New TV Viewing for April 2005!
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26-03-2005, 12:36 PM
| #1 |
| Conspicuous Member |  New TV Viewing for April 2005!
Hello Couch Potatoes everywhere!  Okay, well some minor bad news. My usual monthly list of what's worth watching will be delayed, this month, I'm afraid.  Alas, there's two issues:1) I don't currently have internet access from home. (I'm actually sat writing this very message, in the middle of a noisy Internet Cafe in the centre of Birmingham!) 2) Due to the Easter weekend, my update won't be available until Thursday of this week - 31st March 2005 - at the earliest. My apologies for the delays, but I'm afraid this is out of my hands. (I much prefer to give you folks at least a weeks notice before the month starts.) Check back here on Thursday around 8pm, and the whole post will be ready for you to salivate over!  Oh, and yes, I know "Dr Who" is coming up, in less than 8 hours time!  Please can people NOT mention this show, because it's being trailed to death by the BBC and Episode 1 hasn't even aired yet! I'm a bit sick of seeing Billie Piper and Christopher Ecclestone on my TV, at the bus shelter on posters, etc, etc. Arrrrggggghhhhhh Talk about overkill! Sheesh!  Bye for now.  Pooch |
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31-03-2005, 12:57 PM
| #2 |
| Conspicuous Member | Here's Part 1!
Afternoon Everyone, Well, after the Easter break, I am back with my latest update on what you can all look forward too, on various UK TV channels, over the month of April.  As always, details are correct at the time of writing, but these may change. Please check back, nearer the times, to see if any updates have been made. Also, I should just point out that I've only done the first half of April thus far. The second half, will be posted up here, in about three or four days time. The reason being, it's taking me a long time to get all the information details together. (I've spent 2.5 hours doing just this half already! Anyway, my apologies, for the delays, but I will get the rest done.. I promise! ) Okay, let's get on with everything! TONIGHT - 31st March Lexx: The Game This is a brilliant Season 4 episode, and one I highly recommend you set your videos for, if at all possible. Better still, you don't need to have really seen any other episodes of this show. Ever thought that Chess was a really dull game? Ever felt it needed spicing-up somehow? Well, this might change your mind. The crew of the Lexx are given one chance to salvage their lives, from their arch-enemy: play a game of chess, and whoever wins gets the Lexx craft itself, and the entire crew to do with, as they please. If you know the basic rules of Chess, (e.g piece moves, etc), then you'll get more enjoyment out of this awesome standalone episode. Be warned, however: this contains some gory scenes, and as such, it's not suitable for the young un's! Sci-Fi Channel (5-6am) Friday 1st April VH1: Chav Day VH1, the digital music channel, is devoting most of today, to that most-hated section of society, the Chav! See music that the Chav loves, and videos that shows why we dislike these people so much as well! VH1 (9am-Midnight) The Simpsons: Stark Raving Dad Yes, it's a repeat, but it's one hell of a classic episode! This is the one where Homer is committed to an institution, and meets up with another inmate, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Jackson. Channel 4 (5:25-6pm) French And Saunders: I Can't Believe It's Not Music (Part 1 of 2) The talented comediennes' are back for the first of a two part special, sending-up the music world. Mixed in with classics, like their ABBA spoof, are new material involving Madonna, Britney Spears and the White Stripes. Part 2 to be shown on Thursday 7th, at the same time. BBC1 (9:30-10pm) Sex Films For Girls Adult documentary about pornography for women, and womens views on the adult movie industry. I appreciate the fact that this show will contain material not suitable for everyone, and even items that will offend, but it's being recommended by me, purely because this is one of those documentaries that shows the other side of this taboo topic, that rarely gets airtime. Five (11:05pm-12:10am) Saturday 2nd The Waltons (Various episodes) Cult US drama, from the 1970's. Hallmark is devoting this weekend to the highs and lows of John-Boy and the rest of the Walton clan, as they try to live out their lives in the American Midwest. Hallmark Channel (6am-3pm today, and 6am-3pm tomorrow) FILM: Exodus (PG) Otto Preminger's 1960 classic, (albeit overlong) drama about the founding of the state of Israel. With Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint and Ralph Richardson. BBC2 (1:30-4:50pm) FILM: Grease (PG) It's another chance to sing-a-long to all those classic tunes, including "Hopelessly Devoted To You", "Grease", "Summer Nights" and many more, in the comfort of your own home. ITV is editing this transmission for language, which means John Travolta's car-repairer's song "Greased Lightening" will be cut to pieces! Thanks ITV for protecting my delicate sensibilities again.  ITV1 (2:45-4:45pm)FILM: The Black Hole (PG) Disney tried to make a serious science-fiction film. Instead, what you get is an intriguing, if not completely believable sci-fi drama with some reasonable special effects. Too cerebral for the youngsters, but probably a bit too dull for the adults, the film stars Maximillian Schell, Anthony Perkins and Yvette Mimieux. Still, an interesting oddity, and worth at least one viewing in your life. The robots aren't too bad, either!) Five (3:10-5pm) FILM: Flash Gordon (PG) He's back, in the cult, camp sci-fi spectacular from 1980. Brit director Mike Hodges directs the film that gave us the immortal romantic line: "Flash! Flash, I love you! But we only have 14 hours to save the earth!" See this wonderful piece of trash cinema, accompanied by the great Queen soundtrack, and some woeful acting by Timothy Dalton, Max Von Sydow, Topol, Brian Blessed, and Peter "Blue Peter" Duncan. A great movie in the "so bad, it's fab" vein! Channel 4 (4:10-6:10pm)Hit Me Baby One More Time! Nope, it's not Britney Spears, it's another ITV attempt at old-fashioned Saturday night family entertainment. Old pop stars who have long since moved on to other things in life, get a chance to make a comeback. Can they hack it? Probably not, but ITV thinks otherwise. Now, I wouldn't recommend this (expected) turd of a show to anyone. Not even on you fine people. However, tonight, in the first of eight shows, you get to see two genuinely good artists - at least in my opinion. Tiffany, (who's most recent exposure was doing a centrefold in the US "Playboy" magazine, and she still looks hot today, even if she is now in her mid-30's) and Limahl of "The Never-Ending Story" and Kajagoogoo fame. Those of you not around in the 1980's, neither of those artists will mean anything. But for those of us who were teenagers at the time, they were quite good. It is for those two artists alone, that this may be worth watching. ITV1 (5:45-6:45pm) The Quatermass Experiment (2005) Live drama, as has never been seen since the 1960's, makes a one-off return, to BBC4 tonight, in a new and updated version of the classic Nigel Kneale sci-fi horror series. Actors Jason Flemyng and Adrian Dunbar take all their skills to make this a career-changing choice. Will it go well, or will things get in their way? This is being recorded, and the unedited recording will be shown on BBC4 on Wednesday 6th, between 9 - 11pm.) Followed by three documentaries about fantasy TV, and Kneale himself. BBC4 (8:20pm -12:20am) CSI: NY This dark and moody spin-off, continues its first season with another first-rate episode. When the only available evidence in the death of a police officer, is a bullet lodged in his horse, the CSI's have to make a harrowing decision: retrieve the evidence to save the case, (but in the process, kill the horse), or let the animal live but let the killer go free! It's up to Mac, Stella and company to make the choice. But whose life is worth more - a humans or an animals? Five (9:10-10:05pm) Sunday 3rd Points Of View Since the demise of Channel 4's "Right To Reply" several years ago now, this remains the only viewer complaints show on TV. Terry Wogan compares viewers letters over the past few months. With the very recent decision over the transmission of "Jerry Springer: The Opera", being approved by the BBC's directors, there could well be a few people none too pleased with this outcome. BBC1 (4:35-4:50pm) Alias: Season 4 Sidney Bristow's finally back, on TV screens in the UK! The actress that made leather dresses seem almost normal returns to our screens, albeit in cropped, fullscreen versions. At 8pm, the Season 3 finale is aired, before the Season 4 two-hour intro is shown. Expect plenty of guns, fights and people in weird situations. Superb spy drama, but not the kind of show you can just dip into. Repeated Monday evening at 7pm. Bravo (8-11pm)50 Greatest Comedy Sketches Oh god, no! It's another blinking "50 Greatest…" countdowns that Channel 4 seems to enjoy so much. Tonight, viewers have voted for 50 of their favourite comedy sketches. I'm certain, though I have no evidence to back this up with, that the top five must surely consist of the Monty Python "Dead Parrot" sketch; the Only Fools And Horses scene, with Del and Trigger in the pub eyeing-up some women, before Del leans on the open bar-door, falling over; the Two Ronnies "I look down on him / Class" sketch (with John Cleese), and possibly Jasper Carrot's "The Mole" monologue. What do you all think? Find out… if you can be bothered. Channel 4 (9pm-Midnight)He Says, She Says After the brilliant documentaries "Grumpy Old Men" and "Grumpy Old Women", comes this new four-part series discussing what men think of women, and what women really think of men. Very acerbic, often astute, but frequently profane, see what Vinnie Jones, Jackie Mason, Jenny Éclair, and many others really feel about the genders. Episode 2 is on tomorrow night at the same time. BBC2 (10-10:30pm) Monday 4th Dick And Dom's "Ask The Family" Another old show. Another revamp. And, another new show is now born! Childrens favourites, Dick and Dom, are the presenters of the classic TV quiz from the 1970's. This could be great, or a complete pile of poo. You decide. Showing daily. BBC2 (6:30-7pm)Casanova Just finished on BBC3, now BBC1 viewers get to see this intelligent, saucy and actually pretty darn good adaption of the life of the controversial man himself. With Peter O'Toole, Laura Fraser and Matt Lucas. First of three weekly episodes. BBC1 (9-10pm) Greatest Kids TV Moments A genuinely enjoyable romp, through some of the best and worst bits of childrens TV, past and present. Watch Margaret Thatcher being grilled by 12 year olds on Saturday Superstore. See the chaos of guest presenting "TISWAS". And laugh as live call-in's from children, turn the air blue, when kids say what they really feel about certain music acts! A fun 90 minutes to reminisce over. Five (9-10:35pm) Peter Kay: The Services Another chance to see this hilarious one-off comedy-drama, from Northern comedian Peter Kay. Kay plays most of the characters in and around a motorway service station. E4 (10:30-11pm) FILM: The Man With Two Brains (15) Steve Martin's classic spy/sci-fi/action comedy about a surgeon who falls in love with a disembodied brain. Showing uncut and in widescreen. BBC1 (11:45pm-1:15am) Tuesday 5th FILM: Weird Science (15) Classic, if a tad sexist, 1985 sci-fi comedy, with "The Dead Zone's" Anthony Michael Hall. Two teenage nerds try to create an artificial girlfriend, and end-up with the sublime Kelly LeBrock terrorising their lives! Brilliantly demented film from teen-movie-king John Hughes. Sci-Fi Channel (8-9:45pm) Wednesday 6th The 4400 (Season 1 Pilot Episode) Another chance to see this interesting, if not always clever, sci-fi drama about 4400 people who mysteriously disappeared from the world over the past 70 years. Upon returning all of them, at the same time and place, in 2004, they are forced to reconstruct their lives. This is the first of five episodes. A second series has already been commissioned for airing later in the year. Sky 1 (9-10:50pm) FILM: Fight Club (18) Despite the early time-slot, this is the complete and uncut version of this neo-classic thriller, about an underground men's club. Brad Pitt and Ed Norton star as the two men who meet-up, and start a violent club for men to take out their frustrations on one another. Loved by many, but loathed by others for its glorification of macho violence. See for yourself. Contains very strong language, violence and disturbing scenes. BBC3 (9-11:15pm) Cracker: Men Should Weep Part 1 of the three part epic, about rape, that caused a lot of controversy when it was first shown on ITV in the mid-90's. A shocking and horrific story about prejudice, rage and violence. Showing over three weeks. Contains some disturbing material. ITV3 (10-11pm; repeated at 12:05-1:10am tonight as well) FILM: The Serpent And The Rainbow (18) Genuinely scary and shocking true-life horror film, from acclaimed director Wes Craven. Based on the autobiography by Wade Davis, it follows an anthropologist who sets out to discover if Voodoo really does exist. Stars Bill Pullman, Zakes Mokae, and Cathy Tyson. Although this film contains very disturbing scenes, strong language and graphic violence, it's not for the easily offended. If you thought "Cannibal Holocaust", "Bad Taste", and "I Spit On Your Grave" were bad, then you'll relish this tale! Watch out for the chair-torture scene near the end of the film! Very nasty stuff!! Showing uncut! Sci-Fi Channel (10-11:50pm; repeated at 1:40-3:30am tonight as well)X-Rated Ambition: The Traci Lords Story Another recommended adult documentary, about US actress and novelist, Traci Lords, who became infamous by starring in a lot of adult movies. The problem came, when it was discovered that she was only 15 years of age, when she started in her adult movie career. (The legal age in the US, is 21!) See how events unfolded. Contains some strong adult material, and strong language. Five (11:15pm-12:15am) Thursday 7th Flashmob - The Return An all-new opera, performed live in a public place. After last years hit, the crew of Flashmob have decided to try out a second performance, of another set of operatic tunes. As yet, the place has been undisclosed. However, I have found out that it will take place in a Northern shopping precinct, possibly Manchester's Trafford Centre. BBC3 (8-9pm) Rescue Me: Season 1 Finale - Sanctuary It's the final episode, and Tommy has a lot to deal with, when Janet makes her move on him. Fans of this brilliant US fire-fighting drama will be glad to know that Season 2 has already begun filming in the USA, and UK fans will get to see it in January 2006 on Sky 1! Sky 1 (10-11pm) Friday 8th FILM: Walkabout (12) Unusual drama with Jenny Agutter, set in the Australian outback. Interesting, but very leisurely paced. ITV3 (11:35pm-1:35am) FILM: Against All Odds (18) Provocative thriller with Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. Five (11:40pm-1:45am) FILM: Open Your Eyes (18) The original and superior Spanish psychological thriller, gets a TV airing. A young playboy with a seemingly wonderful lifestyle, meets one female conquest too many, he tries to leave her. However, she decides to try and kill him, by crashing their car. When he awakes, he finds himself on trial, for attempted murder of her! Alejandro Amenabar's 1987 thriller is genuinely eerie, and superb entertainment. It's just a shame that Tom Cruise loved it so much, and went and remade it, as the execrable "Vanilla Sky" in 2002! Channel 4 (12:25-2:30am) The Tribe: Season 1 Five are airing the first season of this acclaimed Australian sci-fi drama in two marathon blocks. Episodes 1-4 air tonight, with the remainder airing next Friday night. Five (1:45-3:15am) FILM: Dead Man (18) Jim Jarmusch's critically-acclaimed Western drama, with Johnny Depp, John Hurt, Iggy Pop and Robert Mitchum. Some disturbing scenes. Channel 4 (2:30-4:35am) Wednesday 13th Murder One: Season 1 - Chapter 1 Yes! At long last! The most well-crafter crime drama from the early 1990's get a rare TV outing. From the creator of "NYPD Blue", "LA Law", and "Hill Street Blues" comes a show that follows one legal case, throughout the entire series. Before "24", we had "Murder One". Daniel Benzali plays attorney Theodore Hoffman. With his fellow attorneys, they are forced to meet-up with up-and-coming TV star Neil Avedon: a man who has many strings to his bow. With cracking characterisation, superb plotlines, and some excellent story twists, here’s the chance to watch the entire story pan-out over the next 23 weeks. Well worth your time. FX289 (9-10pm; repeated throughout the week at various times) Thursday 14th Law And Order The all-new Season 14 gets its first ever UK airing. Alas, this is the season when actor Jerry Orbach died, part-way through. He will be missed by his many fans, and especially by fans of this gritty and long-running US crime/legal drama. Sky 1 (10-11pm; repeated throughout the week at various times, and also on Sky Mix) More stuff to come, but please be patient with me. Check back here Saturday or Sunday, and hopefully - all things going well - it should be up here for your perusal. Okay, enjoy! Pooch |
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31-03-2005, 3:14 PM
| #3 |
| retired member |
Saw the Traci Lords doc about a year ago in Montreal - absolutely fascinating stuff, so much so I went and got the autobiography that was being plugged during it Cheers for the Heads Up Pooch! |
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01-04-2005, 1:02 PM
| #4 |
| Conspicuous Member |
Hi Again, Apologies for the delays this time around. Here goes the second half of my April 2005 update: Wednesday 13th FILM: Babylon 5 - The Gathering (PG) This is the new, updated version of the Babylon 5 Pilot Movie. In 1993, the film was released, as a prelude to the TV show's first full season. However, director and creator J. Michael Straczynski wasn't entirely happy with everything. "The Gathering" was re-edited, re-scored and had some new work done on some of the special effects scenes, in order to bring them up to the required standard. This is that new version. Shown here, in the UK, for the first time. Sci-Fi Channel (10-11:50pm; repeated tonight, and later in the week as well) Friday 15th Popular - The Consequences Of Falling (Find out what Season this is!) Sky 1 (Late night, 1-1:50am) Sunday 17th House: Season 1 All-new, provocative US drama, comes to the Hallmark Channel. "House" is Dr Gregory House: a disabled, acerbic, grouchy and unshaven doctor, (played by Brit comedian Hugh Laurie), who seems to hate everyone equally, including his many patients and staff. His boss, Dr Lisa Cuddy (played by the gorgeous Lisa Edelstein), deals with his lack of social skills, because he seems capable of dealing with medical cases, that others dismiss as unsolvable. "House" sounds pretty derivative, but has become one of the most watched shows in the US, even beating "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "ER", and that takes some skill! See all 13 episodes in the UK, for the first time ever, every Sunday night. Hallmark (9-10pm; repeated later at 1-2am) Wednesday 20th FILM: Babylon 5 - In The Beginning (PG) The first of the B5 spin-off movies, from 1998, is actually a prequel to the original Babylon 5 TV series, although parts of the film take part before, during and after the 5-season show! Sci-Fi Channel (10-11:45pm; repeated tonight, and later in the week as well) Saturday 23rd FILM: The Twilight Zone - The Movie (15) 80's movie spin-off of the classic supernatural and psychological mystery drama. Rod Serling's show was a classic of its day, and has been updated and reinvented several times now. Here, four of the best stories from the original series, are re-interpreted for the big-screen, with major Hollywood actors, including John Lithgow, Dan Ackroyd and many others. Showing uncut and in widescreen. Sci-Fi Channel (10pm-Midnight) FILM: Child's Play (15) Hopefully, this will be the completely uncensored version, which has never been seen in the UK before. For those who don't know, the film follows the story of a serial killer who, just before he is killed, converts his soul into a child's doll. Unbeknownst to a single mum, she buys the doll from a dubious man on the street, which then proceeds to terrorise both her and her son. Despite many peoples hatred, I really like this film, and the evil doll, Chucky, is a really well-executed special effect, courtesy of FX specialist Kevin Yagher. The BBFC have always censored this film, although I'm not sure exactly why, but as this film is still censored in the UK and USA on DVD, this maybe one of the very few chances to see it intact, albeit not in the correct widescreen ratio. FX289 (11:05pm-12:45am; repeated Sunday at the same time) Monday 25th Boston Legal - Season 1 Pilot Episode The all-new weekly US legal drama, with William Shatner and James Spader, gets its very first UK showing tonight, fresh from its success in the USA. A semi-spin-off from David E Kelley's "The Practice", the show follows a team of top Boston litigators, desperately trying to hold together their team, amid a mess of controversial cases and troubled personal lives. Rhona Mitra (of "Lara Croft" fame) and Candice Bergen both co-star. This could be a great show. LivingTV (10-11pm) Wednesday 27th FILM: Babylon 5 - Thirdspace (PG) Second B5 film spin-off. This one takes place during Season 4 of the main show's five-season story arc. Sci-Fi Channel (10-11:45pm; repeated tonight, and later in the week as well) Family Guy: A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas Another controversial comedy classic, in the superb animation series. Sky 1 (late night, 1:50-2:15am) ADDENDUM: Season 7 of "The Practice" will also start to air, this month, on ITV3, which will be a UK premiere, as well as the show's awesome penultimate season. Lastly, one final show worth noting, is "The Shield" Season 3, which will get its first satellite airing on channel FX289, at some point this month. However, although Five viewers saw this several months ago now, transmission times have yet to be confirmed for FX289 viewers. Season 4 will probably air in the Summer months, on Five, for terrestrial fans keen to see what Mackey, Aceveda, Wyms, and Dutch get up to. Oh, and there's a new character in-store! (I won't spoil it, but if you really want to know who it is, PM me!) Well, there you have it! Another long list of shows worth keeping your eyes peeled for. When each week's terrestrial listings become available, I'll post any additional shows of note, and/or any updates or transmission changes where applicable in this very thread. Until next month, Happy Viewing!  Pooch (Knackered, after typing all this out!  )
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12-04-2005, 12:02 PM
| #5 |
| Conspicuous Member |
Hi, More stuff worth watching this week and next! Wednesday 13th ITV3 (9pm-11pm) Crime Story Yes! Yes! Yes! This is the one show you have to watch, if you love Michael Mann, or crime dramas! In 1986, Michael Mann produced this superb two-season crime show, starring many of the best US actors, including Dennis Farina, Anthony John Denison, John Santucci, Stephen Lang, Bill Smitrovich, Bill Campbell, Darlanne Fluegel, Patricia Charbonneau, and Jon Polito. Set in 1960's Chicago, we follow Lieutenant Mike Torello of the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) and how he tries to stop a local Mobster known as Ray Luca, from taking over the criminal underworld. The show is phenomenal, in every sense! Before "24", before "Murder One", you had "Crime Story" - a show that followed one gigantic story arc, throughout an entire season! Yes, the show's been out on UK and US DVD, but this is still worth watching. Tonight's Pilot Episode was directed by Abel Ferrara, and also stars David Caruso in one of his first ever TV roles! The series will continue over the next 6 months, every Wednesday night at 9pm. (There are no repeats, so set your videos/DVD recorders/PVR's for this one!) Monday 18th BBC4 (9pm-11pm) British Animation Shorts First of a three part documentary on British animation. During the week, BBC4 will also be showing animated hits made in the UK, past and present, including the excellent "Gogs", "Rex The Runt" and many more. More updates for other shows, in the next day or two. Pooch |
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