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Silk: Season One

Six Episodes Of Cutthroat Courtroom Competition: A Solid, If Not Spectacular, Legal Drama From Britain
Television has been populated by so many legal dramas through the years, it has become increasingly difficult to make the genre seem fresh and exciting. "Silk" is just the latest affair from the BBC. Premiering in 2011, the show is ramping up for the debut of its third season later this year in Britain after having its second season nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Program. Unlike comparable American programming, British television tends to be served up in much smaller doses. Therefore, Season One of "Silk" is defined by only six hour long episodes. The show is based around a group of ambitious barristers (led by Maxine Peake as Martha Costello) who all seek advancement within the legal field. The next step up the career ladder is to appointed to the Queen's Council (QC) and that honor is referred to as "taking silk" due to the gowns worn at that level. As this is a merit based appointment, it is imperative to be noticed as a winner. So "Silk," while episodic in...
Very Good but not Terrific like Comparable BBC fare
There are so many outstanding UK law and crime shows that one can't help compare them to one another. This is another entry and it is a very good one but I can't say it knocks me out like so many of the UK series do. We first saw this setting in RUMPOLE, of the trying of cases by barristers and their all trying to advance themselves in the Inns of Court. Becoming QC is paramount, called "wearing silk" and hence the title. That is exactly what two barristers are trying to do, get the silk being dangled in front of them. So we watch them try cases while they go about this. There is no humor, like there was in Rumpole though, which is a big loss. Also, these cases are not riveting drama like THE ACCUSED, another UK law series which is absolutely fantastic. Nor is JUDGE DEED which had the absolutely splendid Martin Shaw hearing these cases as the judge. However, these are well written dramas about interesting cases. I would rent these, not buy them. I can't imagine watching them...
Six Episodes Of Cutthroat Courtroom Competition: A Solid, If Not Spectacular, Legal Drama From Britain
Television has been populated by so many legal dramas through the years, it has become increasingly difficult to make the genre seem fresh and exciting. "Silk" is just the latest affair from the BBC. Premiering in 2011, the show is ramping up for the debut of its third season later this year in Britain after having its second season nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Program. Unlike comparable American programming, British television tends to be served up in much smaller doses. Therefore, Season One of "Silk" is defined by only six hour long episodes. The show is based around a group of ambitious barristers (led by Maxine Peake as Martha Costello) who all seek advancement within the legal field. The next step up the career ladder is to appointed to the Queen's Council (QC) and that honor is referred to as "taking silk" due to the gowns worn at that level. As this is a merit based appointment, it is imperative to be noticed as a winner. So "Silk," while episodic in nature,...
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Last Tango in Halifax

A Charming Second Chance Romance Develops Into A More Eccentric Family Drama As It Progresses
When I heard the initial concept of the new BBC series "Last Tango in Halifax," I thought that it might be a cute romantic trifle. What's not to like about a sweet late period romance with two senior citizens of the over seventy set finding love? Despite the presence of the great Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid, I was afraid that the series might be too safe and too saccharine. Somehow, I just feel like older characters receive very little respect in mainstream entertainment. They are either cutesy or curmudgeonly (but still lovable) with little real world nuance or dimension. A lot of recent movie hits featuring an older cast (Quartet, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) have been pleasant escapism, but didn't really hold any surprises. And as this six part series began, I still wasn't convinced. Early episodes are indeed amusing and romantic. But as the six episodes progress, the scope of the show expands to include a larger cast. What's funny is that Jacobi and Reid might be the sanest...
Wow!
I just saw the first episode on PBS affiliate GPB Georgia. It was fantastic! I became a fan of Derek Jacobi during the Brother Cadfael series years ago. He's every bit as good now in a totally different role. The other cast members are excellent and the multiple plot lines interesting, to say the least. This new series should be thoroughly engaging, judging by the first episode. I can hardly wait a week to see the next one. I will definitely buy the DVD if my expectations are realized.
Hedonism in Halifax!
A good television series leaves you longing for the next episode - that is the test. Unfortunately, Last Tango in Halifax does not leave you longing for the next installment. Based on an interesting premise, the plot revolves around two widowed seventy somethings who reconnect after sixty years. Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi - great actors, who, in my opinion are out of their element, play the two. The characters never sparkle, never shine. That, I believe is the death knell; if an audience can't empathize with the leading characters, all is lost.

The proceedings are so sour, so dreary, that after the episode ends one feels as if one has been slimed. A dirty, grimy feeling pervades the whole thing. To give the reader an example, the Anne Reid character gleefully tells her daughter that her friend Derek Jacobi has spent the night with her and that they engaged in sex. The daughter is very uncomfortable, but the mother (Reid) proceeds to tell her that she had forgotten...
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The Paradise: Season One

Retail Therapy: Eight Episodes Of Lightweight Escapism Set In A Posh Department Store
Looking for a stately British period piece about a burgeoning retail empire? No, I'm not talking about "Mr Selfridge." Prior to the ITV Studios depiction of London's elite shopping emporium Selfridges in 2013, the BBC had already unleashed the handsome production "The Paradise" in 2012. Somebody has a love of shopping! Or maybe they just think that the birth and heyday of department stores makes a sexy setting for romantic entanglements and personal intrigue! Of course, "Mr Selfridge" was the first to receive distribution in the North American market being picked up by Masterpiece Theater, undoubtedly due to the presence of Jeremy Piven in the lead role. But don't let that dissuade you from sampling "The Paradise." Ostensibly based on the novel "The Ladies' Paradise" (Au Bonheur des Dames) by Emile Zola, the adaptation may not fully satisfy purists looking for Zola's vision. There are glimpses of his style, but this is a decidedly soapier affair. But that's not all bad for a...
Enchanting Period Drama
Set in an undisclosed location in the north of England during the 1870s, 'The Paradise' is a historically accurate period drama regarding Britain's first department store, and the lives of those people affected by it. From Mr Moray, who struggles to make his visionary enterprise thrive, to the small shopkeepers he has inadvertently put out of business, to the the wealthy Glendennings and humble employees alike. Everyone, including the side characters, are richly drawn and come to life. Especially Denise, who quickly proves adept at her position in lady's wear (much to the chagrin of Miss Audrey, the strict departmental head who Sarah Lancashire plays to such perfection, she steals every scene), and becomes something of a love interest to Moray. The tension there, I might add, is lovely, and plays a role in the last episode's cliffhanger. Thankfully, 'The Paradise' has been recommissioned for a second series.

In addition to the character driven story lines, this made for a...

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Doctor Who, Story 29: The Tenth Planet

At long last...
If you only own one other Dr. Who video, your collection is incomplete without The Tenth Planet. It depicts, of course, the most significant turning point in the history of the show, the departure of William Hartnell as the Doctor. That, in itself is more than enough reason to buy this video.

As a special bonus, there are the Cybermen. Don't be fooled as I was by the still photos which gave them a cheesy appearance. They don't appear terrifying at all until you see them in action. The lip action and voice characterization are nothing less than chilling. I first saw the Cybermen in "Revenge" then later in "Earthshock" and "Attack" and found them scary enough then. Now that I've seen "Tenth" I realize that they actually got less and less scary as time went on, which makes this one the scariest ever.

The reconstruction of the unfortunately missing final episode is surprisingly and absolutely brilliant. The audio track is complete and...
A Must For Fans, But Over-Hyped
Make no mistake: Doctor Who fans are well justified in purchasing this video. The first appearance of the wonderful Cybermen and the final regular appearance of the legendary William Hartnell is now finally available to own and the reconstruction of the missing final episode is superb. But what has been overlooked for all these years is the fact that the actual plot concocted by the talented Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler is hardly amazing. The storyline has all the requisite misunderstandings and escapes and diabolical schemes, but very little of it is executed with any real enthusiasm. Until the Cybermen arrive the first episode is surprisingly slow, with many scenes involving two incredibly dull actors portraying two incredibly lifeless astronauts in trouble. Things are not helped by a hammy performance by the actor portraying General Cutler, whose road to madness is unconvincing to say the least. While William Hartnell gives a bravura performance, he is not entirely essential to the...
A new body, at last!
Whether you grew up watching "Doctor Who" as it was first broadcast in the UK, or in endless 1980s US PBS reruns, "The Tenth Planet" is one of those stories you were dying to see again and again. Annoyingly, you couldn't, because the BBC destroyed all prints of the fourth and final episode, and the story was thus "incomplete" and never re-aired.

The recent BBC releases of stories featuring William Hartnell, the First Doctor, have been exemplary, and this VHS continues the trend. The first 3 episodes of "Tenth Planet" -- long seen only on dim, bootlegged, Nth generation copies of the original -- are nearly pristine. Episode 4 is reconstructed using existing still photos, the audio track, and a few well-used video effects which serve to add to the pictures, not detract from them. (It's heartening to note that for this story, the "restoration" team did not seek to alter the existing footage by replacing scenes with outtakes, or...
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