Lady review

 

In Samuel Abrahams’ debut feature a documentary crew turn up at the palatial stately home Ravenhyde Hall to make a film about the life of its enigmatic owner Lady Isabella. Yet it soon transpires that things are not as they seem and the director becomes drawn into the eccentric aristocrat’s self-absorbed world. I’d been wanting to see this for a while but it had a limited theatrical release and is now on Amazon Prime. If you watch it don’t assume that the knockabout trailer or opening segment is all Lady has to offer. The material may well be presented in typical fly on the wall style – wobbly cameras, fourth wall breaks etc – but there is a heart to the story that only becomes apparent later on. It’s sometimes a little overwrought in its methods yet also unpredictable, imaginative and ultimately moving.

 

Spoilers after the break

 

Top of the Pops 19th October 1991

 Reviewed by Chris Arnsby

“It’s Top of the Pops. Everyone’s live and firing as interaction. From Brighton, DJ Carl Cox, I Want You Forever.”

 [24] DJ CARL COX: I Want You (Forever). I know I have cloth ears. I cannot work out what Tony Dortie says in the opening voice over. What’s written above is my best attempt at transcribing what is said.

Carl Cox has brought along a couple of friends, one of whom is Kelly Overett and in November 2024 she posted this on Facebook:

“The very first time I appeared on TV. On Top of the Pops dancing for Carl Cox in 1991. 33 years ago! To dance on TOTP in this era, we joined the Musicians Union and were paid £240 (yep, that’s a lot of money) BUT if you were an Equity member you earned £500 for doing the same thing. I was a council estate kid raised with little to nothing. I think I was the first rave dancer (and maybe the only rave dancer) to ever have an Equity card, which i got whilst in SL2 and we did TOTP’s several times.”

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit I’m not sure which dancer is Kelly, I think she’s the one wearing the black headband.

Liverpool Comic Con Photo Post

Some pictures from last weekend's event, just a small number of the dozens of guests and happenings going on around the arena and conference centre or as its somewhat randomly named Liverpool Experience Campus which just sounds like a University though its actually an arena and conference centre. If you want to book for next time, due to be held in April 2027, tickets are already available from the website
 www.comic conventionliverpool.co.uk  

 

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...