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Scarred for Life Volume Two

Started by worldsgreatestsinner, December 28, 2020, 12:15:48 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Glebe

Finished watching Children of the Dog Star on YT, the aliens in the last episode freaked me out as kid!

Glebe

So I watched the Nigel Kneale-penned 1979 Quatermass mini-series... quite bleak and gloomy. All shot on film, it looks quite cinematic at times actually. Good cast, including John Mills as the titular professor, Simon MacCorkindale and Barbara Kellerman, who played the White Which in the '80s BBC adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - and Brenda Fricker! Toyah Wilcox also has a supporting role. Verity Lambert acted as executive producer, interestingly enough... Kneale was apparently not too keen on Doctor Who. Apparently director Piers Haggard is a descendant of H. Rider Haggard!

The violent hippie Planet People are a bit jarring... according to Wiki:

QuoteKneale disliked the depiction of the Planet People, as his inspiration had been angry punks rather than hippies (as evidenced by his portrayal of Kickalong as a gun-toting lunatic who commits multiple motiveless murders)

Bad Ambassador

Seems a bit unlikely, as the original scripts were written in the early 70s and dropped when the BBC got cold feet about the budget. They might well have been changed in rewrites, but they still look like hippies and it meshes with Kneale's general mistrust of young people. He claimed the series was dropped for being 'too gloomy' despite Doomwatch having just run for three series and the Ghost Stories for Christmas just starting.

Norton Canes

The eventual mash-up of punk and hippy attitude was actually very prescient of the traveller/crusty movement.

BlodwynPig


Glebe

Quote from: Norton Canes on June 09, 2021, 04:35:54 PMThe eventual mash-up of punk and hippy attitude was actually very prescient of the traveller/crusty movement.

Apparently actor Ralph Arliss based his portrayal of Planet People leader Kickalong on Charles Manson.

BlodwynPig

Martin Clunes was a member of that scene too.

Glebe


Norton Canes


BlodwynPig

He was briefly in Bolshem People, the pre-Ozric Tentacles band

Glebe

The Tripods is on Dailymotion, I remember watching it as a kid, not the whole series, mind. In any case, reckon I'll give that a goo next. Another one with aliens that put the shits up me.

BlodwynPig

Which is better Triffids or Tripods? Triffids, surely?

Glebe

Quote from: BlodwynPig on June 15, 2021, 07:47:29 PMWhich is better Triffids or Tripods? Triffids, surely?

Never watched that!

pigamus

Quote from: Glebe on May 23, 2021, 02:53:51 PM
Finished watching Under the Mountain... proper scary nostalgia TV, with plenty of adventure and excitement!

They showed this on Central during the school holidays - 1984ish - scared the everloving shit out of me as a kid - especially the policeman with the melting face trying to break into the house, fuckin' 'ell

Glebe

Quote from: pigamus on June 15, 2021, 07:57:49 PMThey showed this on Central during the school holidays - 1984ish - scared the everloving shit out of me as a kid - especially the policeman with the melting face trying to break into the house, fuckin' 'ell

That's probably when I saw it... it was definitely the summer holidays, as I previously mentioned I remember watching what I assume was the last episode (although possibly not, watching it again), with the kids being chased down the tunnels by the aliens and the TV reception suddenly going fuzzy. Ah, those old analog days!

Glebe

Finished The Tripods... watched some of it when it aired as a kid, surprised at how different it is from what I remembered. We don't actually see the scary Masters until almost midway through series 2. It's a bit silly and annoying in places, and series 1 in particular has a lot of faffing about as the lads make their way towards the 'Freemen' stronghold, but it's entertaining enough overall.

The cast generally consists of unknown or obscure actors. While the leads give fairly spirited performances, but some of the acting is a bit wooden. Charlotte Long, who plays Eloise in series 1, was tragically killed in a car crash in-between production of the first and second series, and was replaced for the few scenes Eloise appears in in series 2. According to Wiki, Alick Rowe, who scripted the first series, was convicted of sexual assault of a choirboy in 1998. Fucking hell.

Brundle-Fly

Sorry if this is old news but I've just discovered this blog that might be of interest, No affiliation.

https://www.kindertrauma.com

Glebe

Finally got around to watching Return to Oz, which intrigued me as a kid. There were tie-in stickers or cards, I think, free with Frosties or summit, and the ad had a clip of one the Wheelers going "C'mere!" which used to scare me.

Anyway, despite some wonderfully bonkers scenes it's just not a very good film, sadly.

Meanwhile, also watched Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future. I remember being afraid to watch it as a young 'un, I think I knew a guy blew up. Anyway, entertaining Blade Runner/Gillamesque '80s cyberpunk fun!

Catalogue Trousers

QuoteI think I knew a guy blew up.

Michael Cule, who also played several roles in the later episodes of Knightmare, was the Vogon Guard in the BBC telly version of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, and got run off of the road along with Dawn French in Mr Jolly Lives Next Door!

BlodwynPig

QuoteOutside children's television, Myatt has produced numerous computer security training videos, and has appeared in a crime reconstruction on Crimewatch.

Siarr19

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DBLitwlP-m7c&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiCnb6L35DyAhVPglwKHSuyDWYQtwIwAHoECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0X5QUAfVem1YE5Lg738yIu
Watched this 1980's TV film of "The Hospice" after hearing a Weird Studies podcast about Robert Aickman and found it pretty unsettling and well done. Any of you folk familiar with his writing- the podcast people certainly seemed to rate him?

Norton Canes

I'd somehow managed to not yet buy either of these two volumes, despite them being perfect reading material. But just now I noticed that the authors were talking about them at our local theatre in November, so I've booked a ticket and put vol.1 on order - shockingly remiss of me not to do so sooner

pigamus

Quote from: Glebe on June 26, 2021, 02:25:48 PM
Finished The Tripods... watched some of it when it aired as a kid, surprised at how different it is from what I remembered. We don't actually see the scary Masters until almost midway through series 2. It's a bit silly and annoying in places, and series 1 in particular has a lot of faffing about as the lads make their way towards the 'Freemen' stronghold, but it's entertaining enough overall.

The cast generally consists of unknown or obscure actors. While the leads give fairly spirited performances, but some of the acting is a bit wooden. Charlotte Long, who plays Eloise in series 1, was tragically killed in a car crash in-between production of the first and second series, and was replaced for the few scenes Eloise appears in in series 2. According to Wiki, Alick Rowe, who scripted the first series, was convicted of sexual assault of a choirboy in 1998. Fucking hell.

Alan Clark mentions Charlotte Long in his diaries as well - they were filming on his estate.

https://charlottelongactress.wordpress.com/alan-clarks-diaries/

Glebe

*bump*

So I've finally gotten around to watching the rest of the BBC A Ghost Story for Christmas films (original and revival) that are available on YouTube/Dailymotion (I missed last year's The Mezzotint when it went out and we don't have iPlayer in Ireland).

The Signalman (1976): Think this is considered to be a bit of a TV classic, it's the first Ghost Story for Christmas not adapted from M.R. James but Dickins is a good substitute. Denholm Elliot is unsurprisingly top notch in the role of the spooked signalman of the title. Some notably unsettling moments and a sense of dread throughout.

Stigma (1977): The first story from an original script is sadly a pretty insubstantial tale. Apparently filmed at Avebury, the same location used for Children of the Stones. Peter Bowles plays the husband. Gratuitous breasts on display.

The Ice House (1978): The last in the original GSfC run, again an original story, and just a bit silly really. There's an oddness about it and it could potentially have been a lot scarier. David Beames who plays Bob the masseur pops up in '80s BBC drama mini-series Maelstrom which I watched on YT a little while ago.

The Dead Room (2018): An original story by Mark Gatiss. Simon Cowell is in good form as ever but there's not a whole lot to it.

Martin's Close (2019): A return to M.R. James. Good cast headed by Peter Capaldi (familiar face Sara Crowe also in the cast). It's nothing spectacular but I enjoyed it for what it was.





Glebe

I've just bitten the bullet and ordered Vol. 1! About time really! Looking forward to it.

Glebe

My copy of SfL Vol 1 hasn't arrived yet, but just a heads up that more episodes of Armchair Thriller have finally popped up on YT in the last few days! Been watching 'The Girl Who Walked Quickly', starring Denis Lawson... there's an advertisement for Star Wars visible behind his character in the second episode of the serial, Lawson of course played Wedge Antilles in the saga.

Magnum Valentino

Quote from: Glebe on June 22, 2022, 11:09:23 PMMy copy of SfL Vol 1 hasn't arrived yet, but just a heads up that more episodes of Armchair Thriller have finally popped up on YT in the last few days! Been watching 'The Girl Who Walked Quickly', starring Denis Lawson... there's an advertisement for Star Wars visible behind his character in the second episode of the serial, Lawson of course played Wedge Antilles in the saga.

Star Wars trivia top trumps rules demand that I point out that he's Ewan McGregor's uncle before pushing my glasses (which don't exist) up my nose (which still does regrettably).

Glebe

Quote from: Magnum Valentino on June 23, 2022, 09:58:15 AMStar Wars trivia top trumps rules demand that I point out that he's Ewan McGregor's uncle before pushing my glasses (which don't exist) up my nose (which still does regrettably).

Oh yeah!

Glebe

My copy of Vol 1 has arrived! Looking forward to diving into it!

studpuppet

Quote from: Catalogue Trousers on July 10, 2021, 01:01:41 AMMichael Cule, who also played several roles in the later episodes of Knightmare, was the Vogon Guard in the BBC telly version of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, and got run off of the road along with Dawn French in Mr Jolly Lives Next Door!

Only a year late reading this, but that's the sort of content I come here for on a slow-moving Thursday afternoon.