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Manicman8
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Still Open All Hours (2013)
What is this meant to be?
By the title, this show is meant to be a return to 70s/80s sitcom 'Open All hours' staring Ronnie Barker and written by Roy Clarke. This isn't.
To see the problems, you need to know about the original. the Original was a Vehicle for Ronnie Barker, a classic British comedian, actor and writer. The show was mostly focused on him trying to sell stuff in his store to increase profit while spending as little as possible, and pursing his second Love, Nurse Gladys Emmanuel. At the same time, Some scenes would then focus on his young nephew, Granville, who was trying to be a hip young person and purse his own love life. That was it. The show focused on mostly Barker as 'Arkwright', or his nephew Granville. Nothing else. while the odd customer comes
This show, Ronnie Barker is dead so the character of Arkwright is too, Granville has now grown up and has given up trying to be young, trying to update things, or anything else much, is has turned into a sub-par version of Arkwright, with his own son who gets little character but roughtly filling in the Granvile role. But it is a 'Modern' show with out such strong leads as Ronnie Barker, so half of the show is sketches and focus on regular customers and people in the street. Where the original wouldn't have many, or any, scene without either Arkwright or Granville, this show goes for half it's time without either of the fill-ins for them. Where the original only had 3 regular cast, with the a few people appealing on a semi-regular basis (like Barbara Flynn as the Milk Woman, or Stephanie Cole as the Black widow, Mrs Featherstone), they were in less then HALF of the series. Now the semi-regulars appear in it more then the main cast and many of the stories focus specially on them. This gives the show a completely different feel as it has a completely different focus and even a completely different take of humour, more closely related to 'Last of the Summer Wine' (Also by Clarke) then to Open all hours. If they just renamed a couple of the regular cast members characters, and the name, this would easily pass as a unrelated show with some comments about how it's trying to rip-off the original. The only reason it's doing so well is what it can take from the nostalgia group who more prefer the modern styling of the show then the original.
Either Roy Clarke is trying to show how his writing work as badly degraded in his old age, the lack of interest in the 'old style' of the old show, or that the actors aren't any where near as strong as Ronnie Barker was, and are unable to carry a show like he was.
either way, it's a very sorry state of affairs and much like other 'BBC revival' attempts as they have long ago lost the heyday of classic sitcoms, signs that they just shouldn't bother and leave the past in the past.
After MASH (1983)
Better then people claim, just not what they expected
When watching this, if you are able (as it hasn't really been repeated or given any release), people often make huge mistakes. They compare it to the wrong things. Is this M.A.S.H? no. can't be. A lot of people will tell you that M.A.S.H. wasn't even M.A.S.H. and that the Potter episodes are much worse then the Blake episodes or whatever. the Show changed over time to make something which was good as a whole.
After M.A.S.H. kinda has the same issues. set a few months after they got home, the show reunites Col. Sherman T. Potter, Maxwell Q. Klinger and Father Francis Mulcahy, well as Soon-Lee Klinger and keeps them completely well in character while changing the setting from the middle of a war, where there job was to patch and ship them out, to a Veterans hospital where sometimes the ones they saved, still have a long way to go.
Starting off, Potter finds retired life too dull and after having problems back in private practice, found a good place and winds up Chief of Staff in the Veterans hospital, where he finds an old War Buddy from his Unit back when he was a Sgt (Bob Scannell, played by Patrick Cranshaw). After Klinger found trouble set himself up home after finding Soon-lee's parents, and his family not accepting a Korean daughter-in-law, He ends up helping out Potter and becomes his Sectary, but has to learn you can't just pull some of the same tricks as in the Army. Then Father Mulcahy joins after having a major depression when it was found out he was deaf. After a minor operation, part of his hearing is restored and he works at the Hospital.
New Characters include the Hospital Administrator Micheal D'Angelo (John Chappell) who is more interesting in his public image then the patients, Alma Cox (Brandis Kemp), his Sectary and in charge Admin who hates everyone bar her love, D'Angelo, while wanting everything to go via the book and has a grudge against the loose altitude of Klinger.
When the show starts, it also features Alma's Assistant Bonnie Hornback (Wendy Schaal) who fancys Klinger, and Dr Gene Pfeiffer (Jay o. Sanders), the local resident who is always over tired and with a lack of money leading him to try to get food wherever he can. over time, these characters disappear into the background before being completely removed, with Pfeiffer being replaced with Dr Boyer (Davie Ackroyd) a former frontline medico in Korea who lost his leg and has a big chip on his shoulder.
While the show was good, it didn't quite get the crowds they wanted and they tried to push it closer to Mash.. but sadly, they didn't seam to know how to do that and after Klinger had a few run ins while trying to get money to support his wife and soon to be born child, he ends up back in court where he decides to pretend to be insane. Some say this means he is 'Back in a dress', but doesn't wear a dress much, but wares a range of outfits where he has to prove to them he was insane, but got better. The Hospital Admin is changed and some characters come and go. Season two was very much NOT helped by the Network deciding to put the show opposite the A-team, believing (falsely) it could beat it in a war. Leaving a batch of episodes unaired and even some unfilmed.
It's easy to see why people compare it to Mash, as a Spin-off, it's trying to take some of the love for the show and bring it to a new one, but this show successfully takes old characters and puts them into a new setting.. However the new characters weren't always used to the best and the settings weren't always the best and people didn't get it as much of a chance as it needed and it would be a shame it see it never released to the public.
Some notable episodes often feel, like M.A.S.H. before it, don't quite go as far as they could do when they have to deal with after combat issues like Downwinders, left behind shrapnel, missing limbs and more.
Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch-House (2005)
If you are a Fan Lovecraft, DON'T WATCH THIS!
Being a big fan of Lovecraft and knowing most screen versions are pretty bad, I decided to watch this when I had the chance, seeing some good reviews of it.. Knowing it was cut down to an hour (50mins or so) means a lot would be removed, but this was a joke.
Basically everything about Brown Jenkin and Keziah Mason is removed (he is just 'the rat' and she is just 'the witch'). All the Lovecraft Mythical world from the story is scrapped (No Elder things, No Nyarlathotep, no Azathoth), though a.. weird version of the Necronomicon appears which doesn't tally with any version from Lovecraft's stories).
Gillman seams to be studying string theory which isn't quite right as a modern version of his work (Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics) but just about okay.. He isn't student of Mathematics and folklore, This garret room with the weird dimensions become one corner of the room being a bit off. and it's not really a garret room at all. Elwood, his friend and fellow student is now a female love interest leading to a nude scene which doesn't have much place in Lovecraft and the child from a local area becomes Francine Elwood's son Danny. The Building horror of the coming of Walpurgis night is completely removed. Joesph Mazurewicz becomes an old guy that was also used by the witch and killed many children in the past, which completely changes the character.
Gilman is less harmed by his battle with the witch, and instead of having his heart eaten out by Brown Jenkins, is put in an asylum and Brown Jenkins eats through his insides, coming out of his right side of his body, removing the whole eating out his beating heart. Gilman seams to not gain knowledge from the witch, but just has odd dreams.
It appears, apart from a small part, all the idea of drawing lines and curves is removed.
like with a lot of modern horror, thrown in tons of unrealistic gore, making things like Brown Jenkins no longer biting threw the child's wrist but chew open it's neck.
I can probably go on dissecting every part of this.. 'Inspired by' story but I'm probably expecting too much from it. While I'm not a fan of taking stories set in the past and making them modern day, I've seen far better examples which done ruin the original story so much..
IF you are a Lovecraft Fan, just don't bother with this and just stick to the works of people like the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society which have done two good versions of this story in both there Dark Adventures Radio Theatre (Under the original title 'The Dreams in the witch House', and the fantastic 'Dreams in the Witch House' rock opera album.
If you are just a modern day horror fan, you will probably like this if you have only school boy knowledge of Lovecraft's work.
Ink (1996)
Pretty good, why no more?
Picture this if you will, You are the beloved writer for a popular New York Paper, so well liked that you can pretty much have your way. Then your Editor dies and you get as a replacement, your Ex-Wife.
Ink may have had a couple of problems but it was only the first series. It was a great show, Ted Danson still up to normal form as Mike, and Mary Steenburgen as his Ex-Wife Kate worked really well (She is his wife after all). The Supporting Casts were not too big to overcast the main characters but where good as Supporting characters, which can be a big rare in some programmes these days. There really should have been a second series of this show. Since there was not, it does fall a bit short but they do cover a lot of ground in the 22 Episodes it went for. The Main thing that gets to you at the end is that there was little character development in the supporting cast But, like i said, you need more Episodes to be able to put the stuff in.
I don't know about US Airing but anyone with Sky TV in the UK, really should turn in to paramount to catch Atlest a couple of Episodes of this, it'll probably grow on you!.
Robin's Nest (1977)
Great Follow on For All Fans
Robin's Nest is another Great Follow on From Man About the House! After losing his home and on-and-off Love Interest Chrissy, Robin has been got a new girlfriend Vicky. Now he and her plan to act on his dream and open a Bistro. With Vicky's Father as their 'Snoring' partner and a One armed Dish-washer they make a go at it! Robin's Nest is a highly enjoyable Series with only a couple of problems, These are just that fact that neither Mildred and George Roper or Chrissy and Jo appear. It is a big shame that it is the only one of the 3 (Man about the House, George and Mildred, Robin's nest) which DID NOT have a movie. A Must watch for Fans of Classic UK TV and have a good sense of Humour!