A place where escape goats go to play
https://www.notplanetrugby.com/
They are available on YouTube.GogLais wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:14 am Seems to have been a decent chap. I've dipped in and out the Smiley books, I should really organise myself to read them in order sometime. Perhaps they'll show the 70s tv series again.
I had to watch the broadcast and the rerun (which was unusual in the days when we only had 3 channels) each week to try and keep up with the complexity!
The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:30 amI had to watch the broadcast and the rerun (which was unusual in the days when we only had 3 channels) each week to try and keep up with the complexity!
I thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:27 am The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.
tabascoboy wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:37 am It made it easy to understand how Blake, Philby, Blunt, Burgess and MacLean were able to get away with what they did for so long.
Along with being buddies with the royals.
Understood; my qualms were more around the unnecessary changes to characters, & some implausible changes to settings; things that didn't have to change to fit in for time. If they were to remake Smileys People, I'd prefer it was redone as a mini-series, rather than trying to force it into a couple of hours.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:29 amI thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:27 am The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.
Agreed. I thought the film was a very pale imitation of both the book and the mini-series. If I were someone who hadn't read the book, it certainly wouldn't have inspired me to do so (but I'm guessing I wasn't the target audience...).fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 3:42 pmUnderstood; my qualms were more around the unnecessary changes to characters, & some implausible changes to settings; things that didn't have to change to fit in for time. If they were to remake Smileys People, I'd prefer it was redone as a mini-series, rather than trying to force it into a couple of hours.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:29 amI thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:27 am The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.
Yup: why Das Boot as the full length series was better than the film.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 3:42 pmUnderstood; my qualms were more around the unnecessary changes to characters, & some implausible changes to settings; things that didn't have to change to fit in for time. If they were to remake Smileys People, I'd prefer it was redone as a mini-series, rather than trying to force it into a couple of hours.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:29 amI thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:27 am The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.
Das Boot is one of the few where I disagree. I thought the director's cut of the movie was better than the series. The series drags in places - as does the book.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:32 pmYup: why Das Boot as the full length series was better than the film.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 3:42 pmUnderstood; my qualms were more around the unnecessary changes to characters, & some implausible changes to settings; things that didn't have to change to fit in for time. If they were to remake Smileys People, I'd prefer it was redone as a mini-series, rather than trying to force it into a couple of hours.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:29 am
I thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.
It's a fine line to tread; where you've got the material, & some studio screaming for x episodes; but someone has to decide that it's better to have 6-8 80% episodes, rather than trying to drag the material out to 10-12 episodes, & fuck the studio execs.Dinsdale Piranha wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:36 pmDas Boot is one of the few where I disagree. I thought the director's cut of the movie was better than the series. The series drags in places - as does the book.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:32 pmYup: why Das Boot as the full length series was better than the film.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 3:42 pm
Understood; my qualms were more around the unnecessary changes to characters, & some implausible changes to settings; things that didn't have to change to fit in for time. If they were to remake Smileys People, I'd prefer it was redone as a mini-series, rather than trying to force it into a couple of hours.
Agreed. Within the confines of a 120 minute medium I thought it was excellent - tge trouble being that the source material couldn't be compressed that much, and it was impossible for anyone who had seen Alec Guiness in the role, and frankly the rest of the cast, to move on. The TV series was so far ahead of its time - its the sort of thing that Netflix aspires to today (and regularly misses)Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:29 amI thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:27 am The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.
When I discovered, "The Deadly Affair", I was surprised how much I enjoyed James Mason playing Smiley, sorry, "Charles Dobbs". It was impossible for someone like Mason to pull off the drabness of Smiley in the way that Guinness did; but I thought Oldman did a good job; Mason played him in a different way, & it was interesting to see a character you've pictured in your mind, while reading the book, & then seen re-imagined by a genius actor, or three.Saint wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:44 pmAgreed. Within the confines of a 120 minute medium I thought it was excellent - tge trouble being that the source material couldn't be compressed that much, and it was impossible for anyone who had seen Alec Guiness in the role, and frankly the rest of the cast, to move on. The TV series was so far ahead of its time - its the sort of thing that Netflix aspires to today (and regularly misses)Torquemada 1420 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:29 amI thought the film was excellent. Had to allow for the need to compress into a single pass watch.fishfoodie wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:27 am The two BBC TV Series are excellent; I had high hopes for the more recent film, given the quality of the cast; but unfortunately they made a bit of a balls of it.
That was an accurate reflection of sub life: long passages of boredom. Director's cut is a hour longer than the film release.Dinsdale Piranha wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:36 pm Das Boot is one of the few where I disagree. I thought the director's cut of the movie was better than the series. The series drags in places - as does the book.
Dunno. Toby Jones is a plausible Patrick Wymark look-a-like and he was the baddie in Where Eagles Dare.Paddington Bear wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:51 am Rewatched TTSS last night. Great film, though I do see how the ending would be a little unclear if you hadn't read the book (beyond the fact that Firth is by far the most famous of the actors who could potentially be the mole, so inevitably is the mole).
The biggest issue is that due to the length of the movie, there's little time for any backstory of the main protagonists so when you find out who it is - it's a bit meh. However I still thought the recent movie was excellent and it made me go and watch the TV series and buy the book (haven't read it yet)Torquemada 1420 wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 11:08 amDunno. Toby Jones is a plausible Patrick Wymark look-a-like and he was the baddie in Where Eagles Dare.Paddington Bear wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:51 am Rewatched TTSS last night. Great film, though I do see how the ending would be a little unclear if you hadn't read the book (beyond the fact that Firth is by far the most famous of the actors who could potentially be the mole, so inevitably is the mole).
The chapter 'storm' in the book nails this accurately. It nearly bored me in to submission!Torquemada 1420 wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:50 amThat was an accurate reflection of sub life: long passages of boredom. Director's cut is a hour longer than the film release.Dinsdale Piranha wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:36 pm Das Boot is one of the few where I disagree. I thought the director's cut of the movie was better than the series. The series drags in places - as does the book.
I get it. It does serve to show that that particular war arena was not all action and tension and, perversely, the boredom led many to crave some danger. Accurate portrayals don't necessarily convey into good watching/reading.Dinsdale Piranha wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 11:24 amThe chapter 'storm' in the book nails this accurately. It nearly bored me in to submission!Torquemada 1420 wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:50 amThat was an accurate reflection of sub life: long passages of boredom. Director's cut is a hour longer than the film release.Dinsdale Piranha wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:36 pm Das Boot is one of the few where I disagree. I thought the director's cut of the movie was better than the series. The series drags in places - as does the book.