Sad news. Val Guest, director of films The Quatermass Xperiment and The Day The Earth Caught Fire, has died. He’ll be missed.
Film
Year: 2006
US TV
Kung Fu to be made a movie now
There’s hardly an old TV series that hasn’t been turned into a movie. Knight Rider‘s rights have been signed away. Miami Vice is almost here. Now Kung Fu is to be turned into a movie.
I kind of liked Kung Fu in theory. It started out well enough, but each episode moved so slowly. Plus they spent the first two seasons doing judo instead of kung fu, except for the pilot episode, which was slightly disappointing to say the least – talk about false advertising. Hence, my resistance to buying any of the DVDs.
Then, of course, there was Kung Fu – The Legend Continues, which made Ultimate Force look like a credible action show. “Look there’s David Carradine! Blimey, the budget is so low they can’t even afford the edit room time to do slow-mo. So David Carradine is just going to do everything in slow mo anyway, even if everyone else is going to go at normal speed.” Who says drugs have no effects on reaction speed?
Anyway, I’m curious to see what they do with this. Amp up the fight scenes, amp up the Eastern philosophy or both? And who will play Kwai Chang? Can they find another completely Caucasian man willing to fake a half-Chinese heritage, or will they actually do what they should have done in the first place and hire someone Asian?
US TV
Brilliant But Cancelled web site launches
Plenty of shows (particularly in the US) get cancelled before the world realises just how good they are. One of my personal favourite shows ever, the US version of the dull dull dull Robson Green show Touching Evil is a case in point: 13 episodes of brilliance that died before its time because it was marketed badly by the stupid old USA Network.
Because said shows run for so short a time, they never get a DVD release and disappear into the mists of time with no one the wiser. Wouldn’t it be good to be able to see them all, to savour those tiny jewels?
But now, building on from a cable network of the same name, comes a web site dedicated to this very concept: Brilliant But Cancelled. Unfortunately, most of the content appears only to be available to US viewers, but those with techy knowhow will be able to circumvent it. And Touching Evil is on it!
All we need now is:
- Access to it from abroad without proxy servers and the like
- A British version.
Any nominations for the British version?
US TV
The rain in Spain actually falls mainly on Scotland
So I’m in Scotland again. Edinburgh this time. Technically, right now I should actually be in the air above Scotland since my plane should have taken off about five minutes ago. Instead, I’m still in Edinburgh airport, clocking up time on a BT Openzone WiFi rip-off scheme. Why?
Because it’s absolutely pissing it down with rain in Scotland again. QFS. So now my plane is now going to lift into the sky at 22:12 apparently and land in London at about half eleven. Next – and last – train to London Bridge is at 12.15. Sigh.
To save me from night bus and train horrors, my lovely wife who is both lovely and lovely is going to pick me up from Gatwick. She is indeed a wonderful wife.
But that means no proper review of Doctor Who today. No finales guide. Just a rainy picture of Edinburgh airport.
Actually, I’m feeling kind. Since I’ve been bleating on about how House has the wrong theme tune in the UK for ages now, I thought I’d treat you to the proper title sequence. This is how it should look and sound – notice just how perfectly the music suits the titles in exactly the way the lift music they use over here doesn’t. Time to start a campaign, everyone.
News
Todd Carty returning to Grange Hill
Mirabilis Deus (or something more accurate in Latin)! Todd Carty – yes, Tucker from the first series – is in negotiations to appear in a film of Grange Hill! Of course, he’s been in EastEnders and The Bill since, but to many, he’ll always be Tucker.