Lanterns Episodes 5 to 8 reviews

 

Episode Five- Lights Out

This episode is the best yet at balancing the series’ more thoughtful scenes with it’s action ones. As the town comes under threat from the aliens searching for the Manhunter and Hal leaves John for dead, emotions are running high. The 2007 opening flashback depicts Kerry’s arrival in town, pursued by killers and shows how Zoe helped her- for a price. It’s a fitting beginning to an episode where several characters have to make an important choice as to what to do. If the sometimes tongue tied dialogue makes it harder to work out what people’s motivations are then this episode suggests everyone is looking after themselves.

Spoilers after the break...

Top of the Pops 3rd October 1991

Reviewed by Chris Arnsby

“Welcome to a fresh new look Top of the Pops from our new studio in Elstree. To open our show tonight, Erasure.”

 [4] ERASURE: Love To Hate You. That uncredited voice over doesn’t have the impact it needs. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe the sound quality so I’ll use the word muffled. I think it is being recorded in the studio where it has been played through speakers. This stops it booming like the wrath of god, which is what is needed. I guess the mix of studio audio is being carefully balanced to take into account Erasure’s backing track.

I am also not sure the opening shot sells the new studio. It’s clearly massive. You couldn’t pull off a crane shot like that in TC3 but a huge space needs a huge crowd to go with it, and obviously the BBC doesn’t want to wrangle a huge crowd of twentysomethings on the first night. This means my first impression of the new studio is of a space that is cavernous but a bit empty.

Goodbye to our local WH Smiths

 

My local branch of what used to be WH Smith is shortly closing after being made to wait months to hear it is on the list of closures drawn pup by Modella, the company who `rescued` the firm. Modella’s past record is of making such deals then downsizing the estate before ultimately winding up the physical business leaving either an online presence only or nothing but empty units. There is no reason to believe the same will not happen to the business latterly known as TG Jones. Yet for each shop closure there is a story, a history beyond the unfortunate fate of those working there and whatever has led down this final path. And this shop is almost the last one left of those I remember from decades ago. Its impending closure will be a sad day because I have so many memories of the place.

 

Top of the Pops 26th September 1991

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Countdown to Year Zero revamp: 1 week.

 Gary Davies: “Hello. Very good evening to you. Welcome to Top of the Pops. Well it’s the end of an era tonight on Top of the Pops, next week a totally different look to the show. We’ll tell you a little bit more about that a little later on. We’ve got some great dance music in the studio tonight, we start off with PJB featuring Hannah and Her Sisters.”

 Housekeeping first. Several years ago I was delighted to learn of an early entry on Paul Ciani’s television CV.  A Christmas 1975, “rock-musical romp through the legend of The Wooden Horse of Troy.” It was called Great Big Groovy Horse and it has finally escaped the BBC Archives and you (yes, you!) can watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfUfDDrd0GQ

I only found it on Youtube this week. It seems appropriate to link to it here because this edition feels like the true end to the Paul Ciani era of Top of the Pops. It’s from next week that Stanley Appel really puts his mark on the programme.

 

Resident Evil review

 Last year’s Weapons was quite a shock in every respect so much is expected of director Zach Cregger’s follow up especially as it stars Austin Abrams, a standout in the previous film as drug addict James. Here, he is also tasked with leading the film as the camera never leaves him for the entire run time, something he achieves with aplomb.  As for Zach Cregger he has again found a way to make the ordinary seem scary and the extraordinary seem terrifying; all with jump scares aplenty. Regardless of its source (about which I know little) as a film Resident Evil is a tremendous ninety five minutes of tension, danger and a little well sprinkled humour too.

Spoilers after the break...

 

Top of the Pops 19th September 1991

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Nicky Campbell: “Oh welcome to Top of the Pops and a classic show tonight. What more could you want? Great videos. Great music. Great live performances as well. What a great start. Brothers in Rhythm, both of whom have been DJs since about the age of thirteen, so they know a thing or two about infectious rhythm. Ah, one, two, three, four.”

 [25] BROTHERS IN RHYTHM: SUCH A GOOD FEELING. About two thirds of the way through this performance something small but significant happens. Dave Chapman, credited with video effects, and Hilary West, vision mixer, apply a reduced frame effect to give a strobe movement look to Brothers In Rhythm. Stanley Appel never uses electronic effects when he’s directing a performance. What’s going on?

Ludwig season 2 review

 

The plethora of detective series means there’s something for everyone whether its disturbing thrillers or so called cosy murder mysteries (though I’m not sure how murder can ever be described as cosy), Ludwig sits somewhere in between and owes as much to the likes of Inspector Morse as it does to so called gentler series. Its also something of a comedy drama, a difficult thing to pull off but which writer Mark Brotherhood manages to do with aplomb. This second series offers a new set of homicides along with unexpected developments relating to the overall plot of missing detective James Taylor.

 

Lanterns episodes 1 - 4 review

 

Episode 1 Pilot

The opening episode starts off in understated style, playing with Western tropes aplenty. The incestuous small town, bar room fights, desolate geography – these aspects and more come into play as Lanterns establishes itself as one of those series that tries to make superpowers more down to earth and relatable. The mood is often similar to something like Wonder Man except the humour is more arch, the characters harder to like. This episode is very much about establishing a sense of place and there’s more than enough to sink your teeth into whether not you’ve read the comics.