Rev

A quick entry to mark your cards that one of my favourite TV series Rev is coming to an end tonight at 10 PM on BBC 2. For those of you who don't know Rev stars Tom Hollander as Adam Smallbone, the reverend in an inner city London church. Up to this point Adam has been struggling to find the funds to keep the church going, after being investigated and cleared of unprofessional conduct Adam finally resigned in the previous episode. Last weeks episode ended with the church being closed and a lovely cameo from Liam Neeson as god, I have no idea what will happen tonight but I have a feeling its going to be a bitter sweet ending.

I will say this though, I've noticed that the theme of this series seems to be "the passion" based on the following:

1. Adam loaned a cross to a nearby church for a procession and proceeded to carry it himself while being taunted by passers by akin to Christ.
2. Colin denied knowing Adam as Peter denied knowing Christ.
3. Adam was betrayed over a kiss and by the church treasurer.
4. The Bishop washed his hands after delivering last weeks verdict.

I'm sure there are more but I didn't spot them, anyway lets raise a glass to Rev and hope it ends on a high... 

20 Reasons Why I hate José Mourinho

1. The following sentence is perhaps the most cringe worthy opening PR gambit a manager has ever come out with. "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one," In some parallel dimension the media would have dubbed him "the arrogant one." I wish I lived there instead of here.


2. His shushing of Liverpool fans in the 2005 League Cup Final, no José we will never shut up.


3. He never laid the Smack down on Shane McMahon.

If Mourinho had jumped over the rails, thrown McMahon into the corner and performed the Drogba Dive on him it would have been the best piece of TV ever. However he just sat there and took it...


4. After a Champions League match against Barcelona Mourinho claimed Anders Frisk was in cahoots with Barcelona resulting in Frisks family getting death threats and causing Frisk to retire.


5. His attraction to odious players such as Ashley Cole, John Terry and Goran Pandev.


6. José Mourinho is an eye gouger:

Wow, if its not enough that he went for the eyes he attacked Tito Vilanova from behind.


7. After years of defending Didier Drogba's diving while he managed Chelsea he came up with this gem when he was managing Inter Milan, "I am no longer Chelsea coach and I do not have to defend them any more, so I think it is correct if I say Drogba is a diver." Well that's "two faced" added to his list of characteristics.


8. At Inter some of his comments had to be heard including his "Zeru Tituli" rant.The phrase that now dons thousands of t-shirts around Milan. This was an attempt to goad his rival coaches' lack of silverware and slam what he called their “intellectual prostitution” in the media.


9. The 2010 Uefa Champions League Final which saw Inter Milan kill the match in order to win.


10. His pathetic attempts to downplay Chelsea's chances of winning the league over recent. Seriously José, this is how it works: if I put a tenner on a team to win the league the team that nets me the lowest profit is the favourite. Got it? Good...


11. Wining the Champions League is a unique moment, I expect anyone whose won it feels a level of bliss and joy. Rather than sharing an emotional moment with the fans José headed straight for the ITV interview camera and started pimping himself for future jobs.


12. He inspired Chris Moyles to produce one of the worst parody songs of all time:

Its certainly no "Will Mellor."


13. No 13 due to Tory cutbacks and being grateful for teaching Brendan Rogers everything he knows.


14. Inspiring this:

Stop the world I want to get off...


15. His treatment of Juan Mata, why would you ship him out? José walks back into Chelsea to find a menagerie of new players and he doesn't play him then transfers him. Seriously this is a player who actually made Chelsea look good the past two season.


16. The fact he has developed a following outside of football, people I know who don't follow football or even support a team have started taking an interest in teams just because José Mourinho is managing them. I was once at a female friends house who turned the TV on after a match just so she could watch his interview.


17. His smugness, I'm not pinpointing this down to one incident as its like his aura is composed of self lust. His self indignation when a decision goes against his team. The fact that he's so jammy when being interviewed yet when he's been beat he doesn't want to come out and perform for us as seen in the recent Villa match.


18. His style of play, he stopped Madrid being sexy, his Inter team made my eyes bleed and even when his teams get a high scoring victory I find myself nodding off.


19. "Parking the bus" yes the most loathed of all the football match descriptions, when a team pack the midfield and defence in an attempt to strangle the game and get away with a 0-0 draw. Who coined the phrase? José Mourinho...


20. The media's obsession in him, I rarely read papers these days or watch TV analysis, one of these reasons is the obsession over personalities and in particular managers. Seriously, from a match report I want to read how a team played and not get an attempt by a journalist to do some cod psychology on anything José came out with in a pre-match interview. When I turn on a match all I want from the pre-match build up is to know whose playing and what formations. I don't want to know "what José is thinking" or Jamie Redknapps opinion on what José will say after the match. Plus after the match give me some highlights of the goals, show me some of these "exciting new angles" not close ups of a manager stood beside the pitch as the goal goes in. Don't give me all that "he gives us something to talk about" crap, quite frankly I'd rather talk about the game.

More TV Tips

Good evening ladies and gentle readers I hope I find you suitably relaxed and in the mood for some top TV tips. Anyway the first recommendation I have for you is:

24: Live Another Day, yes ladies and gentlemen in case you were not aware every ones favourite counter terrorist agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is making a comeback.

 
I for one am very excited about this as I'm in the firm belief that not only is 24 mold breaking TV it is one of the best TV shows of the last 15 years - also I implore you to give the season 1 box set a go awesome TV. Set in real time usually over the course of a day Jack Bauer inhabits a world of action, intrigue and bladders made of steel where people only go to the toilet to make phone calls. Only 12 episodes this time but hopefully this will lead to another series and a condensed season actually sounds intriguing.


Another recommendation is Arrow usually found on Sky 1 at 8PM on a Thursday. Arrow is the story of Oliver Queen who after being stranded on an island for 5 years and his father dying becomes a vigilante - rather like Batman albeit with a fixation on Robin Hood as opposed to flying rodents. Approaching the tail end of the second season this is a highly consistent TV show and is approaching top gear as it heads to its season finale. Very much an ensemble show including elements of Smallville and Lost its very much a sleeper hit and will hopefully explode onto a wider audience soon.

The Big Finish Catch Up: March 2014

Back when Big Finish started doing the Doctor Who audio's I was all over them to the extent when I was getting them the month they came out. However when Neverland came out it coincided with my leaving University and I thought given the cliffhanger it was a good time to put a hold on listening to them and come back at a later date. I heard the next one or two over the next few years as I was given them for Christmas and Birthdays etc, however it wasn't until 2008 until I got back into buying them and 2009 when I started getting them on a more consistent basis. I've by and large limited myself to getting one a month however the growing realisation that I'm more than 100 stories behind has motivated me to start listening to two a month and make an effort to catch up.

I'm going to do regular reviews as being so far behind I'd like to have an in depth natter about them but people would rather talk about the current stuff. Right so lets get down to the two I listened to in March:


The Roof of the World

This story sees the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem (an original Big Finish companion) visiting Tibet in 1917 to take part in a cricket match - the Fifth Doctor going to a cricket match, never saw that coming. Its a bit of an odd one, the first episode is outstandingly rich in atmosphere as well as slightly doom laden in setting up what appears to be a mystical villain. The second episode is a good one as Erimem is put through the ringer as the villain engages in some serious spooky psychological warfare that's rarely been seen in Who. Sadly the story falls to bits at the point with the second half coming over bland and insipid, I can't go into it in detail as I've already forgotten it. In short a game of two halves, good first poor second.


The Next Life

I must state I'm listening to the monthly range slightly out of order as I didn't want a load of stories featuring the same Doctor all in one go. The Next Life is the finale to the 8th Doctors 3rd Big Finish season usually referred to as "The Divergence Season" and is in actual fact Paul Mcganns final story as the current Doctor. As far as I'm aware I think the TV comeback motivated Big Finish to end the Divergent Universe earlier than planned but am not certain.

Personally I found this to be a very frustrating story, quite frankly there's not a lot going on here and the story doesn't justify its length. Questions asked earlier in the season are answered, however this may require a re listen as I'm not sure everything was explained in a satisfying manner. The need to explain The Doctor and Charley being attacked by some bugs early in the season came across as an amazingly nitpicking moment. I'm not quite sure who Kro'ka was working as a double agent for, one side was definitely Rassilon but I'm not sure if the other was Keep or the Divergence. "The Last" is the surprisingly pivotal story in the season although most stories are referenced. Judging this season as a whole I thought it was okay, a good idea putting the 8th Doctor in a new universe where potentially different kinds of stories could happen, although in fairness there's a fair mixture of traditional and "radical" stories with "Faith Stealer" and "The Natural History of Fear" being my respective favourites from each category.

Actor wise its a cracking cast, the regulars Paul McGann, India Fisher and Conrad Westman were on fine form. Due to my avoidance of spoilers I had no idea weather C'rizz (played by Westman) would stay or be written off at this point - this story keeps you guessing right up until the end. Stephen Perring as the sly Kro'ka has been a wonderful foil for the regulars this season and his final scene with Rassilon is poetic. Don Warrington was a good choice for Rassilon however I don't think we was given the correct material for the character. Other cast members of note are Paul Darrow mostly known for Blakes 7, Daphne Ashbrook from the TV Movie and Anneke Wills reprising her role as Charleys mum.

The story itself as I said earlier is rather frustrating in that there's a really tight good regular length story buried under the padded length. The first episode is quite pacey and things get pacey around about episode five when some characters and twists are introduced, however in between its a series of conversations in a jungle and a swamp. Highlights for me included the dream weave sequence, the revelations of a characters origin late in the play, a poetic fate for Rassilon & the Kro'ka and a fantastic character scene between The Doctor, Charlie and C'rizz at the end.

There is a firm conclusion to the seasons story line and a knowing wink to the audience right at the end. In short recommended however if you intend to get the entire season, otherwise I don't think you'll get the full experience from the story.