Events

Previews of forthcoming events and reviews of past events.

BFI beats Oyster

26 June 2007 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Interesting technological discovery I made today: your British Film Institute membership card has the power to block Oyster cards. Yes, when you’re at the head of the queue to get on the tube or off a train, find out your love of film beats the mighty Oyster’s radio powers in the most embarrassing way possible.

Honestly, it’s true. I took the BFI card out and instantly my Oyster card worked again. I’m suspecting some kind of metallic ink is behaving badly.

News from over the weekend

4 June 2007 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

It might be news, it might not: I’ve been in a bubble for a week. Have we started any new wars?

Doctor Who

Film

Theatre

British TV

  • Kim Cattrall to play Daniel Radcliffe’s mum in a World War I ITV1 drama. I thought Rupert Grint was supposed to be ITV’s saviour?
  • Which of the forthcoming new US shows are the British networks interested in: news from the LA screenings
  • Reality TV: the US has a show about pirates, we get one about local planning offices

Polish TV

US TV

Thursday’s slightly greyer news

3 May 2007 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

Doctor Who

Audio plays

  • Lots of Big Finish stuff is happening, including a third season of Sapphire and Steel

Film

  • Commit mental suicide: watch the trailer for Rush Hour 3
  • A picture of the final Iron Man suit
  • Michael Mann’s going to direct a film noir starring Leonardo DiCaprio

(Media) journalism

  • The Daily Mail wants to change its brand association from ‘Middle England’ to ‘Modern Mid Britain’. Good luck on that one, you frothing at the mouth loons [free registration required]
  • John Pilger is giving a talk about Freedom Next Time on 31st May. Includes a screening of Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror

Theatre

  • The cast of The Importance of Being Earnest are going walkabout tomorrow, starting in Trafalgar Square at 4.30pm

British TV

  • Sky has 340,000 new subscribers and 25% of its subscribers use Sky+ [free registration required]
  • Timewatch is 25
  • A new Abigail’s Party is being planned by the Beeb [subscription required]

US TV

  • Ruin the ending of this season of CSI for yourself (at least I didn’t put it in the headline, unlike a certain site and newspaper. Grrr…) [spoilers!]
  • HBO does Sex and the City again, except in Africa this time
  • Killing off all your cast limits you, apparently, says 24 co-exec producer David Fury
  • Thomas Dekker didn’t have a problem being gay on Heroes, he says
  • Masters of Science Fiction finally emerges into the schedules
  • Because television really is weird, how about a pirate reality TV show. No, really. Sixteen people are going to compete on CBS to become the Pirate Master

TV things at the NFT next month

28 April 2007 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

As usual, the NFT has a few nice TV treasures on display next month, as well as some excellent events. Here are the highlights, IMHO.

Friday 11th May: Preview: The War on Democracy + John Pilger intro

Pilger’s first feature-length film for the cinema, looking at Latin America. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez gives Pilger a rare face-to-face interview.

Saturday 19th May: Bar Mitzvah Boy

Jack Rosenthal’s bittersweet comedy about a teenage Jewish boy’s coming of age. Plus 15 minutes of clips from the strand.

Saturday 19th May: Play for Today discussion

A panel of writers, directors, producers and academics debate Play for Today and its impact. How did it work and what were its achievements? No idea who the panel are though.

Wednesday 23rd May: A Night With the Bonzos

TV appearances by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, including Do Not Adjust Your Set and Son of the Exploding Sausage. May feature appearances by actual Bonzos.

Wednesday 23rd May: Coming to England

Floella Benjamin leads a discussion on the experiences of first-generation immigrants to the UK in the 50s and 60s. Includes a screening of Coming to England, the autobiographical account of her journey to the UK.

Friday 25th May: Eccentric England

One Man’s Week: Vivian Stanshall BBC 1975 30min

The Bonzos’ Viv Stanshall cycles around Muswell Hill, hunting records and attending to his terrapins.

Dave Allen in Search of the Great English Eccentric ATV 1974 52 mins

Meet a man who resides in a small iron box, plus Bonzos cohort Bruce Lacey, who has a home-made robot-lady in his shed. Meanwhile, Ivor Cutler plays the harmonium and sings at the zoo.

The Moon and the Sledgehammer UK 1971 65 mins

Words like ‘weird’ and ‘odd’ do not do justice to this remarkable, eerily beautiful folk documentary recording the exploits of a strange, mysterious family living deep in the woods – according to their own rules – along with their giant steam engines, pump organs, broken-up buses, and all manner of outlandish regalia. Once seen, never forgotten!

The Mediatheque will be crammed with Play for Today stuff that you can view for free as well. Plus there’s film stuff at the NFT as well, apparently.

David Baddiel turns intellectual again

10 April 2007 Rob Buckley Post a comment

A chance to be in the audience, too.

The Book Quiz is a new BBC4 panel game about literature in which two teams of book-loving guests face questions on all things literary, from classic works to the contemporary works we’re all reading and talking about.

This will be an informed, entertaining panel game aimed at the tv audience who already enjoy programmes such as QI, Late Review and Have I Got News For You.

Hosted by David Baddiel, the guest panellists include Joan Bakewell, Simon Hoggart, Daisy Goodwin, Toby Young, Val McDermid and India Knight.

If you would enjoy this stimulating and lively quiz, then apply now!

The show will record at The ITV London Studios, SE1 9LT near Waterloo Station, London on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd April. The studio doors will open at 2pm & 6pm on the Saturday and 1pm, 3.30pm & 6.30pm on the Sunday. Minimum age limit is 16 years old.

You can apply for tickets by calling 020 8684 3333 or apply online at http://www.sroaudiences.com where you’ll find details of all the shows for which we are booking. Tickets for all of our shows are FREE.

Well, he is one of the few stand-ups around with a doctorate in Victorian literature…