It’s “What did you watch last week?”, my chance to tell you what I watched last week that I haven’t already reviewed and your chance to recommend things to everyone else (and me) in case we’ve missed them.
First, the usual recommendations: Archer, Being Human (US), BeTipul, Cougar Town, The Daily Show, Happy Endings, House,Modern Family,Portlandia, Ringer, Shameless (US), Southland,Spartacus, Suburgatory,30 Rock and Top Gear.
Still in the backlog: the second episodes of Awake and GCB. But largely, the regulars are chugging along, doing their regular thing, and I’ve not much to say about them, except to say keep watching them, particularly Archer which had a very odd homage to Midnight Cowboy last week.
But I have also been watching:
Kung Fu: Slowly watching the first season again on CBS Action. Because everything is very slow on Kung Fu in a way that’s surprising for US TV. Fights, despite the title, are a bit dreadful, and you can tell the stunt guy actually only knows judo; Carradine’s take on being half-Chinese is also borderline racist. But it’s a lovely lyrical show, almost fairytale in its way, that makes it virtually unique in the annals of US TV. Go watch it on CBS Action or investigate the pilot movie over here.
And in movies:
Colossus: The Forbin Project – One of the first of the decent sci-fi movies of the 70s, nevertheless, it has dated quite a bit. But it’s still really good, and you have to love a downbeat ending and a German lead.
How about you?
“What did you watch this week?” is your chance to recommend to friends and fellow blog readers the TV and films that they might be missing or should avoid – and for me to do mini-reviews of everything I’ve watched. Since we live in the fabulous world of Internet catch-up services like the iPlayer and Hulu, why not tell your fellow readers what you’ve seen so they can see the good stuff they might have missed?
Many films – and TV series – are, as you’re probably aware, based on books and comics these days. As a rule of thumb, most of these adaptations aren’t as good as the originals, and there’s many a group of fans who will decry what their beloved book/comic becomes when it gets adapted (The Vampire Diaries especially comes to mind, here).
But sometimes, just sometimes, the adaptations are better than the originals. The TV version of Witchblade was leagues ahead of the comic; Colossus: The Forbin Project is a classic sci-fi movie of the 70s, whereas the book itself is fairly dreadful; I find The Walking Dead to be significantly better than the comic it was based on; and even Sex and the City is better than Candace Bushnell’s original book.
So today’s question is:
What TV and movie adaptations do you think are better than the original books or comics?
Where:Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, Hammersmith, London W6 9RL When: 29th February-24th March, 7:30pm; 2pm matinees: 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 March How long: 2h20 with 20 minute intervals Tickets from:£15
Aeschylus’s blood-soaked trilogy in just two hours? Amazing. Yet, using a ‘translation’ by Ted Hughes, Theatrelab, a Greek theatre company responsible for a very decent adaptation of Sophokles’ Antigone at Riverside Studios two years ago, manages to get Agamemnon back from Troy then murdered by his wife Klytaimnestra, she in turn killed along with her lover by her son Orestes, and then have Orestes put on trial by the gods before Athens’ first ever jury, all within the allotted span.
While you can quibble a least a bit with some of Hughes’ translation, as a condensed version of the trilogy, it cuts away everything extraneous (and there’s a lot) in favour of the essence of the story, resulting in a surprisingly fast-paced, accessible and engrossing play, particularly in the second act which manages to get through both The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides in an hour.
A lot of Greek tragedy when adapted for the stage can be very static, as was the case with Tough Theatre’s Hippolytus, say, with characters essentially standing stock still on opposite sides of the stage exchanging lines. Here Theatrelab’s director Anastasia Revi, who also directed Antigone, takes the opposite direction, filling almost every scene and exchange with movement. Sometimes this works very well, with Revi dramatising scenes, such as Agamemnon’s bathing by Klyaimnestra, that usually take place off stage. Revi also deploys numerous directorial tricks and stagecraft to give modern relevance and visual impact to scenes.
Sometimes, however, she goes a little overboard – such as when there’s ‘synchronised falling’ and ‘swimming’ across the stage by the chorus – it’s hard not to avoid the occasional titter. All the same, you’re never bored while you’re watching.
The actors, many of whom were also in Antigone are fair to good, largely engaging and well cast – although some tend towards the plummier and more ‘effusive’ approaches to acting, shall we say? Set design is good as is wardrobe; there’s even authentic Greek music played and singing at appropriate points. Possibly the only big let down is the seating, which is authentically rock solid:
You’d be hard-pushed to find better Greek tragedy in fringe theatre and it’s no surprise that the company’s previous production was commended as the best show in the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama in 2011 in Cyprus. Go watch it if you have any interest in Greek theatre.
Well, last week I offered you the chance to win the Doctor Who story The Sensorites on DVD. The entries are in, the random number generator has spoken and I’m proud to declare that the winner is…
