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.

 

TV Review: Doctor Who - The Giggle

 

Things don't stay the same for long in the Whoniverse these days and there are several interesting developments in this episode which is something of a game of two halves. The first half follows the series’ conventional approach for contemporary stories with a big threat, a supervillain, and some powerful visuals. Then something happens during the second half wherein the story takes a bold right turn that will no doubt irritate some fans. Then again we don’t want the programme to be too predictable do we?

 

Spoilers aplenty after the break

TV Review: Doctor Who - Wild Blue Yonder

 

Shrouded in mystery by modern standards (no plot leaks, no full cast list, a vague trailer, just a few photos, quotes about how unusual it is) this episode has been the subject of assorted rumours in the week leading up to today. You know what, this is a good and rare thing these days. When even teaser trailers can ruin some surprises it makes a pleasant change to approach something with no real knowledge of what is about to unfold. Pre Internet, pre smartphones most things were like this, now its very difficult to keep secrets. If you’ve seen the episode, you'll know it's worth watching without knowing what happens so if you haven't then the review that follows reveals things...

Spoilers ahoy after the break

TV Review: Doctor Who- The Star Beast

 

Good goodness me, Russell T Davies, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are back, Back, BACK!! Like some multi- million selling band that split for a while they have reformed for a limited time only kickstarting a period that someone amusingly dubbed RTD2 which is just something we all wish we’d thought of, right? This opening episode of a Tennant trilogy doesn’t even have to be that good really. It just has to exist and people are happy before they’ve seen a second of it. I know I am. Yet I’m also a little puzzled. What can this team do that they didn’t do thirteen or more years back? Subsequent showrunners and many other programmes have tried their best to match the sheer brio which RTD1 gave Doctor Who yet none have quite been able to match the thrills, spectacle, emotion and character. So just like that great old band getting back together again for a victory lap do our triumphant trio focus on that illustrious past or try out some new material?

 

Lots of spoilers after the break…

 

Good Omens season 2 review

 

I've seen some mixed reviews of this with some harsh comments particularly from fans of the original novel who feel season two has been done a disservice even though its mostly written by Neil Gaiman. I've never read the book but thoroughly enjoyed the first series though I did see it as a one off. I wasn't really sure where another season might go without either repeating the highlights of the first or heading off somewhere tangential. In the end they seem to have done neither by opening up new aspects of the central friendship and varying the canvas behind it just enough. I think a good job as been done even though I found the first third more enjoyable than the rest. 

Some spoilers after the break...

 

Good Omens review

A 1990 collab by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Good Omens has been described as un-filmable and had resisted previous efforts to do so. Apparently due to a dying wish from Pratchett, Gaiman himself wrote this miniseries adaptation which first appeared last May on Amazon, was then released to buy and is now showing on BBC2. If, like me, you never read the book, then it is an unexpected delight for the most part. Fronted by two superb performances and packed with quirky takes on familiar imagery plus sparkling dialogue it is a dense but enjoyable story.

Spoilers past this point

Broadchurch Series 2 Episode 4

ITV1 26/01/15 written by Chris Chibnall, directed by Jessica Hobbs, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker
Half way through the second series it is becoming difficult to escape the conclusion that Broadchurch is slowly changing into what we might call as drama-soap. That is to say a series that would never consider itself a soap but is displaying soapy tendencies. It’s happened for example to Last tango in Halifax which started off as a serial about two elderly people falling for in love but has become an unbelievable series of hysterical events. As far as Broadchurch is concerned the closest comparison I can think of is Twin Peaks which followed an un-missable first season with a second that seemed to meander away from the point. Some shows are better as one offs but in today’s more commercially orientated world success means follow up. Imagine if they’d made a third or fourth series of Fawlty Towers? Or someone had decided to pen a sequel to I, Claudius. That being said I’d say that the jury is still out on the case of Broadchurch. Given that a second series was going to happen Chris Chibnall has made a decent attempt to expand the story while keeping true to the stunning first series. What is happening though as the fabric of the story is stretched is that it is thinning.

Broadchurch Series 2 Episode 3

ITV1 19/01/15 written by Chris Chibnall, directed by James Strong, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker
Carrying right on from last week’s panic this episode will probably restore the faith of waverers unconvinced by the second instalment. Mixing outside events with the tense formality of the courtroom offers a more varied mood in which several development occur. The breadth of characters available is yielding intriguing results now and make Hardy’s attempts to get to the heart of matters seem all the more desperate. 

Broadchurch Series 2 Episode 2

ITV 12/01/15 written by Chris Chibnall, directed by James Strong, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker
After last week’s tense re-start matters open out a bit meaning an episode with necessarily less memorable moments rather valuable building blocks are being assembled. Somehow, perhaps because we’ve only heard about it second hand, the Sandbrook case fails to engage with quite the same passion thus meaning we have to rely on David Tennant’s dogged performance to carry it. He is playing somewhat different to his usual more energetic type and it works well. At any moment you expect Hardy to announce he is dying because that is certainly the demeanour he is showing when we see him alone. 

"David, don't you know anywhere else for a picnic?"

Broadchurch Series 2 Episode 1

ITV 05/01/15 written by Chris Chibnall, directed by James Strong, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker
The first series of Broadchurch was so good, so perfectly formed that the very idea of a second series seemed superfluous. Two years later it is here and I can’t have been the only person with low expectations as the episode began. How quickly though we forget. All it takes is a revelation, that music gradually becoming more intense as the camera focusses on the reaction of the other characters in the room and it’s like we’re back there again. Of course there is a perfect reason for this follow up as the first series merely ended with the arrest of Danny Latimer’s killer. Of course there’s loads more to be said and done. In a deft opening episode that manages to capture the signature style of the first series yet add enough new aspects, Chris Chibnall and co have done it again. They’ve got us hooked!
Warning- Plot spoiler in the rest of this review!

Doctor Who The Day of the Doctor

So, after all the build-up, anniversary hoopla and general Doctor Who-ness of this month, `The Day of the Doctor` arrives. It has been the subject of endless speculation as to its contents- some turned out to be true, some delightfully wide of the mark. For Steven Moffatt it must have been a daunting task to construct a tale that would pay satisfying homage to the past and also lay out something of a path for the future. The good news is that he’s done it with some aplomb in a production that takes some risks; both visually and conceptually, but emerges as one of those unique stories that will always stand out from its surroundings. It is the best thing he’s done since he took over the series.
 

Warning- Spoilers lie ahead.

Broadchurch Begins Brilliantly

The first episode of ITV’s Broadchurch is gripping and clever.
A glimpse at the plot line or trailers is enough to convince you of the serious intent of Broadchurch, ITV’s big evening signature drama for the Spring. You could debate whether such a harrowing story is suitable for prime time entertainment as it is the sort of thing that unfortunately turns up on the news every year in some form or other. You might ask whether a drama can offer either cathartic response or new insight into one of the most terrifying crimes imaginable. This is the tricky balance writer Chris Chibnall faces. On the plus side, a superb cast has been assembled  led by the versatile duo of David Tennant and Olivia Coleman both of whom have enough past form to suggest that if anyone can carry us through such a drama, it is them.  So we shouldn’t underestimate the task Chris Chibnall has set himself here and on the basis of the first episode the series delivers with considerable impact. Watch it and you will definitely want to see part 2.



The first one to smile was out

Warning- Spoliers beyond this point.