Some things and some not.

I have been watching, reading and listening to some stuff that I'm going to discuss here and now.

As far as watching goes, I was interested by comments on social media about the Netflix series of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. The general consensus of opinion seemed to be that it was crap. I loved the books but I wasn't a fan of the UK series so an American series seemed interesting, so I decided to watch it to see just how bad it was. Now, my personal opinion is that it has about as much to do with the novels as I have to do with being a fish. To be honest, apart from the title and name of the lead character, there is nothing that really connects them. Having said all that, I think it's brilliant. It's well written, well acted, we'll made and had me gripped from the first episode. If you forget about any connection to Douglas Adams and watch it purely as a bizarre, funny, action comedy, it is good and I hope they make another season.

I was lucky to be one of the few that braved to severe weather to go to The Underdog Gallery on Thursday and got to see, not only a couple of unique short films by Billy Chainsaw and Jason Atomic, but also the UK premiere of the fantastically crazy Frankenstein Created Bikers. This film is brilliant, it's mad in many ways, it's full of great gore and fighty stuff and also completely insane scenes and plot points, many of which make less than no sense. It is well worth a watch and should raise a smile or two on any face.

I'm happy to see No Offence back on TV, it's an excellent programme that straddles the fence between comedy and drama beautifully.

Looking forward to, what will probably be, my only visit to the main stream cinema this year when the final film in the Resident Evil series hits the UK. I am excited and hopeful that it won't be a disappointment.

I final read The Billy Fidget Letters and it is a good but strange book, worth a read but keep an open mind.

I have started reading the first of Danny Baker's autobiographys To Sea In A Sieve and, although not far into it, I can already see similarities in his and my youth, it will be interesting to see where it goes.

I've been listening to some new folky stuff a lot of which hasn't really done much for me, and some thrashy metally stuff which has been, to be honest, really not my thing. So on the whole most of the newish music I've heard has been less than interesting or exciting or worth it.

Well that's about it for this time, be back sometime.

Recent things: some old, some new.

I have been reading, listening to and watching a few things recently that are new (at least to me) and a few things that I have revisited. I thought I would share them with you and my thoughts about them.

Starting with books. Continuing my trial of new books and authors I have taken a few books out of the library recently which I thought could be interesting. The first is called 'Me And You' by Niccolò Ammaniti. It is a really well written story of family fragmentation. There is a full review on GoodReads but it is worth just reading it without prior knowledge (which I think is true of most books, the discovery that is part of the enjoyment). The next one is called 'Falling Out Of Time' by David Grossman. I found this a little hard going at times, partly because it is written almost like a play. It is a well focused book about loss and community. The third book is 'Bar Balto' by Faiza Cuene. It is a brilliantly written crime novel with a difference, all you read are the statements of the witnesses and suspects. I am about two thirds of the way through the excellent book 'The Billy Fidget Letters' by Nick Battle and Eric Delve, which is about conversations with God. Then I have the first of Danny Baker's autobiography 'Going To Sea In A Sieve' and 'Festival Of Insignificance: a novel' by Milan Kundera, that I am looking forward to reading. All of these books are well worth a read and I would recommend them to everyone.

Moving on to TV and I've been watching quite a bit of stuff lately, both on normal TV and on Netflix. So let's start with comedy. On Netflix I've been watching a series called 'Danger 5' it is a bizarre adventure comedy from Australia that is difficult to describe but it has elements of many other shows including The Mighty Boost and Police Squad but with an originality and strangeness all of it's own. On normal TV, BBC to be exact, I really like 'Two Doors Down' an excellently observed sit-com set in Scotland with a set of odd neighbours. On the drama front, I absolutely loved series 2 of 'The Missing', a brilliant story that was well made and had a fantastic cast. On the BBC iplayer I'be watched a great series, another Australian import, called 'Deep Water' which is a interesting crime show that has a few twists and turns that make it more engaging. On Netflix I've been watching 'How To Get Away With Murder', season 1 was excellent and I'm pleased to say season 2 is just as good, and a tad confusing in parts. I have also watched the new season of Charlie Brooker's fantastic 'Black Mirror' and it is just as great as always, brilliantly made and acted, we'll written and thought provoking, and a little worrying too. All of these shows are well worth a watch if you get the chance.

I haven't seen many films of late, except on TV and most of those are old ones, but I have been listening to a bit of Radio. Alexei Sayle has been back on the BBC with a great short Radio series called 'Imaginary Sandwich Bar', it is still on the BBC Radio iplayer and is his usual mix of shouting, political insight and social comment mixed with some personal stories, and is just great.

We'll,  that's about it for this post. If you have any comment or suggestions for me to watch, read or listen to please feel free to leave a comment here. Thanks.

The Good, The Bad...ish, And The Other Stuff

As a break from doing my lists I thought I'd post about my recent likes, dislikes and other things as far as TV shows go.



Firstly, I know this is going back a few weeks, I loved The Night Manager. Not necessarily my usual thing but it was well written, well acted and brilliantly made, a real treat and I found myself really wanting to know what happened next. On the flip side I was a little underwhelmed by The People Vs O. J. Simpson, it seemed to be heavily weighed on the side of O. J., and whilst I have to admit the authorities made some major mistakes in the case, there seemed to be a real attempt to show them in the worst possible light. Not that O. J.'s lawyers were shown as being perfect and without flaws. In the end it really felt like they were trying to make the viewer feel sorry for O. J., who made left looking like a sad and lonely man. While the programme was well made and well acted I did feel it wasn't necessarily as good as it could have been.


On the comedy front I have been bemused and amused in equal parts by the BBC series Two Doors Down. It is a fairly standard Sit-Com but with a slightly surreal and chaotic edge. I find it really funny as well as, more than a little, bizarre. Definitely worth a watch.


As far as kids TV goes I would recommend that all adult watch the brilliantly odd, and childishly toilet humoured, Larva. I was treated to it by my LB on Netflix, but it is on TV too, and watched about five episodes (they are only short) with my mouth open and my eyes wide. I love it, it is great, there really isn't any more I can say.


I loved the programme on last night about Shakespear. It showed how his writing has to map ted just about every form of entertainment in one way or another. Some brilliant documentary parts, mixed with dramatic scenes, great musical interpretations and good comedy pieces. Well presented and with the inclusion of many of the greats of stage and screen, a real treat and exactly what I always remember BBC2 being best at.