Television series

Mobsters, movies and music

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Did you watch Boardwalk Empire when it was on the telly? I didn’t, hey, I’m just fifteen years late. One of the many charity shops on South Clerk Street had the first two seasons on dvd for £2 each, hell yes! Steve Buscemi was the man! The first thing I saw him in was the film Miller’s Crossing, another mobster tale, back in 1990 (well worth seeking out if it’s still available). From then on he was forever popping up in my film choices through the ’90s, we’d give a little cheer whenever he appeared, haha.

The whole cast of Boardwalk Empire are excellent (Stephen Graham pops up as Al Capone!). Oo, the whole thing, the attention to detail, mind it is a Martin Scorcese project, so yeah. Honestly, if you even vaguely enjoy gangster stories then check it out; I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of the series. I’ve also been watching the second season of My Name is Earl, I noticed the boxset at a friend’s in a pile bound for a charity shop, it will get there, just a bit later.

Earl Hickey, such a wonderful anti-hero, he’s fallible and flawed, not the brightest spark, he can be downright selfish and mean, but he tries so hard to do good and there is a kind, generous heart in there, and he loves his brother. Earl’s trying to level up his karma by doing right by everyone he’s wronged in his past; I loved this show at the time and yeah, I still love it now (especially his ex-wife Joy, pure trailer trash). And on anti-heroes, I picked up Wreck-it Ralph in a charity shop today, such a great movie, must get me some popcorn!

Meanwhile on the big screen, I went to see Death of a Unicorn last Thursday, just the title had me. A comedy horror with unicorns, Paul Rudd and the guy who played Victor Zsasz in Gotham in the cast? Yes, please (Victor Zsasz was awesome). Hmmm, I did kinda enjoy it, the unicorns were great, but the dialogue and acting felt a tad hammy and lame in parts, such a shame considering all the acting talent involved. The idea was great but the execution was lacking, this should have been so much better; maybe a European re-make could take it there?!

Thursday night this week I saw Novocaine, I’m not really sure what enticed me to go, the film poster looked really naff to me, but hey, I have my Unlimited pass. Wow! To paraphrase Bo Diddley, you can’t judge a film by looking at the poster. Novocaine is funny, well-crafted and extremely violent, I won’t lie, I was flinching and squirming a fair bit, and occasionally just shut my eyes. Hey, the main guy doesn’t feel pain, a clear indication that the violence will be ramped up!

As I just mentioned, our guy Nathan Caine is a mild-mannered assistant manager with a disorder which prevents him from feeling pain and discomfort (including having a full bladder, he has an alarm go off on his phone to remind him to go to the bathroom every three hours). He lives life very carefully and quietly, by day in the credit union office, then straight home to game; he’s also well-versed in medical first aid in case of injury. Enter a new girl at work who persuades him out to lunch and to even try a bit of her cherry pie (Nathan hasn’t eaten solid food in years for fear he might bite his tongue without realising). Our boy feels so alive! They go on a date, have sex, he’s on top of the world! The very next day the credit union gets robbed and she gets kidnapped by the gang….

…. So, a man who doesn’t feel pain, who has just had the best 24 hours in his life, has his new love snatched away by ruthless killers (they kill a lot of cops while making their escape). You just know how this is going to go!! Oh, and one of the gang has left his place booby-trapped to the max (not really sure why, but it sets up a very painful, gory scene). This is a wonderfully madcap violent film, I fully intend to see it again, without shutting my eyes!

The past two Thursdays have also seen me at Whistlebinkies for the midnight band, the same both weeks, the Louis Crosland Trio, he’s rather good, you know. Louis is another fine blues guitarist on the Edinburgh music scene. Besides his own band, Louis has also been playing with the Moanin’ Bones recently; a few of his own compositions can be found on Spotify. The crowd in Binkies last night were loving all the Jimi Hendrix covers, I also recall some Dylan, Stones, and Zeppelin (or maybe that was last week?) As yet I find his vocals a bit lacking at times, but hey, the voice will come with experience and a few more years knocking about; definitely worth seeing if you like your blues with a tinge of rock.

It’s now very late and I notice I’ve prattled on quite enough. I shall leave the other musical notes for next time, hopefully tomorrow?! ‘Til then, a pic of Louis Crosland doing his thang in Binkies. G’night!

Oh come all ye faithful?

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Last night I went to see Conclave, wow. It’s a big movie, like old-style Hollywood, there’s big names, great supports, stunning cinematography (I likened it to Gladiator II, that bigness). One little annoyance was clearly knowing who would become the next pope (well, it was obvious to me), but the etiquette, the politics and the mind games, right up to the very end, were utterly delicious. Oh, and I love me some Tucci!

What really amused me was that I’ve just finished watching an old BBC series The Barchester Chronicles from 1982, that too is a fine portrayal of similar themes within the clergy, but way back in the nineteenth century (it was an adaptation of two books in a series by Anthony Trollope). The cast are a plethora of fine British actors, many recognisable faces; Clive Swift as the new hen-pecked bishop and Geraldine McEwan as his acerbic wife, Nigel Hawthorne is magnificent as the pompous, ill-tempered archdeacon, and how lovely to see Barbara Flynn (always feisty glint in her eye, that one).

Top honours must go to Donald Pleasance as the unassuming, gentle warden and Alan Rickman in an early role that, well, typecast him?! Haha, no, but watching it now, one can thoroughly enjoy watching a young Rickman being supercilious, odious, conniving, in a part that should be up there with his best. Whilst Rickman was playing the type of role we’ve come to know him for, Donald Pleasance was a wonderful revelation to me, so very different from some of the old film roles that immediately spring to mind. It’s a beautiful understated performance that has you rooting for him against all the mean, self-serving, just plain horrible characters around him.

…. Which takes me back to Conclave played with such perfect nuances as to have us guessing just who are the humble servants of their god and who are self-serving in their desire to become pope. As truths are revealed, the hypocrisy is in turn, damning, sadly human, and to some of us, darkly humorous; to borrow a quote from The Barchester Chronicles from a conversation between the archdeacon and the deacon about their problem, the warden, “He has persistent bouts of Christianity”, likewise, darkly funny and revealing.

This Christmas you could worse than go out and see Conclave on the big screen, then snuggle up at home and watch a fine old BBC drama, it’s just seven episodes so not too big a chunk of time and it is rotten weather outside.

Toodle pip!

Quite why Donald Pleasance isn’t on the cover picture is beyond me!

I’ve been otherwise engaged

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This has been a strange time for me. I’m in Yorkshireland but not in my usual place, at the matriarch’s. Instead I’ve been downgraded to a sibling’s home as they’re currently caring for the old bird and so staying there. I’ve been spending the days at mother’s, just returning late each evening to chill and sleep. It puts in mind an Airbnb where I’m staying with a host but never bump into them.

Good news is, there’s catch-up telly! Oddly enough, like at mine, the aerial reception is currently non-existent but as I’m hardly here that’s fine, and did I mention there’s catch-up telly?! I’ve revisited the sixth series of Young Sheldon and caught up on the seventh series, love it (Memaw in particular).

And I’ve gotten to see the third series of Misfits, I’m happy now, I’ve recently rewatched the first two series (I have the DVD sets) and have considered buying the third – no need now. There are another three series but I’m not fussed about them as my favourite characters have now left. I really must get on and get my own TV reception sorted, maybe even sort out some catch-up tv for the moose cave.

I’ll be heading back up to Auld Reekie in about ten hours time, I suppose I should toddle off and get some kip. After the last nine days I deserve a treat, it’ll be in Stramash at 7pm! Yay, my faves The Scat Rats are playing, hence I want to be away in good time. A slightly more normal service will, hopefully, resume after that. I’ll leave you with a couple of pics of the local ex-railway line…

Just a wee catch up

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Another month almost gone and I’ve only been in Edinburgh for seven days of it; after only a few days back from my European wanderings, I was summoned down to Yorkshireland. Busy, busy, and two sick pooches as well. Oh, they’re both fully recovered now – now that I’ve left.

I’m still working through all the photos, videos and occasional scribbles from my trip. As a matter of curiosity, this afternoon I went quickly through which songs I’ve taken videos of, and surprisingly there are none of Babestation, I know! Really?! Hot Blondes and Lost In You have the most clips, followed by Merry-Go-Round, Mock Marble Linoleum and Dans Le Jardin. Some will pop up randomly on Instagram, but I do intend to put them in some semblance of order later (mind, good intentions can just stay that way).

I am without tv to distract me – it says there’s no signal. It actually happened back halfway through April but as I had a lot to sort out I just left it. I’ve plenty to be getting on with now, so it can stay off, well the tv can, I do have a number of tv series on dvd that I can watch; there’s radio shows too. I’ve been listening to That Mitchell and Webb Sound on Spotify, still as funny and sharp as it was (on the Radio 4 early evening comedy slot between 2003 and 2013). I’m now on series 4, particular favourites are the Stargate sketches and the Old Lady Job Justification Hearings, so bitingly funny.

Missing watching tv at teatime, I dug out my old Coupling dvds, a tv comedy sitcom by Steven Moffat from about twenty years ago, loved it then and still do, especially Richard Coyle as Geoff. Some of the monologues would make brilliant set pieces in a stand-up routine. If anyone does snaffle the cushion speech by Steve, I’d know it from about six words in!

Last night I finally got round to watching Ash vs Evil Dead, it’s only been in a drawer unwatched for, oo, fifteen years?! OMG, it is so good! No, I don’t know why I never got round to watching it before, I think it was going very cheaply when the HMV store on Princes Street was closing down, I did buy a number of dvds at the time. I will definitely be looking for the second and third series at some point. Yeah, so no tv signal but I have plenty to entertain me.

There’ll be plenty to entertain this weekend, the first full weekend in June so it’s Meadows Festival time. The rain gods are being canny this year, rather than a wet weekend, there’s heavy rain everyday up until then, the ground will be pretty soggy and with all those feet traipsing everywhere – there will be mud. Saturday evening I’m off to see The Crow in the cinema, I’ve never seen it so grabbed a ticket for the 30th Anniversary Re-Release, better late than never, as they say.

It’s only two weeks until the full printed Edinburgh Fringe 2024 programme comes out, oh yay. Yes, I’m still being good and not peeking. Okay, so I know some shows that are up through social media, and ones that aren’t, like Aidan Goatley who’s not bringing his new show Looking For Edith, noooo!! If he’s doing it in your area, lucky you, bloody go see it and be thankful! The other Aidan, Aidan Sadler will be back, yay. And very exciting, just spotted this evening, John Robertson is finally doing another stand-up show at the Fringe, happy happy, joy joy!!!

It’s very late so I shall away to bed and leave you with, well, is it just a sign or sage advice?!….

I’m on my way to an Amarillo

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Crikey, it’s been a week since my last post – I’ve been busy, honest. I’ve been very busy today too, no sitting out in the sun for me, and just when I thought I was done, I discovered a new moth infestation, bastards! So I writing something short and sweet just now as I’m not sure when I’ll get time next. Short because very shortly Duke Duncan & The Hurricanes will be on at Whistlebinkies – my excuse for a drink. I’ve never seen them before but by all accounts they’re rather good, so it’s beyond time that I checked them out.

Why won’t I be posting for a while? Some long time followers may have noticed this is one of those times in a year that I head back to the old country, Yorkshireland. I’ve kind of sorted stuff to go, uke and music, chocolates from CoCo Company, the Fringe programme (two, mark-up and cut-out), sunglasses.

I’ve already watched the last episode of The Gallows Pole and by’eck its good. Loved the bit when Grace tells David he needs to rally the troops, he turns to the gathered room “Ayup!” Perfect! And there was Peaches by The Stranglers in the soundtrack, pure class. I’ll definitely try to fit in a visit to Heptonstall while I’m down. Oh, I did find my copy of the Cragg Vale Coiners Walk but maybe not this trip down, it’s going to be bloody hot! Maybe next time, let’s face it, these temperatures most likely won’t last long.

Anyhoo, must go, make my way to Amarillo, that’s a pint of, very tasty, from Stewart Brewing, of course. Toodle pip!

So great I watched it twice, huzzah!

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Apart from that fingernails bit, eewww. The Great has been such a romp, perfect Sunday evening viewing, everything about it is so sumptuous. I may have to gorge on it later once the series has finished, a banquet with ten courses, yum! I’ll need some popcorn and raspberry ripple ice cream for that (no, not in the same bowl).

It was this time last year I was back in from seeing Logan’s Close at the Caves for the release of Lost In You. It’s been a lonnng year since then. Some are getting excited at the news that the end of Covid restrictions may be in sight, but I don’t reckon it’s as straightforward or as timetably as folk want to believe – look at what happened to the Christmas Grace. Yes, the vaccines are being rolled out but I reckon there will still be some social restrictions in place, more than the general populace will be happy with. Call me a pessimist but hey, at least I’ll be mightily impressed if I get to be in a packed room to see the Close before the end of the year, I’m just not holding my breath.

Who knows what form any Fringe that takes place will be?! And, of course there’s the new bother of post Brexit paperwork and costs for acts coming over from Europe. Creatives have gotten creative online, will the cost of a month in Edinburgh seem worth it any more? Especially if there’s no physical Fringe for a second year. Will the new generation of creatives look on the Edinburgh Fringe as too cumbersome, expensive and old hat? Has it had it’s day? Will it rise again like a phoenix or be like one of those tawdry, tired old seaside towns that you know would have been magnificent back in the day but, sadly, not any more?

Oo, that got maudlin. Here’s to better times, however they may present themselves. Here’s to one day being able to stumble upon a great band playing live in a pub. Here’s to hugging a long-not-seen mate.

God, I so miss hugging 😔

A bit of banter….

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The weather’s been rotten today, it’s gonna be really rotten tomorrow, Thursday it’ll keep being rotten just not as windy as tomorrow. The forecast I saw earlier predicts heavy rain, lots of sleet and the odd bit of actual snow until next Tuesday morning, not a single segment showed a lack of any kind of precipitation ’til then. Welcome to February! This may be the time to finally break out the Breaking Bad box set.

I’ve been watching Staged sporadically over the last two weeks. I missed all of the first series last June, so had to catch up on that before watching the second, just out in January. I particularly wanted to see it as it is mainly David Tennant and Michael Sheen bickering with each other, well, they were the best thing about the TV production of Good Omens (from the book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – him again). Staged is a product of the current crisis, it’s about this moment in time, all the restrictions on lives, everyone meeting online. I wonder what we’ll make of it in ten, twenty years time?

The premise is that David Tennant (my favourite of the modern Doctors) and Michael Sheen were due to do a play together in the West End, of course it’s on hold due to the pandemic, but the director Simon Evans decides they should press ahead with rehearsals via Zoom………. The three play exaggerated versions of themselves. As this is filmed from their homes their significant others (Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg) and Simon’s sister (Lucy Eaton whose house he’s living in) pop up too. The banter is just wonderful, the beards, the wild-eyed rants and angsty moments, spot on as life in lockdown mode. There is some riffing between Sheen and Tennant but it is mainly scripted by Simon Evans who also directs, stars and co-created it (not to be confused with the stand-up comedian Simon Evans, a Fringe regular).

That was just the first series, the second series isn’t just more of the same, oh no, they take it several notches further. The second series accepts that the first series was just that, a tv series, a successful tv series that Evans has been asked to remake for American television – without Tennant and Sheen! Naturally the two are not happy at this, especially when they’re asked to speak to potential new leads, cue a marvellous parade of guest stars including Jim Parsons and Christoph Waltz. While the second series is still very funny and enjoyable, I do prefer the first, it has a warm charm about it of two great friends just bantering.

Hmmm, if Covid isn’t brought to heel soon, if it keeps mutating and makes the current vaccines useless, will there be a third series of Staged? Just how meta could it get? It’s late, the heating gone off for the night, I need to get snuggly warm and sleep.

G’night, sleep tight. 💛

If you’ve never seen Buffy this won’t mean much!

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Another Friday night and I ain’t got nobody – and I have about half an hour before Buffy comes on. The seventh series just started last night, but I turned over to watch the last episode of series six again, it is rather good! Mind the episodes leading up to it were pretty awesome too. Funny that, as first time round I wasn’t impressed by a lot of series six (apart from the obvious, of course), but on seeing it again there’s so many nuances and so much focus on personalities and relationships that I wonder, did I miss that or have the years given me a different perspective? A few thoughts on things I noticed this time round…..

Xander’s dad at the wedding, we all know that type, not nice and a lot of other ugly words; Xander would probably harbour secret worries that he’ll become the same. Let’s face it, he had become quite annoying and a tad disaffected through series six, so when Xander was shown a bitter future who didn’t think that was his truth? Okay, there was a teensy tiny suspicion but we were all relieved that it was a lie, sadly the lie had already done enough damage; Anya’s and Xander’s trust and belief in each other was torn to shreds by doubts and fears. I actually felt quite moved by their loss and fallibilities.

But back to Xander’s dad, where did I know that face from? Ah, I would have previously known it from Grace Under Fire (a great sitcom from the 90s), more recently it’s been the face of Bernadette’s taciturn father in The Big Bang Theory.

What a great story arc for Willow in series six, there were plenty of little hints of her descent into magic addiction, like the petulance and blind desire to shape life to suit herself. And when she gets really dark, wow, who ever would have thought sweet little Willow from season one would ever flay a guy alive?! Her romance, break up and getting back together with Tara was all so brilliantly written and acted; there was no big flag waving or heavy underlining of, oo, lesbians here, it was played so naturally and sweetly, I was rooting for them all the way. Tara’s death was quite shocking and signalled the start of the spiralling mayhem to the series finale.

How good was Anthony Head’s return? “I’d like to test that theory!” Boom, Giles was back, and the episode ended. There may have been a little air-punching the first time I saw that, and then we had to wait a whole week to see what would happen next! The anticipation! But the brilliance when it was Xander, the everyman, the ordinary chap, who saves the world and Willow by being himself and refusing to give up on her. Oh, my heartses!

One thing that didn’t ring true this series, this time and on my first viewing was the bathroom scene with Buffy and Spike. I get why it was put it in, but for all we know about these two, no, it just felt contrived and poorly written. I guess it wasn’t the easiest of scenes to write but still, it felt like the characters were being fed lines rather than being themselves.

Another wee note is Clem, like the Shar Pei of demonkind (very wrinkly skin). A sweet likeable demon who takes over Dawn-sitting duties when Spike takes off. For most of Buffy demons were all varying degrees of bad guys, then suddenly we notice Spike seems to have a chum and the local bar were demons hang is the place to go get info. This is, of course, after Angel goes to L.A. and Joss Whedon starts writing demons as just other citizens living there and getting on with their lives; which reminds me, next week E4 is showing Angel from the start. Joys!

Toodle pip, my sweets!

Another post, with feeling

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Oh dear, WordPress have gone and changed stuff, call me Sheldon, I don’t like change, suppose I do something wrong? Miss something I’m meant to do? And a hundred other little catastrophes waiting to jump out on me (I was going to a million but decided that would be exaggerating). What was wrong with it before? Will the new way be an improvement? So many questions! I feel like a gronk “Oh, my heartses!”

Anyhoo, it’s September, and even without a proper Fringe to end I feel down, but late last night my soul soared with joy. Why? My favourite Buffy episode Once More, With Feeling was on telly. I always feel disjointed and distracted at this time, it’s difficult to write anything down, so hey, I’m gonna share how much I love this episode!

Come on, what’s not to love about it? Joss Whedon pulled off a masterpiece here, the music is brilliant and his lyrics are so sharp, not one line is wasted. His fun and wit is not diminished at all by the constraints of song; and Whedon moves every character forward so much in this one episode. Mmm, yeah, just bringing one musical demon to town allowed for the whole board to be re-set with every player on a new space – how much speaking dialogue would that have taken? Way more than fifty minutes I reckon.

Who knew how good the singing would be? Well, we’d heard Giles’ dulcet tones before and word was already out before it came on UK telly that a certain witch doesn’t sing much at all by personal request. In contrast Tara’s solo was sooo beautiful, Willow’s silence could be taken as hiding her truths rather than a lack of singing ability of the actress. Oh, and Xander’s and Anya’s wonderful song and dance with I’ll Never Tell is pure old time Hollywood. Dawn’s piece with the creepy demon hench dolls again reminisces on old movies. Buffy buffed up well, nicely polished but somehow, I dunno, not quite as, something, argh. The ensemble pieces and weaving of voices were wonderful; Giles’ and Tara’s songs mingling as they face their truths, beautiful.

Let’s not forget the slickest demon to appear in Sunnydale – Sweet. His look was perfect, the zoot suits so cool, add to that a voice and moves that are spellbindingly charismatic. Heck, I’d be his queen, or pet moose, whatever! For a demon he quite a reasonable chap, mischief done, he goes. Thank you, and good night. Even the little screen demon at the end gets with the programme and sings his little “Grrr, aargh”, bless!

Oh, and Buffy and Spike finally kiss at the end. About bloody time ❤

Late night ramblings…..

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Late Sunday night at Chez Bruce, I should have gone to bed by now, it’s not like there’s anything good on the telly tonight. I had hoped that the second series of Misfits would run on straight after the first, it didn’t, bah. I have it on dvd, seven late Sunday night viewings happened in one very long Sunday night finishing off on the following evening. It’s difficult not to gorge when it’s just there, see this is why I’m fine not bothering with new-fangled telly on demand stuff.

So I’ve spent the last couple of Sunday evenings re-watching the first series of Lucifer, I wanted something fun and frothy, Lucifer fit the bill. Tom Ellis is just brilliant in it, the rest of the cast aren’t too shabby either. Besides being devilishly charming he can carry a tune too (umm, he’d make a great Frankenfurter), well he is Welsh; turns out it’s not him tickling the ivories though, shame.

Our Tom made a brief appearance in Merlin which has been re-running on Pick every week day evening (yay, it is showing right through to the end). Not brief enough for me, he was rather miscast in it, and may I say, he doesn’t suit long hair! Nah, he really wasn’t right for the part, mind I didn’t reckon anything to the character, it was just an unconvincing cog to move things into place. Yeah, poor Cenred got a bum deal from the writers.

Apart from crappy Cenred, I’ve enjoyed watching Merlin each evening. It’s not like I’ve been able to go anywhere these last months, apart my evening strolls of course. It’s been funny how at eight in the evening Anthony Head is Uther Pendragon, old, arrogant, despising all things magic, then at the back of eleven he’s Giles, younger, quietly charming, with a library of magic to hand.  Oh, and Head has played Frankenfurter, boy, would I have loved to have seen that!

Yes, indeed, Hurrah, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being shown again every week night late on, and there was no break after season one, so hopefully it’ll be bedtime viewing for some time yet. Maybe we’ll have some semblance of normal life by that time – there are another five seasons after this, so that’s over a hundred more episodes to go!

There’s a lent box set of Breaking Bad sitting on my shelf waiting to be watched. I’ve never seen any of it but from all reports (and people shrieking “What? You haven’t seen it!! What’s wrong with you?!”) it’s very good and highly addictive. How do people cope with so much telly to watch? How??

I’m going to go lie down now.

Toodle pip!