lespike

Obviously being in the UK I might not see this show in the same light as it's seen in the US, but I discovered the show in April-ish 2003 when it started broadcasting on the little known UK channel Ftn (also broadcasts on CNBC Europe, although only a couple of episodes a week)...

Soon grew to love the show's topical humour (we've normally heard of the particular subject in the UK) as we don't really have a show that broadcasts on the same level for the whole year. The guests are also obviously well known to us, so pretty much the whole programme makes sense and is always worth a watch!

Only when it comes to the musical performances do I get a little stuck as not all the bands have much (or if any) UK exposure.

Stu

Just tracked Buster on DVD (for £4 - bargain, or so I thought, more of that later) and gave it a watch today, to be delighted all over again from the last time I saw it, which must have been a few years ago!

The film manages to capture the essence of the 60s, and delivers it over to the audience, in a style which I thought was very convincing. Don't listen to your friends when they kick up a fuss about seeing this film because it's got Phil Collins in, ignore it, he can act and does very well in the movie. A mention should also be given to the ever dependable Julie Walters, who yet again gives a solid performance.

While on the subject of Julie Walters, I really like the opening scenes in Acapulco (with nice music from Four Tops behind the flying shots over Mexico) as it shows you in an instant that the character of Julie Walters is never going to fit into her environment, as she can be seen wearing dreary colours, a head scalf, thick coat etc and has nothing to match the elegance of the country and it's people. Although Julie Walters can be seen to fit into her forced situation as the scenes in Mexico progress (shown nicely in her choice of clothing I think) you can see she is never really comfortable with it, and her departure back to England was always going to happen.

The film also seems to be accurate to the story of the 63 Great Train Robbery, except for two point, the driver of the train (Jack Mills?) wasn't shown to be as serious hurt as he was by the gang, and Buster also slaps his wife in the Mexico market scene, something the real life Buster has been quoted as saying he would never do, or never did such a thing.

Still don't let this (or the funny (not haha) ending) overshadow your opinion on the movie, truly is a goodun.

Oh and there is a DVD release doing the rounds at the moment, that really is not worth it, as it presents the film in a badly transferred 14:9 image within a 4:3 frame which just looks dull and awful. Go for the proper DVD release in it's glorious 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

Having not seen this film for a good few years I found it in my video collection this afternoon and decided I'd give it a watch. Being about 14/15 on first viewing I remember the film being certainly a watchable one, but I wasn't prepared for the amount of emotion packed into the film that can only really be seen by one with a degree from the University of Life.

Pete Postlethwaite (Danny), always a dependable actor, proves his mighty worth in this film, perfectly portraying a man with only thing left in his life to keep him going, who then starts to discover this one thing will soon be pulled away from under his feet.

Along with Stephen Tompkinson (Phil) they show a huge amount of on screen chemistry, and genuine concern between the two for each others plights. This is also mirrored in the on screen relationship between Ewan McGregor (Andy) and Tara Fitzgerald (Gloria), which again is remarkable, and worthy of comment.

The film is also backed up in strong performances from a staple of good British actors, including Stephen Moore (McKenzie), Sue Johnston (Vera) and Jim Carter (Harry).

One thing also worth mentioning in this review is some of the Cinematography, which perfectly compliments the film, and at all the right places. Shots of some particular note are the Colliery shot in Concerto D'Aranjuez (preceeding the Union meeting, showing the Colliery backlit at Night) and the shot framing the Band as they arrive back in Grimley from the Band Semi-Finals - the almost backlit qualities of the shot, framed against the sky is simply breathtaking and beautiful.

In short, well worth seeing.

Whatever happened to Film Four eh? Used to make some right gooduns.

Stu (Please note I'm keeping well away from any of the political messages of the film in this review!)