Attack Of The Talking Tylers

Crikey blimey Charlie, it’s been a week since I’ve made an entry. I’ve been sick, you know. Haven’t been this sick in a long while, actually. But, luckily, I’ve had DVDs from Granny W to keep me entertained and to stop me from jumping off a bridge to stop me coughing.

It’s been the attack o the Tylers, I can tell you. First we had Sam Tyler from ‘Life On Mars’. Then we had Vince Tyler from ‘Queer as Folk’. Then we had Rose Tyler from ‘Doctor Who’.

‘Life On Mars’ then. Series 2, episode 1. Not a complete cop-out (if you’ll pardon the pun), a nice pot-boiler minus any bunnies, and although at times I thought they trying just a wee bit too hard to make the Gene Genie extra-Geney, it went over well. Enjoyed the whole role-reversal thing, and the “I told you so” ending. Well, that were me, saying that. Not Gene.

‘Queer As Folk’ then. In turns hilarious, outrageous, and a little touching. Well, a lot of touching, but actually I were talking about me, not what the lads get up to ont screen. The Vince character were a little disturbing. Only cos I think he reminded me of me just a wee bit in places. Russell T. Davies certainly writes a good mini-soap. And there are quotes galore to be had and used from that, I’ll tell you…

‘Doctor Who’ then. Just got over ‘Tooth and Claw’, and am now into ‘School Reunion’. Oh my dog, Sarah Jane and K9! The ending almost made me blub. Well, I had summat in me eye, anyway.

Speaking o The Tennster, ‘Casanova’ then. Oh, how I laffed my arse off at that one – parts one and two, anyway. The BBC really can do it right, sometimes, I’ll give em that. The sets, the costumes, the writing (Russell T. Davies strikes again), the wit, the editing, the style. Fab. Now then, part three – that’s a different matter. Still funny in places, still wicked and amusing, but the end did make me blub like a girl. Completely. Yeah, I’m still sick, but there were no excuse fer that kinda behaviour. Oh, Peter O’Toole, bless his wee cottons, he’s such a wonderful package of all that’s right with English (alright, half-Irish half-Scots, raised in Leeds) actors. I’ll always love him for having made ‘My Favourite Year’.

Er, anything else as caught me eye this week? Oh, ta to Mister * over at Such As They Are, I’ve run over this word: MacGuffin. I were thinking, hmm, never went to film school me, what’s that when it’s at home? If you check the ever-popular Wikipedia fer their entry on MacGuffin, you get a complicated answer. I were kinda scratching me head a little, then noticed a few ‘uses of’ things at bottom. ‘Self-sealing stem-bolts’ caught me eye – as they would anyone when you remember that, hey, they’re not just any stem-bolts, they’re self-sealing stem-bolts. Then I realised what a MacGuffin is…

Talking o sci-fi shows, Firefly has caught me eye this week an all. One of them shows I always wanted to watch but it never coincided wi me life, I finally got the chance to sit down and watch a few episodes. Have to say, it’s pretty good if you like cowboys in space – an I mean the gun-slinging, bar-room-brawling, boot-him-in-the-nadgers kinda cowboys, not the ones as re-fit yer kitchen wi the wrong plumbing. I were originally intrigued by the quotes bandied about, and then recently were called upon to have a quick squiz at some Chinese dialogue as apparently crops up from time to time.

Talk about completely intrigued. Where else would you get a sci-fi show about cowboys, big (space) boots n talking funny included, suddenly swearing at people in Potunghua / Mandarin Chinese? Granted, the pronunciation is not the best, and the way it’s only used to let people know how you really feel is a little back-burner-ish, but it’s got me watching more episodes. I’d say, as a gimmick, it’s worked. Although the pronunciation is quite bad and it’s all done very quickly, kinda like young actors trying Shakespeare fert first time, gabbling it quickly so it’s done and dusted faster. But it’s there. And if yer very, very quick, you can get the jist of it.

Mr favourite so far has to have been “跟猴子比丟屎” ~ ‘go fling shit with monkeys’. Or how about “大象爆炸式的拉肚子” ~ ‘an elephant’s exploding shit’. Amusing. Although, sometimes, the awful pronunciation does more than enhance the experience.

Anyway, that’s everything. I’m all caught up, ta, and how have to go get all me shite to the laundry, and start cleaning the flat. Looks like a bomb’s hit it. An that.



Caption of't week: “Just lie back and think of Gallifrey, mate...”

Soopytwist.

Tags:
DVD ~ Queer As Folk ~ Russell T. Davies ~ Sam Tyler ~ Life On Mars ~ BBC ~ Gene Genie ~ Rose Tyler ~ Doctor Who ~ Casanova ~ Peter O’Toole ~ David Tennant ~ Firefly ~ Mandarin ~ Firefly