Spend New Year's Eve at Middle Earth in the cinema...
Or it might just feel like that after a few pints of special brew tonight.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen
has spent three more hours watching the celluloid pass before his eyes, but
was it worth the time? And when will Thorin sit down and start singing about
gold?
Tom Clancy made a name for himself in the book world, then made the successful
transition to the cinema with various adaptations. He's increasingly muscling
in on the computer games market with release that require more stealth than
action, such as this latest one.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Travis Willock
returns with a film that sounded intriguing when I first read about it in
Dan Owen's Movie Digest, but it certainly doesn't seem to have set the
movie world alight as Antonio Banderas is paired with Lucy Liu,
and the chances of a sequel were probably dashed quicker than you could say 'V.I.
Warshawski'.
Girls Aloud have a different challenger for the No.1...
To find out who got the No.1, visit the
music chart analysis page.
Thankfully, One True Voice dropped to No.3
COMPETITION: EIGHT comps online...
It would take up too much space if I was to detail each one individual here
as I usually have done, so will just list them. This month you can have the
chance to win the following DVDs and games:
Austin Powers: Goldmember (DVD)
Alistair McGowan's Big World Cup (DVD)
Own Goals & Gaffes: The Premiership (DVD)
The Movies & Music Collection (DVD)
Cold Feet Series 4 (DVD)
Haven: Call of the King (PS2)
Red Faction 2 (PS2)
NHL Hitz 2003 (PS2)
These comps above will run until Friday January 3rd 2002. Yes, an extra
week.
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
The list is updated until the end of December 2002.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
returns with a compilation for a band which had their big moment at the start
of the 90s and that was about it, despite trying to come back with a second
album some time after. It doesn't seem that long since they were big news,
and a damn sight less since a very similar compilation was released...
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 new films released this week include: Deathwatch
and reviews of 28 Days Later, xXx and Harry Potter 2
are already online and out now.
We used that tag with Medal of Honor: Frontline two weeks ago, and now
it's the turn of the latest in the Unreal serial blasters. Loud and
gorgeous, but what about the longevity if you're not Xbox Live-capable yet?
The midweek charts return courtesy of Dead Man and we present the Top 10 plus
the remaining new entries. Note that if any tracks are listed twice, this
occurs when singles have more than three formats released in the same
week, thus creating an extra entry. This week we also have the album charts
available.
Also, now you can get this list mailed to you each week. Just click
HERE
and then press SEND.
Any of the albums and singles listed can be bought from Amazon.co.uk
by clicking through on the link below-right.
The Top 10 singles are:
1 (1) Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground (55,563)
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
has put together an excellent look back at the year's music, which we've
split into four parts.
Today we come to the final part, looking at Norah Jones, noting the proliferation
of other female singers such as Gemma Hayes, Vanessa Carlton and Alanis Morisette,
plus Ms Dynamite, The Flaming Lips, Oasis, Morcheeba, best-ofs from the Manics,
U2 and the Lighthouse Family and the posthumous offering from George Harrison.
The BBFC's Chief film censor, James Ferman, died on Christmas Eve shortly
after being admitted to the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, North London with
acute pneumonia.
Over the course of 24 years, up until 1999, the man who described himself as
"a film lover as well as a film buff" passed controversial films such as
Crash, The Last Temptation of Christ and the remake of Lolita.
He demanded 24 cuts to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom before
it could be allowed into the cinema as a PG and also expressed support for
having explicit pornography being made legally available in licenced sex shops.
James Ferman allowed arthouse films explicit sex scenes such as The Idiots,
Intimacy and Baise-Moi, and previously denied any link between
the murder of toddler James Bulger and the video of Child's Play 3.
He also granted Saving Private Ryan a 15-certificate on the grounds
that it told the truth about war and didn't glamourise it for teenagers.
Due to the extreme amount of criticism that he garnered in the job, he advised
his successor, Robin Duval, to get hold of a flak jacket.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
has put together an excellent look back at the year's music, which we've
split into four parts.
Part three lends an ear to Coldplay, the Pet Shop Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Doves, Ash, Idlewild, Nickelback, The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Vines,
Royksopp, David Bowie, Shania Twain and Robert Plant.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
has put together an excellent look back at the year's music, which we've
split into four parts. We move on to part two, as he muses on Sugababes,
Atomic Kitten, S Club and their Juniors, Jennifer Lopez, Darren Hayes, and a
deserved dig at Westlife and Steps. Yes.. they hadn't gone just yet.
Sit darn and shut iiiit. Get back to cockerny Landon, as you take on the role
of Mark Hammond, husband to a murdered girlfriend, father to a kidnapped son,
and you *will* have your vengeance...
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
has put together an excellent look back at the year's music, which we've
split into four parts. Today we start with part one, surprisingly, and the
rest will be online over the next four days - yes, we're even open Xmas Day,
but then so is the internet.
One True Voice and Girls Aloud battle for the No.1...
To find out who got the No.1, visit the
music chart analysis page,
which also includes comments on new releases by
Rolling Stones, One True Voice & Girls Aloud.
T.A.T.U. Girls: The next big thing...?
Not everything in life promises what it delivers, but the T.A.T.U. Girls (right),
a new girl duo from Russia certainly seems to in the form of Lena and Julia,
both around 18 years of age.
Their first single, "All the Things She Said", is a damn good pop tune,
but when someone told me that the video, often featuring on The Hits and TMF
(two music channels on the half-arsed Freeview service), features two Russian
lesbian schoolgirls kissing in the pouring rain, you have to think that you're
being taken for a ride... They weren't.
I've always wanted to return to Russia following a school trip in April 1986
to Moscow and then Leningrad (as it was then). Now I've got another reason
:)
It would take up too much space if I was to detail each one individual here
as I usually have done, so will just list them. This month you can have the
chance to win the following DVDs and games:
Austin Powers: Goldmember (DVD)
Alistair McGowan's Big World Cup (DVD)
Own Goals & Gaffes: The Premiership (DVD)
The Movies & Music Collection (DVD)
Cold Feet Series 4 (DVD)
Haven: Call of the King (PS2)
Red Faction 2 (PS2)
NHL Hitz 2003 (PS2)
These comps above will run until Friday January 3rd 2002. Yes, an extra
week.
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
The list is updated until the end of December 2002.
Those DVDs out this week are:
Brideshead Revisited BS (39.99, Granada)
Dinotopia (19.99, VCI)
Domestic Disturbance (19.99, Paramount)
Jackanory (4 discs) (49.99, Acorn)
Lord Peter Wimsey: Murder Must Advertise (19.99, Acorn)
Midsomer Murders: Blood Will Out (16.99, Acorn)
Midsomer Murders: Stranglers Wood (16.99, Acorn)
Monarch of The Glen Series 1 (24.99, Acorn)
The Pit And The Pendulum (15.99, Addictive)
Playboy Video Playmate Calendar 2003 (15.99, Medusa)
Rumpole Of The Bailey Series 2 (24.99, Acorn)
Star Trek The Next Generation Season 7 (84.99, Paramount)
The midweek charts return courtesy of Dead Man and we present the Top 10 plus
the remaining new entries. Note that if any tracks are listed twice, this
occurs when singles have more than three formats released in the same
week, thus creating an extra entry. This week we also have the album charts
available.
Also, now you can get this list mailed to you each week. Just click
HERE
and then press SEND.
Any of the albums and singles listed can be bought from Amazon.co.uk
by clicking through on the link below-right.
The Top 10 singles are:
1 (-) Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground (97,123)
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen returns with his
regular movie news section which looks at future releases and features US and UK
top 10 cinema listings, UK release dates, websites and trailers.
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 new films released this week include: Sweet Home Alabama, Hey Arnold
and reviews of 28 Days Later, xXx and Harry Potter 2
are already online and out now.
London's Burning's James Hazeldine dies aged just 55...
Actor James Hazeldine, aged just 55, has died after being taken ill on
December 10th, the day after appearing in a preview of "The Talking Cure" in
which he played Sigmund Freud.
His agent, Nicola van Gelder, said he had spent some days in intensive care
before dying on Tuesday this week.
He will best be remembered as Bayleaf in ITV's London's Burning,
although he was also an accomplished stage and film actor, as well as appearing
in
Pink Floyd's The Wall
in 1983.
Steve Coogan claimed his second series of
I'm Alan Partridge
was funnier than The Office, but while he may have been right with Series 1,
his crown slipped and Steve Coogan steam-rolled in with two classic series of
comedy, both of which are being repeated from next Monday on BBC2 late-night.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen
takes a look at the DVD review of Brent's first outing which includes a
hilarious documentary about the making of the series.
The midweek charts return courtesy of Dead Man and we present the Top 10 plus
the remaining new entries. Note that if any tracks are listed twice, this
occurs when singles have more than three formats released in the same
week, thus creating an extra entry. This week we also have the album charts
available.
Also, now you can get this list mailed to you each week. Just click
HERE
and then press SEND.
Any of the albums and singles listed can be bought from Amazon.co.uk
by clicking through on the link below-right.
The Top 10 singles are:
1 (-) Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground (40,848)
Is it 'Yippee kay-ay' for Die Hard on Gamecube...?
Some good and some bad, the Die Hard films have spawned both types
of games, so on which side does this one fall? Interestingly, it's also an
exclusive for Nintendo's small console.
This is getting beyond a joke now as an increasing number of BBC programmes
are also using this tool on their output, which is no good to those of us
who record what we watch first. I've just sent this email to the BBC
(reception@bbc.co.uk and
info@bbc.co.uk), Points of View
(pov@bbc.co.uk) and the Radio Times
(radio.times@bbc.co.uk).
"Dear BBC, POV and RT,
Just how many programmes do we have to have with this enforced "press red" rubbish?
I record everything I watch on my TiVo, so have no need for the 'press red'
culture because when I watch it the programme has ended and pressing red
won't affect a recording, other than blighting my viewing while I watch it.
Will you please drop this endless 'press red' thing? Just tell people they
can press red if they want to, but it is possible to make this function
available without the need for a constant reminder onscreen.
You had enough complaints when you had constant "BBC ONE" or "BBC TWO" on
your main digital channels. You still persist with "BBC FOUR" (bar a few
highbrow events) and "BBC CHOICE" (god only knows what Stuart Murphy has
planned for BBC Three with the ridiculous expensive logo for that channel)
Do you really want to be thought of as lowly as Sky One or Channel 4, both
of whom retain their red splodges nigh-on 24/7?
Thanks in advance,
Dom Robinson
Editor, DVDfever.co.uk; Contributor, City Life (citylife.co.uk)"
I'll report back with any response here as soon as I receive it.
Back to the Future: At last, the trilogy on DVD...
All three films, all in DTS and Dolby Digital, wih Michael J Fox, Christopher
Lloyd and several more, but what happened to Claudia Wells as the original
Jennifer and why did she get replaced by Elisabeth Shue? We don't find out
here.
They threatened to disband after one album, but a decade on and they've
put together a compilation of their best tracks, but surely there's one or
two that it's missing? (apart from band members)
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
charts their progress.
Blue, Gareth, Holly & the Cheeky Girls battle for the No.1...
To find out who got the No.1, visit the
music chart analysis page,
which also includes comments on new releases by Blue & Elton John, Gareth
Gates, Declan & David Gray.
COMPETITION: EIGHT comps online...
It would take up too much space if I was to detail each one individual here
as I usually have done, so will just list them. This month you can have the
chance to win the following DVDs and games:
Austin Powers: Goldmember (DVD)
Alistair McGowan's Big World Cup (DVD)
Own Goals & Gaffes: The Premiership (DVD)
The Movies & Music Collection (DVD)
Cold Feet Series 4 (DVD)
Haven: Call of the King (PS2)
Red Faction 2 (PS2)
NHL Hitz 2003 (PS2)
These comps above will run until Friday December 27th 2002.
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
The list is updated until the end of December 2002.
Those DVDs out this week are:
400 Blows (19.99, Tartan)
Aparajito (aka The Unvanquished) (19.99, Artificial Eye)
Big Bad Mama (12.99, Addictive)
The Big Bird Cage (12.99, Addictive)
La Peau Douce (19.99, Tartan)
Path To War (12.99, Addictive)
Santana: Sacred Fire - Live In Mexico (17.99, Universal)
Alan Partridge has the tax inspectors round on TV...
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen
continues his ongoing review of the return of Alan Partridge, as he went
from rags to riches and back to rags again, but can he get back up again?
The next episode is on BBC2 tomorrow night at 10pm.
After two offshoot albums returning to the fold with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
returns with his first solo album in nine years, but is it worth a listen?
Heaven Knows, and so does
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey.
The midweek charts return courtesy of Dead Man and we present the Top 10 plus
the remaining new entries. Note that if any tracks are listed twice, this
occurs when singles have more than three formats released in the same
week, thus creating an extra entry. This week we also have the album charts
available.
Also, now you can get this list mailed to you each week. Just click
HERE
and then press SEND.
Any of the albums and singles listed can be bought from Amazon.co.uk
by clicking through on the link below-right.
The Top 10 singles are:
1 (-) Blue & Elton John - Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
2 (2) Cheeky Girls - Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)
3 (1) Eminem - Lose Yourself
4 (3) Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One
5 (4) Robbie Williams - Feel
6 (-) Gareth Gates - What My Heart Wants to Say
7 (-) S Club Juniors - Puppy Love/Sleigh Love
8 (9) That Ketchup Song
9 (8) Ronan & Lulu - We've Got Tonight
10 (6) Christina Aguilera - Dirrty
The new entries for the rest of the chart is as follows:
14 Punk - Family Portrait
15 Holly Valance - Naughty Girl
16 Ja Rule & Bobby Brown - Thug Lovin
18 Bon Jovi - Misunderstood
22 Russell Watson - Nothing Sacred
36 Declan - Tell Me Why (not Declan from the Claims Direct ad?)
39 David Gray - The Other Side
64 Dillinja - Live or Die
70 Raveonettes - Attack of the Ghostriders
72 Bakshelf Dog - No Limits
78 Tony de Vit - I Don't Care
79 Glassjaw - Cosmopolitan Bloodloss
85 Lisa Pin-Up - Blow Your Mind
101 Die & Skitz - It's One
124 Eskobar - What Bass
135 ILS - Music
142 Burning Bridges - Glass Slipper EP
161 Lol Williams - Go Royals Go
165 Steve Blake - Phase 2
The Top 10 albums are:
1 (1) Robbie Williams - Escapology
2 (2) Blue - One Love
3 (3) Westlife - Unbreakable
4 (4) Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970-2002
5 (5) Pink - Missundaztood
6 (7) Avril Lavigne - Let Go
7 (9) Atomic Kitten - Feels So Good
8 (8) David Gray - A New Day at Midnight
9 (12) Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
10 (6) Darius - Dive In
The new entries for the rest of the chart is as follows:
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen returns with his
regular movie news section which looks at future releases and features US and UK
top 10 cinema listings, UK release dates, websites and trailers.
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 new films released this week include: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Like Mike
and reviews of 28 Days Later, xXx and Harry Potter 2
are already online and out now. Note that "The Two Towers" actually begins on
Wed 18th December.
Stuart Murphy: Do not trust this man...
Do Not Trust This Man: Once used as the tagline for Channel 4's
Trigger Happy TV, fronted by Dom Joly, who is part of the line-up for
the revamped version of BBC Choice known as BBC Three, starting on
February 9th 2003, and being controlled by BBC Choice's Stuart Murphy,
quite possibly one of the most ignorant men on the planet. Check out this announcement on
DigitalSpy.
Why do I object to this man being in charge of an all-new station on Auntie
Beeb? Check out
625.com
under the heading "BBC Choice - Slobs TV", where Mr Murphy states that
he finds the channel logos (known as DOGs - Digitally-Originated Graphics)
useful because he's such a slob he's too lazy to use his remote control to find out
what channel he's on.
However, the DOGs are also about branding, so that if another TV station uses
its output, they can't help but show the channel's logo. Any viewer with
intelligence, though, will know what channel they're watching and don't need
reminding. This, and the "red dot" used by Channel 4 and Sky One, are the sort
of things that should be made optional, but the channels inflict this upon us
for the same reason a dog licks its balls - because they can!
Things are due to get worse too. Gone will be the awful "BBC CHOICE" lettering,
but in its place will be one of the most horrendous DOGs I've ever seen (right),
which cost the BBC a fortune from Lambie-Nairn, even though it looks like
something knocked up in WordArt in two minutes.
Once Murphy gets in control of BBC Three, things will no doubt head downhill
in similar fashion as they have done with BBC Choice such as:
1. Spinning orange blocks in the corner of the screen telling you what
programmes are coming up.
2. VOCAL announcements DURING programmes. Oh yes. Not content with talking
over end credits (eg. a cheery announcer over the closing credits of the "Queer
as Folk USA" season 1 finale, while classical music played and we were unsure as to
the fate of one character), they waited until a dialogue-free moment during an
early episode of "24" and TALKED about the next programme. BBC Choice
claim it was a mistake. Yes, of course(!) It's mistakes like that which put
Murphy in charge.
3. One word: "NEW". Yes, we know when it's a new episode! At least they
haven't gone the way of E4 yet with "CATCH-UP" (repeats), "SECOND CHANCE"
(repeats on a Sunday) and "MOVIE" (I'll let you guess this one).
No doubt delights to come include, not only "PRESS RED" logos, but "PRESS BLUE",
"PRESS YELLOW", and "PRESS GREEN" in all four corners at once, not to mention
whatever's going to happen to the BBC THREE logo - it's just begging to be
animated!
The only thing I can say in Murphy's defence is that he sometimes listens.
I complained about orange spinning blocks during selected recent episodes
of "Queer as Folk USA" and the current BBC Choice-exclusive series of "Shooting
Stars" (and when you watch it, you'll know why it's exclusive to BBC Choice -
the same jokes are repeated each week so too many people would complain on BBC2,
hence the reason why only the 2002 Xmas special is being shown on the mainstream
channel). Anyway, back to the plot and for a time the blocks disappeared from
these programmes, but they did come back again on "Shooting Stars".
Fed up with BBC THREE's prospects already? Drop the man a line and tell
him what you think. Should I give out his email address? It could be considered
as a bad idea, but since you know that his name is Stuart Murphy and he works
for the BBC, and most BBC email addresses follow the same path of
"forename.surname@bbc.co.uk" I'll let you work it out. Feel free to CC: a copy
of any emails to me and/or let me know what responses (if any) you get.
Not in terms of the extras, but what about the film itself? It stars Ving Rhames
and a post-Blade 2 Wesley Snipes, but it didn't last too long at the US
cinemas and hasn't even appeared over here yet, although only last week the BBFC
rated the same extras so a UK DVD release can't be far off.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Travis Willock
checks out if it's champion.
I'm glad to see it's not just me who's wondering just how many more of these
CGI animated kids films we're going to get as
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Travis Willock
ponders on the rise and rise of this beast.
What is it with musicians and groups these days when almost every big album
seems to get a re-release with extra tracks just as it's getting closer to
the festive season? As such, I wonder if anyone buys the album first time
round, knowing that this will happen?
To me, Darren Hayes' musical content is too limp for my tastes, but what
does
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
make of it?
I'm still waiting for a reply from this consistently downmarket channel
after I emailed them back about their dreaded new and constant red splodge.
However, things are now getting worse...
Now they've taken a leaf from ITV(1)'s book and are sticking huge "onscreen
next" banners over the closing scenes of programmes, the first one I saw
being last Thursday's Comedy Lab.
It was bad enough when they'd cut the right-hand half of the screen off to
advertise the next programme or a soundtrack CD from whichever series they
were showing, but this huge banner was much bigger than ITV's and slapped
"NEXT: THE SOPRANOS" right over the faces of the cast.
Channel 4, given your falling advertising revenue, how long before you shut
down altogether? I doubt you'll last as long as the Brookside contract which
expires in December 2003.
ITV Digital: Pay up or send back...
That's technically the word from the administrators overseeing the collapse
of ITV Digital which ceased to exist in May this year.
Since over a million people still have at least one ITV Digital box in their
homes that they technically rented on a contract from the company (those who
bought their box outright in 1998/99 or recently, since the advent of
Freeview, are safe) the administrators stated that they will send out letters
shortly to request you pay up £39.99 to keep each box, or phone them
up and they will come and collect it free of charge.
So - they've said 'jump'. Should we say "how high"? No. I'd wait as long as
possible to see what happens. Even though they could eventually add you to
a credit blacklist for refusing to return the box, this would take an incredibly
long time to happen and would not be a good PR exercise for the government who
want everyone to switch over to digital TV by 2010 at the latest (which won't
happen by then anyway).
Of course, the last thing the government need is more bad publicity since the
Prime Minister has a wife with as much common sense over buying a house as
Peter Mandelson had. Tony - you sure can pick 'em(!)
Anyway, back to the plot and I advise that everyone with an ITV Digital box
hang on to them for as long as possible. While £40 seems like a reasonable
price to continue to receive the Freeview broadcasts, the quality of the radio
channels is sub-par, rather like the bandwidth allocated to DAB digital radio
these days, which has dropped through the floor and made a laughing stock of
that service. Also, you're paying for a box which has no warranty and no support
so if it breaks down you're left with a £40 doorstop.
Sit tight, see what happens, and when we get our letter we'll report back.
Fat Bastard. Mike Myers. No, I'm not being rude, one plays the other, and he
also plays Dr Evil, Austin Powers and now Goldmember too, but what's gone
wrong?
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Travis Willock
takes a look.
Everything But The Girl, and a sense of direction, on CD...
Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn used to make quite sombre music in the 80s, and then
completely threw it all away in favour of dance music, getting somewhat of a
revival in their career for a short time before disappearing back into obscurity.
I saw one of their gigs at the Manchester Apollo during this period and it
was a disappointment that they'd dropped just about all of their earlier stuff
as a result.
This is their third greatest hits album, but how much more can we take?
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
counts the cost.
Steven Spielberg's excellent sci-fi thriller, with a cast that contains
fantastic performances from Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell and Samantha
Morton, this is a disturbing look at the future.
One of the best bands of the 80s, albeit mainly singer/songwriter Matt
Johnson, I first learned of them with the Infected album.
I went back and listened to Soul Mining, eagerly-awaited Mind Bomb,
but in 1993 I couldn't quite get into Dusk. Since then I've heard little
or nothing new from them, but am left with a legacy of amazing tunes that I
could listen to again and again, not to mention the videos from the Infected
longform video.
Suddenly last summer... they released a greatest hits album, even though
they've not had many big hits, so what does
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
make of this compilation?
It would take up too much space if I was to detail each one individual here
as I usually have done, so will just list them. This month you can have the
chance to win the following DVDs and games:
Austin Powers: Goldmember (DVD)
Alistair McGowan's Big World Cup (DVD)
Own Goals & Gaffes: The Premiership (DVD)
The Movies & Music Collection (DVD)
Cold Feet Series 4 (DVD)
Haven: Call of the King (PS2)
Red Faction 2 (PS2)
NHL Hitz 2003 (PS2)
These comps above will run until Friday December 27th 2002.
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
The list is updated until the end of December 2002.
Those DVDs out this week are:
The Avengers: The Definitive Dossier 1968 Box Set 2 (19.99, Contender)
The Avengers: The Definitive Dossier 1968 Box Set 3 (19.99, Contender)
The Avengers: The Definitive Dossier 1968 Box Set 4 (19.99, Contender)
Before You Go (19.99, EiV)
The Cranberries: The Best Of 1992-2002 (19.99, Universal)
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial CE (3 discs) (27.99, Universal)
Ghosthunters BS (19.99, Laserlight)
Lady Chatterley's Lover (12.99, Columbia)
The Lighthouse Family: Best Of (19.99, Universal)
Love And A Bullet (19.99, Columbia)
Madness: Take It Or Leave It (15.99, Virgin)
Martine Sings The Musicals (19.99, Virgin)
New Order: Live In Finsbury Park (19.99, Warner Music)
Pulp: Anthology (19.99, Universal)
Rollerball (2001) (19.99, Columbia)
Spider-Man: Return Of The Green Goblin (15.99, Buena Vista)
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen
continues his ongoing review of the return of Alan Partridge, as he went
from rags to riches and back to rags again, but can he get back up again?
The next episode is on BBC2 tomorrow night at 10pm.
Shania Twain on CD - on the up, or on the slide...?
I was never a fan of this woman, and her husband's influence (Robert John "Mutt"
Lange) destroyed what used to be good about The Corrs, so to me her
recent single, "I'm Gonna Get You Good", makes me want to hurl, and
the threat of a new 19-track CD - TWICE - is not a prospect I would relish.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
dons some earplugs.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen returns with his
regular movie news section which looks at future releases and features US and UK
top 10 cinema listings, UK release dates, websites and trailers.
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 new films released this week include: The Santa Clause 2, Enough
and reviews of 28 Days Later, Halloween: Resurrection, xXx, Red Dragon and Harry Potter 2
are already online and out now.
Updated midweek charts...
The midweek charts return courtesy of Dead Man and we present the Top 10 plus
the remaining new entries. Note that if any tracks are listed twice, this
occurs when singles have more than three formats released in the same
week, thus creating an extra entry. This week we also have the album charts
available.
Also, now you can get this list mailed to you each week. Just click
HERE
and then press SEND.
Any of the albums and singles listed can be bought from Amazon.co.uk
by clicking through on the link below-right.
The Top 10 singles are:
1 (-) Eminem - Lose Yourself
2 (1) Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One
3 (-) Cheeky Girls - Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)
4 (-) Robbie Williams - Feel
5 (-) Liberty X - Holding On For You
6 (3) Christina Aguilera - Dirrty
7 (2) Atomic Kitten - Last Goodbye/Be With You
8 (7) That Ketchup Song
9 (4) Ronan & Lulu - We've Got Tonight
10 (6) Nelly - Dilemma
The new entries for the rest of the chart is as follows:
15 Rainbow - It's a Rainbow
19 Ms Dynamite - Put Him Out
29 TLC - Girl Talk
33 Matt Darey & Marcella Woods - U Shine On
35 Bruce Springsteen - Lonesome Day
41 Fat joe - Crush Tonight
50 Adam F - Dirty Harry's Revenge
57 Disturbed - Remember
59 Fall - Fall vs 2003
72 Aqualung - Good Times Gonna Come
74 Mr Scruff - Sweetsmoke
81 Perpetuous Dreamer - The Sound of Goodbye
82 Ash - Jack Names the Planets
91 Sound Bluntz - Albatross
93 Blue States - Season Song
94 Trance Allstars - Go
95 Freak - The Melody The Sound
102 Paul Masterson - Stars
104 Signum - Coming on Strong
107 M.I.K.E. - Icecream
112 Star Spangles - Which of the Two of Us is Gonna Burn
120 Mauro Picotto - Back to Cali
123 Lisa Pin-Up - Turn Up the Sound
137 DJ Shredda - Chainsaw
142 Jackie O - I'm Gonna Getcha Good
149 Disco Brothers - First Contact
153 Minimal Funk - Definition of House
157 DJ Meister - Can You Feel It
164 Greg Packer - Be Bop
173 Polefolder & CP - Dust
175 Raw as Fuck - The Slammer/Theme from Raw
184 Lisa Lashes - Unbelievable
186 Rouge - Retro Piano
190 Cranebuilders - Your Song
199 King Unique - Sugar High
The Top 10 albums are:
1 (1) Robbie Williams - Escapology
2 (2) Blue - One Love
3 (3) Westlife - Unbreakable
4 (4) Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970-2002
5 (-) Darius - Dive In
6 (6) Pink - Missundaztood
7 (7) David Gray - A New Day at Midnight
8 (10) Avril Lavigne - Let Go
9 (13) Atomic Kitten - Feels So Good
10 (11) Elvis Presley - Elv1s: 30 Number 1 Hits
The new entries for the rest of the chart is as follows:
46 Mariah Carey - Charmbraclet
52 Martine McCutcheon - Musicality
57 Robson Green - Moment in Time
63 2 Pac - Better Dayz
98 Howard Shore - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers OST
Soon, we'll be bringing you the Region 2 DVD review of one of this year's
biggest sequels, but first
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Travis Willock
assesses the Region 1 release, and we certainly share his opinion of the
movie itself.
Some bands reform, some claim they never went away, but what to make of a
brand new album from one of THE bands of the early 80s?
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Liam Carey
takes a listen.
The midweek charts return courtesy of Dead Man and we present the Top 10 plus
the remaining new entries. Note that if any tracks are listed twice, this
occurs when singles have more than three formats released in the same
week, thus creating an extra entry. This week we also have the album charts
available.
Also, now you can get this list mailed to you each week. Just click
HERE
and then press SEND.
Any of the albums and singles listed can be bought from Amazon.co.uk
by clicking through on the link below-right.
The Top 10 singles are:
1 (-) Eminem - Lose Yourself
2 (1) Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One
3 (-) Robbie Williams - Feel
4 (-) Cheeky Girls - Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)
5 (3) Christina Aguilera - Dirrty
6 (2) Atomic Kitten - Last Goodbye/Be With You
7 (-) Liberty X - Holding On For You
8 (7) That Ketchup Song
9 (4) Ronan & Lulu - We've Got Tonight
10 (6) Nelly - Dilemma
The new entries for the rest of the chart is as follows:
17 Rainbow - It's a Rainbow
21 Ms Dynamite - Put Him Out
32 TLC - Girl Talk
38 Matt Darey & Marcella Woods - U Shine On
47 Fat joe - Crush Tonight
57 Adam F - Dirty Harry's Revenge
60 Disturbed - Remember
64 Fall - Fall vs 2003
71 Aqualung - Good Times Gonna Come
74 Mr Scruff - Sweetsmoke
77 Ash - Jack Names the Planets
92 Perpetuous Dreamer - The Sound of Goodbye
93 Blue States - Season Song
95 Trance Allstars - Go
98 Freak - The Melody The Sound
100 Star Spangles - Which of the Two of Us is Gonna Burn
The Top 10 albums are:
1 (1) Robbie Williams - Escapology
2 (2) Blue - One Love
3 (3) Westlife - Unbreakable
4 (4) Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970-2002
5 (6) Pink - Missundaztood
6 (7) David Gray - A New Day at Midnight
7 (10) Avril Lavigne - Let Go
8 (-) Darius - Dive In
9 (13) Atomic Kitten - Feels So Good
10 (11) Elvis Presley - Elv1s: 30 Number 1 Hits
The new entries for the rest of the chart is as follows:
A gross film full of all things disgusting, but when it comes to this film
that's a recommendation. Baywatch's Billy Warlock didn't do much
worth watching after this film, but the entire cast are spot-on here.
Viewers of digital TV will be getting plenty annoyed about the constant onslaught
of being told to "press red", with an accompanying red splodge onscreen that
never seems to go away.
Wonder what happened to the use of the "interactive" button? Apparently Sky
charge more for using that than the red button, hence the reason why we're
being told to 'press red'.
However, following the end of Celebrity Big Brother, Channel 4 are refusing
to remove the red dot claiming it's part of a new interactive service, as
mentioned on here in this
press release.
I emailed Channel 4 with:
"Dear C4/E4,
Now that Big Brother has finished again, why haven't you removed the red dot?
I don't want it onscreen all the time. It's perfectly feasible to not have it
onscreen, whilst retaining the availability of the service.
Your channel is starting to resemble Sky One. Do you really want that?"
Their reply:
"Many thanks for your email, the content of which has been logged.
Our Interactive Services department has provided us with the following
response.
On 20th November 2002 we launched Four Active, our permanent interactive
service behind both Channel 4 and E4 on the Sky Digital platform.
The service provides viewers with additional information on Channel 4 and E4
programming as well as other programme related interactive services such as
those for Celebrity Big Brother. Additionally viewers have the opportunity
to play games, send emails and access other interactive content such as TV
banking and retail provided by Sky Active.
Four Active can be accessed via the red button on the viewer's satellite
remote control and to inform viewers of the new service we broadcast an
interactive icon on the digital satellite platform. The icon is removed
during commercial breaks in accordance with ITC regulations. While we are
sensitive to the need to minimise on screen clutter (the icon is a small red
dot which can be removed by pressing the back up button), we do believe that
it is important to inform all our viewers of the additional content they can
access by using the on-screen prompt.
Channel 4 take the issues relating the use of interactive services and
children very seriously and we strictly adhere to the guidelines set out by
the ITC on this and all other issues pertaining to interactive television
services.
Regards.
Margaret Hamilton
Information Officer"
So I've replied back:
"Hi, thanks for your reply, but I would like to take issue with the Interactive
Services dept on the following points:
1. If I press 'backup' to remove the red dot, it comes back after the advert
break, so this is not a solution.
2. If I record a programme on my TiVo, (A) I cannot remove the red dot from a
recording, and (B) I cannot access the interactive content either.
3. This must be made an opt-in service, so we must be able to turn it off
within the digibox.
4. You can have the interactive content made available without the need for a
constant red button onscreen. UK Gold manage this. Just tell your viewers they
can press red, but you do not need to have a constant image onscreen which will
damage TV sets over a period of continual use.
I look forward to your reply."
Ok, so this may sound like old news to those who've endured it on Sky One for
some time, but when it starts inflicting itself upon the main channels it
becomes a cancer on the face of TV.
Of course, the press red icon could just be a symbol of a channel that's no
longer worth watching.
Fed up with being told to press red? Remember, the red dot, when onscreen for
prolonged periods of time, could cause burn-in and damage your TV screen.
Click HERE
to email Channel 4 and register your concern.
Another of our irregular round-ups, this one timed to coincide with the Xmas
rush, so it should give you some ideas as to what to get for people, and there
are links to Blackstar and Amazon where you can find more info about each
title, and buy them. Titles up until February 2003 are also listed.
Can Christina's dirrty song stop Daniel getting the No.1...?
To find out who got the No.1, visit the
music chart analysis page,
with comments on the new releases by Celine Dion, Ronan & Lulu, Atomic Kitten
and Daniel Bedingfield.
COMPETITION: EIGHT comps online...
It would take up too much space if I was to detail each one individual here
as I usually have done, so will just list them. This month you can have the
chance to win the following DVDs and games:
Austin Powers: Goldmember (DVD)
Alistair McGowan's Big World Cup (DVD)
Own Goals & Gaffes: The Premiership (DVD)
The Movies & Music Collection (DVD)
Cold Feet Series 4 (DVD)
Haven: Call of the King (PS2)
Red Faction 2 (PS2)
NHL Hitz 2003 (PS2)
These comps above will run until Friday December 27th 2002.
COMPETITION ANSWERS: November comps on DVDfever.co.uk...
Thanks to the respective PR companies for the comps which have now come to an
end and the answers were as follows:
Lord of the Rings Extended Version (DVD): Hugo Weaving stars as Elrond.
Joe 90 (DVD): Joe 90 is 9 years old.
Futurama Season 2 (DVD): The episode title is The Problem with Popplers.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (DVD): Bill Clinton and Bob Dole are captured by aliens.
Gimme Gimme Gimme Series 3 (DVD): Linda now fancies Danny from Hear'Say.
Tron: Special Edition (DVD): Bruce Boxleitner plays Christian Slater's brother in Kuffs.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 (DVD): Buffy is up against Dracula in the season 5 opener.
Sapphire and Steel Assignments 4-6 (DVD): Silver (David Collings) does the voices for the UK version of "Monkey".
Mark King: Live in Concert (DVD): The Chinese Way is the correct Level 42 track.
Auf Wiedersehen Pet Series 3 (DVD): Tim Healy is married to Denise Welch.
Ali G Indahouse: The Movie (DVD): Ali G refers to his girlfriend as Me Julie.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (DVD): The Kevin Smith film is Dogma.
Kate and Leopold (DVD): Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in X-Men.
Timesplitters 2 (Xbox): You begin in Egypt in 1935.
The winners have been picked and shall be notified shortly.
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
The list is updated until the end of December 2002.
Those DVDs out this week are:
40 Days And 40 Nights (19.99, Universal)
About A Boy (19.99, Universal)
About A Boy (DVD, CD and book) (34.99, Universal)
Austin Powers: Goldmember (19.99, EiV)
Back To The Future (19.99, Universal)
Back To The Future Trilogy (34.99, Universal)
Bjork: Volumen II (17.99, One Little Indian)
Bjork: Volumen Plus (9.99, One Little Indian)
Classic Albums: Deep Purple - Machine Head (17.99, Disc)
Classic Albums: The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols (17.99, Disc)
The Corrs: Best of (19.99, Warner Music)
Friday The 13th Part 7: The New Blood (15.99, Paramount)
Friday The 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan (15.99, Paramount)
Holiday Inn (19.99, Universal)
Lenny Kravitz: Lenny Live (19.99, Virgin)
Minority Report (24.99, Fox)
Mysterious Island (12.99, Columbia)
Nicholas And Alexandra (12.99, Columbia)
Now 2003 (15.99, EMI)
Ordinary People (15.99, Paramount)
Owl And The Pussycat (12.99, Columbia)
Return To The Blue Lagoon (12.99, Columbia)
Popstars: The Rivals (19.99, Granada)
Robin Of Sherwood Series 3 Part 2 (29.99, Network)
The Royal Tenenbaums (19.99, Buena Vista)
Scrubbers (14.99, Anchor Bay)
The Shipping News (17.99, Buena Vista)
The Spencer Davis Group: Live In Manchester 2002 (17.99, Quantum Leap)
Staind: Unplugged (19.99, Warner Music)
Star Trek The Next Generation Season 6 (84.99, Paramount)
Trading Places (15.99, Paramount)
U2: The Best Of Vol 2 (19.99, Universal)
Urban Cowboy (15.99, Paramount)
The Wash (19.99, VCI)
The Wicker Man BS (44.99, CDA Entertainment)
Will Young Live In London (19.99, Warner Music)
Worzel Gummidge Down Under Series 2 (15.99, Laserlight)
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen
continues his ongoing review of the return of Alan Partridge, as he went
from rags to riches and back to rags again, but can he get back up again?
The next episode is on BBC2 tomorrow night at 10pm.
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
Visit the Discussion Forum...
BBFC chief censor James Ferman dies at 72...
London's Burning's James Hazeldine dies aged just 55...
BBC increase their "Press Red" quotient...
Channel 4: Getting worse...
ITV Digital: Pay up or send back...
