Starting off the week in style are Channel 4 with the new Tom Hanks
series, From The Earth To The Moon (C4, 12pm), charting the history of
the American space programme from 1961-72. Nice idea, but shame about the
appalling scheduling. This sort of thing could have made a mint in prime time.
Fans of BBC's Rex the Runt (Paramount, 7.30pm), will be pleased to
learn that the entire series gets a re-run at the rate of two episodes per day
on Saturdays and Sundays. Right To Reply (C4, 7pm) has its final episode
shown today, but will they touch on the digital DOG issue which plagued the BBC
channels but are now mostly removed - just a shame that Channel 4 who tried to
get it sorted out last time have gone and done the dirty deed of sticking a
DOGgy doing all over their own digital channel. Those of a musical mind will
be interested in Radio 2's Beatles Weekend, mostly a collection of
programmes featuring the odd Beatles tune, but two specials, The Beatles
Legacy (Radio 2, 7pm), in which Robert Lindsay explores the impact made by
the group musically and socially, including comments from the band, George
Martin, and others, while The Beatles Fantasy Concert (Radio 2, 8pm)
is a unique concert experience mixing live Beatles footage from albums, TV
and radio broadcasts.
Sunday :
The BBC will not now be screening episodes 2 onwards of the late Jill
Dando's Antiques Inspectors series at her family's request. A shame
since I'd have thought they would want the public to see the last thing she
filmed.
In Hollyoaks (C4, 11am), Ruth plans to reveal her secret to Lewis but is
worried about how he'll react and Tony gets a shock when he meets his new
flatmate. Coronation Street (ITV, 7.30pm) sees Mike drinking to a fresh
start while Sally asks Danny to help her find out who torched her van. Fans of
the excellent My Wonderful Life series 3 (ITV, 9pm) should note that
this episode is being shown an hour later instead of its usual 10pm screening.
Since Bad Blood has been swapped round with it, I presume this is a
permanent thing. French and Saunders (ITV, 9.55pm) have another one-off
but I wonder if it'll be just as laugh-free as their Xmas Titanic spoof.
Finally, Jenny Eclair's Private Function (C5, 11.45pm) begins the first
of seven comedy chat and review shows.
Monday :
In Cornation Street (ITV, 7.30pm) there's double trouble in the love
stakes as Mike has problems with Julia Stone, and Jack likewise with Eunice.
Eastenders (BBC1, 8pm) proves that love is in the air, but love turns
to hate when the previously-postponed Car Wars (BBC1, 8.30pm) is finally
aired: another docusoap but this time about car crime and narrated by the
late Bob Peck. Channel 4 have a five-hour marathon, Oh My God! It's
South Park (C4, 9-2am), including the first-ever episode, Cartman Gets
an Anal Probe and the series 2 show, Not Without My Anus, with a
couple of documentaries and an old film from Trey Parker, Cannibal! The
Musical. My TV will be begging to be tuned in for another vintage episode
of Steptoe and Son (BBC2, 10.30pm): A Winter's Tale, which was postponed
from Easter Day, but BBC2 have to show the tennis since it's the only sport
they've got left.
Tuesday :
Saskia's sister causes trouble for Matthew and Steve in Eastenders (BBC1,
7.30pm), while in The Bill (ITV, 8pm), PC Sam Harker gets a lead on a
big case from an unexpected source. Brookside (C4, 8pm) sees the
babelicious Katrina having a confrontation with frumpy Susannah while Lindsey
blows the whistle on Callum. Now that 'New Labour' is 2 years old, there's a
one-off St. Albion's Special with Harry Enfield (ITV, 10.30-11pm) also
starring Julia Davis & Rebecca Front, but if you, like me, hated the
series, it makes me wonder if that got so few viewers that for this one-off
they had to put Harry's name in the title...
Wednesday :
Jack survives his attack in Cornation Street (ITV, 7.30pm) and Sally
receives some ominous news. Brookside (C4, 8pm) shows Katrina reaching
breaking point while Jacqui prepares her trump card. Spice Girl fans will be
interested in Geri (C4, 9-10.50pm), Molly Dineen's documentary "made at
Geri's request" about what she did since the Spice Girls. Sounds like her
equivalent of Martine McCutcheon's "This is My Moment" on Easter Sunday which
was an extended free ad for her new career. Radiohead - Meeting People is
Easy (C4, 1.35-2.40am) is a documentary shot over the last 2 years.
Thursday :
I'm still looking for episode 3 of Miami 7 (BBC1, 5.10pm) and
I'm told it was a good one ;). Saskia's sister drags Steve off to
Scotland in Eastenders (BBC1, 7.30pm) to identify a woman she believes
to be the dead snotty cow. Jim Carver returns to uniformed duties in The
Bill (ITV, 8pm) and the end is nigh for the occupants of The Last Train
(ITV, 9pm) as this is the final episode.
Friday :
Cornation Street (ITV, 7.30pm) sees Mike and Jack looking to sort out
their women problems, while Mike Dixon and Rachel go back to being bedfellows
in Brookside (C4, 8.30pm). Fat lady Clarissa Dixon-Wright appears as a
guest on Have I Got News For You series 17 (BBC2, 9pm), while the
second series of South Park (C4, 9.30pm) continues with Cartman's
Mom is Still a Dirty Slut.
If you believe the press, then according to the Radio Times, the week after,
the TV variant of the BAFTAs will be hosted by Michael Parkinson and Jill
Dando. Maybe not now.
The new Sega Dreamcast console, already released in Japan, will get a UK release
on Thursday 23rd September with a retail price of £199.99. Games released
on day one include Virtua Fighter 3tb (Team Battle), Sonic Adventure and
Metropolis, but we will not be getting Bass Fishing. What a
shame (!)
Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list
of the films showing at
Manchester Showcase Cinema
can be found on this page.
As most UK residents will know by now, the BBC's TV presenter of Holiday,
Crimewatch UK and the new Antiques Inspectors series, Jill Dando, 37, was
murdered with a single gunshot wound to the head and was confirmed DOA at the
hospital at 1.03pm yesterday.
Speculation about a stalker attack, first mentioned last year, has ended in
favour of a professional hit since it was a single gunshot and not the stabbing
that was first rumoured to have killed her. Books of condolence are to be opened
up and down the country. The only time I remember that happening was for
Princess Diana. Both were on a similar age, had a high profile over here, and
both looked set to marry someone.
What surprised me last night was that ITV ran a tribute programme at 8pm, and
BBC1 at 9.35pm, so soon after the event. I wonder if, like the Royal Family,
they have these obituaries planned in advance just in case.
One of my less subtle colleagues at work repeated the words spoken at the
end of each Crimewatch UK programme where they deal with plenty of suspicious
murders, "Remember these type of events are very rare...so don't have
nightmares"
Good job Lee and Herring didn't write spoof sketches about her. They wrote
some about Rod Hull but won't show them since he died a few days before the
first TMWRNJ, but apparently www.leeandherring.com has the scripts. I've been
visiting there for the 'behind the scenes' info about each show since No.2.
It takes almost as long to read that as it does to watch the programme.
I still can't find any pics of Natalie though :)
Will Martine hang on for another week at the top ?
Russ Freeman sent me this press
release to announce the release of DigiGuide version 1.1, available from
Monday, 26th April.
First Released: April 6, 1999
Purchase Price: Free
Upgrade Price: Free
Available From: http://www.digiguide.co.uk Company: GipsyMedia Limited
Company URL: http://www.gipsymedia.com
Contact: Russ Freeman (t: 44 (0)1395 274630, e: russf@gipsymedia.com )
Version 1.1 is an interim upgrade for DigiGuide and represents fine tuning
and new features reflecting the enormous amount of user feedback received
from our initial small USENET release.
Current users will be automatically upgraded to 1.1 when they next click
"Update Programme Listings".
New users just go to http://www.digiguide.co.uk and click "Download Now".
WHAT IS DIGIGUIDE?
DigiGuide is the *only* FREE offline electronic programme guide (EPG) for
the UK. DigiGuide embodies all of the best elements of a web site EPG but at
the speed, performance and convenience that personal computing power offers.
DigiGuide also has extra features such as automation and searching
capabilities not yet found on web-based EPGs.
VERSION 1.1 FEATURES
* Programme Finder - this is a tool within DigiGuide that enables you to
find any programme based on a word or part of a word. Programme Finder will
display the date, time and channel of matching schedule programmes. This is
a really useful tool, for example, to find a programme that you know the
name of, or even just part of the name, but you don't know the channel and
the date/time. A simple solution to very common problem.
* Coloured Categories - you can now specify a colour for each programme
category or genre. This makes identifying programme types at-a-glance much
easier. Combine this power with Smart Search and Favourites and you won't
need much else.
* Printing - we have enabled printing in certain areas, these include
printing your channel list (useful for those with cable or satellite systems
where the channels numbers are not intuitive); your programme finder results
and the Daily View (available by clicking on the channel logo).
* Prime Time Link - this is a simple but very useful mechanism to allow you
to jump straight to your own personal prime time. This time is user
configurable from "Customise Settings". Once set, DigiGuide will then appear
at this chosen 'prime time' when started. This feature is important to those
users who look at DigiGuide throughout the day but only watch TV in the
evening when they get home from work.
Best regards
Russ Freeman.
New Videos and DVDs out this week
Widescreen videos out today include :
Fallen (15, £15.99, Warner)
The Holy Mountain (18, £13.99, Visual Entertainment)
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (15, £15.99, Warner)
Sphere (12, £15.99, Warner)
U.S. Marshals (15, £15.99, Warner)
while the DVDs available are :
Bram Stoker's Shadowbuilder (18, £19.99, Film 2000)
Crazy Six (18, £19.99, Film 2000)
Emma (U, £15.99, Buena Vista)
Guilty As Sin (15, £15.99, Buena Vista)
Homework After School Lessons (18, £18.99, Fantasy Blue)
According to Sony Music, the "Ladies And Gentlemen" compilation DVD has been
put back to July/August since they are working very closely with George himself
on this one. I only hope that it includes the promo for "As" (cover of old
Stevie Wonder track, duetting with Mary J Blige) which didn't feature on the
video release.
What's on TV next week?
What's on that's worth watching that is...
Who said there's nothing good on Saturday's ? Most people actually and they're
probably right as it's a pretty barren day. Those things that are worth a look
include another episode of City Central, set in and around Manchester,
in which the team must deal with a suspected hoaxer who walks into the station
claiming to be dangerous and evil; Xena fans will not be happy to learn
that the third part of the current trilogy, "The Way", will not be shown as it
has been withdrawn from distribution by the production company after a bunch
of religious nutters made a fuss about it lampooning Krishna, so at least this
is one scheduling cockup that isn't Sky's fault; Right To Reply returns
and let's hope they kick up another stink about onscreen logos although this
time it's their own channel who has 'branded' their digital variant; and
the Turkey of the Day award goes to Families At War. I loved
Vic Reeves Big Night Out & Shooting Stars, but The Smell of Reeves
and Mortimer & Bang! Bang! It's Reeves and Mortimer were absolute pants
and so is this. Some decent comedy may be derived in the form of an hour-long
Ardal O'Hanlon Live (C4, 9.30pm).
Sunday's have to be the worst day of the week ever invented. You know you've
got work tomorrow, but there's still time for a few laughs, especially with
Lee and Herring's This Morning With Richard Not Judy (BBC2, 12.15pm),
but saying it in a staccato voice won't make it any more true, and cheesiness
abound in the form of new episodes at the absurd time of Beverly Hills
90210 (Sky 1, 2pm), which is only worth watching once again to see if
Tiffany Amber-Thiessen's breasts enter the room before she does, but it's a
shame that the show's only decent actor, guest star Ray Wise, played a
character (as Noah's Dad) who shot himself before he had chance to kill an
innocent young girl as he did in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
In Coronation Street just as Mike Baldwin is about to be blackmailed by
temptress Julia Stone for a heap of money, his wife Alma tells him she's got
breast cancer, while Hollyoaks (C4, 11am) brings the week's two episodes
together in which Sol may tell the police what happened on the night of the
car crash. For a bit more comedy there's The Simpsons (Sky 1, 6pm)
and the impressive My Wonderful Life series 3 (ITV, 10pm).
Monday Monday, so good to me, but perhaps not in Eastenders (BBC1, 8pm)
as Melanie drowns her sorrows over Ian. However, in Cornation Street
(ITV, 7.30pm), romance could be on the cards for Spider and Nita. Any fans of
Right To Reply should note that after the BBC scrapped their monthly
Biteback programme, they're starting up again with The Viewing Room
(BBC2, 11.20pm-12am), in which Kaye Adams lines up eight members of the public
and asks them about TV stories in the news.
Tuesday's child works hard for a living, but the DiMarco brothers are lazy as
hell in Eastenders (BBC1, 7.30pm) as Gianni puts Rosa in a difficult
position. The Bill (ITV, 8pm) starts a two-part story, concluding on
Thursday, which puts DS John Boulton in trouble - yet again - when a suspect
dies during a chase on foot. Just a shame the suspect in question is not that
of guest "reporter" Australian-turned-fat unfunny radio DJ in severe need of a
brain transplant Jonathan "Jono" Coleman. Fitness training is the least of
Lindsey Corkhill's worries in Brookside (C4, 8pm) though as Rose
Finnegan makes her an offer she can't refuse.
Mid-week Wednesday sees Mike B. being pushed to the edge in Cornation
Street (ITV, 7.30pm), while Curly resorts to sorting out Tyrone. There's
more trouble in the second trip to Brookside (C4, 8pm) as Jacqui Dixon
finds out that Lindsey is the sole owner of the new Millennium club. In
Film 99 (BBC1, 11pm), Mira Sorvino discusses At First Sight and
reviews include Cronenberg's new one eXistenZ and The Waterboy.
Turkey of the day goes to Hale and Pace's new 'comedy' series h&p@bbc.
as if changing channel and making your programme name sound like an email
address will make it any better.
Sidney Cooke's favourite programme has to be Miami 7 (BBC1, 5.10pm)
as the nation's newest teen-band tour the American city in search of fame and
fortune. Relationships are the name of the game in Eastenders (BBC1,
7.30pm) as Melanie and Ian reconsider theirs, while Natalie wonders whether she
has one at all with Barry, and Matthew looks to be back in the pink after taking
Teresa to a gig. 9pm is a good time for TV: The Last Train (ITV, 9pm)
reaches its penultimate episode. You can tell who's going to die next as their
name isn't featured in the subsequent week's billing, but the rest take shelter
in an apparently abandoned village where they learn the shocking truth about
why Hild is being pursued, and Colin's attraction towards to Roe creates
conflict. The Planets (BBC2, 9pm) is an 8-part series charting the
history of the solar system starting with Pluto, while Friends (Sky 1,
9pm) sees Rachel getting a new job for all the wrong reasons. In ER
(Sky 1, 9.30pm), Carter accompanies the paramedics but it ends in disaster
while the saga with the Nigerian refugee continues. Frank Skinner
(BBC1, 10.30pm) delivers the third in his eight-part chat show but surely
nothing can beat his interview with the pissed-up Tara Palmer-Tompkintwatface
in the second show. Don't go looking for Points of View again though
since those in their infinite wisdom at Auntie Beeb have canned it yet again.
Next Friday, Chris Evans digs his TFI Friday (C4, 6pm) into an early
grave with Joan Collins, Geri Halliwell, Kula Shaker, Cast and
Terrorvision. Sally receives a shock in the night during Cornation
Street (ITV, 7.30pm), while the final part in the funniest docusoap around,
Parking Wars (ITV, 8pm) airs afterwards. In Brookside (C4, 8.30pm),
Lindsey has a surprise meeting with Callum and wonders if she will ever be free
of him, while Jason is unnverved by bottle-blonde Jayne Farris' shameless
bimboesque flirting. Broadcaster Trevor Phillips and
what-was-he-on-when-filming-Never-Mind-The-Buzzcocks Bill Bailey are the guests
on Have I Got News For You 17 (BBC2, 9pm), and the final part in the
excellent comedy sketch show Smack The Pony (C4, 9.30pm) airs tonight
with a repeat next Monday.
A review of the cult comedy
This Is Spinal Tap
on DVD is now online. Just click on the name to read the review.
Updated cinema listings...
Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list
of the films showing at
Manchester Showcase Cinema
can be found on this page.
The
widescreen video list
has been updated including information for two widescreen videos :
The Holy Mountain (18, 13.99, Visual Entertainment)
Pantyhose Hero (18, 13.99 sub, Eastern Heroes)
and the
DVD list
includes details on a whole host of new DVDs :
This Is Spinal Tap (15, 15.99, BMG)
Homework After School Lessons (18, 18.99, Fantasy Blue)
Nurse Home Visits (18, 18.99, Fantasy Blue)
The Cable Guy (12, 19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Turandot At The Forbidden City Of Beijing (19.99, BMG)
Dante's Peak (12, 19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Daylight (12, 19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Sea Of Love (18, 19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Twins (PG, 19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Aladdin: King of Thieves (U, 15.99, Buena Vista)
Dead Presidents (18, 15.99, Buena Vista)
Great Tenor Performances (19.99, Warner Music Vision)
Mrs Brown (PG, 15.99, Buena Vista)
La Bayadera (19.99, Warner Music Vision)
Le Nozze Di Figaro (19.99, Warner Music Vision)
Midnight Express (18, 19.99, Columbia TriStar)
A Night with Handel (19.99, Warner Music Vision)
The Parent Trap (1961) (PG, 15.99, Buena Vista)
The Rocketeer (PG, 15.99, Buena Vista)
Scream 2 (18, 15.99, Buena Vista)
Shelter (18, 19.99, Film 2000)
White Fang (PG, 15.99, Buena Vista)
Martine McCutcheon's not-so Perfect Moment...
Like Natalie Imbruglia's debut single Torn, a track we were told
was written exclusively for the singer in question with which to set forth on
the world, Martine now finds her perfect moment has gone sour since it
was revealed that the track was first aired on an album in 1997 by 27-year-old
Polish singer, Edyta Gorniak, even though it wasn't released as a single.
Radio 1 removed from The Brits...
At the 1999 Brit Awards show, the Best Newcomer award went to relatively-unknown
band Belle And Sebastian, even though Steps had been told they
had won the award as they received more votes. It's old news now that B&S only
won due to Radio 1's email poll because a sizeable percentage of their votes
came from only TWO email address, but now it has been confirmed that Radio 1
will not be asked to participate in next year's Brits poll.
Digiguide - The best offline TV listings guide in the world ever...
Russ Freeman
has an excellent TV listings guide at
http://www.digiguide.co.uk
in the form of an offline program which covers almost everything you need
with more features - and channels - to come.
This week, in the latest update, most of the new channels listed below have
content from April 24 but TVX has no content until May 2.
To get the new channels simply perform an "Update listings" then go to
"Customise settings" and choose the "Channels" tab. Choose the new channels
and do another "Update listings" to get the extra channel information.
Columbia TriStar's first Universal DVD releases and video info
At the time of writing, no details of widescreen formats or prices are known,
but 17th May is the day for : Dante's Peak, Sea Of Love, Daylight & Twins.
There are delays for other Columbia DVDs as Nowhere To Run is put back to
10th May, the same day for The Cable Guy, while Midnight Express
should see the light of day on 24th May.
Anyone waiting for Flatliners and Screamers since mid-March
should find they were in the shops from yesterday.
On the video front, Dean Cain (Superman), Vanessa Williams
(Eraser) and Wesley Snipes (Drop Zone, Blade, Passenger 57)
appear in another 'save the world' plot in Futuresport out to rent on
May 10th, while May 24th shows there's not just two sides to every story, but
six in Cube.
Out to buy on May 10th is Hush, U-Turn & Afterglow, while May 17th sees
the release of Keep The Aspidistra Flying, Wes Craven's Wishmaster,
a 20th Anniversary Release of Kramer Vs Kramer and double features for
Absolute Power/In The Line Of Fire and Sense And Sensibility/Remains
Of The Day.
Full Kilter for Eidos' Braveheart
Braveheart is based on the Academy Award-winning film directed by and
starring Mel Gibson. Film excerpts and dialogue from the original movie
have been included, plus hours of new dialogue from Angus McFadyen who plays
Robert the Bruce in the film.
In the game, characters from the movie are faithfully brought to life using the
latest 3D modelling technology. Players will be able to take the part of Clan
leaders such as William Wallace or Robert the Bruce to take on the might of the
English army under King Edward. Wallace's compatriots Stephen and Hamish also
feature in scenes taken from the film which are interwoven into the game to
recreate the atmosphere and passion of the epic story.
Braveheart tells the story of 13-century Scotland; divided and war-torn, the
Clans have become bitter rivals over territory and political power. The English
King Edward 'The Longshanks' has invaded, his armies mercilessly crushing any
resistance before them.
It is left to an ordinary Scotsman, William Wallace, a free farmer, to make a
stand. Rallying thousands of Scotsmen to his cause, Wallace takes on
insurmountable odds to fight for the freedom of his people.
Braveheart features a highly advanced proprietary 3D engine that allows the
player to experience close-quarter combat face-to-face on the battlefield. The
entire geography of the UK has been re-created to an accuracy of 50 metres,
allowing the player to march his armies to London to steal the English Crown!
The game emulates day/night phases, seasonal variations, wildlife, geographic
landmarks and battlefield warfare with complete authenticity.
The 3-D models of soldiers are `skinned' and `boned' creating fluid movement and
graphic detail even at close range. A strategic menu interface allows the player
to experience the decision making that would have faced a Clan leader of 13th
century Scotland; managing the resources of the village, diplomacy with
neighbouring Clans and forging trade and strategic alliances. The ultimate goal
is to create an army to defeat the English and repel the invaders from Scotland.
Braveheart has the endorsement of the Clan Chiefs of Scotland and Soares
Wallace, direct descendant of William Wallace. Soares was also an advisor on the
film.
Braveheart has been developed by Red Lemon Studios based in Glasgow,
Scotland.
Mel Gibson has this to say about the game :
Braveheart is the story of how one man's strength created a passion, which fired
a whole country against its aggressors. It is a timeless tale which appeals to
us all; the ability of the individual to triumph against seemingly
insurmountable odds. With Braveheart the movie, I strove to recreate the 13th
Century Scotland that William Wallace knew. Braveheart the game takes this
experience one step further, placing you in the tartan of a Clan Leader where
you face difficult decisions to care for the people who follow you. As with
William Wallace, you must gain their loyalty if you are to lead them to the
field of battle, and freedom. I hope you enjoy the Braveheart experience....
Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask
June sees the budget release of a Lara Croft Special Edition for £14.99.
As well as the original game, an additional disc is included called Golden
Mask which takes Lara to four all-new levels, all of which utilise the
same game-engine.
Players will lead Lara on a search for the Golden Mask of Tornarsuk through
environments including an island glacier and a top-secret Russian government
mine. Lara will venture into the underworld of the Inuit people in this
supernatural quest.
Gamers can see a preview of the Golden Mask edition by downloading the
first level from Eidos' website
www.eidosinteractive.co.uk
from April 22nd. Additional levels will be made available prior
to the release of the game.
On May 10th ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell releases her debut single,
"Look At Me". Today the track received its radio premiere on Radio 1's
Zoe Ball breakfast show and the video was aired on Top Of The Pops tonight with
an introduction from Geri herself. Unsure what to make of the whole spectacle,
my cynical mind turned cartwheels when I saw the words :
Image is just your imagination. Reality is rarely revealed"
before the song, plus a hearse containing a coffin bearing the name "Ginger".
However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that what I thought wouldn't be any
more than a grower was actually an up-tempo funky track rather reminiscent of
The Propellorheads' History Repeating, the instrumental part being used
as the theme tune for Channel 4's So Graham Norton, and one of the verses
featuring Shirley Bassey appearing in a Jaguar advert.
The result from the Dominator Jury: a deserved HIT! although perhaps not a No.1
If you missed the video, then this edition of Top of the Pops will be repeated
on Saturday night/Sunday morning at 1.10am on BBC1.
A Royal DVD from Polygram
Polygram are set to release the multi-Oscar and BAFTA award-winning film,
Elizabeth on May 17th starring Cate Blanchett in the title role.
On the same day, it's still a 'maybe', but I'm hoping it's a 'definitely maybe'
for Metallica - Cunning Stunts.
Anyone looking for The Big Lebowski this week will have been
disappointed, but if you can hang on until next week then your prayers will be
answered as it is released on April 19th. Those waiting for Hard Rain
and A Life Less Ordinary will have to wait a little longer until the
end of May.
Alas, there's still no news on the music titles Dire Straits - Sultans of
Swing and Bryan Adams - MTV Unplugged.
Entertainment In Video due to join in the DVD fun
EiV are scheduled to release 60 DVDs between now and the end of the year which
is quite a feat and is one most welcomed given the titles which have been
planned for release including :
June 1st :
Evita (widescreen with extras), £19.99
Boogie Nights (widescreen with extras), £19.99
Wag The Dog (with extras), £19.99
I Know What You Did Last Summer, £15.99
First Strike (with extras), £15.99
Much Ado About Nothing, £15.99
June 28th :
The Mask (widescreen with extras), £19.99
Spawn: Director's Cut (widescreen with extras), £19.99
Seven Years In Tibet (widescreen), £19.99
Blade (with extras), £19.99
Lost In Space (with extras), £19.99
Seven (widescreen), £17.99
Donnie Brasco (widescreen), £15.99
Other forthcoming titles :
Dark City
The Wedding Singer
Rush Hour
The Piano
Tombstone
Leaving Las Vegas
Up Close And Personal
The Crow
So, plenty to look forward to there. At the moment it's unconfirmed whether
those above not listed as WS will get the widescreen treatment. However, EiV
have come through for the video market on a number of occasions so let's hope
that these masters are mirrored for the DVD releases.
The Playstation races ahead again?
By the time you read this, Namco's Ridge Racer Type R4 should be in the shops
and opinions on this are welcomed, particularly on those not keen on the first
three outings. I played numbers two (Ridge Racer Revolution) and three
(Rage Racer), the latter seemingly particularly dull and sparse,
centring mainly on one track while V-Rally contained 42! I failed to
see how anyone could be swayed by the RR series.
Singles part 1
Anyone familiar with my music chart analysis which can be found
here
will know it contains a list of all known forthcoming major singles releases,
all taken from the list provided on HMV's
Website, providing a decent amount of information in that respect, but what
I could do with is a similar list for Albums since their site does
not provide this information. If you have any suggestions of where I can find
this info, please email me.
Singles part 2
Will the chart soon be calming down? If Watchdog are to be believed, Sony Music
will be setting a new policy on the pricing of new singles at the standard
£3.99 in a bid to slow the charts down and get back to reality so we
don't end up week-in-week-out having a new No.1 and no climbers. Time will tell.
Singles part 3
Those who were once a couple and are now singles now include marriage-sham
idiots Greg Cordell and Carla Germaine who wanted all the fame and fortune
(in terms of a free luxury flat and car for a year) when they met at the altar
in time to get married without ever having clapped eyes on each other
beforehand. The press followed them on their honeymoon in the Bahamas, but after
two months of marriage it all came to the end. What did they blame? Which one
of the following do you reckon?
1. A wide-boy whose idea of commitment doesn't stretch beyond a one-night
stand?
2. A bottle-blonde slapper who hopes her time onscreen will win her plenty
of fake tan-cream?
3. Media intrusion
Yes, the answer is No.3. As The Simpsons's resident bully, Nelson, would
say in response to their idiocy, "Ha! Ha!".
Turok 2, Dominator 5
This final part for today is a plea. I've recently begun playing Turok 2 on the
PC, but after activating all 3 distress beacons and saving 2 kids, I keep going
round in circles. I'm in area 5 at a section where it looks like you have to
jump through an arc of red diamonds but I can't figure out how to do a 'super
jump' - if I can - even though there's a sort of launch pad in front of me, and
on the other side is what looks like some armour. I've asked a friend about
this, but neither he nor any of his friends know what it's for either. Still
if I can get off that level and further on in the game, then that'll do me.
Another question: why can't I run in this game? It was a standard function in
the first game, as well as many other first-person shoot-em-ups of this ilk, but
not here.
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Braveheart is based on the Academy Award-winning film directed by and
starring Mel Gibson. Film excerpts and dialogue from the original movie
have been included, plus hours of new dialogue from Angus McFadyen who plays
Robert the Bruce in the film.