Who spoilers follow, folks :

You'd have thought it would have taken longer than this to be scrabbling round for ideas.

Continue reading "RUBBISH" »

On this of all dates, it's being reported by Outpost Gallifrey that legendary BBC producer Verity Lambert has died. BBC have yet to report/confirm the story.

It's not overstating things to suggest that without her, we probably wouldn't have Doctor Who; nor to describe her as an incredibly influential producer, and one of the most important women in the history of British television - a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Very sad news indeed.

In an excellent move, Stewart Lee has decided to upload some of he and Richard Herring's old TV material on to Google Video! So far, there's series two of Fist of Fun, and both series of This Morning With Richard Not Judy, in their entirety. And they're all in really good quality, and the ones I've tested seem to be the complete shows from start to finish, so they're far superior to the dodgy, thousandth-generation-VHS-quality torrents that have been going round for years (which had bits of TMWRNJ shows missing, and some eps of FoF in the wrong aspect ratio and suchlike).

This is an excellent move. The BBC were never going to release them on DVD, because they're idiots. Everyone who's already a fan of Lee and Herring will love to see this stuff in decent quality again, and indeed convert their sceptical loved ones to the cause (as I will be doing when my girlfriend gets home from work). And if you've never gotten in to them before, then a) you're an idiot, and b) this is your chance to see some of their best work for free.

I've not had the time to write as much as I would like for NTS lately, what with being back at University and indignities such as cooking for and cleaning up after myself occupying a hefty wedge of my spare time. In a slight change from the usual Laceyvision set-up, I'm going to write a few articles over the coming weeks consisting of more reviews than usual, and they'll probably be a bit shorter too. These will tend to be VERY POSITIVE or VERY NEGATIVE reviews, because anything that I don't LOVE or HATE I tend to forget about more or less immediately. Shall we begin?

Continue reading "Laceyvision Lives!" »

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is now running on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Their schedule only has it listed for a single run-through this week, every night at 11, starting tomorrow.

There is absolutely, positively no reason not to watch this. I'll be tuning in if only for the thrill of knowing that I'll be among a large amount of confused Americans seeing it for the first time.

Tell your friends and your dads.

Alan Partridge on the big screen? Well, rumors have been flying around for a long time, so it's not exactly fresh news...except for the fact that it now seems to be actually happening.

Continue reading "Stop talking about American things...and let's watch the greatest film ever made." »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7093358.stm

"Customers will not be able to download the comics either, which can only be viewed in a web browser window."

Leaving aside the rather awkward use of the term "web browser window" - IF YOU CAN SEE THE COMIC IN YOUR BROWSER, YOU'VE ALREADY DOWNLOADED IT. I mean, is it really that hard to get this kind of thing right? Saving != Downloading. Come on BBC, sort it out.

To say nothing about the fact that once you're actually viewing the comic, it's going to be pretty easy to find a way of saving it anyway...

The director of the video for Viva Forever was Steve Box - animator on The Trap Door, and later did shitloads of stuff for Aardman (not least co-directing The Curse of the Were-Rabbit). Which explains a lot, as I've always loved the video - the shot of the huge vending machine near the end is especially beautiful. And watching it again, I'm struck by how nice the animation and character designs actually are.

I have no shame in saying I love the Spice Girls (the first two albums anyway, especially the first). And yes, that's love in the present tense. It's just a shame that their comeback single - Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) - is so absolutely fucking God-awful...

Uh...yum. Now you too can have breath as fresh as a summer ham.

With the release of The Darjeeling Limited there came, predictably, a whole slew of reviews. And on the whole they, just as predictably, missed the point.

Not so much the point of the film itself, but the point of Wes Anderson as a film maker working today. The reviews seem to want to discuss all of his films at once, and make grand dismissive statements about his wooden characterizations, his complete lack of emotion, and the impossibility of a member of the audience relating to his characters.

In response I issue this...a list of what I feel are ten thoroughly affecting moments in his films. Anderson might not handle emotion the way Hollywood typically handles emotion (read: cliche), but his films have provided his audience with some of the most sincerely (and strangely) moving moments to come out of anywhere in years.

Oh, and before anyone asks...no. I did not forget about Bottle Rocket.

Continue reading "The 10 Most Affecting Wes Anderson Moments" »