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Lead Balloon (2006–2011)
8/10
Deadpan is back.
7 November 2006
Forget Catherine Tate, Two pints of lager and Little Britain, this is comedy gold.

Do not not expect slapstick, this is the art of observational understatement. Nobody could play this part better than Jack Dee.

Rick Spleen is the slightly paranoid Brit, lacking a bit of confidence but willing to nick anybodies good idea and shamefully claim the credit. When he's invariably found out he's the little boy who's been caught red-handed and desperately looks for any excuse no matter how improbable to justify his actions. Marty is his writing partner, the up and at-em American egging him on, pushing Rick further than he wants to go knowing it will get him into trouble. As ever its the women who are the moral compasses, his other half Mel and Magda the East European housekeeper.

A couple of the characters could be fleshed out. Without doubt Magda has more to offer than the "you think that's bad, its worse in my country" caricature and just why is ex-city banker Michael running a cafe selling pasta and brown rice? Give it a go, you will not be disappointed.
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Sparkling Cyanide (1983 TV Movie)
3/10
Poor dramatisation of a worthy novel
4 November 2006
Dire. Eighties TV at its worst.

Anthony Andrews oozes smarm, thank goodness he turned down the role of Remington Steele. Frankly you'd want to give him a good slap. Pamela Bellwood could have been back on the Dynasty set. Its all big hair, big shoulder pads and industrial quantities of make-up. Harry Morgan is the best actor on set but this drama shows him going through the motions, he is worthy of far, far meatier material.

Christie deserves better, TV companies have done justice to her other period novels by setting them when they were written, why have none of them done so with Cyanide? Life is too short, read the book instead.
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3/10
Give it a miss, read the book
15 October 2006
The previous review is correct, this is a poor film. However the lack of blood 'n' guts is based on fact. Atlantis was captained by Bernhard Rogge. The skipper of the British vessel, "City of Baghdad", which the Atlantis sunk in July of 1941, stated, "His treatment of prisoners left respect, instead of hatred." The Captain of the "City of Baghdad" was Captain J. Armstrong-White. He wrote the foreword in "Atlantis, The story of a German Surface Raider" written by U. Mohr & A.V. Sellwood.

Rogge became a Vizeadmiral (vice-admiral) by the end of World War II, and eventually became a Konteradmiral (rear-admiral) of the West German Bundesmarine.

Rogge also was one of the few German officers of flag rank who was not arrested by the Allies after the war. This was due to the way he had exercised his command of Atlantis.
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