Monthly Archives: November 2011

Gerhard Richter: Panorama (Tate Modern)

I hadn’t intended to go to the Gerhard Richter retrospective at the Tate: I’d not heard of him at all before I turned up at the Tate Modern for an entirely different exhibition that was actually being held at the … Continue reading

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Geek Tragedy – by Nev Fountain

If you’re a fan of any cult media shows – especially British ones of a certain vintage – and also possess even a rudimentary sense of humour, then author Nev Fountain’s “Mervyn Stone Mysteries’ trilogy of books should be right … Continue reading

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Rizzoli & Isles S1

Do we really need yet another crime/police show? Not really, but at least this series revolves around two strong and interesting female characters for a welcome change. Angie Harmon is a revelation as a tough blue collar Boston detective very … Continue reading

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Frozen Planet (BBC)

Yes, it’s full of the incredible, dazzling photography for which the BBC Natural History film unit is renowned the world over. It’s possible to just sit in front of this for an hour with your mouth open, staring at it … Continue reading

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Alphas S1

The latest attempt to bring the X-Men super-mutant concept to the small screen, after Heroes’ stunning first season success and subsequent rapid burn-out was followed by the so-so An Ordinary Family. This time the super-powered mutants are positioned as a … Continue reading

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Harry’s Law S1

You an spot a David E. Kelley series a mile off: The Practice, Boston Legal and of course Ally McBeal. This is more of the same – a quirky legal drama with a heart of pure bleeding liberalism that it … Continue reading

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Covert Affairs S1 E1-2

Do you remember the TV spy series Alias that pretty much launched the careers of Jennifer Garner and JJ Abrams (and even Bradley Cooper, come to that)? I’m talking about the first season, before it got all sci-fi and silly? … Continue reading

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The Killing 2/Forbrydelsen II – E1+2

As far as I’m concerned, the original series of The Killing shown earlier this year was quite simply the best thing on TV in 2011. So when the time for the new series approached, I was obviously excited – but … Continue reading

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The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]

I’ve been an unabashed fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera ever since it opened – which is 25 years ago, as this silver anniversary celebration of the show staged at the Royal Albert Hall reminds us. … Continue reading

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The Tales of Max Carrados (BBC Radio 4 Extra/Ladbroke Radio Production)

I like to think of myself as a fan of detective/crime fiction, and of classic crime fiction in particular, so I was rather startled and a little irked to find out about early 20th century character Max Carrados. He appeared … Continue reading

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Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

I like to think that there are few other blogs that snap from reviews of lighter-than-air family CGI fun fests like Rio straight into articles on 1922 silent German expressionist horror films. It’s this blog’s USP – sadly, a USP … Continue reading

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