With sequels its usual
for people to say “If you liked the first film, you’ll like this one” and in
the case of Gladiator 2 that may be true if what you’re looking for is
more of the same. This is not a sequel that tries to break new ground, preferring
to run through a similar trajectory to that of the first film albeit with different
characters and an even more heightened sense of the absurdity, decadence and brutality
of the Roman Empire.
.webp)
I’ve seen
Wicked twice on stage and both times been impressed by the way the show
transcends its fantastical roots to deliver a narrative about friendship,
prejudice and understanding within such an unlikely premise. It’s an
unapologetic musical in the truest sense. This big screen version has done a
great job in upgrading the limited production available on stage to give the tale
a full cinematic experience. Yet this is far from empty spectacle; instead the proximity
of the cameras and the editing brings us closer to these characters than we can
ever see from the auditorium of a theatre. It reveals aspects of the narrative
we might not have noticed from a distance. It also has live singing, recorded
on set to give extra energy. Plus, it is hugely entertaining breezing through
its two and a half hours with ease.
Words: Chris Arnsby
09/11/1989
Nicky Campbell: “Well, Chancellors of the Exchequer may come and go but Top of the Pops is always here. Tonight is an extravaganza of rare exuberance. What a cast. Too many stars to mention just now. We're going to start with something that you're really going to enjoy. Welcome Electribe 101.”
[32] ELECTRIBE 101: tell me when the fever ended. Nicky Campbell really grates this week. He's hitting all the big words to show you his big brain and it reminds me why I never warmed to his 10pm show on Radio 1. I found him smug and self satisfied. If he was chocolate, he'd eat himself. As my nan would have said. Anyway, I'll never finish this write up unless I play my Steve Wright rules and limit myself to one criticism. Assume I'm groaning and rolling my eyes during all the links and use your imagination as to which of the bad words got used.
Nigel
Lawson resigned two weeks ago (see 26/10/1989). To add a little context to
Nicky Campbell's seemingly out of date reference the affair dragged on and on. By this point
it had settled down to mud slinging over whether Mrs Thatcher had or hadn't
been told that Lawson would go if her special adviser Alan Walters stayed. Mrs
T said she hadn't been told. Mr L said she had. Its the political version of
Den and Angie arguing over custody for Roly. Meanwhile, on the night this
episode was broadcast the Berlin wall was coming down.
Just before the big
screen Wicked opens, here’s something else from the land of Oz…
Released in 1985, Return to Oz is presented as a sequel to The Wizard of Oz and is adapted from two of the original novels; `Ozma of Oz` and `The Land of Oz`. While two of the characters in our world and in Oz are portrayed by the same actors there isn’t the same duality as in the 1939 film where everyone was mirrored. So it seems to suggest that Dorothy really does travel to this place whereas some interpretations suggest it’s all an imaginative dream. The film has a darker edge, especially early on, far from the sunny, almost goofy disposition manifested on the promotional posters and crucially there are no songs. Though there is a chattering chicken…
Nearly twenty years ago the successful revival of Doctor Who led to a number of attempts to replicate that success with fantasy themed adventures that were suitable for a family audience, often resurrecting iconic characters (Robin Hood, Sinbad) or scenarios (Atlantis, Primeval). Nautilus would probably have fitted in then just fine as a weekly scheduled show on BBC or ITV. Thrown into the lion’s den of streaming it stands little chance of progressing especially after Disney who had signed up to distribute it dropped out after production was finished. For a while it looked like it might never be seen till Amazon Prime and the Australian company Stan snapped it up. In way though the damage to its reputation was probably already done. People were thinking – if Disney didn’t think it was good enough to show, how bad must it be? It’s a shame because Nautilus is actually really good.
19/10/89
Words:
Chris Arnsby
Mark Goodier: “Good evening and welcome to the best of BBC radio and television together. It's Radio 1FM and BBC1 for Top of the Pops. We have the full top forty rundown tonight and Britain's brand new number one. We start with the third straight hit for D Mob with Cathy Dennis. This is C'mon And Get My Love."
Imagine going to work and while a colleague appears to be exactly the same person as yesterday, it is actually their twin. Would you notice? This is the premise we are asked to believe in Ludwig, starring David Mitchell, familiar though several series such as Peep Show and Upstart Crow. Yet he has never quite been as David Mitchell as he is in Ludwig. He plays John Taylor a crossword setter (nom de plume Ludwig derived from Beethoven) who prefers words to people but finds himself thrown into a different walk of life when his twin brother James, a detective, goes missing. James’ wife Lucy persuades him to up sticks, come to Cambridge and go into the police headquarters posing as James’ to find clues as to her husband’s disappearance. Why she doesn’t just ask the police to find one of their own or even tell her son for several days is one of several odd developments dotted though.
Episode 7 - They Came First
This is a series that likes to turn the tables frequently and take us off on a tangent so for this episode after being teased with domestic bliss as Dorothy, Lucas and Sylvie hunker down in a remote country house, we end up with the reveal that Lucas is Glinda’s defender (and lover). Its the second explanation we’ve had for his backstory so it’s no wonder he had amnesia! It’s a seriously good twist though in an episode that elsewhere has something of a shock value. The house where they are staying has a large scarecrow in the front another symbolic link to the original. The episode’s stand out moment is when the house they are in begins to turn upside down and you realise more or less anything can happen in this show!
Episode Three -
Mistress New Mistress
The story of the Wizard has always been a tale of deception and this episode sees Emerald City continue that tradition revealing he is not all he seems. He confesses to one of his counsels that he had no powers at all before he came here and that his name was Frank Morgan (a nod to the original author) while later he doesn’t deny that he can no longer awaken the stone giants supposed to be guarding the city in the event of the return of the Beast. Vincent D'Onofrio's performance is subtle and you can detect the sense of a man struggling under the surface to keep control over everything because he likes the power so much.
The Oz books penned by L Frank Baum have proved to be inspiring fodder for a number of versions and adaptations across various media. As the best known ones are The Wizard of Oz film and the musical Wicked, the tales have become synonymous with songs. A more ambitious attempt to relocate this world to that of drama was made with Emerald City. First developed by writers Matthew Arnold and Josh Freidman for NBC the concept was to extrapolate familiar characters and scenarios from the books to give them a futuristic, edgier twist. They also wanted to make a version grounding some of the more fanciful concepts in a more realistic though still unusual context as well as bringing characters who featured in all of the original fourteen books together to exist at the same time.
Some highlights from this year's River of Light festival, held in Liverpool each autumn.
Episode seven takes a further step beyond the initial premise
to tell something of a time travel tale centred around Lilia. Her powers of
premonition prove vital to solving the next trail which takes place inside a
suitably gothic mansion. Agatha and Billy - with temporal interjections from Lilia and Jennifer
- have a limited time to complete a game
of tarot and there are literal swords hanging over their heads one of which
drops each time there is an error. Presented with Lilia and Jennifer’s scenes
popping back and forth incorporating flashbacks to previous episodes show how
deeply plotted the show has been. We also see Lilia as a child learning the
skills that will now help her win the game albeit at a cost.
