What DVD have you just watched?

Haim, if you enjoyed the fabulous Ian Richardson in "House of Cards", you might want to check him out in another classic BBC series of the 1980s, "Private Shultz":

A couple of specials from his last televisual outing. Pretty amusing, and much better than Mid-Morning Matters.

The original House of cards is superb in every way. Ian Richardson is also brilliant in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - TV does not get any better in my view. 

47 Ronin

Death Wish

Now here is film i haven't watched in a long time, and I think stands up very well.

Charles Bronson plays a man who resorts to violence and reacts to the fear he then has to cope with. The resolution of the scene towards the end where he calls on the robber to 'go for his gun' is excellent, and shows a far more thoughtful film than the genre it helped to spawn.

For me the final scene weakens the film. If we saw the damage that violence had wreaked on the Bronson character's life, and perhaps that his adoption of violence had taken its own toll, I would think the movie would have been far more balanced, and more of an adult drama.

Interestingly this film would not work reset into today without some radical re-drafting due to modern pervasive surveillance.

A more nuanced film than I had remembered.

M

Thanks, guys. I will put Private Schultz on my Netflix Q.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvW_DmfKfSk

Not a DVD per se but from Sky+ HD, Pacific Rim, transformerish fantasy with a touch of Godzilla and huge fighting machines. A silly but quite enjoyable piece of CGI fluff.

Funnily enough we watched Pacific Rim last night on BluRay. A load of old hokum but really good fun nonetheless, which some truly monumental bass - our poor old cottage is still trying to recover from it!

WWI and new things I’ve learnt.  Have just completed watching this epic series of 26 episodes produced by the BBC in the Sixties.  I thought I had a decent enough working knowledge of the Great War but this series has given me new insights. For example:

1. the conventional view of the western front being a stalemate belies a picture that actually ebbed and flowed over a fair bit of territory (at great cost to both sides)
2. the maritime losses to Britain by German U-boats was on a much, much bigger scale than I appreciated at about 1000 ships. Doenitz clearly learned from this success for WWII while the British Admiralty must have suffered collective amnesia;
3. how very late in the war came any material troop contribution from US and from such a low base the US had to build its army.  Indeed it seems the prospect, rather than the reality, of the US forces eventually coming into the field was the decisive factor causing the Germans to launch risky offensives hoping to secure victory before the US machine cranked up;
4. how, even in its final year, what a close run the result was with the German offensives in the early part of 1918 almost proving decisive. It wasn’t until late Summer before the German and Austro-Hungarian alliance fell apart. 

Super series and thoroughly recommended.

MDS

I very much agree, George.  When you come to buy it, do hunt around. Amazon was asked a very high price. I inherited this box set from my late father and he would never have paid such a sum so there must be bargains around. Hope you find on.

MDS 

Dear MDS,

Second hand is the best I can afford!

But I'll get it. I sold the car last month after an advisory not to drive [eyesight problems, which may sort themselves out in time], so the saved insurance premium will cover it!

ATB from George

Hi George,

I am so sorry to read about your sight. I hope and pray that everything returns to normal in the not too distant future.

Martin

Dear Martin,

I am quite phlegmatic about it. It is a recurrence of a problem first diagnosed about ten years ago. It has just come back. Probably I'll be allowed to drive again if there isn't too much permanent damage. 

But I don't like driving, so it might even be a blessing if I look at it like that!

Immediately I saved on the car insurance and Tax. I spent less than the Tax on some splendid cycle tyres for my holiday trip at the end of July. Less than a full tank of petrol come to that!

Thank you for your kindly sympathetic words.

All the best from George

I have just watched this having seen your post - lovely film. Thank you. 

And this - jolly good too.

I nearly gave up during the first third (I'm not Stiller's biggest fan) but it got better and I'm glad I stuck it out. 

Sniper,

The film is supposed to be 'based on a true story' whatever that means in terms of faithfulness to the actual events. In real life, none of the butler's sons ever served nor died in Vietnam and I felt that it was an unnecessary cheap twist to add melodrama to an already a good story.

Haim.

Conceded to watching 'The Devil Wears Prada' tonight and it is excruciatingly irritating, unfunny and wholly predictable. Even Anne Hathaway can't lure me to watch.

Yes, it's that bad.

G

Lovely film, nice photography

I think it's one aimed at the ladies, Graeme. They tend to judge it differently.  Suggest you dig out one from the Die Hard series.