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longnerd · 2 years

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Ollie oop stable mt vision ny

Rudman's staging “Is straightforward, perhaps too straightforward for Its own good.” Vivian Beaumont. Waterston's Hamlet “Is quicksilver rather than charismatic, but it is alive,” and that Mr. Sam Waterston and Jane Alexander head the cast. HAMLET - Shakespeare's tragedy Is the second In Joseph Papp's first Lincoln Center season of classics. But, as something close to commedia dellarte improvisation, if still has its rewards.” Martin Beck. all over the place, bad jokes sneaking in between the good and The very good. beautifully performed,” but It “was really the same play as in London, still with a couple of gaping gaps where Its heart and its mind might have teen.” Walter, Kerr: “Long‐lost lovers, sexstarved spinsters, mistaken Identity. With Donald Sinden, Rachel Roberts, June Havoc and Celeste Holm. HABEAS CORPUS-Alan Bennett's London farce, set In a suburb of an English seaside resort. GREASE-A rock‐'n'‐roil musical that tries to transport us back to those dear dead days when Elvis was still renowned for his pelvis, with a cast that works with manic enthusiasm. It is also funny when it needs to be funny, touching when ? needs to be touching and most meticu!only observed.” He also thought the performances were splendid. Clive Barnes stated, “If is a clay of delicacy, tact and passion. Maureen Stapleton, Pamela PaytonWright, Rip Torn, Pauf Rudd star. THE GLASS MENAGERIE-A revival of Tennessee Williams's 1915 ‐drama about a fading Southern belle, her daughter who is a victim of circumstances and a son on point of departure for his own life. tablishing the play's intellectual premises at Its opening with a bitter, penetrating clarity.” Plymouth. Perkins has matured enormously as a performer, risen firmly above his boyish ‐appearance to give commands with curt authority, es. “The closest I have seen a contemporary play come to reanimating the spirit of mystery that makes the stage a place of breathless discovery.” (Kerr) Anthony Perkins and Thomas Huice star. Is probed, principally on the matter of sexuality. The doctors psyche, as well as the boy's. Kerr added, that director Joel Zwick “handles his manic mannequins expertly,” Scott Johnson designed “most handsomely,” but that “we are caught up short by the clinkers that spoil themselves out verbally.” Mayfair.ĮQUUS-Peter Shafter's Tony award‐winnine play about a stable boy who blinds his beloved horses and thereafter under? treatment. It's altogether too heavy to let the slender, foolish story breathe.” 46th Street Theater.ĭANCE WITH ME-“A likable performerwriter named Greg Antonaccl has tried to find a musical comedy form In the formlessness of our subway‐rattled, sexdriven but sex‐starved, frenetically lonely vet forever lostled lives.” (Kerr) Mr. It Is brassy, sassy, raunchy but mechanical.” Walter Kerr noted that “‘Chicago's’ problem is ono of atmospheric pressure. Barnes felt that “despite Its disappointments (Chicago) Is easily one of the best musicals of the season. Fosse, the stars are Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach (“superlative, knock‐em‐inthe‐aisles Performances,” according to Clive Barnes). Broadway.ĬHICAGO-A musical by Bob Fosse, Fred Ebb and John Kander, revolving around the corruption of the Chicago criminal system In the twenties. “A musical for people who like serious theater, in addition to people who lust like musicals” (Barnes), with an ambitious score. Voltaire might be fuming over in his grave, but probably In a bellyroll. Lyceum.ĬANDIDE-A giant fun‐house of environmental theater with a perfect cast. “A virtual anatomy of social laughter, perhaps of the comic Minas itself.” (Kerr) Music Box.ĪNGEL STREET - Patrick Hamilton's 1941 thriller, starring Dina Merrill and Michael Allinson. at Helen Hayes.ĪBSURD PERSON SINGULAR-A comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, about six social strivers (Geraldine Page, Marilyn Clark, Scott McKay, Sandy Dennis, Paul Shyre and Curt Dawson) viewed In the past, present and future. but also the period.” Closes today at Brooklyn Academy. FAMILY-“A play that merely means to make amusement out of that fortune‐cookie message, There's no Business Like Show Business' The Play achieves this so well because it Is written so well.” (Barnes) It takes place In 1927, In New York, In the East 50s and stars Rosemary Harris, Eva La Gallienne, George Grizzard and Sam Levene-“a cast even Noel Coward would have called ‘divine.’ ” Directed by Ellis Rabb, “who offers a perfect Insight not only into a play. MURDER AMONG FRIENDS-Janet Leigh and Jack Cassidy in a mystery by Bob Barry, which Involves murder and blackmail In the lives of a celebrated stage actor, his wealthy WIN and his agent. Book by Roland Kibee and Albert Marre, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Charles Burr and Forman Brown. HOME SWEET HOMER-Yul Brynner as Odysseus, In a new musical.

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copperbadge · 2 years

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Favourite version of Pride & Prejudice: Colin Firth or Kiera Knightly? Also seeking your views on Sense and Sensibility, if you would be so kind, Sir Sam. 😊

Oh, it's difficult to say. The Colin Firth P&P is culturally iconic and certainly was for me. I'm old enough that when it was first popular, if you wanted to own it you had to buy a six-cassette set. I taped it off A&E for my mother when I was in my teens somewhere, but I think I liked it more than she did. The tape I made was circulated among my peers in school, and every straight girl I knew swooned at Colin Firth's....*whisper* wet bare shoulders.

But the thing is, the Keira Knightley P&P is a fresher take than I thought possible, and I love how it's weird and unwashed, like, they are the same story but it's very apples-to-oranges trying to say which one is better. My favorite story to tell about it is that I went with mum to see it in the theater and I knew, but she didn't, that Donald Sutherland played the father in it. I love him but my mother can't stand him because she hates the numerous villains he's played. I was wondering if she'd even recognize him in period hair/dress, and she didn't react during the movie, but in the parking lot after she leaned over to me and said, in a voice filled with loathing, "Was Mr. Bennett played by....Donald Sutherland?"

When I say I laughed....

I also really like Sense & Sensibility -- it's up there with both P&Ps as a comfort watch because I can both enjoy and ignore it. It has a ton of great actors and great moments, the writing is superb, and Alan Rickman lives rent-free in my head specifically because of this movie. Often, if you see me writing something where a character repeats a word or splits a phrase, it's because I am thinking of Alan Rickman in S&S. There is actually a line in Infinite Jes that I can identify as a "Rickman Line" -- in one of the later chapters Michaelis says "It's a great education but not, I think, for you," and that is absolutely drawn directly from Alan Rickman's vocal cadence in S&S. But I also can't talk about S&S without sharing a link to the acceptance speech Emma Thompson gave, in the character of Jane Austen, when she won for best screenplay. (Skip to about 1:45 to miss all the announcement nonsense.) Emma Thompson is so outrageously talented and funny that it's almost unbearable.

So yeah, there are very few Austen adaptations I'm not here for. I'm also a big fan of the 1995 Persuasion -- the 90s were so good to Austen fans -- which I think is a little underrated both as book and movie. Emma's one of my less favorite of her novels, but the Paltrow Emma and the 2020 Emma are both perfectly enjoyable films.

#jane austen #sense and sensibility #pride and prejudice

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savemefrommysolitude · 2 years

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Showstopper

Lyric theatre

21 February 2022

Highlights include;

Lauren spanking other cast members with a baseball bat

Ruth and Justin singing phantom on moving scenery

Welsh accents

The Alan Bennett room of a comic con

Joshua playing a fanfare on a bat as Justin is birthed

The whole six inspired number

The fortress of solitude

Lauren punching Andrew

#showstopper the improvised musical #showstopper #lauren shearing #Ruth Bratt #personal

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go-redgirl · 3 years

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31 Hollywood Icons Who Served in the U.S. Military

On this Memorial Day, millions of Americans across the country are honoring our military heroes, observing, and reflected on those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This list highlights some of the actors, directors, singers, producers, and entertainers who’ve served in the U.S. military.

From Hollywood’s earliest days, artists have served in the U.S. armed forces. Some had broader experiences than others in service to the country And many Hollywood greats served in World War II.

Jimmy Stewart

James Stewart not only joined the US Air Force in 1941, he ended his service in 1968 as a Brigadier General in the USAF Reserves. Stewart’s service was not for show, either. He flew many bombing missions over Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe.

Kirk Douglas

The famed movie tough guy joined the US Navy in 1941 and served as a communications officer in anti-submarine warfare. He received a medical discharge thanks to war injuries in 1944.

Clark Gable

Though he was already a veritable old man in soldier years, Gable joined the U.S. Army Air Corp at 43 and few five combat missions as an observer-gunner. Gable joined after his wife, Carol Lombard, died in a plane crash while flying home after a tour to promote war bonds.

Audie Murphy

Maj. Audie Murphy went into the Army as a private and won many battle field promotions. He is one of the most widely decorated actors in Hollywood history. He is the only actor/celebrity to be awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor. In addition, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, a Legion of Merit with Combat V, and two Bronze Stars with Combat V. He also received several foreign awards were especially impressive. He received the French Forrager, Legion of Honor, and Croix de Guerre with Palm and Silver Star, and the Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm.

Other stars of the era who served include Jason Robards (Navy 1941), Paul Newman (Navy, 1943), and Mel Brooks (Army, 1944). Then there was singer and dancer Josephine Baker who was a secret collaborator with the French Resistance to the Nazi invaders and was even awarded the Croix de Guerre as a spy for her work to defeat the Nazis. Several others served in the forces of their native nations including David Niven (Royal Army), Sir Alec Guinness (Royal Navy), and Audrey Hepburn (Dutch Resistance), and Star TrekActor James Doohan (Royal Canadian Army). Doohan was part of the D-Day invasion forces, was wounded six times losing a finger in the process, and later joined the Canadian Air Force as a pilot.

Ronald Reagan

Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, was already a star when he joined the war effort. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II, enlisting in the Army Enlisted Reserve on 29 April 1937 and ordered to active duty on April 19, 1942. Because of his eyesight, he was not assigned to an air crew and instead helped make over 400 training films for the Army Air Force.

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier, the first black American to win an Academy Award, enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II in November of 1943. He served as a physiotherapist for almost a year, even though he lied about his age, as he was only 16 when he joined.

B.B. King

B.B. King, one of the greatest blues guitarists, was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1944, but was quickly released back into civilian life following boot camp because the government deemed his original profession — a tractor-trailer driver — to be vital to the war economy.

Hugh Hefner

Later to be known as the swinger editor of Playboy Magazine, Hugh Hefner joined the U.S. Army in 1944 after graduating high school. Hef didn’t see any acton, though, and was discharged in 1946 after serving as an Amy newspaperman and infantry clerk.

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, the legendary “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” crooner, was drafted during World War II in 1944 and assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division, or “Blood and Fire” division, fighting in France and Germany. Being a “replacement” was not an easy job as the war was winding down in Europe. About half these soldiers died in the months after basic training in 1944 and the end of the war in Europe in Sept. of 1945.

After the big war, many others continued the tradition, of course.

Gene Hackman

The actor, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in The French Connection, enlisted in the Marine Corps the year after World War Two ended in1946. He lied about his age to get accepted, as he was only 16 when he enlisted.

Willie Nelson

The Always On My Mind singer volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1950. However, he only served nine months and was given a medical discharge due to severe back problems.

Johnny Cash

Johnny “The Man In Black” Cash enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Brooks Air Force Base, both in San Antonio, Texas, he was assigned to the 12th Radio Squadron Mobile of the U.S. Air Force Security Service at Landsberg, West Germany. He mustered out in 1954.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood was drafted in 1951 for service during the Korean War. Eastwood saw no action, though, and spent his service at Ft. Ord in California, where he was appointed as a lifeguard and projectionist of training films.

David Janssen

Perhaps best known as the man on the lam in the 60s TV series, The Fugitive, Janssen didn’t escape the U.S. Army having served from 1952 to 1954 at Fort Ord, California. He saw no action during the Korean War as he served in the entertainment division during his two-year stint.

Martin Milner

Like his army pals Clint Eastwood and David Janssen, Adam 12 star Martin Milner served a two-year stint in the Army and was based at Fort Ord, California. Also like his buddies Eastwood and Janssen, there he worked in the entertainment sector. He mustered out in 1954 and went right into TV and film work in Hollywood.

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from Principia College in 1953. Duvall has disputed early biographies that claimed he fought during the Korean War, though. He has joked that he “barely qualified” with his M-1 rifle in basic training. He served two years, and never got past the rank of private first class.

Leonard Nimoy

Later to become famous as Star Trek’s half human, half alien Mr Spock, Leonard Nimoy enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort McPherson, Georgia. He served for 18 months between 1953 and 1955. Nimoy also worked in the Army’s Special Services narrating plays and performing in training films.

James Earl Jones

The voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, a man who has been referred to as “one of the greatest actors in American history,” served in the Army during the Korean War, rising to the rank of first lieutenant. Jones missed the war, though, as he started his service in 1953 just as the war was coming to a close.

Alan Alda

Best known for playing an Army surgeon in the TV series M.A.S.H., Alda did serve in the actual military when he volunteered after finishing his studies at Fordham University. He served as a gunnery officer during a six-month tour of duty in the Korean War.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman turned down a scholarship for acting and instead joined the Air Force in which he served from 1955 to 1959. He served as a radar technician and mustered out as an Airman 1st Class. Freeman has said that he enjoyed his service experience until, that is, he was being scouted to be trained as a jet pilot. He said the reality that war means killing dawned on him at that time and he began to look for the exit door to get back to life as an actor.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley’s drafting in 1957 was huge news and the media followed him throughout his years of service. Elvis honorably served his term and mustered out as a sergeant in 1960.

Chuck Norris

Famed martial artist Chuck Norris joined the U.S. Air Force in 1958 and served his full term, being discharged in 1962. He was ultimately assigned to Osan Air Base in South Korea where he began to develop his signature martial arts style, Chun Kuk Do.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix had a bit less gratifying service having been forced into the Army or face jail time for car theft in 1961. He served only one year before being discharged for an ankle injury. Some researchers suggest that the injury was just the Army’s excuse to be rid of the troublesome rocker.

John Fogerty

Singer-songwriter John Fogerty joined up in 1966 when his draft number neared. He signed up for the United States Army Reserve as a supply clerk. However, he was switched to active duty for six months, anyway, but saw no service under fire. He was discharged honorably in 1968.

Tom Selleck

Tom Selleck was already an actor when he was drafted during the Vietnam War in 1967. He served six years in the the 160th infantry regiment of the California National Guard.

Oliver Stone

The famed director of Platoon served during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968 and was wounded twice. He earned the The Bronze Star with V’device and a Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

Pat Sajak

Pat Sajak volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1968. While he saw no battlefield action in Vietnam, Sajak did serve as an Army Radio disc jockey and ended up in country, anyway, when he was assigned to host a radio program on Armed Force Radio broadcasting in Saigon.

R. Lee Ernmey

Everyone knows R. Lee Ermey as the intense drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, but some may not know that he served in the Marines for a decade, was a real Drill Instructor, and saw service in Vietnam in 1968. He started out as a Repair Shop Mechanic and went on to earn the Good Conduct Medal (x2); the National Defense Service Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star; the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device; the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit; Meritorious Unit; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; and a Meritorious Unit Citation.

Ice-T

Musician, songwriter, and rapper Tracy Lauren Marrow — better known in the music scene as Ice-T and also for his long-running starring role on TV’s Law & Order SVU — joined the U.S. Army in 1979 after graduating high school. He served the 25th Infantry Division for four years.

Drew Carey

TV funny man and game show host Drew Carey served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves starting in 1980. He was honorably discharged in 1986 and he says that he adopted the Marines crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses as his trademark look due to his service.

Adam Driver

Adam Driver, who found fame as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars series, joined the U.S. Marines shortly after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He was briefly assigned to the Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, before being medically discharged due to an injury.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston.

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michaelsheenpt · 4 years

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Can we add Michael Sheen and David Tennant to the list of defining double-acts of our time?

In the Absence of Live Theater, TV Takes, Well, Center Stage

Can we add Michael Sheen and David Tennant to the list of defining double-acts of our time? That’s one response to the giddy pleasures of “Staged,” a delicious comedy series made for the BBC that owes its existence to the theatrical desolation of the coronavirus pandemic.

Had this theater season gone as normal, the director Simon Evans would have been engaged at the Chichester Festival Theater south of London, reviving Tom Stoppard’s play “The Real Thing.” Instead, Evans has written and directed a six-episode TV sitcom, with Sheen and Tennant as the often fractious co-stars of a revival of the Pirandello play “Six Characters in Search of an Author” that’s been postponed.

The result gives new meaning to making a virtue of necessity. Available on BBC iPlayer for the next 11 months, “Staged” represents a quick-witted response to our bereft theatrical scene. It’s a win for all involved.

Throw in cameos from Samuel L. Jackson and a hilariously bossy Judi Dench and you have a comic essay in contrasts: Tennant, the lank-haired Scotsman, plays opposite the shaggy Welshman that is Sheen in lockdown. They are joined by their real-life partners, Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg, in a sequence of short episodes that play with reality in a way that Pirandello himself might recognize. (“It’s like something out of the damn play,” Sheen remarks.)

And though the impetus of “Staged” is the one-upmanship of its male leads, the impact of Covid-19 is felt, too, in shots of a weirdly still London and a subplot about an elderly neighbor of Sheen’s who falls ill. (Visual tributes to Britain’s National Health Service are in evidence as well.) At such moments, unstoppable comic energy gives way to contemplation as we recognize our strange times even as the artists lift our spirits.

If “Staged” represents rambunctious entertainment of an unusually high order, “Talking Heads” lets us savor the transfixing power of the solo voice. Also available on BBC iPlayer, this remake of a series of vaunted television monologues by Alan Bennett, along with two new ones, owes its existence as well to the absence of live theater.

SOURCE

#michael sheen #david tennant #anna lundberg #georgia tennant #staged #ny times

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iamjessemartinz · 3 years

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It's an #LPPSaturday #Plus and #BlackLivesMatter ~ Let's celebrate the #Genius of #Prince 'til the world stops spinning ~ Inspiration: #PurpleRain Tour concludes . Love this? #SupportArt 👉 patreon.com/clublpp . Here's one new image (hooded cape) and a few oldies commemorating the Purple Rain Tour. I shot these back in 2015, while the project was in the process of evolving from 'photos *of a thing* I made' to 'the photo *is the thing* I made' - does that make sense? I'd made the first of the new head sculpts and was just beginning to play with light and atmosphere, which would change everything in the years to come. . From Alan Light's 'Let's Go Crazy': 'Before the final show [on April 7, 1985], Steve Fargnoli issued an announcement stating that the Miami date would "be [Prince's ] last live appearance for an indeterminate number of years." Fargnoli would say that when he asked Prince why he was taking time off, he explained that it was because he was going to "look for the ladder." When he asked for further clarification, Prince replied, "Sometimes it snows in April." These deliberately - some said annoyingly - cryptic responses both turned out to tease song titles from his next two albums.' . From Rolling Stone, Prince’s Epic ‘Purple Rain’ Tour: An Oral History, by David Browne: ~Matt Fink: Prince cut the tour short. Around the World in a Day was on his mind and backstage we were already looking at album covers for that. ~Mark Brown: During soundchecks, we recorded “4 the Tears in Your Eyes.” “The Ladder.” All kinds of stuff. ~Lisa Coleman: By the end of the tour, he was done with [Purple Rain]. He just burned fast and hard. If you look at the concert footage, he was killing his body. It was really, really hard work and to do it for six months was plenty for him. He was starting to get excited about other things. He was ready to move on. ~LeRoy Bennett: Prior to that tour, we were all very close, but then it started to separate out so that he was very isolated from us towards the end of the tour. I think he anticipated the fame to a certain level, but not what that was. . #Prince4ever #LePetitPrince #LPPisART #TroyGuaArt #photography https://www.instagram.com/p/CM7Rx6nlvqe/?igshid=9xng8kc83b4s

#lppsaturday #plus #blacklivesmatter #genius #prince #purplerain #supportart #prince4ever #lepetitprince #lppisart #troyguaart #photography

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Sister Cast: Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel’s Best-Known Roles

https://ift.tt/31KaCcX

Written by Luther creator Neil Cross, The Sister stars Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel as acquaintances connected by a long-buried, dark secret. The four-part paranormal thriller based on Cross’ 2009 novel Burial, sees Nathan Redman (Tovey) and Bob Morrow (Carvel) tussle with their conscience when the past re-emerges and threatens to upend the lives they’ve built. Tovey and Carvel star alongside Amrita Acharia as Nathan’s partner Holly, and Nina Toussaint-White as Holly’s friend and a police officer investigating the disappearance of a young woman (Simone Ashley).

Leads Carvel and Tovey boast a long and healthy back-catalogue of stage and screen parts. See below for five of their most recognisable roles to date.

Bertie Carvel: Magician, Adulterer, Headmistress, Murdoch, Agatha Christie

Jonathan Strange – Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Carvel was dream-casting for the role of mercurial magician Jonathan Strange in the 2015 BBC One adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s rich period-fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (a cracker for fans of 19th century lit and astonishingly worthy of its 1000-odd page length). He was paired perfectly with Eddie Marsan as the withdrawn and bookish Mr Norrell, against whom Carvel’s Strange appeared even more, well… strange. Carvel played the character as part Dr Frankenstein, part Lord Byron, with his own sense of mischief and unpredictability. Magic.

Miss Trunchbull – Matilda the Musical

Roald Dahl’s villains are legendary, and on stage, Bertie Carvel made the antagonist of Matilda the Musical unforgettable. Plumped out with padding, a hump, warts, a wig and a weightlifter’s belt, he didn’t play the terrifyingly sadistic headmistress for laughs, but got them anyway. Carvel won an Olivier award for the performance, and was nominated for a Tony. In the upcoming film version of the Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin musical, Voldemort himself, aka Ralph Fiennes, is reported to be picking up the Miss Trunchbull role.

Simon Foster – Doctor Foster

For a brief period in 2015, a Bertie Carvel character became the most-hated man in the country. As the cheating husband of Suranne Jones’ titular character in BBC drama Doctor Foster, he became a dartboard target for wronged women everywhere. Smug, arrogant and apparently conscience-free, Simon Foster’s extra-marital affair with Jodie Comer’s Kate was all anybody talked about.

Rupert Murdoch – Ink

Carvel won a coveted Tony award for his role as media mogul Rupert Murdoch in Ink, a play by Quiz and This House playwright James Graham, set against the backdrop of the late sixties as a young Murdoch buys UK tabloid newspaper The Sun.

Zachariah Osborne – The Pale Horse

One of Carvel’s most recent and prominent screen roles saw him join the twisted Sarah Phelps-Agatha Christie universe. In two-part adaptation The Pale Horse, he plays Zachariah Osborne, a car mechanic who becomes obsessed with the idea that he and lead Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) have been cursed by witches…

See also: Frank Temple in Baghdad Central, Finn in Babylon

The Undoing Review (Spoiler-Free): Classy Thriller With An All-Star Cast

By Rosie Fletcher

New British TV Series for 2020: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Dramas and More

By Louisa Mellor

Russell Tovey: History Boy, Werewolf, Slacker, Gamer, Everyman

Rudge – The History Boys

Both on stage at The National and on screen for the 2006 film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, Russell Tovey played Rudge, one of a group of sixth-formers taking the Oxford entrance examination in the 1980s. Alongside Tovey, the play’s cast has included Dominic Cooper, James Corden, Sacha Dhawan and Matt Smith, all of whom went on to very big things.

George Sands – Being Human

Supernatural drama Being Human was never quite the same after the series three departure of the original cast (well, not the original original cast, which had Andrea Riseborough as Annie, didn’t have Poldark’s Aidan Turner as Mitchell, but did have The Crown’s Claire Foy as George’s ex-fiancée Julia). Russell Tovey was there from the start as werewolf George, the beating heart of the Bristol-based flat-share.

Steve – Him & Her

Russell Tovey made a terrific pair with Sarah Solemani (who’s written the currently-in-production BBC drama Ridley Road) in low-key BBC comedy Him & Her. Becky and Steve were loveable slobs whose inertia meant their sitcom’s action never left the confines of their filthy flat. No matter, because they were subject to an onslaught of grotesquely comic visitors, from Becky’s sister Laura (Kerry Howard) to upstairs neighbour Dan (Joe Wilkinson).

Kevin – Looking

Celebrated HBO comedy-drama Looking was hailed by many critics as the male, gay answer to Lena Dunham’s Girls over its three-season lifespan between 2014-2016. The series won well-deserved plaudits for its funny, touching and frank portrayal of the lives of gay men living in San Francisco, navigating career, love lives and family. Tovey played video-game genius Kevin, the boss and sometime love interest of lead Patrick (Jonathan Groff).

Daniel Lyons – Years and Years

Without spoilers, Tovey’s character has a heart-wrenching and gripping storyline in Russell T. Davies’ Years and Years. The six-part BBC series follows three generations of a Manchester family from the present day years into the future, where modern politics, the economy and division over immigration have all worsened in the UK. It’s a powerful drama, and Tovey is right at its heart.

See also: Henry Knight in Sherlock ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’, Midshipman Frame in Doctor Who, Budgie in Gavin & Stacey, Jake in Flesh and Blood, Ray Terrill in the Arrowverse ‘Crisis on Earth X’

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Spooky drama The Sister airs at 9pm on Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th on ITV.

The post The Sister Cast: Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel’s Best-Known Roles appeared first on Den of Geek.

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citizenscreen · 4 years

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‘Tis the season to spread cheer and I’m doing my part by recommending classic movies, paying them forward in hopes that these memorable distractions take people’s minds off negative goings on. I’m asking that you join me, recommend your favorites and #PayClassicsForward on your blogs, by noting your recommendations in the comments or sharing across social media.

Let’s give the gift of movies.

Here’s the challenge…pick movie recommendations to the “12 Days of Christmas” theme as I’ve done below. Keep in mind that movie choices should be those you think would appeal to non-classics fans. Let’s grow our community and #PayClassicsForward

Have fun!

On the first day of Christmas, etc. etc…

One hat

The “one” listing is always a difficult one due to the fact that classics lend themselves to plenty of choices. That said, I came up with a category that encompasses important decades and several genre of film – the fedora. By following the history of the fedora in film you’ll be made privy to the best gangsters, greatest funny men, and most memorable lovers of Hollywood’s golden age. So here it is, a signature fedora:

Note that in researching my favorite fedora portrait I learned that trilbys are often mistaken for fedoras. Since experts seem to be confused between the two types of classic men’s hats that leaves little hope for me. I can’t say for sure whether Bogart is wearing a trilby in the above image, but he may well be. Descriptions of this type of hat explain the rims are shorter than your average fedoras. Either way, it’s a cool, suave look and Bogie rocks it.

From GQ: What’s the difference between a fedora and a trilby?

Answer: Traditionally a fedora has a wide brim and in the UK a wide ribbon band and bow. A trilby has a narrow brim and narrow ribbon, although there are some American trilbies that still have the wide ribbon.

Two Fairbanks

Things were not simple between Douglas Fairbanks and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as it is for many families, but the son wore his father’s name proudly. I chose this father and son combination because if you watch their films you’ll get a healthy helping of everything from silent adventure to pre-code delicacies through some terrific television work. These are careers worth following.

Three Trios

There are quite a few choices for memorable trios in film including Cattle rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro “Pete” Rocafuerte (Pedro Armendáriz), and William Kearney (Harry Carey, Jr.) in John Ford’s 3 Godfathers. That one is definitely difficult to pass up. That said, I think the following trios are likely to be looked at less by casual fans and they all deserve attention. These are my choices of trios in movies:

They are such a joy to behold. I remember them fondly from my days as a child watching them on TV. It seemed then that they appeared in a million movies, but that wasn’t the case. Still, these siblings are a joy in films like Buck Pirates with Abbott and Costello and their film debut in Albert S. Rogell’s Argentine Nights (1940). The Andrews Sisters made 17 films, more than any other singing group and all are a terrific way to be introduced to the movies. If that record does not impress you, then maybe this one will: LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty garnered 113 charted Billboard hits with 46 of those reaching the top 10. That’s more than Elvis Presley or The Beatles.

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I have nothing against Disney. In fact, I enjoy their classic animated films immensely. Due to that I’m less than enthusiastic about their constant remakes, which – in my opinion – disrespects those wonderful, older film accomplishments. Today I pay tribute to one of them by way of a trio of glorious characters made in the memorable Disney vein we’ve all come to know and love, that combination of warmth and delightful comedy that permeate those wonderful films. These characters are Princess Aurora’s three good fairy godmothers Flora, Fauna and Merryweather in Disney’s 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. They alone pay tribute to an enchanting legacy.

“Each of us the child may bless, with a single gift no more, no less.”

The final mention here goes to three Russian envoys who have arrived in Paris to sell a fortune in jewelry, imperial jewelry, the money of which is to go to the Russian government, which is in need of cash. The three, Iranoff, Buljanoff and Kopalski (played hilariously by Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart and Alexander Granach, respectively) who are supposed to be doing work for the Russian government, immediately get caught up in the excesses of capitalism and fail to sell the jewelry. Moscow then sends a special envoy to Paris to investigate what’s going on with the trio and the jewelry. The envoy is the rigid and humorless, Comrade Yakushova – Ninotchka (Greta Garbo). The charming Melvyn Douglas plays Ninotchka’s love interest in Ernst Lubitsch’s delightful comedy, but it’s the three envoys in the hands of Ruman, Bressart and Granach that make this movie among the greats in the annals of comedy. I just want to get to know them better and so should you.

Ninotchka with Iranoff, Buljanoff, and Kopalski

Four Skippy Performances

It’s no wonder this wire-haired terrier was the highest paid canine star of his day. Often referred to as “Asta,” thanks to his successful appearances in The Thin Man movies, his real name was Skippy – and we love him to tears. Although I’m choosing only four of his film performances, Skippy never made a bad movie and starred opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest names. If you keep an eye out for Skippy’s filmography on TCM, you will no doubt be introduced to an astounding talent as well as a terrific movie. It’s guaranteed. My Skippy suggestions are:

Skippy as Asta in The Thin Man movies opposite William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. I can’t imagine you haven’t seen The Thin Man (1934), but may not have given any of the sequels a try. If that’s the case you will be delighted by Skippy in any one of his key performances:

in ANOTHER THIN MAN

in AFTER THE THIN MAN

Skippy is wonderful as Mr. Smith in The Awful Truth. Worth a custody dispute between Warriner and Warriner played by Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, this time Skippy is required to add straight drama to his repertoire as he is required to choose between his two humans right off the bat. There’s also plenty for him to do on the comedy front, however, so this one is a must-see.

forced to choose between the Warriners in court

front and center in the awful truth

Skippy as George in Howard Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby opposite Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Another terrific outing for our favorite pooch as he is central to action thanks to his burying abilities.

Holding his own in Hawks’ beloved screwball

This sequel to Norman Z. McLeod’s 1937 hit Topper lacks some of the charm of its predecessor, but the talents of Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbry, and Skippy make it well worth your time. Here, Skippy matched Bennett’s ghostly wit by ghostly wit in a role that stretches his talents to matters beyond this world and he approaches it with signature enthusiasm.

so famous he made it into this spectacular publicity photo with Constance Bennett

Five Lords-a-leaping

No explanation needed.

Cagney

Nicholas Brothers

Kelly

Astaire

Six Vivien Leigh GWTW Tests

Gone With the Wind is celebrating its 80th anniversary on December 15 and, as the biggest, most famous movie ever made, it deserves at least a mention here.

On that day in 1939, Atlanta’s Loew’s Grand Theater was buzzing with Hollywood’s biggest names. It was such an occasion for Atlanta that the film’s opening was a 3-day event as Governor Eurith Dickinson Rivers declared a three-day holiday. Other politicians asked that Georgians dress in period clothing. A lot had happened in Hollywood leading up to that premiere though including the famous search for the film’s leading lady, the protagonist of Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 blockbuster novel, Scarlett O’Hara. Every female star it seems auditioned for the part. Among them were Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Bennett, Claudette Colbert, Frances Dee, and Paulette Goddard who, as stories go, was close to being chosen. As we all know, however, Scarlett went to the lovely, British Vivien Leigh who possessed an outstanding talent. Leigh made the part her own and, along with the film, became tantamount to Hollywood royalty. To honor Vivien Leigh and her memorable Scarlett O’Hara here are six make-up and wardrobe test stills:

Seven Justices

Judge James K. Hardy in the Andy Hardy movie series

Judge Margaret Turner in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

Judge Taylor in To Kill a Mockingbird

Judge Weaver in Anatomy of a Murder

Judge Henry X. Harper in Miracle on 34th Street

Judge Dan Haywood in Judgment at Nuremberg

Judge Chamberlain Haller in My Cousin Vinny

Eight Serials

Follow the links to watch episodes of these dramatically exciting serials. It might take a few chapters for you to get hooked, but you’ll get hooked.

The Perils of Pauline (1914) starring Pearl White

The Vanishing Legion (1931) starring Harry Carey and Edwina Booth

The Green Hornet (1940) starring Gordon Jones

Zorro Rides Again (1937) starring John Carroll

The Master Mystery (1918) starring Harry Houdini

Flash Gordon (1936) starring Buster Crabbe

The Phantom Creeps (1939) starring Bela Lugosi

Holt of the Secret Service (1941) starring Jack Holt

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ann Miller

Ruby Keeler

Eleanor Powell

Lena Horne

Betty Grable

Vera-Ellen

Cyd Charisse

Ginger Rogers

Dorothy Dandridge

Ten Directors

Watch their movies… live, love, learn, and laugh.

Michael Curtiz

Akira Kurosawa

William Wyler

Fritz Lang

Ernst Lubitsch

John Ford

Alfred Hitchcock

Mervyn LeRoy

Ida Lupino

Lois Weber

Eleven Movies about Millionaires

Since I recommended movies about hobos in a previous year, I thought the time came for millionaires. There are many wonderful movies about the super rich, particularly during the Great Depression when audiences loved seeing the plight of these people play out for laughs. That theme made for some of film history’s best screwball comedies. The super rich, however, have lent themselves for entertaining movie fare ever since the movies began and in every genre. Check out this terrific list from Forbes spotlighting millionaires in movies.

As for me, I have quite a few favorites with millionaire themes that appeal to most others as well. These include such popular titles as The Philadelphia Story, the shenanigans of the Charleses in The Thin Man movies, My Man Godfrey, The Lady Eve, How to Marry a Millionaire, and movies featuring recognizable names like Charles Foster Kane and Bruce Wayne. For this purpose, however, I recommend lesser known, but worthy millionaire movie stories I’ve watched through the years – some in terrible condition, a few greats, and some for plain ole fun. Here are the 11 rich and classic…

Phil Rosen’s Extravagance (1930)

John G. Adolfi’s The Millionaire (1931)

Clarence G. Badger’s Miss Brewster’s Millions (1926)

Frank Tuttle’s Love Among the Millionaires (1930)

Mitchell Leisen’s Easy Living (1937)

Anthony Asquith’s The Millionairess (1960)

Robert Moore’s Murder by Death (1976)

William Asher’s Bikini Beach (1964)

Walter Lang’s I’ll Give a Million (1938)

George Marshall’s A Millionaire for Christy (1951)

Roy Del Ruth’s Kid Millions (1934)

EXTRAVAGANCE (1930_

THE MILLIONAIRE (1931)

LOVE AMONG THE MILLIONAIRES (1930)

MISS BREWSTER’S MILLIONS (1926)

MURDER BY DEATH (1976)

I’LL GIVE A MILLION (1938)

A MILLIONAIRE FOR CHRISTY (1951)

THE MILLIONAIRESS (1960)

KID MILLIONS (1934)

BIKINI BEACH (1964)

EASY LIVING (1937)

Twelve Feature Acting Debuts

Some of my favorite and/or most memorable film debuts…

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween – effective after all these years.

Orson Welles in Citizen Kane – although Welles’ performance is what I find hardest to like in Kane, I cannot deny its impact and status among characters in film.

Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday – appropriate introduction for royalty in film and in life. She charms you from the first moment.

Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront – exclamation point to begin a stellar movie career.

Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl – a tour de force and a phenomenon

Peter Lorre in M – brilliant, nightmarish, heartbreaking. Described by director Fritz Lang as “one of the best in film history.” I agree.

Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins – Her debut should have been as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, but we’ll take this and so did she. Not only did Andrews win the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of the magical nanny, but she won the hearts of the world in the process.

Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People – ordinarily superb.

Angela Lansbury in Gaslight – small part, big impact. Undeniable screen presence.

Edward Norton in Primal Fear – convincing and chilling.

Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips – She wanted a worthy role as her screen introduction. She got it. She killed it – as she did from that moment on.

Eddie Murphy in 48 Hours – I love this performance highlighting the scope of Murphy’s talent.

I gave this final topic a lot of thought as there are many worthy contenders. For instance, I’m sure many would choose James Dean’s turn in East of Eden, as big a legend-ensuring performance as there ever was, but it’s not a favorite of mine. Tatum O’Neill’s performance in Paper Moon is another one I considered as were Marlee Matlin’s in Children of a Lesser God and Lupita Nyong’o heartbreaking Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. Finally, I adore Robert Duvall’s debut appearance in To Kill a Mockingbird. And I could go on and on. We just have an embarrassment of riches.

♥

Phew! There you have this year’s movie recommendations. I hope you enjoyed the list and that – in the spirit of Christmas – you take this challenge and…

#PayClassicsForward

Visit previous year’s lists as shown:

2015

2016

2017

2018

The Challenge: #PayClassicsForward for Christmas ‘Tis the season to spread cheer and I’m doing my part by recommending classic movies, paying them forward in hopes that these memorable distractions take people’s minds off negative goings on.

#12 Days of Christmas #12 Days of Classics #Movie Recommendations #Pay Classics Forward #Pay Classics Forward for Christmas

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mariocki · 7 months

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Six Plays by Alan Bennett: All Day on the Sands (1.6, LWT, 1979)

"Look at the level of that sauce. Only started yesterday, it's gone down dramatically. I'm under no compulsion to provide sauce. Lathering it on. It's not as if my cooking needed sauce!"

"Make it available on request. Sauce available on request, that'll bring them to a sense of responsibility."

"Wouldn't care, but they go at the salt and pepper like lunatics. You'd think they'd never seen a cruet in their lives."

#six plays by alan bennett #all day on the sands #alan bennett #giles foster #1979 #single play #marjorie yates #alun armstrong #gary carp #susan hopkins #jane freeman #ken jones #helene palmer #lynne carol #clifford kershaw #harry markham #albert modley #rosalind wilson #jonathan coy #stephen greenwood #bert gaunt #elizabeth dawn #having pushed the envelope a little at times‚ this series ends on a safer note with a classic Bennett piece about holidaymakers and wryly #observed class and relationship inspired dialogue. it's also for my money perhaps the weakest of the six plays; it has some brilliantly #sharp lines and scenes in true Bennett fashion but the overall play is just a little... aimless. a meandering look at a family on holiday #as Alun Armstrong's father figure struggles with being newly unemployed and Marjorie Yates as his wife variously supports‚ cajoles‚ and #picks at him. at the centre are their two children‚ but particularly their son‚ whose misadventures we follow as he attempts to retrieve a #lost sandal. it's fine enough but it doesn't really go anywhere‚ and it hasn't the bite nor the impact that the others in this strand had #i think partly as well that lies with Giles Foster's direction‚ which hasn't the spark or creativity of Lindsay Anderson‚ nor the fluidity #or careful precision of Stephen Frears (who helmed 4 of the 6 plays and acted as producer). still‚ despite my griping‚ not a bad piece

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onestowatch · 5 years

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How Los Retros Turned ‘70s Jazz Into Your New DIY Indie Obsession [Q&A]

Photo: Ross Harris

Los Retros is proof that the only thing you need to make a great record in the modern age is a living room, some instruments, and a fire under your ass. Mauri Tapia, the mastermind behind Los Retros, writes and records all of his music from his parents’ home in Oxnard, California (a city that has also served as an incubator for artists like Madlib and Anderson .Paak.) Despite the barebones setup, Tapia manages to create recordings that paint a vast expanse of sound and color.

For the last few years, Tapia has been touring with a recurring cast of individuals around Southern California, spreading the gospel of his music and recording yet more songs from Oxnard in between shows. With the release of Los Retros’ debut EP, Retrospect, on June 21 via Stones Throw Records, the public outside of the Golden State gets to experience Los Retros’ unique sound for the first time.

It was Ones to Watch’s distinct pleasure to sit down with Mauri Tapia to talk DIY recording, sources of inspiration, and turning a ride to a show into a marriage.

OTW: When did you start writing music, and how did that evolve into Los Retros?

MT: Well, uh, I don’t actually write most of it down; I just kind of form it and do it, it’s all memorized. I didn’t have access to any recording software until I was about 15, and that’s when I started really recording audio for the first time. At first, I just tracked guitar, then eventually drums, and yeah it kind of developed from there.

OTW: Your music has a very distinct feel that blends American indie/pop with Latin elements. Who are some artists that influenced the development of your sound?

MT: My parents for a long time when I was a little kid would play a lot of Spanish rock bands, some of those were, like, Los Freddys, Los Terricolas, Los Ángeles Negros, and so on. I never really cared for the sound until I got older. You know, maturity. I think a lot of those songs were in my head, just thinking about them and remembering all those moments, and I was like, “Hey that sounds like something cool that I’d like to make.” So I took some of those songs as a sort of reference to what I started making. Some of the others, like two on the album are kind of influenced by this dude named Tonetta. The whole album is actually a twist on a lot of stuff I listen to – it is original, but definitely reflects what I was listening to at the time. I recorded the album two years ago, actually, and I just finally decided to release it.

OTW: You took the inspiration for your moniker from a Chilean band called Los Ángeles Negros that has been active since the 70s – can you dig into this connection a little deeper?

MT: Yeah. So our project actually used to be called what the album is called, Retrospect. That was the original name, but there was already a band with that name, and we didn’t want to get sued, you know? We thought, “Alright, let’s switch it up.” I wanted to keep Retro in there because that’s just something that, like, maintains with our whole reality. And I thought, I lot of those bands I grew up with have “Los” in their name, and in English the same for bands like The Strokes. Actually, somebody on my live channel mentioned the name Los Retros and I was like “You know what, that’s a pretty cool name,” so I just kept it and here we are.

OTW: With the DIY approach you take to recording your music, do you face any interesting challenges translating the pieces to a live show? How do you adapt your music for a live setting where you can’t play drums, guitar, and bass all at once?

MT: Well, like I mentioned I write – well, not write down but you know what I mean – come up with the tunes, you know, record them, mix them. When we perform I have several friends that play with me. My little brother plays with me now and my wife does too, actually. And my friend who’s been there since the beginning playing bass. I guess that’s what makes it Los Retros.

OTW: I want to congratulate you on your debut EP that just dropped last month, Retrospect. How did you choose the six songs that would be featured on the project? Did you take anything in particular into consideration when choosing the play order?

MT: Kinda. So me and Wolf, the founder of Stones Throw, we hang out every now and then and we would always change it up. We had a bunch of other songs that we thought about putting on the album but we just thought these ones were better. We never really talked much about the order, we sat down and picked it in maybe, I dunno, four or five minutes. We thought, well, let’s put “Last Day On Earth” at the end, because you know the “last day” implies the end. The first couple songs are all about my wife. But the truth is, I don’t think it really matters what order its in. We just kind of threw it together.

youtube

OTW: A lot of your songs involve complex chord structures, and I’m told that you play every instrument featured on each track. How did you go about learning all these instruments?

MT: I started playing guitar when I was eight. I eventually got my own guitar at 11, and really started getting better at it. My school had this after school program called Rock Band, and me and a friend would go there, and I just had access to so many more instruments there than I had at home. So I just played around with anything I could get my hands on. I picked up a bass and tried some bass lines, which is actually pretty similar to guitar. I eventually got on the drums around 8th grade. I didn’t get my own drum set ‘til about a year and a half ago, actually, but I’d always play whenever I was at school. Then three and a half years ago I got my first keyboard, some people on YouTube started sharing my music and all that. Around that time I started getting into a lot of old bands from the 70s, kinda started playing around with the chords they were using, and it all developed from there as I found my own sound.

OTW: What is your favorite story behind one of the tracks on Retrospect?

MT: Yeah, the song “Friends.” It’s about my wife. So long story short, I didn’t have a ride to show one day. I was kind of acquaintances with this girl, we had talked a little bit in the past, nothing too special. Then I invited her to one of my shows, and *laughs* I didn’t necessarily lie, but I said I didn’t really have a ride, since the car my drummer was taking was too packed with gear for me to fit. So she gave me a ride, and we ended up becoming friends for a pretty good while, you know, and there was definitely something there. So I wrote this song and figured I’d show it to her, and she’d have to do something about it, so… yeah, now we’re married.

Photo: Ross Harris

OTW: You’ve developed a devoted following in your native Southern California and have played shows all around the region. As your career continues to develop, where are some areas that you want to tour? Do you have any bucket list venues?

MT: Hmm, I don’t know, I haven’t really though about it. I just wanna go play places where people will watch me. If I had my choice I guess I’d like to play in Japan, I’ve always been interested in Japanese 70s funk stuff. Honestly, New York sounds cool, too. I’ve only left California once when I was about two years old. I went to Mexico. But now the laws are a little different regarding specific people and my parents can’t go back, and for me I’d rather visit with my parents than go by myself. I don’t really have any bucket list venues. Maybe some cool back yards – I like intimate shows, haha.

OTW: Assume next year you could support any artist on an international arena tour – who would you want to support and why?

MT: Well, if he could even still play, I’d say this dude Alain Mion. He was a composer for this soul-jazz band called Cortex from the 70s. He’s probably almost 80 though. Roy Ayers too, but I know he was just hospitalized, so that would be tough. Really any of those old funk guys, because that’s the sort of music I wanna be making. It’s a long shot but maybe George Clinton, though I know he’s retiring pretty soon.

OTW: Clearly you have the chops to do great things on your own – but if you had the opportunity to collaborate with any active artist, writer, or producer on a project, who would it be and what sort of project would you undertake?

MT: Well actually, I’m collaborating with one of the best right now, Steve Arrington. I wish I could give you more details on that project right now, but I can’t.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

MT: Huh, I don’t know, I listen to a lot of old music, haha. He’s not new, but I think people should know about Alan Hawkshaw. Brian Bennett, too. Oh, and Bill Evans. There you go.

#los retros #mauri tapia #interview #soul #jazz #indie

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timeagainreviews · 5 years

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5 Moments when Doctor Who SUCKED

Imagine, if you will for a moment, that you are a brand new Doctor Who fan. You don’t even know to call yourself a Whovian yet. You get on a few facebook groups, see a few YouTube videos and discover, much to your dismay, that Doctor Who is, in fact, ruined now. Woe is you who set path down a trail leading toward mediocrity, and eventually utter devastation. I ask you to picture yourself in this manner because I want you to realise that only a person new to Doctor Who would believe such drivel. Everyone else saying this seems to have rose tinted glasses. The rest of us all know that Doctor Who is a show that sometimes requires forgiveness.

Am I saying Doctor Who is a bad show? Not hardly. Much like pizza, Doctor Who is still pretty good, even when it sucks. I would venture to say that one of the things I love most about Doctor Who is how campy and silly it can be at times. Why is it then that so many people are turning their backs on a show that’s filled their lives with so much joy? I’m really trying to avoid the "because sexism," argument. But I can’t help but feel like if you were to switch the Doctor to a male, nobody would be calling the show "ruined." Furthermore, how do you even ruin something that has gone through so many changes throughout the years? Oh right, it’s the Doctor Who fandom. Where the only language allowed is hyperbolic.

Perhaps these fake geeks are mad because making the Doctor a woman takes away their ability to call her a Mary Sue. Especially when you consider the same character once burst out of a golden birdcage and floated to the ground in a wave of Jesus energy. That might mean they’d have to retroactively apply the title to every incarnation. Could the Doctor ever escape the distinction? Unnaturally talented, charismatic, good at everything he does, brilliantly smart. Or is it that these attributes only belong to men? We can believe Tom Baker’s Doctor is capable of walking into a burning furnace to save K9, but hell no, a woman can’t be the Doctor.

You have to face it, Doctor Who has had some terrible moments. Yet we continue to tune in because we forgive it. We forgive when Doctor Who is bad because of the moments when Doctor Who is wonderful. Which I know is how you would describe an abusive partner, but I’m gonna let it slide for a television series. Especially this series. Because unlike that dickhead who never texts you back, Doctor Who can change. If you don’t believe me, please peruse this list of five instances when Doctor Who was terrible.

1. The John Nathan-Turner era

My God, how could I not start with this? While there is no denying there are some wonderful moments in JNT's Doctor Who, it's easily my least favourite era of Doctor Who. And as much as I personally love Colin Baker, his Doctor got the lion's share of poor scripts and erroneous costume choices. Never has a man more game for a role, been dealt such a bad hand.

Introducing a Doctor that was cowardly, and even violent toward his companion, was seen as a bridge too far. While I understand the desire to try something new with the character, this wasn't the way to go about it. While the show begins to pick up around the end of McCoy's tenure, it's evident that this is more the influence of studio notes and the hard work of script editor Andrew Cartmel. I can't think of anyone less suited for the job of showrunner.

It seems that for a good nine years, Doctor Who had a madman at the helm, and not in that cute Matt Smith way. Dressing in flamboyant Hawaiian shirts, Nathan-Turner brought that same brash sensibility to the program. From Six's garish costume, to question mark lapels, to Mel's entire timeline, it's a big fat mess with him sitting in the middle. Add to all of this, the allegations of him being a predatory creep toward young male fans, and it's a surprise the show ever survived. Oh wait, it didn't.

2. Racism

Ok, maybe I should have started with this. While Doctor Who has taken efforts to address its racist past, it still happened. They drop a racist slur in "The Celestial Toymaker." Even the term "celestial," is used to mean "Chinese," in describing the titular character played by the very white Michael Gough, fully clad in Oriental silks. This tradition follows into "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," when Li H'sen Chang was played by John Bennett.

It's an uncomfortable miracle that they didn't allow Patrick Troughton to play the role of the Second Doctor in brownface. Not to say his era escaped the odd bit of racism. While Toberman in "Tomb of the Cybermen," gets a few heroic moments, he also gets none of the lines. Cast as mute manservant, we learn nothing about the inner workings of a black man who died so that white people may live.

Later, the show used characters like Ace to talk about racism. She shows disgust with a "No Coloureds," sign hanging in the boarding house she's staying in. When the evil Morgaine had her under mind control, it was calling her friend Ling Tai "yellow," and "slant-eyed," that she was able to snap out of it. Real Ace would never say such things. But even with that groundwork laid, the new series still struggles. From the Doctor being weirdly dismissive toward black people, to it taking nearly 50 years for the first black TV companion, Doctor Who is still grappling with its race issues. Yet you all kept watching.

3. Ace gets molested

This one is a bit of a lesser known infraction as it takes place in the books after the show had already been cancelled. Kicking off the Virgin Media "New Adventures," is 1991's "Timewyrm: Genesys," by John Peel. In it, the Doctor and Ace travel to ancient Mesopotamia, where they meet King Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh wastes no time going full blown creep, groping Ace and pawing at her like he was Joe Biden.

The Doctor's reaction to this is to tell Ace to just go with it, and that it's part of the culture. While I agree that, yes, Gilgamesh may not be the sophisticated modern man that hugs a bro and supports equal pay, the Doctor's reaction is some straight up bullshit. If you're going to go there, maybe try saying something with it other than "Women are men's property." This could have been a great opportunity for the Doctor to puff up and use Gilgamesh's own primitive mindset against him. "How dare you touch my woman!" the very tiny Doctor could say to the very tall man. It would have been a funny visual, mixed with the Doctor utilising male privilege in a way that helps his companion.

This is really an objection I have against most of John Peel's work. He writes women in that "she boobed boobily," manner. Much to my dismay, Peel is one of the sole writers of the Dalek books, so any time you want to enjoy a tale involving our enemies from Skaro, you have to also partake in his brand of women. I'm talking women being described as buxom babes with shoulder length blonde hair, voices like baby goddesses, and legs up to their neck. While on the other hand, we get men described as having a hat and probably some other features. I may be embellishing, but seriously, John Peel, your women suck. Yet it still spawned a rather large book series.

4. Minuet in Hell

Doctor Who has never been known to nail accents. Tegan is vaguely Australian. And Peri must have moved around a lot due to the fact that nothing about her American accent sounds like a regional dialect. That doesn't mean that Robert Jezek's Foghorn Leghorn meets the KFC Colonel performance as " Brigham Elisha Dashwood III," is any less painful. But bad accents aside, the biggest demon in this Big Finish audio is one of Doctor Who's oldest enemies- sexism!

While I understand that Charlotte Pollard may be a fan favourite among many Big Finish listeners, her character will forever be tainted for me, and it's all due to this story. In it, Charlotte, or Charley, gets literally human trafficked. They kidnap her, force her to wear lingerie in a very creepy and misguided attempt to add some sexiness to the story and force her to wait on rich businessmen at a casino.

Now, allow me to clarify, it's not the human trafficking that taints her in my eyes. People who get trafficked are victims, obviously. What bothers me is that neither Gary Russell or Alan W Lear thought to give her a single line of dialogue where she protests. She doesn't even complain a little. Sure, the Doctor often gains intel by getting captured, but this is ridiculous. Add this to the weird disjointed story, and "Minuet in Hell," easily serves as one of the lowest points in not just Big Finish history, but Doctor Who as a whole.

5. Sexism

(Image by Billy Darswed)

It makes the most sense that this is the last one on the list. Because let's be honest, it's a huge problem in the fandom. A lot of early Doctor Who audios and books smack of moments when it feels as though the writers never considered the existence of female fans. Women are often utilised as a means to make the Doctor look better, and for the baddies to look scarier. Mind you, it's not always been a pantheon of swooners and screamers. We got the occasional Sarah Jane, Leela, and Ace.

Even the strong women are long-suffering. Liz Shaw (and her real-life actress Caroline John) left the role of companion over sexism. Beginning her time on Doctor Who as UNIT's top scientific advisor, she was demoted to assistant, holding beakers for the male Doctor who stole her job. The Fourth Doctor acted similarly when telling Romana her qualifications had nothing on real life experience. The same excuse has been used for decades to keep educated women out of the workforce. "Come back when you've got some experience, sweetheart."

While Rose Tyler was a refreshingly real character with a family and life of her own, it doesn't mean that she wasn't horribly mismanaged. In "The Stolen Earth," we see a darker, more serious version of her character. The Rose we used to know is now fully devoted toward one mission and one mission only- getting her man back. It's as though her personality disappears and is fully dependent on having the Doctor in her life. She rises to greatness so that she might bask in his once more. Maybe it's romantic, but maybe it's bad writing.

If you were to ask me who my favourite Doctor Who writers are, I'd have to say Robert Holmes is up there, and he wrote "Talons of Weng-Chiang," a serial full of yellowface. I'd also say Russell T Davies, who wrote the aforementioned "Stolen Earth," and also saw it in his wisdom to turn Shirley Henderson's "Ursula," into a blowjob dispensing garden brick. Or even Steven Moffat who believes the Statue of Liberty could sneak around New York, undetected, and that nobody notices his predilection toward dominatrix women in stiletto heels.

In my review for "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos," I quipped that Chris Chibnall had not yet written a truly great episode of Doctor Who. However, since "Resolution," I can no longer say such a thing. I may even go as far as to say it's one of the best Dalek episodes ever. It would seem then that, given enough time, he could become a great showrunner. And it seems that given enough time, any writer, yourself included, could one day write the latest "worst episode ever."

Every new era has had its stumbles. Not every Doctor gets it correct 100% of the time. Capaldi decided he was the kind of Doctor to exit through the window, a trait we never saw again. The Fifth Doctor decided to sleep his way through his first adventure. The Eighth Doctor was "human on his mother's side." And Ten took so long to regenerate that I'm beginning to think it was old age, and not radiation that did him in. If you can look at all of these stupid, stupid moments and still say you love Doctor Who, then maybe, just maybe, you can get over a bit of spotty writing, like you always have. Or is it still the female Doctor thing? Oh...

#doctor who #tardis #thirteenth doctor #chris chibnall #time and time again #Jodie Whittaker

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pass-the-bechdel · 5 years

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Dollhouse s02e13 ‘Epitaph Two: Return’

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, four times, and with more than two female characters at the same time.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Seven (43.75% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Nine.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Episode Quality:

Pointless and unsatisfying.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Caroline and Echo pass. Almost all of the female characters pass around the dinner table. Echo commiserates with Priya. DeWitt and Echo say their goodbyes.

Female characters:

Mag.

Caroline Farrell.

Echo.

Adelle DeWitt.

Priya Tsetsang.

Kilo.

Bennett Halverson.

Male characters:

Zone.

Harding.

Clive Ambrose.

Paul Ballard.

Topher Brink.

Tony.

Romeo.

Anthony Ceccoli.

Alpha.

OTHER NOTES:

Most of the memory/flashforwards from the first Epitaph episode have been completely retconned by season two, by the way. Not much point in trying to entice viewers to stick around for the rest of the show if you’re not even gonna try to make the content you teased them with work out in the long run. They probably should have just not bothered with the ambitious world-ending crap, since they went a totally different ‘let’s take down Rossum’ route for the entire second season; as such, where the first Epitaph episode suggested thrilling new directions for the show’s future, this feels massively un-earned as a series finale.

‘Magically delicious super-whores’ Zone is that ‘lovable jerk’ character who provides a convenient excuse for the narrative to spill uncool lines and have other characters just roll their eyes like ‘oh, you’. Guess who is not interested in entertaining the ‘funny misogynist’?

Things which are tedious (which Joss Whedon loves): characters ‘going crazy’ and therefore nattering nonsense sentences or otherwise over-verbalising in a weird stream-of-consciousness type way. It’s a tired and rather offensive stereotype of ‘crazy people’ and they should do better.

The ‘future lingo’ is really embarrassing, it doesn’t sound natural at all. ‘power down’, ‘log off’, pffft. It sounds exactly like the kinds of terms and phrases that companies used to try and seem ‘hip’ to the new-fangled concept of The Internet back in the late nineties. You can’t make ‘fetch’ happen, and I wish you wouldn’t try.

Zone acts all weird about the idea that Mag likes girls, because he’s a dickhead. Boring. Also, they don’t get points from me for finally having a queer character on the screen, because they frame Mag’s sexuality entirely through the lens of Zone’s responses (which mostly just involve him being a pig about it), and I’ve got no time for the male gaze version of lesbianism.

Manufactured final-episode tension between Priya and Anthony is also boring. You can’t just chuck that in there at the last second, no build-up, no nothing. That’s not how you character arc anything.

There goes Ballard. I’m not sorry.

All of Topher’s dialogue is idiotic rubbish.

Last minute ‘redeemed’ Alpha. He’s fun because Alan Tudyk is always fun, but honestly. Just bouncing forward in time and skipping all the development is pointless.

Could not be bothered with mourning Echo and Ballard’s super-creepy non-relationship...thing that the show never bothered to explore properly because they were too busy having no moral backbone to evaluate how problematic it was. Also really could not be bothered with Echo having a screaming fit at Priya because she’s sublimating her own regrets. Ballard’s relationship with Echo was never compelling, nor defined enough to matter, and this episode tries to treat it like the most meaningful centrepiece relationship for Echo’s character and consequently, the whole show. Hell nope.

Who wants to guess how much I don’t care about Mag or Zone?

Yeah, Echo imprinting herself with Ballard’s personality is SUPER weird. Also, isn’t this version of Ballard like, ten years outdated? They haven’t been backing him up on the Dollhouse drives while they’ve been out at Safe Haven avoiding tech, y’all. Kinda steps on the attempted warm and fuzzies, huh?

I don’t think anyone hit Echo? I think we’re still at seven for the season then, which is better than the ten episodes of beatings they clocked in season one, but that’s still seventeen of twenty-six episodes (65%, for those of you playing statistics at home), and sometimes she was beaten multiple times per episode and/or very brutally, AND that’s not including all the times she suffered injury and pain and physical attacks of various kinds that didn’t strictly involve her being hit. GREAT SCORE, show. Seems very normal.

Yeah, look, this doesn’t feel like it’s concluding anything meaningful for the show proper: it exists purely because they already did that other flash-forward episode at the end of last season. It’s a conclusion to that episode, not to the series, nor even to the arcs of the characters. It’s wasteful, and useless, and I hate that.

P.s. remember when this show seemed like it was gonna probably maybe address the idea of personhood and existentialism et al? That was a completely necessary discussion they absolutely should have bothered to ever have instead of just focusing on casually excusing rape narratives and making Echo ~the best ever~.

#Dollhouse #Dollhouse season two #Bechdel Test #female representation #Epitaph Two: Return

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wannabealexjenningscoffee · 6 years

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From Alan Bennett to Unforgotten: how Alex Jennings became the most chilling man on TV

“Next time, spare us the Hannibal Lecter schtick.” So said DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) to killer GP Tim Finch (Alex Jennings) in Sunday night’s finale of the superior ITV whodunit Unforgotten.

It wasn’t just one of the most memorable lines of a mesmerising series but also an apt comparison. This was a doctor who had abused his position of trust; a manipulative multiple murderer who displayed the cold-blooded cruelty of a sociopath; who spooked viewers and on-screen adversaries alike as he sat in prison-issue clothes, calmly detailing his sickening crimes, a sly smile of satisfaction playing across his lips.

It’s testament to Jennings’ chillingly charismatic turn that he bore comparison to Anthony Hopkins' Oscar -winning big-screen bogeyman. And all the more impressive that Jennings conveyed Finch’s unsettling secrets without any scenery-chomping histrionics or even on-screen violence. This was a slow-burning performance of rare subtlety. One of a group of four old schoolmates who’d rented a country cottage for Millennium Eve, Finch initially seemed the least likely suspect to have murdered local teen Hayley Reid, then buried her body under the central reservation of the M1. Predatory TV presenter James Hollis (Kevin McNally), swindling salesman Pete Carr (Neil Morrissey) or homeless, bipolar artist Chris Lowe (James Fleet) all behaved more erratically and looked better bets.

As the six-part drama unfolded, though, Jennings’ sinister creation gradually moved front and centre. We heard how Finch had violently threatened an elderly patient. His traumatised first wife Derran (Siobhan Redmond) insisted he’d mentally, physically and sexually abused her, with the Polaroids to partially prove it.

His daughter Emma (Jo Herbert) began to realise her father wasn’t as even-tempered as he appeared. His meek, mousy second wife Carol (Amanda Root) was in denial yet knew deep down that something was badly amiss. Finch was arrested on suspicion of murder in the penultimate episode but Sunday’s finale delivered a queasy twist. The “trophies” found in his cellar - a pair of knickers, a scrunchie and a necklace - didn’t belong to Hayley Reid as detectives had assumed, but to another, earlier missing girl.

In hypnotically intense police interview scenes, Finch impassively confessed to more murders - on the gloriously prosaic proviso that he got a cup of tea first. By the time the credits rolled, we knew he was a serial killer who had claimed at least five adolescent female victims, probably many more. His horrifying lack of remorse even contributed to heroine DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) taking a sabbatical from the force. From his self-contained body language to the unconvincing way he called people “mate”, from his rural leisurewear to his reptilian movements, at first Finch’s villainy was hard for viewers to put their finger on. He just felt... not quite right. With his 6ft 2in frame, dancing blue eyes and enigmatic smirk, Jennings eventually revealed the true monster beneath the Barbour jacket and false bonhomie. Showing Lecter-like levels of self-regard, Finch was quick to point out the difference between paedophilia and hebephilia. He took time out to discuss the nature vs nurture debate. “I’m pretty much a textbook psychopath,” he confessed, barely batting an eyelid. “Above average intelligence, superficially charming, zero empathy.” Brrrrr. Don’t have nightmares.

Unforgotten was Jennings’ second show-stealing TV performance so far this year. He had already attracted rave notices in the BBC’s hugely entertaining dramatisation of the Jeremy Thorpe affair, A Very English Scandal As Liberal MP Peter Bessell, confidante and right-hand man to Hugh Grant’s rakish Thorpe, Jennings had one eyebrow permanently raised in amusement at his leader’s antics. Jennings was wonderfully wry as the womaniser, chancer and closeted homosexual who ultimately testified against his friend at trial - only to be castigated for having already sold his story to The Sunday Telegraph.

Coincidentally enough, it was in Grant’s defining role that Jennings himself almost found film stardom. He was originally cast in the lead role of hapless Charles in Four Weddings And A Funeral, only for financing to fall through. By the time the production got back on track, the goalposts had moved. “Bugger,” as Charles would doubtless say. Before this breakout year, 61-year-old Jennings was best known for roles as real-life royals. He has played both Richard II and George III. Opposite Helen Mirren in 2006 film The Queen, he gave an unexpectedly empathetic portrayal of Prince Charles. More recently, he stole scenes as the side-burned, scheming Leopold I of Belgium in ITV’s lavish costume romp Victoria.

This arrived on our screens at the same time as his excellently oily, embittered turn as David, Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) in hit Netflix epic The Crown . Like the rest of The Crown’s roles, Jennings’ part has now been recast with an older actor and admits he “won’t like” watching his replacement. “I was attracted to Unforgotten partly because it meant not playing a member of the royal family,” he cheerfully says. “And wearing modern clothes, which I never do. I had to de-posh myself. I’m not posh at all, actually, but I’ve sort of acquired this poshness as the years have gone on. And I have done a lot of posh.” Born in Essex and an alumnus of his local comprehensive in Hornchurch, Jennings is indeed no toff. Instead, he does actual acting. He mastered the Leeds accent to portray playwright Alan Bennett in 2015 film The Lady In The Van, opposite Maggie Smith in the title role. “I grew up revering Maggie and Alan,” he says. “I have to pinch myself that we’ve become friends.”

Three years earlier, he played the writer on-stage in Untold Stories, based on Bennett’s childhood. “Alan was on at me not to be too plaintive or cosy,” Jennings recalls. “He doesn’t want to be seen as the sort of Wind in the Willows, moley kind of person some people think he is. He wanted me to be tougher with it.” Lady In The Van director Nicholas Hytner, with whom Jennings has a longtime collaborative relationship, ranks Jennings among the pre-eminent actors of his generation and has hailed him as “a John Gielgud for the 21st century”.

With his greying curls, care-worn features and subversive twinkle, Jennings has a face that lends itself perfectly to period roles. He has also inhabited other real-life figures, including former US president George Bush Nazi architect Albert Speer, Dad’s Army actor John Le Mesurier and composer Benjamin Britten. He has said the key to playing such roles is to act, not impersonate becaue the characters “mustn’t become Spitting Image puppets”. Before the screen royals and rogues, Jennings enjoyed a stage career remarkable for both its versatility and success. A revered regular with both the RSC and the National Theatre, he’s a three-time Olivier Award winner for Too Clever By Half, Peer Gynt and My Fair Lady, making him the only actor to have won in the drama, musical and comedy categories.

Whether it’s on-stage or in supporting screen roles, Alex Jennings has spent more than three decades being consistently brilliant. He has earned this late-life flowering as one of our most compellingly creepy TV actors. Let’s hope that Unforgotten’s Doctor Death is just the latest in a long line of meaty parts to get his teeth into. And on that thought, we’re back to Hannibal Lecter again...

Credit: By Michael Hogan 2018 Telegraph.co.uk; London

#alex jennings #unforgotten s3 #unforgotten #interviews #uk actors #british actors

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