TV
Reviews
COMEDY DRAMA LOVE SOUP 8801, Tue 27 Sep,
You can tell that Alice and Gil are meant to be together. For one thing. they lTamsin Greig and Michael Landes) look a bit like each other. And for another. they have the same morbid. paranOid. neurotic thoughts and visions that life is passing them by and when they get something going. it will surely end in unmitigated disaster. This fragile new comic drama from One Foot in the Grave/Jotiathan Creek scribe David RenWick borrows heavily from Woody Allen. most blatantly in the opening credits (same font and musical sensibility) while his creative spirit haunts the characters; as they fumble their way through the day With an awkward abandon and astonishing propensity for luck to go someone else‘s way. In the opening couple of episodes there are some delicious details. such as Alice's young neighbour who can't
stop urinating out of the window while Gil has to deal with a narcoleptic secretary. A gentle grower.
(Brian Donaldson)
COMEDY PREVIEWS ALL ABOUT GEORGE/MIKE BASSETT: FOOTBALL MANAGER Scottish, Thu 29 Sep, 9pm
You'd have to be a cynical old sod to make a connection between Rik Mayall and Ricky Tomlinson both having a series beginning on ITV when they are also in the throes of publicising books. Unfortunately (or otherwise) tapes (or in this new fangled age. DVDs) didn't make it to us before deadline time. so the duality of their current endeavours will remain a mystery here until this new comedy /one is officially breached. But one thing's for sure. should they be even half decent. it Will be a grounilbreaking night for ITV.
Mayall plays George. a middle-aged family man who has so many relatives dropping into
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his never quiet home that he may resort to cracking hilarious put- downs. Meanwhile. Tomlinson reprises his big screen role as the once—acclaimed coach of the English national team who is now plying his trade in the lower leagues (a premonition, perhaps?) Let battle commence and subtlety fly straight out the window.
(Brian Donaldson)
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY HIP HOP NIGHTS Channel 4, Mon 26 Sep, 11pm, Tue 27-Thu 29 Sep, 11.10pm 00.
Hip hop beats. bling and booty bass take over Channel 4 as they host another of their themed weeks with a nightly series of docs looking at the current trends in hip hop. the music genre that shifts more records worldwide than any other. Covering subjects from women in rap to the dubious links between hip hop and religion. some of the arguments the series presents are confused and at times even contradict themselves. There are some great interviews from a selection of key players. but most of the big names are conspicuous by their absence. However. it's an eminently watchable series packed With great music and sharp soundbites. and while there are informative moments. it doesn‘t really offer much in terms of real insights. Compared to the definitive history of The Hip Hop Years (repeated after this each night) this is throwaway stuff. (Henry Northmore)
Night of the Living Dead
DVD
SUPERNATURAI. ONIBABA
(15) 98min (Eureka! DVD retail) 0...
Straddling horror and drama. Oni'haba is the tale of how a mother (Nobuko Otowa) and daughter-in-Iaw (Jitsuko Yoshimura) cope during a civil war by robbing and murdering soldiers unfortunate to blunder into their swamp. before dumping their bodies down a hole hidden in the tall susuki grass. This morbid existence is disturbed by the return of their neigthur Hachi (Kei Sate) whose affair with the daughter-in-Iaw soon spirals out of control.
Truly minimalist filmmaking. from the scarcity of locations used to the long. tense silences punctuating its febrile score. Onihaba is nonetheless rife with intriguing symbolism.
While not always subtle (a gaping abyss in the midst of long gr; ss for a film about female desire?) director Kaneto Shindo finds horror not in the supernatural but in the basest desires of his characters. crafting scenes that linger long in the memOry. Plentiful extras include an introduction by Alex Cox. commentary from
the director and stars and 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage shot by Kei Sato. (Dave Martin)
HORROR/FANTASY KURONEKO (15) 95min (Eureka! DVD retail) 0..
Probably the most famous film of the kaiden eiga—genre ghost stories based on old legends or kabuki plays. Kaneto Shindos romantic horror tells the tale of a mother (Nobuko Otowa) and daughter-in-law (Kiwako Taichi) who are raped and murdered by passing soldiers. After making a fiendish pact. they return from the grave as vampiric feline spirits. sworn to wreak vengeance on any samurai that crosses their path.
Less ferocious. and thus more lyrical than the celebrated Onihaha. with which it shares its main themes. the eerie atmosphere is perfectly realised. from the haunting monochrome photography and insistent taiko drumming to the primitive wirework used to ensure ‘ghostly' movement.
As a love story. folktale and supernatural thriller. Ki ironeko has something for everyone. and although the gentle
pacing may frustrate some. this is a curio well worth seeking out. Extras include a production stills gallery and a 24-page booklet with an introductory essay by Journalist Doug Cummings.
(Dave Martin)
HORROR
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION
(18) 96min (Contender Home Entertainment DVD retail) 0000
In 1968. produced with some friends on a limited budget in black and white. George A Romero made a small fright flick entitled Night of the Living Dead. Horror would never be the same again. There was a bleakness that had seldom been seen on screen before. the unrelenting terror of the protagonists. the rising paranoia. the crushing inevitability of your fate. Trapped in a farmhouse. the recently dead rise and begin to congregate outside. before a final bloody assault. This is referred to as a classic and still stands up today. With echoes of the Vietnam war and race relations all hidden Within a shambling /ombie picture. The depth of character from these part-time actors (particularly Duane Jones) and the empathy they extract from their desperate situation is remarkable. Shipped in limited-edition steel packaging with a raft of extras including trailers. commentaries. TV spots. interviews and selected scenes from Romero's lost film There's Always Vanilla. (Henry Northmore)
SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED BY LOUD 8- CLEAR
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