So this summer I've fallen back in love with vinyl, thanks in part to Cc editor Steve Holtje giving me a satchel of essential albums this past winter, thus forcing me to buy a new turntable. It seems like only yesterday when vinyl ruled my world -- when Tower Records was part of my weekly Saturday routine, when vinyl was both King and Queen, and when analog music was so much easier on the ears and a much more enjoyable listening experience. (And one had to actually participate in said experience by flipping the album over after one side was finished playing.) Now I get to replace most of the vinyl I sold or gave away with either 180 gram, remastered versions or pristine used copies found in thrift shops or on the numerous Facebook vinyl user groups I've recently joined. Please indulge me as I "wax" poetic about three new...
- 7/3/2016
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
A fond look-back at Sir Terry Pratchett's children's series, Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny And The Dead, and Johnny And The Bomb...
It might sound odd to combine the words ‘underappreciated’ and ‘Terry Pratchett’ and ‘wigwam’, but that’s partly because that third word doesn’t need to be there. Relatively speaking, there are less appreciated works among the many, many gems of Pratchett’s output. Still, there’s love out there for them, and we aim to reflect that here.
In the lower reaches of the Goodreads list of Pratchett books, besides the short stories and essays in anthologies, the first novel to stand out is Only You Can Save Mankind, the first of Pratchett’s Johnny Maxwell series. It was published in 1992. It is a very 1992 book (One of the characters asks ‘Is it rad to say cool?’), and realistic swearing is not a feature. Compared...
It might sound odd to combine the words ‘underappreciated’ and ‘Terry Pratchett’ and ‘wigwam’, but that’s partly because that third word doesn’t need to be there. Relatively speaking, there are less appreciated works among the many, many gems of Pratchett’s output. Still, there’s love out there for them, and we aim to reflect that here.
In the lower reaches of the Goodreads list of Pratchett books, besides the short stories and essays in anthologies, the first novel to stand out is Only You Can Save Mankind, the first of Pratchett’s Johnny Maxwell series. It was published in 1992. It is a very 1992 book (One of the characters asks ‘Is it rad to say cool?’), and realistic swearing is not a feature. Compared...
- 9/15/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Child radio star of the 1940s and 50s best remembered for playing Richmal Crompton's Just William
David Spenser, who has died aged 79, was the pre-eminent child radio star of the 1940s and 50s and will be best remembered for his portrayal on air of Just William. The author Richmal Crompton cast him in the role, in a series of dramatisations of her novels about the raucous but endearing 11-year-old outlaw.
This was in 1948, when David turned 14 and was already a seasoned radio actor – performing more than one play a week, he once told me. He had come into acting through a ruse set up by his ambitious mother and a BBC friend: he was lured into Broadcasting House and found himself in a studio being auditioned by the Children's Hour producer Josephine Plummer. For playing the lead in Just William he received the standard juvenile fee of four guineas...
David Spenser, who has died aged 79, was the pre-eminent child radio star of the 1940s and 50s and will be best remembered for his portrayal on air of Just William. The author Richmal Crompton cast him in the role, in a series of dramatisations of her novels about the raucous but endearing 11-year-old outlaw.
This was in 1948, when David turned 14 and was already a seasoned radio actor – performing more than one play a week, he once told me. He had come into acting through a ruse set up by his ambitious mother and a BBC friend: he was lured into Broadcasting House and found himself in a studio being auditioned by the Children's Hour producer Josephine Plummer. For playing the lead in Just William he received the standard juvenile fee of four guineas...
- 8/2/2013
- by John Tydeman
- The Guardian - Film News
DVD Playhouse June 2011
By
Allen Gardner
Kiss Me Deadly (Criterion) Robert Aldrich’s 1955 reinvention of the film noir detective story is one of cinema’s great genre mash-ups: part hardboiled noir; part cold war paranoid thriller; and part science- fiction. Ralph Meeker plays Mickey Spillane’s fascist detective Mike Hammer as a narcissistic simian thug, a sadist who would rather smash a suspect’s fingers than make love to the bevvy of beautiful dames that cross his path. In fact, the only time you see a smile cross Meeker’s sneering mug is when he’s doling out pain, with a vengeance. When a terrified young woman (Cloris Leachman, film debut) literally crossed Hammer’s path one night, and later turns up dead, he vows to get to the bottom of her brutal demise. One of the most influential films ever made, and perhaps the most-cited film by the architects...
By
Allen Gardner
Kiss Me Deadly (Criterion) Robert Aldrich’s 1955 reinvention of the film noir detective story is one of cinema’s great genre mash-ups: part hardboiled noir; part cold war paranoid thriller; and part science- fiction. Ralph Meeker plays Mickey Spillane’s fascist detective Mike Hammer as a narcissistic simian thug, a sadist who would rather smash a suspect’s fingers than make love to the bevvy of beautiful dames that cross his path. In fact, the only time you see a smile cross Meeker’s sneering mug is when he’s doling out pain, with a vengeance. When a terrified young woman (Cloris Leachman, film debut) literally crossed Hammer’s path one night, and later turns up dead, he vows to get to the bottom of her brutal demise. One of the most influential films ever made, and perhaps the most-cited film by the architects...
- 6/11/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
DVD Playhouse: May 2011
By
Allen Gardner
Blow Out (Criterion) Brian De Palma’s greatest Hitchcock homage, with a dash of Antonioni thrown in for good measure. John Travolta gives one of his best turns as a sound-effects engineer who unwittingly records a political assassination, then finds himself hunted by a ruthless hitman (John Lithgow, a memorably creepy psycho) after saving the life of the kindly, albeit dim-witted call girl (Nancy Allen, excellent) who was with the deceased. Terrific blend of suspense and very black humor, perhaps De Palma’s finest hour as an auteur. Beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with De Palma, Allen, cameraman Garrett Brown; Photo gallery; De Palma’s 1967 feature Murder a la Mod; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 2.0 surround.
Kes (Criterion) Ken Loach’s landmark 1970 film is both a heart-rending portrait of adolescence, and a pointed socio-political commentary on life in the North of England.
By
Allen Gardner
Blow Out (Criterion) Brian De Palma’s greatest Hitchcock homage, with a dash of Antonioni thrown in for good measure. John Travolta gives one of his best turns as a sound-effects engineer who unwittingly records a political assassination, then finds himself hunted by a ruthless hitman (John Lithgow, a memorably creepy psycho) after saving the life of the kindly, albeit dim-witted call girl (Nancy Allen, excellent) who was with the deceased. Terrific blend of suspense and very black humor, perhaps De Palma’s finest hour as an auteur. Beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with De Palma, Allen, cameraman Garrett Brown; Photo gallery; De Palma’s 1967 feature Murder a la Mod; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 2.0 surround.
Kes (Criterion) Ken Loach’s landmark 1970 film is both a heart-rending portrait of adolescence, and a pointed socio-political commentary on life in the North of England.
- 5/9/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Screening over Christmas this year will be the new feature-length adaptation by Simon Nye of Richmal Crompton's much-loved mischievous hero Just William. Weaving together a selection of Richmal Crompton's timeless short stories and setting them in the Fifties, Simon has written scripts faithful to her precise portrait of British family life.
The adventures follow William's first encounter with the frilly-yet-formidable Violet Elizabeth Bott; a spot of parrot kidnapping for William's animal lecture; an elaborate plan to dispose of a bad school report; a spot of blackmail; and William's attempt to impress tomboy Dorinda (played by Lottie Bell) with a bit of Shakespeare.
Joining freshly-shorn Outnumbered star Daniel Roche in the title role, are Isabella Blake Thomas as Violet and Robert Foster as Henry. Completing the Outlaws gang are:
13 year old Jordan Grehs from Romford plays Ginger. Jordan appeared in Cbbc drama Scoop and feature film...
The adventures follow William's first encounter with the frilly-yet-formidable Violet Elizabeth Bott; a spot of parrot kidnapping for William's animal lecture; an elaborate plan to dispose of a bad school report; a spot of blackmail; and William's attempt to impress tomboy Dorinda (played by Lottie Bell) with a bit of Shakespeare.
Joining freshly-shorn Outnumbered star Daniel Roche in the title role, are Isabella Blake Thomas as Violet and Robert Foster as Henry. Completing the Outlaws gang are:
13 year old Jordan Grehs from Romford plays Ginger. Jordan appeared in Cbbc drama Scoop and feature film...
- 11/22/2010
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
The BBC has announced the cast for its new adaptation of Just William. The channel confirmed reports that Outnumbered star Daniel Roche has landed the lead role in the series, which is based on Richmal Crompton's novels. The Thick Of It's Rebecca Front and Linda Green star Daniel Ryan will appear as William's parents, while Warren Clarke and Caroline Quentin will feature as new neighbours the Botts. Denis Lawson, John Sessions and Bruce Mackinnon have signed up to play William's teachers, while Martin Jarvis, who worked on the classic Just William recordings, will narrate the series. Isabella Blake-Thomas will play William's nemesis Violet. Other cast members include Judy Parfitt, Roy Hudd, Harry Melling and Bertie Carvel. Cbbc (more)...
- 7/28/2010
- by By Catriona Wightman
- Digital Spy
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