight of the ten minute animation) was expertly created and realised for the new age UK television and the early Watch with Mother, but the 'dark side' and the alleged pagan worship and witchcraft was met with some derision by the new bosses of the BBC, and so the programme was cut after a few episodes and, as far as I know, never repeated.

It remains one of the best shorts from the Postgate company Smallfilms and should be sourced by any means, just to confirm that children's entertainment for those under five years old can involve a story, regardless of any ubiquitous flashing lights and electronic sounds that are deemed the minimum nowadays.

Only now, series such as Charlie and Lola are catching onto the ideas that transported children into that wonderland, with Dangermouse offering a stopgap in the 70's.

Oliver, RIP, I trust soup dragon will provide you with all the blue string you can eat.

Finally got round to seeing this

Its captivating and its well acted by those involved

A tragedy of primary proportion, man with common sense, gets involved - unintentionally - with woman (already taken) on an island, where they've both been deposited by higher powers. No interaction by higher powers - (which makes entry by 'Big Brother' et al productions - Orwell exempt - a mere blot on the landscape) and the film is all the better for it. Ending is what you might expect fromt eh above so no spoilers.

Man eventually gets to teach woman there is beauty in the world, as long as everyone gets to know their own limitations, and are willing to be taught by another if they wish to be respected.

Lesbians and mamby (namby?) pamby oppression suspects have already lowered the voting reviews to confirm that they hate it - somewhat confirming they should not have been allowed to access the Internet in the first place - smack on wrist for keeping the handcuff keys so close to to the bedpost/kitchen appliance. This is a film where the whole cast has worked well, it works, and this version is a masterpiece.

Watch it on a decent TV though, the scenery is there as an additive, (not an acting excuse), and it enhances the film i watched with the other half.

Just a small question ......... not that I think the film wasn't well made or with good intentions ........... Can somebody please explain why, if somebody has perfected space/time travel using a home built black hole...... Why did they have to install it in a space ship After all , if travel to anywhere, from anywhere was now feasible, its could have been done from the laboratory, the building down the street, even from the bathroom.

Just a thought

Apart from that, the effects are exactly what are expected from a SciFi / horror flick of the era after HellRaiser, but in my view LifeForce did so much more to get the thought juices going.

If I hadn't seen the biker flik - I would have given this a higher rating. But its five years on, Madsens still in it, and the idea of a cop infiltrating a group of misfits, conditioned to do his duty at the same time as mingle with the criminal element, and then adjust to the new identity, is an age old storyline Yeah there are the greats in the film, yeah the main actors do their best to follow a script based on a true story, yeah there's an element of action and horror that keeps the audience watching to the end. But the portrayed story of this is soooo close to Chasing the Shadow, that I would have thought that anyone trying it again five years down the line would have adapted it accordingly for real originality (if you can make U571 or The Patriot, then anything is possible to make an original storyline appeal to the masses).

I do like Pacino and Depp in a lot of productions, but this one has the elements of bringing them together because, well, they had to appeal to the young and older audience to make a blockbuster.

Go have a look at the 1992 one with Mr Sheen, its more in line with a true story (it doesn't have sawing people into pieces though), and it works better for me as its got the reality of dealing with two ends of the legal spectrum.

Uli, if you have have some medication left over, I would like some.

Just why should they be releasing garbage like this on UK TV ( at this time)? Utter utter bolox, one of those films that ages before it was even put in the can.

Nothing on a plane equates to the passenger situation, even in the mid eighties. Wheres the sweat, the compression/decompression/noise. Only realistic detail is the in flight entertainment (nothing). even the meal given to the beaten man is too good to be true.

The main 'terrorist' is able to parle Englisch within a half hour of the movie, even though his chums on board have never recognised (recognized?) the language. and then one of his friends wants to marry the German speaking hostess - I can in a warped sense of reality imagine this, it takes toasted Stilton cheese before an early bedtime, and I would give the benefit of the doubt, but why ?.

Give all the film crew and cast a towel, facing East, towards Backpool, or anywhere, just to hide their heads in shame. Complete drivel

Well apart from the acting, which was a far cry of what goes on in any school. Wheres the dirt that was standard in the 1800s. they did not have persil then .

This is a boarding school - Rugby - at the start of the Victorian age, oop North, full of mud like.

Every actor appears to have had just the slightest inclination to put on a few brown marks (nothing to link this with the earlier post on the homosexual tag) even Dr Arnold views the boys with some distant affection in this one, no actual contact at all, but thats probably the PC element kicking in from modern production.

Schools in those days were where you sent the sprogs to fend for themselves and grow up, and the returning young adults were mostly scarred for life, externally and in mind.

Where were the sporting injuries, mites, frostbite, polio and the skin infections on any kid in the school ? this portrayal makes any move forward in education rather weak, some viewing this will think living in these times was better than now.

Anyhow some clever dick releases the DVD next week so those that missed it can stump up $7 for the privilege of yet another misled and miscast approach to schooling in England 180 years ago.

I got this on video a month ago after having seen the last hour of it when it first came out (dont ask).

The Cell shows the complete opposites of life - the police and victims in dull, mundane, daily processes, where everyone is doing a job without real satisfaction,

and then Ms Lopez' character, and that of the killer, both having the ability to have gone and done what they wanted in an alternative existence of colour,and uniqueness.

The plot and portrayal of this in the film are not the best, as it seems two hours is never enough to bring out the full impact of a novel, however what has been achieved to cracking the mental state of the killer using a method of mind melting in the time given is something very close to ideal.

The effort that was put into the special effects really make the movie, to fascinate those with an open mind (sic), and to shock the rest that would rather not have seen it. The closest I have seen a film do this is Altered States, tapping into the inner mind process, though there were a couple of similar films in the early nineties, delving into the idea of swapping bodies (Freejack) and minds (cannot remember the name of it)

Worth catching.

If you wondered where the reject make up artists from Star Trek go to, heres the answer.

Truly awful , really , it makes Science Fiction a no go area to those that don't know how much it may influence everyones future, very much like Vin Diesel in a serious acting role

Harrier planes, guns and electrickery all found inside three minutes by the 'earth rebels' .

Why didn't the aliens state what they wanted to the humans in the first place? They all speak American.

Avoid, unless you are going for a brain transplant, as watching this will allow the removal of the old organ to be pulled through the nasal cavity with ease.

A one off film, the director gets brownie points for concocting something rather special. if it had been done in any other way it would have flopped for being

1- Non family entertainment 2- Non humorous 3- Too serious 4- Too arty

In the whole this film puts every small piece together perfectly that many other pretenders to the crown manage to overlook, the interaction between cast, script and execution, scenery, special effects - not many as its 14th century but the camera angles of the jousting are some of the best - and of course the complimentary aspect of a relatively modern music score.

The dialogue jumps quickly between comedy and drama, with interludes of desperation, sexism, xenophobia - the bar scene in France where they goad the French with the English chant 'Knight of Lichtenstein' - and light historical content, it all works supremely well in the mix to make an average film stand out as one of the best.

All the cast should be congratulated for this, it really is family entertainment at its best - no reason why its always on late night at all.

And as for the women, a lot have mentioned the lead role, but both Ms Fraser and Ms Bejo shine through and could clean my sweaty helmet after a days jousting anytime.

Highly underrated

As one grateful seven year old, one that was possibly given more freedom than usual to watch, (or come down and switch on/change channel when bored) UFO probably portrays more in human relationships, human/alien relationships and the need to protect the ones you love, than anything within the offerings of The first Outer Limits series, on par with the original Star Trek episodes, but dedicated to the real preservation for Earth.

A storyline that was based in the future, the cars, the earthbound and planetary vehicles, those oh so cool UFOs, and the best explosions that must have cost a mint to create, made everything perfect for a 40 minute episode drawn out to an hour by some dire adverts from (I think) LWT.

This really was the future (I even bought a kit car chassis to appreciate the flip doors and Lotus Europa driving ergonomics), with fashion style based on ............ nothing earthbound, not London, Paris, New York, Munich, .... that had been seen on the high street previously, or er since.....

This series was simply the only thing in 1970, that broke the mold in 'across the family' entertainment for believable human and alien interaction (ET and Metal Mickey excused) , but was on at such time that made it impossible for the usual children to watch.

Its tame now of course, as many people have attempted to steal the crown (I did see 2001 at the age of four), showing that Mr Andersons ideas on celluloid, and his thoughts for the younger generation in Thunderbirds and Joe 90, live far ahead of their time. The Captain Scarlet pilot film is one of those entities that is likely to become a cult collectors item as a result of the release of UFO on DVD.

I really hope that Gerry has , and is looking to release another idea for a new series, he gives those that were influenced by his work on the previous creations, to help him with realising what he needs to give the public a similar piece of genius.

Mr Anderson, I salute you, you should be appointed an ambassador for Kyoto, if nothing else but to keep those pesky aliens from poaching the best from our planet.

Why ? This was certainly not made for the benefit of the viewing audience.

Why ? Only a five year old, nuts about Carey with ambitions on a career in the industry could wish to gain some information from this film, and yet the content prevents this age group from watching.

Why ? If wooden acting was a requirement, why did nobody call Muffin the Mule ?

'Social Services rang,they want a full refund of the admission.'

Nothing much more to say

During a war, everyone has their own views of the immediate situation.

Odd that the film concentrates on a mission, commanded by a female, the events clouded by the rest of the crew, and apparently covered up by the ones back home. The investigation is given to, and carried out with a great amount of gusto by a veteran of the combat, but with his own hidden guilt complex, hidden until the very end.

Good performances by all involved fail to cover up the main story and the problems with the delivery, it offers little in answers.

Wonderful, one day the news will really come out on the events that occurred during the first Gulf War, this film release is about conflict within the combatants of one mission, it in no way gives answers to the real events of the whole allied push into the region.

As someone else said, 'disappointing'

Disclaimer: I am not a Stallone fan, . but I readily admit that Sylvester Stallone has made both good and bad films. This is definitely one of the former.

Stallone rarely gets any respect for his acting in the mainstream press, which is accurate rather than biased: if he were an unknown in this role, and had given an identical performance, the press would laud him for his ability to handle subtle bits of comedy interspersed with action and gun-play. But he's Stallone- with all the baggage that this carries, both good and bad- so whilst he should know better, his work in the light hearted flicks is quite often overlooked.

If I were assisting Mr. Stallone's career, I would have suggested putting this out in film, and keeping 'Get Carter' for the nearest black hole. The director of this film works well but should be shot on sight for one scene, where the Merc is accelerating from the garage and the cars behind are happily catching up.

Madeline Stowe has rarely been annoying to me, and in this film, one has to admire her (again) her for her amazing physical shape: she's beautiful, with a figure that a lot of current 20-year-olds round here could never aspire to! She deftly handles both the comic and the pathos of the script, in much the same way as Stakeout 1.

Nice to know that Quinn and Stowe did it again for the last time with a simple story about adultery and revenge rather than a simple story about adultery and revenge.

Rent it with an open mind. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Quinn R.I.P.

As below - yes its cheesy, yes the main characters could have done better to stick with their type cast roles (none appear to have suffered as a result though ) , yes its got Tron type effects, and yes its really not to be compared to the blockbusters of the day , BUT

For a decent script movie thats been dispatched to the small screen, it really does have a lot of redeeming features.

Cheryl and Kris put in fine performances to keep the story bubbling along. Nice paradoxes keep the intelligent amused, but will fly over the head of those wanting Independence Day shoot ups.

The love of the robot for Ladd points strongly to where Lexx got the side story lines.

If its on TV make an excuse to see/record it.

I can see the angst

If you have seen Forbidden Plant you will realize that Leslie has a far better repertoire than the directors give credit for

True, his comedy performances have been the mainstay since the launch of Police Squad, and the money has steadily rolled into the US account, but to date there is yet a script that shows Nielsen in a way that shows his potential. Dracula was the closest.

A well done Hilary Clinton, and a beautiful lead actress (not a bad looking lioness either ). What is it with the Canadians and the French rozzers though.