tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post8523910241916890693..comments2023-10-18T11:17:26.147+01:00Comments on Hauling Like a Brooligan: Network DVD SaleStephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-8731389147512200972009-01-22T09:34:00.000+00:002009-01-22T09:34:00.000+00:00Easily checked...www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgLEdvRKA...Easily checked...<BR/><BR/>www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgLEdvRKAYIStephen Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-64085010609576211762009-01-21T22:01:00.000+00:002009-01-21T22:01:00.000+00:00SPOOKS/M15, I note fairly irrelevantly, has begun ...SPOOKS/M15, I note fairly irrelevantly, has begun running on US public stations in January, where its audience might surpass that of its A&E cable run.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for mentioning THE PERSUADERS...that might have had the ITC theme that's occasionally recurred in memory from childhood, which I've not been able to place.Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-22896836879995168732009-01-20T23:44:00.000+00:002009-01-20T23:44:00.000+00:00OK, sold. My order's in for the complete 3-series ...OK, sold. My order's in for the complete 3-series box.Stephen Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-45370803371703094022009-01-20T19:36:00.000+00:002009-01-20T19:36:00.000+00:00THE SANDBAGGERS is stunning. I saw it for the firs...THE SANDBAGGERS is stunning. I saw it for the first time earlier this year, and here I'm quoting from my blog review : it's got the cynicism of Callan, the tradecraft of Tinker, Tailor... , the ambitious Yorkshire moors-standing-in-as-Russian-steppe locations of an ITC action adventure, and the internecine politicking of Yes, Minister.<BR/><BR/>Ian McIntosh, the writer-creator, has a gift for plots that unfold in unusual directions, and dialogue that creates a convincing world of cut outs, station chiefs, political crises and bureaucracy. (The Ops Room crisis scenes are some of the best that I've seen outside of The West Wing.) I particularly liked 'C' ordering Burnside to resolve something by 'close of play', a weaselly phrase I've become quite familiar with recently. (There's usually absolutely nothing playful or sportmanslike in a task to be resolved by 'close of play'.) But it's not all spook gobbledegook : McIntosh can come up with a line like "Hard to realise your tomorrows can be so different from your yesterdays" that stays in the mind.<BR/><BR/>Because I knew absolutely nothing about the series, the high attrition rate that affects the Sandbaggers themselves took me by the surprise - none of them have a close encounter with a deep fat fryer, but Burnside is complicit in the deaths of at least two of them.<BR/><BR/>One of the incidental pleasures of watching the first series (as with most TV drama of this period) is the opportunity to spot Doctor Who guest actors before the end credits roll. There's Professor Stahlman as the head of the Norwegian Secret Service in the first episode, and better still, Nyder as an Arab prince being seduced (!) by Diane Keen. But best of all is the recurring starring role for Jerome Willis as Roy Marsden's slightly less-than-capable superior, Peele. He looks so little changed from his appearance in The Green Death that it's almost as if he survived the events at Llanfairfach and, with his personality completely re-engineered by BOSS, got himself a nice job high up in the civil service.gervase_fenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07131295048528794817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-73288028154186201072009-01-20T18:04:00.000+00:002009-01-20T18:04:00.000+00:00I just noticed there's more Minikillers footage ho...I just noticed there's more Minikillers footage hosted on Youtube under the title "Secret Agent Gal" but I have to tell you, it's painful to watch!Stephen Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-12210990017908075672009-01-20T17:49:00.000+00:002009-01-20T17:49:00.000+00:00I'll probably grab Jerico anyway -- at the sale pr...I'll probably grab Jerico anyway -- at the sale price it's dirt cheap -- but more out of curiosity than with high expectations. Though MacNee as Steed was clearly the irreplaceable 'spine' of The Avengers, he doesn't quite seem to work as a leading man away from the show.<BR/><BR/>I can see the logic of the Avengers team trying to create a new format out of the same clay, but I can't quite get my head around Diana Rigg's post-Avengers involvement in THE MINIKILLERS, a series of amateurish super-8 movies for the home cinema market, shot like home movies, without any sync sound, and looking nothing short of dire; I mean, it's not as if the woman didn't have any career options at the time!<BR/><BR/>A clip has surfaced on YouTube (http://tinyurl.com/7okylf) and what little is known is summarised here:<BR/><BR/>http://www.shockcinemamagazine.com/diadem.htmlStephen Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-89371111743348312742009-01-20T15:40:00.000+00:002009-01-20T15:40:00.000+00:00I saw 'Mr Jericho' seven or eight years ago but......I saw 'Mr Jericho' seven or eight years ago but...I can't for the life of me remember if it was any good or not! It was for work so I hope I can be excused. I'm sure if it was really duff, it would have stuck in my mind. I may dig it out, have another look and let you know (unless someone else does first). <BR/><BR/>As for embarrassing films, I recently bought 'Vampyres' a 1974 horror film about lesbian vampires because it features some locations close to where I live. That's my excuse anyway...Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09330712432098154809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-84556647778713731992009-01-20T10:10:00.000+00:002009-01-20T10:10:00.000+00:00I'm going through my wishlist, deciding where ...I'm going through my wishlist, deciding where to splash the cash. So far FOX; BIG BREADWINNER HOG; THE STRANGE REPORT, and ARTHUR OF THE BRITONS are looking good.<BR/><BR/>And yes, SANDBAGGERS is brilliant -but has a far more faithful descendant than SPOOKS in Greg Rucka's QUEEN & COUNTRY comics, which might as well be a direct continuation of SANDBAGGERS.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686465069530291040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1249939222074893010.post-55126478121748280442009-01-20T07:17:00.000+00:002009-01-20T07:17:00.000+00:00SANDBAGGERS is terrific. It takes an episode or tw...SANDBAGGERS is terrific. It takes an episode or two to get used to all the acronyms and job titles that fly around...and to get comfortable with the cheapo production values. But it's compelling stuff. Neil Burnside is one of the coldest, and most complex heroes, I've ever seen in a TV series. It's certainly one of the best spy series ever produced for TV. Ten years ago, I tried to get Granada USA to consider a U.S. remake. The executives were interested (I believe it was Dan Pasternak or Bill Hamm at the time) but we couldn't get it off the ground. If memory serves, there was a rights problem.<BR/><BR/>I also went nuts on the Network sale...my purchases included soundtracks to Department S and Man in a Suitcase, the complete Persuaders, and the tape of Mister Jericho (I'm a sucker for unsold pilots).Lee Goldberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13442268370192897461noreply@blogger.com