Spider - Noir review

 For Nicolas Cage to commit to his first television role (apart from appearances as himself or a 1981 pilot) it had to be something special and Spider- Noir definitely is. The phrase `comic book coming to life` is often bandied about but there aren’t many instances where this seems a appropriate a description as with this series. Set in the Thirties, it side steps realism taking inspiration from the printed page and pulp novels to present an absorbing world and a fresh take on familiar material. Even if you’ve seen the Spiderman films, you haven’t seen anything quite like this.

 You can choose to watch in “true black and white” or in what is described as “True Hue Full Colour”. There’s even some guidance as to which format is best for which episodes courtesy of the online fan site Marvel Mania. I’m sure the studio wants us to watch the whole thing twice but it actually works out interestingly to switch back and forth. So, in the reviews below, I’ve noted which format I watched in. In the end, I’d say the black and white edges it making the material look so stylish and adding to its’ strangeness.

Spider Spoilers after the break...

Top of the Pops 6th June 1991

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

Mark Goodier: “Good evening and welcome to Top of the Pops, featuring the world’s most exciting chart the BBC UK Top Forty. There’s lots of variety on the show tonight from Harry Connick Jnr. to the brilliant Northside with their brand new single. This is Take Five.”

 [A quick note for posterity. As I write this, Film is Fabulous have announced the recovery of two lost Beatles performances from the 23/03/1964 edition. It’s 35mm film of them miming to Can’t Buy Me Love and You Can’t Do That; their first appearance on Top of the Pops. If you can afford it, please donate to Film is Fabulous so they can continue their good work https://filmisfabulous.org.uk/the-film-is-fabulous-trust/ ]

 

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Groku review

 

The Star Wars Universe has expanded massively yet despite the undoubted quality of the offshoots (notably the superb Andor) they are a fairly long way from the tone of the 1977 original. Here though is a branch of the tale that indulges in exactly the same fast paced action orientated type of story that lit the fuse.  The Mandalorian and Groku hardly rests, pinwheeling from one place to another frantic to throw our unusual heroes into ever more perilous situations. What you gain from the action you do tend to lose in terms of character but this is a film that brings the fun back to big screen Star Wars.

 

Top of the Pops 23rd & 30th May 1991

 Words: Chris Arnsby

23/05/1991

 Gary Davies: “Hello. A very good evening to you and welcome to Top of the Pops. Don’t forget we’re in stereo on Radio 1FM and boy do we have a great show for you tonight. We start off with a band who’ve got a new album called The Promise which is coming out in June. They’re in the charts at number twenty with Whenever You Need Me. It’s T’Pau!”

 [20] T’PAU: WHENEVER YOU NEED ME. Apologies to flame-haired crooner Carol Decker but I wouldn’t have started this edition with this song. Then again, I’m not sure which song I would have used to start tonight’s show. This is going to be a double-bill write up because once again I find myself with little to say. Top of the Pops has hit a chart slump between the May Bank Holidays.

Soylent Green (1973)

 Fifty three years ago the events depicted in Soylent Green may have seemed far fetched yet today maybe not so much. Based loosely on Harry Harrison’s novel Make Room, Make Room (though the adaptation changes some events and has a different outcome) the 1973 film depicts population and climate change having rendered life almost impossible for many. People sleep on staircases and queue for hours for synthesised food produced by the Soylent company while everyone suffers under blistering heat twenty four hours per day. Corruption is rife and memories of life before this urban hell are fading.

 

Top of the Pops 9th and 16th May 1991

 Words: Chris Arnsby

 09/05/1991

 Gary Davies: “Hello. A very good evening to you and welcome to Top of the Pops. We’re in stereo on your twenty four hour radio station, Radio 1FM. We have a terrific programme for you tonight. And we start off with a band who are shortly going to release their first album. They’re performing the DNA Groove mix of Get The Message, over there. Electronic!”

 [8] ELECTRONIC: GET THE MESSAGE. This is new. I don’t think a band has performed a different mix of a single before. It’s an interesting idea and I can see how you might want to keep a song fresh for the audience and the performer. It’s just… this is a bit boring isn’t it. It seems very low energy and Bernard Sumner’s voice sounds very quiet in the mix. I appreciate it’s a change of direction for these write ups to start talking about music but, hasn’t this remix boiled out all the good bits of the single? Where’s the drum break gone? Why is Johnny Marr miming to a guitar that only he can hear? 4/10 guys.

Eurovision 2026 Final review

 

I am gutted. Sick as a parrot etc. The two best songs in my opinion were eliminated in the semi’s. Latvia’s `Ena` and Switzerland’s `Alice` are no more which is a big disappointment though maybe not too surprising. Both are quite serious songs, perhaps not the tone required for the party atmosphere of the Final but I hope they are recognised beyond the competition. I really like both of them anyway. Of the others eliminated at this stage, I was also quite sorry to see Armenia, Georgia and Luxembourg go. These exits definitely cut back on the variety of music on display, however as last night’s Final demonstrated there were still plenty of bold performances to savour.

 

Good Omens finale review

 

Having been squeezed into ninety five minutes or so from an originally intended six-part series, its reputation tarnished by the allegations against its co- author, the third instalment of Good Omens seems determined to make a stand. Every scene is accompanied by grandiose incidental music, the story moves fast because it has so little time and the actors give it their best oratory.  Visually it manages to convey a lot even on a reduced budget. In some ways the truncated form helps; season two was definitely prone to meandering whereas this third part focusses on its two main characters, always the key asset. While the reduced screen time does sometimes help, it can also mean narrative leaps that are not always earned.