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QI: Complete BBC Series 1 (DVD)
by sean_macrae1 Q.I is an entertaining quiz show with an informative, intelligent side provided by the amazing Stephen Fry, who makes a witty, hilarious host with an encylopedia of interesting knowledge. The guests are mostly current comedians, with Alan Davis on every week, an common appearances from Phil Jupitas, Dara O'Briain, Rob Brydon and ... Jimmy Carr. The guests are all given a unique buzzer noise in every episode to do with the theme of the quiz such as nature or the circus or mythology or many other themes. They are also sometimes given something to hold up when a certain question in the program comes up. Stephen Fry asks a series of intelligent questions, which tend to produce very interesting and informative answers, and so the quiz is educational as well as funny unlike many modern quiz shows. When the contestants answer a question with the obvious answer which is wrong a buzzer goes off and the screens flash. Very funny. Read the complete review |
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Queer As Folk (Definitive Edition, DVD)
by karenuk My husband and I have just finished watching another DVD boxset. This time, it was the Definitive Collector's Edition of Queer as Folk. I received this for Christmas, but it is currently being sold by Amazon UK for only £13.97 and is well worth the money, as you get a lot for that. The boxset consists of - QUEER AS ... FOLK - the entire first UK series, which is eight episodes QUEER AS FOLK 2 - the two episodes which made up the second series plus over two hours of extras, which include extended and deleted scenes, trailers, commentaries, documentaries and various interviews. (More on these later.) There's also a 32-page booklet written by Russell T Davies. Yes, the man who brought Doctor Who back to the BBC in 2005! He also wrote Queer as Folk, back in 1999. THE SERIES Queer as Folk is set in Manchester and follows the lives of three gay men - Vince, Stuart and Nathan. Vince (Craig Kelly) is twenty-nine, an Assistant Manager in a supermarket and a rather nice bloke. He is sweet, caring, loves his mum and has been in love with his best friend Stuart for years. Stuart (Aiden Gillen), however, is not so sweet. He is selfish, manipulative and sleeps his way round the handsome men in the gay clubs of Canal Street. He is the same age as Vince, he's Irish, has a high-flying job, lots of money and a gorgeous bachelor pad. He can be incredibly sexy and can usually pull a man with one look! Nathan (played by the stunningly gorgeous Charlie Hunnam) is just fifteen and a newcomer to the gay scene. He is at school, lives with his parents and sister and is initially shy and frightened about his first outing (pun intended) in Canal Street. He soon meets up with Vince and Stuart and his first sexual encounter is with lothario Stuart. These three are joined by friends, work colleagues and family, to make up a little community we come to know and love through this drama series. The excellent cast also includes Denise Black as Vince's eccentric and flamboyant mother Hazel and a thin-looking Antony Cotton as Alexander. The series is an excellent mixture of drama and comedy, with many excellent lines and laugh-out-loud moments, but plenty to think about too. We have the problem of coming out to your family, the dangers of the club scene, underage sex, unrequited love and the use of sex as a commodity. Queer as Folk caused a whole heap of controversy when it first came out a decade ago. Nowadays, thankfully, society is much better at dealing with gay characters on TV and in real life. We have a long-term gay character in Coronation Street (Antony Cotton again!) and gay weddings (civil partnerships) are legal, popular and celebrated. It still has to be said though that Queer as Folk has an 18 rating for a very good reason! As well as a large amount of swearing, there is a lot of gay sex on scene and although tastefully shot, it is still quite explicit at times and may not be everyone's choice of evening viewing. Hubby and I really enjoyed it though and so did my eighteen-year-old daughter. It has such charm and warmth about it and it takes only a few minutes before you are completely caught up in the story. The script and acting are both excellent, with the three leading actors giving superb performances in characters you will soon love, despite their faults. Both series are beautifully done and the whole thing is shot against a backdrop of bright colours, lights and loud dance music, which adds a great atmosphere to it. We ended up watching two or three episodes a night and really enjoyed each one. Highly recommended. THE EXTRAS Extended and Deleted Scenes (with commentaries) We watched these with the commentaries on, which made them much more interesting, as you found out which bits were cut or changed and why. The wonderfully enthusiastic Russell T Davies is accompanied here by the producer Nicola Shindler and they have a very good rapport and are great to listen to. Behind the Scenes This is a documentary from the time, taken from another television programme, where various stars and Russell T Davies are interviewed and you can watch some of the filming. This is reasonably short, but interesting and well worth a watch. Right to Reply This is the section of the Right to Reply show where they debated the controversy around Queer as Folk, after the showing of the first episode. Here we get to meet a gay man arguing the show didn't reflect his experiences, as though that meant it shouldn't be shown. (I've never danced with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man, but I still enjoy The Wizard of Oz!) There's also a woman from Stonewall and the two of them manage to criticise Queer as Folk, without needing to rely on 'Annoyed Straight Middle Class Person from the Home Counties.' Oh dear. Still, it'll get you shouting at the TV screen and if your house is anything like ours, you'll end up having your own debate. T4 interview Here you get to see a younger, thinner Dermot O'Leary mentioning his girlfriends, just in case you think he might be gay! He interviews Craig Kelly and Charlie (Did I mention he's gorgeous?) Hunnam. It's a bit predictable, but the actors come across well and both seem like great blokes. Which is more than can be said for Dermot. What the Folk documentary This is a long, official behind-the-scenes documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew and also worth watching. You get to see the locations used and meet some of the men who actually go to Canal Street. There's also an interview with Joel Schumacher who was responsible for the American version that followed. If that's not enough to tempt you, there are also... Commentaries from Aiden Gillen, Craig Kelly, Denise Black, Russell T Davies, Nicola Shindler and Antony Cotton. Plus trailers, teasers, still galleries, video montages of the main characters, biographies and quotes. Phew! Read the complete review |
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QI: Complete BBC Series 1 (DVD)
by MisterReview I really did not get this at first! Now I like quiz shows, especially ones that are a little more challenging, like appropriately enough University Challenge. I take them seriously to the point of annoying anyone else in the room with me. "SHHHH" "Listen to the question" "Think about it and ... you'll get the answer" Now when I am reading, I tend to have the telly on as well, some sort of strange multi-tasking thing going on. And on one of the days I was reading and had the telly on, one program had merged into another and at this particular instance QI happened to be on. Whilst reading, I could hear the questions being read out and was muttering the answers to myself. Eventually it dawned on me that, Mr Stephen Fry, the host, quizmaster, MC, or general Mr Big Brain was saying the 'right' answers were in fact wrong. So my attention turned away from my book, towards the programme, and as I was effectively now watching a programme halfway through, I didn't understand the format. Without sounding arrogant, I was convinced the right answers were right and could not understand why Fry was marking them as wrong. Infact, the programme just seemed to be a big free for all piss-take of regular guest Alan Davies. In short it looked like my beloved quiz show genre had turned into a night at the pub. Fast forward to another time and a colleague is raving about this QI program and how FUNNY and INTERESTING it is, in fact "QUITE INTERESTING." I told him about my experience. And he explained, the whole point of the show is not for the answer to be necessarily right, but to be interesting and witty, and yes many of the questions asked are those where we think we know the right answer, but the generally accepted right answer is something of a myth. The show is meant to be enjoyed for its banter and wit flying around, mainly at the expense of the permanent guest and stooge to Stephen Fry, the token non-intellectual, i.e. Alan Davies. The proper guests (across the range of series, perhaps not on this DVD) are drawn from the world of comedy and the highbrow end of lowbrow TV, so expect guests like Doon Mackichan, Jo Brand, Bill Bailey, Jimmy Carr, John Sessions, Dara O'Briain. One regret of this show though is that many of the guests, whilst having moments of humour and interest about them are really rather annoying, arrogant and unfunny people such as Sean Lock, Clive Anderson, Jeremy Clarkson, Rob Brydon, and Danny Baker, but don't worry all is saved by the continuing banter between Stephen Fry and Alan Davies. Read the complete review |
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Genre: Television / TV Series / Suitable for 18 years and over / DVD released 2006-06-19 at Channel 4 DVD / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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2 reviews Genre: Television - Queer as Folk / TV Series / Theatrical Release: 1999 / Director: Charles McDougall, Sarah Harding / Actors: Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly ... / DVD released 14 August, 2006 at Channel 4 DVD / Features of the DVD: Collector's Edition, PAL |
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Genre: Television / TV Series / Suitable for 15 years and over / Actors: Stephen Fry, Alan Davies ... / DVD released 2008-03-17 at Wmv / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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2 reviews Genre: Television - QI / TV Series / Theatrical Release: 2003 / Actors: Stephen Fry, Alan Davies ... / DVD released 06 November, 2006 at 2 Entertain Video / Features of the DVD: PAL, Subtitled, Widescreen - Stephen Fry presents this comedy panel game where artistic licence is king. Fry is joined by fo... |
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