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Post by Stormrider on Feb 28, 2010 22:39:36 GMT -6
Hi Ardo: It looked like it could have been an interesting show but I don't think it really caught on because I haven't seen any episodes listed in the tv schedule for a long time. I thought maybe it would have come back in Jan. or Feb. but haven't noticed it. I guess each episode was an individual show in itself. I guess I never saw enough of it to realize he was in a coma or hear the voices and monitors beeping. That would have confused me more not knowing what was going on! Maybe I should seek the BBC versions on Netflix.
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Mar 22, 2010 23:13:19 GMT -6
Hi, Stormrider!...
I ran away to "Flickrland" again, I'm afraid, and have been away from TR for a few weeks again...
On the local PBS station that specializes in Brit shows, it seems like they got up to halfway through the series of Life On Mars ( the first eight episodes, I think ) and now there seems to be a rather long "pledge drive" in progress, so the show hasn't even been on the air for a while...
I've been contenting myself by checking out more Brit shows on DVD & VHS from the library...
I found another series I didn't know existed this way - called Hamish Macbeth, based ( apparently, rather loosely ) on the mystery novels of M.C. Beaton - but there are no murders in the episodes that I have seen - although there has been a certain amount of intrigue & suspense in the stories...
I begun to notice a striking similarity between this show and several others - all of them serials, sort of soap operas of the Comedy-Drama bent - namely, Monarch Of The Glen; Ballykissangel & Doc Martin...
Hamish Macbeth takes place in a small, out of the way, coastal Scottish village and the stories revolve mainly around the trials & tribulations of the only policeman in town ( Hamish ), and his love life...
In each of these four series, the main action usually revolves around a small, close-knit ( & also usually "fiercely independent" ) rural community ( in the case of "Monarch", a Scottish manor house is at the center, but the nearby village and lands surrounding the manor also figure prominently ) located far away from the Big City, and each of these towns is loaded with quirky characters - the "locals", who are sometimes ( on an individual basis ) closely involved in the main story-line, although it is also often the case that almost all the "locals" are "in on the action" ( for at least part of the story )...
The stories in each series tend to revolve around an "authority figure" - the hero, or, at least, the protagonist of the show: in one case, the town policeman, in another, the young "Laird of Glenbogle", in another, a young, newly ordained priest who has been posted to the parish in the small Irish village of Ballykissangel, and then the only doctor in town, Doc Martin in the fishing village of Port Wenn...
Each series has its fair share of humor, but also of drama and, at least in the case of three of these shows, there is an incident of sudden and shocking tragedy, resulting in the death of one of the main characters... At least Doc Martin to be free of this onus of this "shocking tragedy sydrome"...
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Post by Stormrider on Mar 23, 2010 16:40:16 GMT -6
Mystery, intrigue, and quirky characters sounds interesting! I am getting sick of the American show like NCIS, CSI, etc. and the murder investigations.
A little bit of mystery, intrique, and non-murder type shows sounds appealing to me. It is good to have a little humor in with the drama, too.
I will have to see if I can find these recommendations and watch a few episodes.
I just rented The Prime of Miss Jean Brody from Netflix and will have to watch it in the next couple of days. Lost is on tonight and I have drill practice, maybe I can squeeze it in after one of those. Otherwise Thursday night!
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Post by Stormrider on Apr 2, 2010 10:05:01 GMT -6
It had been a long time since I originally had seen The Prime of Miss Jean Brody and had forgotten about what it was about. I was rather surprised! The movie is set in the 1930's and I think it was Scotland.
Miss Brody was very into culture and beauty and wanted to shape her "little girls" in her own way. Learning about art, music, theater, etc. is a good thing but it seems some of Miss Brody's own morals were also being noticed by her girls.
Her ex-lover, the painter, was married (with 6 kids) and still making passes at her even though she was putting him off. But Miss Brody was taking her girls on outtings to the music teacher's home while she and he had an affair--he wanted to marry but she didn't.
She set up the prettiest girl to pose for the ex-lover artist in the hopes that he would have an affair with this girl. But surprise, he and the more dependable girl had the affair! This artist could only paint people with a very strong resemblance to Miss Brody which angered the dependable girl who posed naked for him.
Then she made heroism seem attractive and one of her girls went off to war and was killed. The dependable girl was beginning to get disgusted with Miss Brody and didn't approve of her methods anymore and betrays her to the school board and gets her dismissed.
I imagine it was on the shocking side when this movie first came out. Kind of like The Scarlet Letter was when it came out in book back in its day. There is another book I am thinking of and can't think of its name that was a real eye opener in its time, too. The lady had a gardener who was her secret lover. I need to search the classic books now to try and find it.
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on May 20, 2010 16:26:31 GMT -6
Hello, Stormrider!...
I think you are thinking of Lady Chatterly's Lover ( which I have never read, or seen any film versions of, although I have seen oblique references to it [ plot elements thereof, usually ] in other stories, usually murder mysteries, it seems like...
I have an uncle who ( years ago ) used to rave about The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie - it was one of his favorite films, apparently...
The Life On Mars series just wrapped up - I was happy with the ending, it was the one I wanted, although I'm not sure if everything was really sastifactorically "explained" at the end, and, also, just before the end, things were made even more confusing as to just what was happening, what was real, and what not...
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Post by Stormrider on May 21, 2010 5:30:25 GMT -6
Yes, Lady Chatterly's Lover is the book! You are good--and not even having read it! I am happy that you are pleased with the ending of Life on Mars. I only hope that I will be pleased and satisfied with the answers given when LOST! comes to an end this Sunday, May 23, 2010. I hope I like the ending but I am sure not ALL the questions we have had over the years will be answered. It seems when one question is answered 2 more pop up to take its place!!
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Post by Andorinha on May 22, 2010 20:34:52 GMT -6
Ah, Amazon.Com DVDs now has a long list of the classic 1960 - 80s "Doctor Who" episodes soon to be available (July 06 10), and quite a number already for purchase. Some are reasonably priced at 9 - 12 bucks, other range up to 25 for single episodes. So I plunked down 18 bucks for two of the 1967 - 74 series, old favorites of my mispent youth. I saw Tom Baker (Doctor in the 70s) last nite (PBS) in a "current" British TV comedy, he has aged a great deal in the last 35 years, could use a Time Lord rejuvenation. Sigh, me too...
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Post by Stormrider on May 26, 2010 5:33:15 GMT -6
I have only seen a few of the more recent Dr. Who episodes. That is one CRAZY show! It would be interesting to see some of the originals to get the feel of how it all started. After 35 years, I think most people would qualify for that Time Lord rejuvination--to be like I was at the age of 23 again! I should go check out Amazon for Walt Disney's Fantasia. I have it on my Netflix list but it says that the release date is unkown. I think it is one of those that you can only get when Disney releases it every now and then. I have been listening to the music CD lately and now I want to watch it. Disney has a new movie coming out this summer with Nicholas Cage called The Sorcerer's Apprentice--from watching a preview, Nicholas Cage is the Sorcerer.
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