While I'm on the subject of British television (yesterday's post was about Foyle's War), I thought I would air my views on Downton Abbey, another show initially introduced to me through Netflix.
Series 1 appeared on Netflix last winter, and as soon as it was available, Abby and I watched the first episode. The next day we watched the rest--a six-hour-or-so Downton Abbey fest, uncommon in our household, especially since it necessitated staying up past midnight. Needless to say, Downton Abbey series 1 was well received. What about series 2?
Showing posts with label BBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBC. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Foyle's War
Two years ago we got Netflix, and despite their PR debacle last fall, we have had uninterrupted service since then and I have not regretted our decision. Our decision was originally born out of two factors: to assuage the guilt we knew was entirely possible in buying a Wii and Wii Fit, and, having watched all of the BBC period pieces at our public library, to keep a continuous stream of British drama for our insatiable appetites. Long after the guilt over the Wii Fit has disappeared, Netflix remains, continuing to offer us a feast of British shows.
Our newest discovery on Netflix is a show my sisters had recommended to me years ago but which just arrived on Netflix instant streaming: Foyle's War. One of the minor bummers of last week's storm was that we had just watched the first episode the night before the storm knocked out our power, which prevented us from watching more until this weekend. We are three episodes in now, and I am already disappointed that there are only 22 episodes.
My semi-addiction (already) has got me thinking about why I like it.
Our newest discovery on Netflix is a show my sisters had recommended to me years ago but which just arrived on Netflix instant streaming: Foyle's War. One of the minor bummers of last week's storm was that we had just watched the first episode the night before the storm knocked out our power, which prevented us from watching more until this weekend. We are three episodes in now, and I am already disappointed that there are only 22 episodes.
My semi-addiction (already) has got me thinking about why I like it.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Best of 2010
It's surprising that it's already that time, but it is now appropriate to reflect on 2010, separating the wheat from the chaff, as it were. I mentioned in my last post that, despite my having read more books than I think I've ever read in a year, this wasn't a fantastic year for reading, which is disappointing to me (especially since, on top of that, I didn't reach my goal). Still, I'll pass on what I thought was best, and there really were a few gems--it's just that choosing my top five was easier than it should have been.
As usual, for all of these lists, the main criterion for inclusion is not that something was released in 2010, but that I acquired it in 2010. From these lists you will be able to see how woefully behind the times I am. Also, I didn't see very many movies this year, so take my movie selections with a grain of salt. Commentary follows where it is merited. (If you're interested, here is my list for 2009.)
As usual, for all of these lists, the main criterion for inclusion is not that something was released in 2010, but that I acquired it in 2010. From these lists you will be able to see how woefully behind the times I am. Also, I didn't see very many movies this year, so take my movie selections with a grain of salt. Commentary follows where it is merited. (If you're interested, here is my list for 2009.)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
A Study in Pink
Last night we watched the first episode of the show Sherlock, a modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes. I have to say, it was quite entertaining.
Part of what made the show so enjoyable is that I just recently read the short Arthur Conan Doyle novel A Study in Scarlet, on which the first episode, "A Study in Pink," is loosely based. I liked seeing the way that certain details were worked in and how others were played with. (In the Conan Doyle story, for example, the murderer writes "Rache" on the wall. The detectives think that the murderer intended to write "Rachel," but Holmes points out that "Rache" is German for "revenge." In the TV episode, one of the detectives says "rache" is revenge, and Holmes says that the victim did not finish writing "Rachel.")
I also liked the chemistry between the actors. Sherlock Holmes has always seemed an abrasive character to me (as I'm sure he is intended to be). I've watched some older Sherlock Holmes interpretations, and I don't care for them because there's nothing to like about Sherlock Holmes. He has no personality; he simply spouts facts and deductions. Boring! I liked that this Sherlock Holmes (similar to, but dialed down from Robert Downey Jr.'s, who was probably a bit over the top) takes a cue from House--he's not good with people, but you still enjoy seeing what happens to him. Martin Freeman plays an excellent Dr. Watson, who is a more active participant in this series than in some others, that is, rather than being Socrates' excuse to say what he wants, he actually has something to contribute.
Apparently there are only three episodes this time around, but I'm looking forward to the others--and to future episodes, should they be made.
***EDIT*** We watched the second "episode" last night, and it appears that all of the Sherlock episodes are more like mini movies, between the hour and a half and two hour mark, akin to how the A&E Horatio Hornblower series (another excellent series) was made. This makes me feel a little better about there only being three episodes this time around (though it did trick us into staying up way past our bedtime last night, since we thought it would only last 45 minutes).
Part of what made the show so enjoyable is that I just recently read the short Arthur Conan Doyle novel A Study in Scarlet, on which the first episode, "A Study in Pink," is loosely based. I liked seeing the way that certain details were worked in and how others were played with. (In the Conan Doyle story, for example, the murderer writes "Rache" on the wall. The detectives think that the murderer intended to write "Rachel," but Holmes points out that "Rache" is German for "revenge." In the TV episode, one of the detectives says "rache" is revenge, and Holmes says that the victim did not finish writing "Rachel.")
I also liked the chemistry between the actors. Sherlock Holmes has always seemed an abrasive character to me (as I'm sure he is intended to be). I've watched some older Sherlock Holmes interpretations, and I don't care for them because there's nothing to like about Sherlock Holmes. He has no personality; he simply spouts facts and deductions. Boring! I liked that this Sherlock Holmes (similar to, but dialed down from Robert Downey Jr.'s, who was probably a bit over the top) takes a cue from House--he's not good with people, but you still enjoy seeing what happens to him. Martin Freeman plays an excellent Dr. Watson, who is a more active participant in this series than in some others, that is, rather than being Socrates' excuse to say what he wants, he actually has something to contribute.
Apparently there are only three episodes this time around, but I'm looking forward to the others--and to future episodes, should they be made.
***EDIT*** We watched the second "episode" last night, and it appears that all of the Sherlock episodes are more like mini movies, between the hour and a half and two hour mark, akin to how the A&E Horatio Hornblower series (another excellent series) was made. This makes me feel a little better about there only being three episodes this time around (though it did trick us into staying up way past our bedtime last night, since we thought it would only last 45 minutes).
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