20 posts tagged “2006”

Action Concept, the crowd that makes Alarm für Cobra 11: die Autobahnpolizei, has an English trailer for the show on its site. I am surprised no English channel has ever picked up the long-running series. Sure, it’s devoid of real plot and there are inconsistencies the size of Düsseldorf itself, but my gosh, is it fun.
   The budget has been cut since its heyday and the ratings are down, but from what I have read in the German press, it still outperforms everything else in its time slot.
   One problem is that the trailer is ancient. The German accent on the American English (why do announcers in Germany all sound the same—is this the same guy as on DW-TV?) might make it too foreign for some English-speaking countries, but who cares?

   As fans can see, Semir’s partners end with Tom Kranich (played by Réné Steinke). Since then, Chris Ritter (Gedeon Burkhard) has joined and been killed off in the course of duty, and Ben Jäger (Tom Beck) has been fielding the sidekick position since. The intro is pre-Chris, though this is still the only one I can recite with my extremely limited German.
   This is the sort of show that might start off at a bad time slot on an English channel and steadily work its way to prime-time. Even if it was dubbed, I am sure it would get plenty of fans.

PS.: I have tried Vox at another office, and I have used it with another ISP. The compose screen either fails to come up or takes several hours. Something is afoot.

I managed to get NZ$20 credit thanks to the Real Groovy loyalty card, meaning that I paid a grand total of NZ$10 for these two purchases today:

   I already had the first Casino Royale set, but it lacks a director’s commentary and many of the features one would expect for the NZ$35 I originally paid. I refused to buy the collector’s edition originally because I felt Sony would be getting my money twice. But for NZ$5, why not? Well worth it for all the extra stuff, deleted scenes and fascinating documentaries about the connections Ian Fleming had with the Bahamas (which many Bondphiles would not even know).
   There is even a documentary about the 50-year journey of the novel to this version of the movie, and clips from the first James Bond (with Barry Nelson) and the first time Casino Royale hit the big screen (in 1967, with David Niven—and we do get clips of Barbara Bouchet, Jacqueline Bisset, etc., too).
   Given how basic the Quantum of Solace DVD set is, my bet is that Sony will do this again.
   Secondly, this CD was on special anyway (NZ$5), and it has a few John Barry tracks, plus one Chet Baker one. It’s not the special album that Barry and Baker put together for this film, but considering that was never released in New Zealand, it’s the next best thing. A bit “1990s” in some respects (the Moby track in particular), but it has been ages since I treated myself to some music.

Let’s see: State of Play, remade. Life on Mars, remade. What are the chances the Americans will redo Tuesday?
   I think there is a conspiracy to remake anything that John Simm and Philip Glenister appear in.

Some thought W. was a great comedian. Others thought he made light of some real tragedies. Below are two videos from his various press dinners, which are either very funny or very sick, depending on your point of view.
   The one where the former president appears with Steve Bridges is interesting. No doubt the White House had approved the things Mr Bridges said. One wonders how many were truly the President’s thoughts.

Let’s compare these Life on Mars casts:

UK: Marshall Lancaster, Philip Glenister, John Simm, Dean Andrews, Liz White. US rejected pilot: Lenny Clarke, Jason O’Mara, Rachelle Lefèvre, Colm Meaney. US definitive series: Jonathan Murphy, Harvey Keitel, Jason O’Mara, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol. Spain: La chica de ayer cast. I only recognize Manuela Velasco, Ernesto Alterio and Antonio Garrido (second, third and fifth actors from left). I assume the two actors in the back are Spanish Ray and Chris.

Another netizen has been comparing the sequences from the original and US broadcast versions of Life on Mars. Here’s another sequence which I thought was interesting: they both have the same character and work very well in their contexts.

Here’s a comparison of the opening title sequence between the British and American versions of Life on Mars. The latter is very close in terms of the scenes chosen with Sam’s accident and his first moments in 1973.

I have wanted to do this for a week but I have only just found the clips on YouTube. One scene from Life on Mars (original and remake), as Sam Tyler arrives at the nick and meets Gene Hunt. Seeing it here it’s obvious the American version has had a lot more money thrown at it. And that Harvey Keitel is the best choice of American actor for the Gene Hunt role, who doesn’t need to copy Philip Glenister as he was one of the original 1970s tough guys.
   The dynamic is different: Sam and Gene in the original are two sides of the one coin; in the US version, Gene Hunt is more the superior officer and there is less of a buddy, Regan-and-Carter connection between him and Sam.
   There is an interesting connection via the Murdoch family: News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch controls 20th Century–Fox, which makes the US Life on Mars; daughter Elisabeth bought Kudos, which made the original.

For my American friends who saw US Life on Mars on Thursday, here’s the original scene where Sam Tyler is struck by a car and sent back to 1973. Bear in mind that the original UK episode was 17 minutes longer, so these scenes are a bit longer as well.
   The lines and idea are very similar (notice the pose of Sam Tyler on the ground!) although Sam is a Detective Inspector here, not a regular Detective. As I said in my review, seeing the World Trade Center in the remake was a lot more powerful than a billboard for a motorway. And while Jason O’Mara did a very good job, considering the train-wreck of the Kelley pilot, John Simm remains unbeatable in his depth and expression.
   The two compare very well, in my opinion: the Americans have captured the sense of Sam’s confusion in the aired première marvellously.